jbronderbookreviews

Flame Tree Road by Shona Patel

4 stars

(Excerpt from Goodreads) 1870s India. In a tiny village where society is ruled by a caste system and women are defined solely by marriage, young Biren Roy dreams of forging a new destiny. When his mother suffers the fate of widowhood—shunned by her loved ones and forced to live in solitary penance—Biren devotes his life to effecting change.

Just when his vision for the future begins to look hopeless, he meets Maya, the independent-minded daughter of a local educator, and his soul is reignited. It is in her love that Biren finally finds his home, and in her heart that he finds the hope for a new world.

Biren Roy is a young boy that grows up in rural India in the late 1800’s. There he learns of how sons are prized and daughters are dreaded. He also sees what happens to his mother when she becomes a widow. She is basically forced away from her family and treated as though she is dead. When he goes to school, Biren starts learning about British beliefs and he starts realizing the inequity women have in Indian culture.

Biren then goes to Cambridge to further his education and become a lawyer to fight for women’s rights. He meets Estelle and sees how she fights the social norms but dressing in men’s clothing and attending classes disguised as a man. When Biren returns to India he learns that he is going to basically be a middle man between the Indian’s and British governments. This and his ideas of how women should be treated don’t win him any favors and he starts to lose hope of ever changing traditional beliefs.

I have to say that I liked this story. It’s so heartbreaking and angering to know that just because a woman becomes a widow she is basically nothing to her family. But sadly women usually are looked down on throughout the years. I love how this fired Biren to stand up and create a change. He doesn’t always have a easy path and does lose his drive, but he does keep fighting.

It was interesting learning about Indian custom and how much of a difference there was between Indiana and British governments. I liked Biren. You couldn’t help cheering him on and Estelle was such an inspiration. I have to say that the ending is sad and makes you wonder about what really happened.

This is a good book and I recommend it for anyone. You will learn more about Indian culture and will encourage Biren to keep going.

For more information on Flame Tree Road or to purchase the book make sure to check out Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, and Shona Patel’s website.

I received this book for free from MIRA in exchange for an honest review.