Welcome to Litsy!

The Widows of Malabar Hill (Parveen Mistry 1), by Sujata Massey (2018)

Premise: India‘s first female solicitor takes the case of three Muslim widows living in seclusion, but must think quickly when the estate‘s overseer is found dead.

Review: This was a fascinating novel. The mystery was compelling but I appreciated it most as a window into the complex relationships between ethnic and religious communities in India under British rule. Cont

This came recommended, and I‘m so glad! Fantastic cozy mystery set in 1920s Bombay, featuring a female lawyer/sleuth. It involves different cultures and religions found in the city at the time, and all that goes with it. Really well done! (And it got me a #bingo to close the year #bookspinbingo )

#BookScavengerHunt prompt gate 15 pts
#BookRecommendation 30 pts

#HauntedShelf #FreightClub team @Jadams89

1,355 pts (previous) + 45 pts (current) = 1,400 pts

Apparently, my Rakuten Kobo Elipsa checks geolocation and without any info message, it declines access to Helsinki City Library from Riga, Latvia :/ Luckily, I found the way to connect my e-reader to VPN network in Finland and I was able to borrow the book as I was craving for more Indian stories besides so close to my heart “A Suitable Boy“ ❤️

A fast and gripping murder mystery investigated by the first female solicitor of Bombay in 1920s India (based on the first two female lawyer/solicitor(s) of India). Rich in highlighting Parsi and Muslim cultures, and the history of Bombay, the story is fast-paced, with careful attention to detail. Although I wasn‘t particularly astonished by the ending, I definitely enjoyed reading all 400 odd pages of the book.

Part historical fiction, set in 1920s Mumbai of British India, showcasing Parsi life and culture, a murder mystery, and the first woman solicitor navigating her way through a patriarchal system make it an interesting read.

#CloakandDaggerChristmas

This fit the prompt for a mystery set on a different continent. Set in Bombay, India during the 1920s, Perveen Mistry is the first and only female solicitor in the city. As a woman, she‘s allowed to practice but not plead in court.There‘s a lot going on in this historical mystery. I‘d have preferred less backstory about Perveen‘s early marriage, but others will appreciate it. A solid debut- I will read on in the series.

I don‘t really follow publishers, but Soho Press seems to have some interesting mystery authors in their “stable,” including Sujata Massey. They published the edition I read of the tagged book, at any rate. #sundayfunday

Read for #diversecozy I really enjoyed this mystery, first of the series & set in 1920s Bombay. Perveen Mistry is a wonderful character, one of the first female lawyers in India & I enjoyed her family & friends. The mystery surrounding 3 widows of a client of Mistry Law has some good twists & I learned a lot about culture & customs. I will continue with this series as I want more of Parveen & have the second book downloaded.
#SeriesLove2023

Perveen is Bombay‘s first female solicitor. And her newest case is helping a group of widows with their inheritance. But her own past makes a reappearance, & there‘s more to the case than meets the eyes.

I blazed through this! I was immediately charmed by Perveen, a complicated but passionate woman! The case was twisty, we get a great historical backdrop of 1920s Bombay, fascinating insight into Indian law, & a fun group of characters! 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

It was a long work week getting settled in a new job (so much peopling!) so I treated myself to brunch delivery this morning. My favorite Mexican Street Avocado Toast & an Iced Dirty Chai Oatmilk Latte. 😋

About 60 pages into this one for #diversecozy & really enjoying it so far! Also #SeriesLove2023

I loved the characters and setting of this mystery. I‘ll definitely read more in this series thanks to #DiverseCozy

I liked this book. It had a great sense of place, a good mystery, and a wonderful character in Perveen Mistry. This is the first in a series. There are four of them right now, and I‘ll read the others. #diversecozy #audiowalk

Still enjoying this, but I have to stop sometimes because I get so angry about some of the things that happen to Perveen just because she‘s a woman. #diversecozy #audiowalk

There are two timelines in this book — one in 1916 and one in 1920. So far, I don‘t see the connection except for the main character. I hope there will be one. #audiowalk

This isn‘t like most cozy mysteries I‘ve read, and I‘m here for it. I love the Bombay setting and the very early 20th century time period. #diversecozy #audiowalk

I‘m listening to this for #diversecozy; I think I‘m going to like it. It quit raining for a bit, so I took advantage of that and went for a walk. #audiowalk

So many good ones!

