Title: The Legend of Amrapali
Author: Anurag Anand
Paperback: 214 pages
Publisher: Srishti Publishers (January 2012)
Genre: Historical Fiction
Read: Paperback
Stars: ***/5
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Summary: (Goodreads)
Amrapali – the Nagarvadhu of Vaishali!

The Legend of Amrapali is the story of mayhem and turmoil brought about by the obstinate desires of one man – a man blinded by the intoxication of power. It is a story of sinister plots and political wizardry, of chaste love and unbridled passion, of naked ambitions and dogged loyalties that lead to the transformation of an innocent young girl into one of the most revered, even worshipped, and occasionally feared personalities of her times.

My Review:

Note: Thanks to the guys at MySmartPrice for offering me “The Legend of Amrapali” to review 🙂

Cover: Garish, could have been more subtle.

Paper and font: Paper and font is good but I would have preferred a smaller book size.

Readability, language: Reads well with simple language.

Why did I choose this book: Amrapali is one of those women of legend, how could I miss it.

Amrapali is one those women from Indian Legend that stand out because they stood up to men. They were the first women to fight for equality and Amrapali has fascinated me since childhood. I remember reading about her in Amar Chitra Katha as a child and admiring the spunk.

I’ve had The Legend of Amrapali on my reading list for a while now and I’m glad I got down to it. This is the story of Amrapali, the events of her childhood and youth that shape her life, and how she learns to accept life and destiny on her own terms.

The cover is beautiful in choice of colour but the gold leaf around the cover kills it. I could have done with out so much gold. The blurb though is enticing, it kept the book on my to-read list all this time. 🙂 The title set me up to expect a full story but at the end somehow I felt a little short-changed.

This the story of a baby found in a mango orchard, and brought up by a farmer couple. Amrapali grows up to be not only beautiful but also accomplished at all she does. She has a strength of moral character that is to be admired. Life throws a lot her way, the death of her mother, the killing of her fiancé and the lust of one man who is trying to ruin her world. Her spunk in facing it all head-on leaves you smiling in encouragement.

Set in Vaishali around 500 BC, Anand has done a good job of describing the city, the people, the politics and the life in those times.

This is Amrapali’s story and she takes centre stage but Anand also has a host of other characters that you associate with as you read. I found myself smiling at little Amrapali as she asked direct and baffling questions. As a young girl she broke my heart with the strength she showed. I felt sorry for her father Somdutt when he was helplessness. Anand has done a good job with introducing us to Amrapali – her childhood, her youth and her revenge.

Anand gives us a brief glimpse of Amrapali’s youth before the story starts of her as a baby. We watch her grow, lose the love of her life and then get nominated and voted Nagarvadhu. Finally coming full circle at a good pace back to the start; but here is where Anand disappointed me. I had expected to hear the whole story of Amrapali, not just of how she became Nagarvadhu. I was hoping to know more about her life as a Nagarvadhu. The end of the ‘Legend of Amrapali’ left me feeling incomplete.

At one point Anand introduces an unnamed man into the story who fascinates Amrapali and sparks an interesting her. But at the end Anand just drops that thread, and I was left wondering if Amrapali does find love? Hmm, maybe that’s book two.

The book is well written and has a good pace that keeps you constantly glued to the book. It’s a quick read and great of a rainy evening. If you love Indian Mythology and Folklore this book is definitely worth at least one read.

About the Author:
Anurag is a banker who wrote his first book ‘Pillars of Success’ at the age of 25. He currently has six published titles. See his other books on his website – www.anuraganand.in.

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Title: The Twentieth Wife
Author: Indu Sundaresan
Paperback: 380 pages
Publisher: Washington Square Press (February 18th 2003, first published 2002)
Genre: Historical Fiction
Read: Paperback
Stars: ****/5
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Summary: (Goodreads)
An enchanting historical epic of grand passion and adventure, this debut novel tells the captivating story of one of India’s most controversial empresses — a woman whose brilliance and determination trumped myriad obstacles, and whose love shaped the course of the Mughal Empire. Skillfully blending the textures of historical reality with the rich and sensual imaginings of a timeless fairy tale, The Twentieth Wife sweeps readers up in Mehrunnisa’s embattled love with Prince Salim, and in the bedazzling destiny of a woman — a legend in her own time — who was all but lost to history until now.

