“Wasn't it enough that our bodies, our limbs hurt? Why did we also have to hurt in our heart, the pain tucked so deeply in the soft tissue that we couldn't just pluck it out?”

I absolutely loved Alka Joshi’s The Jaipur Trilogy, so I was ecstatic to pick up Six Days in Bombay even without knowing what the story was about. How stunning is that cover?

We meet Sona, a nurse of Anglo-Indian descent in 1937 who together with her mother, has been ostracised due to her father leaving their family when she and her brother were young children. Her mother, a seamstress managed as best they could following the death of her brother soon after their father’s departure, making their house a home and saving every rupee that she could, sacrificing her needs to ensure that Sona was cared for. The relationship that they share is both beautiful and enviable, fighting together against society that is quick to judge. Sona meets Mira Novak, a famous painter also of mixed Indian and Czech descent who she quickly befriends. Mira regals Sona with stories of her life but dies unexpectedly following her re-admission. Sona finds herself accused of negligence and decides to follow Mira’s cryptic request to deliver paintings to people who impacted her life.

This journey forces Sona out of her comfort zone as well as to critically evaluate Mira’s stories, showing Mira in a light that Sona did not expect and forcing her to question everything that she knows to date.

I loved how well Alka handles Sona’s growth, and how different she is at the beginning of the story compared to the last chapter, and how she compares her life to Indira in terms of taking chances and being fearless. I also love how this story was inspired by Amrita Shergil, an artist of Hungarian Jewish and Indian descent who did not grapple with the matter of her identity as Sona did, and as most people of mixed descent do, as most South African Indians do, when we are asked where in India we are from. I get this question often, as I work with our regional colleagues based in India and they try to determine where in India my ancestors are from and I quite honestly answer, I don’t know. My family has been in South Africa for 3 or 4 generations now and our surnames were quite twisted either by the English when our forefathers first arrived or by strange naming conventions applied when being attached to a sugarcane plantation, making it quite impossible to tell which part of India where we originated from. A fun experience I had recently when I attended a conference in Rwanda with some colleagues that I met for the first time in person was that I was told that I looked like I was Punjabi – because I seemed fun and bubbly, just like these girls tend to be. It also may explain my obsession with Patiala style salwar kameez – swipe to see an example.

Overall, another excellent novel by Alka Joshi, one that I connected with on an intrinsic level and loved intensely.

In Alka Joshi's own words she writes her stories as a love letter to her mother, giving her mother the voice that she felt perhaps her mother never had.  I have truly enjoyed her Jaipur trilogy but for some reason I struggled with this book, even though the central theme of growth and empowerment is one that is very meaningful to me on a personal level.
Sona the main character is an Anglo Indian born of a British father and Indian mother.  Abandoned by her father, mother and daughter grew up in genteel poverty in Bombay with the mother working as a seamstress to make ends meet. Now a nurse, Sona works in a large hospital in the city where she meets renowned painter Mira Novak, whose stories enthrall her and open up a new universe for her.
When Mira suddenly dies, Sona sets out on a journey armed with four of Mira's paintings to seek our Mira's former lovers in a Europe teeming on the brink of World War II.  Sona moves beyond her narrow life in Bombay, where her mother wants her to marry a suitable boy who's willing to overlook her half English blood and settle down in genteel respectability.
Much of this story reminds me of myself and my own growth from a naive young Indian girl who came and settle in America and discovered a whole new universe.  Yet, despite all that should have made this story an automatic A+ given my reception to the author's earlier books, I struggled with this story and ultimately ended up abandoning the book.
The book has rave reviews and won the author a name in the 50 over 50 list, so clearly the fault must be with me, and I keep telling myself that I will go back and try one more time. Perhaps, one day I will.

Alka did it again! Another fantastic read that completely immerses you with every sense in the lush world of her characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this multi locale story. The MC, Sona, had that pluck and charismatic girl boss hustle energy that I’ve come to love in the women that Alka writes. I was so invested in Sona’s growth. I hated the men Sona encountered for her with every fibre of my being but was reminded in her growth that a female MC can be both strong and retain her softness. My only hesitation on giving it a full 5 stars was that I felt that Sona’s choices in the end were not consistent with her character and it jarred me from the story a bit. Would highly recommend this and all of Alka’s books to anyone who loves rich storytelling with standout female leads.

