The Candid Life of Meena Dave
- Downloads：6891
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-06-26 11:21:41
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Namrata Patel
- ISBN：1713660032
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
A woman embarks on an unexpected journey into her past in an engrossing novel about identity， family secrets， and rediscovering the need to belong。
Meena Dave is a photojournalist and a nomad。 She has no family， no permanent address， and no long-term attachments， preferring to observe the world at a distance through the lens of her camera。 But Meena’s solitary life is turned upside down when she unexpectedly inherits an apartment in a Victorian brownstone in historic Back Bay， Boston。
Though Meena’s impulse is to sell it and keep moving， she decides to use her journalistic instinct to follow the story that landed her in the home of a stranger。 It’s a mystery that comes with a series of hidden clues， a trio of meddling Indian aunties， and a handsome next-door neighbor。 For Meena it’s a chance for newfound friendships， community， and culture she never thought possible。 And a window into her past she never expected。
Now as everything unknown to Meena comes into focus， she must reconcile who she wants to be with who she really is。
Meena Dave is a photojournalist and a nomad。 She has no family， no permanent address， and no long-term attachments， preferring to observe the world at a distance through the lens of her camera。 But Meena’s solitary life is turned upside down when she unexpectedly inherits an apartment in a Victorian brownstone in historic Back Bay， Boston。
Though Meena’s impulse is to sell it and keep moving， she decides to use her journalistic instinct to follow the story that landed her in the home of a stranger。 It’s a mystery that comes with a series of hidden clues， a trio of meddling Indian aunties， and a handsome next-door neighbor。 For Meena it’s a chance for newfound friendships， community， and culture she never thought possible。 And a window into her past she never expected。
Now as everything unknown to Meena comes into focus， she must reconcile who she wants to be with who she really is。
Reviews
Colleen Kravelick
，
This story follows Meena Dave， a photojournalist， as she unexpectedly inherits an apartment within a famous brownstone in Boston。 Meena has no family and no home base， as she lost her adoptive parents as a teenager and never settled in one place since their death。 The inheritance kicks in Meena’s journalist instincts and she begins to discover facts about her birth parents。 Meena is faced with a tough decision- should she continue with her nomadic， lonely existence or face her fears， put down ro This story follows Meena Dave， a photojournalist， as she unexpectedly inherits an apartment within a famous brownstone in Boston。 Meena has no family and no home base， as she lost her adoptive parents as a teenager and never settled in one place since their death。 The inheritance kicks in Meena’s journalist instincts and she begins to discover facts about her birth parents。 Meena is faced with a tough decision- should she continue with her nomadic， lonely existence or face her fears， put down roots， and form connections with others。 I really enjoyed this one！ 。。。more
Janci
，
I enjoyed this， I liked Meena。 From the beginning， I thought "Well， this is obvious" but then it wasn't。 I enjoyed this， I liked Meena。 From the beginning， I thought "Well， this is obvious" but then it wasn't。 。。。more
Brianne LaBorde
，
3。5 — quick and cute with some depth & culture。 I enjoyed learning as Meena did about Indian culture。 I enjoyed the mystery and the little notes。 I certainly have my critiques （predictable， cliche， etc） but overall， it was good。
Lachmi
，
I enjoyed the premise but the ending fell short of what it could have been。 I wish the characters would have been more drawn out and explored the dynamics of embracing culture， family， and food more。
Julia Kline
，
This was cute。 Nothing jaw dropping， but enjoyable and sweet。 My biggest gripe was that there was a lot of telling over showing （like the incredibly detailed descriptions about Boston almost killed me）， which made it feel simple and underdeveloped。 But it still kept me interested and hooked， and was definitely one of the best Prime First Reads I’ve snagged。 Oh， PS - did anyone else keep expecting it to take a dark， mystery turn？ This whole concept and description of the Engineers House felt like This was cute。 Nothing jaw dropping， but enjoyable and sweet。 My biggest gripe was that there was a lot of telling over showing （like the incredibly detailed descriptions about Boston almost killed me）， which made it feel simple and underdeveloped。 But it still kept me interested and hooked， and was definitely one of the best Prime First Reads I’ve snagged。 Oh， PS - did anyone else keep expecting it to take a dark， mystery turn？ This whole concept and description of the Engineers House felt like it could turn into a cult crime novel at any moment。 。。。more
Pam Hurd
，
An easy quick read。 A bit too much self imposed drama by main character。
Jeaiza Quiñones Ivory
，
I liked this novel a lot （there's a sub-genre of novels that dive into cultural traditions across different ethnicities that I really enjoy in general。） This book is the story of an adopted woman in her 30s who mysteriously inherits an apartment and makes discoveries about herself， her past， love， grief， and culture through a developing friendship with a unique bunch of neighbors。It's a love story with many layers。 A story about grief， the family you're born with， and the one you make。 It's als I liked this novel a lot （there's a sub-genre of novels that dive into cultural traditions across different ethnicities that I really enjoy in general。） This book is the story of an adopted woman in her 30s who mysteriously inherits an apartment and makes discoveries about herself， her past， love， grief， and culture through a developing friendship with a unique bunch of neighbors。It's a love story with many layers。 A story about grief， the family you're born with， and the one you make。 It's also a small but beautiful peek into Indian culture and Indian-American history。 Well written。 Good pacing。 。。。more
Charlene Hagerty
，
Indian American StoryI loved this very candid view of Indian American culture。 Meena's journey is difficult and heartbreaking， but very necessary given the curveball life has dealt her。 Indian American StoryI loved this very candid view of Indian American culture。 Meena's journey is difficult and heartbreaking， but very necessary given the curveball life has dealt her。 。。。more
Renee Kimball
，
great readWhat a good book！ I loved learning about Indian culture。 I loved how Meena found her “roots” and settled down。
Catherine
，
An easy to consume audio book that made my walks go by very quickly。
Lori Hooten
，
This is a fun fiction book about the life of Meena。 Meena is a photo journalist who spends her life jetting around the globe to shoot stories for all kinds of high profile media sources。 This is suddenly thrown out of whack when she finds she has inherited an apartment in a group owned building in Boston from someone she doesn’t even know。 In trying to maintain her life as she knew it and figure out the whole apartment thing， something happens to her and life shifts。 Important things maybe are n This is a fun fiction book about the life of Meena。 Meena is a photo journalist who spends her life jetting around the globe to shoot stories for all kinds of high profile media sources。 This is suddenly thrown out of whack when she finds she has inherited an apartment in a group owned building in Boston from someone she doesn’t even know。 In trying to maintain her life as she knew it and figure out the whole apartment thing， something happens to her and life shifts。 Important things maybe are not so much anymore and unimportant things change position， too。 This was a really enjoyable fiction read that I can recommend easily。 。。。more
Sangitha
，
What an amazing book！ I could not put it down。 The emotions of the protagonist， the beautiful description of Boston， and the house。 Makes me wish I were living in this building。 I am going to enjoy this book again with warm apple cider in the fall。
Debra McGuire
，
An Authentic Story！Anyone who has ever felt disconnected from others will connect to this story， because it acknowledges the reasons from keeping a division between yourself and others， which is an important first step in deciding whether that conscious division still works for you。 Just lovely。
Kelley Snorklefoxie
，
Enjoyed I really loved reading this book。 Add cultural education and I am hooked。 There is so much to learn from each other。 The relationships between the characters was well written。 I think a little more involvement would have made this excellent。 I kept having questions。 Not so much about the mystery but more about the characters。 I wondered more about the husbands and the families involved。 I felt Meeny's parents could have been described more。 I understood Meeny's withdrawal but maybe more Enjoyed I really loved reading this book。 Add cultural education and I am hooked。 There is so much to learn from each other。 The relationships between the characters was well written。 I think a little more involvement would have made this excellent。 I kept having questions。 Not so much about the mystery but more about the characters。 I wondered more about the husbands and the families involved。 I felt Meeny's parents could have been described more。 I understood Meeny's withdrawal but maybe more complexity of her character could have been explored。 。。。more
Sue
，
3。75
Donna Reason
，
Great storyI loved this book。 It gave me severe emotions while reading it。 Happiness ，sadness，anger joy， and contentment。 I felt myself smiling at the end。
Tracy Mecum
，
I thoroughly enjoyed this book about Meena and how she finds herself and lets go of the past。 I especially loved the immersion into Eastern Indian cooking and traditions。 It was an inspirational book， well written， with good character development and a satisfying conclusion。 Thank you， Namrata Patel， for giving us this novel。
Shirley
，
