Overall, what do you think of Honor? (no spoilers in this thread please)

Overall, what do you think of Honor? (no spoilers in this thread please)

This book is raw and gut wrenching but so terribly important. It's hard to say I liked the book because of the subject matter but definitely glad I read it and will pass on to friends. We are terribly naive about how women suffer in other countries and we need to understand in order to support. Overall I thought the book was excellent.

I found this book to be touching and impactful! I consider it the best book I have read in a long time, as I had trouble even putting it down. I just wanted to keep reading to find out the rest! I also did find it difficult to read, in spite of my wanting to read more. I agree that we can be naive about how women still suffer in other countries. I had heard of some of these things, but found this story really brought it to life for me. I find it challenging to understand a culture that can be so different from my own. I remember thinking, from my own perspective, that such disrespect is shown to Indian women the times I have seen them covered head to toe on a hot summer day, standing next to a husband in shorts and sandals, here in the United States. Yet, other times I have simply seen Indian women as colleagues or neighbors, sharing an American culture with me (a woman with Irish and English roots). I think "Honor" is an important book. Thrity Umrigar has me really thinking deeply about Indian women and the complexity of the Indian culture. I will definitely share this book with friends.

I liked the book. I knew of these cultures and honor killings. However the book made it personal as you know the characters so well. It was good to know Smita's background and childhood to understand her viewpoint. Meena's personal story made one care about what happens to her. Moran's background provided another level to the story. The brothers and Rupal presented the strict, unforgiving cultural beliefs of the village and faith. They all come together to reveal a story that needs to be told.

I liked the book a lot. At times, I thought it unrealistic until I read the author's note at the end and realized it was all based on actual events. I travelled to India about 8 years ago and know firsthand the magic of that country. The extreme poverty in the midst of unbelievable beauty. A culture so magnetic, you can't resist it. Which in the end draws Smita back to perhaps help transform the extreme caste system and right the terrible wrong done to her family. As was mentioned above, I really couldn't put the book down. It was horrifying, but in extreme isolation and poverty as these small village are, it was realistic. It was so enlightening when describing the extreme hatred between the Muslim and Hindu. But so sad that this hatred remains.

I found the book to be a captivating read and one in which I learned about honor killings and other cultural traditions of India. Yes, some these are horrifying to an outsider but the reasons behind them are explained in this book that I could not put down.

READ THIS BOOK!! I loved this book. Beautiful, heartbreaking, thought-provoking. The characters were very well developed and the book was well written. It gave me insight into a culture I am not at all familiar with. I have recommended it to my book club and we will be reading it in January.

This is a spectacularly well written and thought-provoking book. The characters are well-rounded and the plot draws the reader in and through. I highly recommend it.

I found the book powerful & informative sometimes in an explosive manner
This is my first read by the author who has an
Impressive history. Found the writing good but not overwhelming. I’m glad I read it but not certain I would recommend it

I agree with those above who have described this book as raw, powerful, thought-provoking, and informative. I also agree that this book is an important read as Meena’s situation is not as isolated fictional incident; rather, similar situations are common occurrences in many parts of the world today. This book will stay with me for a long time, it was impactful and I deeply felt this book - so much that I had to step away from the book several times.

While “Honor” is not an easy read, it is beautifully written and would make a great read for a serious book club.

One final note, while I enjoyed the hard copy, the audiobook and narrator further enhanced the reading experience for me.

I think every young woman should read this book! It shows the power men use to keep women in their control. I fear some of the things happening in my country now as men try to gain control of women's health. I loved the book and will look for and read others by this author and recommend it to my book club.

I agree with all of the previously stated reasons why this is an outstanding book! I learned about an aspect of the Indian culture that I was unfamiliar with. I will definitely be recommending it to my friends. I know it's had a profound impact on me because today I happen to listen to the lyrics of Stevie Wonder's song "You and I" and immediately thought of Meena and Abdul!

A well written important book that hopefully will be read by many. Meena’s story was devastating, as also what happened to Smita’s family. I was pleased with the ending.

I thought this book was excellent, both in the importance of its subject matter and in the quality of the writing. I was often horrified and infuriated by what I was reading, but the story was so compelling that I had trouble putting the book down.

I have always thought Thrity Unrigar was an excellent writer, and this book does not disappoint. Honor evokes so many emotions - anger, disgust and hate, but also tenderness, love and devotion. I loved how the author expressed these feelings and conflicts through her beautifully drawn characters.

I could not put this book down. It is very upsetting and I got very angry reading it. It is hard to believe these things still go on in the world. The book, however, was very interesting, well written and believable. It is not often I find a book that I get that engrossed in. Thanks for sending it.

