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Used - Good: All pages and cover are intact including the dust cover if applicable . Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May include From the library of labels. Shrink wrap dust covers or boxed set case may be missing. Item may be missing bundled media. Used - Good: All pages and cover are intact including the dust cover if applicable . Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May include From the library of labels. Shrink wrap dust covers or boxed set case may be missing. Item may be missing bundled media. See less

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Name: Amazon.com: The Storyteller's Secret: A Novel: 9781542048279: Badani, Sejal: Books
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Rating: 4.6 (86324 reviews)

Sejal Badani

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The Storyteller's Secret: A Novel Paperback – September 1, 2018

by Sejal Badani (Author)

86,324 ratings

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An Amazon Charts, USA Today, and Washington Post bestseller.

From the bestselling author of Trail of Broken Wings comes an epic story of the unrelenting force of love, the power of healing, and the invincible desire to dream.

Nothing prepares Jaya, a New York journalist, for the heartbreak of her third miscarriage and the slow unraveling of her marriage in its wake. Desperate to assuage her deep anguish, she decides to go to India to uncover answers to her family’s past.

Intoxicated by the sights, smells, and sounds she experiences, Jaya becomes an eager student of the culture. But it is Ravi―her grandmother’s former servant and trusted confidant―who reveals the resilience, struggles, secret love, and tragic fall of Jaya’s pioneering grandmother during the British occupation. Through her courageous grandmother’s arrestingly romantic and heart-wrenching story, Jaya discovers the legacy bequeathed to her and a strength that, until now, she never knew was possible.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This stimulating novel reads like a true-to-life story…The descriptions of the lives of both common villagers and the well-off are informative. The insights into the local customs and traditions might be an eye-opener even for those familiar with Indians’ time-honored ways.” ―Historical Novel Society

“While the narrative at times reflects the dark elements of human nature, the tone is hopeful and enriching. Badani builds imagery with a gentleness that is soothing to take in and threads together rich descriptions of the landscape that are transportive.” ―USA Today’s Happy Ever After

“The Storyteller’s Secret is a lavishly told tale of secrets, love, and loyalty. It is a celebration of the beauty of story and its ability to help us be heard and understood.” ―New York Journal of Books

About the Author

A former attorney, Sejal Badani is the author of the bestselling novel and Goodreads Fiction Award finalist Trail of Broken Wings. When not writing, Sejal enjoys reading and traveling.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lake Union Publishing; Reprint edition (September 1, 2018)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 399 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1542048273
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1542048279
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #59,301 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #297 in Cultural Heritage Fiction
- #1,603 in Family Life Fiction (Books)
- #4,619 in Literary Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
86,324 ratings

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Sejal Badani

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A former attorney, Sejal Badani left the law to pursue writing full time. She is a Wall Street Journal, Amazon Charts, USA Today and Washington Post bestselling author, Goodreads Fiction Award Finalist and ABC/DISNEY Writing Fellowship Finalist. Her novels have been published in over 15 languages. When not writing, she loves reading and traveling. Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, and Ed Sheeran are always playing in the background.

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Customers say

Customers find this novel to be a beautiful story that empowers readers to understand its themes, with detailed descriptions of Indian traditions and customs. The writing is well-crafted, and customers appreciate the emotional growth and deep friendships portrayed, particularly the loyalty between Amisha and Ravi. Customers describe the pacing as riveting and moving, with compelling character development that allows readers to understand each character's feelings. While many powerful themes run through the book, some customers find it somewhat predictable.

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Story quality Culture Writing quality Heartwarming Character development Pacing Friendship Predictable story

5,254 customers mention "Story quality"5,071 positive183 negative

Customers find the book's story quality positive, describing it as a beautiful and heartfelt narrative about love that empowers readers to understand its themes.

"...This is a story of dreams, love and finding oneself. I would highly recommend this for readers who enjoy Historical Fiction." Read more

"My heart is full! It explains the past & carries into a loving future. No. You just gotta read it to get it. I don’t have the words to describe it." Read more

"...You are immersed in the present day and swept away into the past as Ravi, the elderly untouchable servant of Jaya’s storyteller grandmother tells..." Read more

"...It is everything a novel should be and now I will need to read everything that Sejal Badani has written. Absolutely exquisite!" Read more

2,144 customers mention "Culture"2,122 positive22 negative

Customers appreciate the book's portrayal of Indian culture, with one customer particularly noting the detailed descriptions of customs and traditions.

