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Secret Daughter

by Shilpi Somaya Gowda (Goodreads Author)

3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 · rating details · 24,876 ratings · 2,953 reviews

Somer's life is everything sheimagined it would be--she'snewly married and has startedher career as a physician in SanFrancisco--until she makes the devastatingdiscovery she never will beable to have children.

The same year in India, a poormother makes the heartbreakingchoice to save her newborn daughter'slife by giving her away. It is adecision that will haunt Kavita forth...more

Paperback, 358 pages

Published April 5th 2011 by William Morrow Paperbacks (first published March 9th 2010)

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Jan 17, 2012 Tanu rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Jhumpa Lahiri fans..

Shelves: really-good, cultural, emotional-drama, favorite-protagonist, social-issues, owned, to-reread

Such a beautiful story!! Kavita and Jasu are a poor but loving couple living in the rural town of Dhanau, India. In a society that favors boys and considers girls as a burden, Kavita has to give up her daughter to an orphanage, to protect her life. Meanwhile another couple from America, Somer and Krishnan can’t have a baby and decide to adopt, connecting the lives of these two very different couples separated by thousand of miles. And thus begins this really touching tale of their lives and the...more Such a beautiful story!! Kavita and Jasu are a poor but loving couple living in the rural town of Dhanau, India. In a society that favors boys and considers girls as a burden, Kavita has to give up her daughter to an orphanage, to protect her life. Meanwhile another couple from America, Somer and Krishnan can’t have a baby and decide to adopt, connecting the lives of these two very different couples separated by thousand of miles. And thus begins this really touching tale of their lives and the daughter who binds them.

There are numerous things that could have gone wrong with this story. It could have turned out into one of those Bollywood family movies, filled with melodrama and tears and an over sweetened “happily ever after”. Or it could have got really preachy and irritating. But somehow, the author created a beautiful balance between all the factors to give us this amazing story.

What I really loved about this book was that every character was allowed to present its point of view. Jasu wasn’t made out to be this really evil villain, free of any kind of remorse for the mistake he committed. The society, the mindset, which views girls as a burden, was well portrayed. India was neither glorified nor overly ridiculed. In fact, the author has painted a very true picture of this country. Truly, it is a land of many contradictions.

The story also has one of the best ending I have read recently. (view spoiler)How beautifully she wrapped up the whole story. It really gave you closure, and that nice giddy feeling you get after reading a nice book. I remember smiling for a very long time after finishing it. Truly amazing. Can’t wait to read other books the author writes after such a stunning debut.

5 sparkling stars and highly recommended, especially for Jhumpa Lahiri fans!! :D(less)

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Aug 07, 2012 Jacquie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

SPOILERS

This novel proudly boasts a #1 Canadian Bestseller sticker.
I personally can't understand why.

In 1984, an Indian woman named Kavita gives birth to a baby girl. Fearful that her husband, Jasu, will dispose of this baby the same way he did to their first daughter, Kavita and her sister deliver this baby to an orphanage in Bombay, but tell Jasu that the baby died in the night. A year later Somer and Krishnan Thakker, an American-Indian couple, adopt the baby and bring her home to California...more SPOILERS

This novel proudly boasts a #1 Canadian Bestseller sticker.
I personally can't understand why.

In 1984, an Indian woman named Kavita gives birth to a baby girl. Fearful that her husband, Jasu, will dispose of this baby the same way he did to their first daughter, Kavita and her sister deliver this baby to an orphanage in Bombay, but tell Jasu that the baby died in the night. A year later Somer and Krishnan Thakker, an American-Indian couple, adopt the baby and bring her home to California. Kavita mourns for her secret daughter even while raising her third child, the long-awaited son, and while learning to accept her husband for who he is. The baby, named Asha, grows up to be a promising journalist, and wins an internship with a major newspaper in India, so she travels to her country of birth for the first time and lives with her father's family, who are strangers to her. She of course seeks out her birth parents, but she never meets them face-to-face, finally coming to accept that her adopted family has given her everything she needs.

This book should have been a powerful and emotional read. True, it sheds light on the complexities of family, as well as the terrible living conditions that many Indians suffer. However, any child growing up in twenty-first century North America should be somewhat aware of the devastating contrast between living in India and living in North America. Asha isn't. Though her adoptive mother's surpression of her daughter's Indian heritage can be blamed for some of her ignorance, this young woman is a budding journalist. Should she not have some global awareness of international issues, especially those that relate to the country in which she works? It is hard to be patient with her as she slowly matures through the time she spends in India. When she finally comes around, it almost feels too late.