My Review:

Note: Thanks to the guys at MySmartPrice for offering me “The Twentieth Wife” to review 🙂

Cover: Lovely!

Paper and font: Ebony and Ivory! Smell-Worthy!

Readability, language: An easy read that transports you back in time to the days of the Mughals.

Why did I choose this book: Indian History has always enthralled me and fiction based on fact so much better than our school text books.

I first learned of Nur Jahan in school when we studied Mughal history. I remember there was a photo of her in the text books too. As Jahangir’s favourite wife she had played an important role in Mughal history. This is her story, all that wasn’t said in the text book. Mehrunissa’s life, and her journey to becoming Jahangir’s Nur Jahan.

The Twentieth Wife is an apt title for the story of Jahangir’s twentieth and last wife. There seem to be a lot covers circulating and all seem nice but the one I got, has a photo of Mughal architecture that I quite liked. The blurb is well written, explaining the importance of Nur Jahan, a bit about her background and what to expect. The book doesn’t let the blurb down.

The book is based on historical fact and Indu has used those facts to weave a rich story of Mogul India, the durbar of Akbar, his relationships with his wives and children, Salim’s desire for the throne, his becoming the Emperor Jahangir and between all this is Mehrunissa, slowing making her way towards the title of Nur Jahan.

The story starts in the time of the Mughals when Akbar reigned over India from Fatehpur Sikri. A time when Merunissa along with her family arrive as refugees from Persia. There on Indu takes us on a journey with the imperial court though India as it was then, from Lahore to Bengal. I could almost see all those places in my minds eye. I have always felt the Mughal courts had a lot of romantique and Indu’s book brought it alive for me. After Mughal-E-Azam, this is the next best piece of Mughal work I’ve ever come across.

The Twentieth Wife is brimming with characters, it’s too long a list but the characters stick with you. Somehow through the book I remembered them; some fondly and some with anger. There were a lot of times when Mehrunissa tested my patience, Salim vexed me, Ali Quli had me raging, I felt sad for Abkar and I laughed out loud at Ruqayya’s games. Indu has drawn out and described each character richly; it almost feels as if you know them.

The Twentieth Wife is beautifully structured, it was like a little historical soap opera running in my mind’s eye as I read the book. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a Mughal soap on TV, Ekta Kapoor do you hear me? This book holds lots of promise both in richness and length 😀 Wonder who’d play Mehrunissa?

I love stories of pre-independence India where Kings ruled and life was filled with intrigue. But I don’t often come across a book that is written so well that it transports me back in time. The last book I remember to do that was ‘Far Pavilions’ by M.M.Kaye and now ‘The Twentieth Wife’. I’m so looking forward to the next two books in the series – The Feast of Roses and Shadow Princess.

If you like me love stories of Kings and Queens, Rajas and Maharajas, The Twentieth Wife is a must read. It promises and delivers evenings filled with imperial grandeur and intrigue.

About the Author:
Indu Sundaresan like most authors today has a Masters degree from the US. Indu’s father was a fighter pilot and an avid storyteller, just like his father and Indu says that where it all started for her. Seems Indu currently lives in the US but there’s nothing about her current life on her website www.indusundaresan.com.

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Title: The Great Indian Love Story
Author: Ira Trivedi
Paperback: 196 pages
Publisher: Penguin Global (May 26th 2010, first published 2009)
Genre: Chick-lit
Read: Paperback
Stars: ***/5
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Summary: (Goodreads)
The Great Indian Love Story is set in a world where appearances mean everything and nothing is as it seems. Ira Trivedi weaves together sex, revenge, glitz, friendship and a chilling murder to create a potent cocktail in this gripping novel on the perfidious nature of love and power.

My Review:

Cover: Simple but eye catchy.

Paper and font: Easy on the eyes!

Readability, language: Makes for fast reading.

