Year: 2017

Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani
Published by First Second on October 3rd 2017
Pages: 176
Goodreads

Priyanka Das has so many unanswered questions: Why did her mother abandon her home in India years ago? What was it like there? And most importantly, who is her father, and why did her mom leave him behind? But Pri's mom avoids these questions--the topic of India is permanently closed.
For Pri, her mother's homeland can only exist in her imagination. That is, until she find a mysterious pashmina tucked away in a forgotten suitcase. When she wraps herself in it, she is transported to a place more vivid and colorful than any guidebook or Bollywood film. But is this the real India? And what is that shadow lurking in the background? To learn the truth, Pri must travel farther than she's ever dared and find the family she never knew.
In this heartwarming graphic novel debut, Nidhi Chanani weaves a tale about the hardship and self-discovery that is born from juggling two cultures and two worlds.

You have probably read this before on my blog but one of the best things about blogging and taking part in blog tours is being exposed to books that you might not normally hear about otherwise and I have to say that this was the case with this book. I didn’t really hear anything about this book until I got the email from Rockstar Book Tours and after reading the description I knew I wanted to read it.

Thank you Rockstar and First Second for allowing me to be on the tour and sending me a e-copy of the book to read. I really enjoyed reading this.

I also have to say that I normally don’t buy finish copies of a book after reading Arcs or eArcs because I am one that doesn’t keep her books after reading them because I know I won’t reread the book but this is the exception to the case. I really enjoyed reading it and can see myself picking it up several times to reread this.

I should begin by saying that this is a graphic novel, something that I don’t read a lot of but when I do I do enjoy them.

I realized that during reading this I didn’t know a lot about the Indian culture or India in fact but after this I want to learn some more about it because I think it would be interesting to learn.

One of my favorite things apart from the illustrations was the fact there was a section in the back with glossary terms so reading this was enjoyable because it added to the story and for me having this it made everything make sense.

Speaking of the illustrations can I just saw wow. I loved that it was all done in black, grey and white but when Priyanka found the pashmina the whole world exploded into color and i thought that it brought a whole new aspect to the story line. I was impressed with the colors and they just added to the book. Then when she took it off it went back to black and white.

I loved Priyanka she was head strong and determined and I think more books need to have that kind of character in them.

Growing up Priyanka has always tried to ask her mother about India and her father but her mother always tried to stay off that topic. Priyanka was curious to know about where she came from and who her family really is. So Priyanka has grown to only imagine what it is like. When she finds the pashmina she sees India in a whole new light and begins to wonder if its really like that. This makes her determined to actually go but her mother keeps insisting its not safe and they don’t have the money. Will Priyanka ever make it to India to see for herself? If she goes will it be everything that she thought it would be?

This was such a fun read and I look forward to picking it up again to reread.