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Jana Bibi Adventures #1
Jana Bibi's Excellent Fortunes
Meet Jana Bibi, a Scottish woman helping to save the small town in India she has grown to call home and the oddball characters she considers family
Janet Laird's life changed the day she inherited her grandfather's house in a faraway Indian hill station. Ignoring her son's arguments to come grow old in their family castle in Scotland, she moves with her chatty parrot, Mr. Ganguly and her loyal housekeeper, Mary, to Hamara Nagar, where local merchants are philosophers, the chief of police is a tyrant, and a bagpipe-playing Gurkha keeps the wild monkeys at bay. Settling in, Jana Bibi (as she comes to be known) meets her colorful local neighbors—Feroze Ali Khan of Royal Tailors, who struggles with his business and family, V.K. Ramachandran, whose Treasure Emporium is bursting at the seams with objects of unknown provenance, and Rambir, editor of the local newspaper, who burns the midnight oil at his printing press. When word gets out that the town is in danger of being drowned by a government dam, Jana is enlisted to help put it on the map. Hoping to attract tourists with promises of good things to come, she stacks her deck of cards, readies her fine-feathered assistant—and Jana Bibi's Excellent Fortunes is born.
Janet Laird's life changed the day she inherited her grandfather's house in a faraway Indian hill station. Ignoring her son's arguments to come grow old in their family castle in Scotland, she moves with her chatty parrot, Mr. Ganguly and her loyal housekeeper, Mary, to Hamara Nagar, where local merchants are philosophers, the chief of police is a tyrant, and a bagpipe-playing Gurkha keeps the wild monkeys at bay. Settling in, Jana Bibi (as she comes to be known) meets her colorful local neighbors—Feroze Ali Khan of Royal Tailors, who struggles with his business and family, V.K. Ramachandran, whose Treasure Emporium is bursting at the seams with objects of unknown provenance, and Rambir, editor of the local newspaper, who burns the midnight oil at his printing press. When word gets out that the town is in danger of being drowned by a government dam, Jana is enlisted to help put it on the map. Hoping to attract tourists with promises of good things to come, she stacks her deck of cards, readies her fine-feathered assistant—and Jana Bibi's Excellent Fortunes is born.
364 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
16 people are currently reading
543 people want to read
About the author
Betsy Woodman
5 books32 followersBetsy Woodman spent ten formative years in India and studied in France and Zambia. A graduate of Smith College, she earned a Master’s degree in Anthropology from Brandeis University. She has edited history books and been a frequent book reviewer, and was a writer/editor for Experiencing War, the award-winning radio documentary series for the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. Her interest in languages, music, and cross-cultural connections are in evidence in the Jana Bibi series. She now lives in New York's Hudson Valley.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews
October 5, 2012
Rating: 3* of five
The Book Description: Meet Jana Bibi, a Scottish woman helping to save the small town in India she has grown to call home and the oddball characters she considers family.
Janet Laird's life changed the day she inherited her grandfather's house in a faraway Indian hill station. Ignoring her son's arguments to come grow old in their family castle in Scotland, she moves with her chatty parrot, Mr. Ganguly and her loyal housekeeper, Mary, to Hamara Nagar, where local merchants are philosophers, the chief of police is a tyrant, and a bagpipe-playing Gurkha keeps the wild monkeys at bay. Settling in, Jana Bibi (as she comes to be known) meets her colorful local neighbors—Feroze Ali Khan of Royal Tailors, who struggles with his business and family, V.K. Ramachandran, whose Treasure Emporium is bursting at the seams with objects of unknown provenance, and Rambir, editor of the local newspaper, who burns the midnight oil at his printing press. When word gets out that the town is in danger of being drowned by a government dam, Jana is enlisted to help put it on the map. Hoping to attract tourists with promises of good things to come, she stacks her deck of cards, readies her fine-feathered assistant—and Jana Bibi's Excellent Fortunes is born.
My Review: It's just fine! Fine and dandy and pleasant and nice and it's got interesting features and is kind to puppies and kitties.
It's the nice guy your friends set you up with who talks about ordinary stuff in a pleasant voice and, when he moves in for a goodnight kiss, you can't think of a reason not to let it happen but when the door closes you can't remember his name. Or anything else about him...was he wearing khakis or a tux? Dunno.
