In Mother Land, we meet Rachel who has agreed to move to India with her new husband, Dhruv. What she wasn't expecting was for her mother-in-law to move in. I really enjoy reading about cultures other than my own, so I very much liked Mother Land. The conflict and eventual growth from the main characters were very well written. Thank you to #NetGalley and #TheBookClubGirls for the advance copy of Mother Land by Leah

Cross cultural and cross generational growing in unexpected ways.

So you uproot yourself from family and friends and follow your love to his home country. We're not talking about an American in Paris here, rather an American in Mumbai. Culture shock? Yes, especially when your mother-in-law lands on your doorstep, and not just for a two week visit. You see, having left her husband, it appears Swati is determined to educate Rachel on how to be a proper Indian wife. Irony anyone?
When Rachel ends up with a cleaner coming more frequently and a cook she definitely doesn't want things start to fall apart, and yet mysteriously they also come together, just not in the way either Rachel or Swati expected. For Rachel cooking is important, for Swati one has servants for that.
Rachel Meyer saw coming to Mumbai as an opportunity to have a more ordered life, to experience a new beginning. She finds something different. Her new understandings in many ways are due to her mother-in-law.
Swati has done something so unusual that it leaves everyone in shock. She has left her husband. Rachael is mostly out of sorts at Swati's sudden intrusion into the life she thinks she's building.
Rachel had been convinced that, 'Dhruv would make her happy, he would make her life something stable, something solid.' In India that strength became tradition and expectation and Rachael's life was not going forward. Dhurv becomes a different person once back on home soil. This realization is subtly creeps up on Rachel.
Swati has been exceedingly brave to go against her generation's customs. It takes some time for Rachael to realize this. As things develop the antipathy between them lessens, although not without major road blocks. Cooking plays a part.
As Swati's later reflects, "They had seen each other." I love that line. 'I see you' is a powerful statement.
In the end the multi faceted aspects of relationships, knowing oneself, personal development, courage and regret all mingle to make a fascinating read.
I cheered, I was saddened, occasionally embarrassed if not shocked especially around Rachel's thoughts and observations about the expat society and their overt racism generally. Talk about tiffin and tea, or maybe it's the gin and tonic hangovers of the previous century! I loved it when Rachel begins to view India through the prism of her acquaintance Richard whose embraced India. This too is a growing moment for her.
A wonderful read!

A HarperCollins ARC via NetGalley

I thoroughly enjoyed this engaging and interesting novel. It is the story of an American woman, Rachel, who marries an Indian man, Dhruv and moves to Mumbai with him. They have only been married a short time when his mother, Swati, leaves her husband and moves in with them. Dhruv is called away on business and Rachel and Swati must learn to live together. It was a great perspective of the Indian culture - I learned a lot. Rachel and Swati were real, believable and empathetic women. I loved how their relationship evolved and progressed the same way they did personally. I highly recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley and The Book Club Girls for the ARC.

I received this ARC through Book Club Girls Early Reads on Facebook. Thank you! #MotherLand #NetGalley

After a personally difficult start to the book, I thoroughly enjoyed the character development and their arc of growth, begrudging empathy and, finally, friendship.

The “personally difficult” start for me was because I am in a mother-in-law situation as well. I have a live-in mother-in-law with dementia who was basically dropped on me without much choice on my part. I could empathize with Rachel but it felt too close to home. I got stalled right at the beginning and needed the expiration date to push past my own issues.

For me the saving grace was the alternating points of view. It gave me a chance to feel and understand both sides of the equation, to get their equally valid perspectives. At first it didn’t feel equally valid, but the author showed great respect of the cultural differences and qualities and I felt I was being enlightened right along with the two protagonists.

The only downside, in my opinion, was the repetition. Several points were made more than once, almost like the author felt readers wouldn’t get the lesson the first time. I do believe a little more detail was added each time the observation was made, but it didn’t seem necessary to repeat the same thing multiple times.

I enjoyed the book and will recommend it. I especially am tickled to see that much of the cultural experience of Rachel reflects the author’s life and setting, albeit a bit more of a positive experience for the author.
This review is also on Goodreads and The Book Club Girls group page on Facebook.

In the beginning I really liked this book. And I never changed my feelings for the characters, I liked Rachel a lot and felt for her her the entire time. I felt the author did a great job developing this character. I also never really like Swati,.. I felt her inner conflict, but I didn’t like her choice with Arjun and I felt that was so unrealistic, no matter what kind of midlife, soul searching, crisis you are going through, in that culture I don’t think that seemed realistic. I could have gotten behind a lot but that was too weird for me. I loved the ending. I loved how everyone was about to be mature with going their separate ways, but I, again, don’t know how realistic this was. I think people would like this book, so I’ll recommend it, but it wasn’t one of my favorite.

