Rajasree Variyar

The Daughters of Madurai by Rajasree Variyar is contemporary fiction raising its voice on a social issue that has been prevalent for ages in India. It reflects all the pain and humiliation of a mother who gives birth to a girl child. The book shows how insensitive people can be when it comes to selfishness. For ages, a girl child has been declared a bad omen. As a woman myself, it sounds painful when people worship a woman deity but not a real woman. The plot is nice, and two timelines are going side by side. But I was more than halfway into the book, and I was waiting for the two timelines to coincide. At some points, events are being dragged unnecessarily.

The characters needed more depth and color. I wanted to read more about the characters than the events. Also, I could not emotionally connect with them. I had great hopes for the book. I could only give it 3 stars.… (meer)