Book Review # 20: Three Thousand Stitches: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives

My rating: ●●●●○

Sudha Murty
Three Thousand Stitches

India: Penguin, 2017

179 pp; INR 250

ISBN: 9780143440055

  

Summary: Well, I am back at this game and I confess I truly missed it. I have been so busy going with the flow that I have actually forgotten how much efforts it takes to travel upstream. This is my first book review in 2019 and I swear I shall continue playing till I set a record of maximum reads (and reviews) this year.

Coming back to what it should originally be about, Three Thousand Stitches is another shot of this vintage wine called Sudha Murty. There’s so much to take away from the book as long as you don’t turn the last page and happily forget. This one is another classic collection of the pearls from the author’s life, telling us about how she braved through the challenges life threw at her. Read it if you are already her fan and miss it if you have seen a lot of her interviews, as she has told us about a lot of these experiences several times anyway.   

What really clicked? I shouldn’t mention it as many times as I do; I am Sudha Murty’s fan for life.

  

My take: Totally per Murty’s style of writing, Three Thousand Stitches is a non-fictional collection of short stories, which tell us about the long and rich life the author has lived and how she made it worthy enough. This book has 11 stories or rather pearls of wisdom the author has shared with her readers so that they could take inspiration and gain dominion over life.

Enough has been said about her writing style, which is extremely simple and colloquial and appeals to the masses. This book not only comes very easy in reading and grasping, but also is motivating enough to give your thought process a subtle nudge.

Where the stories like Three Thousand Stitches, How to Beat the Boys, A Powerful Ambassador and Food for Thought will take you back to your roots, Three Handful of Water will make you want to emulate the most admirable life the billionaire author lives. There are spices, like the story called Cattle Class and No Place Like Home which would make you familiar with how materialistically and cruelly the world functions and there are gems, too, like A Life Unwritten, which will unfurl the story behind the naming of the brand – RH Diagnostic. A special mention here goes to Rasleela and the Swimming Pool, which will make you chuckle through a rather serious read. The story, A Day in Infosys Foundation gives the readers a sneak peek into the author’s life and all the challenges which come with the position she holds. My favorite takeaway from the book are:

• The concept that you automatically gain class by acquiring money is an outdated thought process.
• Adinishtura is better than nantyanishtura, which means initial disappointment is better than a disagreement at the end.
• Confidence doesn’t mean that everything will go our way. It simply gives us the ability to accept failures that we will inevitably meet on our path and move forward with hope.

Conclusion: The books Murty writes are simply no-nonsense, have a lot to give to the readers and, in turn, take very little from them in order to connect with. This is one of those pearls you would want to keep close, for it lets you see the world from the eyes of the author. Mind you, this read can easily be consumed in one shot.

  

Book Review # 19: The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

My rating: ●●●●○

Robin Sharma 

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari 

India: Jaico; 1999

208 pp; INR 199

ISBN: 9780062515674

Summary: If self-help is your favourite genre, then this book would be an additional dish of ‘paneer’ for you with almost the same taste as that of all its comrades. However, if this is your first tryst with it, then I must applaud you for your selection. There are a lot of takeaways from the book, especially steps, rituals and strategies, which you could possibly write down, set in a frame and put up on your study wall, or bedroom’s. Robin Sharma has been extremely straightforward in motivating his readers to enhance the overall quality of their lives and he has, undoubtedly, done a great job. The only thing I was miffed at was how the dose of information gets too much for you to bite and chew. A must read, if this is where you start.  

What really clicked? I was rather intrigued by the title, which initially turned me off as I thought I should taste the “Ferrari-like” success first and then read this book in order to relate better. As a matter of fact, this book will inspire you to give up the thought of owning one in the first place.

My take: Though all self-help books start with the same motive – to disseminate good thoughts and ways – only a few are able to make it all sink in smoothly, not making it sound like preaching. The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari does this job pretty well. Divided into thirteen chapters, this book breaks a story the protagonist bases this book on down to pieces, further discussing the significance and the message contained in each element of the story.

