Finding Belle by Reeta Chakrabarti is the story of Belle and her struggles throughout her mixed marriage to cope with the changes from living in Mombasa and then moving to England as man and wife. The cultural shock is enormous not helped by her husband Fairfax who is unable or unwilling to help with the huge changes Belle has to contend with on a daily basis.
Years later their daughter Mivvi must try to decode her mother’s many numerous illnesses and her father’s infidelity and finding what has been hidden from her, to enable her to move on from adolescence to adulthood.
This is a story of others and daughters, love and betrayal and Mivvi who must find her own identity.

Mivvi’s parents’ relationship is not good. Her father was often away and Mivvi highly doubt if she has only one parent as there were always conflicts between her parents. Belle go through a lot of emotions and up and down in a relationship. Mivvi has grown up in such kind of environment. When she grows up, she tries to unveil the secrets behind her mother’s illness and their upended marriage. This was such an emotional read and author has addressed all the issues that shouldn’t be in a marriage and shared the secrets that breaks the marriage.

Thanks to the Publisher

This would not be a book I would choose browsing the shelves of a bookshop. However, I am glad I received an ARC as it is totally different to what I had expected. A very well written and enjoyable book. I could not fail to hear Reeta reading this book to me, as if she was reading the news.

Finding Belle is the debut novel from the BBC journalist Reeta Chakrabarti. It is the scrutinisation of a mixed culture marriage over many decades.

The main protagonist is Mivvi the daughter of Belle, who is Indian but was raised in Kenya and her father Fairfax who is British. It is an emotional story that unfolds as this dysfunctional family cope with Belle's mental health issues, her husband's narcissism and the racism that the family are subjected to.

Though it did give me a lot to think about to be absolutely honest I found this story terribly depressing. Be careful that you are not feeling depressed yourself if and when you choose to read.

With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

This is a novel that crept up on me after a slowish start. We start in 1979 when the small Mivvi is worried about her parents’ relationship. Belle is of Indian descent but grew up in Mombasa. She met Fairfax, Mivvi’s father when he visited as both their fathers knew each other through business. Mivvi is aware, even though she is young, of the cultural differences in the marriage and has herself experienced racism at school. But Belle’s mental health is causing a strain within the family and allows one of Fairfax’s work colleagues, Jade, to prise him away. As Mivvi grows up and becomes a young woman and mother herself, questions about her mother are always present and she know that only tracking down her mother’s family will provide an insight into Belle’s real self. This is told mainly in the POV of Mivvi, but we also hear from Jade, and the novel switches between first and third person. We also have Belle’s diary entries which tell her story in reverse. I found this an emotional read at times as it tackled Belle’ mental health struggles. I had no sympathy at all for Jade and very little for Fairfax who was too concerned about appearance to do the right thing for his family. Mivvi grows throughout the novel and I was so sorry for her character as Belle’s health robbed her of a true mother/daughter relationship. A novel that is character driven, emotional but not exactly uplifting.

Finding Belle is a beautiful and disturbing story of family, friendship, betrayal and secrets. A book full of culture, heritage and tradition, however, is darkened by societal racism and mental health matters and their affect on family life.

The characters are vivid and colourful, especially Mivvy, who shines throughout.

A brilliant debut by Reeta Chakrabarti.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this Arc.

The profound effects of mental illness are all too often smothered, denied and not spoken about. Add the influences that affect a multicultural family and there is a recipe for heartbreak. Mivvy’s journey to adulthood in the shadow of her mother’s illness is a common story, I gather – her delving to find the truth of her mother’s back story is equally tragic. An enlightening read.

Finding Belle, Chakrabarti's debut novel, is a reimagining of Jane Eyre.

Told mainly by daughter Malini (known as Mivvi) we get the story of her parents marriage seen through her eyes. Father, Fairfax, is a charismatic, handsome, blue-eyed, blonde English man married to Bela (Belle) who, as Mivvi gets older begins to display signs of schizophrenia.

Mivvi does not understand her mother's episodes and sides with Fairfax, drawing her further from her mother. Fairfax, unable and unwilling to accept his wife's illness begins another affair, this time with colleague, Jade Evans.

As time passes Mivvi comes to realise her handsome and popular father isn't the man she thought he was and her bond with Belle becomes closer; she begins to question her childhood memories and to discover the truth about Belle and Fairfax's relationship.

As I said, this is a reimagining of Jane Eyre. It does take a lot of the characters' histories
from the original book (albeit with subtle changes - Jane/Jane, Belle/Bertha, Fairfax is Rochester's middle name). However the story itself bears only a passing resemblance as Mivvi becomes an adult and learns the truth about her father.

I really enjoyed the book. It's certainly very well written and a lot of the characters are sympathetic and likeable. There are also, on the other hand, those whose characters err on the side of murky.

Very enjoyable. Definitely recommended. A good read with an engaging storyline. I look forward to her next novel.

Thankyou to Netgalley and HarperFiction for the advance review copy. Much appreciated.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the digital ARC in return for an honest review.
I wasn’t able to finish this book as it had too much sadness and depression for me when I wasn’t in a great emotional place myself (grief). However I still wanted to review it as it is a well written debut novel and tackles the very important subject of how a mother’s mental state affects her child, and the impact of moving from one’s own country and culture into another. I will finish it another time and wish Reeta well with this and future novels.

