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America for Beginners
America for Beginners: A Novel | Leah Franqui
83 posts | 53 read | 142 to read
Recalling contemporary classics such as Americanah, Behold the Dreamers, and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, a funny, poignant, and insightful debut novel that explores the complexities of family, immigration, prejudice, and the American Dream through meaningful and unlikely friendships forged in unusual circumstances. Pival Sengupta has done something she never expected: she has booked a trip with the First Class India USA Destination Vacation Tour Company. But unlike other upper-class Indians on a foreign holiday, the recently widowed Pival is not interested in sightseeing. She is traveling thousands of miles from Kolkota to New York on a cross-country journey to California, where she hopes to uncover the truth about her beloved son, Rahi. A year ago Rahi devastated his very traditional parents when he told them he was gay. Then, Pivals husband, Ram, told her that their son had died suddenlyheartbreaking news she still refuses to accept. Now, with Ram gone, she is going to America to find Rahi, alive and whole or dead and gone, and come to terms with her own life. Arriving in New York, the tour proves to be more complicated than anticipated. Planned by the companys indefatigable owner, Ronnie Munshia hard-working immigrant and entrepreneur hungry for his own taste of the American dreamit is a work of haphazard improvisation. Pavils guide is the companys new hire, the guileless and wonderfully resourceful Satya, who has been in America for one yearand has never actually left the five boroughs. For modestys sake Pival and Satya will be accompanied by Rebecca Elliot, an aspiring young actress. Eager for a paying gig, shes along for the ride, because how hard can a two-week "working" vacation traveling across America be? Slowly making her way from coast to coast with her unlikely companions, Pival finds that her understanding of her sonand her hopes of a reunion with himare challenged by her growing knowledge of his adoptive country. As the bonds between this odd trio deepens, Prival, Satya, and Rebecca learn to see Americaand themselvesin different and profound new ways. A bittersweet and bighearted tale of forgiveness, hope, and acceptance, America for Beginners illuminates the unexpected enchantments life can hold, and reminds us that our most precious connections arent always the ones we seek.
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Bookwormjillk
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Thanks so much @smalldogs_bigbooks2419 @suvata @vonnie862

I really enjoyed reading your comments.

#LMPBC

54 likes1 stack add
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suvata
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Bookwormjillk Thank you! You are so organized! I enjoyed this round. Great group! 13mo
suvata @Bookwormjillk My husband would say “organized to a fault“. But thank you, I really enjoyed this round too. 💛 13mo
38 likes2 comments
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suvata
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Pickpick

• Read in February 2023 for Litsy Markup Postal Book Club #LMPBC Round 16 - Group C

#StoryGraph: fiction contemporary adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced india lgbtqia society-and-culture
336 pages • first pub 2018

Pival Sengupta has booked a trip with the First Class India USA Destination Vacation Tour Company in order to travel to New York City where she hopes to uncover the truth about her missing son, Rahi.

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suvata
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GAME TIME
This is what I am currently reading. Who can guess the four books behind it?

Buchbeeg So fun! I have no idea though 😆 13mo
Suet624 Nope, not I! 13mo
suvata @Buchbeeg @Suet624 Thanks for trying. 13mo
Bookzombie I can tell one is The House of Eve but no clue on the others. 🙂 13mo
40 likes5 comments
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suvata
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@smalldogs_bigbooks2419 #LMPBC
Just wanted to let you know I received the book today. As soon as I finish the book I‘m reading now, I will start it and pass it on. Thanks.

smalldogs_bigbooks2419 I‘m not sure why I didn‘t see this notification when you shared it, but I‘m glad to see you got the book. I was just thinking about it today, while spending time really enjoying The Measure. 🥰 13mo
38 likes1 comment
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smalldogs_bigbooks2419
Pickpick

This probably isn‘t a book I would have chosen for myself, but that‘s part of why I love swaps, book clubs and Litsy in general. I found all but one of the characters to be pretty likable and liked how it all came together in the end but wasn‘t predictable. #lmpbc @vonnie862 @suvata @Bookwormjillk

suvata Sounds good 14mo
32 likes1 comment
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smalldogs_bigbooks2419
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Many of the books I read make me dream of going to well-known places. This book has me thinking seriously about planning a trip to Corning, NY to visit The Corning Museum of Glass. This floor to ceiling sculpture stands in their visitors center. What random places have books made you want to visit?