The book talks about the life experience of Julian, an established lawyer, who is the protagonist, and is narrated by the author, who was once his assistant. Julian seems to have achieved it all when he collapses in the middle of an ongoing session in a crowded courtroom. This blow to his physical health also affects him mentally and he, in search of the larger meaning of life, comes to India and learns about the Sages of Sivana.

The rest of the book covers Julian’s journey in India and how he learns the secrets to radiant and enlightened living. These secrets are really no big secrets and merely reiterate the lessons we have been learning since childhood. However, books like these make sure that while we continue participating in the mad rat race, we also take out time to stop and look around, calm ourselves down and appreciate small things. 

The author’s attempt to reach out to his readers, helping them lead a better life, is indeed laudable. In this conversation between two people (Julian and Robin), it is the reader who benefits the most. There are pearls of wisdom spread all over the chapters and are worth holding close all life. These snippets of knowledge not only reinstate your faith in your abilities, but also help you in building a strong character. Apart from sharing the ways in which how an ideal life should be led, the author has also shared the techniques which make practicing them easier. For instance, ‘the magic rule of 21’is a technique which could help a person in adopting a habit, provided he repeats doing the same thing for 21 days straight.

This book helps in ironing out a crumpled up life and also paves a way for an enhanced living. A must read for a fresh air of positivity and inspiration.

Final Word: The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari shall bring in a whole lot of positive inspiration into your life. This self-help book not just adopts an indirect method of preaching, but also makes it simpler for the readers to practice in real life. Go for the read, as I am sure you wouldn't return empty-handed. 

Book Review # 18: The Greatness Guide

My rating: ●●●●○

Robin Sharma 

The Greatness Guide 

India: Jaico; 2006

240 pp; INR 225

ISBN: 9788179925768

Summary: All the great men who talked, talked philosophy. The best thing about this genre of books is that it comes handy any time in life and one could start reading it from anywhere only to become wiser and more practical. The Greatness Guide not only inspires you to lead a better life, but also gives you salient wisdom to come out with better solutions to the issues. While the real-life examples quoted keep it all easy to relate, the simplicity in writing makes the content easy to grasp. A must read if you love Robin Sharma and, also, if you don't.

What really clicked? The reputation of the author; I had to start from somewhere reading the whole lot of books that he's written.

My take: The first glance at the book and you see an author who believes in establishing himself as a brand; cool, because he has been a very famous author, personal development expert and one of the most influential leadership gurus in the world.

A brief look at the TOC might leave you slightly intimidated for there are over 101 chapters, but you should dive into the content without any fear of not being able to reach the back cover as these chapters all compare to vodka shots – very small but give you instant kick!

What could be better than starting the book with quotes from two legends – Maya Angelou and Bono – you know you have made the right choice by giving your time to this resource which might just become your friend for life. The chapters are brief, to the point and extremely simple to understand and relate. The author might be leading a life way different than his readers but his habit of forming a strong connection with the readers in each chapter leaves them feeling like they are being addressed by a friend. The tone of the author is clear, concise, confident and courteous. While he’s busy narrating stories from his life, he’s also drawing conclusions all leading to a moral and strong one-liners in the end.

This book gives you innumerable pearls of wisdom, making you want to note them down to put up in your room or office later. There are various which I liked a lot, five of them have been quoted below.

1. Nothing fails like success
2. Success is all about consistency around the fundamentals. The only thing that’s rocket science is rocket science.
3. Never talk when you can nod.
4. There’s no such thing as a normal human being; if you have a normal brain, you are superior.
5. The only place you’ll reach if you will follow the crowd is exit.

Wise men say you should read more and more philosophy because these books not only lead to self-improvement, but also some serious mental work on the part of the readers discovering well-thought-out answers to a lot of questions which keep occurring in life. Whatever problems we might be facing right now, someone might have already gone through them and their wisdom and advice might just come handy to us through philosophy. So, grab this book if you want some of the brilliance of Robin Sharma to rub off on you.

