The Dowry Bride

I purchased this book with the lot of doubt but now I'm glad to know about the book after completed .

The Dowry Bride is the story of a young 21 year old girl who runs away from her home when she realizes that her in-laws and husband are trying to kill her. How she manages to survive; where does she find the support and help to fight the odds and win. The book cover was the first thing that attracted me to the book and of course the topic of dowry, an ill that ails our society. It is a very aesthetically pleasing cover and the fire on the cover following the footsteps of a bride was a big pull for me to read the book as was the story.This is also a book that made me think and wonder what exactly I wanted to share in my review. The Dowry Bride is a reflection of our society, urging us to take action and change our ways.The twist in the plot is when she finds refuge in the home of a relative of her husband who is secretly in love with her. Kunal comes across as a solid, sensible and calm guy. He is her glimmer of hope, the one supporter for Megha to start a new life. I enjoyed reading their interactions and discussions. The caring nature was just what she needed to blossom. He was truly her knight in shining armor.The story very astutely highlights the pitfalls our young girls face. How a beautiful, educated girl gets married to a lying, spineless guy. The tyrannical mother-in-law and total lack of support from her own family add to her woes as does the never ending, back-breaking work. The society that looks upon young girls as burdens to be shed off, rather than to be nurtured as family members.Shobhan paints a true picture, scores of women face all this and more through their lives, just surviving and hoping for a change. Many are not so lucky as Megha and countless have lost their lives. The book creates awareness about this heinous crime and shares the story that could have been any young girls.The character of her mother-in-law, Amma and her spineless husband Suresh are well etched, realistic. The cruel streak in Chandramma is so obvious that even I felt quite upset and angry; any one would wish to move out. The diabolical plan devised by them both is the catalyst in Megha’s escape. It is true; fear is a big motivator as well as a hindrance. She runs but knows not what to do next. Her escape is temporary since her in-laws are still searching for her. The lack of Dowry, the greed for more money has ruined many a lives.Megha herself is a strong girl; even though she feels unsure of herself yet with Kunal’s support she not only survives but also achieves her goals. The book works on many levels. The premise is excellent; the escape is adventures as is her acceptance of her feelings for Kunal. Add to it the struggle she faces, along with disapproving relatives makes for a good read. The book was a bit slow for me in the middle wherein she is just holed up at Kunal’s house. I felt as if she is not trying to do anything but the situation changes soon enough. vcfxThe book has excellent language and the conversations just flow.The plot has a lot of hidden twists with Ajji, Kunal’s grandmother and Appaji who supported Megha even though he could not do much. Attacks, goons, spies and enough hidden secrets to put any Saas-Bahu serial to shame The Dowry Bride has a solid story as well. Meghna manages to survive but just; she starts living after she almost dies. Their presence makes a lot of difference to Megha’s future, as well as adding a human touch to her story.The author ends the story on a optimistic note while sharing a message of positivity making it a very apt ‘feel good read’. The book evokes many emotions and even though it talks of an evil practice it left me with a encouraging frame of mind. A book with a message of hope and a whole lot of love.(©InderpreetKaur. I got a copy of the book from Fingerprint Publishing, the views are my own.)

A thoroughly satisfying book.. how come I missed it all these time.. with megha and kunal it was a beautiful journey...its already my favourite.. thank you ms.bantwal for this lovely book.

it seems like a good book. but the side of the book has alot of yellow spots on it.

Suspence till the end.

I am disappointed. When i bought this book i expected a novel based on the title.but it was more like since the bride couldn't afford the dowry the MIL decides to kill the girl and get her son married. Till this point it was good. The girl then escapes to the husband's cousin's place.then rest is completely damsel in distress kind of romance.infact the novel doesn't even punish the culprits properly in the end. Beyond our country the book may do well as it's new point of discussion for them but this turned out out to be more like mills and boons stuff.

This is a very well written and interesting book. I couldn’t put it down because I wanted to see what would happen Next!

Fascinating. Loved the insight into the Indian culture. Excellent writing too.

I enjoyed the story very much and as I love to read about different customs and cultures from the inside its a subject that doesNeed bringing to public attention.My rating is only because it's a beautiful result but just a little too sweet and unrealistic I felt. I m glad for the heroine ,if onlyAll such girls in that terrible situation had such a miraculous ending.

I am in love with this book. The cultural elements, the characters, the love, and the drama are beyond well written. I will be digging into more books by Shobhan Bantwal.

As an Indian growing up in India, I was expecting this drama story to be more fulfilling with character development, etc. Note, that I will not give away any spoilers in my review (Don't you hate when people do that).Characters: The concept is shocking and intriguing and compels you to keep reading to find out more about Meghna. You feel for the character and her position and want to be involved to help her desparately. SO kudos author for making the character(s) relatable. However, I will say that some characters and their relationships were left so unexplained and so empty that you often felt like they were just fillers.Plot: Overall, the story engages you to keep reading to know what happens next. There are parts of the story that are so all over the place that make you scratch your head like, why did I need to know this. The ending was so quickly drawn upon. The whole book kept me reading and reading and the ending just fizzled out. Like it was rushed.It was a nice read but nothing different or new about this story. And you had a hard time really understanding what period this story took place sometimes given its modern city setting with a traditional character background and turmoil. This was sometimes contradicting to me.