A House for Happy Mothers by Amulya Malladi

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review: 'A House for Happy Mothers ', A Novel by Amulya Malladi.

In A House for Happy Mothers by Amulya Malladi we are introduced to two different woman, brought together by need. Pryia lives a life of ease, with everything she ever dreamed of. A loving husband, a job and a beautiful home. Yet she feels unfulfilled without a child. She and her husband have tried numerous times and were unable to carry to term.

Her husband loves her greatly but does not understand her yearning, but is more then willing to accommodate her needs. When they hear of surrogacy available in India, she begins a new journey, one that could lead to hope restored or more heart break.

Asha lives in a Southern Indian village. Her family does not have much. She lives there with her husband and two children barely able to make ends meet and with a home falling down around them. Her husband wants her to become a surrogate in order to move them up in life, there is very good money in the program. Asha does not like the idea but the pressure from her family is great. Her own son is extremely gifted and if their life does not change, he will be unable to get the education that he needs to escape a life of poverty. It is this, and only this, that allows her to make the decision.

Meeting the family is awkward for Pryia as Asha does not particularly like her. They come from different worlds and while Asha is moving forward for need she feels Pryia is only moving forward through want. Yet neither of them know the other, nor what drives them. Continents apart, that is not likely to change.

As Asha moves into full maternity mode, she has to caution herself. She wants so badly to fall in love with the baby. At a certain trimester, the surrogates are moved into a home for care, and Asha has to leave her children till the birth of this new child. This home is known as the House for Happy Mothers. Yet while Asha is beginning to relax, she doesn’t find her new living arrangement to her liking. She misses her home and her family. The other residents are jealous of her because her child’s mother, sends her gifts for both herself and her family. Not everyone has such kind parents for the child they carry.

Malladi takes us into a world that is very different then our own, and gives us characters that have a great deal of inner strength. Each is very determined in their own way to make the most of the situation, and the thread that draws them together becomes a light of goodness and happiness for both.When Asha has a small emergency, Pryia moves herself to India for the rest of the pregnancy, fearing the worst. It is here that they come to understand the other in ways that dissolve the distrust and anger, as well as the feelings of guilt, on both sides.

If you enjoy reading about other cultures and love literary fiction, you will find this to be the perfect work. It is moving and thoughtful as well as full of hope.


This would be a great work for a discussion group creating a great deal of dialogue and discussion.

Rating 4/5

The Bones of Grace by Tahmima Anam

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review: 'The Bones of Grace,' A Novel by Tahmima Anam.

A serendipitous meeting, a deep seated love, and a clash of cultures are threaded throughout the backdrop of The Bones of Grace by Tahmima Anam. Zubaida Haque is on a quest to find the bones of the walking whale, a fossil that could provide a missing link in evolution. It is during this quest that she has a chance meeting with Elijah during a concert. Elijah is the typical American of the time, and Zubaida is the adopted daughter of a family in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Yet her life is dictated by her upbringing, and at her families insistence, she marries her childhood best friend and resigns herself to live the typical life of the Bangladesh expectation. Giving up her dream of finding her whale and making a decision to forget about Elijah, she finds herself unhappy and feeling confined. A friend offers her an out, when they find a need for her assistance on a documentary film about the beaches of Chittagong where ships are destroyed and then broken down and the pieces sold to the highest bidder.

The locals work this highly dangerous job as the pay helps them to take care of their families. It is here that Zubaida meets Anwar, a man who seems to know the secrets of her past, and how she came to be adopted. Her life is changing, and she now must make a choice, continue with her marriage, making both herself and her husband unhappy, or move forward to the life she had imagined for herself.

Can she move forward and save what she had with Elijah and will she ever fulfill her dream of finding her fossil and her own background. Taking apart ships is dangerous for those involved, but also a way out of their own misery. It is here that Zubaida finds her inner strength once again, and now she must make her hardest decision, one from which she cannot turn back. Is this what she has been looking for all along?