Final word: Do you know which of the resources could possibly make the world a better place to live in – physiological, like food, water, breathing etc., possessions, love, esteem or self-actualization to put it all into perspective? It has to be self-actualization, which could well be acquired by getting in touch with the people who have proved them well no matter where they have been. The Greatness Guide, by Robin Sharma, speaks very simple language and teaches you the fundamentals, making you feel great about being able to read and, of course, to choose what to read. This is a great book, which can prove to be a worthy counselor and wise guide. 

Book Review # 17: The Great Indian Diet: Busting the big FAT MYTH

My rating: ●●●●○
Luke Coutinho and Shilpa Shetty Kundra 
The Great Indian Diet: Busting the Big FAT Myth 
India: Ebury, Penguin Books India; 2015
288 pp.; INR 299
ISBN: 9788184007480

Summary: A recent surge in the number of books being published on health, fitness and diet proves that this trend is here to stay and flourish. However, there has been a serious confusion in terms of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ when it comes to the eating habits and, therefore, any book which promises to guide on the right eating practices is always welcome. This book is a wake-up call for all those who’ve been blindly following the fad diets or the Western trends and is a wonderful eye opener to the immense power contained within the Indian food. Luke and Shilpa have rightly partnered to bundle up the information which can be banked on and used for life. 

What really clicked? The topic – I could go on reading anything and everything ever written on this line.

My take: There’s been an increase in the general health consciousness of the people of India and for this reason, the book, The Great Indian Diet: Busting the Big FAT Myth, has come out at the right time to answer the questions of the millions of Indians who lack a bankable fitness Guru to follow. The title of the book promises to stick to the food Indians eat daily and not the ones they wouldn’t have ever heard of and it does keep its promise. Therefore, this one is pretty easy to bring into practice in the real life as most of the food items it talks about are already present in almost every kitchen in India.

The title of the book perfectly marries the content it contains, for the jingoism for Indian food goes to another level through the book. Talking about the cover, the book showcases exactly the thing required to sell it – a star factor. Though I think the book would have sold like hotcakes had it included the Shilpa-Shetty bikini pic from the Shut-up-and-Dance song. Going off-topic, I was reminded of The Kapil Sharma Show from the chilly-and-lime evil eye warded used on the cover. The TOC is self-explanative and divides the book into five parts covering five broad topics related to busting the myths surrounding the Indian food – Indian food, what is going wrong, understand what you eat, lose weight while you eat right and cook healthy to stay healthy. 

Using an extremely easy to understand language, simple construction of sentences and colloquial tone, the authors have mostly stuck with the conversational style of writing to address the readers directly. The book not only busts the common myths related to Indian food like they are oily, spicy, hot, rich, fatty, difficult and time-consuming to cook, have curry powder and sugar and involve deep frying, but also tries to restore their faith in the traditional Indian meals. 

Talking about its setbacks, the Kindle/Kobo edition of the book lacks images which have been referred to in the text, which is a blunder. Further, since more than one author has written the book, it is extremely confusing to make out who is saying what. There have been quite a few contradictions in the content, like the one related to whether or not milk should be had. Lastly, even though the book bundles up a few sample diet plans for the people trying to lose weight, it does not mention anything for the people who are into some sort of workouts or sports. 

To sum it all, this book is a refresher from the fad diet books setting up a trend and making people give up their traditional eating habits. Apart from carrying diet plans for beginners and intermediates, it also takes along a few interesting recipes which will keep you hooked to the book for a little longer. In the end, the book should make all its readers proud of following Indian food and Indian eating habits.   

Final word: What do technical know-how books do to you – they dunk you in a pool of information; yet, you come out drenched in whatever you are able to retain on yourself. This is precisely what The Great Indian Diet does to you. This book is filled with a lot of information which basically all boils down to say that our Indian diet is akin to ambrosia and we just need the right information and technique to use it. Ending with a few, relatable recipes and fancy pictures of the authors, this book is sure to motivate you to adopt Indian food over Western fads and take your health rather more seriously.  

