Review of The Smitten Husband by Sundari Venkatraman

Star Rating: 4

The ‘Stars’ united them!

They are literally strangers, but they live together! Yes, that’s a possibility and not just a possibility, but a reality that many young Indian girls and boys still live. A peek into the world of arranged marriages is what ‘The Smitten Husband’ provides. The author very convincingly spins a magical tale of a charming prince and his ‘Cinderella’, except that here the prince comes along with his family to meet the ‘Cinderella’ at her house. Unlike the royal ball, here the guy and the girl meet each other as decided by the astrologer, who looks into their horoscopes, and their parents. It’s evoking the love in the arranged marriage that renders sweetness to the story. You will find elements of love, family bonding and more in this 'hot' romance.

When the prince comes down for the ‘Cinderella’, everything seems perfect, but here the only hitch was that the heroine too believed in love stories. So she wanted a love story for herself, not a marriage which was arranged. Though the rich and charming prince leaves no stone unturned to woo his wife, it does take some time for her to realise that the way of meeting the hero is immaterial, rather what is important is that he meets up to all the criteria of the real hero. He is super rich, but is down to earth. He has handsome features and a kind heart too! And to top all this, he is head over heels in love with her.

"Sapna immediately noticed the change in temperature. Over the past three days, she had become an expert at reading his moods, or so she believed. She had no clue about how exasperated Ram was. He was doing his best living by the hour, refusing to think of the future."

The Story

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Ram Maheshwari, a successful jewellery designer and scion of a reputed business family in Jaipur falls madly in love with the lovely, stormy-eyed Sapna Purohit from Pushkar. She’s 25 and has managed to finish school and makes a living by doing mehendi designs during weddings. But they meet, as decided by their parents at the behest of the astrologer and the love-story begins, but only one-sided. The 29-year-old Ram is lost in Sapna’s eyes from the first look of her, but Sapna has her dreams of a hero with whom love happens by chance. However, that fact alone does not stand out as a plausible reason for a poor girl to reject a rich guy, especially when the guy’s side is willing for an all expenses borne wedding. So, the dates are fixed and the wedding happens. But it is only after that, the real story begins in this novella which is categorized as a ‘hot’ romance. How does Sapna finally realise that Ram indeed is her prince?

Dreamy affair

The story brings back faith in the goodness of the world. That good people still do exist. Despite being a successful, rich businessman Ram and his family settle for a beautiful girl from a very humble background ,only because their astrologer had recommended her. And not just that, the hero, true to his word, lives up to his expectations of being a real hero. He does everything possible in his means, and fortunately he has all the means, to make Sapna happy in the true sense of the term. He helps her achieve her dreams and in the process the ‘conflict resolution’ happens in Sapna’s mind as well.

Reason for ratings. . .

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A perfect love story begins when the hero and heroine meet. The author is very articulate in her description and character sketching. I could put a face to their names while reading through the story. Her style of writing is crisp and she is definitely an effective story teller whose stories leave a trail behind. I loved the way she has explored this realm of how love finally happens between two strangers, but the realist in me was left thinking about do such people really exist. And if they really do, I wish more Sapnas get to meet the Rams of their life as that would indeed make the world a better place to live in.

WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK?

Of course! It’s a warm, fuzzy read which gives you a peek into ‘Marriages Made in India’.
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THE LINE THAT STAYED WITH ME. . .

At that moment, it felt like their married life had taken a positive step in the right direction.

Review of Cabbing all the way by Jatin Kuberkar

Star Ratings: 4

Rollercoaster of a ride!

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Distance, traffic snarls, poor public transport, long commute hours and work, play the great leveler in unifying 12 diverse characters. True to its title, ‘Cabbing: all the way’, the story does complete justice in highlighting the ‘BIG’ issue faced by working professionals in urban cities in India, and in doing so the author guilelessly involves you in an emotional journey that will definitely leave a mark on you. You are bound to share the camaraderie of the co-passengers, as you transform from being the mute spectator, reading about it, to a latent co-passenger who shares their sentiment.

Cabs: the saviours

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Though the story is set in Hyderabad, the issues focused on are universal to all urban areas in India. With his simple style of writing, the author strikes a chord and effortlessly draws you into the cab, which is the prime site of action. Kudos to him for sticking to the plot so accurately, that even as a reader I would find myself waiting to board the cab along with the other characters eager to hear what unravels today! In fact he has brought out the essence of the cab commute so well, that never for once did I feel the need to know more about the characters personally or professionally. It was the spirit of the cab that was writ large all over the story!