ChaoticMissAdventures This piece looks like a Chihuly? Seattle has a fantastic museum of his work I always find it amazing to visit.

14mo
vonnie862 I too want to visit the museum of glass because of the book! 14mo
TheLudicReader I made it a point to visit the Lost Gardens of Heligan on a trip to the UK in 2007 100% because of 14mo
CoverToCoverGirl I went to NYC to see Phantom of the Opera because I read 14mo
38 likes4 comments
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smalldogs_bigbooks2419
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I said book, dog-child said belly rubs. We agreed I could have one hand for each, and she fell asleep within seconds. Oh the sweet life of a very old, very demanding, very loved reading buddy. #lmpbc @suvata @Bookwormjillk @vonnie862

Soubhiville I loved this book! Hope you do too. 1y
Bklover What a sweetie! Sound asleep, paws up!❤️❤️❤️ 1y
smalldogs_bigbooks2419 It was a slow start, but I‘ve read several chapters this evening. I think I‘m finally hooked in. 1y
suvata Nothing like a good belly rub! 1y
41 likes4 comments
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smalldogs_bigbooks2419
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I‘ve been really wanting to start the new year with a new book. This one came at the perfect time! Thank you @vonnie862 #lmpbc #round16 #groupC @suvata @Bookwormjillk

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vonnie862
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this book. I liked how all of the characters came together at the end and I really enjoyed the healing process/character growth that they went through. I am not sure how much of the Bangladeshi culture is accurately represented in the book, but I liked the story overall.
4⭐️
#round16 #groupC #LMPBC #litsymarkup
Going out soon: @smalldogs_bigbooks2419 @Bookwormjillk @suvata

suvata Sounds good 1y
29 likes1 comment
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vonnie862
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Just letting my team members know that I received the next book.

@smalldogs_bigbooks2419 @Bookwormjillk
@suvata
#litsymarkup #round16 #groupC #LMPBC

Bookwormjillk That was fast! USPS is on the ball this week. 1y
27 likes1 comment
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Karisa
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Pickpick

Travel, found family, quirky characters, warm fuzzies… this book checked a lot of my boxes for things I gravitate to in books.

It‘s about a widow who finally has the chance to make her own decisions and decides to take a trip to America to better understand her son. I also liked that I learned a few things about Bangladesh‘s history too. Maybe a couple too many POV characters, but other than that an excellent, fast read.

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Bookwormjillk
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Pickpick

The wistfulness of these characters made it a perfect Thanksgiving week read. I hope the rest of my#LMPBC group enjoys it as well. It‘s going in the mail today!

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fredthemoose
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Oh my god, get to the point!! This book is supposed to be centered around a road trip, but I‘m close to 3 1/2 hours in and there‘s not a vehicle in sight. Let‘s get this show on the road!!

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DMC_run8
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Pickpick

Prival Sangupta is a Bengali widow who has never left the blocks surrounding her Kolkata apartment. When her husband passes, she decides to take a tour of America hoping that it will lead her to her estranged son who she has been told died suddenly from a heart attack. She is accompanied by her tour guide Satya, a young Bangladeshi man, who has never led a tour, and Rebecca, a struggling American actress. 4.5⭐️ I'm going to miss this crazy crew!

6 likes1 stack add
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BarbaraBB
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Mehso-so

While I did like the bits about the culture of India and Bangladesh, I was disappointed by the plot. I don‘t get what Franqui‘s message is with this book. If she wants to tell about Indian people in the US she could have done so much better without this plot, which is distracting from the interesting stuff.

