Travel through India with wonderful female characters

Hi everybody,

I've just finished a wonderful book by Anita Nair, "Ladies Coupé" (for French speakers, "Compartiment pour Dames") and I would like to share my impressions on it.

SUMMARY:
This novel takes place in a train, in a special coupé dedicated to female travellers. 6 women travel together and they share their experiences of life, love, marriage and being single, age and social status.

The central character, Akhila, is 45 years old and was never married. She dedicated her life to her family and wants to live for herself now, but she wonders if a woman can really live on her own. Her travel companions are all very different, young and old women, rich and poor...Through their stories, they show Akhila that only her can decide what is good for herself.

SHORT IMPRESSIONS:
I really enjoyed the book, because the characters are unique and very well developed. You can feel the reality behind the fiction, and still there's this magic so specific to novels. The stories are all moving and though my experience is very different, I could relate to many ideas put forward by these women.

The writing style is also very agreeable - I read the French translation, but I think you can't get a good style out of a translation if the original style isn't great to start with... It takes you away, and through the stories you also learn about Indian culture(s) without having the impression of being "taught".

It'd be great to have an Indian point of view on the book :)
And it's definitely recommended to everybody, whether you're a woman or a man!

Best greetings to all readers,
Aurore