What a brilliant debut novel. In Memoriam is mix of historical fiction and an evolving complicated and forbidden romance, Elwood and Gaunt will take you from the comfort and safety of an upscale English boarding school to the horror and devastation of the trenches in the 1914 Belgium Flanders. Gaunt’s half German origins add a twist to him going to fight on the English side.
I am so glad I opened this book even though it was classified, among other categories, as romance which is usually a resounding “no” for me! My first 5 star book of 2023 and I’ve read 92 so far!
I really enjoyed Victory City. The mixture of mythology, fantasy and history from the viewpoint of a woman was perfect. I’ve never read Salman Rushdie before but I’m intrigued enough to check out his other works.
I had the audiobook though I’m not sure if it would have made a difference. There are a lot of names, of places and people, and it’s a little bit tricky to keep track. I found it best to let the names slide the first or second time I heard them, but pay closer attention once they became a recurring or important character or location. I really had very little trouble following the story and I definitely recommend it.
In this smart, absorbing mystery/historical fiction set in 1920s Bombay, Parveen Mistry is trying to put her difficult past behind her while working at her father’s law firm. Although she attended law school, as a woman she is not allowed to argue cases in court. When she comes across a case involving the will of one of her father’s clients who has recently died, she is suspicious to find that the three widows of this client have all signed over their inheritances to a charity overseen by their male estate manager. The three widows practice Purdah, living in seclusion in their home, and as such do not speak directly to men who are strangers. As a woman, Parveen is the only one at the firm able to speak to the widows directly to make sure they have consented to this agreement. During her visit to the widows, the estate manager is murdered.
While the mystery aspect of the book is compelling, I was particularly taken with the historical context, and the rich depictions of the lives of women in the diverse world of 1920s Bombay. The characters in this book come from a variety of religious, cultural, and economic backgrounds, and these identities intersect in interesting ways. Parveen’s experience growing up in a wealthy, progressive Parsi family is strikingly different from her time with Cyrus’ traditional Parsi family. The experiences of the three Muslim widows living in seclusion differ widely, and their relationships are complicated by their different economic, educational and cultural backgrounds. Parveen’s close relationship with her best friend Alice, the wealthy white daughter of a British government official, is necessarily impacted by the dynamics of British Colonialism. I very much enjoyed Parveen as a character. She is smart and compassionate, with a passion for fighting for justice for women that comes out of her lived experience. The Widows of Malabar Hill is the first in a series of Parveen Mistry mysteries, and I look forward to spending more time in this world.
Stratham Library's Recommendations 