“Six Days in Bombay” is a historical fiction book by Alka Joshi. I think Ms. Joshi did a fantastic job of making 1930s India come to life in this book. Sona is a nurse working at a hospital. She meets a patient, a female artist, and over the course of six days they become friends. Sona is tasked with mission by the patient - which makes Sona learn about herself and the patient. Sona is half-Indian/half-English, which plays a part in this story - especially in 1930s India. I found this book an interesting one, though a bit slower paced than I would’ve liked, but the slowness was full of lovely descriptions (including Sona’s thoughts) so it wasn’t too bad. I found the observations about travel at the time rather interesting - along with colorful descriptions of the places where Sona was instructed to perform her mission by the patient. And enjoyable read that makes me want to move Ms. Joshi’s other books higher up my to be read pile.

Sona is a nurse who works nights at a hospital in India. One day Mira, a painter, comes in suffering from a miscarriage. She doesn't seem to be getting better. She spends 6 days there and they become friends. Sona is half Indian and British and struggles to make ends meet while caring for her mother. This story starts out slow but gets better about a 1/3 of the way into it. It's a good story of growth.

Alka Joshi is known for making her birth country of India come alive for her readers.

In this novel, Joshi explores the concepts of otherness and identity and reveals the push and pull that ‘in betweens’ face and how the ripple effects shape them. To do so, she introduces us to Sona and shows us how she attempts to harness the best of both worlds (British and Indian) to survive. Adding to the complexity of Sona’s challenge is the political climate of the time. By the late 19th century, many Eurasians faced issues of loyalty and patriotism; was it possible to straddle both cultures? Does each demand a sole focus? This was fascinating for me as I was an immigrant child and could identify with Sola’s situation.

Joshi also highlights equality and the work that’s being done worldwide to see and treat women as equals. We are still struggling with this in the 21st century.

I enjoyed my traipse around the world and a glimpse into the art world. I finished the book thinking that we are not really as different as we’d like to think. We’d like to put everyone into a category and define them, but we’re all fluid, straddling to find the best of both worlds and hoping to settle into a life that works for us. We truly are a product of those we meet and spend time with as well as the places we've inhabited.

I was gifted this copy by Harlequin Trade Publishing/Mira and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I was so very excited when I saw there was a new book my Alka Joshi. The Henna Artist series is one of my favorite series, and I was so excited to jump into her newest stand alone book. Set in 1930's India, it paint a vivid picture of the caste system and the disruption of the British rule. It follows a young nurse that has an Indian mother and a British father, and her coming of age as an independent person. Definitely pulls at the heartstrings. Definitely recommend!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for gifting me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved Six Days in Bombay. It was beautifully written and evocative. I love Ms. Joshi’s writing style; she creates layered and complex characters and paints a scene that invokes all the senses.

The novel follows Sona, a young nurse, who befriends a patient, Mira. Sona, who is of English and Indian descent, has lived a sheltered life with her mother. She is drawn to Mira, a world renowned painter, who has experienced life to the fullest, and regales Sona with the tales of her many exploits. However, suddenly everything changes and Sona must figure out if she will continue to lead a sheltered existence or if she will push forward and see what the world has to offer.