Janet Laird (Jana Bibi), much to the displeasure of her family, eloped w/ an evangelical missionary and moved to India with him. When the smallpox epidemic came, she sent her son, Jack, home to Scotland, but she remained in India w/ her husband (who did not believe in vaccines) and her two young daughters. Both daughters died of smallpox and her husband was ravaged & blinded. After caring for him for 12 years, he finally died in the middle of a sermon.

At the beginning of this book, Jana & her ayah, Mary, are living in a palace, where Jana teaches the royal children how to play the violin.

Jana soon receives a letter that she is heir to the Jolly Grant Home, built by her great-grandfather in the Himalayas. Jana, Mary, * Mr. Ganguly (the parrot) move in and take on the repairs of the once grand house & its tower only to learn that the colonizing government intends to build a dam & flood the city.

The only way to save the town is to turn it into a popular tourist stop, thus Jana opens her home as Jana Bibi's Excellent Fortunes w/ Mr. Ganguly. With the help of Jana's neighbors & her friend Kenneth Stuart-Smith who writes popular travel guides the town is saved.

This is a fast & easy read with mostly delightful characters... There is warmth, friendship, & the coming together of the characters for a common good.

A nice "feel good" story. ( )

This is essentially what I would call a "fun" book, along the lines of The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency. Set in Northern India in the 50's, it follows the protagonist, nicknamed Jana Bibi, as she moves to an old house she has inherited in a small town and, through her involvement in a campaign to save the town from a govt. dam, becomes entwined in the lives of her neighbors. The book is full of the kind of lovable, slightly shallow characters that we can like without having to examine our motives or values. The plot is fairly predictable and it is indicated on the book itself that this is to be the "first in a series." But for light reading it is intelligent and well-executed. The local scene in vividly, and, it appears, accurately painted. Not a deep or complex book, but relaxing and faintly uplifting. ( )

Meet Jana Bibi, a Scottish woman helping to save the small town in India she has grown to call home and the oddball characters she considers family." I'm about 1/3 of the way through, and kinda enjoying it, kinda feeling squicked by it. ?áNow that I reread the description, I see the problem. ?áThe people are "characters" not fully developed individuals, tropes who serve Jana and Betsy, icons who Jana can treat with compassion, and stand up for, and sympathize with... but never fully respect. ?áIt probably isn't racist, because Jana/Janet would have treated the servants and farmers on her family's Scottish estate the same way. ?áIt's class-ist. ?á I read one of the Ladies #1 Detective Agency, and though I didn't care for it, it wasn't as bad as this. ?áI've now decided that I won't bother finishing this."

3.5***

Janet MacPherson Laird – a/k/a Jana Bibi – is a Scotwoman born and raised in India where her father was a cultural minister for Britain. As a young woman she marries William Laird, but loses him to small pox. Still, she remains in the country she loves and is an Indian citizen. In 1959 she inherits the Jolly Grant House, located in a small Himalayan village, from her grandfather.

Jani brings to her new home her faithful ayah, Mary, and her extraordinary pet parrot, Mr Ganguly. Soon she has collected a household of servants including Tilku (messenger boy) and Lal Bahadur Pun (watchman and monkey chaser). When word reaches the residents that the government is considering building a dam which will put their village underwater, Jani joins with the citizens to put Hamara Nagar on the map and convince the powers that be that their village is too important to destroy.

The novel is populated by many colorful characters, and I loved them all, even though there may be too many of them. Their subplots got confusing and detracted from the central story’s tension. The ending is wrapped up a little too quickly (and conveniently) but this is still a lovely, charming and entertaining read – definitely a good beach read.

This is a debut novel but a second Jana Bibi adventure (Love Potion Number 10) will be released in August 2013.
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Are you looking for an escape from the winter weather in your area? Or are you already planning your summer beach reads? Jana Bibi's Excellent Fortunes will transport you to a small Indian town in 1960. Like any small place, Hamara Nagar is full of characters who aren't likely to be found anywhere else.

Jana Bibi is lonely and doesn't feel as if her son understands her. Mary, who has been with her for years, understands Jana Bibi's kind nature and anticipates her employer's house won't hold just the two of them for long. Mary's correct.

Woodman perfectly captures how one woman can win over a town by engaging people in conversation and listening to their concerns. The secondary characters, while interesting on their own, really reveal the kindness and determination of Jana Bibi.

I'm sure more adventures for Jana Bibi and her neighbors is just around the corner. ( )