Jana Bibi's Excellent Fortunes, Besty Woodman - 4 Stars
Reviewed May 2013
What I loved most what Betsy Woodman's ability to change the voice and cadence of the characters in the book. As a result, I immediately felt transported in time and place.
We meet Jana Bibi, a Scottish mum who has lived most of her life in India. She is an independent soul, and despite the desires of her son that she give up this "silly adventure" and return to Scotland, she remains independent and seeks her adventures. When we meet her she is finishing up her career as a violin instructor at the palace and has inherited her grandfathers hotel.
The adventure becomes how to turn an town that is in the way of progress into an indispensable hub of tourism. We first learn about this when two old friends have tea, Rambir and Ramachandran. Cleverly, we are given the drole catalog of interesting facts about Hamara Nagar.
With Mr. Ganguly's help, Jana Bib's parrot, and the simple minded optimism of the characters, the cast of characters set about saving the town from obliteration.
A must read for anyone who loves to travel while they read.
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