"All this time, we used to travel all the way to office on our own. The need to reach office on time and go back home on our own means after a stressful day of work was adding to our stress. Am I right? Now, I would like to think like this . . . it ‘could’ be that this ‘oblivious’ villain sucked all our positive energy.” Rajnish waited for comments but none came in. He went on. “But now, things are a little different. Now we have means to travel. We are now a team with no internal competition; we can discuss openly and sort issues diligently. Hence, this year we should have a lot more positive energy. So, let’s put a challenge that this year, with the additional stress of commuting removed, we will do our best."

True to characters

Though initially the introduction of 12 characters one after the other may feel overwhelming, but the author has judiciously divided quirks amongst them. Each of the characters are realistic, so much so that even if you have never travelled in a cab, you will vouch for having known either professionally or personally at least someone like the 12 cab mates. Their character sketch has been done so well that with the development of the story, you could almost predict how each one would behave.

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Glory to the City of Nawabs

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The language matters ,and so did it in this book. It is replete with colloquial Hyderabadi terminologies, which adds a dash of local fervor to the story. This element also highlights the casual tone amongst the cab mates and how each of them gradually warm up from being just co-passengers to friends. The city of Hyderabad also stands tall throughout the story as commuting plays a major role in the story, so does the city’s streets, lanes and by lanes and the author does not fail to epitomize the beauty of city.

"On reaching the top of the fort, a bird’s eye view of the City of Nawabs took our breath away and filled us with delight. Away from the strangling pollution and snarling traffic, Hyderabad looked very different from the hill top. It felt like viewing a museum of miniatures where on one side, a glimpse of the iconic places like the Charminar and the Qutub Shahi tombs could be seen, and on the other side, the Cyber Towers and Cyberabad stood basking in its new-found glory."

The story

It starts with the right note. The issue of commute faced by employees in an office, and its ultimate resolution- cabbing. While this was the solution to the problem, the story just begins here. As co-passengers becomes friends, the somber mood turns to a humorous one in the cab, but along with it issues crop up. How to maintain discipline in friendship? How to ensure justice to all co-passengers? As all this happens, the characters mature, they grow personally, professionally and in some cases the ego grows too. In the backdrop, somewhere Cupid strikes as well! There are issues that the author has discussed threadbare, but you will not know the issues, until you are done reading the whole book and ponder about it, as the whole narration reads like a personal anecdote. So it’s a bitter sweet cab journey, one such where you as a reader are left thinking what could have been rectified where, so that the bitterness amongst friends could be erased.

Reason for ratings. . .

I liked the personal approach and the simple style of writing, it is bound to get you aboard the cab. The author deserves credit for bringing out a brilliant, evocative story out of a very simple concept of cabbing. Without using the crutch of beautiful locales or magnanimous characters, the story stands out and speaks for itself. It’s the characters, their city, their professional and personal life balance and their woes that comes across prominently in this book. But grammatical errors and tighter editing were the areas that needed to be looked into. For instance- “A lean person waived his hands to grab my attention.” Wasn’t a ‘waved’ needed here rather? If I overlook grammatical errors like these, the story is perfect.
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WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK?

Definitely. The book stands out for its simple and effective, realistic style of narration. A light and fun read.
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THE LINE THAT STAYED WITH ME. . .

And then we became friends, helped each other, debated, teased, fought, laughed, shared uncountable moments and in the process made enough memories for a lifetime.

Review of 'Fighting for Tara' by Sunanda J Chatterjee

Star Ratings: 5

A fight worth fighting for! ​

When a mother is determined, the entire universe conspires in helping her achieve it! ‘Fighting for Tara’ proves just that. A story that redefines valour, grit, determination and above all a mother’s love. This is not just another story, but a story that will stir you from your comfort zone, shake you up and make you count your blessings. A story that seems every bit real, with every character oozing with raw emotions, this book takes you on a thought provoking journey from the barren lands of Rajasthan in India to the picturesque California in the USA. ​

Realism bytes

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The story brings you face to face with some harsh realities of our society, which we had almost taken for granted. To us issues like child marriage and female feticide or infanticide might be lost battles, which can only be solved by government intervention. But ‘Fighting for Tara’, will make you want to reach out to ground zero and do something about it. Stop the heinous act, and show the world to those who are still living in their cocooned shells refusing to accept the fact that girls and boys are equals, deserving equal rights.