#ReadYourSign ♏️ 8 in published date (2018)
#SummerFun #Roadtrip
#Booked2020 #PanAsianAuthor

Megabooks Lots of challenge prompts! 4y
BarbaraTheBibliophage Good job—too bad it was disappointing, though. 4y
Cinfhen It‘s a fun cover 🤷🏼‍♀️ 4y
70 likes3 comments
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MelKelsey
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Pickpick

Book 72
A simply-written, sweet, learning to accept yourself story about a woman from India traveling across the US in order to understand her son, who left India for California. A good book!

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AryaWolf
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“I do think most parents, at the heart, want their children to be happy. It is only we want our children to be happy in the right way. The way we were taught happiness was. I think this is a cause of much pain, thinking, perhaps, that there is a right way.” -p287

Soubhiville Yes! Great quote. 4y
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AryaWolf

”She had expected herself not to fit into this place, and she didn‘t. But neither, it seemed, did anyone else. This was a world in which you could not-fit-in and still survive.” -p240

Smrloomis I still haven‘t read this and it‘s been on my TBR forever 🤦🏻‍♀️ Welcome to Litsy! 🥳🥳🥳 4y
4 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Soubhiville
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Pickpick

Wow, I really liked this book. The cultural ideas of the Bengali vs the Bangladeshi was interesting and an aspect of different Indian ethnicities I wasn‘t familiar with. I loved seeing America from the perspective of newcomers, and watching Pival‘s story arc.

#bookreport for this week:
Tagged book- 5⭐️
Us Against You- 5⭐️
Acid for the Children- 3⭐️
The Sparrow Sisters- Bail
The Traveling Cat Chronicles- just starting

Cinfhen Ohhhhh, im curious about 4y
Cinfhen I‘ll have to wait for next week ☺️ 4y
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NeedsMoreBooks Sounds interesting. I am a Bengali from India 😊 4y
Soubhiville @NeedsMoreBooks I‘d be interested about your opinions if you read this. The author lives in Kolkata. Her husband is from there, she is from Puerto Rico I believe, but grew up in the US. 4y
NeedsMoreBooks @Soubhiville have added to my TBR 🤓 4y
85 likes6 stack adds6 comments
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alysonimagines
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Pickpick

Newly widowed Pival leaves India, ostensibly to go on a cross-country tour of America, but really to search for the gay son her husband disowned years ago. Her narrative joins with those of Satya, a Bangladeshi tour guide, and Rebecca, a Jewish-American aspiring actor, to form a quietly moving story of seeking what one has lost, or perhaps never found before. The whisper-like tension slowly builds to a bittersweet yet life-affirming conclusion.

alysonimagines Note: This was my bonus travel pick for #LitsyATXReadersSociety. It paired very well with my other pick, (edited) 4y
10 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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BookNAround
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Pickpick

An older Indian widow sets out on a tour of America en route to discovering what actually happened to her only child, a son who she was forced, by her husband, to disown when Rahi came out as gay. This is an emotion-filled novel as Pival starts to take charge of her life and to make peace with herself. Full review at https://booknaround.blogspot.com/2019/07/review-america-for-beginners-by-leah.ht...

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BittersweetBooks
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It‘s harder than I thought anything could be and I‘m so tired. I need someone to give me the chance. I hate that. Why can‘t I choose, instead of wanting to be chosen? 🧳✈️🚌

13 likes1 stack add
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erzascarletbookgasm
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What a coincidence, this is the latest book I‘ve stacked on Litsy. Blurb says it‘s a heartwarming and funny ‘road trip novel‘ that follows three unlikely characters as they travel across the United States together. They learn to see America - and themselves - in different and profound new ways.