I felt the same frustration with Somer. The character is instantly unlikeable, ignorant and dismissive of her husband's heritage. Any sympathy the reader feels for her struggles with infertility are instantly erased when she arrives in Indian and labels the men "disgusting pigs". Perhaps it is because I read this book immediately after reading THE LOST GIRLS, in which the authors are open-minded to every type of person they encounter, but I could not tolerate Somer's prejudice. She, like her daughter, experiences an epiphany in the error of her ways, but she is in her mid-fifties at this point, after almost thirty years married to an Indian man. It is much too late.

I could go on about my thoughts on the other characters, but I don't want to drag this out. Besides, every reader should form his or her unbiased opinion. I unfortunately found every character two-dimensional and unrealistic... something I did not expect in a novel which receives such high praise and has such an intriguing plot. (less)

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Jun 25, 2011 Omnia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Watching so many Bollywood hits, I never saw India as I saw her through the eyes of the writer. She has the ability to take you into her world in such a captivating way; making you see all the negatives and the positives of her Homeland, and finally you have nothing but fall in love with this rich and contradicting country.
Shilpi Gowda managed to discuss fatal subjects through her book in a smooth and endearing way. With her rich characters she goes through Poverty, Identity, Motherhood, Traditi...more

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Jan 04, 2011 Khaya rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks, southasia

Meh. Not a bad story, but too superficially rendered for my taste.

Kavita, a poor village woman, has just given birth to an infant daughter she names Usha. Terrified that her husband will murder the daughter because she's a girl, she journeys to Mumbai to place Usha in an orphanage. Meanwhile, Somer and Krishnan, a California couple struggling with infertility, decide to adopt an Indian orphan and end up with Usha. The book follows the twists and turns in these characters' lives as Kavita and her...more

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Apr 08, 2010 kim rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to kim by: received through First Reads giveaway

Shelves: first-reads, fiction, women-s-fiction

Wonderful book! If this is the author's first novel, I can't wait to read her second! I won the book through the First Reads giveaway here at Goodreads, and as soon as I did, I went to the authors website and read the first few pages in the preview! After just the first chapter, I was hooked!
The story is centered around the 'secret daughter' Asha/Usha. She is born the 2nd daughter of Kavita, an Indian woman who lost her 1st daughter immediately after birth to infanticide. She is determined th...more

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May 17, 2012 Elaine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For most of the book I thought I would give it a three but it has been a long time since I cried at the end of the book.

The struggle for women's rights in India: infanticide of baby girls, dowry deaths, bride burning, sex selective abortions.

Bride-burning is a form of domestic violence practiced in India .It is not the same as ancient and long abolished (formally abolished in 1829) custom of Sati, where widowed women were forcefully placed on a burning pyre of the dead husband (usually a man in...more

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Jan 29, 2010 Tara Chevrestt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Tara by: Janet

Shelves: india, arc, 2010-release

This is a story that beautifully and creatively tackles many controversial issues. Between Somer and Krishnan, we have an interracial marriage. (Issue one) Krishnan, an Indian man and Somer, a caucasian woman, think nothing of the difference in their cultures until a trip to India shows Somer the world from which Krishnan comes from. She does a double take and wonders how well she really knows her husband.

Issue two: motherhood. Somer wants to have a baby so bad but her body does not agree with...more This is a story that beautifully and creatively tackles many controversial issues. Between Somer and Krishnan, we have an interracial marriage. (Issue one) Krishnan, an Indian man and Somer, a caucasian woman, think nothing of the difference in their cultures until a trip to India shows Somer the world from which Krishnan comes from. She does a double take and wonders how well she really knows her husband.

Issue two: motherhood. Somer wants to have a baby so bad but her body does not agree with her. After adopting a little girl, Asha from India, she begins to wonder if some women just aren't meant for motherhood. Can she do this? Can she love and understand a child that does not come from her own womb?

Issue three is foreign adoption. Asha grows up questioning her parentage. What is her homeland like? Who are her real parents? When reading her parts, readers witness the daily inner turnmoil an adopted child faces, the feeling of being unwanted, the questions, the being "stuck" between two cultures. Where do I belong?

Issue four and possibly the biggest issue of all is the practice of killing young baby daughters in India. The poor do not want daughters because they can't work in the fields and require a dowry later in life. How many tiny, unmarked graves are scattered throughout India?

Also addressed is the Indian caste system. While watching Asha grow up in America with all the spoils of American children, readers all see what is going on in the other side of the world with Asha's biological parents as they stuggle to make a life in Bombay, to rise above oppression and try and try again to "step up" a class or two. Will making ends meet be enough? Thru their eyes, we see the slums of India, the drugs, the gangs.

When a grown Asha heads to India for a year, she has many questions and no answers. Will she leave India with answers and if so, will they be the answers she wants? Will she find her biological parents or will all these people go thru their lives without meeting? An even stronger question is: Can either mother let go?