"But before her new life could begin, she and Baldev would take a detour to the river to disperse her husband’s ashes and discard her beautiful daughter’s body."

Exceptionally well-written

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The language is discreet and it seems every word matters to the story. Not a single crutch word has been used and the author has exceptional skills in juxtaposing the essence of priority in the lives of her characters. While one chapter deals with a childless mother who yearns to hold a tiny being and nurture it, the next chapter deals with the pathos of a young child bride, who is a widow and a mother struggling to keep her girl child alive.

"The weight of her empty womb mocked her, and she felt her throat swell as a tear rolled down her cheek. She sniffled as another drop fell, and another, until a steady stream turned her eyes weary. She sobbed in the solitude of her car, littering the passenger seat with tissues."

The Story

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How far can a thirteen-year-old go to save her own daughter? A child bride, married to a 60-year-old in a country that boasts of electing a female prime minister not too long ago, Hansa was also a widowed young mother who was ordered to kill her own infant daughter. In her village, her world, it was a way of life where widowed young girls got married to their husband’s brother, so that the family wealth stayed in the family. So Hansa’s brother-in-law was to get married to her, and it was his order to Hansa to kill the baby Tara, only because she was a girl child and he did not want one. It is the grit of a 13-year-old to save her daughter that is remarkable. In the process Hansa and Tara define and redefine the relationship between them, the child bride, widow and mother Hansa gets an opportunity to live the life of a normal teenager, know and understand what love is, and many more changes happen in the lives of these little girls from the tiny hamlet of Rajasthan. There are some sub-plots in the story which are equally relevant to make matters stand out and the author has beautifully played out each incident so that it all culminates into one meaningful whole by the end of the story.

Reason for ratings. . .

The author mentions that she drew inspiration to write this book from an article on child-brides that she read while waiting at the dentist’s office. India has the highest number of child-brides in the world, with 47 per cent of girls married before their 18th birthday. The author deserves credit for narrating a tale that puts a face to these numbers, a realistic story that converts the statistics into a heart-wrenching and compelling narration. It’s a story where the author has clearly put her heart and brain into, and it’s surely going to steal your heart and push your brain into action.
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Would I recommend this book?
Of course yes! A meaningful, worthwhile, must read.
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The line that stayed with me. . .
She looked at the elegant gathering around her and marveled at how far she had come, from the hut in Dharni where she milked goats, to the Hilton in San Francisco, she sat wearing make-up, sipping champagne with the elite of America, eating goat cheese from gold-rimmed plates.

Review of Rightfully Wrong Wrongfully Right by Varsha Dixit

Star Ratings: 5

Bollywood style romance with 'masala' intact!

A dashing, but unlikely hero and a perfectly tailor made heroine, a villain from the expected turf and skillfully crafted side heroes and heroines make the perfect plot of this romance. A light hearted read with characters whom you identify with, makes this an entertaining story all the way!
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Touch, dab and dash

The story has all the essential components of a beautiful rom com. It will be awesome to see the characters from the book play out on the big silver screen. Well written and executed, this story of love does not stifle you with an extra dose of saccharine coated mushy romance from the beginning till end. It has a significant touch of friendship, a dab of comedy and a dash of chemistry in it, making it a pleasant read. "We just saw the biggest transformation of the century. T-rex has turned into a panda and you are not going to discuss it?” Nandini gestured." Lines like these would really catch you off guard and might actually make you laugh out aloud.

Magnetic charm

The author has so wittily headlined each of the chapters. It's noteworthy to mention that one of the reasons the book becomes unputdownable is for its catchy chapter names. Despite intending to, you can't take a break between one chapter and the other because the alluring chapter titles are bound to attract you further, just like a magnet. What with names like ‘Moscow Mules’, ‘Selfies’ and ‘Smoking Marijuana’? Who would not want to delve deeper into them?