In this immersive historical fiction novel set in Bombay, readers follow Sona, a nurse at Wadia Hospital, as she starts caring for the renowned painter Mira Novak, whose life is a complex story half truth and half rumor. Sona wants more from life and connects with the similarly half-Indian Mira, but Mira’s sudden death makes Sona a suspect. When she learns that she can prove her innocence with a note and four paintings left in her care, Sona sets off across Europe to find Mira’s former friends and lovers as the continent is on the brink of war and discover both Mira’s identity and her own. Loosely based on the life of painter Amrita Sher-Gil, this novel is a fascinating exploration of identity, truth, and future happiness that readers will resonate with. The characters are the stars of the novel, and the similarities and differences between Sona and Mira really add a lot of nuance and complexity to the events of the novel and the literal and metaphorical journeys that Sona embarks on in this fascinating book. A brilliant exploration of life and identity, readers will love Alka Joshi’s latest book and the depth of detail in both her characters and her settings.

This historical fiction set in 1931 British-ruled India offers a richly detailed and realistic portrayal of the era, with strong writing and a compelling concept. The cultural contrasts and vivid setting are beautifully depicted, immersing the reader in the time and place. While the protagonist is deeply drawn to Mira’s life, this obsession adds emotional depth and highlights the complexities of identity and longing. The character development feels authentic, and the story’s progression, though subtle, reflects a meaningful personal journey. Overall, it’s a thoughtful and engaging read with a satisfying balance of history, introspection, and discovery.

I'm a big fan of Alka Joshi's writing, especially her Jaipur Trilogy. Six Days in Bombay is a very different story from that trilogy and Joshi's masterful writing shines through in this book as well. It took some time for the plot to get going, however, and at about halfway through was still building, so it was unfortunately altogether a little slow for me.

Where are my historical fiction readers at? If you’re a regular reader of the blog or someone who knows me in real life and has to put up with me talking about books all the time, you’ll know I’m a fan of historical fiction. Though, lately, they’ve been letting me down. I’m waiting for the next wave of books to come that will teach me something new, not just tell the same stories that have been published for the last decade. That’s part of why I picked up Six Days in Bombay by Alka Joshi. While the time period may be similar to other books I’ve read (it takes place in the late 1930s), the setting was a new one and I was looking forward to reading it. It was a good enough read but, in the end, it didn’t wow me as I expected it to.

Here’s the book’s description:

When renowned painter Mira Novak arrives at Wadia hospital in Bombay after a miscarriage, she's expected to make a quick recovery, and Sona is excited to spend time with the worldly woman who shares her half-Indian identity, even if that's where their similarities end. Sona is enraptured by Mira's stories of her travels, and shocked by accounts of the many lovers she's left scattered through Europe. Over the course of a week, Mira befriends Sona, seeing in her something bigger than the small life she's living with her mother. Mira is released from the hospital just in time to attend a lavish engagement party where all of Bombay society. But the next day, Mira is readmitted to the hospital in worse condition than before, and when she dies under mysterious circumstances, Sona immediately falls under suspicion.

Before leaving the hospital in disgrace, Sona is given a note Mira left for her, along with her four favorite paintings. But how could she have known to leave a note if she didn't know she was going to die? The note sends Sona on a mission to deliver three of the paintings—the first to Petra, Mira's childhood friend and first love in Prague; the second to her art dealer Josephine in Paris; the third to her first painting tutor, Paolo, with whom both Mira and her mother had affairs. As Sona uncovers Mira's history, she learns that the charming facade she'd come to know was only one part of a complicated and sometimes cruel woman. But can she discover what really happened to Mira and exonerate herself?

Along the way, Sona also comes to terms with her own complex history and the English father who deserted her and her mother in India so many years ago. In the end, she'll discover that we are all made up of pieces, and only by seeing the world do we learn to see ourselves.

Six Days in Bombay was the first book of Joshi’s that I had read, despite knowing how popular some of her previous books have been. I got partway through the book and found myself wondering, just a little, about why people adored her books. Then, I heard from a few trusted reader friends that this one was, unfortunately, not up to the standards they expected from Joshi. Ah, that explained it. It hasn’t put me off reading her work - I still absolutely intend on getting to The Henna Artist - but it’s a bit unfortunate that this one wasn’t the winner I had been expecting.

But what was it that wasn’t living up to my expectations? It’s hard to put my finger on it. There was just something that felt…missing. Perhaps it was that I couldn’t get a good sense of Mira and I couldn’t quite understand why Sona immediately fell into hero-worshipping her. Even after learning some stories and seeing Sona grow and then return back to Bombay…it didn’t quite answer the questions I had. I didn’t see why Mira was a big deal and I think I was supposed to for the whole story to work.

