This story had a lot of potential but was ruined (at least for me) by the constant jumping back and forth in time frames and by all the characters wandering on and off this literary stage of action. It seemed that the characters merely showed up by name without any indication as to male or female, age, or relation to another character.

It would have been helpful to have had a list of characters in the front of the book with a brief description of each. Also some sort of glossary of terms unfamiliar to non-Pakistani readers.

The whole business of Haaris’ [very sullen and rude] granddaughter doing landscaping in Rozeena’s beautifully maintained garden is absurd. The child, quite obviously, knew nothing about what she was doing and yet was given no instruction nor guidance.

Also just about the time I would be beginning to put part of the story together, here would come another reference to the BIG SECRET that tore the families (or was it “friends”) apart for 54 years. Obviously, the reader was not going to find out what that was for another 300 pages. But, I guess, the editor felt it was time for another teaser.

Sadly I had to close this book just shy of 25%. I just couldn’t make heads nor tails of it.

I appreciate having received this ARC from NetGalley and from the publisher, G. P. Putnam, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. I extend my best wishes to the author and to its publication.

This is a sensual book—filled with smells, images and feelings across generations. It inspired one to understand the trauma of the Partition between Pakistan and India—an event I was not familiar with. It is a story of generational impact, female friendship, and the influence of decisions and the randomness of chance in one’s life. As the author states, “sometimes we believe things that aren’t true, Sometimes we misunderstand events, thinking we had some control over them. We don’t . . .” Well worth reading for understanding of the Partition and understanding of one’s own life.

Thanks to NetGalley and Putman’s for the Advanced Review Copy

Captivating family and friends drama set in beautiful Karachi set on the Arabian Sea. Gorgeously written with interwoven stories from the past and present. Lushly filled with friendship and love, betrayal and deception, and decades-old secrets and passions. A engaging saga worth reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the opportunity to read this excellent ARC.

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of Under the Tamarind Tree.

Brief: The story of Rozeena who’s family escaped from Delhi to Karachi the night of Partition when she was 7, her life growing up and finding her way as a doctor as a young adult woman rather than marrying when most others would. In 1964 as a young adult, a tragedy would affect the lives of her and her best friends that would end in some dying and some moving away. In 2019, long after retiring, she unexpectedly reconnects with her first love and ends up meeting his granddaughter and teachers her how to live after her brother is killed in a car accident.
It was a good book, beautiful to read, however I wish the storyline(s) was developed more fully in some places. I love when a story can bring me to a different place, especially if I have never been there, and this book did that very well.

Liked the most about the book:
-The relationship 80+ year old Rozeena developed with teenage Zara, the sharing of loss of a brother and how to fit in by not trying to replace him
-Learning about life in Karachi after Partition until know, also learning more about partition in general.
-The descriptions of the people, food, gardens. I didn’t like all of the characters, but I don’t think I was supposed to (Sweetie)
-Appreciated that Rozeena made the decision to be an independent woman in those times when it was not typically accepted

Spoiler alert warning! Comments below include some specifics about the story, do not continue reading if you don't want to read spoilers.


Wasn't crazy about:
I didn’t like the flow of the story, it felt disjointed. Not the back and forth in time, but the multiple storylines seemed forced together. Some didn't add enough to the story when the current storylines could have been more completely developed. I am not sure they were all needed. For example:
-losing her brother at partition led to the neighbor taking care of them after her father died: yes;
but the fact that the were servants, that Aalaya's mother was killed with Rozees brother, no
- the addition of the adopted son seemed like an afterthought. How he came be and his role in
the story seemed unnecessary.
-I think the story of the friends Aalaya and Zohair falling in love even though they
were of different social status could have been developed better without the party and
subsequent rooftop scene.
- Rozeena and Haaris ending up apart was fine, but the connection to the welcome home party
storyline seemed too contrived to quicky impart a lot of undeveloped story information. I
think that storyline could have been better developed (edited?) better.
I didn’t like the ending. It felt unfinished, like a page and/or epilogue was missing before the author went into acknowledgements.

Set against the background of the Partition with the interwoven complexities of restarting a life in a new country with new neighbors who carry their own secrets, this book will captivate readers and make you want more of Rozeena, Haaris, Aalya, and Zohair as they navigate their love and dreams for each other.

In her retirement, Rozeena is asked to look over her old friend Haaris’s granddaughter from the States who is visiting India with her parents.

Zara brings renewed connection between Haaris and Rozeena as Rozeena remembers what caused their physical and emotional distance decades ago.

In the flashbacks the reader spends about two weeks with Rozeena and her friends before learning about the devastating party that caused an insurmountable rift between them. The fallout leaves the four friends with drastically different lives than any of them hoped for.

This dual-timeline story showcases the author’s ability to convince the reader to never put down this beautiful story.

4 stars!

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of Under The Tamarind Tree. This was beautifully written. It takes place during the Partition of India into Pakistan and present day. I have never read a story that takes place during this time in history, so I appreciated reading something new. It is a generational novel of secrets and how it impacts the character's lives.

This story was beautiful - heartbreaking at times and often infuriating (characters making choices we'd rather them not, and Sweetie was just maddening) but ultimately, the story of four friends in Pakistan after many of their lives were so upended after Partition was uplifting. That anyone could survive an event like that and come out with positives in their life was touching.

The past vs current time lines at time made it slightly harder to keep the characters straight, but it was so well done, it was mostly not even an issue.

I'd absolutely recommend this book, even if it's your first introduction to Partition and you consider yourself more of a "general historical fiction" fan.