Do you need that book right now? Here it is! And goodness knows most of us need that kind of book once in a while. “Farb,” a friend of mine calls them. This book is perfect farb, the pinnacle of farbosity, the paradigm by which farbaceousness is measured.
I don't remember one single thing about it, except when Janet aka Jana Bibi, married the missionary as a young woman I wanted to slap her into next week for being so stupid! And I was right.
Oh, and the description of smallpox is awful, just awful. And that, as they say, is me, what about you?
The Book Description: Meet Jana Bibi, a Scottish woman helping to save the small town in India she has grown to call home and the oddball characters she considers family.
Janet Laird's life changed the day she inherited her grandfather's house in a faraway Indian hill station. Ignoring her son's arguments to come grow old in their family castle in Scotland, she moves with her chatty parrot, Mr. Ganguly and her loyal housekeeper, Mary, to Hamara Nagar, where local merchants are philosophers, the chief of police is a tyrant, and a bagpipe-playing Gurkha keeps the wild monkeys at bay. Settling in, Jana Bibi (as she comes to be known) meets her colorful local neighbors—Feroze Ali Khan of Royal Tailors, who struggles with his business and family, V.K. Ramachandran, whose Treasure Emporium is bursting at the seams with objects of unknown provenance, and Rambir, editor of the local newspaper, who burns the midnight oil at his printing press. When word gets out that the town is in danger of being drowned by a government dam, Jana is enlisted to help put it on the map. Hoping to attract tourists with promises of good things to come, she stacks her deck of cards, readies her fine-feathered assistant—and Jana Bibi's Excellent Fortunes is born.
My Review: It's just fine! Fine and dandy and pleasant and nice and it's got interesting features and is kind to puppies and kitties.
It's the nice guy your friends set you up with who talks about ordinary stuff in a pleasant voice and, when he moves in for a goodnight kiss, you can't think of a reason not to let it happen but when the door closes you can't remember his name. Or anything else about him...was he wearing khakis or a tux? Dunno.
Do you need that book right now? Here it is! And goodness knows most of us need that kind of book once in a while. “Farb,” a friend of mine calls them. This book is perfect farb, the pinnacle of farbosity, the paradigm by which farbaceousness is measured.
I don't remember one single thing about it, except when Janet aka Jana Bibi, married the missionary as a young woman I wanted to slap her into next week for being so stupid! And I was right.
Oh, and the description of smallpox is awful, just awful. And that, as they say, is me, what about you?
May 20, 2013
I do not remember how this book got my to-read list and when I spotted it in the library I did not have great expectations out of it. It surprised me. The book is like watching a soap based in India - drama, humor and great characters. Set in the post-independent India, this book took me to part of India I am not familiar with - the westerners who came to India and stayed back. It is quite interesting to see India through their eyes.
A perfect weekend/vacation read
A perfect weekend/vacation read
December 28, 2020
Great fun. I laughed. I got teary eyed. I laughed again and again.
The setting -- a town in northern India near the Himalayas -- is vividly portrayed. The characters are memorable and engaging. More than the plot, which kept me guessing, I was charmed by the way of life, the attitude toward life. Think The Exotic Marigold Hotel. Think the First Ladies Detective Series.
This is book one of a three book series. I just ordered the other two.
The setting -- a town in northern India near the Himalayas -- is vividly portrayed. The characters are memorable and engaging. More than the plot, which kept me guessing, I was charmed by the way of life, the attitude toward life. Think The Exotic Marigold Hotel. Think the First Ladies Detective Series.
This is book one of a three book series. I just ordered the other two.
July 26, 2022
Now I understand what people mean when they say that they laughed and cried with a book. Do they say it? Well, I'm saying it. I laughed and cried with this book and I am not ready to get out of Hamara Nagar yet. Thank god there are two more books.
September 7, 2013
I don't know how to describe this book. I liked it, but it was one that had to grow on me as I read. I was not instantly smitten. The characters were colorful, but the things happening to them never seemed to truly challenge them, and difficulties were solved easily, almost unbelievably so, actually. The characters felt plausible, and their world felt plausible, but the neat and easy way "it all worked out" made this overall story fall a little bit short for me. I may read the next Jana Bibi book, but then again, I may not. I did love Mr. Ganguly, though.
