Well-Behaved Indian Women

By: Saumya Dave

Narrated by: Soneela Nankani

Length: 12 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

A Lilly's Library Book Club Pick!

“A sparkling debut.” (Emily Giffin, number one New York Times best-selling author)

From a compelling new voice in women's fiction comes a mother-daughter story about three generations of women who struggle to define themselves as they pursue their dreams.

Simran Mehta has always felt harshly judged by her mother, Nandini, especially when it comes to her little "writing hobby". But when a charismatic and highly respected journalist careens into Simran's life, she begins to question not only her future as a psychologist, but her engagement to her high-school sweetheart.

Nandini Mehta has strived to create an easy life for her children in America. From dealing with her husband's demanding family to the casual racism of her patients, everything Nandini has endured has been for her children's sake. It isn’t until an old colleague makes her a life-changing offer that Nandini realizes she's spent so much time focusing on being the perfect Indian woman, she’s let herself slip away.

Mimi Kadakia failed her daughter, Nandini, in ways she'll never be able to fix—or forget. But with her granddaughter, she has the chance to be supportive and offer help when it's needed. As life begins to pull Nandini and Simran apart, Mimi is determined to be the bridge that keeps them connected, even as she carries her own secret burden.

©2020 Saumya Dave (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"The family dynamics are familiar in the best way, reminding you that you’re not alone with whatever soft-shoe you’re performing beneath your own family tree."—New York Times Book Review

"This is a tender tale that never shies away from the tension at its root."—ELLE

"Well-Behaved Indian Women is a sparkling debut about family, identity, and finding the courage to pursue your own dreams. Saumya Dave is a bright new voice in women’s fiction.”—Emily Giffin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lies That Bind

Good quick read

Good story reflecting the struggles faced by Indian women in modern times. Easy to listen to though narrator sounds a little robotic at times

Better to read than listen to audio format

The story manages to capture some of the Indian wedding complexities but in a shallow way. It depicts all Indian women has the self degenerating inner monologue which is probably far from reality. Dialogues are shallow, specially the ones given to lead character Simran. Narrator spoke those with even more annoyance. It probably is better if read than listened in audio form.

Amazing book

I never read and I had to chose a book related to India for a class book report and honestly I finished it so quickly and it made me want to read more

Misunderstood

This is one of my favorite novels that connects the indian american experience with the main characters. I understood my own mother more than ever before.

Too much and not enough

The narration was hard to get over with one voice for all the characters, especially male ones. The story had some really great moments towards the end, but the ending just left too much hanging... not what I was expecting at all. I could imagine this being made into a screen play though... sounded like it was written to be a movie.

Very rich and well-developed characters

I really loved this book!! It does an incredible job of navigating through all the complex emotions of the main characters. You really feel like you know these people...they are just written so well. The story took a lot of unexpected turns, but I enjoyed all of them! Wonderful and heartfelt story about self-discovery at any age.

Good story, narration could improve

I enjoyed the story but the narration made it drag. The intonation of the voices made Simran seem like she was whining most of the time she was talking. The narrator’s pronunciation of certain Indian names and words (“Rahul”, “Beta”, “Mandir”) could use some improvement. It made it difficult for a first generation Indian-American to seriously relate to the book. Otherwise the story was interesting enough and I would definitely be interested to see what this author writes next.

Alright read, narration wasn’t great

The narration wasn’t the greatest - the accents and different intonations made it hard listen. The knock off desi accents were distracting.


Story was alright but left more to be desired. Felt shallow and scattered and inconsistent in some places.

excellent book

wonderful book especially for first generation Indian women. It was heartwarming and endearing. I loved it

Well Behaved Indian Women by Saumya Dave

This is a bittersweet story of an Indian-American girl who navigates her adult life through the usual challenges of being an adult- relationships, career choices, friendships BUT with additional cultural complexities that come with Indian culture. So many elements within this book resonated with me and got me emotional. I'm sure many many Indian girls and women would be able to relate to a number of these challenges. Its an empowering story of breaking through generational trauma and limitations to find one's true self amidst all the chaos.