I really wanted to like this book. The synopsis held so much promise, but the book failed to deliver as much as I hoped for from it. I enjoyed it well enough, but with a few tweaks it could have been an even more enjoyable read.

Special thanks to Algonquin Books for gifting me an ARC in exchange via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars!

A People's History of Heaven is a beautifully crafted literary debut full of so much heart! With her lyrical prose and vivid descriptions of everyday life, it was as if Mathangi Subramanian reached through the pages of this novel and pulled me right into Heaven itself. This is a story about the strong and proud women that live in Heaven—the grandmothers, the mothers, and the daughters, who do whatever it takes to survive the hardships of not only living in a slum but being part of an oppressive patriarchal society that was not designed for women and girls to succeed.

I really enjoyed Subramanian's writing! It was sharp, poetic and flowed so well and combined with the relatively short sections, it made for a very fast and easy read. The author managed to simply and evocatively convey the richness of the setting, from everyday life in Heaven to the bustling megacity that is Bangalore, and the sociocultural tapestry that makes up life for these women and girls. This is a character-driven story told through the perspective of an unidentified narrator, who teaches us the history of the people of heaven—particularly focusing on five girls and their mothers/grandmothers. There is a fairly loose plot-line that serves as the backdrop for us learning about these characters, namely that they're trying to save Heaven from being destroyed and turned into another mall or office space as the city of Bangalore further develops.

While the girls and their mothers are the main players in this story, it was initially a little confusing to keep track of who was who to who and what they did, but once we get to know them through their histories, the more they individually stood out. These characters had such captivating and often heartbreaking backstories but they blew me away with their empowering strength and the way they never stopped making the best of their lives, and most importantly, the way they never stopped dreaming and reaching for more. There's definitely a lot packed into this seemingly simple story but it's done in clever ways that made this an even more compelling read! I especially enjoyed the way Subramanian confronted the poverty or more specifically, the "poverty porn" aspect in the story. As someone who works in the development aid sector, the irony is too real but I loved the way these girls owned the narrative!

I absolutely loved Deepa, the blind dancer; Banu, the quiet artist; Joy, the converted Christian transgender; Padma, the only daughter with a 'good father' and a mother with an untreated mental illness leaving her to grow up faster than expected; and Rukshana, the queer daughter of a very vocal Muslim activist in the slum. These girls have such a fantastic and unbreakable bond and I loved to see the ways they steadfastly supported each other, especially when faced with the often very harsh realities of their lives. That said, although they wear these "neat labels", we learn about their individual struggles, their hopes and dreams for the future, and what makes them more than how the world sees them. They're such bright, sassy, sharp-witted and resourceful young girls and it was fantastic to view their world through their eyes. Their stories really brought this book to life!

Overall, this is a book rich in culture, diversity and strong, empowering and supportive women. If you enjoy literary fiction, character driven stories, and stories about and from other cultures, I would highly recommend checking this out! I'm looking forward to reading more of Subramanian's work in the future :)

Fantastic storytelling, beautiful character development that creates an invested reader very quickly.

What does a community mean to you? It’s the question that I asked myself over and over while reading this book. When the people of Heaven’s building is jeopardized a group of 5 young women band together to stop them demolition at all costs

Not only does this story focus on the girls, it tells a tale of generations focusing on their families as well. It was unique to see the different cultural aspects in this book

I gave this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and recommend it to anyone looking for something different to read

This was such an interesting read. I'm glad I got the chance to read it. Thanks to the publisher for sending me this book.

I loved this book. While reading and shortly after reading I was raving about it.

A People's History of Heaven is essentially a deep character study of a community. There is no single narrator; the focus of the narrative switches between various characters, but at no point would I say the story belongs to a single person.

I loved the diversity of characters. It's a story of women, but everyone has her own personality and situation. I'm incredibly grateful that Mathangi Subramanian didn't create a community of straight able-bodied women; she delves into the lesbian experience, the trans experience, the blind experience, and the learning disabled experience. As the partner of a visually impaired person, I can particularly appreciate the characterization of Deepa; I am THRILLED at the inclusion of a blind person a) with partial vision and b) who is a real character.