Why did I choose this book: The cover and blurb caught my eye…

A disappointed Riya comes back to India after failing to get a job in America and finds herself in a changed Delhi. While she is trying to make sense of it all she meets Serena, a wild party animal who lives life one night at a time. Serena introduces her to the night life of Delhi, filled with parties, ecstasy, cocaine and sex. And then there is Parmeet, Serena’s mother who just wants to be loved but her simple want leads to an illicit affair that breaks her family.

‘The Great Indian Love Story’ is a story of love in modern Delhi where there are dark undertones and complications galore to the simple emotion called love. If you are expecting a warm fuzzy love story, this isn’t it. This is love and life on Page 3.

The plot involves two families with quite a few sub-plots. Ira tells the story of three women – Riya, Serena, and Parmeet, who are just trying to find happiness, each in their own way.

Set in present day Delhi, Ira takes us into the party scene where the page 3 crowd live their lives. They may have all the money but they crave the rest, and drown themselves in cocaine, alcohol and sex.

Ira has a fair number of characters in her book. There’s Riya who is trying to make peace with being in India; she isn’t happy about coming back from America. Serena who’s mother has married again but Serena doesn’t fit into the new family. She craves love and finds it in Amar who is a rich married serial adulterer and cocaine addict. Then there is Parmeet, Serena’s Mother who craves romance. When it fizzles out in her marriage she has an affair that leads to violence, murder and a new marriage and baby for her.

‘The Great Indian Love Story’ is a story that has you shaking your head and wondering how life can become so convoluted and complicated for some people. The rich have it all yet their lives are so empty and incomplete.

The story is told by Riya, Serena and Parmeet with bits from Parmeet’s first husband S.P. Sharma to tie it all together. We get to hear from the protagonists about just what’s running in their minds as life unfolds for them.

The book is a fast read that leaves you thinking and contemplating the lives of the page 3 crowd. Worth reading once if you want an insight into the pseudo lives of Page 3 people.

About the Author:
Ira’s wrote her first book when she was 19 years old. Apart for being an author, Ira is also a yoga teacher and teaches at Sivananda yoga centers across the country. She holds a MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA in Economics from Wellesley College, USA. She can be found at iratrivedi.in.

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Title: The Rozabal Line
Author: Ashwin Sanghi
Paperback: 346 pages
Publisher: Westland Limited (2010, first published October 1st 2007)
Genre: Historical Fiction / Thriller
Read: Paperback
Stars: */5
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Summary: (Goodreads)
A cardboard box is found on a shelf of a London library where a copy of Mahabharata should have been. When the mystified librarian opens it, she screams before she falls unconscious to the floor. An elite group calling itself the Lashkar-e-Talatashar has scattered around the globe, the fate of its members curiously resembling that of Christ and his Apostles. Their agenda is Armageddon. In the labyrinthine recesses of the Vatican, a beautiful assassin swears she will eliminate all who do not believe in her twisted credo. In Tibet, Buddhist monks search for a reincarnation while in strife-torn Kashmir, a tomb called Rozabal holds the key to an ancient riddle. Father Vincent Sinclair, has disturbing visions of himself and of people familiar to him, except that they seem located in other ages. He goes to India to piece together the violent images burnt onto his mind. Shadowing his every move is a clandestine society, which would rather wipe out creation than allow an ancient secret to be disclosed.

My Review:

Cover: Dark and not really compelling.

Paper and font: Easy on the eyes!

Readability, language: Simple language but a taxing book to read.

Why did I choose this book: After reading Chanakya’s chant, I wanted to read Sanghi’s other books.

Jesus lived to old age and didn’t die on the crucifix. That’s the core of Sanghi’s story as he takes us across the world and across time as he tries to rewrite another ‘Da Vinci Code’.

The blurb mentions London, the Vatican, Afghanistan, India, Tibet, and America. It sounds interesting and action packed but the number of cities mentioned should have tipped me off on the complexity of the book.

The book is definitely inspired by the Da Vinci Code but doesn’t come close to it at all in quality. There are plots and subplots and sub-subplots in the book that leaves you all screwed up in your head. Sanghi has so many religious groups, characters, cities and times that you start to lose track of it all almost as soon as you start the book. If I wasn’t such a stickler for finishing books I would have dropped this one like a hot potato 50 pages into the book.

