Honor

Although this story is horrific and heartbreaking, it’s is so beautifully written and wonderfully structured. I appreciated the dual timeline that eventually merged into parallel encounters..The way Smita’s story was told in the present simultaneously while Meena told her story from the first person perspective was interesting, engaging and well executed..Without giving too much of the story, Smita is an Indian America journalist telling the story of a Hindu woman from a small village in India who falls in love and marries a Muslim man. This union has a brutal ending to a sweet love story because of religious differences. Although extremely sad with significant trauma, there were also moments of beautiful tenderness and innocence..Additionally, this book was very informative. I knew there was enmity between Hindus and Muslims in India, but this story really drove home the violence and destruction this enmity sometimes brings to families, friendships and relationships in general..I highly recommend this read, especially for a book club or buddy read as there are so many points to discuss and work through.

Read this for a book club. Great coverage and background of religious tensions in India and what happens when people are uneducated & continue barbaric customs. It’s a sad story and difficult to read at times but it was a good read. My only criticism is the lead character and her “romance” story. Was a little predictable as it went the way of a Hallmark movie.

Such a powerful story for so many reasons. I couldn’t stop reading and I truly wanted things to go well for the tragedy done to Meena. I am happy with how the author wrapped it all together and it’s still pains me to think this is happening in today’s world.

Full of emotion as I just finished this book, wonder and horror, love, sadness... what a book. What a writer. I wish I could say more...

I set aside time each night to read in bed before I go to sleep. As a result of that, a book the size of Thrity Amrigar’s Honor, a little over three hundred pages, normally would take me six days. But I was so enthralled by the book that I carved out time each day to read, and I consumed it in two days. What an amazing book Amrigar has constructed. The story is of a young Hindu girl who marries a Muslim boy in rural India and her brothers murder him to protect their family’s honor. That story is being covered by an American reporter, she who was born in India and migrated. This is the basis of a story that explores all the shades of love, from family ties, to religious fervor, to country loyalties, to romantic entanglements. Amrigar examines the culture of India, both city and rural, and in the process, she draws parallels to American culture, and in fact, world culture. She shows us people are the same the world over. Some are tolerant and understanding and have a wider view of the world and religion, while others are tiny in their viewpoints. The book can be violent at times, but overall, it proves that love does indeed conquer all. The fact that it is set in a country few of us know much about is engaging and enlightening, all the while cautioning us that this is not a book about India, Hindus, or Muslims. It is about humanity.

Took a bit to get into it but then couldn’t put it down.

For my fellow HSPs out there, this book *will* make you cry. I couldn't get through two chapters without my eyes welling up, or without full-on tears coming down my face. As a second-generation Korean American woman whose parents fought tooth and nail to build their family a prosperous life in the US, so much of Smita's narrative and viewpoints mirrored mine (minus the twist that we encounter halfway through the book). Furthermore, Meena's story is simply tragic--no way around that. My heart aches and breaks for all the women who have to suffer from the injustices that outdated and violent patriarchal/religious views can impose on the innocent. And of course, I wish all the people who partake in this violence a long afterlife in the worst Hell following a painful, excruciating, dreadful death.That said, Umrigar is an incredibly talented and poetic author. Though it was hard for me to get through the book because of my heavy heart, I read on due to the beautiful candor and cadence that Umrigar brings to her literary art. I also loved reading this book on my Kindle, as I could look up all the unfamiliar words that Umrigar throws at us. It's important to me that I read this book because I learned so much about Indian culture. Highly recommend if you don't mind plenty of tears and heartbreak along the way.

Though there are many storytelling tropes in Honor -- the single, work focused, unconnected career woman with an awful secret going back to home/the scene of the unspeakable ... and the inevitable romance and reclamation of home, the reshuffling of priorities... with all that "Lifetime/Hallmark " structure acknowledged, THIS BOOK IS SPECTACULAR. The characters are multi dimensional, beautifully and richly drawn... their stories, their inner journeys are compelling. And what I learned about India. Wow! The descriptions of the city and the village, the customs and ethos - the time spent creating the worlds of India... rich, pungent, alive. When they're driving, I felt I was in the car with them. The horrible night I felt the terror, could almost smell the burning. The resonating story of Meena and Abdul, the hope for a new India... that hope lives on through Smita and Mohan and the little girl.This is a wonderful book, a gripping personal journey wrapped around a powerful, gorgeously written story.

I gave it 5 stars because of the writing style. It was an eye opener to the horrors and the beauty of India. A book not for the faint of heart but very well-written!

Moving, beautifully written. Made me angry that women could still be treated like this.Think it will provide a stimulating discussion in Book Club

A beautiful book about a our prejudices and lack of tolerance as well as love kindness and family.We have so much to learn about each other. Love is an amazing healer.Highly recommended

Loved this book. I found the start to be a bit slow but once it started getting into the main story line, I couldn’t put it down!

Not my typical read but I wanted to commit to a book club pick this year. I’m glad I persevered because Book 3 onwards really got me turning the pages. Definitely a confronting read but by the end I was really rooting for Smita and Mohan.I’m glad I took a chance on this book.