The Village Bride of Beverly Hills

by Kavita Daswani

The author of the "enchanting" and "delightful" (USA Today) debut novel For Matrimonial Purposes returns with a romantic comedy about a new bride leading a secret double life.
After an arranged marriage in her native India, Priya moves with her husband to California, where they share a house with his parents. Playing the traditional daughter- in-law role, she’s expected to clean, cook, and—because she doesn’t immediately get pregnant—find a job as well!
But the job, at a glossy Hollywood gossip magazine, isn’t at all what Priya’s in-laws had in mind for a traditional Indian wife. She soon finds herself with a secret life that she must hide from her disapproving new family.
All the while, she is growing into a marriage with a man whose loyalty is decidedly torn between his parents and his bride. This is hardly surprising, given that he met his wife only a week before their wedding. The question is, can this fragile new love survive the pull between tradition and ambition?

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, India, Romance, Contemporary, Indian Literature, Family

271 pages, Paperback

First published July 22, 2004

About the author

Kavita Daswani is an American author who started her career as a journalist for South China Morning Post when she only seventeen. She lived in Hong Kong before moving to Los Angeles.

Now in her thirties, she has written several novels for grown-ups and young adults that represent her passion and love for the Indian culture. In her books, we see how young Indian girls are trying to break away from their tradition in pursuit of their dreams. She also brings some of her own life's experiences into her books.

She has been a fashion correspondent for CNN, CNBC Asia, and Women's Wear Daily, has written for the Los Angeles Times and the International Herald Tribune, among many other publications, and has been the fashion editor for the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong.

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frothy and light, the book reads as though Daswani hoped a producer would pick it up and turn it into a straight-to-tv movie. And it would make a good one. Its a modern day fairytale with a princess who has a secret, a handsome prince, a couple of ogre-ish in-laws and three, if not ugly, then at least awkward, sisters. If you enjoy chicklit, then this is prime reading.

'Everything Happens for a Reason' and 'The Village Bride of Beverley Hills' are the same book published under two different titles.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should probably be embarrassed, but I happen to be in a chick lit mood right now and I was excited to see this at Sefer v'Sefel because I actually liked "For Matrimonial Purposes" (mostly for its interesting comparison possibilities with shidduch-dating) and was interested in reading more by the same author. I generally like Indian books, although Daswani's are admittedly a departure from the heavier ones I usually read. So far, this one is light and fun and meeting, but not exceeding, my expectations.

(later) The ending was a real cop-out, even for chick-lit, but other than that, it was a cute and fun read. You need to suspend your disbelief throughout, but that gets much worse at the end; until then it's pretty tolerable. Basically, this was fun, undemanding escapism; not the best of the genre, but not the worst either.

[Imas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this book. Sangat menghibur, kocak, dan pilihan katanya pas. Tak berlebih-lebihan, ibarat teh manis, ukuran hangat dan gulanya pas. Walaupun terkesan dihidangkan dengan ringan tapi unsur budaya dan kehidupan India cukup banyak memberikan informasi.
Berbeda dengan Jhumpa Lahiri yang lebih serius -favorit saya juga- Kavita Daswani menyajikan secara berbeda.

Pengantin baru dengan segala kekikukan menghadapi lingkungan baru lengkap dengan nilai-nilai dan cara hidup yang berbeda. Kesan saya dari beberapa buku yang berthema India, seorang Ibu lebih memahami, menyayangi(?) dan moderat dibandingkan sang ayah. Dilain pihak ada mertua perempuan ibu suami sebagai monster yang harus dilayani dengan sebaik-baiknya. Aneh juga, perempuan hanya berempati terhadap anak perempuannya, dan tidak kepada menantu perempuannya.

Mungkin tidak semua seperti itu. Enjoy this book..really.

[Jessica Huwae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally, one book read in 2017. A pretty light reading after the rough two weeks dealing with work and some not-so-nice people. One thing I noticed about most Indian literature is how they bring up arrange married, devoted and unhappy wife, cruel family from husband's side. But if Chitra Divakaruni brings the topic in certain sad way, Kavia Daswani writes it more in popular style yet still delicate. Though I think it's better if the protagonist doesn't end up reuniting with the ex. [spoiler, I know. But, hey who's reading this review anyway? Lol.]
My second encounter with the author herself, so far so good.

