The Spice Maker's Secret by Renita D'Silva is written in two timelines. Although well written and vivid, I felt it needed an edit, as it was overly long. Beautifully read by the narrator.

Thank you @netgalley for the ALC of The Spicemaker’s Secret by Renita D’Silva. This was beautifully read by the narrator. This was a beautifully written story. The writing made me feel like I was there. I could smell the spices and taste the food. The story is heartbreaking, but also one of hope. It really shows what life in India was like during the late 1930s.

The story alternates between Bindu in 1938 and Eve in 1990. Bindu is trapped in a controlling marriage. She finds solace in writing recipes, but when her husband finds out, confines her to one room. She is pregnant and scared. Eve’s adoptive father passes away and Eve finds solace in a handwritten recipe book he gave her. She wants learn more about her biological family because her father refused to talk about it with her. I look forward to reading more books by D’Silva.

Loved this family saga. The writing was vivid and beautiful. I could feel the gray skies in England and the warmth of the sun in India. Her characters spanned several generations bringing several women's stories together. The heartbreak is never-ending, but never despairing. I don't want to spoil anything, but I would love a second book. I think there are more stories to tell. The ending felt a little rushed, but possibly because I didn't want it to end.

This is a wonderful dual-timeline story, centered around two women who have suffered great losses. Bindu, in 1930s India, is a feisty and intelligent woman. While she had hopes of leaving her rural village and furthering her education, she trades her independence for medical care for her sick grandmother, and ends up trapped in marriage to a wealthy man. Eve, in 1980s London, is grieving for her husband and daughter, killed in a traffic accident. But circumstances force her to re-engage with her life, and she sets off for India, where she was born, to learn more about her birth parents. Their stories progress independently for most of the book, but I loved the way in which they finally came together. The descriptions of food, spices, and the love of cooking permeate both tales. Fans of the Henna Artist trilogy will love this book! I am grateful to the author, publisher, and NetGalley, for providing this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

While the first half of this book moved slowly for me, I am so thankful I stuck with it! This book is beautifully written and ended up being a wonderful story of healing. I always enjoy reading books about the Indian culture, and the author was delightfully descriptive about the landscape and cuisine that is such a strong part of Indian tradition.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for my copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

A historical fiction telling the story of Bindu, a fiercely smart woman living in a culture that is not ready for her voice. Reading from the lens of today, it was slightly infuriating to read how often her wings were clipped and she had to adapt to living in the culture of men. Yet still, her life made an impact and paved the way for those who came after her.

I listened to this on audio, The production value and narration were excellent. This one is going straight to my favorites shelf.

This book...so beautiful and 💔

D'Silva writes about the life of Bindu in India, as she grows from girl to woman, and shifts from child to wife to mother. Bindu grew up in poverty, raised by her grandmother, but married the son of the most powerful man in their village. She is a hard headed, independent woman who feels imprisoned by her husband, Guru. She fights for the people of her village and garners a better life for all of them. We also get brief glimpses into the adult life of Eve, in London as the book flips chapters between the two stories. Eve is still dealing with the loss of both her husband and daughter, but finds comfort in cooking from her birth mother's recipes. Both women have experienced lots of tragedy in their lives, but have persevered and demonstrate the strength and power of women.

This is the first book I've read by D'Silva and after reading this book, I'm ready to pick up her others. The writing was wonderful and made you fall in love with these characters. Once you understand how the two stories of Bindu and Eve connect, the book gets even more enticing. Despite seeing where things were leading, I was still crying at the end. Definitely recommend this one!

Thank you NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for providing me with the ARC audiobook.

Audiobook review


This is a beautiful story with emotive descriptions. Both the author and the narrator brought the story to life with the description of Bindu's home and cooking. I could taste and smell the spices and Bindu's cooking! Immediately, I felt as though I'd been transported to India and immersed in the story.

The Spice Maker's Secret is a dual-timeline which follows Bindu and Eve's lives. Bindu is living in 1930 India, while Eve is in 1980s England. Both women know heartbreak and loss. Their stories are equally heartbreaking and heartwarming. Bindu is a progressive woman who wants independence and equality for herself, women, and the village she grew up in. She fights for what she believes in and for those she loves, but by doing so she finds herself trapped in an unhappy marriage. Meanwhile, Eve is grieving the loss of her husband and child. Both women are fighting to find their purpose in life.

This audiobook was beautifully narrated and really brought the story to life. I'd highly recommend both the book and the narrator to other readers.


*Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review*

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bolina Audio for my copy of The Spice Maker's Secret by Renita D'Silva Narrated by Nikki Patel in exchange for an honest review. It published February 1, 2024.
Wow, what a beautiful book! The narration was extremely well-done, and the writing was incredible. I loved the descriptions, I truly felt like I was there, smelling the spices, tasting the foods, feeling the warmth. This duel timeline story is executed in a perfect way, I highly, highly recommend this book. Bindu's story is very inspiring, heartbreaking, and one not to miss!

With better editing, this could have been a five star book. The novel delves into powerful and timeless themes of sacrifice, love, grief, devotion, rebellion, and resilience. The main character, Bindu, is a pioneer for women’s rights in India. She is inspirational and unforgettable. Additionally, the author writes beautiful vivid descriptions of sights, flavors, aromas, and weather, so we readers can picture the way life was in this rural village in India in the 1930s.

What put me off and made the majority of the novel tedious for me, is the repetition. So many passages are repeated almost word for word, that when listening to the audiobook, I thought I had accidentally hit rewind, and was listening to the same chapters over again. I almost did not finish this book many times because I was so bored by the constant rehashing of the same material. I understood the first time that I read it that Bindu felt pressure to be a dutiful granddaughter and a good student, that she craved independence, and that she sometimes needed to escape and skip school. I did not need this explained 15 times!

I’m glad I finished the book because the end was a big emotional pay off. I recommend this book to anyone who’s interested in reading about strong women who defied societal expectations at a time and place when women had very little control over their own lives.

I received this book as an audio download for free from NetGalley and Bolinda Audio and I appreciate that. The narrator Nikki Patel was superb.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced audiobook copy. This book was a beautiful historical fiction- love story told with dual timelines. Nikki Patel did an amazing job.

"The Spice Maker’s Secret" weaves a mesmerizing tale of resilience and sacrifice, spanning two women and two different times. Bindu, raised in poverty in Suryanagar, India, and Eva, living in London from 1924 to 1980, face loss and love in their respective lives. Bindu's struggle for the well-being of her villagers and her fight against societal norms collide with Eva's journey of healing and self-discovery.
Bindu's story unfolds against the backdrop of rural India in the 1930s, where she is raised by her grandmother amidst poverty and superstition. Despite her dreams of independence, Bindu's life takes a different turn when she marries into the landlord's family, leading to a tumultuous marriage and eventual isolation. Through secret correspondence with a magazine editor, she finds solace and dreams of escaping her circumstances, especially after discovering her pregnancy.
In contrast, Eva, living in 1980s London, grapples with immense loss and retreats from life until circumstances force her to confront her past. Cooking becomes her refuge, especially with the Indian cookbook inherited from her adopted father. As she delves into her origins, she discovers her connection to Bindu and finds the courage to embark on a journey to India.
The novel masterfully explores themes of poverty, sacrifice, societal oppression, and the resilience of the human spirit. Bindu's defiance against societal norms and her determination to improve the lives of others resonate throughout the narrative. Similarly, Eva's quest for identity and connection reflects a universal search for belonging and purpose.
The author's vivid descriptions and powerful imagery bring both time periods to life, immersing the reader in the sights, sounds, and aromas of rural India and urban London. Through Bindu and Eva's intertwined stories, the novel celebrates the strength of women, the bonds of family, and the transformative power of love and resilience.
Many thanks to NetGalley for an opportunity to listen to this audio ARC., and @ Bolindaaudio

Focusing on our protagonist (Bindu), the story is narrated in dual timelines. In the past, it took you on a ride exploring the south Indian villages that were stuck in the coils of caste discrimination and the Zamindari system. Bindu's whole life has been around this place. From her birth to childhood memories with her Ajji and her young blossoming self, exploring the extent of freedom in this irrevocable world. On the other side is another girl in a foreign land with a foreign notebook with spiralling delicacies.

The book piqued an obvious question: When does one have the liberty to think about boredom, its impact on the world, and education? An emty stomach only thinks about hunger and means to provide the next meal. I often found myself in a dilemma regarding Bindu's eventful actions. She had her reasons, but was the approach, right? Maybe so!

Another aspect that captivated me was the letter-writing. I have always been a fan of this art and can never grow tired of it. The dual timelines were a tad confusing at first, but eventually, one gets the hang of it. The book proficiently makes you feel a range of emotions that are exhausting in a good way. It does have a slow pace, though the storyline demands it. The plot twists, however, keep you on edge.

Thank you, @netgalley @bolindaaudio @renita_dsilva for the Audiobook
Genre: #historicalfiction #India #womensfiction
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

Thank you @Bolindaaudio for the opportunity to listen to this audio book.
First off, the narration was really enjoyable. The accent was perfect, just enough to help transport the imagination to the setting but not too thick to be difficult to understand.
The dual time line flowed and connected perfectly.
I could really connect emotionally to several parts of the story.
I'm so glad I listened to this story.

Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is a good story that needs an edit for length. The audio is over 13 hours, but this could easily be told in 8 hours. We hear about the main characters frustrations 2-3 times, every time she has one. We understand her feelings of being trapped, feelings of hope, her fears, and then again her feelings of being trapped. For some reason, each of her internal thoughts is recounted at least twice and sometimes three times.

This is a book about a young girl he grows up being raised by her aunt due to her parents' death and the different aspects of living in a world where spices are the main currency and bordering we're at teaches her to cook and how to live in this world it is intriguing and very good story which is well written and the reader was very good I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story about growing up in adversity

I absolutely adored this. I was completely swept away back to 1930’s India. The writing was amazing it captivated all of my senses and I was immersed in the story. Split between two protagonists and timelines the way the two stories weave together is beautiful, and held one of my favourite things, a book within a book! The ending was just stunning.

Poignant, heartfelt and captivating.

All the stars 🌟 #Jorecommends

Thank you to NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

This poignant story follows two stories and timelines that eventually cross. The first is of Bindu, an impoverished woman in early 20th century India who has big dreams and goes against societal norms. The book covers a bit more of her story, which was fine by me as she was the most interesting in my opinion. Although, at times she was clearly making bad decisions against her own better judgement. However, her growth and realization through everything makes it much more realistic, although heartbreaking. The second storyline follows Eve in 1980s England, a woman dealing with the aftermath of loss and struggling to find herself. Both of these women are well written to exemplify different types of strength, yet the author does a good job of making them vulnerable and real at the same time. It is very descriptive (and will make you crave the delicious spices of Indian food) and is slowly paced, but the audiobook narrator does a great job at reading in a way that made it easier to listen to even through long stretches. Overall this was a 4 star listen for me, and I recommend it to fans of women’s historical fiction with strong female leads. Thank you to NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, a wonderful but heartbreaking read! I experienced so many emotions listening to this audiobook. The story transports us through two timelines, the first is of Bindu, a young girl in India who is adored by her grandmother but the local villagers think she is jinxed after the death of her father before she was born and the death of her mother during childbirth. We watch Bindu grow from a mischievous child to an inspirational woman but who experiences a lot of heartache along the way.

In between this, we find out about Eve, Bindu’s daughter, who was adopted as a young toddler from India and taken to live in England. As an adult Eve experiences a lot of heartache herself after losing her daughter and husband in a tragic accident, she isolates herself from the world. One day her daughter’s friend bangs on her door, Eve finally comes out of isolation and finally realises she needs to find herself when she comes across her birth mother’s cookbook.

Can Eve find her family, find out about her past and eventually find a purpose to her life by returning to India?

I thoroughly enjoyed this story weaving together the stories of two women separated by continents and time. The bulk of the book is Bindu's story with some chapters being devoted to Eve.

Bindu is a young, intellgent girl when we first met her, living with her beloved Ajji (sorry if that's not how you spell it but I haven't seen it written down.). Her grandmother is a talented cook and also uses her skills to heal the people of their village. The relationship between garndmother and grandduaghter is so beautifully written and I loved how Ajji always called Bindu 'my heart'. This is one of these books that's a feast for the senses and the descriptions of the food the two prepared had my mouth watering. The way the author wrote about the village and surroundings, the colours of the fruit and flowers, the way she described the searing heat all combined to make this a very visual reading experience.

Yet Bindu is trapped in many ways. When she is young, she is trapped by poverty and social class. She is so feisty and wants more from life that society says she could expect as a girl. I felt sorry for her when she had the opportunity to further her education but had to give it up to help Ajji. She moved from one form of entrapment to another when she married the landowner's son Guru. Although he had admired her spiritedness before they married, he had different expectations for her as a wife. My heart went out to her in her loneliness.

Eve is also trapped in her own way. She has experienced unimaginiable loss which has left her paralysed with grief and more or less unable to leave her own home. When she has to help her neighbour's daughter, cooking from her mother's recipe book, all that she has from her past, gradually begins to bring colour to her life again.

I must mention the narrator of this audiobook, Nikki Patel, who I thought was excellent. To my ear, it seemed she captured the accents and atmosphere of the Indian sections of the story really well and made the characters feel very real to me. Equally, in the British parts of the story, she was very good at conveying emotions and also differentiating between characters of different ages.

As the two storylines began to converge, it was lovely to see the difference that Bindu made in the lives of the villagers and the legacy she left for Eve and for the community. With the rich descriptive language used by Renita D'Silva. The Spicemaker's Secret is an atmospheric read full of emotion and ultimately uplifting.