Where is the book set? This question is just too stressful to answer. Sanghi shuttles between Jerusalem, Kashmir, Afghanistan, Pakistan, America, Tibet, and almost every other country in the world. And it doesn’t end here because he also shuttles through time going back and forth between BC and AD so often that sometimes you are no sure where you are.

As for characters, well he has so many that I’m not sure which ones to talk about. There is Vincent Sinclair a priest who is exploring beyond Christianity. Martha his aunt who knows yoga, Reki, hypnosis and many other things; can one human know and do so much. Then there’s Alissa the American president who also heads the Illuminati, Galib who heads Lashkar-e-Talatashar, the Sheikh and his master Osama who lead the Al-Qaeda, Dawood Omar an important member of Jamaat Islami, Valerio who heads Crux Decussata Permuta, Swakilki a Japanese assassin, among many more characters. Just keeping track of all the characters is tiring.

As a story I think its a good concept but it feels like a thesis written by the RSS trying to prove Hinduism is the beginning and end of all religions in the world. If there was a structure to the book, I didn’t see it. Sanghi starts off and then just keeping going all over trying to connect the dots and bring it all together.

The Rozabal Line is Sanghi’s first book self-published by him and that is the only reason I could find to forgive this piece of work. I can relate with every publisher/editor who rejected his work; I would too.

Gawd, I don’t want to write any more about The Rozabal Line. I definitely wouldn’t recommend this book. You’re better off re-reading the Da Vinci Code.

About the Author:
Ashwin Sanghi is an entrepreneur by day, novelist by night and has all the usual qualifications of an Indian businessman. ‘The Rozabal Line’ was originally self-published in 2007 under his anagram-pseudonym—Shawn Haigins. In 2008 Westland published the book in India under his own name. Ashwin lives in Mumbai with his wife, Anushika, and his eight-year old son, Raghuvir. His website is www.ashwinsanghi.com.

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Title: Mukti
Author: A. Dharma
Paperback: 28 pages
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services, Inc. (December 31st 2012)
Genre: Short Story
Read: e-book
Stars: ****/5
Buy On: Amazon
Summary: (Goodreads)
mu·kti [moo k-tee] — the final extrication of the soul (purusha) from samsara; an end to human suffering and liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth.
Sanskrit: मुक्ति; release — from the root muc “to let loose, let go”

Mukti is a working girl, fresh out of college, living a sheltered upper middle class life in Mumbai, a city booming with call-centers and consumerism. But her parents have a plan that takes her by surprise. When their well meaning decisions clash against her view of the world; the issue is approached by both sides in a manner that is commonplace in their society. With an outcome that is just as common.

But unforeseen events unfold that drive Mukti’s relationship with her life over to the dark side.

My Review:

Kindle Freebie: Thanks A. Dharma for giving your book away and letting me know about it 🙂

Cover: Bright and pretty, it made me feel all bright and smiley.

Paper and font: Easy on the eyes!

Readability, language: : An easy read with simple language used delightfully!

Why did I choose this book: The blurb sounded promising.

Mukti is the story of a girl in the India of today, striving for freedom. She does try to stand up for herself; fight for what she wants but a lot of times just gives in to the pressure. She makes her choices and the sheer accidental nature of life leads her down paths she hadn’t meant to walk.
The story is about 23 year old Mukti who has just finished her studies and started working. Giving in to parental and societal pressure she agrees to an arranged marriage. And what follows is the short story.

Mukti simply means freedom but that word holds so much in it. There are so many freedoms we fight for everyday. The freedom of choice, the freedom to marry who and when we like, the freedom to work, the freedom to speak, the freedom to live and freedom from it all. A. Dharma explores the freedoms we have and the choices we make in his short story appropriately named Mukti.

Mukti’s story is not a new story, it can happen to anyone of us if our stars are misaligned, that said the story is still heart-breaking. A. Dharma takes a couple of sharp turns in the story, just when you’re starting to think you’ve grasped the storyline. And when he ended it, I couldn’t believe it was over. I went back a page to see if I missed something; the end was like falling of a cliff. And like falling of a cliff where the impact is delayed, it all hit me with a few seconds delay.

