If someone would ask me about a book that really surprised me would this one be one my mind. Monsoon Summer was a book that I eagerly hoped to get a chance to read (thanks to the lovely cover and the intriguing blurb), but it was a book that when I started to read it struggled very hard with at first. I even thought about giving up on it. Why? I had some real problem with the main character Kit. I found her very immature for a woman of 28, and she often made me annoyed with her "dark" secret and trouble of adjusting to a life in India. I saw her as a woman who just didn't understand the culture in India and who made a rash decision to marry an Indian man who she hardly knew. I honestly didn't see how this marriage would work since it seemed that they didn't discuss important things before they got married like if or when they should have children. Work was especially a sensitive question since being a midwife is not a good thing in India. And, starting a new life in India trying to hide that from Anto's family felt like a very bad idea.

However, I was enthralled with the life in India after the Independence, how midwives were treated, and the culture difference between the Indians and the English. And, as the story progressed did I start to find more and more sympathy for Kit, and I even started to care and worry about her. One can say that she grew and matured through the book, and I came to more and more understand her. I also found myself liking her mother-in-law more and more, and yes even Kit's mother whose past had made her a very hard and untrusting woman.

This is a book that I'm glad that I stuck to. That I did not give up on it, despite my early doubts. Monsoon Summer turned out to be a great book. I felt that the book gave me an insight into India after Independence, the struggle for women, like those that worked as a midwife, but also the struggle for those that got a high education and having to combine work with old traditions. I found the book to be quite good and interesting and I felt richer after reading it.

I want to thank Touchstone for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review! ( )

This post-WWII novel--straight from the cutout rack at the local Dollar Tree--was an extremely pleasant surprise. Loved it. An interesting and conflicting vibe drives the story set in a newly independent India--an upper-caste family who loves all things British...until a British wife marries their beloved son and begins work as (horror of horrors!) a midwife. Throw in an Indian expat mother in law who hates all things Indian--the mix is engaging and intriguing. ( )

Love books about India. Such an interesting back story. ( )

A compelling tale set in England but mostly in India after partition and independence. Anglo-Indian nurse Kit Smallwood falls in love with and marries Indian doctor Anto Threkkeden, and they travel to Anto’s homeland, Kerala, to begin a new life there together - Anto as a doctor and Kit to help start up the Moonstone Home, a charity hospital for women. As with all good intentions, things do not always go smoothly and Kit finds herself in persistent danger and under constant disapproval.

This is a very insightful read and extremely vividly told. The descriptions of India and its customs are depicted so evocatively and realistically, I could picture it all quite clearly in my mind - I almost felt I was there! It highlights the prejudices and attitudes towards women, plus the many traditions in such a culture. The subject of midwifery is touched upon quite significantly and is interestingly illustrated. There are some complex and fascinating characters who add to the richness of the story. It’s a slow burner but it’s quite easy to get lost within the engaging and colourful narrative.

An absorbing tale about mixed race love, loyalty, courage to do what is right, determination and the importance of family. I very much enjoyed it. ( )

If you enjoy books set in India, reach for this one! It takes place first in Britain, during the time of deprivation right after WW II, and moves to Kerala in Southern India right after the self-rule begins and the colonial times are finally over. Kit is the second generation of liaisons between Indian women and British soldiers. She is also a midwife in training who marries Anto, an Indian doctor, and returns with him to his country and to his large Indian-Christian family. Between her own fears about being a white woman delivering Indian children and the hostility of Anto's parents, Kit struggles to do her critical work. The story is told from both viewpoints and then, finally, from their mothers. The writing about Kit and Anto's lives in and out of bed, and their marriage, in all its doubt and culture clashes, is very finely drawn and well portrayed. Quite the tale. ( )