#setin1920s #MarchMagic

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
@Eggs

Interesting.

Part mystery part historical fiction, I ended up enjoying this bookclub choice. Set in early 1900‘s India, the story revolves around a Parsi woman who has earned a law degree from Oxford University and is hoping to use her knowledge to aid woman‘s rights in her country. Lots of interesting content regarding the different sects with their customs, laws, traditions and beliefs. Bonus for the delectable food descriptions & recipes included.

Spent the day reading by the pool, overlooking the beach 🫶🏼 Lovely way to chill on a Tuesday 🏖

I own both the book in print & the ebook on my Kindle. I‘ve decided there are too many words I‘m not familiar with, so I‘m going with the helpful built in dictionary. Such a great feature that I almost never use.

#ThingsInCommon #GoldFoilOnCover #WomansProfileOnCover @Clwojick Widows is for IRL bookclub so I MUST start reading!!

#12booksof2021 #November

I started this one on audio, switched to print because I was struggling to get into it, and then finished it on audio. I think maybe in the end the struggle was my own, because eventually I found myself not wanting to turn it off. I love Perveen. This isn‘t a true dual timeline book in my opinion, but I love how the author took us back to Perveen in 1916/1917. What happens to her (🤬) during that time plays a huge part in the person/solicitor ⬇️

#GiorgioCat is keeping me company as I read. Isn‘t he adorable? #CatsofLitsy

“On the morning Perveen saw the stranger, they‘d almost collided.”

I was transported to a time and place I have never read about before, 1920s India, which made a rich backdrop to this mystery. I loved the strong female protagonist and her relationships with family and friends. I enjoyed the journey this book took me on. And I‘m glad #booked2021 gave me a reason to read it. I will definitely continue with this series for #UNpeacekeepers prompt ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reading in the dark- trying to get my last couple of books finished for the 3rd quarter #booked2021 tally before Sunday! I‘ve actually caught up a little bit so my form won‘t look so empty as I thought it would !

Next up for #booked2021. It has been on my list to read forever and by happy coincidence whilst looking for a book to fill the #setinacountrywhereunpeacekeepersare prompt it was on sale. I want to celebrate India as the biggest contributor of troops since the the UN peacekeeping inception and the first country to deploy an all female contingent to a UN peacekeeping mission in 2007 (which I think the female sleuth in this book would be proud of)

Love feeling like I am in Bombay in the 20s

A fantastic, historical mystery set 1916-1921 in Bombay. I loved learning about the place and time's customs and peoples through this lens. Features a strong, smart heroine, Perveen Mistry, too. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series soon!

On the morning Perveen saw the stranger, they‘d almost collided.

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

I really enjoyed this novel but besides the mystery, I was fascinated with the history behind the story: how women were treated in India during this period of time and that main character was inspired by Cornelia Sorabaji‘s life. This edition has an interview with author, a glossary, information about Parsi, about Cornelia Sorabaji & even some recipes. It also mention some references.The audiobook help me to know how to pronounce some words.3.85⭐️

What a fun read! I think the slightly corny way almost every chapter ends was unnecessary. I also found the implicit anti-Muslimness interesting. The actions of Mr Farid are not at all how the Quran instructs men with multiple wives to behave, and almost all the Muslim characters are dishonourable. That aside, I still found it a lovely read. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A recent recommendation by @BarbaraJean made me look for this on Overdrive and I was pleasantly surprised that it was! Today is the first Sunday in weeks that I wasn't up at 6 working frantically. I have done some work but now I'm back in bed with a sinus headache and my book.

