The Widows of Malabar Hill

De: Sujata Massey

Narrado por: Soneela Nankani

Introducing an extraordinary female lawyer-sleuth in a new historical series set in 1920s Bombay!

Bombay, 1921: Perveen Mistry, the daughter of a respected Zoroastrian family, has just joined her father's law firm, becoming one of the first female lawyers in India. Armed with a law degree from Oxford, Perveen also has a tragic personal history that makes her especially devoted to championing and protecting women's legal rights.

Mistry Law has been appointed to execute the will of Mr. Omar Farid, a wealthy Muslim mill owner who has left three widows behind. But as Perveen is going through the paperwork, she notices something strange: all three of the wives have signed over their full inheritance to a charity. What will they live on if they forfeit what their husband left them? Perveen is suspicious, especially since one of the widows has signed her form with an X - meaning she probably couldn't even read the document. The Farid widows live in full purdah - in strict seclusion, never leaving the women's quarters or speaking to any men. Are they being taken advantage of by an unscrupulous guardian?

Perveen tries to investigate, and realizes her instincts about the will were correct when tensions escalate to murder. Now it is her responsibility to figure out what really happened on Malabar Hill, and to ensure that no innocent women or children are in further danger.

Inspired in part by a real woman who made history by becoming India's first female lawyer, The Widows of Malabar Hill is a richly wrought story of multicultural 1920s Bombay as well as the debut of a sharp and promising new sleuth, Perveen Mistry.

©2018 Sujata Massey (P)2018 Recorded Books

Irritating performance

I would have enjoyed this book much better had the reader not been emoting in a large way with each sentence! It spoiled the writing for me completely.

Excellent young heroine(s).

I kept mentally correcting this narrator on many names in the story. The plot(s) and characters are well developed. Satisfactory ending. Strong female characters. The subject of male/female segregated Muslim households is explored in some depth, as is long-standing Muslim marital law. I enjoyed this book and will continue to read this author's works.

Story was good, but narration was terrible.

The story was pretty good, typical convoluted backstory and whodunit about an irrepressable young woman. But the narration was hard to listen to. The STyle of EMphaSizing So Many Syllables is grating. Makes it hard to know what's really important. The reader's accent is fine, just the rest of the delivery is hard to listen to.

Worst narration ever

Story is good, but I’ve given up the audiobook because of the narrator. The narration is delivered in an American accent, for an unfathomable reason, and every! single! sentence! of the narration ends in an exclamation mark, according to the reader. I expected breathless squealing at any second, and finally just gave it up.

Wonderful book, disappointing performance

Some of the most odds were even mispronounced, and tonality was irritating. However, the writing was wonderful.

loved!

I really enjoyed this book, I couldn't put it down. The narrator did an amazing job!

Great Story!

I really enjoyed this story! Great narration! The narrators had me from the beginning and I never lost interest throughout the book.

Enjoyed it!!!

I loved learning about how Zoroastrians became Parsis in India. Their culture, as well as Muslim family customs, was enlightening. The story was great as well.

interesting story

Thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and the characters. Really appreciated the cultural components. The narrator is excessively animated, tainting the experience a bit.

Intense cultural immersion!

Took a bit to get going, but wonderful descriptions of early 20th century India through the eyes of the minority populations—Islamic and Parsi (Zoroastrian). Especially focused on the various challenges of being a woman in that time; marriage/family dynamics, voluntary seclusion (and some involuntary), having to be driven or accompanied… Plus, shades of dynamics between the local and British populations, and among the various groups. Am intrigued to see where this series goes, but it’s a rich and detailed world! Highly recommend!