I really, really enjoyed this book. So well written and amazing characters - it really drew me in. Highly recommended.

Nikki an Indian living in London and also a law school drop out has started volunteering to run a creative writing classes for Punjabi widows. Much to Nikki’s surprise the widows cannot read or write. However they do have stories to tell. These stories are erotic and filled full of sexual pleasures that leave Nikki very surprised. Over the course of many weeks these stories are written down and kept by Nikki to keep them safe. It is very important that nobody else finds out what is going on during these classes. However through these classes Nikki is able to solve a murder thought to be a suicide.
I highly recommend this book. It gave me many laughs and I was rather surprised by the content. It is well worth a read.

I wanted to read this just from the name alone, and was totally unprepared for what a fantastic story awaited me. It follows the story of Nikki who takes a job teaching creative writing to Punjabi Widows and so naturally the topic of the writing turns to something they enjoy writing/reading. The story tackles some difficult issues and I learned a lot about the life of Punjabi immigrants from it. This is not a genre I usually read, but I absolutely adored it and definitely plan on reading any future books from this author!

I totally recommend this book and would love to see a sequel. I totally recommend this book and would love to see a sequel.

I am in charge of our Senior School library and now during this time of lockdown, I am looking for a diverse array of new books to furnish their shelves with and inspire our young people to read a wider and more diverse range of books as they move through the senior school. It is hard sometimes to find books that will grab the attention of young people as their time is short and we are competing against technology and online entertainments.
This was a thought-provoking and well-written read that will appeal to readers across the board. It had a really strong voice and a compelling narrative that I think would capture their attention and draw them in. It kept me engrossed and I think that it's so important that the books that we purchase for both our young people and our staff are appealing to as broad a range of readers as possible - as well as providing them with something a little 'different' that they might not have come across in school libraries before.
This was a really enjoyable read and I will definitely be purchasing a copy for school so that our young people can enjoy it for themselves. A satisfying and well-crafted read that I keep thinking about long after closing its final page - and that definitely makes it a must-buy for me!

I think like many people I did a bit of a double take on the title of the book, unlike many people I was keen to dive right in, imagining a kind of Calendar Girls type feel, quite a light-hearted and funny story based in the Punjabi community. Actually what I got was a little bit of that element but mostly the story is a complex and gripping look at the difference between the more traditional widows, the “modern” counterpart in Nikki and the expectations that their wider community has of women.

I really enjoyed getting an insight into this community and learning about their different traditions and more about their culture. I especially liked getting to see how differently people adhered to it and when they were able to pick it apart and make fun of it.

The characters were all very interesting, Nikki is the one that we hear the most from but the widows in the writing class were really what drew me in, their imagination and how they tease each other and gossip and how they put Nikki in her place at times.

The contrast between how they appear, traditional women quite demure and conservative and then hearing the very steamy stories they come up with was brilliant and I especially like all the different vegetable names they came up with for certain appendages. Also because some of the characters were involved with the mystery that is Maya I found myself more invested in hearing from them because, like Nikki, I wanted to find out what had happened.

The story was great because it was a mix of a lot of different parts, Nikki trying to help her family whilst retaining her independence, the widows finding a safe place to express themselves, the difficulties of being an immigrant in a foreign city, the clash of two cultures and addressing the violence that can be brought to women. When I lay it all out it feels like it should be too much for one book but actually it works well together, all of these things inform another part of the story so it ends up meshing together perfectly and add a subtle tension that really builds up by the end.

For those of you wondering, yes there are a few erotic stories peppered throughout but it is not overdone, I enjoyed them and thought they were a nice reprieve in the story and I think it gives more of an insight into some of the characters rather than just being a plot device

It also ends with a sense of justice, these women realise their worth and start demanding better for the rest of the women in their community, showing that they can have opinions and still be respectful. It definitely left me with a feeling of hope.

I’m glad that this book turned out to be more than the light-hearted fun that I thought it was going to be, it was very engaging with a lot of relevant themes and I would recommend getting your hands on a copy.

I was first drawn to this book by its cover and the title and it didn’t disappoint.
It was Morden day with traditions running through the story, I enjoyed reading about the way of life for these women and found each character to be beliveable and made me want to sit in on a class with them.
The twist/mystery added to it all and I found myself utterly lost within the pages. No negative points at all to this book just that I wished I came across it earlier.
I already know which friends I’m buying it for as gifts and will definitely be recommending it to my book club and book reading friends and actually even my friends who don’t read.
It was light, funny plus dark and thought provoking at times.
Totally ticks all the right boxes. Well done!!!

Didnt know what to expecr from this book but heard it was a reese wetherspoon book club pick so chose ir as my next read. Very surprised. It was enjoyable.

One of my 35 Before 35 items was to try and read more diversely. I have failed miserably in this; despite trying hard I have let myself down! When this popped up on Netgalley, I decided to give it a go. I’m glad I did – trying to read more diversely is about opening my eyes to ideas, cultures, histories and experiences that are different from my own. This was a fun and silly book, but it gave me an insight into the way that British Sikhs live that I didn’t have before.

The characters were very well fleshed out, but it was just not my kind of book in the end.

Received a free copy for NetGalley

It was the title that hooked me in! But I. so glad to have had a chance to read this book.
This is a great, fun story of a Punjabi community set in Southall. It has it all, a bit of mystery, some naughtiness, romance and surprises.
I love it’s about women, particularly about women in a part society that doesn’t often get written about.

