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The Color of Our Sky: A Novel
Unavailable
The Color of Our Sky: A Novel
Unavailable
The Color of Our Sky: A Novel
Audiobook11 hours

The Color of Our Sky: A Novel

Written by Amita Trasi

Narrated by Zehra Jane Naqvi and Sneha Mathan

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

In the spirit of Khaled Hosseini, Nadia Hashimi and Shilpi Somaya Gowda comes this powerful debut from a talented new voice—a sweeping, emotional journey of two childhood friends in Mumbai, India, whose lives converge only to change forever one fateful night.

India, 1986: Mukta, a ten-year-old village girl from the lower caste Yellama cult has come of age and must fulfill her destiny of becoming a temple prostitute, as her mother and grandmother did before her. In an attempt to escape her fate, Mukta is sent to be a house girl for an upper-middle class family in Mumbai. There she discovers a friend in the daughter of the family, high spirited eight-year-old Tara, who helps her recover from the wounds of her past. Tara introduces Mukta to an entirely different world—one of ice cream, reading, and a friendship that soon becomes a sisterhood.

But one night in 1993, Mukta is kidnapped from Tara’s family home and disappears. Shortly thereafter, Tara and her father move to America. A new life in Los Angeles awaits them but Tara never recovers from the loss of her best friend, or stops wondering if she was somehow responsible for Mukta's abduction.

Eleven years later, Tara, now an adult, returns to India determined to find Mukta. As her search takes her into the brutal underground world of human trafficking, Tara begins to uncover long-buried secrets in her own family that might explain what happened to Mukta—and why she came to live with Tara’s family in the first place.

Moving from a traditional Indian village to the bustling modern metropolis of Mumbai, to Los Angeles and back again, this is a heartbreaking and beautiful portrait of an unlikely friendship—a story of love, betrayal, and, ultimately, redemption.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperAudio
Release dateApr 18, 2017
ISBN9780062490636
Author

Amita Trasi

Amita Trasi was born and raised in Mumbai, India. She has an MBA in human resource management, and currently lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and two cats.

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Reviews for The Color of Our Sky

Rating: 4.318181826767677 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

198 ratings42 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I would give this book 4 1/2 stars. It deals with the very disturbing and heartbreaking issues of cast, sex trafficking, and child prostitution through the stories of two childhood friends from very different social backgrounds. It also covers issues of superstition, poverty, corruption, and disregard for women in Indian society. It is well written, save for a couple of places where the grammar was off. It is excellently narrated, and totally captivating. Besides the predictable ending, I think the author has done an excellent job. Highly recommended.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I don't know why I always seem to like books that take place in India. This one was good but not great. I usually like it when a book takes forever to tell a story, but not this time. I thought this book could've been 200 pages shorter.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A very touching, beautifully read story. I really enjoyed this ebook.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    It had some really sad parts. . . But the writing was so good. She was able to capture the emotions and contexts of very difficult themes and bring a great plot to them. Loved it!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book is so good. It definitely broke my heart a few times, I really felt for the girls. I
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Very interesting book about some harsh realities that happen in some cultures.
    Except the interchange of Mumbai and Bombay,the author should have stuck to one.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I love this book so soo much and highly recommend
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I found getting into this book to be slow, but about a third of the way through it really picked up and I was totally engaged. If I remember correctly, the writing seemed stilted in the early chapters but became very fluid as it progressed. I have always found myself attracted to books about India and this one showed a side of that country that I had not been introduced to before. While the subject matter is extremely painful, the book overall celebrated the strength of the human spirit.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I have to sit and digest this amazing book. It has touched my heart so deeply that I want to buy all versions of it and gift it to everyone I know.

    Thank you Jenna @flowersfavouritefiction for introducing me to this masterpiece that will never leave my mind and heart. We are meeting Amita today to discuss the novel and I am so excited to hear her story and how her ideas masterfully came together to be THIS PHENOMENAL book that hopefully will touch millions (if it hasn’t already).

    The narrators were perfect. I could not get enough of their voices and I wish there was so much more to continue this story - not that I didn’t love the ending, it’s because I loved Tara & Mukta so much that I wanted them in my life longer ... it was so hard to have it end and to close the last chapter of the story.

