Madhuri
It started out to be so promising because of the mysterious narration of the audiobook. But midway through I lost interest, there was no clear plot or story except for an eerie description of how the husband is being secretive (we get it, this trope has been done so so many times already!). And the ending was just ridiculous, some twisted biblical tale, seriously? I did not enjoy this story.
I don't think I learned anything new from this book except for loop quantum gravity. It was more philosophical than I expected. Some of the quotes that left an impression on me:
“We are perhaps the only species on Earth to be conscious of the inevitability of our individual mortality. I fear that soon we shall also have to become the only species that will knowingly watch the coming of its own collective demise, or at least the demise of its civilization.”
“We are made of the same stardust of which all things are made, and when we are immersed in suffering or when we are experiencing intense joy we are being nothing other than what we can't help but be: a part of our world.”
“Life on Earth gives only a small taste of what can happen in the universe.”
Imagining a 19th century Bombay and following an interesting cast of characters made this an easily addictive read. I enjoyed the historical setting of this story, especially the references to war and battles happening across the country. The crime/mystery element of the plot was quite amateur but I believed the incredulity of it given the time period. Looking forward to reading the sequel, the first book has set a good premise so far.
It felt like I was reading a really really long Wikipedia article. I learnt a lot about the brilliant and accomplished Blackwell sisters but I'd probably never reread this book hence the 3-stars. I wish it was written in a way that inspired women to overcome hurdles and be pioneers in a patriarchal society. Instead, it was presented as just a collection of facts about their lives.
