Leah Franqui takes the reader to Mumbai where a newly married American, Rachel, is living with her Indian husband in a foreign land. After arrival at their new apartment, Swati, her mother-n-law comes to live with them. She has just left her husband which is unheard of their and come to live with her son and his new wife. The story alternates between Rachel’s viewpoint and Swati. It is a story of unlikely friendship between Swati and Rachel. The premise of a successful business woman livening in NY to become a housewife in India is a little bizarre but the characters are interesting and the writing style amusing.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

The premise of the book sounded very interesting but it turn out to be just ok.

The book tells the story of Rachel and Swarti. Rachel is an American woman who married an Indian guy and moves to Mumbai. There she suffers culture shock, feels completely out of place, her husband changes the way she treats her adapting his behavior to the Indian ways. 

Starting is Rachel's mother-in-law, she appears unannounced at her doorstep, after leaving her husband, and declares that now she lives with her son and his wife.

Swati tries to "educate" Rachel on the Indian ways and of course that doesn't sit well with Rachel.

Even though the book makes you feel closer to both main characters it loses steam around the middle of the book, at least for me.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I truly loved this book! I found it fascinating.  I learned so much about the caste system in India. I loved the relationship between the new wife and the new mother in law.  I loved the growth of these two characters.

Rachel has moved to Mumbai with her new husband. She is determined to figure everything out in this new country on her own but is failing disastrously. The her mother-in-law unexpectedly arrives and informs them she is staying. Just what Rachel needs-someone watching over her shoulder and telling her how things should be done. Both are very independent but both find there are things to learn from each other. Can they both learn to stand on their own 2 feet? This book was not at all what I expected but left me adding this title to my list of books with strong memorable female characters.

Mother Land by Leah Franqui is an interesting piece of women's fiction about an American woman who eventually becomes best friends with her Indian mother-in-law. Rachel Meyer had married her Indian husband in the United States where he seemed exotic but not all that different. When she reached Mumbai, she discovered just how great the differences were. Especially when her mother-in-law arrived at her front door. Swati had left her husband and expected to live here. To say it was an adjustment would be an understatement. Swati did not approve of anything Rachel did or any part of their lives. She was traditional to the core, except for leaving her husband. She couldn't talk to her husband; certainly not to her son about something so personal; and not to Rachel. At least not at first.

I found this book to be very slow going although it was an interesting topic and the characters certainly showed growth over time. It opened my eyes, as it did Rachel's, to the nuances of such a different culture. It is a story of two women, an ocean apart in culture, and in age, growing close, in many ways because of the same problems in their lives. Women really are the same everywhere. It was interesting. 

I was invited to read a free ARC of Mother Land by Netgalley. All opinions contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #motherland

I usually enjoy reading books that help me understand other cultures, and Mother Land succeeded in doing that, with descriptions that gave me a sense of Mumbai and it's people. And I was intrigued by the premise of an American moving to India with her new husband, and being "schooled" by her mother-in-law.

But I found the stereotypes too over the top and the storyline too predictable, and ended up skimming through large sections of the book, just so I could finish it and see if it got better.

I enjoyed this book so much. An American woman-Rachel, meets and marries a man from India in a whirlwind romance. They move to Mumbai, where he will be working. His mother moves in with them after deciding to leave her husband. The characters of the Mother and her daughter in law are well developed. The difficulties of Rachel's adjustment to a different culture and her mother-in-law's change from being a full time wife to living on her own are the main themes in the book. The descriptions of Mumbai are very interesting.

After a slow start, it became clear to me that this book is simply lovely. I can't think of a better word to describe it.

I don't want to spoil anything, because the way the book unfolds is so beautiful, you really have to be on the journey in the book. I will say that any book that makes a relationship between women the central story (and not a romantic relationship) is a book I'm rooting for. (I LOVE a love story, as you know, but I also want stories that DON'T involve love sometimes. Don't you?)

