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A Burning
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
For readers of Tommy Orange, Yaa Gyasi, and Jhumpa Lahiri, an electrifying debut novel about three unforgettable characters who seek to rise--to the middle class, to political power, to fame in the movies--and find their lives entangled in the wake of a catastrophe in contemporary India. Jivan is a Muslim girl from the slums, determined to move up in life, who is accused of executing a terrorist attack on a train because of a careless comment on Facebook. PT Sir is an opportunistic gym teacher who hitches his aspirations to a right-wing political party, and finds that his own ascent becomes linked to Jivan's fall. Lovely--an irresistible outcast whose exuberant voice and dreams of glory fill the novel with warmth and hope and humor--has the alibi that can set Jivan free, but it will cost her everything she holds dear. Taut, symphonic, propulsive, and riveting from its opening lines, A Burning has the force of an epic while being so masterfully compressed it can be read in a single sitting. Majumdar writes with dazzling assurance at a breakneck pace on complex themes that read here as the components of a thriller: class, fate, corruption, justice, and what it feels like to face profound obstacles and yet nurture big dreams in a country spinning toward extremism. An extraordinary debut.
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Emilymdxn
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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Pickpick

This was a painful but pretty perfect read. The ways the stories blended and came together and you saw the ending coming but didn‘t want to believe it for so long was really, really powerful. One of my favourite Indian novels of the last few years and I can‘t believe I let it sit on my tbr for so long!

#wintergames #snowangels

35 likes1 stack add
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Amor4Libros
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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Pickpick

This was such a powerful read! I felt connected to all the characters and the third-world similarities. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

21 likes1 stack add
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Amor4Libros
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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Started reading this book this afternoon and I‘m flying through it! So, so good! This has been sitting on my shelf for 3 years 😅

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Rajiv C
A Burning | Megha Majumdar
Pickpick

The book relates the stories of three people - a young Muslim girl, a hijra, and the teacher.

An innocent social media post lands the girl in trouble.

It is a book of how one innocent person is prosecuted for her faith, how people abuse her innocence for their own career, and how everyone but the hijra abandons her.

It is a book about the loss of conscience. Everyone moves on .

Read the book.

It will burn.

This book is brilliant.

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Cazxxx
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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Pickpick

This story follows Jivan, a young Muslim girl who is accused of executing a terrorist attack after a comment she made on Facebook. Two people in her life are interwoven into the story following the choices they make after her arrest. This is ultimately about politics, class, power and fame in India. My heart was ripped out by the end but I couldn‘t put it down as it was so compelling
4 ⭐️

TrishB This has been on my tbr for a while! 2y
Cazxxx @TrishB It‘s a good one! 2y
52 likes1 stack add2 comments
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actualdisneyprincess
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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I chose this one to fulfill “Set in India” for the B&N Book Challenge; it‘s so brilliantly written, with characters who are so vibrant (and whom I just want to HUG), and I just…I‘m really glad I chose it. It is, however, a no-holds-barred representation of the poor and outcast in India, and the justice system‘s treatment of them, which is difficult to stomach. #aburning #meghamajumdar #bnbookchallenge #setinindia

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SqueakyChu
A Burning | Megha Majumdar
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My newest read is this novel which someone serendipitously slipped into my #LittleFreeLibrary. I had been looking around to see if I could find a book by an author from #India to use for a #LibraryThing book challenge to read a book by an Indian author. This is a debut novel which already hooked me so I gave it the go-ahead. It‘s a Book of the Month edition. Is that why the font in this book is unusually large? Weird!

12 likes1 stack add
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AbstractMonica
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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Pickpick

I finished this a couple of weeks ago, and I still find myself thinking about the characters & events that took place in this book.
Jivan is a Muslim girl that gets accused of a terrorist attack despite trying to make a better life for herself for so many years prior. The book also follows Lovely and PT Sir which play significant roles in Jivan‘s story. I really enjoyed the different perspectives, and it was a fast and thoughtful read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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ShelleyBooksie
A Burning | Megha Majumdar
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Pickpick

Unlike anything I have ever read. A stark look at humanity and ambition.