A. Dharma has based his story in the cities of Mumbai and Delhi with Mukti’s family living in Mumbai and the boy’s family in based in Delhi. He has done a good job of describing Delhi nights as I knew them – at night the streets are quiet with a silent sort-of beauty, India Gate looks beautiful in the night, but just a little away you can see corruption and violence, the people here are pushy with power and so are the cops. It feels like this struggle between beauty and evil.

How can you not associate and sympathise with Mukti, as women we’ve all been through some part of her life. The dilemma of what we want to do with our lives, societal pressures, parental blackmail, arranged marriages and the lot. Mukti’s parents are the typical parents who want to be done with a daughters wedding. It takes a great responsibility off their shoulders and they can breathe easy. And yet they love their daughter and want to see her happy.

The story is narrated by Mukti as she looks back at her life and contemplates what went wrong. A. Dharma uses simple language but spins an enjoyable tale that makes you smile at times as you remember a similar situation.

Like I was saying earlier the story took some abrupt turns. Not that it a bad thing, A. Dharma has done a good job with the story. But the story holds a lot of potential and a lot that’s left unsaid could be written. I’d love to have read about Mukti’s various debacles in the arranged marriage world. On another line, I would have liked to know more about Mukti’s inner struggle and her fight against what happens too. But there’s no taking away the unexpected end that A. Dharma throws in without a warning; it left me gasping.

All said and done I enjoyed reading Mukti and am looking forward to A. Dharma’s next book.

About the Author:
A. Dharma is an online marketing consultant who live in Mumbai and dreams of living in the heartland of India some day. He can be found on Twitter as @adharma.

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Title: Truly, Madly, Deeply
Author: Faraaz Kazi
Paperback: 258 pages
Publisher: Mahaveer Publishers (November 10th 2010)
Genre: Romance
Read: Paperback
Stars: **/5
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Summary: (Goodreads)
What happens when the most popular guy in school falls in love with his beautiful female equivalent?

A pompous Rahul is head over heels in love with Seema, a shy lady from the same school. After a whirlwind of innocent encounters, their teenage romance blossoms but the two never confess their love for each other. Friends and even a few teachers approve of their relationship which is no secret to anyone thanks to Rahul’s flaunting nature.

Seema, on the other hand, finds it difficult to handle the unnecessary attention she gets due to Rahul’s ostentatiousness. What follows is a series of misunderstandings and ego clashes causing them to drift apart.

Rahul loses his popularity, his numero uno status, his sanity and ultimately his love. By the time he realizes what he has lost, it’s too late. He takes desperate measures to woo her back and win back her love. But will Rahul ever get back Seema? And will Seema ever realize how much Rahul loved her and all the misunderstandings that transpired between them? Is there really any room for misunderstandings in love? In today’s world, can a person’s first love ever be his last?

My Review:

I won this book on Freado.com; Thanks Faraaz Kazi for offering your book as a prize.

Cover: Dark and sad.

Paper and font: Smelt like a textbook! 🙁 And the print was readable even on the next page.

Readability, language: : Simple language but be warned its draggy with lots of philosophy. 🙁

Why did I choose this book: Had to read the book that claims to be “The only book written by an Indian author to be nominated in the ‘Top 100 YA Global Fiction List’.”

Truly, Madly, Deeply is a story of young love. Of Rahul and Seema who fall in love in school. What follows is the joys of teenage love but also misunderstandings and heart-break as two people learn to understand each other and withstand peer pressure.

The title is appropriate for a teenage romance for it is only at that age that we use the words truly, madly and deeply to describe love. With age and maturity we realise love is much more than that but as a teen we believe true love to be mad and deep.
Purple and blue make for a dark cover; I would have preferred a more upbeat cover but Kazi is trying to tell a dark story and that may have been his reasoning behind the cover. However a more warm cover would have been a better choice if you ask me. The cover reminds me of SRK sitting on a bench in KKKG but without the bright sunshine and green grass.
The blurb does spark an interest in the story though the testimonials and announcements about the books nominations could have been placed after the blurb rather than before. It’s as if Kazi thinks I would require convincing to read the book (after reading the book, I think he’s right).