A beautiful story closely following the lives of four very different people. I found myself thinking of these people even when I wasn't reading the book. I especially enjoyed the in depth look at life in India. It beats watching an espisode of Taboo anyday. Highly recommended. (less)

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May 07, 2013 Fatma A. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-books, books-i-recommend, favorites

This book was the best in this month honestly, I loved how the Author started the story and the end is just Ahhh.
This book was one of the favorite. I loved loved loved it. Maybe I'll re-read it in the future after I forget the whole story.
Highly recommend.

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Dec 27, 2011 Jeanne rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In India, Kavita gives birth to a girl and her sister helps her to spirit the baby away, to avoid the fate the first one suffered. Luckily, her third child is the cherished son that everyone hoped for.

In California, Somer and Krishnan are unable to conceive and finally decide to adopt. They visit Krishnan’s indian family and finalize the adoption of a baby girl named Asha, from an orphanage in Mumbai.

Asha’s curiosity about her heritage and her country of birth eventually lead her back to India a...more

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Mar 07, 2013 THE BOOK SHUTTLE eBook Store rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-fiction

What a wonderful story! This is honestly one of the best novels I have read in awhile.

SECRET DAUGHTER is a book about two very different cultures that are interwoven by the event of an adoption of a little Indian girl. Asha was unfortunately born a girl, which in the rural areas of India is not a favourable outcome when you are poor. Boys are the favoured sex when you can not afford the luxury of many mouths to feed. Boys are seen as being the answer to helping a family strive for a more prosper...more What a wonderful story! This is honestly one of the best novels I have read in awhile.

SECRET DAUGHTER is a book about two very different cultures that are interwoven by the event of an adoption of a little Indian girl. Asha was unfortunately born a girl, which in the rural areas of India is not a favourable outcome when you are poor. Boys are the favoured sex when you can not afford the luxury of many mouths to feed. Boys are seen as being the answer to helping a family strive for a more prosperous life. Asha’s mother after she was born hastily saves her daughter’s life by taking her to an orphanage, where her daughter would get a chance at having some sort of better life.

Asha grows up in California, adopted by a childless couple – her father Indian heritage, and her mother American. When Asha reaches twenty her life changes dramatically as she finds herself visiting India for the first time since her adoption. She not only unlocks the mystery to her past, but also finds a sense of belonging in her motherland, India.

The author Shilpi Somaya Gowda is a talented story teller. She gives the reader a real sense of the diverse culture that exists in India, which is often a mystery to those who come from the more sterile and perfect environment of countries such as America. The characters in the story are very believable, I as a reader felt drawn into the pages of the book, as though I was there experiencing and observing the many different lives of each of the characters.

Many lessons are learn’t from this novel. One is that no matter where you come from, or who you are, the bonds created by relationships with people who care about you are what are most important. Acceptance and respect for people’s differences is a theme that also plays a big role. It is not until Asha’s adopted mother Somer finally embraces and accepts some of her husband’s and daughter’s Indian culture that their family finally finds true happiness.

SECRET DAUGHTER is a great book to add to your holiday reading list.

Review by Karina from THE BOOK SHUTTLE(less)

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Apr 26, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: recent-reads, book-club-reads

i found this story interesting. there are two families that we follow. one family - kavita, jasu and their son vijay - live in mumbai. when kavita gives birth to two girls before vijay, one is taken away by her husband jasu the moment the baby is declared a girl and the other is put into an orphanage. kavita lives her life mourning both losses.

drs. krishnan and somer adopt asha from a mumbai orphange. this asha is kavita's baby.

the story takes place over a course of twenty years or so and we f...more

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Sep 15, 2010 Shannon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: canadian-authors

This was a bittersweet book that follows and interweaves two mothers and their daughter. What Gowda does well is tell a thought-provoking, loving tale from the Indian women's perspective. The only reason I did not give it a full 5 stars is because some of the voices were a bit weak, most notably Somer, the American mother. (So instead if there were 4.5 stars I would give it that).

In some other reviews I have seen, there was note that the male voice is very weak but to me that did not matter as...more

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May 15, 2012 Dawn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chatelaine_recommends, recommended_by_friend

Loved this book.

I loved the contrast between cultures and the contrast between the male and female dynamics within those cultures. So much of the story is heartbreaking, due to circumstances beyond the characters' control: birth place, cultural norms, reproductive health issues. But there are interpersonal conflicts that are within their control. I could put myself in each of the characters' shoes and see the reasons for their actions from their points of view.

