Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • The Candid Life of Meena Dave

  • By: Namrata Patel
  • Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
  • Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (16 ratings)

$0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
The Candid Life of Meena Dave cover art

The Candid Life of Meena Dave

By: Namrata Patel
Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £22.99

Buy Now for £22.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

In a Manhattan Minute cover art
A Snowy Little Christmas cover art
The Restoration of Celia Fairchild cover art
The Brontë Plot cover art
Blue Midnight cover art
Stay with Me cover art
The Direction of the Wind cover art
The Taste of Ginger cover art
The Brighter the Light cover art
So Long, Chester Wheeler cover art
My Name Is Anton cover art
The Ladies' Room cover art
The Rabbit Girls cover art
The Echo of Old Books cover art
The Maid's Diary cover art
The Coach Trip cover art

Summary

A woman embarks on an unexpected journey into her past in an engrossing novel about identity, family secrets, and rediscovering the need to belong.

Meena Dave is a photojournalist and a nomad. She has no family, no permanent address, and no long-term attachments, preferring to observe the world at a distance through the lens of her camera. But Meena’s solitary life is turned upside down when she unexpectedly inherits an apartment in a Victorian brownstone in historic Back Bay, Boston.

Though Meena’s impulse is to sell it and keep moving, she decides to use her journalistic instinct to follow the story that landed her in the home of a stranger. It’s a mystery that comes with a series of hidden clues, a trio of meddling Indian aunties, and a handsome next-door neighbor. For Meena it’s a chance for newfound friendships, community, and culture she never thought possible. And a window into her past she never expected.

Now as everything unknown to Meena comes into focus, she must reconcile who she wants to be with who she really is.

©2022 Namrata Patel (P)2022 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

Center for Fiction First Novel Prize Finalist

“A thoroughly entertaining rendition of one woman’s search for belonging.”Kirkus Reviews

“Full of lively characters who will win readers’ hearts and keep them thinking long after the book is finished, this book is a genuine, charming debut. Long-buried secrets and a journey of self-discovery will keep the pages turning.”Booklist

“[A]n inherently fascinating and impressively scripted novel…”Midwest Book Review

Love Books? You'll Love Audible.

Transform your day

Transform your day

Replace endless scrolling with endless listening. Chores can be fun.

Listen everywhere

Listen everywhere

You can’t turn pages while you drive—but you can press play.

Carry your entire Library

Carry your entire Library

Your stories go where you go. Audiobooks don’t weigh a thing.

Listen and learn

Listen and learn

Discover stories that can change your mind, your well-being, and your life.

Reach your reading goals

Reach your reading goals

Download titles to listen offline, wherever you are in the world.

Find your niche

Find your niche

WIth thousands of titles to explore, there’s something for everyone.

Try for £0.00 £7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

What listeners say about The Candid Life of Meena Dave

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    8
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Book!

I really enjoyed this book and the way that the characters developed. The secrets of who was the mother was guessed early in book .

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

There is no story

This is a whole 'nothingness' book. Literally just the ramblings of an adopted woman wondering about her birthday mith
Very obvious love story
Very obvious who the mother is.
Boring narration, had to put the speed up.
At one point I realised I'd jumped 4 chapters by mistake - it didn't matter one but, Meena was still navel gazing and self obsessed.
Apart from the fact that the narrator is very American (Horrrrr, Mirrr) she also emphasises the wrong words occasionally, and can't pronounce 'rifles' correctly
Irritating.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!