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Trail of Broken Wings
by
When her father falls into a coma, Indian American photographer Sonya reluctantly returns to the family she’d fled years before. Since she left home, Sonya has lived on the run, free of any ties, while her soft-spoken sister, Trisha, has created a perfect suburban life, and her ambitious sister, Marin, has built her own successful career. But as these women come together,
...more
Kindle Edition, 377 pages
Published
May 1st 2015
by Lake Union Publishing
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If I could have given this book 2.5 stars, I would have.
As their father lies in a coma, three Indian American sisters reunite with their mother at the bedside of the ailing patriarch. We learn the back story of this broken family, and the women they have become as a result.
The book wallows in melodrama -- to the point of unbelievability. The characters are uni-dimensional, and some of their actions just simply didn't make sense. I nearly gave up mid-way, but a few minor plot twists/character rev ...more
As their father lies in a coma, three Indian American sisters reunite with their mother at the bedside of the ailing patriarch. We learn the back story of this broken family, and the women they have become as a result.
The book wallows in melodrama -- to the point of unbelievability. The characters are uni-dimensional, and some of their actions just simply didn't make sense. I nearly gave up mid-way, but a few minor plot twists/character rev ...more

Apr 08, 2015
Zoeytron
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
new-fangled-e-reader,
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As a man lies in a coma from which he is not expected to recover, his wife and three grown daughters come together. Each woman carries a secret, a 'truth left unspoken'. Bruised souls, all of them. Is the father to blame?
A sad story of the fragility of family ties unraveling even further. The author displays a fine hand with beautiful prose that is heartbreaking. Her characters are fully baked, each one struggling to make sense of her life and the impact that the impending loss of this man will ...more
A sad story of the fragility of family ties unraveling even further. The author displays a fine hand with beautiful prose that is heartbreaking. Her characters are fully baked, each one struggling to make sense of her life and the impact that the impending loss of this man will ...more

3.5 stars, rounded up
This story involves an Indian American family dealing with life after the father falls into a coma. Marin, Trisha and Sonya are the three adult daughters. We hear from each one of them individually. Each has forged a completely different life. But they, along with their mother, dealt with life under a domineering father. It doesn’t take the reader long to realize theirs was not a happy household. And that each woman is still hurting and unable to even comfort each other. I f ...more
This story involves an Indian American family dealing with life after the father falls into a coma. Marin, Trisha and Sonya are the three adult daughters. We hear from each one of them individually. Each has forged a completely different life. But they, along with their mother, dealt with life under a domineering father. It doesn’t take the reader long to realize theirs was not a happy household. And that each woman is still hurting and unable to even comfort each other. I f ...more

Like watching an airplane come apart mid-flight...for hours on end. Perhaps the cultural differences were responsible for more of the characters' individual responses to childhood abuse, but after 30% of the book, I wanted to take every one of them by the shoulders and shake them awake! Like an embarrassed voyeur, I watched the slowly dismantling lives throw a bolt here, a bit of cloth there. Predictably, I couldn't stop watching. And then it was over. A whole, functional airplane landed, with n
...more

3.5 A man lies in a hospital bed, he is in a coma and his physician doesn't know why or even if he will come out of it. He is a husband and a father of three daughters. Only one daughter, his favorite, and his young granddaughter wants him to live. His wife and two of his daughters were treated to physical and mental abuse, abuse that effected the way they viewed themselves, their relationships and the women they became.
This is a novel that shows how abuse of these kinds last far into the future ...more
This is a novel that shows how abuse of these kinds last far into the future ...more

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"We had learned to appreciate our lies like a veil over our lives, each untruth stronger than the facts."
When their father falls into a coma, three sisters are forced to confront the secrets of their childhood that they've tried to keep hidden. Growing up in an Indian-American family, they were always taught to value appearances above everything else, and they succeeded, as from the outside looking in, they were a model family. But that couldn't have been further from the truth.
Sonya, the baby o ...more
When their father falls into a coma, three sisters are forced to confront the secrets of their childhood that they've tried to keep hidden. Growing up in an Indian-American family, they were always taught to value appearances above everything else, and they succeeded, as from the outside looking in, they were a model family. But that couldn't have been further from the truth.
Sonya, the baby o ...more

I found myself lost in this book for a number of reasons, you will as well with all certainty.
A convoluted story of harbored dark secrets tucked away forever plaguing a family and each individual member. Healing is examined in an intricate and involved manner accompanied with high emotions and stress. Unearthing buried secrets takes its toll as we discover in this broken family. The ravages of abuse, its aftermath expertly depicted.
A convoluted story of harbored dark secrets tucked away forever plaguing a family and each individual member. Healing is examined in an intricate and involved manner accompanied with high emotions and stress. Unearthing buried secrets takes its toll as we discover in this broken family. The ravages of abuse, its aftermath expertly depicted.
“What he did to you can never be undone. But don’t let it col...more