The story

Though from the very beginning it's evident who the hero and heroine are, the author has very craftily plotted the story in a way that the reader finally yearns for the protagonists to be together, be in love, accept it mutually. Viraj and Gayatri's character sketch has been done very neatly, clearly explains why they tend to like each other. The rich apparently spoilt girl matching up against the eccentric genius of a scientist who had a troubled and poor childhood is an unlikely combination. But the author has executed the story so well that they don't seem like a square peg in a round hole. In fact the chemistry between them is also so subtly described that in the readers’ eyes they both fit in snugly with each other. They are brought together because of the common link Nikhil, whose sibling like relationship with Gayatri is very endearing. In fact the author has done due diligence to even the sub-plots where Aditya and Nandini’s relationship is concerned or Nikhil and Sneha's relationship for that matter. The story will surely touch a chord somewhere. Except for the fact that it was predictable, I loved every other aspect of it. But then again with romance comes predictability to a certain extent.

Three cheers to friendship!

The bonding between the girls Sneha and Nandini is surely going to keep all female readers entertained throughout. They can identify with each of the sentences spoken between the duos. But as the story plays out, one will know that it's a friendship with depth that is on display here. Each of the characters are genuine about the relationship with their friends. "They stopped at a red light. Nandini reached out with one hand and touched Sneha’s stomach and then with her other hand she touched hers. ‘You and me! Sneh!’ ‘What?’ Sneha studied Nandini’s face and then her hands and their positions. She blinked."

The story closes on a beautiful note too. The image with which the author leaves you, is surely going to make you smile thinking of how the characters have matured. Though I am tempted to, but I will resist the temptation and not get into the detail of the magnificent closing chapter.      

Reason for ratings. . .

What I liked best about this book was that the author has tried to convey a social message as well through her work. Usually romances just deal with emotions like love, passion and the like, but in this story the author has touched upon the sensitive subject of domestic abuse, eve-teasing and molestation and in each of the incidents she has shown how strong willed women can stand up for themselves and give it back. They need not always be the meek helpless victims, no matter whichever strata of the society they belong to. If women want to, they really can do a lot about their emancipation. So it's a holistic love story that is socially relevant too.  

WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK?

Of course I would, even better to see it as a movie.
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THE LINE THAT STAYED WITH ME

Under Viraj’s tender gaze Gayatri felt like a dark damp room suddenly flooded by warm and healing sunlight.

Review of Destiny Decides by P G Van

Star ratings: 4

Love all the way

Who doesn’t like a dashing, handsome hero and a beautiful, talented heroine romancing in the picturesque San Francisco Bay Area? It’s the perfect setting for the blossoming of love, and so it does between the hero and heroine and their passionate encounters spice up this romance novel. It's a love story which leaves you craving for a 'happily-ever-after' right from the beginning. The perfect hero and a heroine tailor made for him to perfection makes for a beautiful romance novel. Particularly endearing are the initial days of their budding romance.
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Relationships carry weight

The story starts with showing the love of sisters who live as roommates in the Bay Area in California. The author has very interestingly introduced her characters and while writing a love story she has also focused on the sisterly love, love for family, parents and even grandparents. It’s about relationships all the way.

Nick looked at me in silence. “Nick this is a couple that lost their son in a fatal accident and are relying on extended family to help them out,” I said looking into his eyes and added, “I need to be the one to help them.” Nick shook his head and looked away as if he knew what I was going to say next. “Nick, I want to go to India to take care of my grandparents and help them settle down in the ancestral home in the village,” I said softly.
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​Gentle build-up

The freshness of a brewing love story has been described very well. It’s so endearing that you yourself might end up falling in love with the hero/ heroine. "I saw his eyes and knew instantly that he was the one on the bike on New Year’s Eve. As if in response to my deep intake of air, he looked right into my eyes for a split second before he reached out to give Srini a fist bump." The initial days of their relationship feels like petrichor, where one is left longing to know and feel more of the intensity of their love.

I watched him as he asked the waitress questions about a few things on the menu and noticed how charming he was; he wasn’t the teenager I once knew. He was ordering a few light dishes for the table, and as I started to process the series of events that happened in the last thirty to forty minutes, I realized that Nick’s manner was very casual and composed, but his eyes conveyed something completely different. The way he looked at me was making my stomach knot up exactly like the time I saw him on his bike. The fact that I was unable to decipher what his eyes were conveying was what was bugging me.

Curiosity doesn’t always kill

The author has very tactfully introduced her characters and it has been done in such a way that readers are left yearning to know more about them. She very deftly mentions facts and then seamlessly sews them together as the story progresses.

Opulence steals

With a super-rich hero and his family comes descriptions of opulence and grandeur. Be it getting innovative in a limousine ride or on the rooftop garden in the hero’s family house, there are vivid descriptions of grand settings throughout the story.

