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The Direction of the Wind

The Direction of the Wind | Mansi Shah

21 posts | 4 read | 1 reading | 3 to read

A heartfelt story that spans continents and generations, about a young woman who searches for answers about a mother she barely remembers.
Sophie Shah was six when she learned her mother, Nita, had died. For twenty-two years, she shouldered the burden of that loss. But when her father passes away, Sophie discovers a cache of hidden letters revealing a shattering her mother didn’t die. She left.
Nita Shah had everything most women dreamed of in her hometown of Ahmedabad, India—a loving husband, a doting daughter, financial security—but in her heart, she felt like she was living a lie. Fueled by her creative ambitions, Nita moved to Paris, the artists’ capital of the world—even though it meant leaving her family behind. But once in Paris, Nita’s decision and its consequences would haunt her in ways she never expected.
Now that Sophie knows the truth, she’s determined to find the mother who abandoned her. Sophie jets off to Paris, even though the impulsive trip may risk her impending arranged marriage. In the City of Light, she chases lead after lead that help her piece together a startling portrait of her mother. Though Sophie goes to Paris to find Nita, she may just also discover parts of herself she never knew.

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review

The Direction of the Wind | Mansi Shah

Meh

so-so

Sigh. This one was frustrating. It alternates between past & present with two intertwining narratives of Nita and Sophie—mother and daughter—in Paris. One, on a journey to follow her dreams for the future, and the other, on a journey to find answers about her past. Ultimately, this wasn‘t an enjoyable read for me. I spent much of the book frustrated and stressed out by the choices made in Nita‘s storyline, and thought the ending was too rushed.⤵️

tagged users icon

BarbaraJean (Cont‘d) There were some interesting cultural elements, but that wasn‘t explored in much depth, & the writing felt tedious (lots of telling, not a lot of showing). Ultimately, it just wasn‘t for me—there wasn‘t enough there to balance out the sadness of the story & my frustration with the characters. But I enjoyed discussing it with the #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead & can cross off another title from my growing collection of unread Kindle First Reads! 4mo

Librarybelle Thanks for joining us! 4mo

31 likes2 comments

blurb

The Direction of the Wind | Mansi Shah

Such a wonderful heartfelt book. It sure did stir up my emotions! I loved Sophie‘s heart, strength, and resilience.
My heart ached for Nita. Thanks for another great #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead @Librarybelle #dogsoflitsy

Leftcoastzen 👏🐶 4mo

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 4mo

Librarybelle So glad you liked it! 4mo

tpixie @Leftcoastzen @dabbe @Librarybelle 🖤🤍🖤 4mo

44 likes4 comments

blurb

The Direction of the Wind | Mansi Shah

I‘m so behind on this book, but I‘m enjoying it!! I‘m mostly reading this at bedtime or in the middle of the night when I wake up but today I‘m trying to get a bigger chunk of it done.
Oh Nita! I hope you find what you need!
Sophie, I hope you learn you already have what you need!

Thanks for choosing this book @Librarybelle
#LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead

mcctrish I really enjoyed this, I hope you find more reading time 5mo

tpixie @mcctrish thanks! Hopefully today is a day I can actually sit and read! it is so good. (edited) 5mo

Librarybelle This is a good one. I‘m over halfway in it and have a couple of quotations bookmarked! 5mo

See All 6 Comments

tpixie @Librarybelle I‘m glad I‘m not the only one that didn‘t finish it! 5mo

Suet624 I get so much of my reading done between 2 am and 4 am. It\'s kind of a bummer but it\'s also a wonderful time to read. 5mo

tpixie @Suet624 Yes! Me too! I agree, a nice quiet time, but sleep would be nice also 😂 5mo

53 likes6 comments

blurb

The Direction of the Wind | Mansi Shah

It‘s time for our discussion, #LiteraryCrew ! I didn‘t quite finish in time for the discussion, so hopefully I pulled the main themes to discuss in the 7 questions posted as spoilers. Sorry! Feel free to add anything else to discuss in the comments below.

Don‘t forget—it‘s time to nominate titles for next year! Comment any you think would be good for the group, and I‘ll compile a list for voting!