Book Review # 16: Mahashweta

My rating: ●●●●○

Sudha Murty

Mahashweta

India: Penguin Books India, 2007

154 pp. ₹250

ISBN: 9780143103295

Summary: Anupama has everything a man would ever yearn to get in a girl - looks, education, morals, conducts and intellect - yet she faces the worst in life due to her malady - vitiligo. Mahashweta is a beautiful portrayal of a woman's faith in herself and her work, her fate and the power she vests in her beliefs and how she uses that faith to get herself free of all the shackles holding her back. 

What really clicked? The author – the lady that she is and the substance that makes her so!

My take: A deep connection between ancient literature, values and a strong story is all that makes Mahashweta. Further, there are so many fine elements, which make you love the book a little more; for instance, the cover and the story behind it revealed in the postscript, the end, which is the least expected one, the title and the portrayal of Anupama, the protagonist and incomparable.

Anupama was the eldest daughter of a poor schoolteacher, Shamanna, and was, in a way, destined to struggle her whole life. When Anand, a rich doctor, and Anupama meet during one of her plays, love infatuates both of them, with Anand taking the first step of sending the proposal to her family. Anand’s mother, though utterly cunning, decides to go along with the flow in order to appease his son.

Shortly after their marriage, Anand flies to England to pursue his studies leaving Anupama behind to join him there after Diwali. Anand, however, reiterates the vow to reassure Anupama of his fidelity – till death do us apart!

Anupama, trying to put up with his mother-in-law, Radhakka, and sister-in-law, Girija, discovers their weird activities. Upon discovering Girija's promiscuous character, she tries to bring her on the right path but without the absence of an evidence, ends up ridiculing herself in the family.

With both the ladies turning hostile to her, Anupama, now, starts waiting for Diwali to be over so that she could join Anand, when a burning coal falls on her foot, giving way to a white patch. She starts consulting a famous dermatologist who confirms this is leukoderma. Anupama, who was always known for her impeccable beauty, was truly turning into a character she loved playing on stage, Mahashweta!

Radhakka, when comes to know about this, calls Shamanna and send her back home. Anupama tries to get in touch with Anand through innumerable letters explaining him the problem and the fact that it wasn’t there before marriage. She thought being a doctor, he would understand it the best.

Sabakka, the second wife of Shamanna, not only gets concerned by a daughter she hates the most coming back home but also about her own daughters who were of marriageable age. Meanwhile, the white patches on Anupama’s body keep spreading.

The increased financial pressure at home, her father’s attitude changing towards her, the hostility from her stepmother, her stepsisters’ marriage breaking because of her, Anand’s no response to her letter all compel Anupama to commit suicide when she makes her mind that she won’t as that would only aggravate her family’s problems.

She decides to join her friend, Sumi, in Mumbai and her life truly takes a U-turn from here, for she starts earning and standing for her own good. Switching jobs, she joins the work which she actually loved doing – dramatics. She not only becomes financially independent but also gains all her lost confidence back. Mumbai was after all a city which overlooked her white patches for her work.

She meets Dr. Vasanth when she gets admitted to hospital one day. Dr. Vasanth starts admiring her and ends up proposing her for marriage. Anand, too, returns to her later in the story, repenting his mistake and wanting to restart their married life but Anupama has her say – she chooses no one but herself! The kind of lady she had become – independent, self-sufficient, confident and far superior in morals, intellects and conduct – she truly believed in herself and the fact that she needs nobody’ support to live a life she ever dreamt of.

The end of the story takes time to sink in and leaves you with an aftertaste of victory. Although I wouldn’t have done the same had I been in Anupama’s shoes, but her move, obviously, seemed more profound and liberating. She had given her soul to the person she got married to, just life Mahashweta, but in real life, she had turned the opposite. 

Final word: Sudha Murty - She must be my foster mom, for she teaches me so much, so easily, that I never want to lose her. The major takeaway from this read was no matter how hard you hit the rock bottom in life, you still can look up and hope for a miracle. Anupama, despite suffering from vitiligo, doesn't let it become the end of her life. She fights all the odds and not only becomes self-sufficient but also determines herself to be on her own. The transformation shown through the emotional roller coaster she goes through is superlatively inspirational. The author fills the reader with so much self-esteem and confidence that no crisis in life seems bigger than a mole. Thank you, Sudha Murty!

