Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More


Apr 19

4

From An-Other Land: Making Home in the Land of Dreams by Tanushree Ghosh- Review, Giveaway

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on April 4, 2019
Posted in Book Tours • Books Read In 2019 • Immigrant Experience • India • Short Storry Collections Read in 2019  | Tagged With: , , , | 3 Comments

From An-Other Land: Making Home in the Land of Dreams by Tanushree GhoshFrom An-Other Land: Making Home in the Land of Dreams by Tanushree Ghosh

Publisher: Readomania Publishin (December 4, 2018)
Category: Adult Fiction, 224 pages
Genre: Short Stories, Immigrant Stories, Literary

Description From An-Other Land: Making Home in the Land of Dreams by Tanushree Ghosh


Never has been the conversation on immigration more pertinent than now, post 2016 US elections. From cancellation of refugee protection and zero tolerance to undercurrent crackdown on H visas to the border wall – the resurgence of nationalism is hitting the globalized population head-on.

But what is immigration today? A question of life or death – fleeing of persecution? A compulsion? Or a mere pursuance of privilege? And what is the US today? A land of opportunities? Or a quagmire impossible to comprehend, inherently racist and selfish?

From An-Other Land dives deep into immigration today for the diaspora and its many facets with characters who seek to define themselves in an intercultural setting that is less and less sure of itself. A reality check and a guide for anyone who wants to understand the modern-day US.

To read others reviews, please follow Tanushree Ghosh’s page on iRead Book Tours.

My Thoughts From An-Other Land: Making Home in the Land of Dreams by Tanushree Ghosh


I found the book description a bit misleading.  With the exception of one word, “Characters” the description leads one to believe this book is non-fiction and a real examination of the issues.  Of course, a book of fiction can certainly address real issues however, for myself, it did not address all of the issues mentioned in the description.

From An-Other Land is a book of short stories about the immigrant experience.  Tanushree Ghosh does a good job capturing each characters immigrant experience in most of the stories.  A couple of the stories fall a little short for me and I would have liked to have been able to delve in deeper into their experiences. The stories are loosely interlinked by the characters. I believe this is Ms. Ghosh’s first book and a I think she shows promise as a writer.  I look forward to seeing what she writes next.  This book was a worthwhile read. I give it 3.5 stars out of 5.


About Tanushree GhoshFrom An-Other Land: Making Home in the Land of Dreams by Tanushree Ghosh

Tanushree Ghosh works in Tech and has a Doctorate in Chemistry from the Cornell University. She is also a social activist and writer. Her blog posts, op-eds, poems, and stories are an effort to provoke thoughts, especially towards issues concerning women and social justice.

She is a contributor (past and present) to several popular e-zines (incl. The Huffington Post US, The Logical Indian, Youth Ki Awaaz, Tribune India, Women’s Web, and Cafe Dissensus). Her literary resume includes poems and stories featured in national and international magazines (Words Pauses and Noises, UK; TUCK, Glimmer Train Honorable mention) as well as inclusion in seven anthologies such as Defiant Dreams (Oprah 2016 reading list placeholder) and The Best Asian Short Stories 2017 (published out of Singapore by Kitaab). Her first single-author book, From An-Other Land, is on immigration.

She has held different leadership roles in non-profits (ASHA and AID India) and is the founder and director of Her Rights (www.herrights.website), a 501(3) c non-profit committed to furthering the cause of gender equality. She is often an invited speaker or panelist for both corporate and non-profit endeavors.

Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook


Buy From An-Other Land: Making Home in the Land of Dreams by Tanushree Ghosh

 

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Mar 15

8

Review: Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on March 8, 2015
Posted in Books Read in 2015 • Historical Fiction • India • Michelle Moran  | Tagged With: , , , , | 12 Comments

Michelle MoranBook Description:



When the British Empire sets its sights on India in the 1850s, it expects a quick and easy conquest. After all, India is not even a country, but a collection of kingdoms on the subcontinent. But when the British arrive in the Kingdom of Jhansi, expecting its queen to forfeit her crown, they are met with a surprise. Instead of surrendering, Queen Lakshmi raises two armies—one male, one female—and rides into battle like Joan of Arc. Although her soldiers are little match against superior British weaponry and training, Lakshmi fights against an empire determined to take away the land she loves.

Told from the perspective of Sita, one of the guards in Lakshmi’s all-female army and the queen’s most trusted warrior, The Last Queen of India traces the astonishing tale of a fearless ruler making her way in a world dominated by men. In the tradition of her bestselling novel Nefertiti, which Diana Gabaldon, author of the Outlander series, called “a heroic story with a very human heart,” Michelle Moran once again brings a time and place rarely explored in historical fiction to rich, vibrant life.

My Thoughts:



Michelle Moran did it again, she brought history back to life!