I didn‘t know that I wanted to read a historical mystery set in 1920s Bombay, featuring a plucky, progressive heroine drawn into unraveling a murder mystery at the home of three secluded Muslim widows. But I did. This was fascinating. I learned so much about the various cultures & religious practices that came up throughout the novel. The book does a great job balancing flashbacks to Perveen‘s past with the mystery she‘s unraveling in the present.

A belated #BookReport / #WeeklyForecast:
😇Finished Angel of the Crows
🦄Snagged a skip-the-line copy of Green Grass Fields on Libby
💬Read Good Talk for #NewYearWhoDis
💻My hold on Caste came in, so I can finish that this week
📖Almost finished Widows of Malabar Hill for #NewYearWhoDis
👒Chapter-ish-a-day re-read of Windy Poplars for #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead wraps up this week
📚Birdsong, USA is for #MGBuddyRead & Thunderhead is for IRL book club

A straightforward murder mystery that patiently guides the reader through the complicated setting of 1920s India. Perveen is a Parsi solicitor, and one of the first women from Bombay to study law. Haunted by her own failed marriage, she stumbles upon a conspiracy surrounding three widows in purdah. Perveen and the reader are called to reconcile the diverse culture Perveen loves, alongside the antiquated laws that seek to oppress her.

I read Sujata Massey‘s mysteries about a Japanese-American living in Japan a few years back and enjoyed them but has given up looking out for any more. I was pleased to spot this on Libby: a new series set in the 1920s, featuring Perveen Mistry who is a young female solicitor in Bombay. So far it is lots of back story and not much mystery, but I‘m enjoying it.

Book recommendations by the customers on Haight-Asbury San Francisco. 👍🧡 Love this idea.

#sanfrancisco #literature #recommendations

Sujata Massey made it on my auto-buy list after reading the tagged series and realizing she also wrote The Sleeping Dictionary which is another favorite of mine.

Others are Rebecca Roanhorse, Nnedi Okorafor, Kevin Kwan. I loved books by N.K. Jemisin, Jasmine Guillory, Kwame Mbalia and Mira Jacob and would definitely auto-consider anything by them as well. I need to read some of their back lists too.

#integrateyourshelf

I found this slow & ended up skipping sections but I think it's another case of *me being the problem rather than the book. Our MC is the first woman to practice law in Bombay (based off a real person, I learned) which should have been fascinating. It also gives an overview of the various religious & ethnic subcultures living in the area. I hadn't known there was such variety. Really, I should have LOVED this but I just couldn't get into it.

Time to go to Mumbai. 🌃
#armchairtravel #currentread
This book has been on my TBR since it came out. Excited!! 🤗

This was a great mystery set in 1920s Bombay with a side of incipient feminism 🙌🙌 It is definitely one for mystery lovers first and foremost - Perveen is India‘s first female solicitor with the support of her progressive Parsi family. She usually is limited to paperwork rather than meeting clients - but when a client dies her ability to gain access to the man‘s widows living in purdah puts her in a unique position ⬇️

This mystery series is a new favorite! Perveen Mistry is the first woman lawyer in Bombay. She uses her skills to help women living in full purdah, meaning they do not have contact with any men besides immediate relatives. Perveen as a woman can meet face to face with these women where her male colleagues cannot.

I've been fascinated with books set in India or about Indian culture lately and these two are hands down my favorite. ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Thank you for the tag, @KVanRead and for the prompt @Blackink_WhitePaper — Happy #IndianIndependenceDay!

1. I love this mystery series. It‘s one of those fiction reads where you still learn a lot about culture and history.

2. I have, but I would love to read more! Especially ones who write the culture and location like characters in the story.

3. Yummmmmmmmmm! I‘m a wimp when it comes to heat, but I love the other spices and textures.

#audiowalk. If I time it right (I didn't this time), there are fireflies everywhere.

July #bookspin #doublespin! Maybe will get through all of these one day. I just keep bumping the numbers to the next. Haven‘t yet finished this month‘s 2 dense books. Maybe this weekend... @TheAromaofBooks