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Smitha Vishwanath
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Coming Home Kindle Edition

by Smitha Vishwanath (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.8 out of 5 stars 28 ratings
Twenty-six-year-old, Shanaya, finds her idea of home and family ripped apart when she loses her mother. Her effort to drown herself in her job proves to be financially rewarding and her work is recognized by the organisation. But, even this is not enough to fill the vacuum in her heart or answer the questions, her mother’s sudden death had given rise to. In her quest for peace and the need to hold her family together, she leaves her job in the Middle East and moves to India. The story finds Shanaya journeying across geographical planes and inner landscapes to finally reach ‘home'. Coming Home is a heartwarming story about self-discovery, relationships, loss, love, destiny, the choices we make, and how these choices eventually lead to what we are destined for.
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  1. Print length
    424 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    March 29, 2023
  5. File size
    1.7 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BZZQHF74
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 29, 2023
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.7 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 424 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 out of 5 stars 28 ratings

About the author

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Smitha Vishwanath

Smitha Vishwanath

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Smitha Vishwanath is your quintessential 'bored banker' turned writer. After a rewarding career of two decades in banking, she quit in 2018. Therein, began her writing journey, which she did through her blog: https://lifeateacher.wordpress.com.

Smitha's poem, 'Omid', was nominated 'Best of the Net' in 2019. Her poems, 'Do you Have Dreams' and 'Forgotten', written for the National Poetry Writing Month challenge hosted by Maureen Thompson, won recognition on an international level for two consecutive years, 2021 and 2022. She was nominated as Author of the Month by SpillWords Press for her poem 'Ye Birds on my Window Sill' in May 2022. She was recently voted Author of the Month for the months of January and February 2023 for her poem, 'Two years since you left' by Spillwords Press. Her poetry has been published by several online publications, including Thieving Magpies, Spillwords Press, MasticadoresUS, Silverbirch Press, Rebelle Society and has found a place in several noteworthy anthologies.

'Roads- A journey with Verses' is a book of poems she co-authored and published in July 2019.

'Coming Home' is her debut novel released in March 2023.

When she's not writing, you'll find her reading, writing book reviews, sharing her experiences through her blog, painting, walking travelling, or just being. She currently resides with her husband in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Her poems and writing reflect the experiences that come with having lived with people of different cultures.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
28 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book a pleasure to read, with rich cultural details and honest portrayals of emotions. Moreover, the storyline transports readers to southern India, and one customer notes how the protagonist's dilemmas are very relatable. Additionally, the writing style receives positive feedback, and one customer particularly appreciates the vivid descriptions of Mumbai.

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8 customers mention "Enjoyment to read"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining and a pleasure to read.

"...Coming Home is a brilliant book, as it offers much more than just a mundane story of a woman who is trying to come to terms with the travails of life..." Read more

"...The romance storyline is pleasant and enjoyable, but it is the insights into Indian culture and lifestyle that made this book particularly..." Read more

"Smitha's novel was a pleasure to read...." Read more

"...This was a delightful read!" Read more

7 customers mention "Culture"7 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the rich cultural details in the book, with one reader particularly enjoying the vivid descriptions of Mumbai and another highlighting the insights into Indian culture and lifestyle.

"Coming Home by Smitha Vishwanath holds a plethora of cultural nuances that give you an insight into Indian values, relationships and responsibilities..." Read more

"...takes the reader across countries and gives you an insight on different cultures and customs. Very relatable and emotions have been portrayed aptly...." Read more

"...storyline is pleasant and enjoyable, but it is the insights into Indian culture and lifestyle that made this book particularly interesting to me...." Read more

"Smitha's novel was a pleasure to read. It was fascinating to see the differences in culture (but the similarities in the human condition) she..." Read more

7 customers mention "Storyline"7 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the storyline of the book, with one mentioning how it transports readers to the cities and villages of southern India, while another notes how the protagonist's relatable dilemmas make the narrative engaging.

"...Written in a simple style, the story transports you to the cities and villages of southern India - revealing the scents of a village, of jasmine..." Read more

"...The storyline is very interesting and flows seamlessly...." Read more

"...about Shanaya and her colleagues jobs rang true and added to the overall storyline...." Read more

"...The book is also a coming of age tale about finding one’s self through life’s challenges...." Read more

5 customers mention "Emotional depth"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's honest portrayal of emotions, with one customer describing it as a warm emotional tale that explores themes of love and loss.