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underground_bks
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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Pickpick

A Muslim woman is accused of terrorism after an impulsive Facebook post, her Phys Ed teacher find himself rising in the ranks of a political party whose success may hinge on convicting her, and her friend, a vivacious Hijra who dreams of stardom, holds her alibi but it may cost her everything to speak out. The full cast in this audiobook is phenomenal. This is a searing look at corruption, injustice, and life in a country turning toward extremism.

36 likes3 stack adds
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Jilly6183
A Burning | Megha Majumdar
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Mehso-so

Despite being a short book, it took me forever to get through. I can‘t quite pinpoint what, but something was missing for me.

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emmaturi
A Burning | Megha Majumdar
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Three new second hand books I bought yesterday!

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Christine
A Burning | Megha Majumdar
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Pickpick

I read this for our college book committee and was glad to do so since I‘d heard so much about it when it came out. Not sure it would be my first choice for engaging the students we serve, though it does cover many themes that might resonate - identity, belonging, loyalty, ambition, discrimination, corrupting influence of politics, and more. A highlight of the reading experience for me was the multi-voice audiobook narration - really great!

48 likes1 stack add
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LittleMouse5708
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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Taking advantage of the nice weather and nap time to start a new book.

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triplem80
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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Pickpick

I meant to finish this last night, but what can I say -- it's been a rough week!

This was a really good read -- short and quick, but with a lot of depth. I especially appreciated how well the author was able to give each main character their own distinct voice.

Yay for checking off a #Booked2021 prompt: #setincountrywithUNpeacekeepers

@Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft

Cinfhen Woohoo ? Don‘t forget that we are now tallying completed prompts with a form submission? You have until midnight, **July 3** to fill out the second quarter form? ?
https://bit.ly/3b7rK1E
3y
BarbaraTheBibliophage Aww. Sorry you had a rough week. Hope it gets better (more reading, right?) soon!! 3y
12 likes2 comments
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AvidlyAlexis
A Burning | Megha Majumdar
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Pickpick

33/100, 3☆, The atmosphere and the voices in this book were really well done. A commentary on political versus social justice which provided a nice examination that can apply to all justice systems and political agendas. Overall a good read.

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janeycanuck
A Burning | Megha Majumdar
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Pickpick

A more challenging read than I expected but one that got me invested in each story almost immediately.

Book 4/5 for #NutsinMay

Andrew65 Great 👏👏👏 4y
30 likes1 comment
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Daniella.Richardson
A Burning | Megha Majumdar
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Next on the list! I‘ve lost track of what # I‘m on...

4 likes1 comment
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AnneCecilie
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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#BookReport

I read a chapter a day in Anne of Ingleside

Then I finished/ read the other books and finished the tagged book on audio.

Cinfhen Well done 👍🏻 how was 4y
AnneCecilie @Cinfhen I liked, I‘m not sure I loved it as much as everyone else seem to do. 4y
Cinfhen Yeah, my expectations are pretty high. It‘s an upcoming book for my bookclub. I better temper my expectations 4y
AnneCecilie @Cinfhen I think it‘s hard to read books that everyone loves and is raving about. 4y
Cinfhen Definitely ❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️ 4y
49 likes5 comments
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AnneCecilie
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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#BookReport and #WeeklyForecast

Finished Small Pleasures and read Artful.

Reading Anne of Ingleside a chapter a day. Almost finished with Jerusalem and hope to finish it this week. I‘m listening to the tagged book and will continue listening this week.

Just started Hamnet and next up is the book by Grossman.

