Erotic Stories for Punjab... has been added to your Cart
Buy new:
$12.64
FREE delivery: Monday, May 22 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon.
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
List Price: $16.99 Details

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Save: $4.35 (26%)
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
Return this item for free
  • Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges
  • Learn more about free returns.
FREE delivery Monday, May 22 on orders shipped by Amazon over $25
Or fastest delivery Thursday, May 18. Order within 12 hrs 15 mins
In Stock
[{"displayPrice":"$12.64","priceAmount":12.64,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"12","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"64","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"myp1XPiQDmAMQRqzXnVhi2ya2K92DWjvXN3yveRoHT%2F7TvZkjztGw95%2F6ktMB3OfPE%2BC%2FdRJ44Tb5Hm8hq57teD0rANoGJmJiEzYgU0Xpu%2FgBa6CoCgx3QXPKL0ZPGk%2BLvQmFpFf4PoKmIH92ts0Yw%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW"},{"displayPrice":"$7.89","priceAmount":7.89,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"7","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"89","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"GiDFupQQ0mZcoX%2FHTUnB%2Fi9KSp%2B39P6Gwy4CBTXlvHY%2FruWJ1REJbmWphVC9juQdUCoJU4eVBU80N%2F87VUmp9D%2BPhhFh2WpoSS6%2BxBWk3RbaMtiRD3uoLapucxUzIpXtp2CrynqcOpA3UvUU3YRB8Y%2BKYH1kbxWaghRa8pGZHz9Fn7sdfiiIYteV6aMR6zWC","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED"}]
$$12.64 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$12.64
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime
FREE delivery Monday, May 22 on orders shipped by Amazon over $25
Or fastest delivery Thursday, May 18. Order within 12 hrs 15 mins
Condition: Used: Good
Comment: Book is in good condition and may include underlining highlighting and minimal wear. The book can also include "From the library of" labels. May not contain miscellaneous items toys, dvds, etc. . We offer 100% money back guarantee and 24 7 customer service. Free 2-day shipping with Amazon Prime!
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Have one to sell?
Other Sellers on Amazon
Added
$11.45
& FREE Shipping
Sold by: MBM-Shop
Sold by: MBM-Shop
(236 ratings)
96% positive over last 12 months
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Shipping rates and Return policy
Added
$7.95
+ $3.99 shipping
Sold by: Book Paddy
Sold by: Book Paddy
(498 ratings)
100% positive over last 12 months
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Shipping rates and Return policy
Added
$14.43
FREE Shipping
Get free shipping
Free shipping within the U.S. when you order $25.00 of eligible items shipped by Amazon.
Or get faster shipping on this item starting at $5.99 . (Prices may vary for AK and HI.)
Learn more about free shipping
on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon.
Sold by: more_books_less_money
Sold by: more_books_less_money
(7320 ratings)
100% positive over last 12 months
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Shipping rates and Return policy
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Learn more

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Flip to back Flip to front
Listen Playing... Paused   You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

Follow the Author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows: A Reese's Book Club Pick Paperback – March 6, 2018

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 10,990 ratings

Price
New from Used from
Kindle
Paperback
$12.64
$7.95 $1.30

Purchase options and add-ons


Check out reading-themed apparel and accessories in the new Amazon Books merch shop

Frequently bought together

$12.64
Get it as soon as Monday, May 22
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
$11.12
Get it as soon as Monday, May 22
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
$17.99
Get it as soon as Monday, May 22
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Choose items to buy together.
Popular Highlights in this book

From the Publisher

More from Balli Kaur Jaswal

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Jaswal tackles serious themes (arranged vs forced marriage, traditional vs modern culture) with a light and funny touvh. A page-turner your commute will thank you for.” — Glamour Magazine

“By turns erotic, romantic, and mysterious, this novel of women defying patriarchial strictures enchants.” — Kirkus Reviews

“A page-turner your commute will thank you for. Tackles serious themes with a light and funny touch.” — Glamour (UK)

“Warm and hilariously funny.” — Good Housekeeping (UK)

“Heady stuff ... a funny and moving tale of desire and its discontents.” — The Economist

“Charming ... This is a sparkling read.” — Publishers Weekly

“I loved this novel―it’s so big-hearted and earthy and funny. Best of all, it turns many preconceptions upside down, and opens up a world that so many of us have only glimpsed. A rattlingly good story.” — Deborah Moggach, author of THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL

From the Back Cover

Every woman has a secret life . . .

