When the famous painter Mira Novak is brought into Wadia Hospital in Bombay after suffering a miscarriage, her nurse Sona, is excited to learn more about the vivacious artist who shares her half-Indian identity. They form an immediate bond, and Mira regales Sona with tales of her life and the many lovers she has had, scattered all over Europe. Mira is expected to only be in the hospital for a few days, but she doesn't seem to improve and then she suddenly dies under suspicious circumstances, forcing the hospital to put the blame on Sona. The key to proving Sona's innocence may lie in a cryptic note and four paintings Mira left in her care, sending the young woman on a mission to visit the painter's former friends and lovers across a tumultuous Europe teetering toward war. On the precipice of discovering her own identity, Sona learns that the painter's charming facade hid a far more complicated, troubled soul.

This book was based on the life of painter Amrita Sher-Gil, the "Frida Kahlo of India,". I love this author's books, and have thoroughly enjoyed everything she has written. While it took me a little bit to get into this one, once I did, I didn't want to put it down. This was as much about Sona's personal growth as it was Mira's life. As Sona travels around delivering the paintings Mira left in her care, she not only learns about Mira's past, but at each stop, she steps out of her comfort zone, with new experiences, and meeting new people and trying new things, and even finding love along the way. If you enjoy historical fiction, or just fiction in general, then you should definitely check it out.

Alka Joshi does not disappoint with her fourth book! Six Days in Bombay is both a literal and metaphorical journey that readers take with Sona Falstaff, the protagonist, an Anglo Indian nurse, who’s life is turned upside down when a patient dies in her care. As Sona travels through Europe in an attempt to fulfill her patient’s last wishes, Alka Joshi does a phenomenal job of transporting readers to late 1930s Paris, Prague and Florence. Being an art lover, I enjoyed the author’s name dropping of prominent Impressionist and modern artists. And it was a lot of fun to see the sheltered Sona experiencing and experimenting with Europe’s bohemian lifestyle. At the same time, a major selling point of this book for me was its exploration of identity. Throughout the story, Sona grapples with her identity as a woman in a strictly hierarchical society and as Anglo British in a country struggling to break free from its colonial past.

From beginning to end Six Days in Bombay was a 5 ⭐️ read for me. Highly recommend if you enjoy historical fiction!

It is 1937, and renowned painter Mira Novak has been hospitalized in Bombay following a miscarriage. Her young nurse, Sona Falstaff, who shares an Anglo-Indian identity with Mira, becomes attached to the worldly and charismatic artist. With her British father out of the picture, Sona leads a sheltered life with her Indian mother, struggling to make ends meet. Sona becomes captivated by Mira's stories of her travels and numerous lovers. As India moves towards independence, Sona's mixed heritage proves increasingly challenging. After a tragic turn, Sona leaves the hospital and is sent by Mira on a mission that takes her to Istanbul, Prague, Florence, Paris, and London. Throughout this journey, Sona not only discovers more about Mira's life but also learns more about herself.

After Alka Joshi's impressive series, The Jaipur Trilogy, I was excited to read Six Days in Bombay. This book is a satisfying mix of historical fiction and self-discovery wrapped in a mystery. Sona begins as an innocent woman yearning for a larger life and is inspired by Mira, a woman she believes has it all. The depiction of India under British rule and the changes emerging in Europe were well-researched and vividly presented. Joshi reveals in the Author's Note that the character of Mira Novak was loosely based on artist Amrita Sher-Gil, a woman of Indian Hungarian heritage. I immediately started researching her life and artwork. Once again, Joshi has crafted a richly descriptive and moving tale.

I am struggling a bit with writing this review. If this book had been by almost any other author I think I would have given it 5 stars without hesitation. But having read her other two amazing books I was disappointed with some of this one. Her main character was a quiet, naive and sheltered woman in 1930s Bombay prior to India gaining independence from England. Her actions just didn’t ring true to me. After meeting a famous artist she changes very quickly and much of her behavior seemed so much at odds with her personality. That said, I do look forward to Ms Joshi’s next book.

Six Days In Bombay is an incredible historical fiction story of a young woman who embarks on the journey of a lifetime to learn about who she is after dealing with tragedy after tragedy. This novel not only touches on self reflection, but love, sadness, human connection, adventure, and travel.

The beginning of the book is a slow burn as we get to know Sona and the work she does as a nurse and Mira, a patient of Sona’s who is also a painter. Tragedy finds Sona and we see how this young half Indian/British woman responds. She now has to figure out who she is and how to be that person. Joshi did an extraordinary job depicting Sona’s struggle with identity throughout the novel.

The characters were magnificent too, each taking on a life of their own. Throughout the story I felt as if I had known each of them intimately. The details of each place Sona traveled to were described just as vividly as the characters; I felt like I was in Florence, Prague, Paris, and everywhere in between, traveling with Sona!

This story will stay with me for a long time and will be a story I will tell everyone about. 5/5 stars for Six Days In Bombay. Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC of this novel.

Sadly I didn't enjoy this. Sona didn't start traveling through Europe until half way through the book and the first half was head pounding boring. Sona was also half simpering most of the time. This book read like a tour guide plus self help book.

