Namrata PatelCritiques

We've all felt the weight of expectations. Some expectations are heavier than others. Some are very small things while others affect your whole life and its trajectory. Some people rise to meet expectations. Some revolt against them. And some chafe against them quietly, wondering how to live life on their own terms no matter what the expectations on them are. This latter group of people includes the main character of Namrata Patel's newest novel, The Curious Secrets of Yesterday.

Tulsi Gupta is in her thirties. She lives with her mother and grandmother in Salem, Massachusetts. The Gupta women run a spice shop and practice Ayurvedic healing, tracing their family lineage back to the Vedic Hindu Goddess of Earth, Dharti. Tulsi's grandmother Aruna started the shop and her mother, Devi, has taken over most of the running of it. Both older women are waiting for Tulsi to take her final test as a spice healer and assume her rightful place, taking over from her mother. The problem is that Tulsi doesn't want to be a spice healer. She wants no part of this family tradition and has no idea how to tell her mother and grandmother the truth: that she feels stuck and wants out, out of the store and out of Salem. So instead of admitting these feelings, Tulsi maintains the status quo, quietly unhappy. But change comes to people's lives whether they seek it out or not and change is barreling down on Tulsi. She uncovers evidence of a major family secret, the new cafe next door has a very attractive chef/owner, and an anonymously run social media account first catapults the Gupta's store into the spotlight and then notoriety. All of these things pile up, forcing Tulsi, Devi, and Aruna into some hard reckonings.

The cover of this book suggests to the reader that this is going to be a lighthearted story, and in many ways it is, but it also tackles some difficult topics like abandonment, lies, and devastating family secrets. Tulsi, as a character, struggles to find herself because of her instinct to be a caretaker and a mediator, to defend her mother and grandmother, even when their choices are indefensible and have caused her pain or to miss out on things in her life. It is painful to watch Tulsi stifle her own needs and wants for so long and the constant repetition of her unhappiness with the expectations placed on her in the first part of the book does wear thin. (I'm obviously not as patient and understanding as Tulsi.) The beginning of the story also contains many explanations of Ayurvedic healing, perhaps trying to make the concept more accessible to an unfamiliar audience but it felt much more than necessary and slowed the pace of the story down. As the story progressed, this became less of an issue though as it focused more on the characters and the plot. The romance subplot stays fairly lowkey centering Tulsi finding herself as the focus of the story so don't go into this thinking it is a romance. It's not. There might be a touch too many plot threads here: a family curse dooming the Gupta women to single motherhood, Ayurvedic healing and the role of spices in it, complex family dynamics, a budding romance, the mystery of Tulsi's father, the mystery of grandmother Aruna's rift with a former friend, the rewards and perils of social media, and a coming of age to name a few. The novel needed to either focus tighter, eliminating some of these, or go into more depth to make them all equally relevant to the story. Even with the busy-ness of the plot though, ultimately this was a warm and pleasing novel that makes for a different and generally likable, happily ever after summer read.

Thanks to Amazon for sending me this book to review.

Asha struggles with her family’s expectation that she become a master perfumer as she discovers herself.

Pick up The Curious Secrets of Yesterday and immerse yourself in the world of Tulsi Gupti. Tulsi works with her mother and grandmother in a family-owned spice shop. She is expected to take and pass a test proving she is a master but keeps putting it off because taking over the business is not the life she wants. Add in some unexpected family twists plus a bit of romance and we have an intriguing story that will keep you turning the pages.

The reader gets to know and understand the traditions that make the older generations feel that it is Tulsi’s responsibility to fill their shoes and take over the store. We also can easily relate to why she wishes to lead a different life. Important characters come to life on the page and the reader gets a complete mental image of the shop and other locations.

I am glad that this book was an Amazon First Reads option as it is one that I may not have noticed otherwise. It is a compelling story that will reach your heart.

