The Widows of Malabar Hill

By: Sujata Massey

Narrated by: 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

Outstanding Historical Mystery

Any additional comments?

I'm a fan of Sujata Massey; I read all of her mysteries set in Japan. I was excited to see that she had started a new series (I hope it's a series) set in India in the 1920's. The story is excellent and a wonderful look at the many cultures of India during the time the British ruled.
I especially enjoyed reading about the place of women; the main character, Purveen, is the only woman lawyer in Bombay. This is so much more than a mystery, but wonderfully written look at a social and cultural time well before independence. The reader added a lot to this story, so glad I listened. I am always torn between listening and reading--love both. It's a plus when a reader adds so much to the story. This is a great listen, highly recommended.

Good story, bad narration

I really liked this story. The setting, characters, and plot were very engaging and interesting. I always love a book that gets me interested in a real place or time period, and this one did that for me for Bombay in the 1920s and the different religions and cultures that inhabited it. The mystery aspect kept me guessing, though the choice to reveal the main character's back story in flashback was a problem for me. Because we know from the 1921 narration that Perveen lives with her family in Bombay and is practicing as a solicitor, there is less drama and suspense in the story of her life in 1916-17, in which she falls in love, gets married, and moves to Calcutta.

My main problem with this was the narration. It is oddly done by an American, which doesn't really make sense as none of the characters are American, nor does any part of it take place in America. Because the narrator is of Indian descent, the accents of the Indian characters rang true, but her British accent was pretty terrible. I could have looked past this, but her narration is so overwrought, plaintive, almost whiny. It's great to put a lot of emotion into dialogue, but when you do it with third-person narration, it's really annoying and distracting. My advice to the narrator is to tone it waaaay down for the narration, and don't be so whiny with the dialogue. She made Perveen sound really weak, and I don't think it would have read that way in my head if I'd been reading print. At first, I wasn't sure if I would even be able to continue with it, it was that annoying, but I stuck it out for the story's sake. I understand that this is to be a series, and I would highly recommend that they either replace the narrator with a British person of Indian descent, or that this narrator calm down and refrain from over-emoting.

Customs in 1914-1921 India

Like living in India was the experience of this wonderful book. All the astounding and very unique customs of the Farsis during that period were complex, to say the least. I loved the beautiful descriptions of the architecture, transportation (Grey Ghost for a car), and for me especially the descriptions of the saris ( green satin embroidered all over with gold thread covered with French lace). Very visually stimulating. Some horrific parts, as to be expected for the period.

Great story, performance is a little overboard

good story about women overcoming inequalities in India circa 1920. The narration would be improved by toning it down a bit. The manufactured drama of the narration got on my nerves. The story is good without the extra drama.

Need more stars for this great book

Hurray, there is a second volume coming down the pike, so far only as a pre-order print book but hopefully the audible will follow soon. Everything about this book is great. The characters, the plot, the setting - you almost feel that you are getting more than you had a right to expect. There is a coming-of-age story, a father-daughter story, a women having it tough in the Third World story, and a mystery, all set in colonial era India. I almost deducted a star for the narrator, because her intonation can be very irritating (she speaks every sentence as though something startling had happened - she poured two cups of tea!!!!! her sari was blue!!!!!!!!!!!) but on the whole she does a super job.

Probably a Better Read Than Listen

While I think that preferences regarding narration are quite subjective, I found the narration of this book so breathless that someone removing a handkerchief from a pocket was basically the equivalent of someone being chased by a car. If you start and stay at 100, there is no variety or nuance. That’s a disservice to what probably was a delightful story. I will definitely check out the next book…with my eyes.

A Promising New Series!

This was a lovely introduction to a new series. The historical setting of late Raj India is a very interesting time period. Add to that the suffragette movement and the changing roles of women, with a slow transition from men’s chattel to independence, and there is historical insight of great interest. The fact that the primary character is a Zoroastrian Parsi allows for insight, both through similarities and contrasts with other Indian cultural communities such as Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Muslims, etc.,and also with English & Anglo-Indian cultures. As a scholar of Asian Studies, I I recognized and appreciated the accuracy, open-mindedness, & respect shown to all the cultures of the Bombay melting pot. I look forward to further novels as the series grows.

Interesting story and a lot of interesting info

I enjoyed this book. I think some of my favorite parts of the book were the descriptions of customs/traditions of the Parsi/Hindu/Muslims in Bombay/Kolkata about 100 years ago (even if they were things I didn't necessarily like/agree with.)

There were two stories in the book: the story of Perveen and the story of the widows. The two were told back and forth and sometimes there was too much space between the two stories that they felt disconnected. However, I think the author brought them together pretty well by the end.

If you have ever read the Maisie Dobbs books, this felt like an Indian version of the first book in that series. Perhaps, Perveen will become the next Maisie.

Watered down Nancy Drew story in very cool setting

The atmosphere, language and cultural descriptions were wonderful but the story was weak. I loved the characters enough to finish the book but even the ending disappointed. Overall it made me think of a watered down Nancy Drew mystery.

Female Power!!!

I enjoy the story a lot! I love they way the main character is presented. Even more so I love the fact that she's a strong female character in a man dominated society.