March 28, 2013
After some good but heavy reads lately, this novel was so refreshing. Filled with colour, music, humour and philosophy, it reminded me a bit of Deborah Moggach's Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (which was a novel before it was a movie).
I would so love to go to Hamara Nagar, the Indian hill station and hang out with Jana Bibi, Mr Ganguly, Mary and all the locals....and maybe even get my fortune told!
I would so love to go to Hamara Nagar, the Indian hill station and hang out with Jana Bibi, Mr Ganguly, Mary and all the locals....and maybe even get my fortune told!
April 21, 2017
Positively enchanting! Of course, Mr. Ganguly (the parrot) steals the book. I am counting on him stealing the second book as well.
March 9, 2013
Writing a book review becomes enjoyable when reading the book has given one some pleasure and I have to say, writing this review is one of the easiest things I’ve done. Jana Bibi’s Excellent Fortunes by Betsy Woodman is the story of Jana Laird, a woman with a mission to save Hamara Nagar, a town where she has recently moved, to a house which was a part of the heritage left to her by her grandfather. It is a place which she has fond childhood memories of.
Reading the novel is akin to watching a Bollywood movie. You have a very Indian setting with a town aptly called Hamara Nagar (Our Town) and the town truly belongs to each one of us. It’s that town which you visited over the summer in your childhood and carry fond memories of. It is that town where your twelve year old self spent evenings enjoying the cool breeze, strolling around with an ice-cream in your hand. You’d say hello to every shop owner as you amble your way through the Bazaar with the ice cream dripping on to your navy blue shorts or your red frock. Feroze, the philosopher tailor, Ramachandran, the owner of the antique store, Rambir, the reporter, Bandhu, the bullying police officer, Zohra, the elegant neighbor, Mary, the caring ayah, Tilku, the cute, errand boy, Moustapha, the small town boy with big city ambitions, Sandra, the typical American girl in a boarding school- all of them come alive in the form of reminders of some distant past. These characters are charmingly eccentric, yet so real that they remind you of the same people in your life. At the same time, there are some good old emotions thrown into the story with which the characters come alive and resonate so well with the reader. And there is chaos, a typically Indian experience.
The novel tries to be a little Rushdie-sque (but, not quite) in the portrayal of an imaginary town and its people in the 1960s. However, it has a charm of its own. Jana, the fifty five year old matron is an Indian citizen but of Scottish heritage. She seems more Indian than a foreigner and more twenty five than fifty five as we come to know of her penchant for adventure and a desire to be away from the mundane. At the same time, she seems full of wisdom and knows very well how to soothe troubled spirits. Her parrot, Mr. Ganguly, is an interesting character in itself, with its extraordinary intelligence and an ability to judge correctly the intention of people it comes across. Her household and the neighborhood also consist of a mix of interesting characters.
This novel is written about a specific time in India from the standpoint of a foreigner, for whom India seems to be like this toy you can get endlessly fascinated with. However, the story is charming, funny in places and very endearing. It’s fast and does not bore you, or try to go on different platitudes. However, it subtly comments on various serious topics (especially through the mouth of Feroze, the simple, religious tailor). It resonates with you when he says, ‘Development is always somebody else’s development’ or when he writes in his notebook, ‘Life comes and hits you with first one thing. And then a second. And then yet a third. Who would voluntarily be an archery target for others?’
When I finished the novel, I thought, ‘Well, this should have been a series instead of one book’. I wasn’t surprised when I read on the back page later that it was the first book of a series on Jana Bibi. I, for one, am looking forward to reading more.
For more, visit www.booksandalotmore.com
Reading the novel is akin to watching a Bollywood movie. You have a very Indian setting with a town aptly called Hamara Nagar (Our Town) and the town truly belongs to each one of us. It’s that town which you visited over the summer in your childhood and carry fond memories of. It is that town where your twelve year old self spent evenings enjoying the cool breeze, strolling around with an ice-cream in your hand. You’d say hello to every shop owner as you amble your way through the Bazaar with the ice cream dripping on to your navy blue shorts or your red frock. Feroze, the philosopher tailor, Ramachandran, the owner of the antique store, Rambir, the reporter, Bandhu, the bullying police officer, Zohra, the elegant neighbor, Mary, the caring ayah, Tilku, the cute, errand boy, Moustapha, the small town boy with big city ambitions, Sandra, the typical American girl in a boarding school- all of them come alive in the form of reminders of some distant past. These characters are charmingly eccentric, yet so real that they remind you of the same people in your life. At the same time, there are some good old emotions thrown into the story with which the characters come alive and resonate so well with the reader. And there is chaos, a typically Indian experience.
