The Sari Shop Widow

While I was initially annoyed with the main the character, I grew to like her & her extended family. It showcased an area of New Jersey I was not familiar with & was a cute story- not terribly erudite but a comforting read for the plane or beach. It would probably make a decent Book Club book as there is a lot to talk about in terms of family dynamics, a grieving widow/businesswoman & lots of food! There are some things that require your "willing suspension of disbelief" but the author does tie up the loose ends well leaving a little to imagination with regards to the future life of the widow & her uncle.

Anjali Kapadia is an Indian-American widow. Though she still dreams of someday marrying and having kids, those dreams are beginning to fade. In her ten years of widowhood, Anjali simply has not found someone she could fall in love with. Now nearing the age of forty, she has all but given up hope. Otherwise, Anjali feels fulfilled. She and her parents are in business together. They own a small upscale boutique in Little India (New Jersey) called Silk & Sapphires. Anjali is very artistic, very creative, and has designed the clothing in the shop. Her parents, though, have kept one thing quiet from Anjali. The shop is in the red. Unless they can turn things around quickly, they will lose the boutique. Drastic measures have already been put into place. Anjali's father has requested help from his rich older brother, Jeevan. It has been five years since Anjali's uncle last visited from India. He may be a smart businessman, but his commanding ways, crazy demands, and overbearing character is too much for her or her mother to deal with. It becomes harder when Jeevan appears with enough luggage to show he plans a long stay. Jeevan also brought along, unannounced, his business partner from London, Rishi Shah. The handsome Brit specializes in saving failing businesses. Rishi and Jeevan have big plans to save the boutique. Part of that is buying fifty-one percent of Silk & Sapphires. Can Anjali's uncle and the Londoner save her beloved shop? If so, will it no longer belong to her? And can Anjali and Rishi take a leap of faith with their hearts? ***** 4.5 STARS! This story is very rich in Desi culture. I found it to be extremely fascinating. My synopsis does not include the honorable endings (titles) to names, such as Jeevan-kaka, but I learned about them without even realizing it. The writing is well done and it was easy for me, who knew absolutely nothing about Desi culture, to understand each person's concerns. I came to care for the Kapadia family as if they were close friends. Shobhan Bantwal's writing style is smoother than Chai tea and her story is just as refreshing! ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

I picked up the book merely out of curiousity for a different culture, and was rewarded with a great love story. I would recommend it to all women who are into a good romantic book with a healthy dose of a cultural variety.

I've really enjoyed Shobhan Bantwal's books. Her novels The Dowry Bride and The Forbidden Daughter both dealt with controversial subjects in Indian society. They were engaging novels that I thoroughly enjoyed reading, so when I heard she had another novel coming out, I couldn't resist it! The Sari Shop Widow is lighter in tone than Bantwal's previous books, but it's just as captivating. I absolutely loved the character of Anjali. She was smart and savvy, a real role model for younger women, especially Indian girls. Though she had a breakdown after her husband died, she rebuilt her life, pouring her energy into something productive. It was great to see her declare that her life was not over, even though her husband had died. I also liked how vulnerable Anjali was. I could feel her anguish at the prospect of losing her shop. I could feel her anger at the thought that outsiders might be coming in and taking it over. Bantwal did a great job of developing Anjali and making her seem like a real person I also appreciated how modern The Sari Shop Widow is. A lot of stories about Indians set in America tend to be fantasy stories in some ways - Indians residing in the United States, but living exactly as they would have if they had stayed in India. When you live in a foreign country, that culture will rub off on you. I liked that Bantwal incorporated both the traditional and the modern in this novel. For example, Anjali lives with her parents even though she is a thirty-seven year old widow, though there are also some practical reasons for that. However, Anjali also has a life of her own, one that she keeps secret from her parents. It's a delicate balance that takes a deft hand to achieve, and Bantwal does it well. The story of The Sari Shop Widow is a bit of a fairy tale, but in a good way. I loved how Rishi came in as a knight in shining armor in order to save the shop, but Anjali wasn't having any of it. It really reinforced the idea that she is a modern woman and wanted to be saved through her own hard work, not rescued by some guy she doesn't know. Though the story focuses much more on Anjali's development rather than the saving the store, I enjoyed reading about how they turned the shop around. I would have love more details on it. The Sari Shop Widow was a book I simply couldn't put down. It was fun and easy to read; I felt like the pages flew by. This is a great book for a lot of different audiences because it incorporates so many different genres - I highly recommend it!

Anjali Kapadia was widowed at a young age. She's poured all her energy into her families sari shop. When her parents tell her that the shop is in financial trouble and that her domineering uncle is coming to help, she is devastated. Uncle Jeevan arrives with a handsome and mysterious partner and although Anjali is attracted to him, she's not sure if she can risk her heart again. I loved this story. The setting is in the Little India section of New Jersey and I loved learning more about the culture and traditions India. It was a great tale of a young independent Indian woman living in a more traditional society, and how love and family is truly the most precious gift of all. Highly recommended!

Anjali Kapadia had once dreamed of raising children, but after a decade since she cremated Vikram, the Indian-American has little hope of a second marriage as she has not found anyone she wants to marry though she has a secret boyfriend she hides from her parents. Nearing forty with her biological clock winding down, she has all but given up on her dream. Everything else in her life is good as she and her parents Mohan and Usha run the Silk and Sapphires upscale boutique in the Little India neighborhood of Edison, New Jersey where she designs clothing. However, Anjali is ignorant of the fact that the shop is failing. Her desperate father Mohan asks his wealthy older brother for help. Anjali's Uncle Jeevan-kaka has not been state side in five years, but comes from India to see what he can do to save the boutique. He is a benevolent dictator who drove Anjali and her mom crazy with his demands on his last visit. Jeevan arrives in New Jersey with his London-based business partner Rishi Shah, an expert on saving businesses buried in red ink. They plan to save the shop but also demand fifty-one percent ownership of the store. As Anjali and Rishi fall in love, she must decide can she trust him with her heart, her boutique, and her future when he already has a client girlfriend? This is a super ethnic family drama from an author who consistently provides readers with great profound novels that give insight into the Indian especially the Indian-American Hindu culture (see THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER and THE DOWRY BRIDE). Once again the fully developed characters make for a strong deep look at Hindu life in central New Jersey with the romance augmenting the insightful look. Shobhan Bantwal's enjoyable novels are incredibly entertaining but also enlightening as the reader sips masala chai. Harriet Klausner