"...Very relatable and emotions have been portrayed aptly. The storyline is very interesting and flows seamlessly...." Read more

"...The romance storyline is pleasant and enjoyable, but it is the insights into Indian culture and lifestyle that made this book particularly..." Read more

"...She deals with her obligations to her family and learns about love and loss and how life change affects them all...." Read more

"...developed characters, the vividly described locales, the honest portrayal of emotions and the relatable dilemmas of the protagonist makes the story..." Read more

5 customers mention "Imagery quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the imagery in the book, with one noting how the author paints pictures with detail and vividly describes locales.

"...jasmine flowers, of incense in a temple - making them come alive with vivid and descriptive details...." Read more

"...Smitha is a poet, I understand, and they have a way of painting pictures with detail that makes her settings and scenes come alive...." Read more

"...I was immediately hooked on the imagery and the descriptions of the funeral rites...." Read more

"...The finely developed characters, the vividly described locales, the honest portrayal of emotions and the relatable dilemmas of the protagonist makes..." Read more

4 customers mention "Insight"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's insights, with one customer noting its detailed portrayal of Shanaya's banking career and another highlighting its useful tools for a healthy life.

"...The book moves at a moderate pace and keeps you invested with new developments, which are knitted effortlessly into the story...." Read more

"...The author is also clearly knowledgeable about banking and wrote with insight about Shanaya's banking career...." Read more

"...It was, indeed, a daily meditation for me. Reading Smitha is an invitation not just to her world, but to your own life...." Read more

"...Coming Home also gives insight into international banking, the author's occupation for many years. Highly recommended! Cheryl Batavia" Read more

4 customers mention "Writing style"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style of the book.

"...Written in a simple style, the story transports you to the cities and villages of southern India - revealing the scents of a village, of jasmine..." Read more

"This is a well written book by Smitha that takes the reader across countries and gives you an insight on different cultures and customs...." Read more

"...she reveals within her lovely style of prose...." Read more

"A delicate story .. well told..." Read more

What matters is the journey…..
5 out of 5 stars
What matters is the journey…..
Coming home is a deep, thought-provoking story of the main character Shanaya. It takes you through a phase in Shanayas life where she has been dealt with personal loss and is in pursuit of what she truly wants to do in life. The story elicits something familiar in each scene, expression or feeling. Smitha’s ability to transport the reader into the character and experience the surroundings and feelings, was like a deja vu journey for me. I enjoyed the story telling and the quote references at the beginning of each chapter, which was like a teaser of what to expect. At the same time it made you pause and think about the quote more deeply. The final chapter ended on a sweet note and was a perfect way to encapsulate how being unique in how we experience life is perfectly ok and staying true to yourself is the most important thing in life. What matters is the journey….. Well done Smitha. Can’t wait to read your next book.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Balroop Singh
    5.0 out of 5 stars Realistic, with strong cultural tones
    Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Coming Home by Smitha Vishwanath holds a plethora of cultural nuances that give you an insight into Indian values, relationships and responsibilities. Written in a simple style, the story transports you to the cities and villages of southern India - revealing the scents of a village, of jasmine flowers, of incense in a temple - making them come alive with vivid and descriptive details. Shanaya’s life changes after she returns home to attend the funeral of her mother. Her bold, independent decisions acquaint her with many finer aspects of life.

    The book moves at a moderate pace and keeps you invested with new developments, which are knitted effortlessly into the story. The cuisine, the flavors and their details leave a delectable taste in your mouth. Smitha’s realism also shines through her characters - Shanaya wants to respect the decision of her family but knows what she is looking for in a marriage. Slowly, she rediscovers herself but keeps you guessing till the end. Jay has been crafted with extreme precision, he is so different from other men in the story.

    Coming Home is a brilliant book, as it offers much more than just a mundane story of a woman who is trying to come to terms with the travails of life. Highly recommended!
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  • RBChi25
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    This is a well written book by Smitha that takes the reader across countries and gives you an insight on different cultures and customs. Very relatable and emotions have been portrayed aptly. The storyline is very interesting and flows seamlessly. One can relate to the main character making choices and moving across countries for familial reasons. Looking forward to a sequel.
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  • Robbie Cheadle
    4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable and entertaining
    Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Coming Home is a delightful romance set mainly in India. Shanaya is shocked by the untimely death of her mother from cancer. She has been living on her own in her parents apartment in Dubai while her mother undergoes treatment in India under the watchful care of her father. Shanaya is devastated when her mother dies unexpectedly before she can travel from Dubai to India. The loss of her mother hits Shanaya hard and she finds it difficult to set her grief aside and become immersed in her job and life in Dubai, especially as her sister has gone away to college and her father has elected to remain in India. Shanaya decides to make some big changes and leave her safe job, returning to India to care for her father.