In 1850’s India, Sita’s mother dies in childbirth.  The baby is save but it’s another girl.  Sita’s grandmother sneaks Sita off to the temple to negotiate a price for them to buy Sita for prostitution but her father finds out the plan and puts a stop to it.  He says that since they can’t afford to marry her off, he will train her be in the female guard, called Durga Dal for the Rani (Queen).

This is very tough to get into but her father, along with their friend and neighbor, trained Sita and she learned fast.  Against incredible odds, gets accepted into the Durga Dal.  When Sita joined the guard, she learns quickly that not all is what it seems and she can trust no one.  As we Sita grow into the position we also see the shift into the British empire and their eventual rule of India.

Michelle Moran sucked me into the story from page one and never let me go.  I will be thinking about the book, Sita, and the Rani for a long time.  She captured the landscape of place and time beautifully.  The characters were well developed and it is evident that the history was well researched.  This is a must read for historical fiction fans!  If you are like me and have been a fan or Michelle Moran’s books, she does not disappoint! 

5/5

I received the ebook for my honest review.

About Michelle Moran:Michelle Moran



Michelle Moran is the international bestselling author of six historical novels, including Madame Tussaud, which was optioned for a mini-series in 2011. Her books have been translated into more than twenty languages.

A native of southern California, Michelle attended Pomona College, then earned a Masters Degree from the Claremont Graduate University. During her six years as a public high school teacher, she used her summers to travel around the world, and it was her experiences as a volunteer on archaeological digs that inspired her to write historical fiction. 

In 2012 Michelle was married in India, inspiring her seventh book, Rebel Queen, which is set in the East. Her hobbies include hiking, traveling, and archaeology. She is also fascinated by archaeogenetics, particularly since her children’s heritages are so mixed. But above all these things, Michelle is passionate about reading, and can often be found with her nose in a good book. A frequent traveler, she currently resides with her husband, son, and daughter in the US. 

May 14

26

Review: The Mountain of Light by Indu Sundaresan

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on May 26, 2014
Posted in Books Read in 2014 • England • Historical Fiction • India  | Tagged With: , , | 4 Comments

Mountain of LightBook Description:

From the internationally bestselling author of The Twentieth Wife, a novel based on the tumultuous history of a legendary 186-carat diamond and the men and women who possessed it

As empires rose and fell and mighty kings jostled for power, its glittering radiance never dimmed. It is the Mountain of Light;the Kohinoor diamond;and its facets reflect a sweeping story of love, adventure, conquest and betrayal. Its origins are the stuff of myth, but for centuries this spectacular gem changes hands from one ruler to another in India, Persia, and Afghanistan. In 1850, the ancient stone is sent halfway around the world where it will play a pivotal role in the intertwined destinies of a boy-king of India and a young queen of England;a queen who claims the Mountain of Light and India itself for her own burgeoning empire, the most brilliant jewels in her imperial crown.

The Mountain of Light is a magnificent story of loss and recovery, sweeping change and enduring truth, wrapped around the glowing heart of one of the worlds most famous diamonds.

My Thoughts:

First, sorry for the lateness of this review.  Time slipped away from me and now I am trying to catch up.

When offered the ebook for review, I jumped at the chance!  I loved Indu Sundaresan’s The Twentieth Wife!

The Mountain of Light hops around from century to century, so instead of getting into the many characters and period of time, I am just going to give you my opinion.

Some centuries and the character’s within them were captured more fully than ever.  To me, it read more like a book of linked short stories than a novel.  The beginning was glossed over very quickly.  I would just start to get settled in the story and then it jumped. Some parts were more vivid and detailed.  It was the later centuries I that I liked best.

The Kohinoor diamond was really the central character.  Yes, of course it was the plot too.  It was about it’s captivating beauty and worth.  People possessed it and people fought over it.

I love books with settings in India and The Mountain of Light was worth the read, just for that alone.  It did not disappoint.  I would have like to have gotten to know some of the characters better.  I really like character studies but because The Mountain of Light centered around the jewel, it’s self, it was not character driven enough for me.  However, because of the other assets of the book, I still recommend it, especially for those who love settings in India and other Asian lands close to it.

4/5

I received the ebook for my honest opinion.

About Indu Sundaresan:Indu Sundaresan

Indu Sundaresan was born in India and grew up on Air Force bases all over the country. Her father, a fighter pilot, was also a storyteller—managing to keep his audiences captive and rapt with his flair for drama and timing. He got this from his father, Indu’s grandfather, whose visits were always eagerly awaited. Indu’s love of stories comes from both of them, from hearing their stories based on imagination and rich Hindu mythology, and from her father’s writings.

After an undergraduate degree in economics from India, Indu came to the U.S. for graduate school at the University of Delaware. But all too soon, the storytelling gene beckoned.

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