The novel tries to be a little Rushdie-sque (but, not quite) in the portrayal of an imaginary town and its people in the 1960s. However, it has a charm of its own. Jana, the fifty five year old matron is an Indian citizen but of Scottish heritage. She seems more Indian than a foreigner and more twenty five than fifty five as we come to know of her penchant for adventure and a desire to be away from the mundane. At the same time, she seems full of wisdom and knows very well how to soothe troubled spirits. Her parrot, Mr. Ganguly, is an interesting character in itself, with its extraordinary intelligence and an ability to judge correctly the intention of people it comes across. Her household and the neighborhood also consist of a mix of interesting characters.
This novel is written about a specific time in India from the standpoint of a foreigner, for whom India seems to be like this toy you can get endlessly fascinated with. However, the story is charming, funny in places and very endearing. It’s fast and does not bore you, or try to go on different platitudes. However, it subtly comments on various serious topics (especially through the mouth of Feroze, the simple, religious tailor). It resonates with you when he says, ‘Development is always somebody else’s development’ or when he writes in his notebook, ‘Life comes and hits you with first one thing. And then a second. And then yet a third. Who would voluntarily be an archery target for others?’
When I finished the novel, I thought, ‘Well, this should have been a series instead of one book’. I wasn’t surprised when I read on the back page later that it was the first book of a series on Jana Bibi. I, for one, am looking forward to reading more.
For more, visit www.booksandalotmore.com
March 16, 2012
This is essentially what I would call a "fun" book, along the lines of The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency. Set in Northern India in the 50's, it follows the protagonist, nicknamed Jana Bibi, as she moves to an old house she has inherited in a small town and, through her involvement in a campaign to save the town from a govt. dam, becomes entwined in the lives of her neighbors. The book is full of the kind of lovable, slightly shallow characters that we can like without having to examine our motives or values. The plot is fairly predictable and it is indicated on the book itself that this is to be the "first in a series." But for light reading it is intelligent and well-executed. The local scene in vividly, and, it appears, accurately painted. Not a deep or complex book, but relaxing and faintly uplifting.
July 23, 2012
"Jana Bibi's Excellent Fortunes" is an agreeable, charming read. But I was taken aback when reaching book's end to learn it is the first in a series. One book yes, but I expect all the best bits now have been used. The author is aiming, I expect, for Alexander McCall Smith's statospherically successful Precious Romatswe series but sans the mystery story. That will take some doing. In any case after the third Precious, that series got tired.
March 18, 2015
After discovering "Emeralds Included", the 3rd book in this series and enjoying it tremendously, just went back to the first book...good fun! Definitely interesting to learn more about living in India as well: the geography, the culture, the daily life, and interactions between people of different faiths. Leaves you feeling positive. A great antidote to the long winter in snowier climes!
November 30, 2022
Because I have a background in Indian history and culture, I think I enjoyed it more than someone without much knowledge of India would, but you don't need much background to enjoy the story. There is a dictionary of Indian words at the end but most words are easy to understand from the context. There is also an appendix giving additional background material, but not necessary to enjoy the story. … The story is set in the early 1960s. Jana Laird, a Scottish woman, had been born and lived the first part of her life in India. Now, a widow in her mid 50s, she decided to return to India…. much against the advice of her rather strait-laced son. On her mother’s side, Jana's family had been in India for generations. Her grandfather had a wonderful large home in the north western foothills, but his marriage to an Indian woman upset the rest of the family and he was cut from family doings. -------When Jana returned to India, she began teaching violin to the children of a rich English family. She was alone – except for her companion, Mr. Ganguly, an Indian ringnecked parakeet/parrot and Mary, her Indian maid, confidant, friend. She found that she has inherited her grandfather’s old home in a hilltown near the India/Pakistan border. She knew the house would need a lot of work, but remembered it with fondness from her childhood. –On to a new adventure.