If you enjoy, beauty, romance, and danger, as well as literary fiction this would be a great book for your library. Once started the elements inherent to this type of book will keep you reading. There is a sadness twisting through the story, and yet you find it is just a part of the life of those involved.Anam takes us into a country of beauty and traditions, but also danger and death. She gives us a romance and a hope of renewal in characters that are strong, yet with a depth of feeling. Zubaida is just trying to follow the dictates of her family, which she has never felt part of, but she finds it even more difficult after her chance meeting with Elijah. She follows the dictates of her family because it is what is expected, but Anam also gives Zubaida a core of reserve where she compartmentalizes the hurts and feelings that drive her.


This would be a great book for a reading group or book club with a great deal of interest and creative discussion.

Rating 4/5

Return to the Isle of the Lost by Melissa De La Cruz

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review: 'Return to the Isle of the Lost', A Descendants Novel by Melissa De La Cruz

In Return to the Isle of the Lost
by Melissa De La Cruz, we once again return to Auradon, to find that Mal as well as her other friends have received messages telling them to return home. Life has been good and much of their own evil ways are behind them. Mal is the girlfriend of King Ben, and she often even treats those around her good.
She is surprised that someone has the gall to push her around. Yet it makes her curious, why must they all return home. What is happening in the Isle of the Lost. Her friend Evie looks into her Magic Mirror and is only further bewildered.

King Ben is on his own quest to find the reason behind the stories of a dragon on the loose, and Mal worries that it could have something to do with her mother. But even as she follows up by looking in to her fears, she finds that Maleficent is still just as she left her, just a small lizard laying in a cage.

 Emboldened by the encouragement of her friends, they decide they must find out what is behind the summons. They have left both family and friends behind, and they need know if the rumors of a dragon have anything to do with Mal’s mom and the other parents from the Island.  They must sneak back in and see if the danger in Auradon is part of the evil lurking in their own home.

Can they find the plot, for they know there must be one, before it has a chance to destroy the peaceful Kingdom of Auradon, and thrust them back into the evil they left behind?

De La Cruz takes us back into the magical world of the Descendants, and gives us another adventure from the bold and brave children of the evil villains. She gives us a fun and dangerous quest to challenge our crew, and she keeps the adventure alive as they make their way one more time to the place they left behind. Can they steer clear of the danger that may be waiting for them?

This is a great follow up and tale of adventure to the Isle of the Lost. A great read for the young adult as well as those to remain young at heart. With the summer upon us this is a wonderful read for those lazy days as well as a great way to pass the time during travel or even lying on the beach. De La Cruz will keep you entertained.

Rating 4/5

Kowloon Bay, An Abby Kane Thriller by Ty Hutchinson

Posted first to Blog Critics as Book Review: 'Kowloon Bay', An Abby Kane Thriller by Ty Hutchinson.

In Kowloon Bay by Ty Hutchinson we catch up to Abby Kane one more time as she  continues her work with the FBI. Having lost her husband, and moving her family to San Francisco, to start over, she has finally settled into a routine. Three years have passed and she feels that she has found an even keel.

Returning to her homeland for a holiday, and to help her children learn more about their own Chinese heritage and their father, she is pulled into a consult with the agent who took her place when she left.  They have found a body when renovating a building and as Abby learns more of the history behind the building, she finds her deceased husband's family may well be entwined in the background and that they may well have a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew.

Now even her Mother-in- Law, who she has finally become close too is acting in a strange and secretive way, and Abby is concerned. Is there a possibility that her own family is somehow involved in covering up a murder?  Abby must find a way to unearth the secrets and lock down the real stories and motives to a murder that occurred in the past.

Can she find the truth behind the dead body before it affect her own family. She know that sometimes the truth is not always acceptable, but could her judgement of human nature be so off, could her deceased husband be responsible for something as reprehensible as murder. She doesn’t believe so, but with her Mother-In-Law acting in such a strange manner she is no longer sure of her own beliefs.

Will she find the truth of the matter and with that truth set her free. Can she save the reputation of the man she loved, and the family that is now her own?

Hutchinson delivers another mystery, and Abby is as strong as usual. She is not as sure of herself now thought, as the outcome of her sleuthing could well be the end of her family’s reputation. Through Abby’s exploration of facts and her travels we see China as she sees it, a place of beauty and mystery, but capable as any of danger and brutality.

If you enjoy mystery and thrillers, you will find Abby Kane a strong character. This would be a good book for your library and have you searching for more of her exploits.

Rating 4/5