Book Review Bowled, but Not Out by Ruchira Khanna

Amazon Synopsis:

What’s a girl to do when she wants to hit boundaries but life throws her beamers?

Saru expected her life to turn for the better when she found love and married. Instead, she kept getting deliberate yorkers from her mother-in-law. She hit a sixer when a baby arrived, but things got worse soon after. Her appeal to the umpire fell on deaf ears. Finally, she walked out of the stadium, and let go of the first love of her life.

Then she flew off to New York for her Masters.

Will Saru get a second chance at love and marriage and get to hit a century? Will her daughter ever form a relationship with her biological father?

Bowled, but Not Out is an entertaining family drama full of heart and thoughtful life lessons and will resonate with anyone fond of cricket. 

My review:

An entertaining read pertinent to women in Indian culture and also relevant to those of us who find ourselves at the mercy of the interfering mother-in-law and frustrated by the “mummies boy.”

The strength of the story lies in the characters and familial relationships which are well detailed, with Saru, struggling at first with the overbearing nature of her mother-in-law and her hubby’s weakness and inability to take her side. Saru is all the more admirable as she turns the situation around for herself and her daughter Simrn with the help of her family.

A lovely tale which will appeal to those who like cultural, family, and romance stories.

There are many references to cricket showing Saru’s need to raise her game to overcome her difficult circumstances. I am not a cricket fan, those who are may take away more from the story if they are.

Some of the phraseology was a little unusual which took me out of the narrative a few times but other than that I enjoyed the tale, finding it to be amusing, and charming.

The ending was well played out!

Many thanks to Ruchira Khanna for sending me a copy.

My rating: 4 stars. A recommended, enjoyable read. I particularly enjoyed the cultural and family references.

Have you read Bowled But Not Out? Please do comment below, I’d love to hear your thoughts.