[Richa Bhattarai · Rating 3 out of 5]

A surprisingly enjoyable and engrossing read.

It started out unsure, wobbly and a little stereotypical, words piled on words to be descriptive. But then I started getting engrossed in the story, also relating to a young woman who’s moved into the US and is experiencing a very different life.

The idea at the heart of it is interesting, too - Priya gets married and moves to LA, where her in-laws want her to get a job. But not any job, a safe and staid one. So when she lands a job as an entertainment journalist, which they would absolutely not approve of, she pretends to be a receptionist.

In the meantime, she’s trying to balance the roles of an overworked daughter in law, and a taken-for-granted wife. Will she be able to continue her dual life? Will things ever change?

I felt as if the language got better and better towards the end, if the plot ended rather abruptly. But I enjoyed it all the same, it’s something fun to read, yet also insightful and empathy-rousing in many ways.

[Suraia Munia · Rating 4 out of 5]

a light heart reading. The book was like a fairy tale where you can predict the ending but still read it because it feels good.

[Netta · Rating 2 out of 5]

קשקוש מיותר. חלקו מעצבן ושוביניסטי להחריד, חלקו האחר מעורר פיהוק. לא שווה את המאמץ.

[Nadine · Rating 5 out of 5]

That’s some good stuff! No notes

[Sinta Nisfuanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cerita yang menarik. Kisah Priya, wanita India yang harus terbang ke Amerika demi mengikuti sang suami yang baru dikenalnya seminggu. Segala imajinasinya tentang kisah pernikahan yang indah, harus runtuh saat berhadapan dengan keluarga suami yang sangat cerewet dan konservatif. Tapi anehnya, keluarga yang sangat taat adat India ini malah menyuruh Priya untuk bekerja, yang pastinya sangat bertolak belakang dengan adat India yang mewajibkan istri hanya sebagai pengurus suami dan rumah tangga.

Sebuah pekerjaan akhirnya dia peroleh, sebagai resepsionis perusahaan glamor. Sampai suatu saat Priya mendapatkan keberuntungan, yaitu tawaran menjadi wartawan, cita-citanya sejak kuliah di Sastra Inggris, Delhi. Priya tahu keluarganya pasti tak akan menyetujui tawaran itu, tapi impian sudah ada di depan mata. Akhirnya, untuk memenuhi ambisi tanpa menyakiti keluarganya, kehidupan ganda harus dijalani Priya, sebagai wanita tradisional saat di rumah dan sebagai wartawan wanita karir yang modis. So...how next??

Dari buku ini, aku mendapatkan gambaran tentang adat dan kebiasaan orang India dengan detail---sambil bayangin film-film India yang dulu sering aku tonton. Perpaduan antara budaya Amerika dan India, diceritakan dengan Kavita dengan lancar, tanpa ada kesan dipaksakan.

eniwei, aku suka kebiasaan Priya membawa-bawa buku kemanapun dia pergi.

[Robbin Melton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a different perspective on arranged Indian marriages. Sanjay, raised in America, returns to India to find and marry Priya. Priya returns to America with Sanjay but lives in a joint household which is strict, conservative and overbearing. By sheer luck, Priya lands a job through which she gets several promotions, but her husband's family is dead set against the final outcome of what is leading to a career so she hides it from them, including Sanjay. Of course, the caca hits the fan, Priya and Sanjay separate and she returns to India...which is where I got upset. She's got a fantastic career and makes more money than anyone in the household, but gives it all up and goes home. I didn't get it. But, in the end, Sanjay goes charging off to India to bring Priya home. THE END.

Very light, pleasant story with lots of cute anecdotes from Kaki, Priya's grandmother. Very little depth, but it's a great quick read if you need something mindless.

P.S. After reading the synopses of this author's books, it appears all of them follow the same vein-a girl has a dream which conflicts with her love life, yet she manages to retain both in the end. With that being said, when I need something brainless to read, I'll read this author.

[Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Village Bride of Beverly HillsKavita DaswaniNice, light read for those looking for a slight upgrade on traditional chick lit --- definitely from the female perspective and light enough to read on a Sunday afternoon, but with heavier themes woven throughout including the challenges of being a female within the Indian diaspora, the balance between family honour and individual goals, and the absurdity of arranged marriages and living with in-laws, particularly when set within a Western context. Although the book does portray and reinforce several stereotypes--primarily about mother-in-laws, family expectation, and the roles between a husband and wife, the thread of individual identity, talent and seizing opportunity is there for the unravelling, and with it a sprinkling of Hollywood and glamour that makes for a fun and enjoyable read.

[Darnia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apakah ada cerita tentang mertua India yg nggak menyebalkan terhadap menantu perempuannya? Habis tiap kali baca novel India (terutama yg chicklit gini atau sinetron India) selalu ada mertua dengan stereotip sifatnya: maunya punya menantu yg patuh dan mengabdi pada suami serta keluarga sang suami sepenuh hati, pintar masak, ngurus rumah dan dilarang memiliki keinginan apa-apa. Kalo melanggar salah satu dari itu aja, silakan pulang sebagai janda cerai. Semoga yg kayak gitu cuma di cerita aja.

Untunglah jeung Priya ini nasibnya beruntung :)

[Raji · Rating 2 out of 5]

oh good lord, talk about an ornery book - not very well written, predictable storyline, over the top obvious dramatics for the sake of over the top dramatics. The only saving grace is that it is written by an Indian-American, so this shows that we have really made it. When an Indian-American can write such rubbish and get it published so beautifully, our time has come.

[Natalie Monroe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, but I have a hard time believing Indians who have lived in America for some time are still that conservative.

[Roshana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a highly entertaining book and a great transition if you have read a serious book and just need some mindless entertainment.

[Indri Juwono · Rating 4 out of 5]

#2011-54

karena cinta menuntutmu untuk berpikir dewasa, bukan cuma bersenang-senang..

[Alicia (PrettyBrownEyeReader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was an enjoyable light read. The ending wasn't satisfying for me. But the book did pique my curiosity about arranged marriages.

[Harker US Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Priyanka's aunt told her she would be happiest if she didn't expect too much from marriage if she was obedient and kept quiet and kept the house. So a week after meeting Sanjay, like a good daughter, she packs up for a new name, a new family, and a new country. Of course then, when her new in-laws inform her that she is to take a job and contribute to the household finances, that's exactly what she does. She's still not quite sure how she went from a secretary to a reporter, though.

Kavita Daswani's bittersweet novel is a story about finding oneself in the midst of difficulties. While I first read the novel several years ago, I feel that a second read allowed me to understand better the facets of the characters: how Priya's hopeless malleability stems from naivetee and fear, but not weakness of character, Sanjay's blind but well-intentioned misogyny, and how most characters, no matter how kind or cruel they seem, are simply attempting to fulfill their own motivations, even if it means using Priya, and how her failure to completely escape the cycle that chains her down for being a women is not a romantic ending but a precursor to future tragedies.

At its surface level, The Village Bride of Beverly Hills is an enjoyable beach read; beneath, it has enough questions and conflicts to prompt several essays. - Anya W. '20

[Lyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Village Bride of Beverly Hills by Kavita Daswani is the story of a 24 year old girl named Priya living with her parents and 3 older sisters in India. None of them are married. According to Indian Tradition, the oldest child in the family must marry off first but by then the oldest of them is 30 years old. When a call comes in from an indian family in California looking for a bride for their son, who is Priya's age, they break tradition and Priya is whisked away within less than a month to Los Angeles. She is expected to wait on her in-laws, husband and sister in-law hand and foot and cook and clean all day. Her mother in-law is also pushing her to have a baby. However, because she doesn't immediately get pregnant, the in-laws make her get a job to "make herself useful." She has always wanted to try a job in journalism but her in-laws forbid her on the grounds that no good Hindu woman goes into rooms with other men alone except their husbands (even for interviews). So after the 7th interview, she finally lands a job as a receptionist at a magazine called the Hollywood Insider. The turning point is when her friend, Shanisse, who is a journalist working on the 2nd floor of the building, is unable to make it to an interview with Rex Hauser (a fictional celebrity) and asks Priya to fill in instead. During the interview, Rex gets drunk and starts shouting some not-so-nice stuff about his co-star in a movie that he recently starred in. Priya had the whole thing on tape, but following some of her grandmother’s advice, she decided not to use the material, even though she could have made some money. Rex is so gratified that he calls the head of Hollywood Insider and tells him all about it. The head, Crispin Bailey, has never even heard of Priya before because she’s just the secretary, but he immediately calls her up to his office and offers her a promotion to journalist. Priya’s family would never allow her to accept the offer, but it’s her dream job and she decides that she simply can’t refuse. She is now living a double life with her secret job during the day and then cooking and cleaning at home. After living this way for almost a year, her sister-in-law catches Priya at a cafe interviewing a star and threatens to spill. Priya decides that she’d rather be the one to tell her family and so she does. The strange thing is, once they get used to the idea, they respect her because of the money she’s making. This infuriates Priya and she divorces her husband and moves back to India where none of her sisters have yet wed. Her family is devastated but the curious thing is, a few weeks after Priya returns from California, her eldest sister meets a man and within 2 weeks they are engaged. Shortly after she gets married, her second eldest sister also meets someone and marries so that it’s only Priya and her slightly older sister. Then one day, Priya’s ex husband husband shows up and tries to get her back. He tells her that he went to see a therapist and he’s worked through some issues. He also says that he got them their own house and that they won’t live with his parents anymore. Priya and her family agree however that he must win her over so he stays with their family for a month until he re-proposes to her again in front of the Taj Mahal with a brand-new ring and everything. Priya accepts and within a year, they have a baby.

[Meghan Enga · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yikes. Even given that it is over a decade old, and that obviously I am not the target market, since I don’t relate even remotely to any of it, I’m just left speechless at the vapidity. And then I challenge my reaction, since I am not the target market- would this have been better received by - nope. Can’t think of anyone, and yet it was given to me enthusiastically by two women I like and respect. Stymied. The characters are not even one dimensional, as far as I can tell. The ‘falling into a Hollywood reporting job and being cherished and sought after for her naïveté’ was ridiculous, the abuse from the in-laws who were flat monsters but for whom she slaved cringingly and gratefully- whilst working full time- yeah, ok, supposed to be a cultural fairytale but not even remotely believable. Or maybe that’s what I’m reacting to, that it IS believable to the target audience? What’s more horrifying? I don’t get it.

[Aubrey Wood]

This was a book that had me at the first chapter. I mean, finished in two days... It was hilarious but also inspiring. I love reading about different cultures as well, so the author really did a fantastic job giving a visual or illustration of what Priya endured during her first year in america and in her marriage. I did enjoy seeing the character development of Sanjay's mother as well as Sanjay standing up for himself and Priya against his parents. I will definitely wait a few months and read it again.

[ijul (yuliyono) · Rating 4 out of 5]

#hasilbongkartimbunan

Wah, jiwa Bollywood saya memang belum benar-benar padam ya, meski mulai terkena demam Blackpink. Baca ini berasa banget nuansa chicklit-nya yang nyenengin, apalagi ditulis dengan selipan budaya khas India, gegar budaya ketika pindah ke Amerika, dan liku-liku kisah pernikahannya.

[casi rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't even go thinking into this that it was going to be good, but it proved even worse, what a cliched time waste would not recommend this to anyone. It was so bad that you cant even laugh at it after a point. This is totally completely avoidable. Nothing about this is redeemable.

[Deadora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how the author tells the readers about the diverse cultures between India and America when it comes to treating women. It just gave me new perspective without even try to judging which one is right.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book! It was the first book I read by KD and I immediately bought more. This one is still my favorite of the ones I have read. It's an easy read but with a plot that keeps the pages turning. You will fall in love with the main character. This one is a winner!

[Mathis Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This reminded me of The Devil Wears Prada with an Indian Twist. Fun and light read.

[sharon hasting · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was light and entertaining.

[Kristy Cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very easy read, I found myself reading chapter after chapter wanting to know what was going to happen. Are arranged marriages still a thing??

[Ayush Agarwal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light, fast paced novel

[Raphaela Strohmayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked reading pryas story, but going on it seemed shallow, the end was just the too picture perfect happy end and even though i liked it doesnt mean i actually loved how it happend.