Scandalous Housewives: Mumbai - Book Review

Name: Scandalous Housewives: Mumbai 

Author: Madhuri Banerjee

Publisher: Rupa Publications India

ISBN: 978-8129131140

Number of Pages: 264

Price: 265[INR]

Genre: Romance

The Blurb:

Meet women from Sapphire Towers, a residential high-rise Mumbai where life is lost to a clockwork routine. Although everything appears calm on the outside, there are those housewives who yearn for change and joys in their mundane life. One gets into a forbidden relationship following an irresistible lust, another gets addicted to kinky sex and ends up in misery, yet another woman falls in love with a young man, a friend of her own son and one more lady is holding within a secret that could probably put an end to her marriage. One ominous day, an anonymous email comes in to the inboxes of all Sapphire Towers residents and leads to unimaginable consequences! Discover what happens to the dilemmas of these women in this unputdownable novel.

My Review:

Characters:

       Meet Gita, a very talented young woman, but frustrated mother of two young girls who is stuck in a unhappy marriage with a husband who doesn't love her, parent-in-laws who reprimand her for anything and everything she does and a brother-in-law whom she is drawn to greatly! Her life is spent in bringing up her two little angels and trying hard to please everyone is the family.

       Meet Sarita, mother of two teenagers, stuck with stingy parent-in-laws, husband who adores her and children who refuse to listen to her. Lazy cook who hates doing the household chores, she believes in giving kids freedom and keeping broad mind while bringing them up.

       Meet Natasha, once a super model, now a housewife and mother of a rebelling 14 year old girl! Natasha feels suffocated with her husband Vikram, who seems to have temper problem and abuses her and a daughter never listens to her!

       Meet Aarti, a career oriented woman who travels constantly, thanks to the support she receives from her parent-in-laws and loving husband Amit but she carries a guilt that she couldn't shake off! As much as she loves Amit, she couldn't help but feel unhappy in her romance-less marriage!

Plot:

     'Scandalous housewives: Mumbai' revolves around 4 housewives - Gita, Sarita, Natasha and Aarti, each of whom is fighting their own demons. These 4 friends, who call themselves 'Lovey Ladies' meet often in the park of Sapphire Towers where they reside and gossip about their life. Though they share the basic stuffs and pretend to be closest of friends, each one of them has a secret that they have hidden and are reluctant to share. 

       What happens when are stuck in a marriage where there is no love? What happens if your husband stops paying attention to you and then suddenly, someone else does that? What happens when there is something vital missing in your wedded life? Apparently, you do adultery. That is what these lovely ladies do when they reach a point where life seems beyond bearable! And these events turn their life 360 degrees when someone finds out their truths and threatens to tell everyone about it! Their faith, friendship and love, everything is put to test at this juncture of life, where each one has their own bag of guilt to deal with!

Things I Liked:

       I liked the way Madhuri has handled so many delicate things in this books. The story of a family that suppresses woman from following her heart and expecting her to be just a housewife who does all the chores, the issues parents face while bringing up their children, the bedroom secrets, the choices that women are forced to make to keep the family intact, friendship and romance. All these elements and much more are handled with ease by the author. 

       I liked the way chapters ended with a hint about something that is about to happen, something that we need to look out for. It just made the book all more interesting and unputdownable. I liked the narration and the language used by the author. I liked her absolute hold on the story and how every twists and turns are thought out meticulously. Most of all, I liked the ending where she didn't leave our protagonists sinking in the standards created by the society!

Things I didn't Like:

      The cover of the book doesn't do justice to the brilliant story! And there were a few places where the story turned too filmy. Apart from that, the book was a great read.

Verdict:

       If you are one of those people who point a finger against those who break the norms and follow their heart, don't even bother picking up the book and then commenting on it. But if you someone with an open mind, go for it. This book is a brilliant read and definitely a page turner. This is the first book I have read of Madhuri and I loved it. Looking forward to read more books from her.

My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars!

Until the next review,

Keep Reading :)

Love,

Swathi :)