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The Dowry Bride
By Shobhan Bantwal

Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp. Copies also available on Amazon.com

Also reviewed by an Amzaon.com reviewer Academy: As someone who has lived in India, and had educated friends and relatives succumb to the demands for dowry ( some very subtle, some not so subtle), DOWRY BRIDE, is a book we needed. The issue has permeated all socio-economic strata's and faith groups in India and some brides do burn for not bringing enough of a dowry, while others live with taunts, abuse and discrimination for not having brought the laundry lists of goods demanded. Female infanticide in India has its roots in traditions such as this. Woven into fiction, 'The Dowry Bride' will perhaps do for dowry what 'Kite Runner' did for Afghani kids. Highly recommended!

Most first novels are often disappointing while the author starts to develop writing skills. The Dowry Bride is different. Shobhan Bantwal delivers a great story line with vivid characters and a non-stop sense of thrill and intrigue from cover to cover. The story of a young girl, Megha travels from her typical upbringing to her less than glamorous wedding to her post-wedding struggles and the realization of her own family's evil plot to burn her at the stake so her husband can marry someone else offering a decent dowry keeps the reader eagerly flipping pages non-stop.

The balance between this young woman's tragic situation and her new found love for a distance family relative is carefully crafted gradually at some points and quickly in other so the reader can't guess at where the story will end.
The extraordinary journey the author creates will tear at your heart while also giving a glimmer of hope that romance and true love still exist, even in the most dark and dangerous places. Megha starts as a small fragile new bride and ends with a sort of sophistication that only comes with the survival of hard times and plenty of self-awareness.

It's a beautifully written book that explores the morbid side of humanity, the small daily miracles that can happen and the imbalance in life's justice. The Dowry Bride will make you cry, laugh, frown and most of all think. Although it's fiction, it will present a topic that needs more attention because it still happens in today's society. Dowry crimes can be ruthless and result in mental abuse, torture, and sometimes death. Bantwal takes a brave look at an old topic and delivers a piece of work that may just make an impact. Wonderful, Vivid, and Worth Reading.

"Packed with detail…splendidly depicts passion, brutality, and cultures in conflict."
-- Bestselling author, Dorothy Garlock

"Vivid, rich…expertly portrays a young woman caught between
love and duty, hope and despair." --Anjali Banerjee