Book Review # 15: The Writer's Diet

My rating: ●●●●○

Helen Sword

The Writer's Diet: A Guide to Fit Prose

US: University of Chicago Press, 2007

88 pp. ₹1200

ISBN: 9780226351988

Summary: The Writer’s Diet is going to help everyone who’ll refer to it develop healthy writing habits and see their words with new eyes. It’s going to help prep your prose without losing your sense of style. With the help of plenty of examples, the concepts would get clearer along the way and you’ll able to certify a writing as flabby or fit.

What really clicked? The title and my need to improvise as a writer.

My take: There are certain important takeaways from the book that they rather be noted down here for future, quick reference.

1. Favor robust, specific action verbs over vague, lazy ones.

2. Limit use of be-verbs (is, am are, was, were, be, being, been).

3. Anchor abstract ideas in concrete language and images.

4. Illustrate abstract concepts using real-life examples (Show, don’t tell).

5. Limit use of abstract nouns, especially nominalization.

6. Avoid using three prepositional phrases in a row, unless you do so to achieve a specific rhetorical effect.

7. Vary your prepositions.

8. Do not allow a noun and its accompanying verb to get separated by more than 12 words.

9. Let concrete nouns and active verbs do most of the descriptive work.

10. Employ adjective and adverbs only when they contribute new information to the sentence.

11. Avoid overuse of academic ad-words (with suffixes able, ac, al, ant, ary, ent, ful, ible, ic, ive, less, ous).

12. Use ‘it’ and ‘this’ only when you can state exactly which noun each word refers to.

13. Avoid using ‘that’ more than once in a sentence or three times in a paragraph, except to achieve a specific stylistic effect.

14. Beware of sweeping generalization that begin with ‘there’.

Also, Writer’s Diet helps determine the overall fitness rating of any write up based on the components they are composed of – verbs, nouns, prepositions, ad-words, waste words (it/this/that/there). Four stars because plenty of examples from Shakespeare’s texts sound out of course and, thus, aren’t much useful.

Final word: The book should now be my favorite reference book; I am already so conscious about how I'm writing that I'm compelled to look back on each sentence at least twice. Amazing help book, The Writer's Diet should be a compulsory reference for all the writers and editors, no matter at what level they are.

Book Review # 14: Dollar Bahu

My rating: ●●●○○

Sudha Murty

Dollar Bahu

India: Penguin, 2007

142 pp. ₹250

ISBN: 9780143103769

Summary: There’s a difference between spoilt and rightly bred, need and want, loved and possessed, enough and excess and, lastly, real and pretender and Sudha Murty has tried to bring this to light through her book, Dollar Bahu. A clear-cut fiction with no real plot twists, predictable story and easy language all make it a rather bland read.  

What really clicked? The title. I was expecting way more than what it has actually offered.

My take: Bheemanna (one name that comes handy to the author) and Gouramma have three kids: comfortable-with-life Girish, overambitious Chandru and greedy-as-wolf Surabhi. Chandru, on one of his business trips to a small village, Dharwad, falls in love with Vinuta, but never gets to express his feelings. Working up his way up the corporate ladder, he gets a lifetime chance of working in the US and puts Vinuta off his priorities.   

Back in India, Bheemanna leads a frugal but content life with his family – a son and a daughter and a wife who always dreams of counting herself in the elite club of the society. In fact, she looks up to her son, Chandru, for fulfilling all her desires, as her other son, Girish, is more like his father, happy-in-little. Bheemanna fixes marriage of Girish with Vinuta, who now works as a teacher in a government school. Chandru, being busy in corrupt ways of getting a green card, sends money as a compensation for his absence.

The story progresses, Chandru comes to know about Vinuta and Girish and finds the reality hard to grasp. He ends up marrying Jamuna, who is a spoilt daughter of a filthy rich businessman. Gouramma, weighed down by money and gifts, can’t stop praising Jamuna and completely ignores all the efforts put in by Vinuta. Jamuna follows Chandru to US and, hence, aptly claims the title of the book, Dollar Bahu.