I was a little bit disappointed in...more

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Aug 23, 2011 Liz Lyden rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Loved book. Couldn't put it down. Story of girl adopted from India, and her family in America and her birth family in India

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Jan 04, 2013 Feder rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In der drückenden Schwüle bringt die indische Bäuerin Kavita vollkommen allein ein Kind zur Welt und zu ihrem größten Entsetzen haben die Götter ihre Wünsche nicht erhört: Denn abermals haben sie ihr ein Mädchen beschert. Aus Angst, die Kleine würde dasselbe Schicksal ereilen wie ihre Schwester – der Tod durch die Hand eines Angehörigen –, bringt Kavita sie schweren Herzens in ein Waisenhaus, welches ihre einzige Überlebenschance ist.
Fast zeitgleich erfährt das junge Ärztepaar Somer und Kris, da...more In der drückenden Schwüle bringt die indische Bäuerin Kavita vollkommen allein ein Kind zur Welt und zu ihrem größten Entsetzen haben die Götter ihre Wünsche nicht erhört: Denn abermals haben sie ihr ein Mädchen beschert. Aus Angst, die Kleine würde dasselbe Schicksal ereilen wie ihre Schwester – der Tod durch die Hand eines Angehörigen –, bringt Kavita sie schweren Herzens in ein Waisenhaus, welches ihre einzige Überlebenschance ist.
Fast zeitgleich erfährt das junge Ärztepaar Somer und Kris, dass Somer keine Kinder mehr austragen kann, was vor allem sie, die als Kinderärztin jeden Tag mit Schwangeren und Kleinkindern zu tun hat, hart trifft.
Doch schließlich kann Kris sie überzeugen, ein Kind aus seinem Heimatland Indien zu adoptieren. Aber ist ihre Liebe und Zuneigung wirklich stark genug, die Widrigkeiten und Hindernisse zu überwinden? Viele Klippen gilt es für die beiden Familien zu umschiffen, die eines verbindet: Ein kleines Mädchen, das sich irgendwann auf die Suche nach ihrer Vergangenheit macht und so die beiden Familien auf ihre bisher härteste Probe stellen wird …

Nach all der Fantasy, mit der ich mich in letzter Zeit beschäftigt habe, war ich froh, wieder einmal einen Roman vor mir zu haben, der sich ausschließlich mit tiefgründigen zwischenmenschlichen Problemen beschäftigt. Und auch die Thematik hat es mir schon zu Beginn angetan: ein adoptiertes Mädchen in einem fremden Land, das nach seinen Wurzeln sucht. Dass dieses Mädchen auch noch aus Indien kommt, war ein weiterer Bonuspunkt, den das Buch schon vorab bekommen hat, denn die Autorin, die selbst indische Wurzeln hat, hat in ihrem Buch zwanzig Jahre indische Entwicklung auf eine authentische und mitreißende Art und Weise geschildert, die mir als Leser besonders nahe ging. Fernab von bunten, schillernden Bollywoodillusionen ist das Leben in Indien für die meisten Menschen beschwerlich und arbeitsreich.
Dabei war es vor allem die Mischung an Charakteren und der Wandel in ihrem Leben, der das Buch besonders reizvoll macht.
Geschickt in Szene gesetzt wird das Ganze vom Perspektivenwechsel zwischen den einzelnen Protagonisten. Dabei sind vor allem die Kapitel, die aus Sicht der beiden Mütter Kavitar und Somer geschrieben sind, besonders herzerwärmend. Ängste und Selbstzweifel begleiten ihr mehr oder minder erfolgreiches Leben wie ein Schatten, lassen sie immer wieder straucheln und machen sie einander trotz aller kulturellen Unterschiede doch ähnlich.

Was die charakterliche Gestaltung angeht, hat die Autorin wirklich ein Glanzstück hingelegt. Denn obgleich mir als Leser einige Charaktere nicht zusagen, so wirken sie doch durch und durch authentisch und schlüssig. Auf der einen Seite ist das erfolgreiche Doktorenpaar in Amerika, das aufgrund widriger Umstände keine Kinder bekommen kann und bei dem Bildung und Karriere immer weit oben standen. Auf der anderen Seite der Welt lebt in einem ärmlichen indischen Dorf ein Bauernpaar, das zum zweiten Mal ein Mädchen bekommt. Im Indien der achtziger Jahre ist dies eher ein Fluch als ein Segen. Die zwei starken Frauen dieser Familien werden durch die Geburt des Mädchens einen entscheidenden Wandel in ihrem Leben erfahren. Dabei sind es vor allem ihre kleinen Fehler und Unzulänglichkeiten, die sie so echt wirken lassen, was aber auch für Asha gilt, die sich als adoptiertes indisches Mädchen in Amerika nicht wirklich zu Hause fühlt. Ihr Wandel ist der tiefgreifendste, obwohl ich mit ihrer Art zu Anfang nicht besonders gut zurechtgekommen bin.

