Sejal Badani

Excellent story of how a woman suffering from three miscarriages finds herself and finds out why her mother seemed so distant from her growing up when she decides to go to the funeral of her grandfather in India. Her mother would not go and she needed to find out what she was hiding from her. Goodreads: From the bestselling author of Trail of Broken Wings comes an epic story of the unrelenting force of love, the power of healing, and the invincible desire to dream.Nothing prepares Jaya, a New York journalist, for the heartbreak of her third miscarriage and the slow unraveling of her marriage in its wake. Desperate to assuage her deep anguish, she decides to go to India to uncover answers to her family?s past.Intoxicated by the sights, smells, and sounds she experiences, Jaya becomes an eager student of the culture. But it is Ravi�her grandmother?s former servant and trusted confidantÂ¥who reveals the resilience, struggles, secret love, and tragic fall of Jaya?s pioneering grandmother during the British occupation. Through her courageous grandmother?s arrestingly romantic and heart-wrenching story, Jaya discovers the legacy bequeathed to her and a strength that, until now, she never knew was possible.… (altro)

Protagonist Jaya, experiencing marital troubles, travels to her deceased grandparents’ home in India, where she learns the story of her family’s past. Her grandmother, Amisha, lived during the British Raj era. She was a storyteller, a woman with ideas that did not fit well with the expectations of her traditional role. She wanted to be able to tell her stories in English and was tutored by a British lieutenant.

This story is a journey of discovery. In learning about her grandparents’ lives, Jaya begins to understand more about herself, her mother, and her relationship with her husband. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of holiday celebrations and India’s cultural traditions.

Where the book does not succeed as well is in tying together the two narratives. This really should be Amisha’s story, and Jaya’s portion feels forced. It jumps from one scene to the next without an easy flow. The “secret” is obvious early on and the ending is a bit too tidy. So, between the pluses and minuses, I can say I liked it enough to read another book by this author.… (altro)