Tag: Indian setting

Abraham Verghese’s—The covenant of water *****

Abraham Verghese’s—The covenant of water *****

When twelve-year-old Mariaamma’s father dies, she is forced to leave her Kerala village and marry a forty-year-old man. She knows nothing of the hereditary “condition” that runs through his family, but she becomes aware that her husband goes out of his way to avoid water. After her son’s birth, she notices he tries to avoid a bath and dislikes water poured over his head. What is this mysterious condition? It takes three generations before this comes to light, while family members lose their lives all too soon.

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Margaret MacMillan’s—Women of the Raj *****

Margaret MacMillan’s—Women of the Raj *****

This was a well written close look at women who braved the journey by ship to stay in India during British rule. From the beginning right through until India’s independence, we follow women who came to join their husbands or in the hope of getting married. We learn about their journey by sea, their first impressions and their social life. For anyone interested in India during the British Raj, this is an informative read.

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Magha Majumdar’s—A Burning*****

Magha Majumdar’s—A Burning*****

Set in India, this novel centres around three main characters—Jivan, a Muslim girl from the slums, Lovely, a girl whom Jivan is teaching English, and PT Sir a gym instructor at the school Jivan attends. When Jivan comments on Facebook and innocently befriends a known terrorist, she is implicated in the bombing of a train that kills around one hundred passengers.

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Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s—Independence *****

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s—Independence *****

In 1946 three sisters, Deepa, Priya and Jamini live in a village not far from Calcutta. Their father, a doctor, is bent on helping the poor who cannot afford to pay for his services, forcing the family to live a frugal life. Deepa, the most beautiful and favoured by her mother, convinces her father to take them to Calcutta where they stay in her father’s best friend and neighbour, Somnath’s mansion. Somnath’s son, Amit volunteers to join them so he can be near Priya. But once they arrive in Calcutta riots break out that changes the course of the family’s lives forever.