Auch das Aufeinandertreffen zweier Kulturen hat dem Buch einen besonderen Charme gegeben, der den Leser an die Seiten fesselt.
Leider konnte die Autorin ihren Stil und ihre authentische Art nicht ganz bis zum Ende durchhalten, sodass der Ausgang der Geschichte nicht ganz so harmonisch war, wie ich es mir gewünscht hätte. Aber alles in allem hat das den Lesegenuss kaum schmälern können.

Mit ihrem Debütroman „Geheime Tochter“ hat Shilpi Somaya Gowda einen wirklich tiefgründigen und herzerwärmenden Roman geschaffen, der auf gefühlvolle Weise die Höhen und Tiefen des Familienlebens schildert und dabei nicht nur die alltäglichen Probleme, sondern die halbe Welt überwinden muss.(less)

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Nov 14, 2011 Kristel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, f2f-bookclub-books, india, adoption

Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

The author is Indian. Her parents migrated to Canada from Mumbai. This novel was a New York Bestseller for her and also an international bestseller. She spent a summer as a volunteer in an Indian orphanage. This story is of an Indian girl adopted by an Indian father and white mother (both doctors) living in the United States, covers what it is like to be adopted and provides information about girls born in India. Ashe travels to India and spends time with h...more

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Jun 20, 2011 Michelle added it · review of another edition

While the synopsis states that the story is about the bond of motherhood, Secret Daughter is also a captivating look at life in India. In fact, of the two mothers, Kavita is the one who is the most sympathetic and leads the most intriguing lifestyle, if only because she leads a harsh life that is extremely foreign to those readers who are only familiar with the western world. The cultural differences, including the unusual birth rate statistics, are exposed in an intriguing and entirely realisti...more While the synopsis states that the story is about the bond of motherhood, Secret Daughter is also a captivating look at life in India. In fact, of the two mothers, Kavita is the one who is the most sympathetic and leads the most intriguing lifestyle, if only because she leads a harsh life that is extremely foreign to those readers who are only familiar with the western world. The cultural differences, including the unusual birth rate statistics, are exposed in an intriguing and entirely realistic manner. In comparison, Somer's life in southern California is insipid and tedious. The result is an uneven novel that shines brightly as the story unfolds on Indian soil but languishes in the sections that occur in the United States.

The contrast between East versus West is a deliberate plot point, but the jaggedness of the story in the two locations was unexpected. Somer is simply boring. As a representative of the West, she is frankly embarrassing with her struggles to balance her excellent career with motherhood, with her failure to accept her husband's and daughter's culture, and her blindness to her own faults. Kavita, on the other hand, is a study in poise and grace under extreme pressure. Her problems make Somer's issues look downright trivial, and Kavita manages to outshine Somer because of her strength in the most trying circumstances. While Somer is trying to find contentment, Kavita is simply struggling to make ends meet. One just does not stand up to the other.

The unevenness of the story would hold up much better were Somer actually likable. Unfortunately, she is not. In addition to the huge difference in circumstances, Somer is plainly the opposite of Kavita in personality. Demanding and unforgiving, incapable of compromise and recognizing her own faults makes her a character that is tough to support. Combine that with a sense of superiority in certain areas and a sense of inferiority in others, and Somer is just as confusing and just as imbalanced as the two cultures. While a reader is supposed to sympathize with Somer's issues as a mother, the reader is instead left with a sense of relief each time the story switches focus to Kavita or Asha.

Secret Daughter will make a great book club read, as there is much to discuss and much to contemplate. It is really a tale of contrasts. East versus West, mother versus mother, even the contrasts that make up India all combine to create a novel that produces similarly disparate reactions within one reader. Eventually, the differences do meld together, highlighting the overarching point that no one culture/person/method is better than another, and the story evens out appropriately. By stressing the differences, Ms. Gowda showcases how similar mothers are everywhere, regardless of the cultural, socioeconomic, religious, political, racial, and educational gaps. In the end, the story does become a beautifully written lesson on the importance of acceptance and sacrifice.

Thank you to Chelsey Emmelhainz from HarperCollins Publishing for my review copy!(less)

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May 03, 2013 Katie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A poor woman in rural India gives her newborn daughter to an orphanage to prevent her husband from killing the baby (yet again - he killed their first daughter), since he only wants a son and says they can't afford girls. The girl gets adopted by American parents but always wonders about her origins. Both the girl and the birth mother spend their whole lives wondering about each other, despite ending up having full lives.