    Naturally, nothing in life is ever as expected and Shanaya is in for a few shocks when her father decides to make some changes to his own life. Before her death, Shanaya's mother had been encouraging her to settled own and marry a young and successful doctor. The marriage would be an arranged marriage as the couple had not met. Shanaya does not view this as an impediment to marriage as her own parents had married by arrangement and their marriage had been happy and fulfilling. Shanaya has it in her mind that she will meet the doctor and fulfil her mother's wishes with regards to her marriage. Once again, life happens while she makes plans and things don't turn out quite as expected.

    The romance storyline is pleasant and enjoyable, but it is the insights into Indian culture and lifestyle that made this book particularly interesting to me. I know about arranged marriages, but I did not know how they came about or how modern couples felt about it. There were lots of opportunities for the author to share information about life in India and I enjoyed learning about death and burial rites and traditions, engagement clothing and celebrations, as well as a restorative visit to a remote wellness clinic where Shanaya learns yoga, meditation, and other useful tools for a healthy life. Many aspects of life in India are fairly different from my own lifestyle and I found this information very engaging.

    The author is also clearly knowledgeable about banking and wrote with insight about Shanaya's banking career. This was pleasing as the details about Shanaya and her colleagues jobs rang true and added to the overall storyline.

    Coming Home is a story about coming to terms with loss and change and learning to cope and move on. It is also cautionary about making rash and hasty decisions and promotes taking life at a slower pace and following your instincts.

    Coming Home is an enjoyable and entertaining read that all lovers of romance will enjoy.
    One person found this helpful
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  • L.E. Kimball
    5.0 out of 5 stars Finding Inner Peace
    Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Smitha's novel was a pleasure to read. It was fascinating to see the differences in culture (but the similarities in the human condition) she reveals within her lovely style of prose. Smitha is a poet, I understand, and they have a way of painting pictures with detail that makes her settings and scenes come alive.

    Page turner? Possibly. But I had been in a trying time in my life the last five years. I purposely read not more than twenty pages a sitting, because her work is a meditation on life. She asks and struggles with answers to questions that torment us in our daily lives. Yet something about her style invites you to slow down in your own life and savor not just her words, but these fleeting moments in our own lives. It was, indeed, a daily meditation for me. Reading Smitha is an invitation not just to her world, but to your own life.

    I highly recommend her.
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  • Colleen M. Chesebro
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Coming of Age Tale and Finding True Love
    Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Coming Home is the debut novel of Smitha Vishwanath. The story begins with the protagonist, Shanaya, on her way home to attend her mother’s funeral. I was immediately hooked on the imagery and the descriptions of the funeral rites. But it was Shanaya’s loss that tugged at my heart the most.

    At twenty-six, this vulnerable young woman has dedicated herself to her banking career. For all sakes and purposes, she’s a success. Yet, in the act of coming home, Shanaya begins a journey that teaches her all about relationships with her father and sister, her aunties, and even her friends. Even better, she discovers true love.

    Shanaya also comes to grips with breaking cultural norms. She’s forced to deal with the possibility of her father remarrying. She deals with her obligations to her family and learns about love and loss and how life change affects them all. We’ve all been hurt by people we thought were our friends, and so has Shanaya. The book is also a coming of age tale about finding one’s self through life’s challenges.

    I always enjoy books featuring characters from other cultures. We can all learn so much about the world and ourselves when we’re introduced to new ways of thinking. This was a delightful read!
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Georgina W.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Coming Home gives insight into a modern India and the need for fulfilling relationships
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 20, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    This book was beautifully written and gives a strong sense of place. The reader is also drawn into the life of the main character Shanaya and the decisions she makes. I enjoyed the time spent at the ashram and felt almost there with the characters and the friendships formed. Shahnaya's personality grows and develops through her various relationships, love interests and grief. I was intrigued by this and a Darcy like stand off which did keep the reader wondering. For me I was transported back to being in the south of India and it is a good read for anyone interested in the ways of different cultures and the psychology of relationships.
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  • Selma in Japan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Reminder: Sometimes, you need to follow your gut.
    Reviewed in Japan on July 28, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    The debut novel, Coming Home by Smitha Vishwanath, is a story of self-discovery. It opens with the protagonist, twenty-six years old, Shanaya, making the trip back home to attend the funeral of the sudden death of Shanaya's dear mother. The premise of this story is fiction, but from the inciting incident, we're immersed in a much too real reality. How does one get on with living after the death of a mother?