Thanks everyone!

tagged users icon

LaraReads, mcctrish, mjdowens, melissajayne, Jerdencon, Crazeedi, tpixie, Cuilin, kspenmoll, BarbaraJean, PurpleyPumpkin, Deblovestoread, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks, Sace, Bluebird, Mollyanna, BookwormAHN, sblbooks, Karisa, Singout, KristiAhlers, PageShifter, julieclair, AllDebooks, BookWrym

julieclair Didn‘t get to this one this month. 😩 5mo

Jerdencon I couldn‘t find this one in the library so didn‘t get to it either! 5mo

34 likes2 comments

blurb

The Direction of the Wind | Mansi Shah

This post contains spoilers

7. What did you think of the ending? Some reviewers considered it rushed while others had hoped for a happy ending. #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead

mcctrish Personally I thought it was kind of fast wedding wise, but the auspicious date picking is a valid traditional point. Sophie is an interesting mix of modern woman - marrying at an older age, having a career, going on a solo adventure/trip and then choosing traditional ways 5mo

BarbaraJean I was glad about the happy ending—so much of the book was so depressing! Like @mcctrish, I thought the quick wedding was justified from a cultural standpoint. And the couple conversations Sophie had with Kiran beforehand (in Paris & at home) made it feel less abrupt. They had some of the open communication that Nita was not able to have in her marriage. I did feel like the resolution of things with Vijay was rushed—I wanted more development there. 5mo

9 likes2 comments

blurb

The Direction of the Wind | Mansi Shah

This post contains spoilers

6. Mental health also plays a role in this novel. Think about Nita and Sophie and their mental health journeys in this book. Especially Nita. Any thoughts? #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead

Deblovestoread I never really picked up on the mental health piece. Impulsive, definitely. Maybe some depression. 5mo

mcctrish Nita had postpartum and she was unfulfilled without her art being a bigger part of her life. She was raised to be a wife and mother and not need more. She didn‘t know how to ask for more or felt she shouldn‘t need more. Shame is a huge and powerful weapon and her parents raised her with it. Running away to Paris she put herself further into trouble because she couldn‘t get ahead money wise without papers to work legally. The burden of this on her 5mo

mcctrish Mental health leads to self medicating to take a break from the cycle of pressure of never having enough or being enough. Add in abuse from Matthieu = perfect storm 5mo

9 likes3 comments

blurb

The Direction of the Wind | Mansi Shah

This post contains spoilers

5. Shah gives the reader a glimpse into addiction through Nita's story and her relationship with Mathieu, not to mention his toxicity and the way this impacts Nita. This adds to some heartbreaking moments that Nita has to navigate. What are your thoughts? #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead

Deblovestoread Nita‘s descent into drugs was so sad. I think she was very immature. Leaving her family for a new life with no real concrete notion or preparation for what that would be like. We know she wanted to paint but never knew if she really had the talent to support herself as an artist. 5mo

mcctrish It was heartbreaking to watch - I‘d say just as many good people were in Nita‘s life in Paris and were in Sophie‘s life when she went to look for Nita but Sophie knew her worth. Nita felt worthless, in part because she felt like she failed as a mother, because she felt unhappy in her life in India, so she accepted Matthieu and his crap. 5mo

BarbaraJean It seemed like initially Nita just went along with Matthieu because she didn\'t know how to do anything different. She didn\'t know what she wanted out of a relationship, but he could be very charming, so she got pulled down along with him. I agree @Deblovestoread, she seemed very immature. She hadn\'t had (or pursued) experiences that grew her emotional maturity and as @mcctrish said, her lack of self-worth also definitely played a part. 5mo

8 likes3 comments

blurb

The Direction of the Wind | Mansi Shah

This post contains spoilers

4. Twenty years later, Sophie follows her mom to Paris. What did you think of Sophie's journey? Sophie faces similar obstacles to Nita but finds a different path. Why do you think Sophie's experience is different? #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead

Deblovestoread Sophie was looking for a concrete thing in the search for her mother. Nita‘s search was less defined. 5mo

mcctrish Sophie was more prepared with visas and passports, thanks to her dad. She had a job skill set too thanks to her dad. She also had more life skills - she still got herself into trouble with scam artists but she didn‘t let it sink her. @Deblovestoread is right, Sophie was looking for her mom = concrete, Nita was looking for happiness/herself = didn‘t know where to start 5mo

BarbaraJean I enjoyed reading Sophie\'s story so much more than Nita\'s--Nita stressed me out! I agree with @mcctrish, Sophie was more prepared and had a less traditional upbringing than her mother had. Those differences were so interesting to me. In a way, Nita leaving opened the way for Sophie to be more independent. As the daughter of a single father, she had more opportunities to develop those life skills Nita so desperately needed in Paris. 5mo

mcctrish @BarbaraJean Nita stressed me out too, she threw every part of herself out the window and made no attempt to think about whether she liked any of it 5mo