Cinfhen What did you think of 4y
Cinfhen Are you reading the #WomensPrizeLongList??? 4y
AnneCecilie @Cinfhen I liked it, the book felt nostalgic. But I‘m not sure it‘s strong enough to make it to the shortlist. 4y
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AnneCecilie @Cinfhen Yes. I have been reading the books my library have and I bought two (Piranesi and Small Pleasures) after some great reviews. So I haven‘t read the entire list, but I‘m looking forward to the shortlist announcements the 28th. 4y
Cinfhen Any predictions?? 4y
AnneCecilie @Cinfhen I loved Summer and hope to see it on the shortlist. I also liked Exciting Times. No One is Talking about This is growing on me, and I this it is a book that you will get more out of on a second reading. And I don‘t understand all the fuss about The Vanishing Half and hope it doesn‘t make it. 4y
squirrelbrain That‘s exactly what I feel about Small Pleasures @AnneCecilie @Cinfhen - I loved reading it but not sure it‘s ‘different‘ enough to be on the shortlist. 4y
BarbaraBB Great predictions. I agree on The Vanishing Half. 4y
Cinfhen I‘m looking forward to the announcement @BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain @AnneCecilie Right now the only STAND OUT for me is this one 4y
Cinfhen And I liked 4y
69 likes10 comments
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TheEllieMo
A Burning | Megha Majumdar
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But look at the pretty edges.....

Caroline2 😯 💕 4y
RaeLovesToRead 😍😍 4y
Scochrane26 Those are worth buying the book. 4y
LaraS 😍😍I love when books have extra oomph on the pages!! (edited) 4y
41 likes5 comments
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TheEllieMo
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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I went into Waterstones to buy ONE book today. Just one. The Tim Marshall one.

This is what I left the shop with. Oops....

Caroline2 So beautiful!!! 🤩 4y
JamieArc How could you not??? 😅😃 4y
RaeLovesToRead I want them all!!!!! ❤ 4y
squirrelbrain So pretty! I just borrowed the first Tim Marshall from the library. 4y
BookDragonNotWorm I only see one - but maybe that would explain why my office looks like an episode of hoarders but with books. 😉 4y
41 likes5 comments
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AnneCecilie
A Burning | Megha Majumdar
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#BookReport #WeeklyForecast

This week has been a bit slower that previous weeks with just one finished book, Piranesi.

I have read more in Jerusalem and for me reading nonfiction takes longer time than fiction. And hope to keep this up next week

I‘m reading Anne of Ingleside a chapter a day.

I‘m currently reading Small Pleasures and hope to finish early next week. Then I want to start Artful that I didn‘t get to this week

AnneCecilie If I get to I also want to start Hamnet. The tagged book has come in on Libby on audio and I want to start listening to that. 4y
Cinfhen I picked up Hamnet this week too. 4y
tpixie @AnneCecilie @Cinfhen I did enjoy Hamnet. I enjoyed watching/ listening to the author on YouTube at author events. 4y
Cinfhen Ahhh, that‘s cool @tpixie that‘s the one good thing about Covid / so many author events have become accessible to a much wider audience 4y
tpixie @Cinfhen yes! I‘ve seen more author events in the last year than the last decade! It helps me to reflect & remember the book better. Like journaling would, I suppose- if I would do THAT! 4y
74 likes5 comments
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readingjedi
A Burning | Megha Majumdar
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Mehso-so

This was good but didn't quite work for me. I enjoyed the writing but was left wanting more than it delivered. I think it was largely due to the structure ie 3 connected characters have their stories told but for me none, character or story, were developed enough. It had some interesting things to say & some profound and poignant moments but was just weirdly less than the sum of its parts.

CuriousG I totally agree. I liked this book, but I kept expecting it to blow me away at any moment, and it never quite delivered on that. 4y
Vansa That's because it's completely inauthentic. The writer is a privileged, savarna Hindu, who left India after school,and is writing from the point of view of people who aren't privileged at all, one of them non-Hindu and the other a trans person.How would she ever be able to understand completely different circumstances?India is a very large,complex country.(1/2) 4y
Vansa (2/2)It would be impossible to write with depth merely from reading newspaper articles.She doesn't even live here,more importantly,she would never have faced a hundredth of the issues the characters would.Also the writing is just terrible,I can't for the life of me understand why she uses a strange pidgin language for one of the characters.Nobody thinks in that. 4y
readingjedi @Vansa Is that so? Thank you for this information, it certainly explains a thing or two. That word you used - inauthentic - describes exactly the vibe I was getting from the book. A few clichés made me raise my eyebrows - I had no idea the author missed the mark so badly. 4y
75 likes1 stack add4 comments
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readingjedi
A Burning | Megha Majumdar
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Starting this one tonight. With thanks to #netgalley for this book.