Thank you for my digital and physical arcs of this book. I had to leave a review here because this book is so special! It blends historical fiction with mystery, completely pulling you into the past and the lives of the main characters. I loved the travel aspect, the author obviously knows her stuff. Her writing is so beautiful and descriptive that I could easily see where we were visiting. The large cast of characters who we meet on the journey were so authentic. The topic of identity seems so timely in our current climate. I absolutely loved this book!

Thanks for the opportunity to read!

Thank you @_mira_books_ @htp_hive & @htpbooks_audio for the gifted ARC + ALC ♡

Are all great artists tortured beings? Broken artists litter the pages of history — maybe that which inspired their brilliance also hides a darker side..

Mira Novak, a half Indian / half Czech painter was inspired by real artists Amrita Sher-Gil and Frida Kahlo. Mira is flamboyant, sexually fluid, unrepentant, outspoken, a prodigy, and a riddle. She draws everyone in.

Nurse Sona Falstaff, also half Indian and half British, is the opposite: quiet, shy, a bit of a prude, holds everyone at arms length, leading a sheltered life in Calcutta/Bombay.

Set in 1937, India is still under British colonial rule, but independence (as well as WW2) is around the corner and the tides are turning against the colonizers.

Which identity can each of these women claim? Which will society allow them to and which will they choose?

I loved traveling to Paris, Prague, London and Italy with Sona on her journey of self-discovery. The pacing ebbed a bit in the middle, but I cheered and clapped at the conclusion! And the romance subplots 🥺💕

▶︎ •၊၊||၊|||။‌‌‌‌‌၊|• 🎧 listening to Sneha Mathan’s smooth oration was a pleasure. She captures Sona’s voice: her inner monologue, her sorrow, her anger, her resilience.

💚 Six Days in Bombay releases this Tuesday, April 15. It’s also a @bookofthemonth pick 🙌🏽

TW: Racism, Assault, Domestic Violence

I want to thank everyone for this early gifted copy of Six Days in Bombay.

While I have enjoyed Joshi’s works in the past, for some reason this story didn’t resonate with me. I didn’t feel much for the characters or the storyline. I do think this will be a book people will enjoy, it just didn’t work for me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
This was a unique story and different than anything. I read this year which I liked. I liked the art aspects, learning about this time in history, and the mystery. I enjoyed the travel and meeting all the characters. I was not a big fan of Sona and did not feel like she grew throughout the book. The epilogue didn’t do it for me.

Sona is a nurse in a Bombay hospital, taking care of renowned artist Miva Novak after she suffers a miscarriage. After her sudden death, Song is left to deliver three paintings to members of Mira's past. Along the way, Sona learns how to live life on her own terms and to take chances to make her life better

Having read Alka Joshi's other novels, I was excited to be given early access to this one. Unfortunately, this one didn't feel the same to me. I felt the story before Sona leaves India was too drawn out, whereas the delivery of the paintings and Sona's traveling on her own was rushed, and I didn't get the full joy that song should be experiencing while traveling to new countries. I really wish I'd enjoyed this book more.

Joshi took me to 1937 Bombay where our Indo-English protagonist Sona, a devoted young nurse leads a sheltered life encounters patient Maya, a flamboyant painter and her life is forever changed.

This was a perfect book for me as it blended two of my favorite genres…historical fiction and mystery.

Throughout this novel are the rich underpinnings of what life was like in Europe at the time. As Sona travels through four incredibly rich and romantic European cities I felt the rumblings of Mussolini and Hitler trying to emerge.

What was it like to be an Anglo-Indian at the time when India was building power in order to shake off England's throat-hold? Sona was called a darkie by some and a halfsie by others. My heart hurt for her as she was torn by the circumstances of her birth.

The author spent the first third of this novel in character building and scene setting and then BAM! it really took off. We are swept across Europe through four incredible cities with Sona on a quest which the artist Mira sent us on along with Sona.

This novel felt both heart warming and heart wrenching at times.

If you enjoy historical fiction, a quest for answers along with a large dab of romance than I suggest you pick up this novel.

Publication day is April 15 but I understand some Book of the Month members have already received their copies.

Thank you to Alka Joshi the author of The Henna Artist Trilogy, her publisher MIRA as well as NetGalley for my advanced reader copy of this fabulous novel.

Sona is a dedicated nurse to both her patients at the hospital and her Mom at home. When a famous painter, Mira, is admitted she becomes not only a fan but a friend to Mira. However, something goes wrong and Mira suddenly passes away under Sona's care and she is made to be the scapegoat and then her mother passes as well. Mira has left a note for Sona with 4 of her favorite paintings as to who she wants to have them and with the help of another patient, Mira goes on a journey through Europe to find the old friends and to mend relationships through delivery of the paintings to grant Mira's last wish but also herself. I loved these characters and the glimpse back into India and Europe as tensions rise of WWII.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review! #NetGalley #SixDaysinBombay