The author has tried to highlight the contrast in life people face when they go to US from India for the first time and how life becomes bland after some time. She also describes India as “swelling crowds, dustier, dirtier streets, hectic construction activity all round… Pollution in the air, in the water, in the food…” when compared with the US.

The story moves on to making stark revelation in the lives of people living in the US and earning in dollars and their roles in their families living in India. It also hurriedly closes down to talking about random people coming into the picture just to talk about their stories. Gouramma, having spent close to one year in the US and realizing the true colors Chandru and Jamuna misses home, her husband and Vinuta. On her way back home from the airport in India, she comes to know that Bheemanna has sent Girish and Vinuta to live in Vinuta’s hometown so that they be spared by Gouramma’s constant comparisons and harsh taunts. Gouramma is left with a deep remorse for her behavior towards Vinuta all this while and she expresses her desire to meet them at the earliest.

The story is left open-ended for the reader to conclude it in a way they find appropriate. The story not only puts forth the natural behavior Indians have towards dollars, but also towards the people who live in the US and earn them. All the characters, except for Gouramma and Jamuna, do not have a significant role to play in establishing the story. The book, more or less, rests on random accounts of people who live abroad. There isn't a point to prove per se, but Sudha Murty tries to highlight how we shouldn’t blindly look over people’s behavior towards us and eulogize the ones with more money. The cover, too, speaks aloud how the one who has more money gets to hold the ‘golden’ keys of the home.

Final word: This would probably be the first Sudha Murty book which lacked the enthusiasm that holds the content together. In fact, the content gets too cluttered, confusing and hurried up towards the end. True, the book more looked like a fable with only shades of black and white, leading to a conclusion left open-ended for the reader to cook up. The brief read would surely compel you to put it down after initial 50 pages giving in to the predictable end, but love for the author might drag you to the last page.

Book Review # 13: House of Cards

My rating: ●●●●●

Sudha Murty

House of Cards

India: Penguin, 2013

288 pp. ₹150

ISBN: 9780143420361

Summary: Love isn’t on the face; it is deep in the skin. The protagonists, Mridula and Sanjay are brought together by fate but they decide to call it ‘love’. Sailing through humble beginnings, when Sanjay decides to work in a government hospital, Mridula becomes a solid rock to not only support the house but also Sanjay. What forms the rest of the story is their journey on the road to success, their love in the meanwhile and the lube called trust. Mridula has been portrayed as a very strong character, who knows the good and the bad. A very touching, emotionally liberating read, which leaves you utterly satisfied and happy in the end.

What really clicked? The author! She’s my favorite.

My take: House of Cards by Sudha Murty revolves around two strong characters – Mridula and Sanjay. Spread across 29 chapters, the story, narrated by the author, unfolds step by step, taking you on an emotional journey of love, trust, infidelity and self-respect.

Mridula is a teacher in Aldhahalli, a very small village in Karnataka, while Sanjay is practicing in KEM hospital in Bombay. They are brought together by fate, first during a wedding and, second, in Bombay during one of her school trips. Mridula happily accepts Sanjay in her life despite his deformity by birth. She is touched by his clean feelings and a clear soul.

Mridula gets shocked meeting her mother-in-law, Rantnamma, who is extremely stringent and business-minded. Rantnamma runs her small shop close to a temple and prioritizes it over her recently married daughter-in-law. While being just the way she is, she teaches Mridula an important life lesson, i.e., to save money. Her sister-in-law, Lakshmi is equally cunning and money-minded.

Mridula, being the strong character that she is, not only adjusts to a new town after marriage, but also wins a battle over language and culture differences. She supports Sanjay all through his post-graduation course by becoming the sole breadwinner for the family. Sanjay is badly dejected when he's not able to evade a transfer he’s been given as a result of some office politics. That’s when he decides to open his private nursing home with the help of a friend, Alex. Things change from here and the-once-middle-class family, now, starts pacing towards a much prosperous life. What changes during this journey is the relationship between Mridula and Sanjay and of them with their son, Sishir.

