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Shilpi Somaya Gowda

Goodreads Author

Born

Toronto, Canada

Website

http://www.shilpigowda.com

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Contemporary

Member Since

November 2008

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/ssgowda

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Shilpi Somaya Gowda is the New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of four novels: Secret Daughter (2010), The Golden Son (2015), The Shape of Family (2020), and A Great Country (2024). Her novels have been translated into over 30 languages, been #1 international bestsellers in several countries and sold more than two million copies worldwide.

Shilpi was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. She spent a college summer as a volunteer in an Indian orphanage, which seeded the idea for her first novel and the transition from a business career to a becoming a writer: Secret Daughter was an IndieNext Great Read, a Target Book Club Pick, an Indigo Heather’s Pick, and an Amnesty International Book Club Pick. It was a finalist for the South A ...more

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Shilpi Somaya Gowda's Blog

Coming soon ... A GREAT COUNTRY

I'm so excited to share this novel with you. A GREAT COUNTRY is different than anything I've written before, and I really had to push myself to delve into some difficult territory. I began wri􀆟ng it in 2021, in the midst of the pandemic and civil strife. There were so many polarized or oversimplified conversations going on around me, and I found myself longing for a more honest and nuanced debate Read more of this blog post »

10 likes · Like • 4 comments • flag

Published on October 31, 2023 13:18

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Shilpi Somaya Gowda’s books

Average rating: 4.0 · 106,769 ratings · 9,064 reviews · 7 distinct works • Similar authors

	Secret Daughter really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 77,873 ratings — published 2010	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Golden Son 4.13 avg rating — 15,221 ratings — published 2015 — 49 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Great Country 3.88 avg rating — 8,804 ratings — published 2024 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Shape of Family 3.81 avg rating — 4,819 ratings — published 2019 — 32 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Last Carnival of August 3.71 avg rating — 49 ratings — published 2016	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	secret Daughter 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Secret Daughter: A Novel by Shilpi Somaya Gowda (Goodreads Author), Unknown Author really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Heart the Lover

by Lily King (Goodreads Author)

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Beyond Fast: How a Renegade Coach and His Unlikely High School Team Revolutionized Distance Running

by Sean Brosnan

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Mar 04, 2026 12:22PM

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Middlemarch

by George Eliot

bookshelves: epics, currently-reading

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Jan 13, 2026 10:10PM

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Shilpi’s Recent Updates

Shilpi Gowda started reading Heart the Lover by Lily King (Goodreads Author) Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Readers' Favorite Fiction	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10 hours, 48 min ago · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Heart the Lover by Lily King. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Heart the Lover by Lily King <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Shilpi Gowda started reading Beyond Fast: How a Renegade Coach and His Unlikely High School Team Revolutionized Distance Running by Sean Brosnan	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 04, 2026 12:22PM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Beyond Fast by Sean Brosnan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Beyond Fast by Sean Brosnan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Shilpi Gowda finished reading The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else's Game by C. Thi Nguyen	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 02, 2026 04:41PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Score by C. Thi Nguyen. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Score by C. Thi Nguyen <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Shilpi Gowda finished reading The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Readers' Favorite Fiction	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 02, 2026 04:40PM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Shilpi Gowda is currently reading The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else's Game by C. Thi Nguyen	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 26, 2026 11:39AM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Score by C. Thi Nguyen. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Score by C. Thi Nguyen <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Shilpi Gowda has read Town & Country by Brian Schaefer (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 26, 2026 11:31AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Town & Country by Brian Schaefer. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Town & Country by Brian Schaefer <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Shilpi Gowda rated a book it was amazing Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia by Sam Dalrymple	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 23, 2026 08:14PM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Shattered Lands by Sam Dalrymple. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Shattered Lands by Sam Dalrymple <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Feb 17, 2026 11:27AM · 3 likes · like · view books
Shilpi Gowda has read Awake by Jen Hatmaker (Goodreads Author) Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Readers' Favorite Audiobook, Readers' Favorite Memoir	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 16, 2026 10:05PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Awake by Jen Hatmaker. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Awake by Jen Hatmaker <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Shilpi Gowda has read The Rest of Our Lives by Benjamin Markovits	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Quotes by Shilpi Somaya Gowda (?)

“At some point, the family you create is more important than the one you were born into.”
― Shilpi Somaya Gowda, Secret Daughter

67 likes

“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.”
― shilpi somaya gowda, Secret Daughter

36 likes

“Sometimes, as she has well learned in life, one's actions must precede the emotions one hopes to feel.”
― Shilpi Somaya Gowda, Secret Daughter

30 likes

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