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ChaoticMissAdventures
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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Pickpick

Audio (even though I have a copy)
I really appreciate the writing and storytelling here. I want to say enjoyed but the story is painful, honest and raw. Corrupt governments and legal system lifting and dropping people based on optics. It is reality and told very well through Jivans story - especially considering the way that Muslim people are treated in India today.

Leftcoastzen 😻 4y
21 likes1 stack add1 comment
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vlwelser
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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Pickpick

I liked this one a lot. A Muslim girl from the slums is accused of causing a fire on a train. She becomes a scapegoat. It's about prejudice and propaganda and politics and how people's lives can get caught up in them.

#DoubleSpin done!
@TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!!! 4y
39 likes1 stack add1 comment
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crazyspine
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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Pickpick

I was rooting for every character; Majumdar did an excellent job at making them all sympathetic. For me, what made the book is even though as a reader, I knew something tragic was around every character, I felt the undying hope that each character had that things had to and would get better.

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mollyrotondo
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was an excellent read. It takes place in India but I also saw a lot of similarities to corruption in government and the justice system that we see in the U.S. One of the major differences is how fearful the characters are in India to speak freely because they don‘t want to be arrested or persecuted for treason. Highly recommend. This was my #bookspinbingo No 4 pick and my #tbrdeckofcards J♠️ pick- a book that takes place in Asia

Clwojick Awesome! ♥️ 4y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 4y
50 likes2 comments
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Augustdana
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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Slow reading week, it‘s been a busy one at work. Happy to chill this evening and get a few pages in. I think I like it ??? Honestly I‘m not too sure.

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Abailliekaras
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this story about Jivan, PT Sir & Lovely - different, but each struggling to survive in contemporary India. Majumdar writes about serious issues (poverty, corruption, injustice) with a light touch. It‘s beautifully paced: tension builds & the plot propels you forward. Rich with ydetails of place & food, pared back to allow the characters to shine - flawed, complex & sympathetic. They feel real. Loved the tone & sense of humour.

43 likes1 stack add
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AlizaApp
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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Pickpick

A story told from three perspectives after a train bombing in Kolkata. A Muslim girl is arrested after she makes a glib Facebook post, though she claims she is innocent. A young woman can provide an alibi but will jeopardize her own future if she does so. And a man discovers he can go far in politics if he goes against his own instincts.

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OutsmartYourShelf
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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Mehso-so

Debut novel set in Kolkata, India, in the aftermath of a terrorist attack. A young girl, Jivan, finds herself accused of helping plan & execute the attack after she posts a comment on social media. I thought it was an intriguing plot, but I didn't feel connected to the main characters at all & parts of it seemed rushed. 3⭐

Thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Simon & Schuster UK / Scribner UK, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

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S3V3N
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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Pickpick

WOW! Amazing story! I really enjoyed the audiobook.

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JackieGreco
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
Pickpick

A Burning was an unforgettable story of a girl who was wrongly accused for a crime and the aftermath of this event for those in her life. The story questions success and the sacrifices of self people make in order to achieve their own dreams in spite of the effects it has on others.

bourne.shell I loved this book so much. I really wish it got better hype, more people should read it. I never nothing about before I picked it up and it turned out to be one of my favorites last year. 4y
7 likes1 comment
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LadyCait84
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
Pickpick

My last book club read of 2020, and it was a doozy!

Such a fast read, and it felt like being swept up in a whirlwind of human failing and corruption and injustice, without a safe place to land.

Is it bad to say I enjoyed a book that also left me feeling disgusted and a tad hopeless?

CuriousG Not bad to say that at all. As morbid as it is, that is kind of my go-to book! 4y
39 likes1 stack add1 comment
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alisonrose
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
Pickpick

FUN ANECDOTE: While reading this last night—a book called A BURNING—there was a small fire in my apartment building. No damage, it‘s fine. But still. JFC. Anyway, I liked this well enough but did have some issues. Powerful discussion of the meaning of innocence & power, of different types of survival. Characters were well drawn. But didn‘t feel like they were strongly connected & story needed more depth. Still good, will read more from her. 3/5 ⭐️

LeahBergen Yikes!! 4y
31 likes1 comment
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alisonrose
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar

I feel a weight in my chest, the Earth‘s pull within my ribs. I try to hear further, but there are wasps in my ears.