Mridula doesn’t find enough words to console Anita, wife of Alex, who ends up finding condoms in Alex’s drawer. She suspects him of infidelity. Walking on the same lines, Mridula comes across serious revelations of his husband not trusting her with the money decisions and taking severe major decisions in favor of his sister, Lakshmi, without taking her in confidence. Mridula is left dejected and lost in life. She feels her husband had forgotten how they had begun the journey together, leaving her stranded in the middle, claiming it an infidelity of trust.

The rest of the story is about her making her mind again to live to the full, getting her self-confidence back and taking charge of what happens in her life. The ending shows how she defines happiness for herself and learns to enjoy life to the fullest, exactly how it was meant to be. Her getting together herself and her mind also leads to several changes in the attitudes of people around her, especially Sanjay. This also brings us towards a happy ending which leaves us with a very strong message that nothing really matters; you have to live without any bondage and with a free mind. You’ve got to spend every minute of the day fruitfully, because every day is to be lived to the fullest and every beautiful minute to be enjoyed

Final word: There are a certain books which keep bringing you back to basics, putting together the definition of simplicity and clearing up life for you - House of Cards is, indeed, one of them. It is all the knowledge, the wisdom and the experience of the author which talks through her words. The protagonists, Mridula and Dr Sanjay, are reluctant to fall in love but let destiny have her say; together, they witness the ups and downs of their lives, with Mridula being a solid rock of the house. They see it all, the bad's and, lately, the great's but what really changes the contours of the story is their reaction towards it. What an amazing read, with the same guiding principle (also mentioned thrice throughout the book) ruling Mridula's life.

Mridula was not like everybody, she was different. She had enormous enthusiasm for life and unlimited energy. She wanted to spend every minute of the day fruitfully. It seemed the sun rose for her and the rainbow colours were meant only for her. Every day was to be lived to its fullest and every beautiful minute to be enjoyed.

Book Review # 12: You've Got the Wrong Girl

My rating: ●●● ø ○

Sreemoyee Piu Kundu

You've Got the Wrong Girl

India: Hachette, 2016

376 pp. ₹350

ISBN: 9789350095805

Summary: A girl, put off by the pomp and show of a big-fat wedding, decides to take a stroll in a garden adjoining the venue of a wedding happening somewhere in the vicinity of Taj Mahal and takes notice of a boy who seems like rehearsing a hate speech. Following a long, meaningless yet interesting conversation, they both make out. Revealing nothing about each other, they part, with the girl taking a promise that the boy will never search for her. Letting every detail of that night out to everyone in the form a book, which eventually becomes a bestseller, while still trying to preserve it for himself, he’s, after good three years, now poked for a sequel to the first part. The first part was not a fiction. The second part could also not be a work of fiction. The boy now wants to look for the girl to complete his ‘love’ story. He has an ex-girlfriend who decides to come back. There is a whole lot of intriguing twists and interesting mess. Everyone deserves a love story.   

What really clicked? The title! It really intrigues a casual onlooker to further nosedive deep into the story, the message and the end.

My take: The book spans in three units – book one, book two and book three – all comprising of the perfect masala brewing in the protagonist, Dushyant’s life. Dushyant is an author by fluke, and ends up getting the plot for his first book following the incidents happening in his life. His girlfriend from school ends up getting hitched with his best friend, and this causes him to gatecrash their wedding. While he rehearses his hate speech in a garden adjacent to the venue, he ends up meeting Diya, a mysterious girl who is bored of the wedding and needed a break. They make out without really letting out much information about each other, including their names and part promising they won’t try to look for each other.

The rest of the first part would seem more of a drag where the author is being convinced by his publishing manager and his close aide, Bhaskar, to come out with a sequel to his first book which entirely talks about this fling with a stranger and the aftereffects it had on his mind.

The second and the third part talk about how he finds the girl, clue by clue, and what goes on when they meet in a super shady, red light area of Kolkata, Sonagachi, how things f*ck up further due to misunderstandings which occur when his ex-girlfriend decides to come back to his life and how every character in the story, be it Bhaskar, Pri (sister), Dad and Mom (of Dushyant), Anjali (the ex), Vicky, (the best friend) and Shonali (assistant of Diya in an NGO where she works), have a definite role to play which contributes to giving a pace to the story.