I loved Franqui's debut, and I'm sorry it took me this long to get to this book, her second, and I desperately want this book to be getting more attention than it's getting. I'm going to start recommending this to people immediately.

In case I haven't made it clear, I really really loved this book.

What a well-written and engaging story about cross-cultural understanding, cross-generational differences, self-discovery, and the difficulties of marriage.

Rachel Meyer is surprised to open the door and find her mother-in-law, Swati, standing in the doorway. Did Dhruv, her husband, forget to mention that Swati would be visiting? This is how the book opens.  What Rachel soon discovers is that her mother-in-law has left her marriage and now expects to live in Dhruv's home.

Over the course of the next few months these two women with very set ideas about what their lives, their homes, and their marriages should be like challenge each other's perspectives.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for allowing be to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review of this boo

I was not sure about this book when I first began but after the first 30 minutes, I had trouble putting it down. Mother Land is the story of a young American woman who marries a man from India less than a year after they meet in New York City. Upon marrying they move to Mumbai to begin married life. At first little changes in Rachel's life especially as she tries to replicate her ideal vision of American life. However, shortly after the move, her mothe-in-law unexpectedly arrives. Shortly after, her husband depart for a month long business trip. 

The book tells the story of how two very stubborn, set in their ways women at very different points in their lives learn that they have something to teach other. More importantly they discover that each has something to learn from the other.

Mother Land is a beautiful contemporary fiction family drama that focuses on cross-cultural and cross-generational issues told through the alternating narratives of Rachel and Swarti. Author Leah Franqui sets the scene in such a vivid way through her storytelling and focusing on two very different journeys, one of a native of India and one of a foreigner.

I loved the in-depth look at the multifaceted layers of being a woman. Rachel and Swarti are starting over in their own ways, but both unique paths intricately show that our differences really are what makes us connected. 

While this novel is hard-hitting in many ways, it was an engrossing and quick read. This would make a fantastic book club discussion. I haven't yet read Franqui's debut novel, America For Beginners, but now plan to pick it up soon!

Thank you to William Morrow for the gifted copy. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

In this story, we follow the parallel threads of Rachel, a white woman who moves to Mumbai with her Kolkata-born husband, and Swati, Rachel's mother-in-law. As Rachel and Swati struggle to live together, the reader watches as the whiny, often immature Rachel and the stubborn, imposing Swati reveal the complex aspects of their personalities (e.g., Rachel's unhappiness with India masking her unhappiness with herself and Swati's struggle to find out how she can take ownership of her own life). 

Overall, it's a beautifully sad book, one that starts out slow but gets more compelling as it goes. Like many reviewers, I was more taken with Swati's development and overall story than Rachel's (though maybe that's because I saw too much of myself in Rachel...), but it was lovely to see their friendship blossom over the course of this novel. I also appreciate how Franqui (who lives in India) tackles some of the more problematic aspects of society in Mumbai while outlining the positive aspects.

Definitely not what I expected. While this is usually something I wouldn’t read I did enjoy it. It was well written and told.

Mother Land
by Leah Franqui

Rachel Meyer, a thirtysomething New Yorker, moves to Mumbai with her Indian-born husband, Dhruv, knowing she will have quite the learning curve in this new culture. Unfortunately, her mother-in-law, Swati, appears soon after, unannounced with the intention to stay, just before Dhruv leaves for an extended business trip. 

Putting a headstrong, controlling mother-in-law up against any young, independent bride would make for some fraught situations, but adding the additional layer of their diverse cultural differences made it all the more interesting, especially when they begin to understand that they may just want the same things. I became so engrossed in the wonderfully developed characters of Swati and Rachel that I didn’t want to put this book down. This novel is written in a heartfelt, insightful manner, Mother Land would lend itself to an exceptional book club discussion.

Thanks to William Morrow and Netgalley for the ARC.

I almost did not read this brilliant novel. After reading the description my first reaction was meh, another daughter-in-law/mother-in-law power struggle. But the premise of it taking place in Mumbai between two culturally different women piqued my interest. I was hooked after the first chapter.