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MicheleinPhilly
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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Mehso-so

This was a disappointment. The entire time I was reading I just kept thinking, “This book would be dynamite if it had been written by a better author.” 😬 I liked the characters and the stories she told, I just found myself wanting more depth and complexity. This almost read as YA for me at times. Oh well, on to the next! #DashingDecember

BarbaraBB Have you been following the Real Simple list again? What‘s your favorite this year? 4y
MicheleinPhilly @BarbaraBB I have not. I feel like all of my “usual” things have sort of fallen by the wayside this year. And I still have so many 2020 releases that I haven‘t read. I‘m going to wait until the 31st to do my favorites list. 4y
Andrew65 Well done on completing this 👏👏👏 4y
49 likes3 comments
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alisonrose
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar

we fall &die from knowing but never being able to say, especially to our mothers, that the inside of a prison is an unreachable place. So what if there is a courtyard & garden & TV room? The guards tell us over&over that we live well... Still we feel we are living at the bottom of a well. We are frogs. All we can bear to tell our mothers is “I am fine, I am fine.” We tell them “I walk in the garden.” “I watch TV.” “Don‘t worry about me, I am fine”

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alisonrose
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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Eff BOTM for putting that damn Read With Jenna sticker on the cover that doesn‘t want to come off. (Yes I know a hair dryer will help, too bad I don‘t own one.) #NowReading

BookNAround Hairdryers come in handy for all sorts of things though. The painter used it the other day to quickly dry a patch of paint to see if it was the correct color. It gets book stickers off. I‘ve dried the dog with it when she shakes pitifully after a bath. It‘s handy to lend guests who‘ve forgotten theirs. The only thing I don‘t do with it is dry my own hair. LOL! (edited) 4y
37 likes1 comment
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charl08
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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Aren't we all.

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ChasingOm
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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Pickpick

Yesterday‘s #FeastMode read was this debut novel. It had a lot of elements that I love — a different culture, politics, characters you care about, and scenarios that make you suspect everyone‘s motives and morals in life. It really was excellent, while also being infuriating.

I met my goal (one book per day) for every day of the challenge except for today, lol. I started a new book, but I‘m enjoying playing Pokémon too much to switch back. ?

44 likes1 stack add
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swynn
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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Pickpick

A study in justice and ambition, set in modern India, told through the alternating voices of a young woman falsely accused of terrorism; the woman's former phys ed teacher, also a prospective politian in an opposition nationalist party; and an intersex "hijra" actress. The pace is swift as a thriller, but thrills aren't the point here. I found the voices compelling and the scenario worryingly realistic.

32 likes1 stack add
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rsteve388
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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britt_brooke
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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Mehso-so

⭐️⭐️ I enjoy satire, but sometimes when it‘s fiercely sociopolitical, my interest tanks. Usually that‘s due to a lack of character connection, between each other and with the reader, which was the case here. The stereotypes didn‘t bother me as satire often plays to those, but the storylines felt forced rather than weaving together organically. It just didn‘t mesh well. I‘m not sure this debut deserves the hype.

KatieDid927 I agree. 4y
britt_brooke @KatieDid927 Thanks, Katie! 4y
meghathecloud Ah, you have articulated this so much better than I could. I had similar feelings about it. Great review! (edited) 4y
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britt_brooke @meghathecloud Thank you!! And I thought your review was great, too! 💚 (edited) 4y
Cinfhen Yes, THANK YOU🙌🏻 4y
britt_brooke @Cinfhen 😂🙌🏻 4y
93 likes1 stack add7 comments
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melissajayne
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
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Mehso-so

3⭐️ I read it because it was a “buzzy” book. And I found it to be ok. I would have liked some longer descriptions of things at times, but there were times that I felt that the descriptions went on a little too long. It was sort of middling for me #fiction #contemporary #bookreview #bookstagram #ownvoices #southwestasia #asianliterature

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tholmz
A Burning: A novel | Megha Majumdar
Pickpick

Sharp, nerve wracking, and quick.