A lively, sexy, and thought-provoking East-meets-West story about community, friendship, and women’s lives at all ages—a spicy and alluring mix of Together Tea and Calendar Girls.
Every woman has a secret life . . .
Nikki lives in cosmopolitan West London, where she tends bar at the local pub. The daughter of Indian immigrants, she’s spent most of her twenty-odd years distancing herself from the traditional Sikh community of her childhood, preferring a more independent (that is, Western) life. When her father’s death leaves the family financially strapped, Nikki, a law school dropout, impulsively takes a job teaching a ""creative writing"" course at the community center in the beating heart of London’s close-knit Punjabi community.
Because of a miscommunication, the proper Sikh widows who show up are expecting to learn basic English literacy, not the art of short-story writing. When one of the widows finds a book of sexy stories in English and shares it with the class, Nikki realizes that beneath their white dupattas, her students have a wealth of fantasies and memories. Eager to liberate these modest women, she teaches them how to express their untold stories, unleashing creativity of the most unexpected—and exciting—kind.
As more women are drawn to the class, Nikki warns her students to keep their work secret from the Brotherhood, a group of highly conservative young men who have appointed themselves the community’s ""moral police."" But when the widows’ gossip offers shocking insights into the death of a young wife—a modern woman like Nikki—and some of the class erotica is shared among friends, it sparks a scandal that threatens them all.
© 2017 HarperAudio (Audiobook): 9780062680563
Release date
Audiobook: 13 June 2017
A lively, sexy, and thought-provoking East-meets-West story about community, friendship, and women’s lives at all ages—a spicy and alluring mix of Together Tea and Calendar Girls.
Every woman has a secret life . . .
Nikki lives in cosmopolitan West London, where she tends bar at the local pub. The daughter of Indian immigrants, she’s spent most of her twenty-odd years distancing herself from the traditional Sikh community of her childhood, preferring a more independent (that is, Western) life. When her father’s death leaves the family financially strapped, Nikki, a law school dropout, impulsively takes a job teaching a ""creative writing"" course at the community center in the beating heart of London’s close-knit Punjabi community.
Because of a miscommunication, the proper Sikh widows who show up are expecting to learn basic English literacy, not the art of short-story writing. When one of the widows finds a book of sexy stories in English and shares it with the class, Nikki realizes that beneath their white dupattas, her students have a wealth of fantasies and memories. Eager to liberate these modest women, she teaches them how to express their untold stories, unleashing creativity of the most unexpected—and exciting—kind.
As more women are drawn to the class, Nikki warns her students to keep their work secret from the Brotherhood, a group of highly conservative young men who have appointed themselves the community’s ""moral police."" But when the widows’ gossip offers shocking insights into the death of a young wife—a modern woman like Nikki—and some of the class erotica is shared among friends, it sparks a scandal that threatens them all.
© 2017 HarperAudio (Audiobook): 9780062680563
Release date
Audiobook: 13 June 2017
Step into an infinite world of stories
Overall rating based on 247 ratings
Heartwarming
Funny
Cozy
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Meghana
2 Jul 2020
Absolutely loved the book!!!
Derryn
14 May 2023
Not the thriller I thought I needed!
Shikha
13 May 2020
Listening to ‘Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows’ by Balli Kaur Jaswal on @storytel.in Shortlisted by @reesesbookclub Erotic stories and punjabi widows Do NOT MIX ! No they don’t. Atleast for those of us familiar with Sikh and Hindu culture. But the story woven here tends to bring these two conflicting parties together in a revelry of sorts. How a bunch of widows from a Gurudwara community come up together to weave beautiful erotic stories forms the crux of the book. Add to that a murder mystery and overdramatic parents and you are all set to loose a few hours of sleep reading this. Characters are so fresh and so true to their stories. I can absolutely imagine my neighbor Biji being in this crowd, giggling and sharing her story. More than a summary of erotica, the book is about women from daily walks of life showing their power in a unified fashion, so much so that their whole community has to relent before them. It’s a show of passion, feminism and a desire to stand on one’s own
Vrunda
6 Sept 2021
Beautiful Book..All the characters now lingering in head. The book is so engaging..
Sana
12 Apr 2020
Nice
Labster
23 Apr 2022
Thoroughly enjoyed this book with its sikh women and the community in London as the backdrop. The story was predictable in parts but the characters are funny and engrossing.
Ashwini
5 Feb 2021
Lovely book!
Shruti
21 Mar 2021
Unexpectedly good book. Excellent narration.
Sangam
2 Sept 2023
Nyc .. loved it
Mutton
5 Jun 2021
I was looking for a light breezy read and I got that in the form of this book. Very entertaining. Narration by Syal is amazing!
English
India