There's a lot here about nature vs. nurture and how much your past affects...more

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Apr 21, 2013 Charissa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013

Amazing book about life in India, adoption, and a mother's love. This book follows two women—Kavita and Somer (from 1984 to the present). Kavita is an Indian woman whose husband goes into a rage when she gives birth to a daughter. He claims they can’t afford a daughter (because of the dowry required to marry them when they are older). He takes the child away and has it killed. Heartbroken, when she becomes pregnant again, Kavita is determined that Jasu, her husband won’t take another daughter aw...more

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Apr 19, 2013 Dianne rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

Asha Thakkar was born in India where she lived in an orphanage for a year before being adopted by an American couple, Somer and Kris Thakkar, who would take her back to America and raise her in California. She was aware of looking different than the other kids she went to school with but that didn't bother her much - her father, also from India, looked a lot like her. As she grew into her late teens she felt herself growing farther away from her mother until the distance became, it seemed to Ash...more Asha Thakkar was born in India where she lived in an orphanage for a year before being adopted by an American couple, Somer and Kris Thakkar, who would take her back to America and raise her in California. She was aware of looking different than the other kids she went to school with but that didn't bother her much - her father, also from India, looked a lot like her. As she grew into her late teens she felt herself growing farther away from her mother until the distance became, it seemed to Asha, uncrossable.

Kavita and Jesu Merchant were Asha's birth parents (they named her Usha but it had been misread at the orphanage). She was given up for adoption because she was a girl in a culture that had little use for them, and her parents could not afford to raise more than one child. They would wait for a boy. If you are troubled by the fact that they gave their baby girl away, wait till you find out what happened to their first child, another girl born before Asha. I'm glad I was born in Canada. Inevitably, Asha begins to wonder about them - who they were, why they gave her up, where they are now. Eventually she travels to India where she is welcomed into the family of her adopted father and she begins the search for her biological parents.

These three stories - Asha's, Somer's and Kavita's - are woven together over a period of 25 years, partly set in America and partly in India. The husbands play a fairly large part in the story but the book is really about the women in all their various roles as daughters, wives, mothers and grandmothers. We follow them through the joys and sorrows of love, marriage, motherhood and loss and the constant struggle for an identity of their own.

I thought this book was pretty good for a first novel; the plot has some depth and the characters enough complexity to make them interesting. The parts set in India are well detailed and show the disparity between poor and rich in a convincing way. The colours, sounds and smells of India come to life through the story. I was a bit disappointed at the ending - it seemed weak to me. One situation was left unaddressed and another was resolved too easily. I wanted at least one more chapter to sort out some of the complications in a more realistic way.

As a cultural lesson on India it was good and I thought it was a fairly strong story dealing with some hard topics. Overall it was an interesting read that I can recommend. If you do read it, there's a glossary at the back that would have been helpful if I had found it earlier. (less)

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Mar 03, 2013 Cathy Williams rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Great book... In a tiny hut in rural India, Kavita gives birth to Asha. Unable to afford the ''luxury'' of raising a daughter, her husband forces Kavita to give the baby up--a decision that will haunt them both for the rest of their lives.
Halfway around the globe, Somer, an American doctor, decides to adopt a child after making the wrenching discovery that she will never have one of her own. When her husband Krishnan shows her a photo of baby Asha sent to him from a Mumbai orphanage, she falls i...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Ginny Jaques rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is an interesting book from a number of angles. Good insight into East Indian culture, especially interesting to a Westerner. Intriguing story, with multiple characters, all living out their lives in the light of their common and particular East Indian cultural world views, often conflicted, but the value of family relationships runs a steady thread throughout. I like that. We Westerners, steeped as we are in the importance of the individual, have much to learn from cultures where family is...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Peggy rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is the typical story we have seen so many times--an adopted daughter seeking to find her birth mother. But this book is not so typical It is beautifully written. It alternates between Somer's story in San Francisco and Navita's story in India.
When Navita gives birth to yet another girl, she knows she must keep her from her husband Jasu. So she takes the baby, Usha to an orphanage. Usha, who is renamed Asha eventually is adopted by Somer and her husband Krishnan who was born and raise...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Lesa Parnham rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-books-read

Wow! I was all over the place with this book, at points I really hated it and in others it amazed me. It was well written, I had a little background about the slums of Mumbai as I have just finished Beyond the Beautiful Forevers. This book's main character is an Indian girl adopted by a US couple from an Indian orphanage. Asha is in the orphanage because the poor in India could not afford to have girls. This hit close to home, as my daughter is adopted from an orphanage in China as a result of t...more

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Sep 19, 2012 Smitha rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Secret Daughter came heavily recommended and I have to say, I was definitely not disappointed.

Kavita, a woman in a village gives birth to a daughter. Rather than let her die, she fights against odds and comes to Bombay to drop her off in an orphanage. Her previous baby had been killed as soon as she was born, and Kavita did not want to take any chances.

Another couple from America, an Indian man married to an American woman, Somer, long for a baby. When they find out that they can never becom...more The Secret Daughter came heavily recommended and I have to say, I was definitely not disappointed.