Nikki, a modern daughter of Indian immigrants, has spent most of her twenty-odd years distancing herself from the traditional Sikh community of her childhood, preferring a more independent (that is, Western) life. When her father’s death leaves the family financially strapped, Nikki impulsively takes a job teaching a “creative writing” course at the community center in the beating heart of London’s close-knit Punjabi community.

The proper Sikh widows who show up are expecting to learn English, not short-story writing. When one of the widows finds a book of erotica and shares it with the class, Nikki realizes that beneath their white dupattas, her students have a wealth of fantasies and memories that they’ve held in for far too long. Eager to liberate these modest women, she teaches them how to express their untold stories, unleashing creativity of the most unexpected—and exciting—kind.

As the class grows, a group called the Brothers, who have appointed themselves Southall’s “moral police,” threaten to reveal the class’s scandalous stories and the mysterious secrets lurking beneath this seemingly sedate, tight-knit community.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow Paperbacks; Reprint edition (March 6, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062645110
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062645111
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.72 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 10,990 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Balli Kaur Jaswal is the author of four novels, including Singapore Literature Prize finalist "Sugarbread," and the international bestseller "Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows," which was a selection of Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine book club. Her debut novel "Inheritance" won the Sydney Morning Herald's Best Young Australian Novelist award. Jaswal's non-fiction has appeared in the New York Times, Cosmopolitan.com, Harper's Bazaar India and Salon.com, among other publications. Her latest novel "The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters" was released to critical acclaim in 2019, and is now available in paperback.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
10,990 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 5, 2018
Customer image
5.0 out of 5 stars Controversial name, beautiful and meaningful story inside. Absolutely read it!
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 5, 2018
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows was... Amazing. That's all I can say about it in short, because if I open my mouth to talk more, I might just never shut up about it. Despite the really scandalous sounding name, you should really, really, REALLY read this book. It's especially recommended to women. It might change your understanding of womanhood, and the same goes for community relations and traditions. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows is 2017 release that is definitely not to be missed. I find it hard to remember a book this year that touched me more.

Let me get this straight. No, this book is not erotica. It's not romance. But! Yes, this book has a couple erotic stories. Yes, you might want to read it in private. However! The stories in this book are meant to look like they are written by women who can't even write or read – they come from the heart, from experience, from loneliness and the pain of the feminine condition, so to say – when a woman is not treasured, not respected. The stories are a longing to be equal, to be loved, to be ALLOWED TO FEEL PLEASURE and to express yourself on equal terms with a man. Or a woman, for that matter. So to tell you what to expect – no, you won't be reading this book for the erotic stories. The stories are a tool. However, the stories will open up a much deeper meaning of the kinds of problems women have faced for CENTURIES. And the kinds of problems women still face a lot in a lot of societies.

So now that we've got the erotic stories bit out of the way, we can talk more about the plot of this book. And it's a complicated one – you can not shelve this book into any trope, plot or genre. It's complex and it will give you food for thought. Starting out whimsical and upbeat, it gives you an impression of a fun and easy read at first – but that's not all it is. It does have its dark and complicated moments, and it delves deep into the problems of a community, particularly one that is fixated on purported purity and keeping up a family's honor. Which is irreconcilable with the modern world, especially where it forces 'duties' upon the woman, without giving her any rights or respecting her choices. Perhaps the scariest part of it isn't even the women who are forced into living a life like that, but women who wholeheartedly believe in a lifestyle like this (for those who've read the book, an example would be Tarampal.) There is nothing sadder than a person from an oppressed group identifying with the oppressors and defending their cause. That is the ultimate defeat. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows will present a lot of points of view of women like this, and you won't be able to help understanding them all, even the ones like Tarampal, who have identified with their torturers.