Yes, the house needed a lot of work, but if she were careful with her money she just might make it livable – then she would have to figure out how to live: (job, friends etc) The little hilltown was a mixture of many types of people: Moslems who decided to stay in India when Pakistan was created, the traditional Hindus – most from the second (working) class, a goodly number of Indians who had converted to Christianity, - and the tourists from all over during the summer. The town struggled to survive – and indeed – at that juncture, was facing being replaced by a government dam. Could Jana help the town survive??? ---- a wonderful look at diverse people trying to maintain their “self-importance” yet come together to survive. --- Reminiscent of Alexander McCall’s #1 Ladies Detective Agency series. ---
Yes, the house needed a lot of work, but if she were careful with her money she just might make it livable – then she would have to figure out how to live: (job, friends etc) The little hilltown was a mixture of many types of people: Moslems who decided to stay in India when Pakistan was created, the traditional Hindus – most from the second (working) class, a goodly number of Indians who had converted to Christianity, - and the tourists from all over during the summer. The town struggled to survive – and indeed – at that juncture, was facing being replaced by a government dam. Could Jana help the town survive??? ---- a wonderful look at diverse people trying to maintain their “self-importance” yet come together to survive. --- Reminiscent of Alexander McCall’s #1 Ladies Detective Agency series. ---
March 15, 2019
Make this 4.5 ★
Janet Laird (Jana Bibi), much to the displeasure of her family, eloped w/ an evangelical missionary and moved to India with him. When the smallpox epidemic came, she sent her son, Jack, home to Scotland, but she remained in India w/ her husband (who did not believe in vaccines) and her two young daughters. Both daughters died of smallpox and her husband was ravaged & blinded. After caring for him for 12 years, he finally died in the middle of a sermon.
At the beginning of this book, Jana & her ayah, Mary, are living in a palace, where Jana teaches the royal children how to play the violin.
Jana soon receives a letter that she is heir to the Jolly Grant Home, built by her great-grandfather in the Himalayas. Jana, Mary, * Mr. Ganguly (the parrot) move in and take on the repairs of the once grand house & its tower only to learn that the colonizing government intends to build a dam & flood the city.
The only way to save the town is to turn it into a popular tourist stop, thus Jana opens her home as Jana Bibi's Excellent Fortunes w/ Mr. Ganguly. With the help of Jana's neighbors & her friend Kenneth Stuart-Smith who writes popular travel guides the town is saved.
This is a fast & easy read with mostly delightful characters... There is warmth, friendship, & the coming together of the characters for a common good.
A nice "feel good" story.
Janet Laird (Jana Bibi), much to the displeasure of her family, eloped w/ an evangelical missionary and moved to India with him. When the smallpox epidemic came, she sent her son, Jack, home to Scotland, but she remained in India w/ her husband (who did not believe in vaccines) and her two young daughters. Both daughters died of smallpox and her husband was ravaged & blinded. After caring for him for 12 years, he finally died in the middle of a sermon.
At the beginning of this book, Jana & her ayah, Mary, are living in a palace, where Jana teaches the royal children how to play the violin.
Jana soon receives a letter that she is heir to the Jolly Grant Home, built by her great-grandfather in the Himalayas. Jana, Mary, * Mr. Ganguly (the parrot) move in and take on the repairs of the once grand house & its tower only to learn that the colonizing government intends to build a dam & flood the city.
The only way to save the town is to turn it into a popular tourist stop, thus Jana opens her home as Jana Bibi's Excellent Fortunes w/ Mr. Ganguly. With the help of Jana's neighbors & her friend Kenneth Stuart-Smith who writes popular travel guides the town is saved.
This is a fast & easy read with mostly delightful characters... There is warmth, friendship, & the coming together of the characters for a common good.
A nice "feel good" story.