A slow burn atmospheric historical novel that's also a romance and a mystery. Mira changed Sona's life in a way neither woman could have predicted when Sona was assigned as her night nurse in a Bombay hospital. It's 1937 and Sona has the stigma of being Anglo-Indian, her father having left her family to return to the UK when she was 3. She lives with her mother in one room and works hard to support them. Her head is turned a bit by a handsome Oxford trained physician who is ignored by the Anglo management of the hospital. Something isn't right about Mira's illness but she rallies briefly and then sadly dies, leaving behind four paintings meant for Sona and three others. Dr. Stoddard, another of Sona's patients, helps Sona arrange travel to Europe to delivery the canvases, and introduces her to his son Edward. This has many ups, downs, and turns. Not everyone is what they seem, and the cause of Mira's death will not be revealed until the very end. The characters are terrific even when they're rotten people. Know that there's a bit of steam which didn't really work for me (it felt incongruous). This leans in on domestic abuse but most of all on the caste system and prejudice. Joshi's got mad storytelling skills and will keep you turning the pages. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Great read.

Alka Joshi's first book, The Henna Artist, drew me in to the worlds she is so good at building. Her newest book, Six Days in Bombay, builds yet another world you can practically see and smell as you read. While some parts were unbelievable (like finding a person in a giant city on your first try when you only know their first name!), others really put me in the situations of the characters. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

3.75 stars

I enjoyed this author’s previous novels and so was anticipating reading this one.

I have mixed feelings about this one. The first 60 percent was very interesting as we learn about Sona, a young British-Indian woman living in Bombay in 1937. She is the product of a relationship between her Indian mother and British father, who later abandoned them. Sona is a nurse at a hospital who has lived a safe life with her mother until she meets Mira, a patient at the hospital who changes Sona’s life. Events transpire that send her to Europe at Mira’s request, where she begins a journey of self-discovery, including questions about her biracial identity and her father.

It was with the last 40 percent of the novel that the novel somewhat faltered for me. The story then became less about Sona and more about the people she met in Europe and their relationship to Mira. While we see the impacts of what Sona learns on her own life. I found this part of the story to be disconnected from the first part and almost like I was reading two different novels,

There are many things I enjoyed about this novel, including the vivid descriptions of life in Bombay as well as the European settings. I also enjoyed the themes of identity, and the weaving of the time period into the story such as the rising Indian political movement for independence from Britain and the growing signs of fascism in Europe. The relationship between Dr. Stoddard and Sona was well-depicted.

Overall, a mixed read for me. I am happy that I read it and really enjoyed the first part. Suggest reading the author’s notes as they provide context for the second half of the book though my comments on the disconnection remains.

Thanks to the publisher for this complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for giving me access to this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Six Days in Bombay is the story of Sona, a young woman living in Bombay in the 1930's. Sona is an Anglo-Indian nurse working night shifts at a hospital where she meets Mira a famous painter. During the week that Sona looks after Mira Sona is told about the exciting life Mira had lead and the two become close friends. Mira is released from the hospital just in time to attend a lavish party but the next day is admitted back to the hospital. Mira passes away under mysterious circumstances and Sona falls under suspicion.

Mira's passing sets Sona on a journey to complete her last wishes. Traveling to Prague, Florence, Paris and London Sona is taken out of her small sheltered life and thrusted into the world. Meeting may people along the way Sona learns many lessons and eventually finds herself.

This story has mystery, love, friendship and adventure. I highly recommend it!

This book was given by NetGalley as an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was super excited about another book by Alka Joshi. Her books always tell a good story full of relevant topics.

This story was about a nurse who meets a patient and six days later, when the patient dies, the nurse goes to deliver the patient’s artwork to three people in Europe. The biggest problem I had was that I can’t remember the main character’s name. The most memorable character, on purpose, I suppose, was the patient. The patient’s name is Mira. It felt unrealistic that after six days of knowing someone, the main character would go on the journey she did.

Regardless, I enjoyed the read well enough and will read whatever Joshi writes next.

I have never read Alka's work before but I'm glad I started with Six Days in Bombay. This story is all about reflecting on one's complex identity and what this means for our main character who is both white and Indian. I really enjoyed her point of view and was intrigued by where the story went.

The entire premise of this book felt shaky from the start. The time period the story is set in (pre-independence India) is one of my favorites but everything else fell flat. Our main character Sona lives a small, sheltered life due to circumstances outside her control. Though she doesn’t complain, she is clearly embarrassed by her family background, which drives a large part of her narrative in this book. Her story changes as she comes to know a painter who is admitted as her patient, and whose untimely death sends her on a quest of self-discovery.

The characters were fairly fleshed out, but the relationship between Sona and Mira — the entire premise of the aforementioned quest — was not built up enough to warrant the lengths that Sona went to to complete Mira’s last wishes. She drained her savings, traveled independently to new countries (in a time when this wasn’t the norm for women, certainly not for those as sheltered as Sona) for…what? A random patient who she met and took care of (along with other patients in her caseload) for 6 days? If more time had been spent on the interactions between Sona and Mira, I might have enjoyed this book more. While I agree that Sona’s ultimate journey was for the better and infinitely more interesting than the life she previously led, the reason behind this did not feel believable to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.