Kavita, a woman in a village gives birth to a daughter. Rather than let her die, she fights against odds and comes to Bombay to drop her off in an orphanage. Her previous baby had been killed as soon as she was born, and Kavita did not want to take any chances.

Another couple from America, an Indian man married to an American woman, Somer, long for a baby. When they find out that they can never become biological parents, they adopt the little girl abandoned by Kavita. Kavita had named her Usha, but it gets changed to Asha. Asha grows up in relative comforts in America, while her birth family’s fortunes change and brings them to Mumbai.

Their lives so far apart, and yet linked in a way that they are unaware about. The struggles that each of them face is etched into the story. Somer despite being given a chance at motherhood, faces an alienation from both her husband and her daughter when they both identify with a culture and a way of life that is so alien to her. She lives in dread of the day when she loses her daughter. Kavita and her husband live with their own personal demons for giving up their daughter. Asha struggles to understand who she is. She wants to know more about her orgins. The answers her adoptive parents give are not enough for her.

Asha finally finds a way to go back to India, much to Somer’s distress. She believes that Asha by going back to India, is rejecting her in some way. Somer’s husband’s support of the idea, convinces her that she is the ‘outsider’ in the family. Asha and Krishnan have a common heritage, at the very least.

The book is an interesting read, and the issues that she explores are very real. Asha’s equation with her parents, her turmoil. Kavita’s sadness and her guilt. Somer’s confusion, and her reactions to the decisions her daughter makes, are all very real and understandable. The difficulty of bringing up a child from a different ethnicity is also brought out well. I could not wait to complete the book, because you desperately want everything to work out.(less)

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Sep 16, 2012 Karma rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a story about mothers; the sacrifices made, the worries, the joys, and the art of allowing our children to leave us. I loved the begining, I loved the end - but there were places in the middle that I felt like slapping Somer; she was so selfish and whiny!! I loved Kavita's character, she embodied a woman who loved her husband (I will never understand how she loved him after what he did), had faith in him, and built him up into the man he became because of her patience and faith. Compared...more This is a story about mothers; the sacrifices made, the worries, the joys, and the art of allowing our children to leave us. I loved the begining, I loved the end - but there were places in the middle that I felt like slapping Somer; she was so selfish and whiny!! I loved Kavita's character, she embodied a woman who loved her husband (I will never understand how she loved him after what he did), had faith in him, and built him up into the man he became because of her patience and faith. Compared to how Somer treated Krishnan and her disregard for his culture and heritiage. I think we could all learn something from Kavita about being a good wife.

I was a little shocked by the similarities between this story and Khaled Husseini's writing (A Thousand Splendid Suns). I know India is right there near Afhganistan but I was still so surprised by how poorly women are valued. I had a very good friend in college, Naseem. She was born and raised in India. Her marriage was arranged. She and her husband were both very well educated and came to Idaho after their first daughter was born. She was the most elegant, articulate, graceful woman I have ever known - not to mention the best cook ever!!! Her husband was so sweet to her (I used to spend the night in their home several times a month with my little daughter so we could study and then drive back to school together). I have the hardest time reconciling what I read in this story with this woman I so admire. I think the devision between poor and wealthy (Naseem obviously came from wealth) must also mirror the devision between how women are valued.

I wish the author had gone into more detail about Asha's final story about the women in Dharavi. The author hinted at how the story grew into one about the resiliance and love of mothers - the difference between those women in the slum with a smile on their faces versus those with despair but she didn't quite give me enough of that story. To me that is the real point of the entire book - finding the hope around us, even when there doesn't appear to be any! I have been humbled by this book! I am faced with the questions - could I find the hope in Dharavi? Do I have that sort of strength? Am I Somer or Kavita? Why was I born here and blessed with so much while so many are born into the squalor of Dharavi? Today I am acutely grateful to my Father in Heaven for the life I have been given! May I hold onto this feeling! (less)

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Jul 18, 2012 Lydia Laceby rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star-must-read

Originally Reviewed at Novel Escapes

Every once in a while I want to read something other than chick lit and am always thrilled when I randomly pick up something wonderful. Secret Daughter wasn’t recommended to us by anyone, rather, I liked the premise of the story, loved the cover and discovered while reading it that I loved the book as well! This beautiful story hooked me from the beginning and I’ve thought about long since finishing. It would make a wonderful Mother’s Day gift for any of you s...more Originally Reviewed at Novel Escapes

Every once in a while I want to read something other than chick lit and am always thrilled when I randomly pick up something wonderful. Secret Daughter wasn’t recommended to us by anyone, rather, I liked the premise of the story, loved the cover and discovered while reading it that I loved the book as well! This beautiful story hooked me from the beginning and I’ve thought about long since finishing. It would make a wonderful Mother’s Day gift for any of you stumped on what to get your book-loving moms.

