One Hundred Shades of White
By Preethi Nair
3.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
Preethi Nair
Preethi Nair worked as a management consultant but gave it up to follow her dream and write her first book, Gypsy Masala. She set up her own publishing company and PR agency to publish and promote the book. Preethi managed to gain substantial coverage and after two years of a rollercoaster journey, she managed to sign a three-book deal with HarperCollins. She won the Asian Woman of Achievement award for her endeavours and was also short listed as Publicist of the Year for the PPC awards.
Read more from Preethi Nair
One Hundred Shades of White Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Colour of Love Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gypsy Masala Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Related to One Hundred Shades of White
Related ebooks
Six - Strange Stories of Love: Around the World Collection, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDon't Let Him Know Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Adama's First Love Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTheophilia: Theophilia, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Boy With The Patang Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShining Agnes Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Trilogy on the River Series Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSaving Cooper Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMosaic: Life in pieces Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBroken Wing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBroken Moon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pots (That Mothers Leave for Their Daughters) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSwamp Rats: Trilogy on the River, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lost Heir's Love Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTipper The Happiest Dog: Tipper Books Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Road Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSigned, A Paddy: Paddy Series Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Daughter of Calabria Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bad, The Good and Two Fly Fishing Women, and a Life-Changing Day on a River Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Storm Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe House on the Hill: Rebecca, the House on the Hill Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRuined Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat Momma Left Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hill House Asylum Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Child Bride Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5In My Frozen Dreams - Vol. 2 (The Muse Series #6) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsI Hear You Calling Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMogul: Price of Fame, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStranger in Lagos Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Teller of Secrets: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for One Hundred Shades of White
27 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fabulous!!!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Maya, her mother Nalini, and her brother Satchin have left a carefree life in India to come to England. But when Maya’s father disappears, leaving only deceit and debt behind, they are left to fend for themselves in a strange, damp land. Maya, though, doesn’t know of her father’s betrayal. Nalini, determined to preserve her children’s pride, tells them that their father died in an accident and, as their struggle to make a life begins, whole realities are built on this lie. But even a white lie cannot remain hidden forever—and when the truth resurfaces, it changes everythingThe title refers to that lie — that husband/father Raul dies a hero’s death rescuing a young boy from the path of an oncoming car; the truth is that Raul had a second family in America and deserted Nalini and the children in London. Nalini muses: My mother said that to lie is the coward’s way and that truth is whole, like black or white. But what if there are a hundred shades for truth?Not knowing the truth about her father leads Maya to think in a certain way about her life, her relationships and her mother’s relationships. When she learns the truth, her world shifts beneath her.I thought the characters of Nalini and Maya were well-developed and the contrast between the warm, fragrant, familiar life in India and the cold, plain, foreign way of life in England was made very clear.There’s a decent story in this book, which is told alternately through the eyes of mother Nalini and daughter Maya. BUT the book is rife with spelling, grammatical and structural errors that were serious distractions from the plot. Nair’s editors let her down big-time on this one.I would normally have given this book 3.5 stars (out of five) but I can’t really recommend it as it stands. I’ll have to give it 2.5 out of 5 stars.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A novel with alternating narration, this is the story of Nalini and her children, Maya and Satchin, reluctant Indian immigrants to England. Starting with Maya's recall of their life in India before her handsome and charming father moved them to London, the novel progresses through the death of Maya's beloved Achan. Or at least her understanding of his death as created by Nalini in order to spare her children from the devastating knowledge that he has abandoned them, leaving them to fend for themselves without money in this foreign land. Because when Nalini takes over the narration, she admits that she has created out of whole cloth the story of his death, thinking this white lie is less terrible than the truth. And this is just the first of the shades of grey that teem through the pages of this novel. Adrift and penniless in London, the family is taken in by the older sister of the young man/boy who delivered spices to Nalini in better times. And so they move to the East End of London, amongst so many other immigrants, while Nalini tries to eke out an existence for the three of them. And in time she not only finds her calling, in cooking spicy pickles to cure the problems people might not even know they possess, but she also falls in love again. But the white lie she has told her children still lurks in the background, lying in wait for the right moment to reveal itself. There is much about families, families by blood and families created, and the sacrifices we each make for others, including the un- and under-appreciated sacrifices, in this novel. But the overarching theme, is, of course, that of honesty and the need for truth. Nalini's secrets, Maggie's secrets, and so many other secrets coursing through the narrative ultimately cause pain. But they also highlight the fact that life isn't lived in black and white and that intention is just as important in the telling of stories as the truth. Most importantly of all, regardless of the actual truth, it is most important to know the truth of yourself and who you are, as Maya finally comes to know in the end. The novel is much less cheerful than the cover would indicate and far less about the differences between East and West but once you adjust your expectations accordingly, there is still much enjoyment to be found between these pages, especially for those who enjoy reading about the immigrant experience. There is some difficulty in separating the voices of Maya and Nalini, especially in the beginning of the novel but that becomes easier as the novel progresses. And it is well handled when the truth of Nalini's fib comes out, with each of the characters acting in character. Overall, this had a few problems structurally but I did enjoy it and would recommend it to those interested in Indian diaspora writing.