Customer Reviews

The Sari Shop Widow

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Here'a a book I never would have read had it not been offered free on Kindle. It turned out to be an interesting read, exposing me to an aspect of American-Indian (Desi) culture I might not otherwise have ever gotten to see.

Anjali is an American born Indian widow who has put her life on hold to make a success of her parents' sari boutique, called 'Silk and Sapphires.' To her dismay, she learns that without her realizing it, the shop is close to bankruptcy. Her father, without her knowledge or consent, calls on his rich, tyrannical elder brother for help in rescueing the business. When this brother flies in from India he is accompanied by a man unknown to any of the family, announcing that this Rishi Shah is his business partner, and that they will sort out all the problems. Anjali, being a modern American woman, doesn't want any outsiders sorting out her problems. And from there, stock Romance ensues.

What made this book interesting was that, wrapped around a standard "romance" plot, there was a really nice look at an exotic sub-culture - in Edison,N.J. of all places, that I surely did not know existed. It was fascinating to read about, and elevated this run-of-the-mill romance a step above the norm. A really pleasant surprise!

I got this book free on Kindle and it was a good read, hence the three stars. The rich cultural family life and love relationships were a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed reading the emotional growth of an almost-40 Indian-American widow (a successful fashion designer and partner in a family sari shop) and her relationship with (first) a sex-buddy type of boyfriend to whom I never warmed up. She finally lets herself fall for someone who truly loves her for herself and who is someone of whom her family would also approve, despite one sort of black mark in the relationship department on the part of the hero, and with the sex buddy on hers. Though her husband has been dead for ten years, she still carries a torch, which made me really love her character. This meant the eventual hero would have to really outshine the almost-beatific love she had for her dead husband. I felt that the ending was somewhat abrupt and not as richly written as the rest of the book, but I did get my happily ever after. It was just lacking the previous zeal of the other chapters. The characterizations of her family were well drawn. What a scrumptious hero who is even more empathetic because of a slight disability that has a secret story behind it. I look forward to other books from this author and will be hunting for some more good ethnic romance reads. This is not my usual reading fare and I was happy to have gotten the chance to be introduced to this author because the book was free on Kindle for a short time. Next time, I will buy her title!

Anjali Kapadia had once dreamed of raising children, but after a decade since she cremated Vikram, the Indian-American has little hope of a second marriage as she has not found anyone she wants to marry though she has a secret boyfriend she hides from her parents. Nearing forty with her biological clock winding down, she has all but given up on her dream. Everything else in her life is good as she and her parents Mohan and Usha run the Silk and Sapphires upscale boutique in the Little India neighborhood of Edison, New Jersey where she designs clothing.

However, Anjali is ignorant of the fact that the shop is failing. Her desperate father Mohan asks his wealthy older brother for help. Anjali's Uncle Jeevan-kaka has not been state side in five years, but comes from India to see what he can do to save the boutique. He is a benevolent dictator who drove Anjali and her mom crazy with his demands on his last visit. Jeevan arrives in New Jersey with his London-based business partner Rishi Shah, an expert on saving businesses buried in red ink. They plan to save the shop but also demand fifty-one percent ownership of the store. As Anjali and Rishi fall in love, she must decide can she trust him with her heart, her boutique, and her future when he already has a client girlfriend?

This is a super ethnic family drama from an author who consistently provides readers with great profound novels that give insight into the Indian especially the Indian-American Hindu culture (see THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER and THE DOWRY BRIDE). Once again the fully developed characters make for a strong deep look at Hindu life in central New Jersey with the romance augmenting the insightful look. Shobhan Bantwal's enjoyable novels are incredibly entertaining but also enlightening as the reader sips masala chai.

Harriet Klausner

Sari Shop Window promised to be an informative and engrossing book, which it could have been had it not been filled chock full of cliches. You have just parents, loving and fighting siblings, and men professing reluctant everlasting love in terms worthy of the worst romance novels.
Anyone could have seen the ending coming from page 10.

Anjali Kapadia is an Indian-American widow. Though she still dreams of someday marrying and having kids, those dreams are beginning to fade. In her ten years of widowhood, Anjali simply has not found someone she could fall in love with. Now nearing the age of forty, she has all but given up hope. Otherwise, Anjali feels fulfilled. She and her parents are in business together. They own a small upscale boutique in Little India (New Jersey) called Silk & Sapphires. Anjali is very artistic, very creative, and has designed the clothing in the shop. Her parents, though, have kept one thing quiet from Anjali. The shop is in the red. Unless they can turn things around quickly, they will lose the boutique.

