The Second Wife & other stories: A dazzling collection of short stories about the lives of Indian women

I am reading the book by my friend,Nandini Sen . The stories are not only very well written , each and every story has a surprise ending , which is so interesting. They are expressed in such a way that we all can relate to it and can enjoy the easy flow of words. Many congratulations Nandini, awesome work.👏👏👍

The stories are authentic and come with an element of surprise and intrigue which is fantastic. Additionally, they're really easy to read and understand for an average reader who mostly reads fiction. Great read highly recommended and look forward to see more such books from the author.

Beautifully thought and well written. After reading each the characters and situations would dwell your mind for few days. Looking forward to more such work 👍

the kind of book you want to curl up with on a Sunday afternoon. Stories that subtly explore the palette of human emotions, and leave an imprint. Love the cover and book production. Net-net, a great buy.

The stories make for a fascinating read- you will want to read them at one go. The writing is lyrical, mellifluous and simple appealing straight to the heart.

An amazing collection of gripping short stories. Each one keeps the reader engrossed. Hard to put down the book once you start.

Nandini Sen’s The Second Wife and Other Stories is a testament to women’s agency. These are stories of women placed in different strata of society, right from the wife of an ambassador to a Santhali maid. There is also the story of Kaikeyi retold from a different perspective. The common thread running through these stories is that, in all of them, the women exercise their will to beat the circumstances they find themselves in.The story that I found the most interesting was the one about Kaikeyi. Why did a loving step mother suddenly turn against Rama, the future king of Ayodhya? History has portrayed Kaikeyi as a villain, responsible for banishing Rama to the forest for fourteen years. But, was Kaikeyi only playing a role in a bigger plan, to be played out by destiny?Sexuality and gender roles are other themes explored in this collection. How does a mother deal with the issue of her son coming out of the closet? How does a maid explore her sexuality?Cutting across caste and class, and also across time, these relevant and contemporary stories touch different aspects of women’s live, bringing to the fore the struggles that women go through in their daily existence.Written in a crisp style and lucid language, this collection is a must-read for all those who are interested in women’s issues.