The Forgotten Daughter

I just loved this book! I am not a big reader of fiction, I admit, so I don't have much to compare it with, but having said that, I did absolutely enjoy the book, and would highly recommend it. I will not go into details of the plot, lest I spoil it for a potential reader, but if you're on the fence about whether to buy, then jump and buy!... you won't regret it.

The book is slow to start with. However, the story picks up towards the middle. The characters come alive and one can identify with them. One can also be gripped by the Indian setting.The end is beautiful. The lives of three women merge together.One of the good books I have read. Renita D'Silva makes the characters interesting and two dimensional. I was hooked. Good job by the author

Great story, very well written. Definitely recommend

The story I will keep you engaged but at the same time you will have to suffer the writing style of the author, because it is typical a little, here you will get a lot of new vocabulary and a lot to use of idioms and phrases, the author seems to be ostentatious 🧐 if you are a beginner then don't go for this book otherwise you will hate reading even before starting it.I don't know what the author is trying to do here showing her english skills or telling the story

I stumbled upon ‘The Forgotten Daughter’ purely by chance. The interplay of 3 characters and their musings kept me hooked. I knew their lives were going to merge eventually into one tight knot, but the build up of their stories was worth the wait.Renita D’Silva evoked all of my senses through her writing style... the tastes, smells, sights, touch and sounds were all so vivid.It was an emotional roller coaster ride, and I loved every bit of it!

Initially could not relate the character & got boring

Theme is good, but the way it's presented could have been mellowed down to suit all age groups. Given the title and review thought it's good read for children. But no way, content not suitable for children.

A gripping tale about how life takes turn it’s own way....cant’t put this book down unless you finish it in one go.... simply loved the way the author has woven a beautiful story about the love & loss of a family... loved & enjoyed reading it thoroughly

I thought I've read and enjoyed all books written by the amazing Renita D'Silva, until I was browsing my kindle library and found this little gem among the many books waiting patiently for their turn to be read. Yes, Christmas has come earlier than usual for me this year. I felt happy as I knew that I was in for a treat, and in fact this was yet another mesmerising experience that I'll keep close to my heart for many years to come.'The Forgotten Daughter' is a beautiful story about a family torn apart by tragic circumstances. After Nisha's parents die in a fatal car crash, she learns that she wasn't their natural daughter, she was adopted. A few lines in a letter left to her by her parents are enough to turn Nisha's life upside down. She realises that all that she thought she knew, all that she was told, was just a bunch of lies. Her whole life was nothing but one huge lie. All of a sudden, as her life begins to crumble, long forgotten snippets of memories, images and even smells start to invade her conscious mind and her dreams. What do these mean? From where are they coming? Who is she? Who are her real parents? Where are they? Are they still alive? And why did they give her away? She wants to know everything, she wants all these questions and many others answered.Across the globe, in India, Devi is going through a very difficult time. Her mum is in hospital fighting for her life. Due to her rebellious nature, Devi's relationship with her mum has always been strained at best. Now, feeling terrible for how she has always behaved, she seeks comfort by reading her mother's diary, going back in time and getting to know the woman her mother was before she was born, learning about her father, whom she has never met. She thought she knew her mother, knew everything about her, but through her mother's written words, she begins to uncover unimaginable secrets. All of a sudden, her mother's behaviour, her suffocating love, words and actions begin to make sense and all the dots begin to be joined together to form a picture. She also finds it therapeutic writing letters to her mother. Letters in which she pours her heart out, telling her mother her own secrets, experiences and feelings in the hope that her mother will soon be able to read them. Will mother and daughter finally be able to understand each other? Will they have the chance to start anew?Well, as I was expecting, thanks to her beautiful, evocative writing, the author took me on another emotional, heart-warming and tear-jerking journey spanning decades and continents. Ms Silva's magnificent descriptions are alive, stimulating the senses, making the reader feel, see, taste, smell and hear all that is taking place in the story. I could clearly visualise everything with my mind's eye. The chaos of the Indian cities, the women in the colourful saris, the buses full to bursting with passengers, the damp, intense heat, the sweat, the sweltering sun, the dry red mud, the palm fronds swaying in the breeze, the nuns' kind faces. It was as if I was there living it all, in the places she so skilfully describes, interacting with the lifelike characters. I don't like to use this term in my reviews but yes, I could not put this book down and as I was reading, my emotions were all over the place. I wanted to know how it will all end, what will happen to the three women. Will their dreams come true? There were times in which I wanted to cry, others in which I wanted to shout and throw the kindle against the wall at the injustice of it all. There were also lovely moments in which I wished I was really there, one of the characters.Chapters are written from the point of views of the three women, Nisha, Devi and her mother Shilpa and by the end, I've come to love all three of them. All three women have gone through some challenging times in their lives and I wished I could give them a hug and help them in some way. I wished they were true characters and that I form part of their lives. I already miss them!'The Forgotten Daughter' is a brilliant book and I really loved and enjoyed it. It has certainly given me a short break from the adrenaline-pumping thrillers I usually like to read. A huge well done to the author, Ms Renita D'Silva, who once again made me dream with my eyes open, imagining this beautiful exotic country that is India. A colourful country of extreme contrasts, of many languages, religions, diversities and delicious food.This book is really a work of art, or should I say 'a work of heart' and I highly recommend it.