Drastic measures have already been put into place. Anjali's father has requested help from his rich older brother, Jeevan. It has been five years since Anjali's uncle last visited from India. He may be a smart businessman, but his commanding ways, crazy demands, and overbearing character is too much for her or her mother to deal with. It becomes harder when Jeevan appears with enough luggage to show he plans a long stay. Jeevan also brought along, unannounced, his business partner from London, Rishi Shah. The handsome Brit specializes in saving failing businesses. Rishi and Jeevan have big plans to save the boutique. Part of that is buying fifty-one percent of Silk & Sapphires.

Can Anjali's uncle and the Londoner save her beloved shop? If so, will it no longer belong to her? And can Anjali and Rishi take a leap of faith with their hearts?

***** 4.5 STARS! This story is very rich in Desi culture. I found it to be extremely fascinating. My synopsis does not include the honorable endings (titles) to names, such as Jeevan-kaka, but I learned about them without even realizing it. The writing is well done and it was easy for me, who knew absolutely nothing about Desi culture, to understand each person's concerns. I came to care for the Kapadia family as if they were close friends. Shobhan Bantwal's writing style is smoother than Chai tea and her story is just as refreshing! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

I've really enjoyed Shobhan Bantwal's books. Her novels The Dowry Bride and The Forbidden Daughter both dealt with controversial subjects in Indian society. They were engaging novels that I thoroughly enjoyed reading, so when I heard she had another novel coming out, I couldn't resist it! The Sari Shop Widow is lighter in tone than Bantwal's previous books, but it's just as captivating.

I absolutely loved the character of Anjali. She was smart and savvy, a real role model for younger women, especially Indian girls. Though she had a breakdown after her husband died, she rebuilt her life, pouring her energy into something productive. It was great to see her declare that her life was not over, even though her husband had died. I also liked how vulnerable Anjali was. I could feel her anguish at the prospect of losing her shop. I could feel her anger at the thought that outsiders might be coming in and taking it over. Bantwal did a great job of developing Anjali and making her seem like a real person

I also appreciated how modern The Sari Shop Widow is. A lot of stories about Indians set in America tend to be fantasy stories in some ways - Indians residing in the United States, but living exactly as they would have if they had stayed in India. When you live in a foreign country, that culture will rub off on you. I liked that Bantwal incorporated both the traditional and the modern in this novel. For example, Anjali lives with her parents even though she is a thirty-seven year old widow, though there are also some practical reasons for that. However, Anjali also has a life of her own, one that she keeps secret from her parents. It's a delicate balance that takes a deft hand to achieve, and Bantwal does it well.

The story of The Sari Shop Widow is a bit of a fairy tale, but in a good way. I loved how Rishi came in as a knight in shining armor in order to save the shop, but Anjali wasn't having any of it. It really reinforced the idea that she is a modern woman and wanted to be saved through her own hard work, not rescued by some guy she doesn't know. Though the story focuses much more on Anjali's development rather than the saving the store, I enjoyed reading about how they turned the shop around. I would have love more details on it.

The Sari Shop Widow was a book I simply couldn't put down. It was fun and easy to read; I felt like the pages flew by. This is a great book for a lot of different audiences because it incorporates so many different genres - I highly recommend it!

This starts out promisingly enough: a family business in trouble, a villainous uncle, a female protagonist with an interesting blend of issues. "Good," I thought, "not just the usual travelogue of 'foreign culture in America'." I read pretty avidly until about halfway through. After that the plot succumbed to being predictable, with all remaining tension being neither believable nor interesting. The writing didn't do any of the characters justice. There were some nice moments where the story came alive, but for the most part I am very grateful that I got this free on Kindle and have since deleted it.

It's not that there's anything to DISLIKE about this novel. It's a decent plot and refreshing to read a novel about Indian immigrants that isn't depressing or heavy. However, it was entirely too predictable and the two main characters, Anjali Kapadia and Rishi Patel, were cliches. The novel also dragged on a bit longer than it needed to. If you are looking for a quick "masala" read, this isn't a terrible way to spend an afternoon but if you are looking for more than a superficial romance novel, look elsewhere.

Anjali Kapadia was widowed at a young age. She's poured all her energy into her families sari shop. When her parents tell her that the shop is in financial trouble and that her domineering uncle is coming to help, she is devastated.

Uncle Jeevan arrives with a handsome and mysterious partner and although Anjali is attracted to him, she's not sure if she can risk her heart again.

I loved this story. The setting is in the Little India section of New Jersey and I loved learning more about the culture and traditions India. It was a great tale of a young independent Indian woman living in a more traditional society, and how love and family is truly the most precious gift of all. Highly recommended!

I finished it but only because it was quick and simple. And by simple, I mean s i m p l e. The characters weren't underdeveloped, they were plain UNdeveloped. I am not sure I've encountered such hollowness, ever.

I'm confused by people saying they had a "glimpse" into Indian-American culture. Honestly, I could have written this one with what I know about the Indian and/or Hindu culture. NOthing of substance. Generalities and cliches abound.

It's basically a PG rated bodice-ripper.