Interesting book that reveals some Indian immigration stories from the early 20th Century。 I really liked the overall story of discovery by the main character， Meena Dave。 The descriptions of the Indian foods and flavors was enthralling。 As was the descriptions of their traditions and clothing。 The mystery and conflicted feelings throughout the story gave it an interesting twist。 Character development was superb。 The only reason I did not give this book a five star rating was because many of the Interesting book that reveals some Indian immigration stories from the early 20th Century。 I really liked the overall story of discovery by the main character， Meena Dave。 The descriptions of the Indian foods and flavors was enthralling。 As was the descriptions of their traditions and clothing。 The mystery and conflicted feelings throughout the story gave it an interesting twist。 Character development was superb。 The only reason I did not give this book a five star rating was because many of the relationships were cliche。 The girl meets the boy because the dog brings them together。 The girl and her college friend goes years without seeing one another and then are busom buddies。 The friends at trivia in Boston are similar to the friends in London。 。。。more
barbara taylor
，
Excellent book ， very well written 。 It is a story of a young woman’s Adventure of finding herself and her cultural identity 。
Lindsey Ford
，
A good readThis was a good read。 It allowed me to learn about Indian culture some while having a couple of good storylines that kept me intrigued all the way to the epilogue。
Sisdr
，
good companyBrilliantly drawn characters， relationships， and complications。 The loves of language， family， and ineluctably tangled histories are as palpable as they are inseparable。 Welcome home， to the Meenas， wherever you find yourselves on the journey。 May you have aunties and chai for your soul。
Maureen Seitz
，
Was a little disappointed by the ending of this book but did enjoy the character development and depiction of family and the meaning of home throughout the book。
Helen Ahern
，
Meena travels the world as a photojournalist。 She has no ties no relationships and no permanent home。 She had until she was 16 and then everything was literally blown away。 She has put up a barrier between herself and the world。 The pain of losing everything was so great that she is not willing to allow herself to become attached to anything or anyone again。 Then out of the blue she’s left an apartment in Boston。 She has no idea who Neha Patel was and why she’s left her an apartment in the EH。 O Meena travels the world as a photojournalist。 She has no ties no relationships and no permanent home。 She had until she was 16 and then everything was literally blown away。 She has put up a barrier between herself and the world。 The pain of losing everything was so great that she is not willing to allow herself to become attached to anything or anyone again。 Then out of the blue she’s left an apartment in Boston。 She has no idea who Neha Patel was and why she’s left her an apartment in the EH。 On her way to see it she bumps in to Wally and then meets Sam。 When I started this I wasn’t expecting to like it so much。 It was a great read and I was drawn in to Meena’s life from the start。 It’s a first book by the author and I look forward to her next novel coming in 2023。 4。5🌟 。。。more
Ali Riphagen
，
Great summer read。 Good story about the challenges of adoption and seeking a sense of belonging。
KATHLEEN CALDER
，
This was pretty good。 Did not care too much for the romance part （chick lit） but like her relationship with the Aunties。 Good suggestion on Wagh Barki tea from India。
Pumpkinpuddy
，
One of the best books I've read in a while。 A thoroughly enjoyable read。 One of the best books I've read in a while。 A thoroughly enjoyable read。 。。。more
Karen A
，
Loved reading it！Just a great book to curl up on the coach and read。 Looking forward to more books by the author！
Margaret Shumaker
，
LovelyThis is a lovely peaceful book and I enjoyed every minute。 Meena inherits a Back Bay， Boston apartment from a stranger。 The apartment is in a special building with special people。 Unraveling the mystery of the apartment leads to unraveling Meena's past。 I loved the setting and the characters as well as the details of Indian culture。 LovelyThis is a lovely peaceful book and I enjoyed every minute。 Meena inherits a Back Bay， Boston apartment from a stranger。 The apartment is in a special building with special people。 Unraveling the mystery of the apartment leads to unraveling Meena's past。 I loved the setting and the characters as well as the details of Indian culture。 。。。more
Catherine Baurhenn
，
Charming RomanceMeena Dave's family story woven into the history of the heritage she discovers is insightful and touching。 Her personal growth， changing from strength from armor and resistance to strength from vulnerability and openess， is well-written。 Charming RomanceMeena Dave's family story woven into the history of the heritage she discovers is insightful and touching。 Her personal growth， changing from strength from armor and resistance to strength from vulnerability and openess， is well-written。 。。。more
Anne Jones
，