The Daughters of Madurai

A Novel

By: Rajasree Variyar

Narrated by: Vaishnavi Suryaprakash

The Daughters of Madurai is both a heartrending family story and a thrilling mystery about the secrets we must keep to protect those we love.

Madurai, 1992. A young mother in a poor family, Janani is told she is useless if she can’t produce a son—or worse, if she bears daughters. They let her keep her first baby girl, but the rest are taken away as soon as they are born and murdered. But Janani can’t forget the daughters she was never allowed to love.

Sydney, 2019. Nila has a secret; one she’s been keeping from her parents for too long. Before she can say anything, her grandfather in India falls ill and she agrees to join her parents on a trip to Madurai. Nila knows very little about where her family came from or who they left behind. What she’s about to learn will change her forever. While The Daughters of Madurai explores the harrowing issue of female infanticide, it’s also a universal story about the bond between mothers and daughters, the strength of women, and the power of love in overcoming all obstacles.

©2023 Rajasree Variyar (P)2023 Orion Publishing Group

Voice switch up would help.

The voice actor didn’t switch up the voices. So it did sound as though it were all one person. Although I’m glad they were South Asian to help with some pronunciations I did not know. Still a great book though with a heart wrenching story.

Must listen

A beautiful but heartbreaking story set in India in the 1990’s and present day. A young woman discovers the harsh truth about her mothers journey as a poor woman in India and how she overcame her circumstances

Women Empowerment

Loved it. Brutally beautiful hardships women in Mudarai India had to endure. Depicts spot on of narrow minded thinking which is no fault to the elderly women because that is how they were conditioned to be in this kind of lifestyle. But my oh my how the links break of tradition!

Loved it

Heartbreaking that female infanticide still occurs. The interwoven stories are compelling, and the narration was really good too.

I don't think I can finish this

Narrators voice isn't strong enough to project the story into 3 dimensions. The story , alarming as it truly is that this village apparently puts girl babies to death at birth, the lead character submits to the tradition, despite missing her baby girl, and travels to the shrine of Menakshi to pray for a boy child.
Somehow this just doesn't engage me in the story. I will try again, and if I can stick it to the end, perhaps revise this

Excellent & Much Needed

Excellent book, really suspenseful and well written, and tells a story that, sadly, still needs to be told, one thousand times over. As a woman of Indian origin, I really appreciate the author giving our women this voice. I couldn’t stop listening (even my 5 and 8 yo sons would listen intently whenever they were around as I was listening), and am looking forward to her future books!!!

Wow!

From beginning to end this story was captivating. I loved the characters, the bravery. All first generation immigrants or rebels from stubbornly traditional families will appreciate this read. Wow!

To get the PERSPECTIVE from two generations. The frustration from the daughter from not knowing her mother, but simultaneously living through the mother’s trauma -we the audience can feel it all!

Wow! Read and share with family.

Not for me

I couldn’t get into it. I can’t relate, I don’t know if it was the story or my attention span but it bored me. I would like my credit back.

Absolutely loved it!

Great read. Difficult and tense some times but very well written and well performed! Need more book from this author.

Dreadfully slow narration

Predictable. The story was easy to guess the outcome. Therefore, if you’re going to have a predictable story line, give me a story or characters to love. None of that came to fruition. The narration was painful. Oddly long pauses between sentences.
I wanted to like this more than I did. The atrocities that women face wasn’t in your face but it was certainly more muted then the issue demands.
Meh.