There was a lot happening at this time period - there are the first hints of the war to come and India is starting to push back against British rule - and I loved getting a bit of insight into what it would have been like to be a young woman with a complicated family history in Bombay at this time. Sure, this is fiction and Sona didn’t exist, but the beauty of historical novels (or any novels, really) is you can still put yourself in someone else’s shoes, especially when the author is writing from a place of knowledge.

Six Days in Bombay wasn’t a winner for me but I’m still looking forward to reading more of Alka Joshi’s novels in the future. I can tell she’s a skilled writer who has many interesting stories to tell - stories that I’d like to read myself someday.

*An egalley of this book was provided by the publisher, HTP Books, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

This was a bit of a struggle for me. I had a hard time connecting with the characters but overall a good read and a dynamic story.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC of Six Days in Bombay. I am a huge fan of Alka Joshi and am always excited to read her work!
Overall I really liked this book for the historical aspects of it and the journey that the main character Sona embarked on with the help of Dr Stoddard. I felt like the world building and the details included for each of the stops on Sona's journey from Bombay to Prague to Florence and Paris and even to London (for a separate matter) must've taken a lot of research to make sure that the events of that time period were reflected in the novel. In addition to the world building I think the author did a great job of dealing with the discrimination and racism of the time period the book is set in.
This story starts with a famous artist who gets care at the hospital Sona works in and in the 6 days under their care she makes a huge impact on Sona. I heard from the author about her inspiration for the character Mira and it was fascinating and made that part of the book even more interesting to me.
I personally wouldn’t call this a mystery and I think if the author just said that Sona went on the trip to give the paintings to the people Mira wanted her to because she needed a break from Bombay and needed time and space to grieve her mother, that would’ve made way more sense than to say if she gave the paintings to these people it would help her understand about Mira’s death, because her trip didn’t do that, talking to Filip in Bombay did. I feel like the journey taught Sona so much more about herself and how brave she was. The ending was a bit of a shock for me as well, but I do liked to be surprised!

“Six Days in Bombay” by Alka Joshi is not at all what it would seem. The title and blurb would lead you to believe this a a fast paced mystery. Unfortunately, neither occurred. Very little happens for over half the novel, and when things pick up, I was disengaged. The premise had much potential but falls short.

I was so excited that Alka Joshi had a new book being published! I loved her Henna Artist trilogy and this new book did not disappoint. For those who love historical fiction this is a great choice!

Loved the textured history with a unique view point for a time once lived. Enjoyed the bright description of India and the travel journey. The main character development ( Sona ) growth was shown here beautifully, a discovery of one's true self needs and path to happiness. Although the story started off slow for me and didn't agree with with some of the decisions this was such a beautiful story and enjoyed every minute of it. The audio was such a phenomenal way to read the story. I read and listen to this and it was such a wonderful experience.


Thank you NetGalley for the Ebook and audiook!

This is a review of the audiobook.

I love the historical and cultural elements that were brought to life in this book. It truly was an immersive novel that eloquently handled complex issues of race, identity, and family ties. What I didn’t love about this story, though, was the contrived bond between Sona and Mira. It felt rushed and much too shallow to support the plot of this novel. The premise is good, but the execution fell short.

Sona, a young, sheltered nurse is enthralled by the stories and life of her worldly patient, Mira at their hospital in Bombay. Over the course of six days, Sona and Mira develop a close friendship. Sona finds herself thrust into an adventure after Mira passes away unexpectedly and Mira is let go from her post at the hospital. She journeys across Europe to follow through with Mira’s request, and learns more about Mira and herself through the journey.

I struggled to get through this book. I really was interested in the story and wanted to see where it was going, but I found Sona to be so naive and thick-headed that she was insufferable. I kept hoping we’d see her grow, but you don’t see that until the very end (and if you read other reviews, this growth really bothered some readers. I’m indifferent to this and can appreciate the lean toward a life like Mira).

Some things I felt lacked significant emotion or impact: the death of Mira seems to be taken with very little grief by all who learn of it, aside from the first day with our FMC, who only knew her for six days; in fact Sona seems to grieve over Mira’s death far longer than her own mother’s; the attempted sexual assault in Paris is glazed over; the first time immediately following.