#LetsTravelJuly #USA

Happy Fourth of July! 🇺🇸 🎆

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 🇺🇸❤️😘 5y
OriginalCyn620 😊📚🇺🇸❤️ 5y
90 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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Suelizbeth
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Pickpick

I was not prepared for this jewel of a novel. I had no idea what this book was about as it unfolded over the coast to coast tour booked by a widow who had never been out of Kolkata, India. Although we are privy to her reason for taking this tour, it is abruptly revealed to her traveling companions and it changes the lives of everyone involved in unforeseen ways. The ending was truly lovely, there was laughter, and, yes, tears. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

CouronneDhiver Great! Thanks for sharing your thoughts 😃 5y
66 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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Deborah42
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Pickpick

After her husband‘s death, an Indian woman plans a trip to America to find her estranged son. All the feels.

Suet624 I liked this one a lot 5y
Deborah42 Me too. I especially loved the ending. 5y
10 likes2 comments
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umbrellagirl
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mreads
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Pival a wealthy widow from India travels first to New York city then in a #gypsyroad trip across America to California to learn the truth about what happened to her son who her husband declared dead shortly after he revealed his sexual orientation to their traditional family. 4⭐ bittersweet
#wanderingjune @Cinfhen @BarbaraBB

Crazeedi Sounds really interesting 5y
BarbaraBB This one sounds great! #stacked! (edited) 5y
Jenken1998 This was a good one! 5y
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yeahnonotagain This sounds good! 5y
Cinfhen Great review!! I‘ve seen it mentioned on some lists recently 😀 5y
MrT On order. The UK version has a really crappy cover. Why!?! 5y
mreads @MrT How strange it's usually the US version that's ugly 😄 5y
67 likes2 stack adds7 comments
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jamicuns
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Pickpick

Darling book. This is a sweet story about 3 people who would never have meet find themselves thrown together on a cross country tour of America. They learn from each other as their minds and hearts are expanded. Stereotypes and biases are shed as they get to know each other and find the humanity in each other. This is a book our world needs at this time.

6 likes1 stack add
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umbrellagirl
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Back at my #mounttbr efforts with this ARC I received last year. 👍🏻 so far.

BookNAround I really liked this one. 5y
umbrellagirl @BookNAround I like the characters. I hope it has a good ending. 5y
68 likes2 comments
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BookishMarginalia
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#MiaCat has also joined the party! Isn‘t he a beauty? #CatsofLitsy

Leftcoastzen Cutie pie!😻 5y
Velvetfur Aaawww gorgeous puss! ❤️ 5y
TheSpineView 💜 5y
See All 7 Comments
booklahoma Adorable! 🤗🤗🤗 5y
kspenmoll That she is! 😻 5y
Dragon 😻 5y
MrBook 😻😻😻😻 5y
167 likes1 stack add7 comments
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BookishMarginalia
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Susanita 🖤🖤 5y
Leftcoastzen 😻 5y
Velvetfur Aaww soft and fluffy ❤️ 5y
See All 8 Comments
Darklunarose You have beautiful cats! 5y
kspenmoll Beautiful coat! 5y
Dragon 😻 5y
WanderingBookaneer Did you like it? 5y
MrBook 😻😻😻😻😻 5y
160 likes8 comments
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EleniKara
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Pickpick

Recently widowed Pival leaves India at 60 and road trips across America with a young Bengali tour guide and an American aspiring actress. These unlikely characters bond and change each other‘s lives through different perspectives. Each are flawed and grow, though I feel some plot points were a bit convenient/random. I am taking it with a grain of salt though seeing as the author is not Indian so not sure on how accurate the culture is.

EleniKara May also use this for #readingwomanchallenge for because of the cover, I love the colors and the layout of the photo 5y
Crazeedi Sounds really interesting 5y
73 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Rcoco
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Pickpick

A little different spin on the “road trip as metaphor” tale.

