Reviews
Most popular historical fiction ranks as one step above a beach-read. Karmali’s work goes further than that in terms of both character development and atmosphere. Her writing is delicately sensual without being cloying, and her main characters come across as empathetic and likeable…But perhaps the greatest compliment that one can grant her novel is the temperate manner in which everything falls harmoniously into place. Characters never overwhelm place, war never overwhelms love, politics never overwhelms art and, barring a slightly slow beginning, the pace of the novel never flags for an instant. Too often, historical fiction falls victim to its own overarching narrative agenda. We should be eminently grateful that Karmali assiduously avoids that trap while weaving this sparkling and magical tale.
Karmali shifts easily between the domestic sphere of the kitchen and exquisite descriptions of the meals and “bitings” prepared there to a broad canvas of backstories of particular areas and events. This viewing of the past through various lenses not only heightens mystery by delaying resolution, but provides a wonderful resonance and demonstrates the very personal legacy Zahra has resolved to understand and articulate.
The writing is smooth, and kept me hooked till the end. The experience of reading this book was no less than watching a historical fiction movie…I can not stop talking about the way Karmali has executed the qawwali sessions and poetry in the book, while reading them I was transported to the court of Bahadur Shah Zafar.
I would definitely recommend this book to all readers who like reading historical fiction especially Indian historical fiction, this book is one of it’s kind.
Out of Karmali’s encounters with several incredibly brave and heroic warrior women while on human rights missions to war-torn countries arose Laale Badakhshan, The Mulberry Courtesan…”Even so, when push comes to shove, Laale is the hero of the book. Not Zafar, not some son, not the brother, not the prime minister, not some soldier. Laale. ”
From Firstpost
Sikeena’s prose is sprinkled with Urdu and works like a charm. The book almost feels like a film and you get transported to the era and I could not find anything amiss. The vivid descriptions and sublime narration work wonderfully well for this book. Even though the book is set in multiple nations and time travels through different cultures, the transition is smooth. The author has deeply researched the subject capturing the mannerisms and intrigues of the political movement prevailing at that time.
From New Asian Writing
Happily, the challenge of keeping on top of things is smoothed over by Karmali’s rich, evocative, at times almost musical way with language. Her prose is a sensory feast–clothing, hair, weather, flora and fauna are all lingered over in loving detail. Karmali never loses sight of the importance of food in her characters’ culture, listing in full the elements of many a meal, making their ingredients read like poetry. She is also remarkably adept at conveying atmosphere, a talent especially appropriate here because the settings-the international bazaar of Zanzibar, a family farm at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, the bustle of modern Cairo and London-play a part as important as the characters themselves.