Review of Kalayla

[Rashi Agrawal]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Kalayla" by Jeannie Nicholas.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas is a story which revolves around three women. First, Lena, a 72 year old businesswoman who has parted ways with bright colours and only wears black; second, Kalayla, an 11 year old sassy kid with a smart mouth but a caring heart and third, Maureen, a young widower, artist and Kalayla’s mother. The story begins with a perfect sunny day in the mid-June of the late 90’s, when Lena, the “Crabby Old Lady” sees Kalayla, for the very first time, roaming around on the streets of Mass. Ave. all alone. Lena was unaware of the fact that the 11 year old is actually her new neighbour from across the hall. There was something in Kalayla that reminded Lena of her twins whom she lost in the Vietnam War. When Maureen and Kalayla moves into Lena’s building, their lives take an unexpected turn and changes for good.

The book takes you on a beautiful journey where you experience a series of different emotions like feeling excited for Kalayla’s transformation to feeling sad about Lena’s sufferings and feeling motivated by the bold decisions taken by Maureen to feeling mushy looking at how each of them have adopted each other’s traits. The characters are complex but are intriguing and well crafted. The author has done a remarkable job in intertwining the present personalities of the characters with their past traumas. The whole story is narrated from the first person point of view with each character taking turns to narrate the story from their perspective which deeply connects the readers with the characters. Each character has their own unique voice. Each and every chapter of the book takes you to a different perspective. Though it was evident from the beginning, how the story is going to end but the author still managed to keep the readers astounded and in suspense at various stages of the story.

The author sheds light on important social concerns like trauma, racism, domestic abuse, bullying, and a number of parental dilemmas which are prevalent till date, without turning the book into a heavy read. The author presents a beautiful description of motherhood with all its fears, faults, worries, and insecurities that all mothers, to some extent, carry in their hearts.

I cannot think of anything I disliked about the book. Opening the book was like opening a window into the worlds of Kalayla, Lena, and Maureen. I really enjoyed the writing style of the author. Reading this book was a pleasurable experience. I laughed, I cried, and I didn’t want the story to end.

I give this book a solid 4 out of 4 stars as I found that the story is exceptionally well written and the book is professionally edited. The book has a few to zero errors. It is one of those books which you start reading and you don’t even realize you have already completed 200 pages of it. I am not much of a reader but this book held me spellbound and held my interest till the very end.

Despite the dark and torturous past of the ladies, overall the book has a good vibe going on with countless and cheeky banter between Lena and Kalayla and the characters’ constant love and support for each other. This book provides a ray of hope and strength to its readers. I recommend this book to those who enjoys family dramas and good humour. It is a must read for all the mothers who live in constant fear and doubt about their upbringing. There are several profane and adult situations which makes the story inappropriate for young readers. On the other hand, readers that have a predilection for controversial topics like racial disparity, sexuality, and domestic abuse will find this a worthwhile read.

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Kalayla
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[MsH2k]

I felt mushy a few times too, especially seeing Kalayla and Lena’s relationship grow. Thank you for your engaging review.

[Emidio Inocencio]

I really liked your review. it provides insightful tips about the book, which seems to be very interesting. Congratulations!

[Bradley Shelvie]

The book had a way of getting into the readers emotions; this made it enjoyable and engaging to read. Thanks for your review.

[Paluk Pathania]

I, too, have read this novel, and it's no surprise that Kalayla's character is so well-drawn. This book truly deserves a perfect score. Great job with the review~!

[Rashi Agrawal]

I felt mushy a few times too, especially seeing Kalayla and Lena’s relationship grow. Thank you for your engaging review.

Thank you for taking out the time to go through my review.

[Rashi Agrawal]

I really liked your review. it provides insightful tips about the book, which seems to be very interesting. Congratulations!

Thank you so much for sharing your views about my review. I hope it helped you in some way or the other.

[Rashi Agrawal]

I, too, have read this novel, and it's no surprise that Kalayla's character is so well-drawn. This book truly deserves a perfect score. Great job with the review~!

Exactly! Kalayla's character was balanced by being both naughty and mature.

[Rashi Agrawal]

The book had a way of getting into the readers emotions; this made it enjoyable and engaging to read. Thanks for your review.

Thank you for sharing your views. The book indeed was a great read.