Honor was a difficult read, but a very powerful, compelling, important book.

I couldn’t put this book down. I stayed up until 2:00 am and read it in two days. It hard to say that I loved it but I was totally caught up in all of the characters and the story line. The suspense kept me interested. I cared about some of the characters and despised others. I was invested in the chapters and the outcome of the story as it related to them

Ms. Umrigar is a wonderful writer. She brought all her characters to life, and the reader feels present throughout the novel. It is impossible to read this powerful story and not be moved. The story is also important for bringing our attention to such injustice and pain of people like Meena but also for holding a mirror to our own own culture and privilege. I’ve read Honor twice, and its impact was greater the second time.

Excellent Book! The authors descriptive style and cleverly written characters drew me in right away. Although the story is difficult at times, you care deeply about the characters making it easy to stick with it. The author did a great job bringing attention to the problems women face in this culture with grace and respect. I felt the scenes written that involved violence were to the point and not overly graphic which showed urgency of the situation without making it the highlight of the story and keeping the spotlight on all the different fractions in the community leading to the storylines climax.
This book in my opinion is Beautiful, Sad, but also hopeful. The last page had me tearing up and I rarely do that.

This is one of the best books I have read in s long time. Even though I have experiences the difficult living conditions of many in India I found the country to be a compelling country. I had no knowledge of honor killings prior to reading this book. More people should be enlightened regarding the Indian cultute

I loved this book. I thought the descriptions of family life and community responses were very powerful. The book also made me very angry that woman are treated like property and that these experiences are real. Why will we go to war over oil but horrible violations of human rights are left alone as cultural differences when they are immoral and loathsome
I've recommended the book to others and have loaned my copy out.

I am a big fan of Thrity Umrigar. I have read all of her books. Each one depicts a different and difficult aspect of life in India. This book grabbed me and would not let go. It was the most difficult subject matter yet that the author has tackled. Well done, but not easy reading.

I was sad to see the book end. Trudy Umrigar was able to tell a difficult story with a clear compelling narrative. She let the reader develop their own conclusions rather then preach to them. Every country has good and bad and this trip to India opened my eyes to both the beauty and evil in India. I think this would be a great selection for a book club!

While difficult to read at times, I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read Honor. It is important for me to read books from different places in the world; particularly places that have such different "traditions" from my own. I gain an understanding of place, attitudes, and the sheer strength of women worldwide. We are pretty amazing! Without a doubt, this book would not have been as powerful had we not heard directly from Meena. Through her character, Umrigar gives a voice to women who are persecuted, maligned, and abused. She also reminds us that we are worth honoring.

Honor is a hard read, but one that I could not stop reading: going so far as to buy a Kindle copy so I could continue to read in bed without disturbing my husband.

Overall I loved the book: the format, the first-person point of view of Meena Mustafa who speaks directly to the reader and tells of her star-crossed love and marriage to Abdul Mustafa, and the author's pacing of revelations that gradually fills in background and character delineation. Thrity Umrigar skillfully describes the India of the rich and that of the poor, the India seen by the women and the India directed by the men, and the India populated by people of diverse religions and cultures forced to live within boundaries drawn by politicians.

Although I loved the book it might be too dark for some members of my book club.

I loved this book. It is dark, however, the subject is good. It brings attention to the fact that this type of thing is still going on in other countries. I believe our book group would like it. They chose many books with hard subjects. It makes for a good discussion and realize that there are many different beliefs in the world. It takes us out of our little bubble. I will be recommending this book.

I have read most of Thrity Umrigar's books and our book club has selected 2 of them to discuss, but, in my mind, this is the strongest of all of them. It was heart breaking to read the story of Meena, even though we know about this kind of behavior and belief, but it's still hard to imagine such cruelty to women, especially from your own family. Such a powerful book, but agonizing to think that this behavior continues in our world. I can't wait for Ms. Umrigar's next book; she has so much to say!

The story which is the basis of the book is hard to read, but important to know about. I found the book extremely readable, so much that I got another of Umrigar's books from our library. Her story "Everybody's Son", though completely different, was a great read which I had problems putting down. I will read more of her books!

It was a sad but important story. I couldn't get this book out of my mind and was thinking about the story and it's characters for long after finishing the book.

I loved this book I look forward to reading other works by this author. The characters are so well-written that I cried when Meena described her love for her husband. It was so touching. I frequently read books based in India. This is not the first honor killing I have read about. To think that in current times this could be happening is horrifying.