A People's History of Heaven really is the story of a community. It's framed by the city trying to bulldoze the slum and tells the story of each of its major female inhabitants. It is not a story about the queer inhabitants of Heaven; it's a story about Heaven. Despite that, it made the Barbara Gittings Award longlist and was one of the best books I read all year.

Thanks Net Galley for the preview!

This book is not about the Heaven everyone knows about-rather it features a slum in Bangalore. It follows a group of 5 teenage girls and their different journeys through life while battling with being a girl in India. The many many characters got a little confusing and hard to distinguish. I almost felt overwhelmed by the figurative language and poetic type verses. I couldn't always follow the story. I also found the ending to be a little abrupt but it would have taken a long time to tie up 5+ lives.

I dnfd this book in the first few chapters. There was a conversation that I personally did not agree with. This book does not have a great "flow" so it reads a bit difficulty.

It reads more textbook like as opposed to fiction. If you enjoy that type of writing then you may like this.

I love a good character driven book and this one was packed with vibrant, well developed characters. A collective narrator comprised of the five main characters was a fascinating approach to telling the story. And given the circumstances - their quest to save their home as some sort of band of misfits - it worked amazingly well. Each girl’s personal journey made this book multi-layered and allowed the reader to connect with the characters. Because this was a bit of a coming of age story with the girls discovering themselves while banding together to save their home, this easily could have been a YA book and a powerful one at that.

When I read the blurb, I thought this would be a heart breaking story which talks about the poverty and the sad happenings of a slum life but the author took a different turn and revolved the story around friendships, hopes and strength of the people in the slum called Heaven.

The five girls are amazing and diverse characters.
Deepa who loves to dance, can't continue going to school after she slowly lost her sight. Padma, at an young age expected to act mature. Banu who lives with her grandma has an amazing talent in architecture. Joy, the youngest of 4 boys is a transgender. His backstory and his mother's acceptance part is my favorite. And lastly, Rukshana, a muslim girl who struggles with her sexuality.

Despite their struggles, you could find their individual charms, joy in small things, loyalty, strong friendships and above all their ability to fight and stand their ground. You will want them all to live a safe and happy life.

There are too many characters. So it was kinda confusing and I found the narration quite difficult.

If you like literary fiction with a bunch of characters and lyrical writing, this one is for you.

Before I start my review, I’d like to thank Algonquin Books team for letting me posting this review on a later date for the blog tour. I was supposed to post this on the 19th but work is taking a toll on me, so not much reading and blogging had been done. Without further ado, let’s get into the review!

This book is wholesome. It covers SOOOO MANYYY aspects in life and it represents the word ‘diversity’ so well. From POC representation to LGBT representation. Plus, it was done with depth and a lot of discussion about all these issues have been included in this book. It was pure joy going into this book and to know that the author never stopped at just one issue. This book is about a small community but the people are not small at all. There are not many of them but each of them are unique and special and relatable in many ways.

A People’s History of Heaven focuses on 5 Indian girls who live in a slum called Heaven in Bangalore. They have different personalities, different faiths, different abilities and they really shine throughout the story. The whole story was not much, as in it wasn’t about plot development, it was more about the characters and their stories. After I finished reading, I was like wait, there wasn’t much plot development going on and I didn’t mind at all because the story of each girl and woman in the book was what matter most and I really adored them. We are served with different generations of women and their struggles as girl and as housewives in India. Also, the lack of opportunity to get education, to get a better life compared to sons, the fate that they need to accept regardless their thoughts.

I was amazed with the representation of LGBT. Not only the author covered on transgender’s struggles in their daily life, including getting into colleges and getting harassed by men. Joy was known as Anand and after being baptised, she then is known as Joy and I really adored how supportive her mother of her. The way she stood up for her daughter was really touching. Then we have Rukshana who’s a lesbian, and then Banu’s ajji‘s husband who was a gay and having a relationship with another man while being married to Banu’s ajji. And all of these were written so well and it wasn’t just on the surface level at all. It was done thoroughly.

We also have Deepa, a blind girl who has so much spirit in her that it lifted up my mood every time I read the parts or moments with her in it. I love how each and every girl has their own set of struggles yet they manage to live up to their optimal potential. Their friendship is out of the world. Oh, and not forgetting Janaki ma’am for being so supportive to the girls, she’s the headmistress that I wish to meet some day in my real life.