Overall, I loved the book, it was a beautiful story with fascinating characters.

When Nikki’s sister Mindi wanted an arranged marriage she asks her to post a card on the noticeboard in the temple of Southall. Not totally convinced this is for the best she agrees to post it anyway. While she’s there she notices a card which was looking for women only to sign up for Writing Classes where they would write their stories and read them out to the others. At the bottom handwritten it says they were looking for an instructor to work two days per week.
Nikki applied for the job and as the only applicant she gets it. Her first class looks like it will be a disaster no one is there then half an hour later a few turn up. If Nikki thinks the class will be a walk in the park she has another thing coming she expected it to be women of her own age instead it widows mostly pensioners. This was going to be a challenge especially when the stories began.
I loved this book it really made me laugh so much the ladies were using their imagination I can actually see the women sitting around telling the stories. Brilliant read.

The Readymade Thief is a very unique book. I really liked its inventiveness and whimsy. However, my lack of familiarity with Marcel Duchamp's oeuvre prevented me from enjoying the book more.

London-based eye-opener about the lives of Sikh women
This novel deals with Nikki, a young modern Sikh woman, hired to teach women at a gurdwara in Southall. The classes take an unexpected turn as the Sikh widows have a different agenda. Their stories are revealed as well as a mystery to be resolved. This all leads to a satisfactory conclusion for all involved with some action at the end.
The book is character-driven mostly although the plot elements are well-conceived. Having lived in Leicester for 25 years, a lot of the story was familiar to me, dealing with arranged marriages, women's role in Sikh society, honour killings etc.. It is engaging and enjoyable and worth a read. Recommended but probably more a woman's novel than a man's.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the story of a group of women who find themselves cutting through their cultural restrictions through the power of the written word and their imagination.

The protagonist, Nikki takes us on a journey through her culture, it's boundaries and it's beauty. However, her journey brushes the dark side of humanity as Nikki uncovers awful truths surrounding the death of a young woman called Maya.

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows is arresting, charming and painful in equal measures.
Highly recommended.
With thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins in exchange for an honest review

A really great story and not at all what I was expecting. I liked the fact that it became a sort of semi-crime book and it wasn’t as light hearted as I first thought. I learnt some little things about Sikhism that I never knew before and the story was very rich.

If publishers ever wonder just how important the title of a new novel is then I should own up to being immediately drawn and intrigued by this one, and knew that I had to read the book to find out what is was really all about! I should further add that once I began to read it I was not, as so often happens, disappointed in the slightest. From the very first chapter, Jaswal's novel is vibrant, stimulating, often funny and totally different from anything else that I have read for a very long time.
The plot is largely based around the exploits of two sisters - Nikki and Mindi - and their lives as part of the Sikh community in London. One of the girls embraces the idea of a traditionally arranged marriage, and goes about the process of finding a 'suitable' husband with the aid of her mother and a carefully worded advertisement placed on the marriage board at the temple in Southall. The other sister completely rejects such notions, chooses her own boyfriends and lifestyle, and embarks on a teaching project of what she believes to be English writing classes to the widows of the novel's title. Things, however, do not work out as she had imagined, and instead of helping the widow's with their creative writing Nikki finds herself empowering them in a quite different way through the sharing and dissemination of their erotic fantasies.
This novel manages to be both thought provoking and often laugh-out-loud hilarious, and whilst there are some dark and disturbing events which ground it firmly in reality, I felt uplifted and closely engaged with the lives of all of the main characters. My only minor complaint would be that the ending was a little too predictable in tying up all the loose ends, but really this does not detract from an otherwise animated and thoroughly enjoyable read.

What can I say, I adored this book it mad me laugh and cry in equal measure. Nikki is a strong girl from a good Sikh family, Nikki lives a very western lifestyle until she starts to teach a ladies writing class at the temple, where the widows tell her their deepest desires and stories, a fantastic book with a dark twist.

This book was great. My sister recommended it to me and it was a good recommendation. The story follows Nikki as she unintentionally agrees to teach illiterate Punjabi widows how to read and write. She thought she was teaching a creative writing course. The widows have plenty of stories but to Nikki’s surprise they are erotic stories from the widows past or fantasies they wish they’d done.

There are a few of the stories in the book and they do not detract from the story.

Nikki begins to realise that she may be more a part of the Punjabi community than she thought. She is more independent (and Westernised) than her parents would like. As she makes friends with the widows. She uncovers mystery surrounding the death of one of the girls and helps to discover what happened.

There’s a love interest thrown in for good measure too.

All in all a good book and I would recommend.

Provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

This is a fantastic bit of fiction... and erotica!
Coming from a similar east/West background, there was a lot in the book that I found myself nodding and agreeing with. The culture, the traditions, the expectations, the community and what they will think etc. We grew up with all of this. Balancing that line between your cultural background and your life outside of it at school/college/university/work makes most of believe we have multiple personalities!

The bit that got me really was the image that widows in my community could possibly be like this ladies in this novel. I’d be extremely glad if they were! A little shocked for sure, but definitely pleased. It would make them more relatable, more approachable.

Also, tackling the issues in a community like the Asian one is hard and to pick up on honour killings and women’s rights is a big step. I’m glad it’s being dicscussed more and more. Still a long way to go, but one step at a time.

This was well worth the read.