Pearls of the Past

by Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar

In the much-anticipated sequel to the award-winning Love Comes Later, we find out how happy the ever after is for Abdulla and Sangita, the unlikely duo who met by chance in a London apartment.

Married life holds more than they bargained for with the pressures of living amongst the family.

Hind has made good on her aspirations to work in the foreign service in India as an independent woman. Except loneliness dogs her every step.

And young Luluwa, once a teenager infatuated with her dead sister's husband, is growing up quickly.

When a deep family secret comes to light, it's she who will have to find a way to bring them together to overcome the dark forces.

Readers will lose themselves in the increasingly complex ties that bind.

224 pages, Paperback

Published June 11, 2017

About the author

Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar is a South Asian American novelist, educator, and scholar who has lived in Qatar since 2005. Her coming of age novel, An Unlikely Goddess, won the SheWrites New Novelist competition in 2011.

Her recent books have focused on various aspects of life in Qatar. From Dunes to Dior, named as a Best Indie book in 2013, is a collection of essays related to her experiences as a living in the Arabian Gulf. Love Comes Later was the winner of the Best Indie Book Award for Romance in 2013 and is a literary romance set in Qatar and London.

The Domestics is an inside look into compound life, the day-to-day dynamics between housemaids and their employers. Learn more about her work on her website at www.mohadoha.com or follow her latest on Twitter: @moha_doha.

Reviews

[Saarah Niña · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!

This book is the sequel to Love Comes Later, the winner of the 2013 Best Indie Book Award.

Both are definite five star reads: stories of a love struggling to survive in the midst of cultural clashes, troubled histories and uncertainty.

As with Love Comes Later, Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar explores life for a Qatari woman, the cultural expectations that come with it. The sequel follows the lives of Sangita and Abdullah as well as Hind, Abdullah's ex-fiance from Qatar to India. Interestingly, Luluwa's life is also featured- Luluwa being the sister of Abdullah's first wife.

More than anything, I enjoyed the sense of closure this sequel offered. A story complete. I feel that if you read Love Comes Later, you absolutely must read this one. I think you'd want to, anyway.

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Quinn Fforde · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed. I enjoyed the first book very much, and I wanted to see how Sangita and Abdulla's marriage would work out. Well, I am still wondering. Sangita is barely in this book. She is always hiding from the family, and she is hiding from us, too. Abdulla wanders around being indecisive and grumpy and appears to be avoiding Sangita after they marry. I wasn't expecting explicit sex scenes, but they should have more than three or four conversations that we can read.
The last third of the book gets exciting, but it feels like a different story altogether. It focuses on Luluwa and Jassim. I enjoyed it even though I didn't understand all the action involved.
Honestly, this would have been better as two separate works: a short story about Sangita and Abdulla as they adjust (but without all the restaurant angst -- too much) and a book about Luluwa and her life. Then I would have known what to expect and avoided disappointment.

[Jenni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightful sequel to Love Comes Later, but if you haven't read the first book, you will not be lost or disappointed in this one. It stands well on its own.

Pearls of the past starts with Abdulla and Sangita, who met and fell in love in the first book, as they adapt to life under the ever-watchful eyes of his family - an endless source of potential conflict. Abdulla struggles to start a business, while Sangita struggles to find a place to fit in within the family. His young cousin, Luluwa is on the brink of womanhood and imagining the different directions her life could take, while Hind is in India working for the consulate far from the suffocating ties of her family, but ever watchful for potential problems arising from the independent nature of her job.

The author did a great job of making the conflict believable, intense, and at times insurmountable. It all comes together through an old family legend with its roots in India, and Luluwa is the key. The characters are well-drawn and interesting. And the setting gives us a view into a world rarely glimpsed by those in the West.

I loved this novel for its detailed family connections, conflict, and the love stories weaving their threads toward the conclusion.

I received an arc copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! I look forward to reading the next in the series.

[Sonal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pearls Of The Past is the sequel to Love Comes Later. As I loved the first book, I expected this one to be the same. Unfortunately it didn't work out for me. I was fascinated with the inter-cultural wedding and I was hoping to see more of the consequences of such Union, but this book just derailed from it all.

Abdulla and Sangita got married without much support from his or her family. Abdulla who was an established government worker in the first book seemed to struggle with his business ideas in this one. I couldn't comprehend a smart man like him to not make a decision of what he wants to do with his life. Sangita who was a feisty girl with a quick come backs seemed all whinny and depressed in this one. I think this marriage just dimmed both of their lights. The whole plot revolved around the grandfather's past. I wasn't too keen on that either.

I was hoping to see Ravi and Hind's relationship comes to light but that didn't happen. I think the main reason this book didn't work for me much was that it contained a supernatural theme. I am not a big fan of that genre (specially ghosts and spirits) and If I had known I would have skipped this one.

[Bshayer Alkuwari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pearls of the past is the sequel to love comes later. Even though I did not read the first one, I followed the story easily in this book.

At the beginning I thought the story would be only about Abdullah and Sagnita after their marriage. But also the book follows Hind, Abdullah ex- fiancé, with her work in the foreign service in India as independent women.
And young Luluwa, Abdullah cousin, while she trying to find a way to deal with her family secret.

I received this book from the author, and really I appreciate the diversity in the story, it’s my first experience with reading about my culture in English novel, and I enjoyed it as well. The way she described our clothes, our food, our thoughts, and the main words we use in our conversations! I smiled a lot!! God! she knows us😂😂!
I hope anyone who want to know more about the Gulf, especially about the tradition and culture of Qatar, to just give this book a try! 👌🏼

Here is my favorite Quote; “How did humans achieve such diversity even though they were such a limited species?“

[Carla (literary.infatuation) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was also a light and fun read that took me back with nostalgia to my time in Doha. It’s so entertaining to read a book where the characters go to the places I and have conversations we normally had at home. If you’re living or lived in Doha, you should definitely pick up this book. It will speak to you. It’s a YA fantasy novel about a family, its struggle with breaking of tradition and a mysterious past. It has it all, forbidden love, jinnis and unearthing of secrets.

For a more detailed review, check my blog: www.ofbooksandotherdemons.wordpress.com

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the sequel to Love Comes Later. The character development was good and kept me engaged, and I loved the added supernatural component to it. It added another layer without going overboard, as supernatural elements can sometimes be cheesy, but this book was not that. The author did a great job of referencing the history of Qatar's pearl diving industry as well. Highly recommend!

[Dora Okeyo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sequel to Love Comes Later and for you've not read the first one, don't worry, the characters are more developed here for the plot thickens when they have to face and live with the consequences of their actions.

[Niv · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read the first book, but this wasn't very hard to follow. I found it interesting reading about other cultures and their family stories and legends. I will pick up the first book as well.