Leah Franqui’s descriptive writing makes you feel as if you are in Mumbai with her characters Rachel and Swati. These are two very different women who end up living together and are from seemingly different worlds, but find they have some common connections. Interesting idea to explore.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishing for the ARC. I was really looking forward to reading this one as I enjoy reading about India in its fascinating culture. While I did enjoy that part of the story, I often found myself bored. I’m not sure if it was the writing style or if it was just that the characters were boring. I didn’t really find myself engrossed in the story until the end. There was some excitement and interest in the last couple of chapters.

Received this ARC from William Morrow and Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel, an American woman, marries Dhruv, an Indian man. They move to Mumbai and his mother-in-law moves in with them. I was intrigued by this description as I am married to an Indian man and have always wondered how his mother and I would clash if we had to live together. I enjoyed the women learning about themselves and how to be more independent. However, I found the book to be quite boring. It was a lot of internal dialogue and thoughts, which doesn’t fully interest me. It was a great concept, but I think there could have been more with the culture flash that would have made it more interesting.

Rachel Meyer, an independent, thirty-something New Yorker, has moved to India with her new Indian-born husband, Dhruv. Rachel is struggling to find her place in an entirely new culture and to make matters worse, Dhruv doesn't really seem to understand her struggles and leaves Rachel on her own much of the time. When Dhruv's traditional Indian mother Swati suddenly shows up to move in with them, Rachel's life is thrown into further turmoil. Both strong-willed women struggle to assert themselves in the running of the household but ultimately may discover how similar they really are.

I really didn't know what to expect from this book but ended up loving it. It is both hilarious and heartwarming. While I started out most invested in and sympathetic to Rachel, Swati grew on me, and by the end I was extremely invested in her. I loved the development of the women's relationship, and the descriptions of the Indian culture in the novel. Both main characters are complex, and I loved stepping into both women's heads as the point of view switched between them.

I think this would make an excellent book for book club discussions and plan to recommend it to my friends.

This journey of growth for two women who initially believed they had nothing in common was a joy to read! I loved seeing the way they worked to challenge their beliefs and biases to become better and to realize what they wanted out of life. Some parts did seem like a lot to me (Rachel was a bit too whiny, Swati’s love interest seemed unrealistic) but overall I really enjoyed this story!

I loved this book. The character development kept me interested throughout. The descriptions of life in Mumbai made me feel like I was right there.

I received an ARC from netgalley.com

Mother land is a story of an American living in India with her new Mother in Law while her husband is away on business. As they both struggle with their new lives and each other, they develop a friendship.

It was a wonderful story about cultural norms, families, and finding oneself. I didn't expect to enjoy it but I really did. The character and ot development is sound and though not overly descriptive it does give you a feel of India. I wanted more description

Mother Land tells the story of an American woman who moves to India with her new husband and spends her newlywed time getting to know her mother-in-law who has unexpectedly moved in with them. I really enjoyed the developing friendship with Swati and Rachel and how that developed throughout the novel. It would have been very easy to dislike Swati but there is good character development as the story moves on. Leah Franqui did a great job transporting me to Mumbai and making me feel the city. However, I felt a lot of the novel was repeating the same themes and conversations without really moving the story forward. My biggest problem was with Rachel's husband Dhruv. I didn't like him at all and thought the character could use some development. I couldn't figure out what Rachel saw in him and inspired her to move halfway around the world to be with him.

A story of friendship and self-discovery told from the point of view of alternating characters, Rachel and Swarti. We follow two different personal journeys, a native to the country of India and a foreigner who through different circumstances have been thrown together.

I enjoyed the story and the writing although the character of Rachel seemed a bit immature and whiny and not always likeable. I had fun watching Swarti takes risks to break through her cultural norms to give herself a better life. While I enjoyed having a 'tour' through Mumbai, I didn't get as deep a sense of the city as I would have liked, but I think that might be harder to do with contemporary fiction over historical fiction. Despite this, I still enjoyed 'exploring' the city with Rachel. I appreciate that the author uses her experience to write this story as that always adds another level to my enjoyment as well.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and plan on checking out the author's other book, America for Beginners.

Rachel leaves NY with her husband to move to Mumbai. As if the culture shock isn’t enough, her mother-in-law, Swati, shows up to move in after leaving her husband of over 40 years. This book dives into new beginnings and forced relationships.

This book was interesting, but it was easy to put down. I didn’t connect with the characters as I had hoped. However, I would read more books by Leah Franqui.

Thank you to Book Club Girls, HarperCollins, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really struggled with the characters and a lot of their decisions in this book, but I really enjoyed the story itself, along with the writing.

