The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan was the first book I read in 2023 and almost immediately, in a fit of emotion and productivity, wrote the review. I even uploaded this review to Instagram and Goodreads, too, I think. But somehow, to put my thoughts about this book here, seemed too intimidating for me. Maybe because writing a review on the blog needs me to open up more of myself than I would for the other media. There’s more space here for me to spill my thoughts and I know that once I start, it usually takes me more energy than I can spare to stop. And The Joy Luck Club is a book that makes me do this. Yes, it’s a confusing thing to reconcile oneself with, but it’s still a powerful narrative.
Tag Archives: Domestic Fiction
Honor by Thrity Umrigar | Book Review
Today is my blog tour stop for this hard-hitting, searing work of fiction that sadly reflects reality. Thank you, Algonquin Books for having me on this tour, and thank you, Thrity Umrigar, for writing it!
Honor is about two women, Smita and Meena, whose lives become so intricately intertwined that after a while, it becomes difficult to point out where one story starts and where the other ends.
Slices of Life by Richa Gupta | Book Review
Richa Gupta’s Slices of Life is a collection of short stories that span different genres and explore various facets of the human personality and psyche in a manner that makes you think and speculate and introspect about where we as humans come from, and where we are going. There are stories in there that can be classified as futuristic fiction, there are those that are domestic fiction, those that are contemporary fiction, those that talk about women empowerment, about familial relationships, friendships, romances, and daily life, and a whole lot more that you will probably be surprised to find in there.
House of Trelawney by Hannah Rothschild | Book Review
Just the cover of Hannah Rothschild’s The Improbability of Love brought me to my knees, even though I haven’t read it in the year that I have owned it. Plus, I had heard great things about the book. So of course, when the author’s new book came out, I became excited. And when Bloomsbury India granted me the review request, I literally squealed!
Thing is, disappointment doesn’t warn you before it strikes. That’s probably why some are so hard to digest. And this one, House of Trelawney, is one such.
The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin | Book Review
I have been in love with the cover of The Queen of Hearts since the moment I lay eyes on it. Like, look at it! And when it made its way to me, I was ecstatic and fawning over it. I cannot even begin to describe that feeling. It was and still is, that intense, days after I finished reading it. The best part of this obsession, however, was how the author was so responsive. Every time I uploaded a picture of the book and tagged Kimmery Martin, she would respond! The first time she did, I almost fainted. But I’ve recovered ever since.
Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak | Book Review
As everyone who’s been following me on BookTube and Bookstagram knows, I fell in love with Markus Zusak’s writing after reading The Book Thief. That book still gives me the chills and makes me want to curl up in a ball and cry. It is because of The Book Thief that I was so goddamn excited about Bridge of Clay when it released. There wasn’t a minute when I didn’t covet that book and when I finally got it, I would sit and stare at it for what felt like ages.
Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag | Book Review
Ghachar Ghochar was originally written in Kannada by Vivek Shanbhag and translated into English by Srinath Perur. The reasons why I picked this book are pretty simple: the cover, the rave reviews it had wherever I laid eyes on it, and the fact that a translation was getting as much international acclaim as Ghachar Ghochar was.
The Other Woman by Jane Green | Book Review
The first thing that comes to mind when you see this title, The Other Woman is not what the story is about. As against what the title suggests, this is not a story of infidelity. It is about accommodating the people in the life of the love of your life, into your own. That is exactly what got me hooked on to this one.
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult | Book Review
Jodi Picoult is a very thorough author. The amount of research she does for every story shows in the quality of her books. While stories can be pulled through with the outlines, it’s the specifics that form the flesh and blood – the most important part of a book. And that is what Jodi Picoult is all about.
Us by David Nicholls | Book Review
It was on a grim, depressing day that I picked up ‘Us’ by David Nicholls. Walking around the bookstore in the mall that I usually go to when I need some me time, I spotted this book sitting against a number of Agatha Christies – a very unusual place to be, in my opinion. The very intriguing cover piqued my dull senses and I gave the blurb a once over.
The Melodramatic Bookworm 