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“A thoroughly entertaining rendition of one woman’s search for belonging.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Full of lively characters who will win readers’ hearts and keep them thinking long after the book is finished, this book is a genuine, charming debut. Long-buried secrets and a journey of self-discovery will keep the pages turning.” —Booklist

“Namrata Patel’s debut is a delightful exploration of identity, community, and growth. I was drawn into Meena Dave’s captivating journey from the first pages and was rooting for her until the end. This poignant and witty story is perfect for book clubs!” —Saumya Dave, author of Well-Behaved Indian Women

Joanna D.
#1 HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWERVINE VOICE
A mystery inheritance, a mystery past and nosy neighbors, IRRESISTABLE!
May 1, 2022

If you liked Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake, you’ll love The Candid Life of Meena Dave. Like “Namesake” “The Candid Life” is set in Boston, only in Boston’s cobbled ancient and old-money Back Bay and not Cambridge. And Meena Dave is a woman who works as a photojournalist and is of Indian descent. But being adopted after a bad accident took her parents, she has no permanent address, wanders the world for her work and has little connection to her heritage except for a liking for London’s butter chicken curry.

The novel starts with the classic opening of the main character receiving a mystery inheritance (with strings attached.) It’s not an old ring or money, in this case it’s an apartment in Boston’s Back Bay with restrictions on its sale and with a gaggle of nosy, intrusive and even bossy neighbors, three of whom are “aunties” (the Indian term for older women like your mom who are not your mom…but maybe act like it.)

Meena is immediately swept into their world and learns finally about her own origins as well as how to make a decent cup of chai (and how to eat parathas with spicy pickle!)

There’s a lot more but why spoil it? I opened this book and could NOT put it down. Great storytelling and wonderful characters. It’s billed as “women’s literature” and I suppose it is, but anyone can enjoy this book who enjoys people and situations that come out of the blue. HIGHLY RECOMMEND
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Jennifer Lanam
Surprise f-words at the end
May 9, 2022

The story was okay but didn’t do much for me.

While there hadn’t been much bad language throughout the book, suddenly at the end the main character found the f-word humorous, and it was scattered throughout the last few chapters.

It did make me crave a cup of chai.
5

Galaverna
Enjoyable.
May 4, 2022

I found this an enjoyable read, good enough to recommend but not a story I personally was able to relate to in the ways many readers likely will. Perhaps for that reason it simply was a good escape read for a few hours and didn’t hit me deeper. All the same, I have no regrets in my First Reads choice for May.
That being said, although an unexpected inheritance and it’s ramifications is a theme I’ve come across many times in books, I found the author was able to create a fresh story using an old theme.
As to content, it could be considered a relatively clean book. Sex is talked about and implied but there are no graphic scenes. The language for the majority of the book is clean, though towards the end more and more profanity creeps in.

If you are looking for a pleasant escape read, or can relate to any of the subject matter (adoption, being born into one culture but raised in another, Indian American family life, trying to run from past tragedy or discovering one’s identity etc) then you likely will enjoy this story. If this is not your experience, but you still enjoy a variety of subject matter, and human experiences, then it’s still a book you may like. If, however, you are looking for a book with more action or excitement I would say you would probably be happier with a different choice this month.
5

Jane White
Incredible read
May 5, 2022

Chose this from the May Prime reads and I am so glad I did. I was immediately swept into this story. Beautifully written and so compelling that I finished it in one sitting. The characters were well written and very strong, a truly great read.
3

Elizabeth Davies
Well done; I struggled to maintain interest but was glad I did
May 12, 2022

The story wasn’t as exciting as I’d hoped, since I’d read that she would wind up solving a personal mystery. Only the protagonist was (fairly) well developed; each of the rest was mostly a collection of attributes (friendly, generous, loves to cook, wears bright colors, or sharp-tongued).

The plot was well done. I quickly “realized” what relationship Meena would find, and was just as wrong as she was. However, as soon as she (and I) recognized her error, I instantly knew the correct answer.

I found her relationship with Sam to be a bit facile for my taste. He had just one flaw, and it took the author perhaps 3/4 of the book to reveal it. Until then, all I could think was “he’s far too perfect to be human.” After he fully described his flaw, I felt that I knew too little about him to be able to integrate this into his personality… This is hard to describe. If you could picture Sam as a coatrack, he would be tall, polished, solid, and narrow with just one coat-hanging branch sticking out. The “coat” that finally is revealed and lands on it is too heavy, too bulky. The coatrack falls over.

All in all, I was glad I persevered. I’d wanted to make sure my guess about the object of her search was correct (it was). And the way Meena handled the answer was exquisite.

(One more quibble: I’m wondering if other readers will close the book and then wonder about the likely fallout from the opening of what I’ll call a box of secrets, as the years go by… as all the characters age, some relatives visit, and a certain person dies leaving her apartment/condo to relatives. Will they learn or know the secret? How will they and Meena interact? I suppose this question was deemed too large even to be mentioned, and yet its absence leaves me feeling, once again, that the plot and characters were a bit thin for my taste.)

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