As a person interested in India as well as historical fiction, this book really piqued my interest. The book was not only well-written, but also a page turner. Based upon the history of the young women in India called “Sleeping Dictionaries” Massey tells how the girl Kamala escapes that life to become a librarian. Full of historical events, touching moments, and heartbreaking tragedy, the story is also an inspiration story of one woman's desire to overcome. Excellent read! ( )

I enjoy Massey's Japanese mysteries and this got good reviews, so I tried it. Skillfully written, rich in background regarding the Indian independence movement coupled with the touching story of a poor girl trying to make her way against all odds. If I had any criticism, it would be that the independent movement portions were a bit too detailed for the rest of the story if one had no prior knowledge of the politicians involved. Gandhi and Nehru, yes, but the other leaders and the political parties, not so much. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the book. ( )

When Pom, also called Didi, was ten years old, she lived with her family in Johlpur, a village destroyed in a 1930 cyclone. Pom wasn’t in the village when the storm struck. As a member of one of the lowest castes, Pom’s future wasn’t bright, but after the cyclone, it was non-existent. Without family or friends, Pom survives and the story begins.

Pom, now called by the Christian name Sarah, becomes a servant in a boarding school, where she learns English, literacy, and basic manners. Pom reconnects with a former acquaintance and becomes her amanuensis, writing letters to her friend’s fiancee. Pom becomes so invested in the process, she falls in love with the boy and internalizes his desire for India’s independence from England. And then life takes another turn.

In 1935 Pom is fifteen years old, going by the name Pamela, conversing with men, and plying the trade of the sleeping dictionary until the wheel of life turns again.

Pamela, now Kamala, reaches Calcutta in 1938 where she is embroiled in the Indian struggle for freedom and works for an English civil servant whom she more than admires. More a personal coming-of-age story than a saga of Indian Independence, Massey’s tale is well-researched, engagingly written, and compelling. ( )

India's struggle for independence is reflected in the lives of the characters in this book set in Bengal. Naive and innocent Pom/Kamala escapes her village after the death of her family only to be befriended and forced into service by a brothel owner. She eventually escapes and finds work with a kind Englishman in Bombay. ( )

A great story, brillantly written. A chance discovery at the library turned out to be such a great read. At one level it is a well written story about a single woman's chance to strike on her own, at another it is an insight into the plight of woman in a stoic society while offering perspectives about the indian independence.

What more can you ask for?

For complete review please click on the link below:

https://onerightword.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-sleeping-dictionary-sujata-massey.... ( )