Rachel, a white Jewish girl whose only true passion is cooking, has a whirlwind romance with Dhruv and after eloping, moves to Mumbai (from New York) with him for his job. While there, she experiences culture shock to the extreme, and even more so when her mother-in-law Swati arrives unexpectedly to move in with them, and Dhruv doesn't stop her. Furthermore, he disappears a 6-week work trip, and leaves Rachel all alone with his mother in their tiny apartment, and rarely calls to check in.

There is a real cultural conflict in this book with each character believing that their way is the "right" way and everyone else's way is the "wrong" way. All of the characters would have been a lot happier if they had just accepted other people's customs as "different" instead of bad; they would have at least have been able to approach each other without being so defensive all the time. This is especially difficult in Rachel and Dhruv's marriage, where he seems to expect her to merely conform to life as an Indian wife instead of having any aspirations or desires of her own.

I really liked the relationship that slowly developed between Rachel and Swati, even as uncomfortable it was most of the time. The fact that they both start out as seemingly weak and then grow from that was fun to read. And that they grow as they start to respect and even like the other one as equals (instead of merely learning to tolerate the other) was something I really liked and isn't usually explored in many books focused on female relationships.

On the other hand, the male characters were so blah. All of them, but especially Dhruv. Because this books begins with Rachel and Dhruv already in Mumbai and her already struggling, the reader starts out not really understanding what she ever saw in him, and that never goes away. I did not root for their relationship from the first page, but rather, the whole time, was hoping she'd figure out an escape plan.

However, the writing really sucked me in, especially with all the vivid descriptions of Mumbai and the people Rachel meets, and that made me want to keep reading to find out what would happen to Rachel and Swati.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Book Club Girl at William Morrow for providing me with an arc of this book. It has not influenced my opinion.

“You’re going to think I’m insane, but I don’t like avocado.”

I received Mother Land courtesy of William Morrow Books and TBH, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this book. I take notes while I read and my early notes questioned why I continued on. I’m glad I did because by the 50% mark I realized that it’s not that I was disliking the book, it was that the author was developing such rich characters that I was forming strong feelings about all of them. This character development transformed the second half of the book into one that I couldn’t put down. In the end, I felt like I was a supportive girlfriend walking this truth alongside these wonderful characters.

Author Leah Franqui has developed a storyline that examines relationships, self-doubt, reconciliation, and enlightenment.

Rachel and her new husband Dhruv have recently moved to Mumbai, India from New York for his work. She thinks that she wants to be there, but quickly finds herself overwhelmed by the challenges of living in a new county and a new culture. On top of this, Dhruv’s mother has decided to move in with the newlyweds. This new living situation makes Rachel’s head spin. She has to learn to deal with all of these life changes without losing herself in the process.

It took a while to get into this book, but as the story moved, I liked it more and more. Rachel, the main character was unhappy living in India with her new Indian husband and when her mother in law moved in, she was even more unhappy. As Rachel and Swati come to know and like each other, Rachel’s view of herself and of India begins to change. The author does a great job of describing cultural differences in a way that shows one culture is not always right while the other is wrong. I would recommend this book.

An interesting story with good characters. I enjoyed reading it, but felt a little disenchanted with it toward the end.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Leah Franqui's MOTHER LAND was a hard, squirmy read for me. I requested the ARC knowing that this was likely to be the case. My spouse is Indian, and I am not. I have personally experienced many of the interpersonal dynamics that play out in the novel. Franqui does an admirable job of showcasing the reality of an intercultural marriage. For the most part, she remains fair to both viewpoints. The last quarter of the novel was a little less believable to me, so I've given MOTHER LAND four stars.

Following a whirlwind courtship, Dhruv and Rachel take their "love marriage" on the road. They relocate from New York to Mumbai for a three-year job Dhruv has taken. Rachel is naive and immature in her consideration of the move. She expects an adventure, but isn't ready for the effort and stamina required to make the move successful. She's directionless and lonely. At this point, her mother-in-law Swati shows up unannounced to declare she's left her husband and is moving in with the newlyweds. What follows is an interesting back-and-forth between two women who both have something to prove. I enjoyed this part of the novel. Franqui injects humor and levity into a narrative built around the obstacles Rachel and Swati face. I was rooting for them to find their common ground and take on the world, together.

Unfortunately, the last quarter of the book included a plot point that didn't sit well with me. Maybe it's because I'm biased and could never see my own mother-in-law doing the things Swati does. It felt like Franqui decided that the West had won the battle of the cultures. In my opinion, the victory was a little too one-sided and fantastical, and for that reason, I've deducted a star.

I would absolutely recommend MOTHER LAND to those who love reading about cultural interplay and family dynamics.