There were multiple directions I thought this book might take and it didn’t even stray close to any of them, so the lack of predictability was nice, so much so that I found myself feeling lost for a brief time in the 2nd half of the book, unsure where it was headed, but that only lasted a short time. This read wasn’t the roller coaster ride I was expecting it to be, but much more subtle and when I came to the end and realized why things were happening the way they were, I was mesmerized by how powerful the story ended up being without my even realizing it.

This is a beautifully written novel with just enough description to be able to picture the setting without being overwhelmed with detail and the contrast between the ‘Two India’s’ was richly portrayed. The emotion of the characters was palpable and the Indian terms sprinkled throughout gave it a feeling of authenticity. They didn’t intrude on the story however and I only noticed the glossary when I was almost finished the book, but never felt I needed it. Shilpi Somaya Gowda’s writing is powerful, her prose beautiful, and the end result an emotional read as evidenced by my tears during the final chapters of this novel.

Secret Daughter is a powerful and thought provoking story about love, family, identity, hope, and above all else, a mother’s love. Buy this for your mother for Mother’s Day. It is truly the most powerful book about mothers I have ever read.
(less)

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Jun 23, 2012 Wanda Gibbons added it · review of another edition

kim rated it and I liked what she said.
One can see how difficult life must be for some people. The happening chance of being born in one part of the world as compared to another.

Wonderful book! If this is the author's first novel, I can't wait to read her second! I won the book through the First Reads giveaway here at Goodreads, and as soon as I did, I went to the authors website and read the first few pages in the preview! After just the first chapter, I was hooked!
The story is centered around...more

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May 26, 2012 Lynn Davidson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Canadian first-time author Shilpi Somaya Gowda has written a compelling story that had me from the beginning. Born in Toronto, Canada, to parents from Bombay, India, she had insight and good understanding of both cultures. She mostly told the story from the perspective of three women – the adopted daughter, the adoptive mother and the birth mother. It was involved and interesting and hard to put down once I started reading.

I don’t want to give away too much and spoil it for you, but for anyone w...more Canadian first-time author Shilpi Somaya Gowda has written a compelling story that had me from the beginning. Born in Toronto, Canada, to parents from Bombay, India, she had insight and good understanding of both cultures. She mostly told the story from the perspective of three women – the adopted daughter, the adoptive mother and the birth mother. It was involved and interesting and hard to put down once I started reading.

I don’t want to give away too much and spoil it for you, but for anyone who has adopted from another country, or is thinking about it, this book gives a different view of some of the things to take into consideration.

The characters are well-developed, their life situations are convincing and detailed, and the reader gets to share in the story of their lives over a span of twenty-five years. It was easy to care about them. In fact, I experienced a range of emotions as I read this international bestseller.

I liked how the author headed her chapters with not only the title, but also the location, date, and name of the person the reader was visiting in that chapter. Each chapter is only a few pages long which made it easy to read when having only a few minutes. It also helped the reader get oriented right from the start and occasionally helped the author step over a span of several years to move along in the story. It was well done.

The only thing I did not like is the way the author chose to end this novel, although it is quite believable the way it happened. Obviously the ending did not interfere with the book’s success. Even so, if you are one who likes to read the end of a book first … in this case DON’T! Please, do yourself the favour of not peeking. It is well worth the wait.

There has been criticism that the author ignored or changed some things about the culture of India to fit her story, but I don’t agree. In a couple of places I had questions, too, but since I have never studied their culture nor have I visited that country, I accepted that perhaps it was something that is changing there with the times. I believed the author would know that, so I didn’t let my lack of information get in the way of a great read.(less)

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May 21, 2012 Bernye rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The thought of giving a daughter up for adoption is difficult; making the decision, unimaginable. In India, where daughters have no worth, Kavita makes an incredible decision to give her daughter up for adoption in hopes that she will have a good life. Somer who is unable to have children also makes a difficult decison to adopt. These two mothers though thousands of miles away from each other, make life changing decisions about a daughter--the same daughter, Usha/Asha. The heart-break and eventu...more

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About Shilpi Somaya Gowda

Shilpi Somaya Gowda's debut novel SECRET DAUGHTER is a New York Times and #1 international bestseller, translated into over 20 languages.

Shilpi Somaya Gowda was born and raised in Toronto to parents who migrated there from Mumbai. She holds an MBA from Stanford University, and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She spent a summer in college as a volunteer in...more

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“At some point, the family you create is more important than the one you were born into.” — 24 people liked it

“Notice if you are holding your breath after inhaling, and if so, what are you afraid of letting go. Or are you holding it after exhaling, and what are you afraid of letting in.” — 21 people liked it

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