Meena, world traveling photojournalist, discovers that someone has left her an apartment in Boston - but it has strings attached. Meena discovers that this apartment actually part of a close knit community - one that isn't necessarily welcoming to her. I really liked seeing Meena open up and become vulnerable and claim her heritage and place. She's in the unique position of looking like her birth culture, but not having grown up in it at all.

While I liked the setting, the perfume industry information and family dynamics, it somehow missed the mark of something I could sink myself into. Maybe the characters lack of depth or the repetative story. I also realised it was more of a romance than I generally read.

Meena Dave inherits an apartment in Boston’s Back Bay. It comes with conditions. Meena plans to stay there briefly while she cleans it out, then sell it according to the conditions, and return to her nomadic lifestyle as a photo journalist.
Meena was adopted as an infant, and grew up happily until her childhood home was destroyed in a tragic accident, killing her parents and destroying everything. She spends the rest of her teen years in foster care. But all that is background.
When she stays at the Engineer’s House, as the house in Boston is called, she begins to learn about her Indian heritage, and learns more about who she is.
I enjoyed walking around Back Bay, a neighborhood I know well from living there for a time myself, with Meena and Sam, and the Aunties. The characters were well developed, the story moved along, and I learned a lot from being immersed in Indian culture along with Meena.½

Indian American woman inherits luxury apartment in Boston. Other residents are related.. Why did she inherit from person she never knew. Indian Amierican customs and a sort of mystery½

This book could have been so good. Just very slow.

Asha "Poppy" Patel was living in Paris and working at her dream job. Leela and Sapna, grandmother and mother of Asha, recognized that she had a gift when she was a little girl. They charted her steps to become a perfumer in France, the world's fragrance capital. Poppy's world has changed as her sense of smell is gone. She's trying to make it work, but her boss has insisted on a leave. Poppy returns home to California, and for the first time in her life, she pauses in reflection to consider if she's living her dream or that of her mother and grandmother. As an only child, should Poppy carry on the legacy of her grandfather and parents as a hotelier in Napa Valley, or can Poppy finally chart her course? Where will Poppy find fulfillment? A balanced life of work and personal time. A life filled with family, friendships, and love.

The compelling family drama highlights a young woman's search for identity and her place to belong. Through storytelling, the author gives a window to explore whether generational legacy is a burden or pleasure. Regardless of the reader's age, it's easy to empathize with Poppy, especially if you've experienced an unforeseen change in life (e.g., accident, illness, employment downsizing).

A well-written, immersive novel. The author's writing captured the scents of perfume and flowers with words on a page. I was captivated. I’m already wondering what stories the author has yet to tell.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read an eARC of this novel.

#ScentofaGarden #NetGalley

The Candid Life of Meena David tells the story of Indian heritage who was adopt by a white couple. Meena's young life of love and family is torn apart by a horrific accident. Her nomadic life is suddenly upended by an inheritance of an apartment in the tony neighborhood of Boston's Back Bay.

I almost always love a novel about India and Indian Americans. The Candid Life of Meena Dave is the exception though. I could not become interested in the book at all. Meena Dave has no family to speak of. Her adoptive parents have passed away and she is on her own, moving frequently. When she is notified that she has inherited a house in Boston, she cannot place the name of the person, Neha, who left it to her. However, she travels to Boston, gets the keys to the house and plans only to stay overnight there. She is required to not sell the home for one year and then only to one of the other people who also have title to the property. While Meena is staying in the home, she discovers a connection to her past.

While the plot premise was good, I struggled to maintain interest in the story. I found the writing to be rambling in various directions. Another fatal part of the book is that I did not like the main character Meena. She traveled the world on her whims and looked down on people with roots. She spoke to other characters with disdain. Meena just isn't a friendly person. Around page 50, I decided to go online and see what other reviewers thought about the book. I read many glowing reviews so I went back to the beginning and started over, thinking I was missing something. I wasn't.

I didn't finish this novel and cannot even rate it 1 star. Not my cup of tea.