36 likes1 stack add
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Amor4Libros
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Pickpick

I‘ve had a good reading month!! I finished this one today and loved it! 4🌟

22 likes1 stack add
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Rachelwrites
Pickpick

Captivating, heartfelt, curious, and compassionate. I adored the characters and fell deeply into their intertwined story. #heartfelt #heartwarming #family

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Pamwurtzler
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Molly! Thanks so much for the #feedareader package! The book looks great, and what‘s not to love about cheese recipes and chocolate? The chocolate marshmallows look really good- I need to make some hot chocolate now! Thanks again!

Itchyfeetreader Cheesy recipes sound good! 5y
heikemarie What a cute card! 5y
45 likes2 comments
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Angitron
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Pickpick

Loved this book! Light, sweet and heartwarming novel about three very different people who are brought together for a cross-country tour of America. I loved the humor peppered throughout, and how the characters‘ lives intertwine in ways that unexpectedly enrich each of them. Just the type of hopeful read I need during these dark times!

Well-ReadNeck Yay! This one is sitting on my kindle TBR!!! Moving it up the stack! 5y
Angitron @Well-ReadNeck I thought it was lovely! Hope you enjoy it too! 😊 5y
28 likes1 stack add2 comments
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MrBook
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#TBRtemptation post 1! Pival is setting out to #NYC from Kolkata, India, and then across country to California, to learn about her son, Rahi--who told his parents he's gay--when he suddenly dies. The guided tour she takes is haphazardly put together by the company, and her guide is Satya, who's never been outside the city. She also travels with Rebecca, an aspiring actress. Their 2-week journey will be eye-opening. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

squirrelbrain Sounds fab, stacked! 5y
mreads I really enjoyed this one 👍 5y
WanderingBookaneer This one was my favorite read of 2018. 5y
73 likes4 stack adds3 comments
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WanderingBookaneer
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JenReadsAlot Thanks! I want to read this. 5y
Suet624 I agree. This was a fun book. 5y
Well-ReadNeck Got it!!!! Thanks for the recommendation! 5y
Amor4Libros Thanks for the heads-up! This book has been on my TBR for a couple of months. Can‘t beat that price 🙂 5y
TheBogwitch Ooo! This is in queue on my Kindle. Looking forward to it. 5y
81 likes3 stack adds5 comments
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dawnsworldblog
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Pickpick

What a fantastic book! It tells the story of a widow from Kolkata, India who travels to the US to find out the truth about what happened to her estranged son. So different from my usual picks but I really enjoyed it.

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Bookish_B
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Pickpick

This was a lovely book. I really enjoyed it.

51 likes2 stack adds
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aquariusnat
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Pickpick

Really enjoyed this novel ! It's a light-hearted drama . There are a few sad scenes but , overall I smiled through most of the story .

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Jeanne_S
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Pickpick

Lovely.

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Samplergal
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Pickpick

Such a lovely story of moving on, forgiveness and growth. I really enjoyed this one. A solid 4⭐️.

84 likes4 stack adds
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Shadowfat
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Pickpick

This was so good I had to finish it before work! A Bengali widow, her tour guide and companion take a trip across the US and learn things about themselves they didn't know and grew stronger. Everyone should read this!

Samplergal I‘ll finish this today. I‘m loving it. 6y
33 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Samplergal
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Trying this for my new audiobook.

JanuarieTimewalker13 Ooooh, can‘t wait to hear how you like it!! Love the cover! 6y
Samplergal I did an hour this am. I like it so far. 6y
100 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Jenken1998
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Pickpick

What a wonderful book. I did not want this tale full of hope, acceptance, and love to end. I cared about all the characters and felt I identified with all ogmf them in some way. Close to the end seemed a little rushed but evened out in the very end.. would recommend!!!!

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JoyBlue
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“He had heard that Indian-Bangladeshi relationships had improved since his departure from his native land. But, he suspected strongly this only applied to wealthy people, who were all the same anyway, wherever you went.”