All in all, this is such a phenomenal book. It gave you a good feeling right after you finish reading it and maybe days later. I’m just so glad I got to read it and share my thoughts about it. My review honestly didn’t do enough justice but I’d totally recommend A People’s History of Heaven. It’s a great coming of age story and it will make you have a new outlook in life.

This book weaves a rich tapestry of interconnected lives. The prose is so lovely, it made the book impossible to put down. Heaven exists because of these women, unwilling to to bend to the world and be anything other than themselves. This book was an absolute treat.

"Our houses may break, but our mothers won't. Instead, they form a human chain, hijabs and dupattas snapping in the metallic wind, saris shimmering in the afternoon sun. Between the machines and the broken stone, our mothers blaze like carnations scattered at the feet of smashed-up goddesses. Angry, unforgiving goddesses, the kind with skulls around their necks and corpses beneath their feet.
The kind that protect their children.
That protect their daughters."

You often come across books that surprise you. And A People’s History of Heaven was one such book for me.

- The story takes place in a fictional slum called Heaven in contemporary Bangalore, India, and revolves around five girls, on the verge of womanhood, and their mothers, who are left behind by their husbands. The story starts on the day when the local government sent bulldozers to demolish that slum.
- We have a graffiti artist (Banu), a transgender Christian convert (Joy), a blind dancer (Deepa), a migrant forced to be an adult before her age (Padma) and a queer daughter of a hijabi union leader (Rukhsana). But all these girls forge an unbreakable bond in spite of their circumstances and that’s what we discover in the story.
-You can see that we have so much diversity here in terms of characters.
- The slum life has been portrayed realistically. There is poverty for sure but there is hope too. Most of the husbands have left their wives.
- The author has done this wonderful sarcastic job of “then” and “now” Bangalore. I am living in this city and I can resonate with everything the author said. How this changed from a small village-like town to a megapolis city. How the engineers now rule the city filled with glass buildings.
- I loved the writing so much. I am not a huge fan of metaphors and poetic writing but this book was certainly an exception. The writing was lyrical and poetic and yet I was able to connect to it. There were so many beautiful lines in the book. Actually, it is the most highlighted book for me in recent times :D
- The author has chosen to tell the backstories of each character in between the current day events. Well, actually most of the book is backstory only. We are shown only two days in the present and in these two days, the author has given the backstory of every girl and her mother and grandmother. And then in past too, there are multiple timelines.
- There has been multiple themes explored. There are all diverse characters with varied religious beliefs and family backgrounds. We have varied gender identities and sexual orientations as well as physical disabilities. We have social issues like arranged marriages, forced sterilization and poverty.
- It speaks of mother-daughter relationships and I am a huge fan of this theme. These mothers and daughters, though don’t necessarily agree with each other always, but they are protective and fierce for each other.
- Then we have supportive friendships. There is unconditional love among them.
- And finally, we have the power of women. How women survive in this world which is otherwise so difficult for them, which has always thrown tough choices in their way. The power of women who can survive without a husband and the power of women who can stop the bulldozers from ruining their homes.
- If you love literary fiction, you should definitely pick this book.

This is a book about women, for women, written by a woman, which shouldn’t be missed. The story is atmospheric and beautiful. The author has written a novel with difficult but rather realistic aspects of Indian life. This is a story encapsulated with beautiful female characters and strong mother-daughter relationships. And for the (Indian)people who are still trying to find an Indian novel with the LGBTQ+ rep, well here it is.

This novel captivated me from the synopsis thru the entirety of the book. This was a dramatic coming of age story which offered a story of emotion, strength and hope. A very powerful and moving story, perfectly well written.

The book focuses on a group of girls and their families who live in a slum called Heaven in Bangalore and tells us about their individual experiences and the culture and perception of living in there. I haven’t read any fiction about Bangalore or really any books set in India. I found this story to be really insightful as the author based it off her own experiences when she visited the area. Its a heartwarming and eye opening collection of stories.⁣ The cast is incredibly diverse in religion, sexuality and able-bodiedness. Overall I liked the novel, I just found it had a tendency to tell at times and I didn't feel like I was immediately with the characters, which made it slightly difficult to keep my attention at times. But on the contrary I also liked the author's descriptive writing style which made the novel feel poetic at times.
I would recommend it to read as there are not enough books about this topic written about in this way.