    The beauty of the funeral rites speaks volumes. Immediately, one is made part of it. And what joy to tag along in the Indian culture that venerates their departed in such a way. I was in awe of it all. Obviously, once the pillar of the household dies, the ones left behind need to call forth core values to navigate a life that honors that missing presence.

    For Shanaya, that involves respecting her late mother's desire to marry her to an accomplished doctor. An arranged marriage is part of that lovely Indian culture.

    In her struggle to empty her soul to find her life purpose as determined by her late mother, Shanaya quits her banking job to reunite with her father, whom she believes needs taking care of, and her younger sister, who Shanaya believes needs her to be a big sister.

    This story gave me great insight into the family values upheld by an older generation, respect for aunties, elders, and such, while also exploring what these norms are like for the younger generation. It also fleshes out for us what life looks like with friends.

    There's a lovely spiritual retreat that parked me right there with Shanaya and the other participants. I was there, practicing and eating vegan, and I even felt my skin go through a lovely transformation from being in that ashram. I savored the various dishes she consumed; the glorious sunrises and sunsets she witnessed there and elsewhere, I experienced in the vivid descriptions in prose. And the romance that blossomed between the covers of the book was delicious and delicate in its purity.

    The character arc of all characters was well fleshed out and authentic to form. I read in the description of this book that Author Smitha Vishwanath is a banker by profession and was practically enamored with how (I think) the Author peppered so much of her own knowledge onto Shanaya to make her a strong and intelligent character in the novel.

    Also, the traveling! I have never been to that part of the world, but in this novel felt transported to the various places Shanaya went.

    The resolution was a welcome surprise and made for a beautiful happy ending. What a well-crafted story! I want to return; "Come Home" to it again in the very near future. An enjoyable read. 5-star from a satisfied customer in Japan.
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  • Solani Gunasekera
    5.0 out of 5 stars Book gave an actual feeling of "Coming Home"
    Reviewed in Canada on April 30, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    The book 'Coming home' felt like actually coming home!!! The Author, Smitha Vishwanath has produced a marvelous creation and kept me engrossed to the book and I'm sure it might be true for everyone who read the book. Whilst reading "Coming home", not only I could picture the scenaries, surroundings, vibes in beautiful cities Shanaya, the main character travelled along her way, I also felt the emotions, affections and the passion she and the other characters were feeling. "Coming home" is another evidence for Smitha's masterful writing and she has a gift for writing. I love "Coming home" and recommend this wondeful book to everyone and I gurantee you will love it too.
    Congratulations on your debut novel Smitha Vishwanath!! Can't wait for part 2 of Coming home and many more to come.
    Finally, thank you Amazon.ca for distibuting this amazing book in Canada.
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  • Marco
    5.0 out of 5 stars A loving book on love
    Reviewed in Italy on May 6, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Yesterday I read Smitha's first novel deep into the night. My e-reader told me I still had 2.5 hours to read. I kept reading and in a blink of an eye was down to 90% read. On purpose I left the last part for today. I didn't want this book to end. Now it has.

    The narrative is effortless, easy-flowing and not too flowery. The one emotion that kept rising from the pages is love. Of course, it's a love story, but it's more than this. Smitha loves - but not just to write. She loves her characters, she loves life. She has equipped her novel with a sort of protective, loving shield.

    I know Smitha is a banker by trade, just like her heroine, but I have no idea how much, if anything, of the story is autobiographical. I couldn't help but picture her heroine exactly as she is though: proud, determined, loved and loving.

    And just like the author's, this is a novel with a winning smile.

    ---Manja Mexi
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  • ozpie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Bonds of love, respect, trust and understanding
    Reviewed in Sweden on July 7, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I bought this book in June last year, and it stayed waiting to be read on my bedside table for a while. As days and months passed by, suddenly I found myself reading mainly because of the connection one feels with and the pull to find out about what happens to the protagonist Shanaya. Does she end up marrying the person she falls in love with? Curious? Then one has to read the novel to find out.
    It takes the reader through the ups and downs in Shanaya's life which one can relate to easily, the places in the story are real and described in detail, the characters though fictional seem like everyday people one encounters. There is a certain flow to Smitha's writing, and the reader can feel that the author in some way has experienced it all herself.
    Waiting to see if there is going to be a sequel or perhaps a short series??

    Mithra
    Stockholm
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