The story gets terribly lengthy and verbose defining the first night that Dushyant gets to spend with Diya and further references to this sound clichéd all the while. The author has also added a lot of drama to the story using the Vitamin ‘sex’, which has only made the story something to stay glued to.

The story, towards the end, gains momentum and kills the reader with twists and turns which lead to the protagonist finally meeting his lover and coming clean, confessing his love. As they say, ‘everyone deserves a love story’, the protagonist ends up securing his, making the wrong girl, who actually was the right girl for him, his forever!

The author's writing style has improved leaps and bounds from her last release, Sita's curse. The well-researched parts of the story, including description of the places unexplored in Kolkata, narration of the connection of the protagonist with Kalidasa's Abhigyan Shakuntalam and of the hi-fi weddings all seem perfectly fitted together, each having a message to convey in the bigger meaning of the story.  This book by Kundu shall make you stay entertained to the last page, while also giving you occasional spaces to yawn and can-but-won't skip. 

Final word: There are some stories which, despite being predictable towards the end, do not sound clichéd and this book is one from the lot. This, my second read from Kundu, is a great work of fiction which stands on a whole lot of research, sound logic and all sorts of nonsensical feelings one goes through while falling and being in love!

Book Review: The Wedding Photographer

My rating: ●●○○○

Sakshama Puri Dhariwal

The Wedding Photographer

India: Penguin Books Ltd, 2016

219 pp. ₹299

ISBN: 9789386057266

Summary: This rom-com by the debutante Sakshama Puri Dhariwal would sound tad too clichéd if you’ve been fascinated by Fifty Shades and likes; also, if you are looking for some offbeat storyline or out-of-the-box romanticism, I am afraid this would not prove to be your cup-of-tea. This one is brief, simple, straightforward no-brainer, which will also occasionally make you laugh along the way.

My take: Risha, on her flight from LA to Delhi, ends up meeting ‘a billionaire with a Greek bod’ Arjun and this meeting ends in a flash with both of them taking some part of it sown inside them while they part. Risha, who is a full-time journalist and a part-time wedding photographer starts working on an assignment of covering Arjun’s sister’s wedding which turns out to be not only an extravagant but also a fun-filled affair. A typical Punjabi wedding that it is, Risha comes across various characters with distinctive features to their personalities and, also, gets to know Arjun too good to stay away from. A few other characters like Nidhi (Risha’s friend), Vikram (Nidhi’s husband and a famous cricketer), Rishabh (Risha’s gay friend) and Nani, too, have strong roles to play, helping the story shape to a perfect, predictable end.

A lot of readers have claimed this book to be an ideal script for a Bollywood flick and I dare to differ here. I think this will make for a stereotypical story heard over a million times, since you cannot really balance the entire story on occasional jokes you crack. I find the story well-researched, backed with relevant details and I particularly liked the writing style of the author – too good for a first timer! The language is on-point and the words all flow in perfect rhythm while making sense and not overdoing it at any point.

This book should interest teens as much as it would do the adults, for the author has cautiously refrained from including any adult content. The title fits perfectly fine, for the entire book is about this protagonist and her way with how her love life comes across her through the story. The cover would make a perfect poster for a movie; in fact, I find it vaguely similar to the poster of Hum Apke Hain Kaun! Putting it all together, you won’t really get bored if you’d pick this one for a quick read, but it surely would not be a great option if you love reading fresh every time you get your hands on any book.

Final word: The plot of a billionaire boy falling for a not-so-rich girl has been beaten shit out of following Fifty Shades success, yet this rom-com by the author promises to bring some fresh air to the room. I liked her writing style in particular, the one that keeps you glued till the last page, but unfortunately she chose the path which has been, I think, trodden on a million times. May be, that is why it all sounded tad too predictable and boring towards the end. Nevertheless, this brief read serves as an ideal recipe for a Prem-Suman-sort of Bollywood masala flick, the only difference being the female protagonist here has a knack for photography and socializing!