Such a wonderful story about the bonds of friendship and perseverance for women in a culture that brings them down! I loved the diversity between all the characters and their different strengths. At times I felt the flash backs got a little confusing because there was one almost every chapter, at least one or two times. Other than that the writing was absolutely beautiful!

Thank you to Algonquin for sending this my way. I loved this story of standing in your power as a woman when patriarchal views dominate.

Swargahalli, which loosely translates to Heaven, is a slum in the heart of Bangalore city, beside the erstwhile airport. Already surrounded by rich apartments and a posh neighborhood, Heaven is being rummaged by the municipal authorities to make way for a shopping mall, as is the norm everywhere in major cities in current times. As the bulldozers arrive, ready to crush the dreams and future of its residents, the five teenage girls, around whom this story centers, reminisce their time spent in Heaven.

Deepa who had to pull out of school due to her visual impairment but is enthusiastic about dance and still joins her girl pals during their annual day dance competitions, Banu the born artist and aspiring-architect who can give a smart makeover to any place with disposed scarp, Padma the once outsider who had to grow much earlier than she would have intended to, Joy the transgender whom the girls find more affable and sensible than the other boys in their locality and school, Rukshana who is trying to come to terms with her sexuality.

These five girls and predominantly their mothers, grandmothers, sisters, their school principal, their teacher — the story is majorly about the women of Heaven. How they stand united through all of life’s trials and tribulations, against the forces ready to crash their world Heaven form the rest of the story.

At the outset, the reader can be misled that this is a sad story of a slum and its inhabitants. The story is anything but a sorrow-story as these girls are gritty, fierce, full-of-life and not one to live in self-pity; they don’t look at life as an everyday struggle for survival. Added to their attitude is the author’s lyrical style of writing, filled with catchy metaphors which draws the reader into the story from the first page. The author does a fantastic job in establishing these girls’ traits through the eyes of the other residents, going back and forth in narration, focusing on the diverse backgrounds of each of them.

The simple joys that young girls search for in life irrespective of their financial status is well brought out by the author. The realistic writing style makes sure everyday minute details are captured with precision, like women known as someone’s wife or mother rather than by their own names. The story is more about these people and their approach towards life narrated like short stories stitched together, which can be disappointing for the section of readers who look for a normal storyline and narration style. Also, the story is narrated by each of these girls in turns which can take the reader sometime to get accustomed to.

Read this story for the beautiful journey of these young girls who struggle in their own way for society acceptance without bowing to its pressures.

Thank you Algonquin Books for a free e-ARC in exchange for my participation in a blog tour and my honest review.

A People’s History of Heaven is a beautiful and poetic tale of a fearless group of young women trying to establish their place in an ever-changing world. Stuck between the traditional values of their mothers and the continuously growing modern world, these young women must discover their identities and take control of their futures. The beauty of friendship, love, loyalty, and courage is woven so intricately into the community of Heaven that you as a reader can’t help but feel the pride that these young women have for their home.

The world sees as an impoverished slum with no value other than to be wiped clean by the city in place of some new modern construction, but to the residents of Heaven, they see a jewel. A rough jewel admittedly, but a shining, beautiful, treasure. Their homes. Their lives. Their friends and family all around them. The true meaning of community.

A People’s History of Heaven not only tells you the story of these amazing five young women, but also dives into the backstories and the strength of the mothers and grandmothers in their lives. It really drives home the amount of strength and courage that all women hold within themselves and how we as women can persevere and adapt to anything as long as we remain true to ourselves. A People’s History of Heaven is a beautiful, courageous, phenomenal read and every young woman should give it a read at least once in their lifetime.

A People’s History of Heaven is a one of a kind book.
It has a wonderful cast of characters that are well-developed and intriguing, and they are masterfully executed as they jump off the page and grab onto your attention. The story is heartwarming, in the end it left me feeling like I’ve experienced something I never will again.
The book is written beautifully, the style felt fresh and it flowed really well. The book was paced just to my liking, it kept me entertained from the start, and it kept me focused on the story throughout.
I definitely recommend this book. I think it’s an unmissable read that you should check out.