"...I appreciate that the author describes the Caste system, and provides the historical background that adds so much to India’s history...." Read more

"My heart is full! It explains the past & carries into a loving future. No. You just gotta read it to get it. I don’t have the words to describe it." Read more

"...the author did an unusually skillful job of resolving issues, explaining much, and wrapping everything up without resorting to contrived coincidence..." Read more

"Very moving, enchanting and real. I loved being in India and seeing life there, and I loved the intertwined characters, beautifully described...." Read more

1,762 customers mention "Writing quality"1,658 positive104 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, noting its beautiful storytelling and lovely descriptions, with one customer highlighting how the prose effectively conveys complex themes.

"Sejal Badani, Author of “The Storyteller’s Secret” has written a captivating, intriguing, emotional , riveting, and emotional story...." Read more

"...What you need to know is that this is a well-written and captivating story that will keep you turning the pages...." Read more

"...I bought it for 2 dollars I think on Kindle. It is so beautifully written, so beautifully crafted and tells a complex story of love, guilt, betrayal..." Read more

"...Every detail is intricately sewn into the story in simple English...." Read more

1,524 customers mention "Heartwarming"1,443 positive81 negative

Customers find the book heartwrenching and emotionally engaging, with one customer noting how readers can feel the characters' joy and pain throughout the narrative.

"...of “The Storyteller’s Secret” has written a captivating, intriguing, emotional , riveting, and emotional story...." Read more

"My heart is full! It explains the past & carries into a loving future. No. You just gotta read it to get it. I don’t have the words to describe it." Read more

"...It is satisfying. This was a very good choice for my Prime First Read." Read more

"...crafted and tells a complex story of love, guilt, betrayal, loss and redemption...." Read more

993 customers mention "Character development"958 positive35 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, finding them compelling and easy to understand emotionally, with one customer noting they could hear the characters' voices.

"...The author vividly describes the colorful cast of characters and the landscapes with great detail...." Read more

"...Amisha, the storyteller grandmother, is an engaging narrator in the story as told by Ravi...." Read more

"...I loved being in India and seeing life there, and I loved the intertwined characters, beautifully described...." Read more

"Wonderful characters thAt you really feel you know. A story filled with love sorrow and kindness in being the best way to go through life." Read more

613 customers mention "Pacing"495 positive118 negative

Customers find the pacing of the book riveting and moving, with one customer noting how survival themes are interwoven throughout the narrative.

"...’s Secret” has written a captivating, intriguing, emotional , riveting, and emotional story...." Read more

"...skillful job of resolving issues, explaining much, and wrapping everything up without resorting to contrived coincidence or deus ex machina...." Read more

"Very moving, enchanting and real. I loved being in India and seeing life there, and I loved the intertwined characters, beautifully described...." Read more

"Really nice read. Very in depth and nicely paced with details and emotions. Highly recommended to all readers. Give it a try" Read more

395 customers mention "Friendship"395 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the deep friendships portrayed in the book, particularly those between Amisha and Ravi and multi-generational connections, with one customer highlighting the abiding trust and love between people regardless of norms.

"Beautifully written story of love and friendship, a mother and a daughter, and of differing cultures - past and present." Read more

"...This book changed me, and the way I view friendship. True friendship is unwavering and knows no boundaries. Reading it has been a gift beyond measure." Read more

"...heartbreak and loss, it’s also filled with love, sacrifice, joy, friendship and a path to peace...." Read more

"...Their loves, their deep wounds, their loyalty to one another touched me profoundly...." Read more

240 customers mention "Predictable story"139 positive101 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the story's predictability, with some appreciating the powerful themes and intricate fables woven throughout, while others find it somewhat predictable.