5 stars for me! There is no way I could have given this book less than five stars. Sejal Badani has a gift for written expression. Much of her narrative shook me to my core. It was poignant, haunting and beautiful and I found myself highlighting much of the book.She presented her characters in totality, giving the readers full view into their thoughts and actions. Upon reading the last page, I yearned to go back to the beginning and travel with these women again. They became real to me and I am
...more

Something I haven't read much in literature until now is the continuing impacts of childhood abuse on people into their adulthoods. This book explores that topic through three sisters who are reunited as their father lay dying. Through the sisters the author shows the way abuse can affect people differently. One sister is a high achiever who likes to control her environment and that of her loved ones; another is a people pleaser; the youngest is the rebel who left the home. The personalities
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I hate giving this book a low rating since Sejal Badani has written this from experience, and it is semi-autobiographical. The writing of abuse must have been cathartic for her, as writing and art often is. This is even a plot point in the book. But despite this, I did not think this was a good book at all, though it did get interesting at some points.
The first thing that struck me while reading is that this author knows nothing about India, except for saris and chai and some details of Indian f ...more
The first thing that struck me while reading is that this author knows nothing about India, except for saris and chai and some details of Indian f ...more

There are good things said in here, and it's undoubtedly powerful. I feel like the author fell in love with her own voice a bit too much. One or two long, emotional metaphors per page about the power of the past, or emotional struggle, is definitely overkill, and took away from my enjoyment of the book. I also don't think the author knows how to write believable male characters very well, as the characters attached to each daughter seemed to be pulled directly out of soap operas. I very much enj
...more

Prepare yourself. Period. This is a heavy-hauling emotionally driven story served on just about every page. Know this going in. This book deals with abuse from the onslaught of others and the continual, self-imposed abuse delved out as a result. It was comparable to stacking branch upon branch on a formidable bonfire.
Trail of Broken Wings is the story of an immigrant family from India who come to America for a better life. Two of the daughters were born in India and the third is born in America. ...more
Trail of Broken Wings is the story of an immigrant family from India who come to America for a better life. Two of the daughters were born in India and the third is born in America. ...more

I have never read another book like this. It was sad. Almost all the time. But I couldn't put it down. The author made me care about each and every character, even the abusive father, and I was drawn into their lives. As an abuse survivor myself, I thought she handled the subject matter in a way that was real, honest, and free from cliches. Either she did her research very well, or she's been there herself. I especially liked that the story was about how each of the women coped with the abuse in
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More like a 1.5. Predictable but that's not the worst part. It is the characters. They're all very one dimensional. There is very little change though the catalyst is there. And the eldest sister is just awful.
...more

An immigrant family from India dealing with the cycle of abuse as their father/abuser lies in a coma. Ranee and her three daughters are all bound by the secrets,lies and knowledge of the abuse they suffered through the years. All have a voice throughout the book, each with totally different but no less heartbreaking perspectives. And the vicious generational continuum is center stage as it ensnares her granddaughter. The title speaks volumes.
Be prepared. This is a psychological study of abuse. ...more
Be prepared. This is a psychological study of abuse. ...more

Read on the WondrousBooks blog.
Another gem among my NetGalley finds. To be honest, a couple of months ago I noticed that I lean on very similar books, and most of them aren't exactly newly published. NetGalley has given me the opportunity to diversify my bookshelf and to read more contemporary literature. But that can be both a good and a bad thing. I've stumbled upon some really bad and some really good books lately. Trail of Broken Wings definitely falls with the latter category.
Another gem among my NetGalley finds. To be honest, a couple of months ago I noticed that I lean on very similar books, and most of them aren't exactly newly published. NetGalley has given me the opportunity to diversify my bookshelf and to read more contemporary literature. But that can be both a good and a bad thing. I've stumbled upon some really bad and some really good books lately. Trail of Broken Wings definitely falls with the latter category.
The book t
...more
Totally disappointed in this book. I finished it but could easily have stopped mid-way through.
There was the opportunity here to really divulge the reality of generations of abuse but my god...how many times can you be told the same thing over and over and over.
The characters were predictable, the progress of the plots of the three sisters, the mother and the grand daughter were so cliche as to be silly and the writing was phony as hell.
The neatly wrapped up endings were laughable to me. Perha ...more
There was the opportunity here to really divulge the reality of generations of abuse but my god...how many times can you be told the same thing over and over and over.
The characters were predictable, the progress of the plots of the three sisters, the mother and the grand daughter were so cliche as to be silly and the writing was phony as hell.
The neatly wrapped up endings were laughable to me. Perha ...more

A warning to those who read this: This book contains depictions and descriptions of physical and sexual abuse, and the aftermath.
Brent is in a hospital bed, in a coma. The doctors don’t really know why the coma happened, but they do not think that he will wake again. This event brings his family together at his bedside; his wife Ranee, and his three daughters, Marin, Trisha, and Sonya. But what appears to be a perfect family dealing with a tragedy has a lot going on underneath the surface, beca ...more
Brent is in a hospital bed, in a coma. The doctors don’t really know why the coma happened, but they do not think that he will wake again. This event brings his family together at his bedside; his wife Ranee, and his three daughters, Marin, Trisha, and Sonya. But what appears to be a perfect family dealing with a tragedy has a lot going on underneath the surface, beca ...more