This is a heart warming read of a mother, guided by superstition and discrimination in giving up one of her twin daughters to an institution. Shilpa is a young woman married to Rohaj in an impoverished village who discovers she is pregnant. Guided by an old woman, who the local villagers name the mad woman, tells Shilpa that there is a curse on her unborn children. When Shilpa gives birth to her children, she discovers she has twins. Discovering that one of them has a facial deformity, she struggles to feed the two daughters, before being guided by the mad women, to give one of her daughters away. Caught in a stew of guilt and despair, she gives away Nisha who has the deformity thinking that she would not be able to marry, and is adopted by nuns in a convent, thinking she would benefit more in their nurturing. The story leaps from the account of Nisha her unknown twin Nivi and her mother Shilpa, chapter to chapter. Shilpa gives her account of the story in the form of a diary. With which she also notes down her food recipes, while her two daughters who are unaware of having a twin sister, give their account of their lives. This unknowing of her history, is finally broken, when Nisha's British adoptive parents are killed in a car accident, and discovers she was adopted by them in a letter she finds. When she discovers her real mother is living in India, she begins a mission to finally find her mother and long lost twin. The forgotten daughter gives an accurate account of Indian life and tradition. Relying on religious practise and superstition. The neighbors of the village think the child deformity varies from not eating the right kind of food to not honouring the right gods. Shilpa though relies on the teachings of the mad woman for her advice. The story goes back and forth in time, and gives the story a distinctive edge, and at the beginning of the book with the account of the women put together in chapters, keeps the reader wondering of the women's connection to one another.This kind of book will especially appeal to women. But hey! I enjoyed the book and if you want to read something different, heart warming and heaped in Indian culture. Check this out.A great read and recommended immensely. 9/10

I enjoyed this book very much! The story of 3 women and their lives. One of them is living in England and her parents are both killed in a car crash. She is in her early twenties and had no idea that she was adopted.. She then decides to find her biological family which brings her to India and the reader with her!. The descriptions of India has transport you there in you mind. You can smell the spices, the coconut and the flowers of India. I just got lost in the Authors descriptions and the 3 womens stories in the background. They each with their own story and their own paragraph. Just brilliant!. When you start the book just memorize each name and its very easy to follow. Loved every bit of it and it only cost a couple Euros. One of the women was a fantastic cook and was able to make wonderful spicy dishes out of the local produce as she was very poor. When it comes to her chapter she has a lovely recipe at the beginning. I intend to try each one of them as I thought this was a lovely touch. Read and enjoy!

The story starts with Nisha, an Indian girl brought up in the UK. After her parent die in a car crash, she learns she is adopted. She then goes on a quest to find why her birth parents gave her away. The story then introduces two other women ( I won't spoil the surprise by saying who they are), and we learn about their lives and thoughts and feelings, through them writing in their diaries.The character who resonated with me most, was Shilpa. I sobbed through the last few chapters, as her life and choices, and the depth of her love for her children is told in heart wrenching detail. She is a strong woman who has to face choices, and puts up with the disdain of her daughter, before making the ultimate sacrifice. Her character stayed with me long after I finished reading the book and am still thinking of all she had to endure. This is an emotional read, but you will love Shilpa's character and empathise with her. A definite must read.

The author uses an interesting device to separate each character by creating lists in keeping with their personalities. I found this slightly disconcerting to begin with, but it did help to clarify the "voice" that was relevant in that section. The title rather heralds the nature of the story and the logical conclusion, but the character developments that take place as the tale unfolds are well handled as are the contrasts between the daughters' upbringings. It is difficult to say too much without spoiling the progression of the story, but I'd recommend this thoughtful and thought-provoking book to anyone intrigued by the Nature v Nurture debate.