8 likes4 comments

blurb

The Direction of the Wind | Mansi Shah

This post contains spoilers

3. Let's now look at the two voices in the novel. First, Nita. What were your impressions of Nita? How did Nita struggle with her decision to leave Rajiv and Sophie? Note that we'll discuss addiction and mental health more fully in a later question. #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead

Deblovestoread In the beginning I rooted for Nita. While I didn‘t like her leaving her family behind I did understand her wanting a different life for herself. I do think if she could have communicated how necessary painting was to her happiness her husband would have found a way to help. He obviously cared deeply for her. 5mo

mcctrish @Deblovestoread I rooted for her too but as soon as she got to Paris I realized how ill prepared she was and I dreaded what lay ahead. I think her husband would totally have taken her to Paris to visit, gotten her art lessons, helped her with Sophie if he realized how she was struggling. Her parents drilled into her head about appearances and shame and it suffocated her 5mo

BarbaraJean @Deblovestoread I started out really rooting for her, but got so frustrated when she just kept swapping one dependence for another (parents-->husband-->Mathieu/drugs) instead of truly following her own path. I was surprised by how easily she gave in to alcohol, smoking, then the modeling and subsequent drugs/sex. Yet, as @mctrish said, she was so ill-prepared. I have to realize that she was too innocent/expectation-driven to stand up for herself. 5mo

8 likes3 comments

blurb

The Direction of the Wind | Mansi Shah

This post contains spoilers

2. I was not very knowledgeable with the arranged marriage custom prior to reading this. Shah gives readers an inside look at the custom, as well as the expectations of the bride. How familiar are you to the custom? How does Nita and Sophie approach arranged marriage similarly and differently?

An article about arranged marriage, which also mentions a NetFlix series about it, is linked in the comments. #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead

Librarybelle Article: https://contexts.org/blog/arranged-marriage-in-the-spotlight-of-indian-matchmaki... 5mo

Deblovestoread Thanks for the article. I‘ve read about arranged marriages in a few books so have a general idea of how it works. I think Nita did what was expected. I don‘t think any thought was given to what she might want/need in marriage. Sophie was able to communicate what she was important to her. 5mo

mcctrish I think Sophie had a real relationship with her father that allowed her to pursue some not so traditional interests so she felt like she was who she wanted to be in her life. He does when she was older and knew more about what she wanted. Nita was the opposite, she was a child with her parents and while they arranged a good marriage for her she didn‘t seem to know how to even start a conversation about what she wanted/needed in her life 5mo

8 likes3 comments

blurb

The Direction of the Wind | Mansi Shah

This post contains spoilers

1. Let's start the discussion by examining the themes in this novel. What themes stood out for you while reading the novel? #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead

Deblovestoread For Nita trying to fulfill a dream and being unable to find happiness in the life she is expected to live. 5mo

mcctrish Communication, self reflection, advocating for yourself, self worth, Nita wasn‘t raised with any idea on how to develop these skills. She was unhappy but never spoke about it, she had untreated postpartum depression, and rather than start a conversation with people who loved and cared for her, she ran away to pursue a dream that she barely researched beyond a good time of day to leave. Her parents‘ response to her asking for help was cruel 5mo

BarbaraJean @mctrish All of this! I was struck by how Nita had almost none of the skills that were needed to be independent in the way she wanted to be. She knew what she wanted, but had no realistic view of how to go after it--and no support system at home or in Paris to help her grow in the ways she needed. It really highlighted how cultural expectations were such a trap for her--even when she\'d run away from them completely. 5mo

8 likes3 comments

review

The Direction of the Wind | Mansi Shah

Pick

pick

#LiteraryCrew

This was good on audio. Sad story but good read. 3.5 🌟 I look forward to the discussion.

@Librarybelle

Librarybelle Yay! So glad you liked it! 5mo

61 likes1 comment

review

The Direction of the Wind | Mansi Shah

Pick

pick

#literarycrew
This is the story of a mother and a daughter in 2 timelines, set in India, Paris and California. It‘s about culture dictating choices, being fearless enough to walk a different path and all the obstacles that can stand in a woman‘s way. I was crying at the end.

Librarybelle Nice photo! 5mo

mcctrish @Librarybelle thank you 🥰 5mo

47 likes2 comments

blurb

The Direction of the Wind | Mansi Shah

First day of fall, maybe last day of summer like reading? #literarycrew September read

Librarybelle Yay!! 5mo

41 likes1 stack add1 comment

blurb

The Direction of the Wind | Mansi Shah

Evening reading. #literarycrew

tagged users icon

Librarybelle Hooray!! 5mo

49 likes1 comment

blurb

The Direction of the Wind | Mansi Shah

We‘re a little less than two weeks away from our next #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead discussion! Any comments on the book so far?

