The Widows of Malabar Hill (A Perveen Mistry Novel)

A very well written complex tale with the underlying theme of the fight for women’s equality in the world. I could not put this book down. It is a real gem.

Enjoyed learning about the Parsi culture and life in Bombay at that time period. The story wasfairly interesting but Perveen and her father just a little too perfect. Of course she is the primarycharacter so I suppose it's to be expected. Overall, an enjoyable read. I will definitely check intoother Sujata Masey books.

I’m sure I’ll read this whole series of delightful informative books. Not only is this an intriguing mystery, but it’s full of information and texture on two of India’s ethnic groups with interesting bits of history thrown in. I do like the heroine Perveen too. She is so earnest and spirited but has a lot to learn.

Rating: 4.5 / 5THE WIDOWS OF MALABAR HILL by Sujata Massey was my pick for the thriller or mystery prompt by a woman of color on the Reading Women Challenge. I meant to get to it in June, but just didn’t get to it, so it went right to my July TBR. I have heard Sujata Massey highly praised on the Reading Women and Book Riot podcasts, so I knew I needed to check it out.THE WIDOWS OF MALABAR HILL is a mystery set in the early 1900s in India and it follows Perveen Mistry, the only female lawyer in Bombay. Perveen works for her father and her gender does limit her from performing all the functions of a lawyer, but also gives her some unique access. As a woman, Perveen has access to speak with the three widows of their deceased client even though they are in seclusion and may not be seen or touched by any man during their mourning period.Perveen suspects that the widows are being taken advantage of by the man who was brought in to oversee the house, the widows and their families in the absence of his late boss. As Perveen begins to investigate, things turn even more intense when she discovers a murder.I really loved Perveen as a character. As the narrative progresses, we get some chapters that flash back to her background and her struggles with her education and her relationships that have brought her to the present day. She is a very strong female protagonist at a time when that would have been a rarity. She shows intelligence and creativity to discover the truth and get herself out of the trouble she finds along the way.I haven’t done a lot of reading set in India, especially not in the 1920s when this book takes place. There is a lot of interesting discussion of women’s rights in regards to marriage, education and inheritance. In the case of the widows they are choosing to remain in seclusion which is in no way represented negatively, but in some cases women are forced into seclusion which certainly is.It initially took me a little while to fully engage with this story, but I really enjoyed it once I got into it. This is a mystery which largely depends on character development rather than solely the mystery at hand. This was very well written and I will definitely be looking forward to reading Sujata Massey’s latest release.

The novel was informative in as much as it gave an insight into another culture. As a mystery, it was mediocre.

I believe this is the first in a series, and I certainly intend to read all the rest. The book was well written, the mystery and the action were engrossing, the characters were complex and realistic, and the culture was quite exotic, as well as fun for me.

I actually read the third book in the series first, but I enjoyed reading this novel,the first in the series. I loved seeing Perveen in 1921 India and the flashbacks to1917, when she was trying to become a lawyer. I enjoyed the mystery and wassurprised by who was the true killer. Must read.

The widows of Malabar Hill lets us look into the society of India during the days of the British Empire. We are taken back to those days, and allowed to experience the customs of the different peoples and religious outlooks of the time. It was very interesting how the religious customs influenced family life, to the point of it affecting the way the House on Malibar Hill was constructed. It also showed how the complexity of the web of those cultural and religious beliefs played out in everyday life, making every thing a person did have a capacity for hidden meanings. As much as I miss Sujata's Shimura Rei, I enjoyed this look into life in India in between the world wars. It was an excellent mystery based on the ways points of view, and human selfishness affects they way peoples treat one another. I really enjoyed this book. I do miss that the details of the dress- this takes place in the 'flapper era- of the English people of the time, and the way a British lady was expected to present herself were overshadowed. Alice's parents could have had more doubts about their daughter's friendship with Paraveen and her family. Old cultures are infamous for having mouldering old buildings which were once quite imposing, but which sag with age like high born once beautiful young adults, but who have now elderly dowagers. Alice would have had to contend with high heeled shoes when she was causing the diversion for Paraveen. Her parents would have smoked; her mother would have had an upscale brand of cigarette, while her husband enjoyed his pipe. Ladies and gents would have gone to different areas in the British house after dinner to talk- the men enjoying port wine or brandy and a cigar or pipe. And there would have been a terrier dog in the English house as insurance against rats. I highly recommend this book for the way it uses a mystery story to let us into the culture of India during the 1920s. thank you Sujata!!

Me lo recomendaron porque me gustan mucho las novelas históricas.Realmente me encantó y aprendí mucho. Fascinante historia que da la oportunidad al lector de ver otro mundo, otra vida!

Very interesting to read a polar while learning about indian culture on the 1920's. I recommend It to everybody curious to know more about another country and their different people.

Have not finished reading this bookyet but so far I’m really enjoying it and it’s so good to learn about another culture

For somebody who loves India and old fashioned crime stories with well off detectives in elegant settings it is just blissful. I can smell and taste the food served, picture the places I have been to, dream of going back. At the same time the fragile societal set up is convincingly portrayed, the British arrogance, the poverty, cruel fragmented legal systems, etc.

Having lived for a time in Bombay, now known as Mumbai, I was immediately drawn to The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey. Not just because I resided on Malabar Hill of all places. What caught my attention was the setting and the storyline about an aspiring female lawyer in 1920's India. Despite such a unique premise, I've found it hard to read at times due to the overlap between past and present. That's why I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.Perveen Mistry is a privileged woman. Of Parsi descent, her family is so open-minded to encourage her to study law and pursue a legal career in her father's law firm even though no women have been admitted to the Indian bar. It isn't a problem for Perveen, who dreams of becoming India's first female solicitor and has studied in Oxford after overcoming a wrong personal decision. She's happy to prepare briefs and examine the finer points of rules and regulations until the settlement of an inheritance among three Muslim widows requires her to go on the front line. Since the widows are full purdah—in strict seclusion, they can't talk to any males who aren't related to them. Perveen will have to be her father's eyes and ears, especially when the inheritance renouncement will turn into murder.The criminal twist is just an excuse the author adopts to describe the reality of women's lives back in the 1920s. I like how Mrs. Massey exposes the seclusion and often the abuses perpetrated on the different women portrayed in this book. Whether Muslim, Hindu, Parsi, or even British, they're all under the thumb of a chauvinistic system that allows only men the freedom to choose how to live their lives. The unfairness of it is what has kept me hooked to the last page, along with the realization that in many ways, one hundred years haven't improved women's conditions all that much. Even sadder the awareness that often it's the women themselves who uphold this unjust system and go from victims to executioners in the blink of an eye.On the downside, the narration isn't fluid. The telling of the widows:' troubles is fragmented with Perveen's past experiences. I've also found the dialogue tags a bit repetitive. Too many crisply, soberly, and said for my taste though, fortunately, don't diminish the reader's enjoyment of a tale that has to be told.I definitely recommend this book to all the women readers looking for more than a mystery novel.