Book Review: Haveli by Zeenat Mahal

But when I read Haveli, I realized that she has so much more to offer. I absolutely loved the romance, the feisty heroine, the struggles that she threw to make the story more appealing and the whole emotional play that had my heart soaring and then also wrenching as I happily followed the heroine, Chandni.

The cover is nice but I think it could have been more appealing to complement the stunning story. The blurb is interesting and will interest the readers.

The author’s writing style is balanced. She writes simply sometimes and then suddenly throws in the flair to go along with the story which is noteworthy. She flawlessly recreates the Pakistani high society culture of the 1970’s with all its pomp and show. There are royal descendants, big Palaces (Haveli), the royal etiquette and manners and then the clash of the old with the modern.

The characterization is admirable. I loved the bratty, spoilt but still naive with a heart of gold and a mouth so foul that it can singe you, heroine, Chandni. Her craving for love, belonging and acceptance had me teary eyed. She has created a wall of brattiness around her so she can hide her true soft and loving self. Taimur had me swooning and falling in love with him. His maturity and yet the knack of rubbing Chandni the wrong way put so much fun in the story. They bickered but still felt attracted towards each other and their chemistry is hot! Chandni’s grandmother who she calls “The Broad” remained an enigma to me. She is strict but still one can see that she loves Chandni and although she never shows it but cares for her well being. The other characters are also a varied mix of personalities and very entertaining to watch. All the characters in this book are people I loved meeting and learning from. The author truly has the knowledge of human character which she shows here by creating a variety of characters with different personalities.

The story moves quickly and I loved the whole experience. C aka Chandni’s journey of finding her true self is funny, thrilling, sad but very entertaining. The romance is hot, conflict filled with many memorable moments.


While I completely loved the book, I still felt that the ending left a few queries in my mind like 
What happened to the absconding-but-then-returned Father?
What happened when everything came to light in front of him?
Were the differences between C and her brother resolved?


All in all, Haveli is an entertaining and a memorable book that I can re-read again. 4.5 out of 5 to it and strongly recommended to everyone. Had the end left me completely satisfied, I would have happily given it 5 stars. Zeenat is a talented author and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

I received the book from the author and I am very thankful to her. The above review is my honest and unbiased opinion and in no way influenced.

~Read my Review of the other books by Zeenat Mahal~

The Contract by Zeenat Mahal: My Review

She loves me, He loves me not by Zeenat Mahal: My Review