Discussion is September 30th!

I will post October‘s book info soon, as well as a call for 2025 title suggestions. Start thinking of titles!

tagged users icon

LaraReads, mcctrish, mjdowens, melissajayne, Jerdencon, Crazeedi, tpixie, Cuilin, kspenmoll, BarbaraJean, PurpleyPumpkin, Deblovestoread, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks, Sace, Bluebird, CatLass007, Mollyanna, BookwormAHN, Sargar114, sblbooks, Karisa, Singout, KristiAhlers, PageShifter, julieclair, AllDebooks, BookWrym

BarbaraJean I haven‘t started yet 🤦🏻‍♀️Soon! 5mo

Sargar114 Way behind on all my reads so didn‘t join on this one. Happy Reading though! 5mo

Librarybelle No worries, @Sargar114 ! I‘m behind on my reads too! 5mo

CatLass007 I opted out of Direction of the Wind. But I‘ll be back for Shrines of Gaiety. 5mo

Librarybelle Sounds good, @CatLass007 ! 5mo

35 likes5 comments

blurb

The Direction of the Wind | Mansi Shah

#weeklyforecast
Buddy reads: Top row #sundaybuddyread #literarycrew #naturalisty
Currently reading: #nonfiction #HitlersPeople #audiobook
To Start: #libraryfind

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TheBookHippie, Librarybelle, AllDebooks

Librarybelle Yay!! 5mo

40 likes1 stack add1 comment

blurb

The Direction of the Wind | Mansi Shah

Via @Librarybelle
This month's book is #YouLikeltDarker Grab your copy and check back at the end of the month for open discussion! Don't forget to tag me so l can see which version you have! #LosersClub #StephenKing #StephenKingInOrder #KingFromTheBeginning #ConstantReader #ReadAlong #BuddyRead

Librarybelle Thanks for reposting! 6mo

34 likes1 comment

blurb

The Direction of the Wind | Mansi Shah

Great discussion so far on last month‘s book! Feel free to jump in at any time for the discussion.

September‘s #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead is an exploration of family secrets.

Read at your own pace throughout the month. I will post periodic checkins. Discussion on September 30th!

Please let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the tag list!

tagged users icon

LaraReads, mcctrish, mjdowens, melissajayne, Jerdencon, Crazeedi, tpixie, Cuilin, kspenmoll, PurpleyPumpkin, Deblovestoread, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks, Sace, Bluebird, CatLass007, Mollyanna, BookwormAHN, Sargar114, sblbooks, Karisa, Singout, KristiAhlers, PageShifter, julieclair, AllDebooks, BookWrym

Librarybelle @LitsyEvents 6mo

mcctrish I actually have this in print to read 🤯 6mo

Librarybelle Haha, @mcctrish ! I picked it up on a Kindle deal since it was not available at the library. 6mo

See All 8 Comments

mcctrish @Librarybelle I got it on sale at Chapters 6mo

BarbaraJean Would you add me to the tag list for this one? It's been hanging around on my Kindle (I think from an Amazon First Reads pick)! 6mo

Librarybelle Nice, @mcctrish ! 6mo

Librarybelle Of course, @BarbaraJean ! 6mo

BarbaraJean @Librarybelle Thank you! Looking forward to it! 6mo

37 likes8 comments

blurb

The Direction of the Wind | Mansi Shah

Next up for #literarycrew hosted by @librarybelle
original post: https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2767580

Librarybelle Thanks for reposting! 6mo

34 likes1 comment

blurb

The Direction of the Wind | Mansi Shah

September‘s #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead takes the group on a tour of discovery—after learning the truth about her mother, Sophie journeys to Paris to gather more information.

This is a low key buddy read. Read at your own pace. I will post periodic checkins throughout the month. Discussion will take place on September 30th!

All are welcome! Please let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the tag list!

tagged users icon

LaraReads, mcctrish, mjdowens, melissajayne, Jerdencon, Crazeedi, tpixie, Cuilin, kspenmoll, PurpleyPumpkin, Deblovestoread, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks, Sace, Bluebird, CatLass007, Mollyanna, BookwormAHN, Sargar114, sblbooks, Karisa, Singout, KristiAhlers, PageShifter, julieclair, AllDebooks, BookWrym, arh0318

Librarybelle @LitsyEvents 6mo

mcctrish I‘m in, my physical book is on its way ( book outlet had a great price ) 6mo

Librarybelle Yay, @mcctrish ! 6mo

tpixie Thanks!! 6mo

46 likes4 comments