I really liked this debut novel by Reeta. The characters were fascinating especially Belle, Mivvi and Fairfax.
Poor Belle brought to this cold climate from her upbringing in Mombassa. Every thing was against her although she had some kind friends who loved her and she found it difficult to show any love for her daughter Mivvi who had a lot to endure before finding her happiness.

I hope Reeta is writing another book and I will look out for it.

Thankyou netgalley.

'Finding Belle' is a powerful coming-of-age novel. It follows main character Mivvi from her pre-teen years through secondary school, university, marriage and motherhood as she navigates everything life throws at her. The child of a mixed-race relationship, this novel touches on a number of important topics including racisim and mental health. A thought-provoking read.

I discovered this book quite by accident when scrolling through Netgalley one dreary, wet Sunday and I'm so glad I requested it. Rich prose, stunning visuals and brilliant, if not always likeable, characters.

Our main focus is Mivvi (yes, like the ice lollies!) who is 7 when we first meet her and her story is told over several decades. It's about her mother's illness, her father's reluctance to acknowledge it, and the torrid events that unfold as a result of it. Mivvi's Dad is a blonde, blue eyed charmer full of self importance. Her Mum was born & raised in Mombasa but her family come from India.

It's emotional and deeply powerful and is a shrewd observation on the handling of mental health over the years. Quite remarkable for a debut but given Reeta's background in journalism, it's not surprising that she has segued so easily from writing her reports for the BBC News to such an eloquent fictional piece. Bravo!

I liked this book. It tackles and difficult topics such as loneliness, not fitting in, racism and mental health problems. I like the way Mivvi navigated these issues while all the time searching for the truth.

A mixed-race family’s travails. I found this rather sad. The story is narrated by Mivvi, the daughter of a white father and Indian mother, Belle, who develops post-natal depression. This impacts on her daughter’s life dramatically as her mother barely leaves their home in Milton Keynes. We hear Belle’s story through her diary and come to understand why she gets so sad. She misses her life in India and finds her ambitious lawyer husband’s attitude towards her frustrating. It was so sad that Belle’s condition wasn’t understood by her philandering husband and that she didn’t get proper treatment for it while Mivvi was a child. The meeting between Mivvi and her Indian grandfather was moving and very revealing.

A slow read which takes a bit of time to warm to, very well written and tackles some of societies most troubling issues. From racism to mental health challenges. I recommend this book.

This is the story of Mivvi trying to find out her family's past.
Her mother, Belle, came to England from Mombasa but being so far from home and family takes its toll on her and ultimately her family. She hears voices and is increasingly unaware of the world she lives in.
Mivvi's father is often absent and Mivvi starts delving into the secrets of the path in the hope of helping and understanding her mother.

It took ages for me to get wrapped up in this book. While it was absorbing as it detailed the intrigues within a family the sense of drama was muted. The main character , Mivvi, is great, resourceful and principled but it seems she was surrounded by many people who let her down, in particular her father. The book became a quest for Mivvi to find out about her mother, as by the time she was old enough to realise, her mother was lost in mental health problems, becoming a shadow of the person she once was. Eventually she accomplished this, but the denouement was an anticlimax in my opinion. She has a conversation with her grandfather and got the lowdown followed by an argument with her father. It would have been great to see more drama.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review the debut novel by this author.
This is a powerful story about family relationships across two generations and three countries. We explore Mivvi's place in the family with her shadowy mother Belle and cruel father Fairfax. She struggles to understand her place in the family as she has a front row seat to view her mother's struggles with mental health. We read about her previous life in Mombasa through her diary, and understand how the move to Milton Keynes has had a profound effect on her.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree as Mivvi grows and meets Ash.
What is missing from this story for me ,is some joy as it all seems rather slow and depressing, like wading through treacle. A cross cultural marriage, miscarriage and PND don't make for happy reading.. Sadness, anger and betrayal.
I need to read something uplifting now!

Finding Belle highlights the social difficulties surrounding culture clash, perceived social shame, communication and family ties and the mental health issues arising from this. I found the novel dealt with these issues perceptively and sensitively from the point of view of the daughter of the multiracial family unit. Whilst I felt strongly emphatic towards the very ‘wronged’ first wife, for me the saddest character, by far, was the ‘husband’ who refused to, or couldn’t, reconcile the wrong he had inflicted upon his wife. A great but tough read.

I was very pleased to have the chance to read an ARC of this book, the first novel by journalist Reeta Chakrabarti. The titular Belle is a woman of Indian heritage who migrates from Mombasa to Milton Keynes with her new white lawyer husband. Societal racism, her husband's narcissism, loneliness and miscarriage combine to make Belle's life miserable in England. Her story is narrated partly through her own diaries and partly by her only daughter Mivvi who desperately wants her mother to be normal.
The characters were very well written here, including lesser characters such as Mivvi's boyfriend/husband, Ash and her close friend Tabitha. Mivvi's relationships with her family and with Jade, her stepmother, were very realistic. Belle's mental health struggles and the ways in which her husband emotionally abused her were depressing to read but well written.
I hope Reeta Chakrabarti will write more fiction.