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Sunday, June 06, 2021

Fallen by Linda Castill and The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey

Fallen and The Widows of Malabar Hill are both books that take us into other cultures and traditions.  The first has a contemporary setting in America, and the second takes us to Bombay in 1921, one hundred years ago and a time presaging great upheaval.  The power of fiction to engage our interest in lives that are very different from our own, to make us curious as we are informed, is one of the most important aspects of reading for many of us.

I read Fallen in March, but held back the review until closer to publication.  

Kate Burkholder left the Amish community years ago, but her familiarity with Amish customs and traditions are useful in her job as police chief in Painters Mill.  Having grown up in an Amish family, Kate understands and often sympathizes with the men and women she interviews during an investigation.  It doesn't mean she agrees with their thinking or their behavior, but she does have a context for it.  Even in devout communities, crimes occur and victims need justice.

When Rachael, "the only girl as bad at being Amish as Kate was" is found dead in a motel room in Painters Mill, Kate realizes she knew her years ago.  Rachael had been rebellious, eventually banned, and had left town for another life beyond Amish restrictions.  Why had she returned and who would have committed this brutal murder?

Each of Castillo's Kate Burkholder books functions as a standalone, an added bonus to an excellent series.  Her books are interesting because of the well-developed characters, the plots, and the insight into the Amish way of life.  I always look forward to new adventures with Kate.

NetGalley/St. Martin's Press
Police Procedural.  July 6, 2021.  Print length:  320 pages.

The Widows of Malabar Hill
  by Sujata Massey had been on my list forever and when I started making the nightmare catchers a couple of weeks ago, it was one of the audible books (narrated by 
 Soneela Nankani)  I downloaded to listen to while stitching.  Loved it, just like every review said when it first came out.  

Aside from the plot, it was the insight into other cultures that made this so interesting.  Hindu, Muslim, Parsi--their laws and their customs kept me as absorbed as the well-drawn characters.  

Perveen Mistry is the first woman solicitor in Bombay and works for her father's law firm.  The backstory of Perveen's difficult road to her law degree is told in flashbacks, so there are two storylines being told and each is informative about life in 1916-1921 Bombay and about Perveen and the Mistry family. 

The current plot involves three Muslim wives after the death of their husband.  The women have all lived in purdah, seclusion from males, since their marriages, and now the mourning period is in effect as well.  As a woman, Perveen is able to visit the women and explain the terms of the will and the bequests to each of the women.  She is concerned about the estate manager's usurpation of authority in the household and about the ability of the women to understand how some of his directions would be detrimental to the widows' (and their children's) future financial situation.

I'm becoming quite addicted to audio books and Suleena Nankani's narration was excellent.  I'm debating on whether to read or listen to the next book, because of course, I have to read the next one!
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 Currently reading, slowly12 Bytes by Jeannette Winterson: "Twelve bytes. Twelve eye-opening, mind-expanding, funny and provocative essays on the implications of artificial intelligence for the way we live and the way we love - from Sunday Times-bestselling author Jeanette Winterson.  In 12 Bytes, the New York Times bestselling author of Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal? Jeanette Winterson, draws on her years of thinking and reading about artificial intelligence in all its bewildering manifestations. In her brilliant, laser focused, uniquely pointed and witty style of story-telling, Winterson looks to history, religion, myth, literature, the politics of race and gender, and computer science, to help us understand the radical changes to the way we live and love that are happening now."

The first essay was fascinating, drawing together Ada Lovelace, Mary Shelley, Charles Babbage, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Lord Byron in an intriguing history of connections, mathematics, computers, women's rights, and the fictional leap of Frankenstein.  About a third of the way in, however, the essays are more philosophical, which takes me a great deal more time to decipher and ponder.  

I suppose that like most people, I'm curious about the future of AI--a subject that is as frightening as it is fascinating.  Winterson appears to have a hopeful outlook, but as always, there is the possibility of unintended consequences.  I'll continue the essays, slowly, and doing a little Google researching on my own.  




19 comments:

  1. I'm not much of a reader of essays but this collection sounds fascinating because we are in the middle of living these changes, new ways, etc. And, I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed the Sujata Massey book. I loved her series featuring Rei Shimura as well. I'm only at book four in the Kate Burkholder series but it's a winner for me too!

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    1. It was Winterson's first essay about Ada Lovelace, Babbage, Byron, Mary Shelley, and all of the connections between them that most fascinated me. I'm so glad to have finally "read" The Widows of Malabar Hill and will look into the Rei Shimura series as well!

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  2. You've had me curious about the Kate Burkholder series before, but I still haven't read one of them. I was surprised to see that there are so many of them...the site I looked at numbered some of them like 11, 11.5, 12, etc. so I'm assuming some of them are novellas. That whole culture fascinates me...and now I'm going to force myself to go directly to my library's search engine to put something on hold from the series. Is it best to start the series at the beginning or can I just jump in?

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    1. I haven't read any of the novellas, but yes, the Amish culture is fascinating to us "English" as the refer to everyone else. I'd start at the beginning if you can, but I didn't and have still enjoyed each one I've read. :)

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    2. I grew up a few miles away from an Amish settlement in central Illinois, so I think my natural curiosity brought me to Kate Burkholder. I've enjoyed every book in this series that I've read. :-)

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    3. It amazes me that the Amish, Mennonites, and others have preserved their customs through the years. I can certainly see how you would have a personal interest in the Burkholder books!

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  3. Have not read any of Castillo's books but I'm intrigued by this series. It's always good to hear that a series work as standalones, too.

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    1. Some authors are very good at making each book in a series readable on its own. I started somewhere in the middle and enjoyed each book, in order or not. :)

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  4. The Malabar Hill novel seems good! Thanks for the review. I will look for the audio at the Library. Not long ago I listened to the Henna Artist novel which is also set in India ... another good listen.

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    1. The Henna Artist is now on my list. Thanks for the recommendation--I remember seeing something about it, but my interest increased after reading The Widows of Malabar Hill. :)

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  5. The Widows of Malabar Hill sounds so good! I don't think I've read many books set in India which is a shame. I've gotta remedy that because I always find it so interesting learning about the culture and customs.

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    1. The Widows is excellent. So many interesting details along with a great plot and well-rounded characters. ;)

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  6. I really love Linda Castillo's Kate Burkholder series. Kate's such a great character, and I love the Amish setting. I'm looking forward to reading this one when it comes out. :)

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  7. I've enjoyed every Kate Burkholder mystery that I've read, and Massey's Perveen Mistry series is one of my favorites.

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    1. :) I know! I was really slow to join those who loved the first book in the Perveen Mistry series, but your reviews were one of the reasons I had decided on The Widows of Malabar Hill.

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  8. I love the Keanu/Ted meme, especially considering The Matrix. LOL. I just finished Klara and the Sun by Ishiguro which also is about AI. It is a fascinating subject and rich for novelists and filmmakers to mine.

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    1. I am looking forward to Klara and the Sun! AI remains a fascinating subject, beginning with HAL and becoming more and more intriguing in both fiction and reality.

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  9. I enjoyed the Widows of MAlabar Hill so much — the setting, the sense of the time and the insight into different culture made for an addictive read. I so need to get to the next one!

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