Nikki and Mindi – the modern sister and the slightly more traditional sister – show the difference between generations and traditional versus modern so well. Both Niki and Mindi seem to be slightly hyperbolized versions of those sides, and they show the clash very well. While Nikki was slightly annoying to read because she is indeed irresponsible and doesn't consider that some of the things her sister and mother do or say make, in fact, a lot of sense, you still couldn't disregard that her more modern and feminist outlooks are closer to home for most of us. And Mindi was also hard to stomach because of how she defers to traditionalism and "the woman's place" in society and family, but then again, you couldn't disregard that she is right about so many things about Nikki, and she's been there because she's older. Instead of rebelling, she just sighs and keeps going, or tries to find a more socially appropriate solution to a problem. Nikki and Mindi also show the clash between cultures, the more traditional Indian culture in the case of Mindi, and cosmopolitan or individualistic culture in Nikki – because she's younger and the Western ways have rubbed off on her much more than Mindi. Both ways of living are valid – but it illustrates very well the struggles of choosing the way that's best for you if you were born in a multicultural setting.

Some very troubling and painful things happen in this book. Some of them are the kinds of things that could tear apart a whole community. You would think you're reading a fun story, but like I said, this is about very real, very serious things. But the presentation! The presentation is amazing for several reasons. First of all, everything is presented in a very discreet way – even the very personal things the women confess or feel are put so very discreetly and without judgement that it evokes respect in a natural way. Secondly, there is no judging tone – just the facts. You get to make your own observations and draw conclusions. That is a very good way to drive discussion and tell a story – you are way more invested when reading a book like that. This is one of the reasons I enjoyed Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows the most.

This is for all those foreigners like me reading a book on Punjabi culture. The cultural commentary was amazing! Obviously, I can only speak from a reader's point of view and only a Punjabi person could tell you how accurate it was – but it seems to be genuine, especially because of the author's roots. But as someone who previously had zero knowledge about the Punjabi Sikh communities, I was blown away by the cultural details. I was taught so many small, but meaningful things I could have never learned, had I not read this book. It's worth reading for that alone, if not for the tough issues it delves into!

If I've painted the book in colors too dark, please forgive me – I just wanted you to have a good understanding of what this book actually is about. But there is a reason it's called a 'dark comedy' sometimes – even though those #feels might make you weep while reading this, you will also laugh a lot. It is written in an easy style, and it has a lot of whimsical things, especially regarding the stories! It's not all a heavy read. I promise you will laugh!

But Beware Of The Triggers

In a story like this, obviously there are triggers. Lots of them. Violent murder, threats, social oppression, oppression of women. I am pretty sure rape is mentioned a couple of times, as is religious prosecution. And of course, there are all the erotic stories with all the... yeah. It would be hard to name everything, so just keep in mind that this is heavy topic material at times.
Images in this review
Customer image
Customer image
60 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 9, 2023
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 6, 2023
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 1, 2023
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 15, 2022
3 people found this helpful
Report

Top reviews from other countries

TripFiction
4.0 out of 5 stars Novel set in SOUTHALL, LONDON
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 13, 2019
6 people found this helpful
Report
Sudakshina B
4.0 out of 5 stars There's more to this book than meets the eye!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 18, 2018
12 people found this helpful
Report
S. Hunt
5.0 out of 5 stars An absolutely awesome book!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 26, 2018
10 people found this helpful
Report
mehrin zakaria
5.0 out of 5 stars read my full review on mehrinreads.com
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 5, 2021
One person found this helpful
Report
Jill Dann, FBCS CITP
3.0 out of 5 stars More serious than hilarious
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 21, 2018
2 people found this helpful
Report