Reason for ratings. . .

A love story is always a hit especially when it has the right mix of heroic talents. The backdrop too is exquisite and sets the mood for a love story, but I would say the hero was too good to be true making it very easy to fall for. Maybe a little more realism there could have done justice, but then again as one knows fantasies go hand in hand with love stories. Also there have been a few instances where I feel the intimate scenes between the hero and heroine are not really justified, for instance the one in which they have a hurried passionate encounter of sorts in the guest bathroom of the hero’s family house, especially when there are people waiting for them outside.
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WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK?

On a rainy day, to spice up your life you must read this sizzling romance.
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THE LINE THAT STAYED WITH ME
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At the slightest memory of those penetrating eyes that were smiling at me, my heart started to race and my stomach went back to being its knotty self.

Review of Colours of Life by Inderjit Kaur

Star Ratings: 4

An instant pick me up

Worse than worst or crueler than the cruelest situations could still rekindle your spirit to fight, to stand tall and to emerge victorious against all odds. The author very skillfully weaves stories that are instant pick me ups and reading them could serve as the much needed morale booster when you are at the lowest of the low trough phase in your life.
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Palette of hues

Like the rainbow that signifies hope with its myriad hues, all the stories in ‘Kaleidoscope’ come with a dash of hope. Interestingly the author has associated each of the colours of the VIBGYOR with an emotion and knit a tale that pins on that particular emotion. With chapters in Part ‘A’ titled ‘The Spiritual Violet’, ‘Wisdom Inked Indigo’, ‘Confident Blue’, ‘The Peace Maker Green’ and the like dedicated to all the colours of the VIBGYOR, the stories are worth a read as they bring out the specialty in all the mundaneness that we see around us. ​

The Story

Be it the contentment of a handicapped septuagenarian who has lost his family, job and all the markers of a ‘happy life’, or the valour of a motherless child who loses her husband, father and unborn child within a short span of time, the stories each an epiphany, are bound to leave you spellbound. 

“At a very tender age of five, she was left there in a pool of blood and unconscious when her mother rushed her to hospital only to find her condition critical where she fought with hell in the I.C.U for over five months and came out of it as more than a challenged child. The horrific act on this little angel had changed her whole life permanently, damaging her brain for the rest of her life. The story of Annette left me shattered and I wondered how a father could be so irresponsible, cruel, inhuman and insane.”
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With stories where protagonists have been victims of such heinous acts, it is indeed overwhelming to read about their ways of coming to terms with their tragedy.

“Here was a person who had every reason filled with anger and resentment and yet I could see the intensity of life that had outraged all the gloomy shades of her childhood. She had just happily embraced life, living in to the fullest, contented with just a cup of tea.”

Thumbs up for:

Generating hope in the readers and making them aware of the fact that no bad is too bad. There are always workarounds. There is hope lurching just around. There sure is light at the end of the tunnel.
Segmenting the book into interesting parts. The first part titled ‘Rainbow’ has several short stories, each a beacon of hope, associated with the colours of the VIBGYOR, and the second part titled ‘Contrast and Hues’ is a motivational guide. Being able to point the positives in the most negatives of life situations that life throws at you. Each of the stories are instant morale boosters. ​

"It demands a great deal of courage to make a change and trust yourself. You start making strategies which define you to be a winner; you talk like a true winner. But, certainly, if you are not strong from within and try to compromise with the situations, you will reflect defeat in your eyes and can become an easy prey for the outer world once again. It’s like behaving rebellious even if your wounds are bleeding since at least, you’re taking your own stand to make a choice between what’s good for your life instead of being a puppet in someone’s hand.”

Thumbs down for:
It can be an overload of positivity, optimism and motivational reading so much so that it might appear as an overdose and the reader might end up losing the message, but if you take it slow and read one chapter at a time then the intended purpose of the book will be met.

Reason for star ratings:
The book underlines the essence of life. It turns back the readers’ attention to the basics of life, the simple, small and meaningful pleasures that make life worth living. It is a sure guide to grit, determination, valour and optimism as each of the stories come with a strong message that will leave the reader pondering over it. 

The line that stayed with me:

If you want to leave your footprints on the sand, don’t drag your feet in confusion. It’s always best to walk slow in confidence, rather than running aimlessly.