{"id":3033,"date":"2025-05-26T12:45:05","date_gmt":"2025-05-26T12:45:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=3033"},"modified":"2025-05-26T12:45:05","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T12:45:05","slug":"book-review-a-bollywood-romance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=3033","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: A Bollywood Romance"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-4b2eccd6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-text-color has-large-font-size\"><strong><em>A Bollywood Romance<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-regular-font-size\">by Anu Koduri<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Genre:<\/strong> Romance \/ Indian Literature<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>ISBN: <\/strong>9798888454633<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Print Length:<\/strong> 346 pages<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Publisher:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/atmospherepress.com\/\">Atmosphere Press<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"align-button-center ub-buttons orientation-button-row ub-flex-wrap wp-block-ub-button\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/44Tc8Ls\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main ub-button-medium   ub-button-flex-medium\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">Amazon<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/5423\/9798891325517\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main ub-button-medium   ub-button-flex-medium\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">Bookshop<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>Reviewed by Elizabeth Zender<\/em><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"ub_advanced_heading wp-block-ub-advanced-heading\"><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong><\/strong><strong>A powerful story celebrating love, culture, and the strength of women<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The Hindu Festival of Lights, Diwali, is a time of good fortune. Paru\u2019s hopes are high. After two years of clandestine courtship, she hopes her classmate, Harsha, will ask for her hand in marriage. He is handsome, in the right caste, and is nearly top of their class, second only to Paru. It would be a perfect match, like one of those Bollywood stories she loves so much.<\/p>\n<p>But Paru\u2019s brothers, Karan and Vivek, shame the family through their choices in brides, and the elders sever ties with Paru and her family as a result, casting them out of Brahmin society.<\/p>\n<p>Enter Samar, a physician in the United States and the man who will be her next husband. Despite loving another, Paru must marry Samar to help her family get back in good graces. Fast-forward twenty years and Paru is a successful gynecologist and mother in the States. Samar, however, has not been a model husband and upends her life by leaving her for another woman. And Harsha, from all those years ago? He offers an opportunity for Paru to find love\u2014but it comes with a great risk. She\u2019ll have to choose between tradition or a real Bollywood romance.<\/p>\n<p><span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Anu Koduri dedicates<em> A Bollywood Romance<\/em> to women who have been in Paru\u2019s position: married to a stranger, sent to the United States, and trying to make the most of an incredibly challenging situation. It\u2019s obvious why Paru would be treated with such love and care by the author. She is always seeking out ways to make her dreams come true even as she deals with a new culture, new husband, and new home.<\/p>\n<p><em>A Bollywood Romance<\/em> is an artfully crafted story about what a woman wants and what society allows a woman to want. Paru may be driven to keep herself safe and to achieve her dreams, but she also looks out for her family. The resilient women in this novel continue to find ways to cultivate and utilize power, individually and collectively.<\/p>\n<p>Koduri\u2019s story is rich in Hindu culture. The description and careful detail embedded in the telling of Diwali celebrations, the suitor interviews, and the caste system give the story a strong sense of authenticity. It\u2019s an immersive cultural story heightened by the drama of familial relationships and the delights of Paru\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n<p>Drama, romance, and powerful women\u2014<em>A Bollywood Romance<\/em> does not disappoint. It inspires.<\/p>\n<div class=\"align-button-center ub-buttons orientation-button-row ub-flex-wrap wp-block-ub-button\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/44Tc8Ls\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main ub-button-medium   ub-button-flex-medium\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">Amazon<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/5423\/9798891325517\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main ub-button-medium   ub-button-flex-medium\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">Bookshop<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Thank you for reading Elizabeth Zender\u2019s book review of<em> A Bollywood Romance <\/em>by Anu Koduri! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.<\/p>\n<div class=\"align-button-center ub-buttons orientation-button-row ub-flex-wrap wp-block-ub-button\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/independentbookreview.com\/category\/book-review\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main ub-button-medium   ub-button-flex-medium\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">Book Reviews<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/independentbookreview.com\/category\/blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main ub-button-medium   ub-button-flex-medium\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">IBR Blog<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"ub-button-container\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/independentbookreview.com\/writers-only\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"ub-button-block-main ub-button-medium   ub-button-flex-medium\" rel=\"noopener\">\n<div class=\"ub-button-content-holder\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"ub-button-block-btn\">Resources for Writers<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/p><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/independentbookreview.com\/2025\/05\/26\/book-review-a-bollywood-romance\/\">Book Review: A Bollywood Romance<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/independentbookreview.com\/\">Independent Book Review<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Bollywood Romance by Anu Koduri Genre: Romance \/ Indian Literature ISBN: 9798888454633 Print Length: 346 pages Publisher: Atmosphere Press Amazon Bookshop Reviewed by Elizabeth Zender A powerful story celebrating love, culture, and the strength of women The Hindu Festival of Lights, Diwali, is a time of good fortune. Paru\u2019s hopes are high. After two [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":3034,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bookreviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3033"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3033"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3033\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}