Rachel is a native New Yorker of Jewish heritage. Dhruv is Hindu, from India and working in New York.They meet, fall in love and rather hurriedly marry. Rachel is unhappy with her life, her job. Dhruv has the opportunity to return to India for his job, she is eager to make the move, looking at it being an adventure. Once there, she finds herself more dependent on Dhruv for all decisions. And he is only too happy to make them.

Dhruv’s mother Swati shows up unannounced, suitcases in hand.She goes on to inform Rachel she has left her husband and is moving in with them. And so the battle of wills begin.

Swati is determined to impart her traditional ways on to Rachel. She doesn't care that Rachel has no interest. Rachel is passive/aggressive in her opposition. Dhruv abdicates his authority , and Rachel’s needs to Swati.

Dhruv is called away for work, leaving Rachel and Swati alone,reluctant roommates.  And during this time they begin to form their bond.

I enjoyed this book. Leah Franqui did a wonderful job juggling cultures. And creating complex characters in Rachel and Swati. Both imperfect but likable in their own way.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC.

This was my first read by Leah Franqui, and I absolutely adored it. It's extremely well-written, and the characters are wonderful - real and flawed in the best and most human of ways. It has laugh out loud funny moments and moments so tender they'll bring tears to your eyes. It's an amazing story of family, relationships, traditions, learning, stepping outside your comfort zone, understanding, and so many other things. As a daughter-in-law, there were so many moments I felt in my soul, even though my mother-in-law and I are both very different from Rachel and Swati. I could go on and on, but suffice to say, I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone. I truly feel there's something everyone can get from this book.

I don’t know exactly what I was expecting but it wasn’t what I found, but somehow what I got was better than anything I could have dreamed up.  Indian culture is not something I know much about and I found myself having to grow and learn and push myself right along with Rachel. I loved that both perspectives spoke and forced the reader to challenge bias and really try to understand from a new perspective as Rachel and Swati had to do.  The writing was beautiful and the story was compelling.  Once I got started I stayed up far too late to finish every last word.

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to William Morrow Publishing, Leah Franqui, and NetGalley for the opportunity.

Rachel Meyer is a newlywed, recently relocated from New York to Mumbai with her husband Dhruv. She’s in the process of getting herself acclimated to her new life, when there is a knock at her door. She opens it to discover her mother in law, Swati, who announces that she has just left her husband and is moving in. Permanently. Rachel has only met Swati once before, and the two have not got a warm and fuzzy relationship. Needless to say, Rachel is NOT happy, and then her husband is sent on an extended business trip, leaving her home alone with his mother. 

This book is not entirely what it seems. On the surface, it is about the strained relationship between a woman and her mother-in-law, but it is so much deeper than that. What appears to be disapproval is really more like unfamiliarity. As the book goes on, the two women come to know each other, and we watch their relationship grow.

I enjoyed the beginning and ending of the book tremendously. The middle got a little bit muddy for me, and I had a little difficulty keeping up with several characters and their roles in the story. Being a daughter in law with a less-than-cozy relationship with my mother-in-law, I found a lot to relate to. As the story unfolds, it moves in a direction that I really did not see coming, although looking back on it, I maybe should have,

Expat Rachel Meyer is living the dream life in Mumbai. Having met her husband in a New York bar, she moves with him to his native India. Not only is the culture different, but having her mother-in-law move in with them on a permanent basis is the real cultural shock. And then to top it off, her husband leaves for a month-long business trip and the two women are left to learn how to live with each other. Its funny, even if your mother-in-law isn’t Indian, and the best part it is the story of how two women who are alone, become champions of each other.

This is a fun book, more so than I thought it would be.  I enjoyed the evolution of the women's characters as well as their relationship with each other, and with the culture in which they are presently living.  I found the environment to be a character, itself, in addition to a wide range of characters who ran the gamut of personalities.  This was an entertaining read in addition to being thought-provoking and insightful.  I would definitely read this author in the future.