I did push through to finish the book and I did enjoy the parallels of Sona’s patient Dr Stoddard with her own father, and I really enjoyed the cheekiness of his character. I felt for Indira and wished we’d seen some kind of wrap up for her. Rebecca’s story felt unfinished.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Six Days in Bombay had all the ingredients for a story I thought I’d love—lush settings, cultural immersion, and emotional depth. Unfortunately, the heart of the novel, the central relationship between the main character and her patient, didn’t work for me. The intense connection between them felt rushed and implausible. We’re meant to believe that in less than a week, they formed such a deep bond that it becomes the emotional core of the story. I struggled to suspend disbelief; it all felt too forced and underdeveloped. There, I said it.

That said, Joshi’s writing is beautiful. Her prose is evocative and rich, painting vivid portraits of Bombay’s streets and its layered cultural identity. I found myself completely swept away by the sensory details of the setting—sights, sounds, and smells came alive on the page. The novel shines most when it leans into travel and memory. Joshi has a real gift for place-writing, and it’s that immersive quality that kept me turning the pages.

While the premise fell flat for me, readers who love travel and lyrical writing styles may enjoy this book. I just wish the emotional core had felt as authentic as the world around it.

What is your favorite coming of age story?

Sonia is a young nurse in Bombay. She has grown up ostracized as the daughter of Englishman and an Indian mother. Her father left the young family when she was three years old. Her brother died shortly after, and her mother worked hard to raise her. Now at twenty-three, she takes pride in her work as a nurse. Over the course of six days, she spends time with a new patient, Mira Novak. Mira helps her to see life in a new way and to help her to leave her sheltered world and take a new look at life. Will Sonia find love, closure on what happened to her father, and what she wants to do with her life moving forward?

My thoughts on this novel:
• This was a great coming of age novel and I liked seeing Sonia’s growth through the novel.

• I previously read and enjoyed The Henna Artist by this author, and I enjoyed reading this work by her as well.

• This novel was set in the spring of 1937, mostly in Bombay, but there is also travel to Europe. I thought it was a fascinating time period as Ghandi was mentioned and the relationship between Indians and the English is tense. There is also signs of the lead up to WWII.

• Sonia has unresolved issues with her father Owen Falstaff. Owen swept her mother off her feet and lived with her as a husband until he suddenly announced one day that he was leaving for England and that he already had a family back there. He sent money for Sonia’s birthday every year, but she never heard from him again after he left when she was three. It made me wonder how many children were born like this and abandoned? Why did some men abandon their Indian wife and children while others brought them back to England?

• Sonia is called blackie by English people and white by Indian people. She doesn’t feel comfortable in either world and is constantly trying to prove herself.

• Mira Novak was a fascinating character. I was interested to learn at the end that she was based on real artist. She challenged Sonia’s feeling on what life could be. Mira is also half white and half Indian, but she has become a successful artist and does not live by modern conventions. Sonia is half scandalized by her tales and half fascinated.

• Women’s health was a big issue in this book. It disturbed the characters that in 1937, a woman could die from a miscarriage. It’s unfortunate that is can still happen today. An Indian doctor realized things were going wrong, but his superior, a white doctor, did not take him seriously.

• There was some romance in this story, but really it was Mira and Sonia’s story. There were also a few slight mysterious events that were resolved by the end of the story that kept me hooked.

• This was a perfect book to read for Asian American Pacific Islander Month

Overall, Six Days in Bombay by Alka Joshi was a fascinating historical fiction novel with great characters and setting.

***Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC***
Alka Joshi is one of my favorite authors. I loved The Henna Artist series. She’s very talented and I love learning about India. In this novel, she took us from Bombay to Istanbul to Prague to Paris and then to London. It’s not fast-paced and was more of a slow build. I did find myself getting frustrated with the main character not standing up for herself but I realize that was intended to show her growth. I was irritated by how she allowed herself to be treated. I get annoyed by dumb misunderstandings that change the course of one’s life and this was all too common in this book. There was a good bit of culture, both Indian and European and I learned a lot while reading.

As a South Asian healthcare worker, Six days in Bombay resonated with me for a lot of reasons. The main character, Sona, is a biracial nurse who struggles with her identity and with her financial situation. She has a good heart, but she is thrown a lot of challenges. She lives with her mother, who was abandoned by her white husband, who ended up having a family back in the UK. Joshi really covers how colonialism destroys families and culture, and at times it was gut-wrenching to read. She also deals with colorism and classism in a way that is accessible but also relatable to everybody, not just South Asians. I'm a huge fan of Joshi's work and I can't wait for her next works.

The writing was fine, but the whole story felt too fantastical. I personally couldn't stand the characters, and was disappointed in the events at the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC.

A thrilling crime mystery about art. Learned so much about Indian history and myth. One of the best indian novels I have read.