June 21, 2020
(3.5 stars) This is the first book in the series. Janet’s life begins a new chapter when she inherits her grandfather’s home in a small town in India. She decides to make a go of it, having lived in India for a good portion of her life, instead of returning to Scotland to live with her son. She and her housekeeper, Mary, along with her faithful parrot, Mr. Ganguly, heads to the town and finds a house taken over by monkeys and in disrepair. She begins the process of renovation and begins to make friends and acquire assistants to help her manage the house. As money begins to tighten, she falls back to offering music lessons as she works to transcribe old folk tunes from Scotland. The town is threatened by a government proposal of a new dam which will flood the area of the town and is also plagued by a humorless local official who has a stranglehold on the town. With her new friends, Janet also known as Jana Bibi launches an audacious plan to save the town, becoming a teller of fortunes and hopes to put the town back on the map as a historical and destination location. This was an interesting start to a series and did a nice job of character and place development, with quirky, but enjoyable people and location.
July 9, 2020
3.5 Jana Bibi a Scottish woman loves India and has been living there for many years and now she finds that she has inherited her grandfathers house in a faraway Indian Hill Station. Jana is all up for an adventure and sets out with her loyal housekeeper Mary and her chatty parrot Mr. Ganguly. This new place seems to be run down but after seeing the house Jana thinks she will need to update and renovate and finds herself happily meeting the local merchants and neighbors. Before she can move into the place it has to be cleared of a tribe of unruly monkeys and this is done by the local bagpiper. Jana seems to attract some colorful people in life to help out on the property who will work for her for room and board. Word gets out that the local town is going to be flooded and a government dam built and Jana and neighbors spring into action to stop this project.
February 4, 2017
The life of Jana Bibi in India is an excellent story. The story is set in the 1960's full of wonderful characters and a woman who is living her life the way she wants to. Every one thinks Jana is a white woman from a white country but in fact she's a white woman from India. A country she loves and doesn't plan on leaving as she moves an sets up house in a different part of India. Great book and very interesting.
March 26, 2023
Jana Bibi’s is a classic example of the quintessential feel-good cosy story. The story is set in a small Indian hill station and follows Jana Bibi, a retired Scottish woman who moves there to start a new life. The supporting characters are all very much loveable, each with their own eccentricities. Woodman captures mountain life beautifully, highlighting its simplicity with vivid prose. Jana Bibi's Excellent Fortunes is a delightful and uplifting novel that gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling.
July 11, 2019
If you’ve spent time in India and were lucky enough to stay in the foothills of the Himalayas, and more specifically in Mussoori, and if you actually know Woodstock school or have had experience with an international boarding school, then you will thoroughly enjoy this book! I look forward to reading the series.
August 26, 2019
Kind of reminds me of "The Exotic Marigold Hotel", probably because it's about an older woman, and is set in India. However, this is just an enjoyable read, no murders, no sex, just people I'd like to know. They deal with an unscrupulous policeman, and day-to-day difficulties, and change their little world. And you're left feeling content.
June 9, 2025
I absolutely adored this book! There's not one thing in it I didn't like. Jana Bibi is such a loveable character, as are the motley bunch of townsfolk who make up this book. And of course there's Jana's chatty and witty parrot, Mr. Ganguli. I am not ready to leave Hamara Nagar yet and I'm so glad there are two more books to go.
February 4, 2025
Amazing place!
This book made me giggle a lot. Very interesting and of course exotic characters including a very smart parrot living together in harmony, regardless of their background, except for one bad guy. It is a small town and news travel fast.
This book made me giggle a lot. Very interesting and of course exotic characters including a very smart parrot living together in harmony, regardless of their background, except for one bad guy. It is a small town and news travel fast.
October 28, 2017
An entertaining novel enriched by eclectic characters and life in India.
July 6, 2018
Most enjoyable. Very likeable characters.
March 25, 2019
Light hearted book about a hill station town in India
April 10, 2019
Loved it! Hope to read more by this author. Really enjoyed all the culture knowledge within as well.
October 21, 2019
It was a fast little entertaining read
June 1, 2020
I couldn't continue after reading it half way.
October 21, 2022
Sweet book. I loved it and recommend it. I wish I were BFFs with Jana Bibi and her town.
October 26, 2022
Delightful book that really makes me feel like I'm there in the mountains of India with the resilient but lighthearted Scottish woman and the people in the village she grows to love.
July 13, 2024
Excellent light novel about a Scottish woman who has spent all her life in India and her talking parrot, Mr. Ganguly.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews