Mistress of Bhatia House by Sujata Massey

July 17, 2023

Mistress of Bhatia House by Sujata Massey

Perveen Mistry, the only female solicitor in 1920s Bombay, returns for her fourth adventure, this one involving a young ayah (nanny) in a wealthy Bombay household. The young woman is accused of inducing a miscarriage by drinking an herbal concoction. When the patriarch of the household dies under mysterious circumstances, Perveen knows there is more going on than meets the eye. 

One of the attractions of this series is the atmosphere and descriptions of early 20th century India. There is a murder, but it takes a backseat to social issues that include the prescribed roles of women and the lack of legal recourse when someone commits a crime against them, status/social class, and prejudice. While the plots of this series tend to be complicated, I found the various threads of this story to be particularly complex and difficult to connect. There are also a number of side plots, including Perveen's on-going relationship with a young Englishman, issues within her family, and larger subjects such as the re-districting of princely India lands. While I recommend this series, I like this volume the least so far.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

1920s Bombay

Ribbons of Scarlet

September 28, 2019

Ribbons of Scarlet

Overall, the rights of women were ignored during the French revolution – liberty, equality, and fraternity were intended for men, disregarding the rights of the half of the French populace.  Ribbons of Scarlet presents the other half of the story of the French Revolution.

A free-thinking philosophy student, a poor fruit seller, the king’s pious sister, the wife of a politician, a passionate young idealist, and a celebrated beauty – these are the stories of six real women who lived during the French Revolution.  Although they are from all levels of society and superficially have nothing in common, history comes to life through their eyes and lives as they are swept up in the politics and the revolutionary thoughts and actions of the age.  I found myself stopping frequently to look up biographical information on the characters.  (Be advised that their stories do not end happily.)

This is the fifth collaborative book produced by the History 360 Co-op, and each section is written by a different author but the transitions are seamless (authors are Stephanie Dray, Heather Webb, Sophie Perinot, Kate Quinn, E. Knight, and Laura Kamoie).  And the cover art is beautiful and meaningful in the context of the story.

Charlotte Corday - the prettiest painting I could find

Here are the characters in order:

The Philosopher – Marquise Sophie de Condorcet, my favorite character and section

The Revolutionary – Louise Reine Audu, known as the Queen of the Market Women

The Princess – Madame Elisabeth, the king's deeply religious younger sister known for her good works

The Politician – Manon Roland, married to the minister of the interior but she wrote his speeches

The Assassin – Charlotte Corday, assassin of Jean-Paul Marat, most likely the best known character

The Beauty – Emilie de Sainte-Amaranthe, a celebrated Parisian beauty and victim of the Terror, the saddest story in the book

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in return for a review.