Review- Mayurkhund by Sadiqa Peerbhoy

Mayurkhund on Goodreads 

Release date: February 15th 2019

Published by: Readomania

Page numbers: 288

REVIEW: 

I always enjoy reading author Sadiqa Peerbhoy's books. There's something very intriguing about her exquisite writing and her poignant storytelling. Very ethnic and spellbinding, her stories take me to a place in my home country but in a faraway time and place which is always exciting to visit. Her Marry Go Round was a fun and interesting story about arranged marriages set in Hyderabad, while my favourite of hers, House of Discord, was a story about family, politics and religion set in Mumbai. 

Mayurkhund, Sadiqa Peerbhoy's latest, is the devastatingly beautiful story of Zeenat who aspires to become a playback singer. Just when she thinks she's close to achieving her dreams, live starts throwing curve balls at her which makes her reconsider everything she had thought of for herself. By a series of events which are interesting to get to know but sad to understand, she finds herself in the Mayurkhund palace. Zeenat's daughter, Amari, grew up in Mayurkhund but eventually left the place due to her own fascinating series of events. She is haunted by the peacocks that Mayurkhund is famous for and when she visits Rajasthan for a work trip, she gets a call from the Queen to visit her childhood home. 

There is so much more to talk about the story but I would rather the reader discover how wonderfully it has been put down on his/ her own. The story alternates from Zeenat's life in the 1960s to Amari's in the late 1990s. The incidents that take place in both their lives are connected in some way or the other and add to the depth and beauty of the book. Sadiqa Peerbhoy's writing is, as always, incredibly easy to follow and yet so amazingly worded that even though it was confusing for me at first as who is who, it all fell into place quite soon and I found myself immersed in the story. 

The ending of the book left me with mixed feelings. I didn't laugh or smile and I didn't feel sad either. I just found myself relieved and at peace with the way everything turned out. That, for me, was a first. I don't quite remember feeling this way about any ending before, and that is one of the main reason I will remember this book for a long time. I would highly recommend this glorious read that is packed with rich history, tradition, family and the ethereal relation between parents and children.  

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by Readomania in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.

Buy the book: AMAZON

Review- House of Discord by Sadiqa Peerbhoy

House of Discord on Goodreads

 BOOK SUMMARY:

A discordant family in a hate-driven city…will they find the ties that bind?

A tough matriarch; an effete father who escapes reality; a rebellious son who marries a Muslim girl; a depressed spinster daughter; a resident ghost and the discovery of some strange family secrets… 

The Deshmukhs of Barrot House are barely surviving in a rambling house in the middle of Bombay when violence knocks on the door.

The post-Babri Masjid Bombay of 1992 is a city wallowing in hate. The Deshmukhs find themselves in the vortex of the raging storm.

Will the famed Spirit of Bombay eventually rediscover the healing magic of communal tolerance? Will the family rediscover the love that will help them survive? Sadiqa Peerbhoy spins a multilayered family saga—a metaphor for the city she grew up in.

Release date: October 20th 2017

Published by: Readomania

Page numbers: 298

REVIEW: 

I quite enjoyed author Sadiqa Peerbhoy's Marry Go Round when I read it a few years ago. So when the author contacted me about her latest, House of Discord, I was pretty excited and immediately jumped at the opportunity to read the book. It was a delightful read that ended 2017 on a wonderful bookish note, for me. Besides, the entire backdrop of the book is what made me curious.

House of Discord is set in the backdrop of the communal riots that were a result of the Babri Masjid incident back in 1986. While the incident affected the entire country, this book focuses on the Deshmukhs of Barrot House, Rompton Road, Mumbai. A prestigious, respected and honoured family to everyone on the outside, the Deshmukhs make for a quirky and entertaining family, where it's difficult to digest how some of the members are blood related because they seem to be poles apart.

I enjoyed the company of the Deshmukhs so much that I found it hard to say goodbye to the book. I wanted their story to go on and on. Barrot House, which houses our ten main characters (and many more) in the book, was such a fun and wonderful place to be in. While all the characters were well made, stood out tall and shined in their own unique way, the one person whose dialogues, scenes and persona I thoroughly enjoyed was Dhonduram. He was an awesome character who I'm not going to forget easily.

Although I am not the biggest fan of movies, Sadiqa Peerbhoy writes entertainers that would make for superb Bollywood films, but all I hope is that the author keeps writing because her story-telling is excellent. While her first, Marry Go Round was a nice read, House of Discord was far more easier for me to relate to with it being set in late 1980s Mumbai and revolving around a typical Maharashtrain family. I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful read which has easily been one of my best reads of 2017. What a way to end the year!

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by Sadiqa Peerbhoy in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.

Buy the book: AMAZON

Review- Marry Go Round by Sadiqa Peerbhoy

Goodreads Summary:

A determined mother using blatant emotional blackmail to inveigle her NRI son into a marriage with the right sort of desi girl; a reluctant groom with a live-in girlfriend following him all the way to India; a bride on the rebound from a disastrous liaison with a married man; skeletons rattling in old family cupboards; an aunt on the vengeance trail ? and we have a heady cocktail of an arranged wedding that morphs into a love marriage with quite the wrongest possible girl?with a little tactical help from long-dead ancestors. Written in a refreshingly original style, Marry Go Round is one quaint combine of today?s merrily irreverent humour and a staid Hyderabadi milieu with its Nawabi hangover from grandiose times long past.

REVIEW:

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of Marry Go Round by Sadiqa Peerbhoy from Leadstart Publishing in exchange for an honest review. We thank the publishing house for the book! 

Marry Go Round sounded like a fun and frilly read and that's exactly how it turned out to be. Obviously, that means that there are possibilities of a cliché, but honestly, this book was anything but that. I was at the edge of my seat till the very end, thinking about which girl our hero Riaz would end up with and I was quite happy with the ending. I do enjoy these kind of chick lit and girly reads once in a while- once in a while being the most important part of the sentence. 

Marry Go Round is set in the charming city of Hyderabad, and the story takes place in a typical Hyderabadi Muslim home. Fortunately for me, I go to Hyderabad quite often so I know almost everything about the city. Although I've never really visited a Muslim home there, I've heard tons of stories about it. 

Riaz's mom wants her only son to get married as soon as possible for reasons only she knows. Working in New York, Riaz has a hip life going on there and he even has a White girlfriend Sarah. To make her son come visit, Sartaj Jehan makes drama that could beat any of those ridiculous soaps they air on TV. On Riaz's return, the drama takes a whole new turn and it's a silly but enjoyable ride. 

Each character in the book added their own unique personality to the whole story in general. Sartaj's inner dialogue and English were funny and her husband's Shakespeare obsession and quotes and hunger pangs added more humour. From Riaz's girlfriend to his suitors to his suitors' parents to his cousins to his relatives to his friends, everyone made this book a joyful ride. 

Author Sadiqa Peerbhoy's writing was charming and kind of reminded me of Salman Rushdie. She has written an absolutely enjoyable book that captures the charm of a hearty Muslim household and of the Nizam's bejewelled city of Hyderabad. 

Marry Go Round had many aspects relating to marriage that I don't quite like or even understand for that matter but the book ended with a type of marriage I love so I can oversee all the other flaws. The book can be read like a romantic comedy Bollywood movie where you don't really need to use your brain. All you gotta do is read and enjoy the ride. 

RATING: