Ngl this book was a little hard to get into at first but it was definitely worth it. I liked the plot and the tropes as well as the representation within the book. Totally recommend to those who don't mind a slow pace.

I liked the book and found myself learning about India back in the 1950s when girls were forced into stricter gender roles compared to today. I actually appreciated having different languages in the book and it added flavor to the book. I think that the book would be improved if there was more character development and the writing would be drastically better, not that it's bad. Overall, I don't regret reading the book and I would like to read more books by this author to see how her craft progresses and evolves.

As I was reading this book, I had to keep telling myself, that I grew up in the west, so I had to change my thoughts and perspectives when reading. This was such an emotional read that I did not want to put down. Lakshmi's story is one of heartbreak, tragedy and eventually triumph. I really enjoyed this story and especially loved reading about the culture.

I received a copy of the book via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review of my own thoughts and opinions.

1950, familia hunduista conservadora que no deja que te acerques a ningun chico porque sino tu mundo se viene abajo al igual que la reputacion de la familia.
Esta es una historia de un amor imposible que, despues de varios años, se vuelve posible gracias a la plata. Si, a la plata.
Hay perdidas, hay esposos hijos de putas y familias toxicas que son una mierda.
Yet, no podes parar de leer.

I became fully invested in Lakshmi's story in "It's Hard to Run in a Sari". Just when nothing seems to be going right for Lakshmi in 1950s Kerala with her conservative family, there is a truly heartwarming ending. I really enjoyed the exploration of food, language and customs of the time, and appreciated the sneak peek into the building of Dubai into the cosmopolitan centre it is, off the backs of immigrant labourers.

This story takes place in Kerala, India in the 1950's. A Muslim boy and a Hindu girl that were both raised in traditional, conservative families were in the same class at school. They had a mutual attraction to each other but the only communication that they were allowed to have to say a few words in passing in the hall or outside as they left school. They did not tell anyone of their attraction. Her best friend would say negative things about him, and she did not tell of her attraction. Occasionally he would hide in a wooded area on her way home from school and they could chat for a few minutes. The Indian economy at that time was in shambles. Faced with the hardships, people withdrew into tight cocoons with people of their same religious and social status. Even inter caste Hindu marriages were unacceptable. At that time, there were very strict rules about the parents making marriage alliances with the girls having little say in the matter. One day the boy bravely gave her a love letter which she hid under her pillow. He younger brother found the letter and gave it to their parents. This changed the lives of both the boy and girl. She was forced into an unhappy marriage with a Hindu boy and he left the country to make money in a more prosperous nation. This is a good book that I recommend.

This book was an okay read.. I was pumped up to read this one owing to its origina in the Indian mainland. Unfortunately, that also became my main cause of disassociation with the book.

My main concern lies with the writing style and character portrayal. The book uses words from local language (Malayalam) too frequently. What ends up happening is that there is a substantial pause in reading when you try and put the meaning of the word into the context of what's being said.

Additionally, while I am happy with women being at the centre of the story, I again felt disassociated because it's focuses too much on the concept of women and their state in the society rather than the story.

All in all, a happy one time read

Thanks for the copy Netgalley.

I think this was a pretty okay book. I picked it up mainly because of it's setting in India and reference to Dubai. I wouldn't say I was disappointed, but I have almost neutral feeling towards this book.

What I liked:
+The writing style. I loved how the words f and events flowed into one another, creating anticipation.
+Setting. I enjoyed the way the author talked of subjects that created havoc in India. (Still do) This includes topics like divorce, motherhood, arranged marriage, and of course, inter caste marriages. I feel the setting of the book in that era was used to it's full.
+Description and details. The first chapter of the book is a very detailed, but interesting description of childbirth in India, in those times, and after reading that, I was hooked.
+Women. I greatly admired the women in this story, in particular, Amma (Nalini/Lakshmi's mother), Ammoomma (Nalini's mother/Lakshmi's grandmother), and Shailaja teacher. Their support for Lakshmi and the way the stood with her against all odds was relatable, and what I'd like to describe as real feminism. It is because of such women that society is much better than what it used to be.

What I didn't like:
-I felt the focus was more on the events than the actual characters. For most of the story, we saw Lakshmi and Hanif as victims of the narrow-minded society, unable to do much about it. The narration, felt like the telling of happenings, and I wasn't connected with either of the main characters for most of the part.
-The excessive use of Malayalam in the dialogue. I am an Indian, but not from Kerala, and I don't understand the language. I understand that the author used the dialogue in such a way to make the story one of it's kind and authentic, but the switch in languages played no part in my experience other than breaking the flow of my reading. Each time, I would refer to the translation in the brackets to get the context.

There is a lot of good in this book, but the second point that I mentioned above greatly impacted my reading, thus my rating of 3 stars. I got a free ARC of this book from NetGalley and BooksGoSocial in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting take on the culture and customs in Kerala, India and the love of two people from different faiths. I particularly welcomed the translations from Hindi to English which provided useful detail for expressions and the dishes served in India. The style of writing is relaxed and it’s easy to become immersed in the plight of Lakshmi as she enters maturity and fights against prejudice and ostracism during the years following India’s Independence. Fortunately to some degree, modern society has become more tolerant to marriages of mixed faith and races, but to a degree among the ‘old school’ this has not been totally eradicated. Only by taking a stand, bitter determination and guts, did Lakshmi and Hanif Mohamed finally get their reward for a happy life together.

My thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the opportunity to read and submit a review for this novel.

It took me a long time to get into the writing in this book and the authors wriritng style, although some of that may have been lost in translation maybe. However i was completely won over by the atory that was so heartwarming and really enjoyable.

The story is set in Kerala of 1950s. Lakshmi is raised in an ultraconservative household. She was devoted to her family inspite of them denying her education in a good college. All it took was a letter from Hanif for her family to discontinue her education and get her married off hastily (after stockpiling dowry, of course). Hanif soon moves to the Gulf countries in search of a job.
Lakshmi's married life (or the lack of it), the trials and tribulations she faces as a woman with an ominous astrological report, Hanif's struggles in the foreign land form the rest of the story. Will they ever find their happily ever after, in a country where a woman can't even study by her will, let alone marry outside her religion is for you to read.

The way the story flows is perfect leaving no reason to pause. The author delves into how women are reduced to mere objects and marriage system has hitherto been unfair towards them.

Each female character in the story is uniquely crafted with so much care be it Lakshmi, her mother Nalini, her Ammamma (grandmother) or her teacher Shailaja.

The english in the book is not too complex. The author uses a lot of Malayalam in the book and rightly so for getting the emotions. Nevertheless, the english translation is right there.

The book has all the South-Indian flavor, be it the food, rituals, attires or festivals.

The book is engaging till the absolutely last word. I would recommend it to everyone.

I received this book copy from the author and I'm posting a review voluntarily.

Thanks to the author for the ARC received via NetGalley

This is a sweet romance, a story of true love - first love - enduring despite time, distance and difficulties.
It took time to get used to the writing style, which has a tone of explaining & teaching rather than recounting or storytelling.
Having read Indian authors before I realise now how much I'd missed re Indian culture because they were all male. I really appreciate the detail that Ms Sebastian gives surrounding preparations for childbirth, which seems to be an all-female domain. I loved how supportive the MC's mother and grandmother were and how they found their own strength and voice to stand up for their (grand)daughter's wishes just by seeing her determination.
I think this storyline would make a great movie!