    Thank you Amita for sharing your thoughts & words in a story that has nestled in my heart and found a home. I hope in time you write more fabulous stories for us to read!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    An enjoyable listening experience! Insightful description of the life in India amongst the lower castes and their destiny.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Amazing book, could not stop listening to it. Just WOW
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I had a hard time reading this book and put it away several times. The writing is solid, and I connected with the characters, but some of the subject matter is very heavy to get through, and the overall storyline is sad. I usually read to be uplifted, inspired, and absorbed--not to say there weren't inspiring facets to this story--but I could only take the heaviness in short increments. I did like the alternating viewpoints, connecting mostly with Mukata, and enjoyed the mystery and human internal strength aspect.I suppose I'd recommend this to those who enjoy deeply emotional, tragic stories, but as for myself, I prefer a lighter, less distressing read.Thank you to LibraryThing for my complimentary copy.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I loved it so much it made me cry.
    ....
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I liked the second half of the book better than the first half because it was sort of unpredictable I'm not sure what is gonna happen. I liked the book because the way it is narrated. I feel it is a one-time read. I definitely would recommend it to listen to. I gave it four stars because I didn't enjoy the first half of the book that much.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Painfully average both in terms of story line and writing...
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a book that covers a topic that is not easy to navigate – sex trafficking. Actually it deals with two difficult topics as it also delves into the caste system in India but not as deeply as it does with prostitution. There are moments of joy, lightness and happiness but this is a book that will stay with you. The images brought to mind while reading are not easy to forget.Tara is a young girl in a happy household; her father is a progressive thinker who works with NGOs to help children of lower castes. Usually he brings them home for just a couple of days and then they go on to be placed. But one day he brings home a young girl named Mukta and she stays with the family. Mukta is the child of a small town prostitute, part of a generational system of women “dedicated to the goddess” but who are really just kept for the upper caste men. Mukta’s mother wants her to avoid her fate but her grandmother is a mercenary woman and sells her at 8 years old into the system.Tara’s father is from the same village and on a trip home his mother encourages him to take her and find her a new home for no child deserves such a fate. He brings her home but his wife is not happy. Tara ultimately befriends her and they form a bond that holds firm until one night it breaks.Mukta is kidnapped from the house one night and Tara is to scared to react. After trying to find her without luck Tara and her father move to the US. After Tara’s father dies she returns to India to try and find Mukta. Tara feels compelled to search for her childhood friend for many reasons and she won’t stop until she finds her.The book is told in both girls’ voices and moves somewhat confusingly in time. Tara is, for the most part, a very unlikable character. She is at times an unpleasant child and to put it bluntly a pushy and stupid adult. Mukta has the far more compelling story and despite her very hard life she is easier to like. It is awful to read what her life was like but it’s important to bring awareness to these situations. For that alone this book should be read. It’s not a perfect book by any means but it is one that keeps a reader’s interest and has several big twists that caught me by surprise.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Very informative and well narrated. Captivating from start to finish

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Nice story. Sad at times that parents expectations can affect the lives of their children.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What a story , India we dont want to know about and we absolutely must , story of family, love , betrayed and so much guild . Please read..
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    WONDERFUL. I could not stop reading it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    What a sad, yet uplifting book. The subject matter is horrifying; young girls forced into prostitution. It's also a tale of friendship and forgiveness. A little slow at times but ultimately worth reading.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book is absolutely beautiful. Tragic, heart breaking, difficult, but beautiful. I started reading it one Saturday morning and could not stop until it was done.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Excellent book about sex trafficking and child prostitution in India.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Interesting tale of India's culture. The two women, friends as young girls are separated to lead vastly different lives. The story is told with two different voices - the more privileged woman, returning eleven years later to try to locate the other woman, a temple prostitute. The author describes human trafficking in all it's brutality, but this serves to add considerable reality to the story. Somewhat jumpy, as it is told thro two voices in two different time periods, but well worth the time with it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Mumbai in the 1980's was still such an unprogressive place where prostitution was prevelant , women are kidnapped and sold and even as children raised to be prostitutes for a goddess temple. Hard to believe but this novel shows this to be the case. We see two girls with different upbringings. Tara has a family and a stable life in Mumbai while Mukta is raised as a lower caste in a village. Tara's father brings Mukta home to save her from a life of prostitution and raises her with his daughter although they are not treated the same. Tara goes to school, Mukta cleans the house. This is normal. Everything changes when Tara's mother is killed in a bomb explosion and in grief Tara lashes out at Mukta arranging her kidnapping. As an adult Tara is on a quest to find Mukta.Learned so much about Indian culture in the modern age. Quite unbelievable.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    The time has come for young Mukta to fulfil her destiny of becoming a temple prostitute. It's what happens when you're from the lower caste of Yellamma cult of temple prostitutes. Mutka's mother wants desperately for her to have a better life. Eventually she ends up in a foster family in Bombay where she becomes friends with eight-year-old Tara, the tomboyish daughter of the family. Mukta treasures their friendship and when she is kidnapped one night in Tara's bedroom, she knows that Tara will find her.

    Eleven years after the kidnapping, Tara is still blaming herself for what happened. But she will not give up searching for her long-lost friend and she will uncover some interesting secrets along the way.

    I thought this was going to be a solid read filled with strong characters. But I was wrong. I feel bad because this covers a serious topic - human trafficking - but from cover to cover this was boring. I can't believe I read every page until 43% when the idea finally came to me to skim the rest. I feel as though it wasn't fully developed and didn't live up to its potential. Some things were convenient and predictable. A disappointing read for sure.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Color of Our Sky takes place in India between 1986 and 2008. It follows two characters, girls of the about the same age, Tara and Mukta. Tara has a good father and mother and lives in Mumbai while Mukta lives with her grandmother and mother in a small village called Ganipur.Tara's father is a good man, he has dedicated his adult life to helping street children. Mukta's situation is quite different. She comes from a long line of devdasis, the practice of a cult that dedicates their daughters to the Goddess Yellamma. Mukta didn't understand her body didn't belong to her until she was about thirteen and taken from her family to serve as a prostitute, as her mother and grandmother had before her. Tara's father was also from Ganipur and on one of his trips to see his mother, he is made aware of Mukta and with misgiving, takes her back to Mumbai and to his home. Tara and Mukta become the best of friends although Mukta works as a servant in their home.Unexplainably, after several years, Mukta disappears one night after they have all gone to bed. Tara's mother has died, and Tara's father eventually decides to leave India and he and Tara immigrate to America. After his death, and 11 years after Mukta has disappeared, Tara returns to India determined to find her lost friend. The author, Amita Trasi, is Indian and from Mumbai, but currently living in Houston. This is her first novel but it seems written by a more experienced writer. Unfortunately I didn't think the last part of the book was as strong as the first and both the characters and the plot suffered. Still, I thought it was fascinating and well worth reading. Trasi is a writer I'll follow.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    THE COLOR OF OUR SKY by Amita TrasiA bit slow to start but the plot picks up around 100 pages and then moves quickly. In 1980’s India, a young rural girl with a devastating background is rescued by a Mumbai businessman. She becomes an unpaid servant in his family and best friend to his daughter who is about the same age. Mukta lives with the family until shortly after the mother in the family dies. Mukta is kidnapped and cannot be found. Years later the daughter begins a search for her long lost friend and servant.The characters seem to change quite a bit with time; the daughter especially wavers in characterization. The very slow start makes this novel difficult to stick with, but the last half of the book presents an intriguing mystery. Stick with it and you do get a rich reward.Book groups will find themselves presented with unpaid servants, unknown relatives, mysterious happenings, uncaring and ineffective police, aid organizations stymied in their attempts to help and an unflattering look at life in India.3 of 5 stars
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A wonderful story of class and culture in India. I always learn something new each time I read fiction from India. The Color Of The Sky taught me about yet another chapter in the history of the great country of India. I loved this book and highly recommend it!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The Color of Our Sky is a fictionalized portrait of India’s devdasis – servants of god. They are lower caste women who, from a prepubescent age, serve as prostitutes in the name of god. Traditionally it was a revered position. Today, these women are shunned by the culture that created them. The plight of these women is fraught with abuse and murder, and is ripe with opportunities for child trafficking.Trasi handles her subject matter with the care and passion it deserves and clearly has skill for her craft. I liked her writing style, yet two things kept gnawing away at me as I read her novel. First, she has the tendency to get carried away with her prose, rendering it overtly melodramatic. Second, despite all thematic twists and turns, the ending was easy to predict. How Trasi deals with this in her future work will ultimately define her writing as genre fiction or literary fiction, both valid forms of fiction. A praiseworthy debut novel.