"...A wonderful reflection of the complex, unpredictable, sometimes insufferable, yet in the end, joyous and divine adventure that is life lived with..." Read more

"...I thought parts bordered on melodratic, but it didn't keep me from wanting to read on and learn the end of the story." Read more

"...Many powerful themes run through this book, and I will admit I shed a tear or two when the last page was turned...." Read more

"...I must say that I found the story a bit slow to start and overall predictable, with sections that read like a harlequin romance...and for that I’m..." Read more

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teachlz
Writing in the Family
Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2018
Verified Purchase

Sejal Badani, Author of “The Storyteller’s Secret” has written a captivating, intriguing, emotional , riveting, and emotional story. The Genres for this novel are Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Historical Fiction with a touch of Romance. The timeline is in both the present and the past when it pertains to the characters or events in the story. The story is told in both the United States, and India. The author vividly describes the colorful cast of characters and the landscapes with great detail.

Jaya, a journalist is devastated after her third miscarriage, and feels that her marriage is falling apart. Jaya’s parents try to be there for her, but here is something that is missing in her relationship with her mother. Jaya feels that she is at loose ends and wants to find herself, and happiness again. While she is at her parent’s house, there is news that her mother’s father is dying, and the mother is requested to come to India. Instead Jaya uses this as an opportunity to heal and discover information about her family, that her mother has never talked about. Jaya’s mother has never wanted to go back to India, and doesn’t discuss what happened.

Jaya is determined as a journalist that she will write about her trip to India. Ravi, her grandmother’s former servant meets Jaya, and starts to tell her grandmother’s story. Java was not aware of the deep secrets, courage, hurt, and dreams that her grandmother had. Jaya’s grandmother was a writer as well. Why hasn’t Jaya’s mother ever told her about her grandmother? Jaya learns not only many Indian customs, she becomes aware of the history of India during the British occupation. She sees evidence of both poverty and beauty. Jaya visits the orphanage, and sees the discrimination among the different classes.

I enjoyed the descriptions of the customs, holidays, foods, and people in India. I appreciate that the author describes the Caste system, and provides the historical background that adds so much to India’s history. This is a story of dreams, love and finding oneself. I would highly recommend this for readers who enjoy Historical Fiction.

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monkeyCmonkeyDo
What a beautiful story!
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2025
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My heart is full! It explains the past & carries into a loving future. No. You just gotta read it to get it. I don’t have the words to describe it.

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Constant Reader
Well-Written Engaging Story of India
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2018
Verified Purchase
Jaya is heartbroken in New York after a third miscarriage. Her marriage is feeling the strain as she and her husband deal with their grief separately. Jaya’s mother is a first generation immigrant from India with a very tenuous connection to her heritage, her family, and her daughter. Jaya leaves for India, hoping to escape her grief, her marriage problems, and find out more about her mother’s family. The story really starts when she arrives in the small Indian village of her mother’s childhood. You are immersed in the present day and swept away into the past as Ravi, the elderly untouchable servant of Jaya’s storyteller grandmother tells her story. The details are rich, and you will see, hear, touch, and taste India. Amisha, the storyteller grandmother, is an engaging narrator in the story as told by Ravi. Her life at the end of the Raj is not like the life of her American granddaughter. She was married young in an arranged marriage. As was customary, with her marriage she left her family behind and became a very subordinate member of her husband’s family subject to his will and the will of her mother-in-law. Amisha has always written stories and tucked them away. Everything changes when the British open a school and Amisha approaches them to learn English. As it evolves, she begins to teach a storytelling class and to learn to write in English through private lessons from a British soldier working at the school. What you need to know is that this is a well-written and captivating story that will keep you turning the pages. The historical and social details are interesting and so closely woven into the story that they enrich everything instead of distract. Much has been said about the ending, and I agree that the author did an unusually skillful job of resolving issues, explaining much, and wrapping everything up without resorting to contrived coincidence or deus ex machina. It is satisfying. This was a very good choice for my Prime First Read.

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6 people found this helpful

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Lori Koenig
One Hell of a Story
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2025
Verified Purchase
I am not sure why this book isn’t on everyone’s want to read shelf. I bought it for 2 dollars I think on Kindle. It is so beautifully written, so beautifully crafted and tells a complex story of love, guilt, betrayal, loss and redemption. It is everything a novel should be and now I will need to read everything that Sejal Badani has written. Absolutely exquisite!