This was a really powerful book, one that stopped me and made me think about it and my own life.
As I was making my way through this book, I became frustrated with how the characters were handling certain situations. Marin in particular, was REALLY getting on my nerves. The communication was so dysfunctional and I wanted to just shake all of them and tell them to get it together! But as I kept reading, something that Marin said caught my attention. I don't remember the exact quote, but Gia was sp ...more
As I was making my way through this book, I became frustrated with how the characters were handling certain situations. Marin in particular, was REALLY getting on my nerves. The communication was so dysfunctional and I wanted to just shake all of them and tell them to get it together! But as I kept reading, something that Marin said caught my attention. I don't remember the exact quote, but Gia was sp ...more

EH?
Trail of Broken Wings could've been a lot better in my eyes. It's about three sisters reuniting by their mother's side while their dad is in a coma. Throughout the book we learn about their broken family, how each person was changed from their experiences, and who they have become today.
As for the characters, they were meh. So boring and ughhhhhhhh! I couldn't connect to any of them nor did I care about their lives. The few twists and turns thrown at me weren't intriguing enough to keep turni ...more
Trail of Broken Wings could've been a lot better in my eyes. It's about three sisters reuniting by their mother's side while their dad is in a coma. Throughout the book we learn about their broken family, how each person was changed from their experiences, and who they have become today.
As for the characters, they were meh. So boring and ughhhhhhhh! I couldn't connect to any of them nor did I care about their lives. The few twists and turns thrown at me weren't intriguing enough to keep turni ...more

Despite it's delicate subject this book is such a painfully beautiful story.....and the writing is sublime.... through written words you are there, you live and you feel emotions....
...more

Somehow, a Kindle First selection shouldn't achieve a 5 star rating. Why? because it's usually a first novel, which means glitches in the story or weaknesses in character development, and we have to leave room for improvement. However, Trail of Broken Wings ( an excellent title) shatters that unofficial rule!
Told with a brutal understanding of the effects of violence perpetrated on family members by a family member, the story elicits horror, disgust and, ultimately, healing...to a degree and lon ...more
Told with a brutal understanding of the effects of violence perpetrated on family members by a family member, the story elicits horror, disgust and, ultimately, healing...to a degree and lon ...more

While I found the story compelling and the characters intriguing, this book suffered from way too much self-analysis and introspection. For every paragraph of story there was another paragraph of internal monologue, wherein the characters would basically say, "The reason I reacted like this is because of this thing which happened in my past." Pretty quickly it felt like I was being hit over the head with it. Yes, the past had left them scarred, but I didn't need it explained to me on every page.
...more

" Taking Gia’s hand now, she lightly traces the veins with her finger. “Feel the blood? That is the same blood that is in me, in your mother, in Sonya masi, in Trisha masi. So whatever you do, whatever happens to you, it affects all of us, because you have our blood.” She holds Gia’s face gently in her palms, staring directly into her eyes. “Your mother and her sisters came from my womb and you came from your mother’s. You are ours, my darling.”"
סיפור יפיפה וקורע לב.
סוניה חוזרת לביתה לאחר שאביה ...more
סיפור יפיפה וקורע לב.
סוניה חוזרת לביתה לאחר שאביה ...more

Three adult sisters, Sonja, Marin and Trisha, along with their mother, Ranee, take turns sitting at the hospital bed of their father, Brent. None of them love Brent, but otherwise, their feelings are constricted and messed up. The doctor comments on how faithful and full of love they must be as a family because more than most, one of them is there every day. Wordless, they become silent and look at their feet. Will they ever have the courage to talk about the elephant in the room - Brent's abuse
...more

Trail of Broken Wings is a beautifully written novel about a horrible topic–domestic abuse. I personally don’t gravitate towards books that deal with abuse, domestic or sexual. However, Trail of Broken Wings was recommended to me by a dear friend and I’m so glad I gave it a chance. The book tells the story of an Indian family living in America. The chapters alternate between the accounts of the three sisters and the mother. Marin, the oldest daughter and the overachiever of the family, Trisha is ...more

I won a set of these books from TLC Book Tours for my book discussion group. We're reading it for our February meeting and hoping to Skype with Sejal Badani, the author.
This is a heart-breaking, poignant novel that I could not put down. However, I waited a full 24 hours before finishing the last 10 pages because I just wasn't sure how I would feel about the ending. It was just that emotional for me. For those of us who were damaged by a childhood, this novel offers a mirror to our pain, even tho ...more
This is a heart-breaking, poignant novel that I could not put down. However, I waited a full 24 hours before finishing the last 10 pages because I just wasn't sure how I would feel about the ending. It was just that emotional for me. For those of us who were damaged by a childhood, this novel offers a mirror to our pain, even tho ...more

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A former attorney, Sejal Badani left the law to pursue writing full time. She is a bestselling author, Goodreads Fiction Award Finalist and ABC/DISNEY Writing Fellowship Finalist. When not writing, she loves reading and traveling. Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, and Ed Sheeran are always playing in the background.
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