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suman kumar
It will surely bring tears to your eyes at the end
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2025
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The story is so beautifully yet simply crafted. Every detail is intricately sewn into the story in simple English. When you start you don’t much relate with the main character and gradually you grow with “her”, her love and sacrifices. At the end you would understand the unconditional love of a lover and a friend, and that love can be so pure in its form. The story is written in such a way that it will play in front of you and you would be transported into an era which our grandparents have endured, when India was not so progressive. For the rest, I leave it to the readers to get immersed into it.
For sure, I had a very good read after many months!!

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starrcyber
great read…just finished in tears.
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2024
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Very moving, enchanting and real. I loved being in India and seeing life there, and I loved the intertwined characters, beautifully described.
The story line was strong and kept me engaged.

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A story of the human condition, romance, exotic culture, historical fiction and parent/child drama.
Reviewed in Canada on July 26, 2019
Verified Purchase

The Indian culture is always a source of fascination. The Storyteller ‘s Secret stands out among novels in this genre for several reasons. Firstly, It is a finely constructed story of two women, generations and worlds apart, who share the struggle to come to terms with the sorrows and disappointments Fate bestows on them and figure out how to manage them, even find joy, while staying true to who they are at their core. Secondly, Badani managers to shed light on the injustices, even cruelties that exist in the Indian culture; treatment of girls/ women and those of other castes while exquisitely explaining the history and context of the practices. She does not condone or excuse them but holds them up to the light to be understood and shown as the intrinsic injustices they are. It’s a delicate balance. Triumph over difficulties, romance, and history all rolled into an engaging journey.

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Charlie
Ecxcellent
Reviewed in Spain on January 5, 2023
Verified Purchase
Beautifully written. I really enjoyed reading the book. I love the journey into India’s cultures during the days of the British occupation. Although it is kind of predictable, I hardly put it down.

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Maria Concetta Distefano
VERY GOOD BOOK.
Reviewed in Italy on April 2, 2021
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Very good book. History and ordinary stories of extraordinary people mixed together in a perfect blend.

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Ginjazzer
A beautiful read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 3, 2019
Verified Purchase
I honestly would not normally pick this kind of book but it was a monthly freebie and I like to read a wide range of books. What a wonderful delightful surprise when I started reading it. I think this may be one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. The book just sucked me into the pages - the lovely descriptions of India and Hindu practices and ceremonies just made me feel like I had stepped into another world. The story itself is sad, beautiful and reminiscent of times gone by and yet highlighting how things have changed from the 1930's when Amisha a young Indian bride had no real value as a human being right up to more modern times when her grand daughter Jaya is facing problems that are healed by learning about her family roots. This book has great depth and perception. I just love the character Ravi - he is all that is good and wise in this world. Parts of this book made me cry - both from sadness and happiness. From a technical point of view the book is not perfect - and yet that makes it all the more endearing.

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Amoore
Libro que te atrapa, fantasía lo recomiendo
Reviewed in Mexico on August 23, 2021
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Libro que te atrapa, misterioso lo recomiendo.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Writing in the Family

5.0 out of 5 stars What a beautiful story!

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-Written Engaging Story of India

5.0 out of 5 stars One Hell of a Story

5.0 out of 5 stars It will surely bring tears to your eyes at the end

5.0 out of 5 stars great read…just finished in tears.

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars A story of the human condition, romance, exotic culture, historical fiction and parent/child drama.

5.0 out of 5 stars Ecxcellent

5.0 out of 5 stars VERY GOOD BOOK.

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful read

5.0 out of 5 stars Libro que te atrapa, fantasía lo recomiendo

Writing in the Family

What a beautiful story!

Well-Written Engaging Story of India

One Hell of a Story

It will surely bring tears to your eyes at the end

great read…just finished in tears.

A story of the human condition, romance, exotic culture, historical fiction and parent/child drama.

Ecxcellent

VERY GOOD BOOK.

A beautiful read

Libro que te atrapa, fantasía lo recomiendo