It’s not often that a teenage romance gets written by an Indian author set in India, so Kudos Kazi for doing the unconventional. The story of the chain of misunderstandings between Seema and Rahul is entertaining and I found myself reading the whole book just to figure out if they managed to work out their differences and have a happily ever after.

Kazi switches between the U.S. and India as a morose Rahul has flashbacks to his love-story. Studying in the U.S. Rahul is a quiet to-himself chap who mops about and avoids making friends. But incidents there set-off the playback of his life and he drifts to India in his mind, reliving his romance. Kazi inserts a poem just before every flashback. The poems he has chosen are beautiful but it was irritating to have them pop up in the middle of chapters with no real connection to the story. Next time Kazi maybe you could put these poems at the start of the chapter? Also I couldn’t understand the necessity for flashbacks from the U.S. of A., a straight story would have been better.

The two main characters in the story Rahul and Seema, are typical teenagers except for the philosophy they keep spouting. Theirs is the typical teenage love story with it highs and lows, jealousies, scheming, back-biting, egos, one-up-man-ships and such. That said it is a rather true and cute lovestory that took me back to my school days. Rahul and Seema’s friends who make up the support structure of the story are just that – supports – they add little to the story. I wish there had been more of a role for Sahil, Rahul’s one friend in the U.S., as he made for an interesting character.

The storyline by itself is fine and even interesting but Kazi could have written the story in half the number of pages he has used. There are long descriptions that are not required along with philosophical discourses that make the book a drag. And the end is too abrupt and hazy. A more crisp story-telling would have does wonders. Also the book could have been formatted better and some language errors avoided with a better edit.

Truly, Madly, Deeply is a test of patience for a reader. I wouldn’t say its a bad book, rather its just fair with a lot of scope to have been better. Pick it up only if you are someone who likes lots of life and love philosophy. Definitely not worth a second read.

About the Author:
Truly, Madly, Deeply is Faraaz Lazi’s first book. He is a certified soft skills trainer and three-time post graduate! He runs a social media agency, Digi Imprint Solutions and lives in Mumbai. You can find him online at www.faraazkazi.com.

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Title: Just Married, Please Excuse
Author: Yashodhara Lal
Paperback: 258 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins (July 1st 2012)
Genre: Romance
Read: Paperback
Stars: ***/5
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Summary: (Goodreads)
Caution! Marriage Ahead-

Yashodhara, a quick-tempered gal from the big city is hitched to Vijay, a laidback desi boy from a small town – in one word – Trouble!
The young couple must learn to adjust to married life and to each other – whether it is Yashodhara’s ‘temper tantrums’ or Vijay’s foot-in-mouth syndrome – with a little help from their idiosyncratic staff, Zarreena and Vinod, their nutty friend Vivi and, of course, their respective families.

With the unexpected arrival of baby Anoushka a.k.a. Peanut, the battles escalate, fuelled by their vastly divergent views on raising a child. Will their many differences – so endearing at the start of their romance – actually turn out to mean that they are just incompatible? Will they ever manage to agree on anything? Or have they just bitten off more than they can chew?

My Review:

Cover: The cover reminded me of the posters of movies like Bombay to Goa (old); simple and bright. Could have done without the hand showing fingers crossed though, that looks a bit out of place.

Paper and font: Easy on the eyes!

Readability, language: : Simple language makes for a fast read.

Why did I choose this book: The title and blurb had me looking forward to a lot of marital drama. Being married myself, how could I not want to hear someone-else’s.

A quick and short romance leads Yashodhara to the doors of marriage and before she knows it, she has been carried over the threshold. And there starts the drama of two people living under the same roof. Marriage is like a tug-of-war, only here the objective is to keep the marker dead-centre. It takes a while for each side to figure out just how much to pull and how much to let go. Just Married, Please Excuse is a retelling of Yashodhara’s first three years of marriage; her trying to find equilibrium with surprises like a relocation and a child thrown in.

The title and cover had me expecting a lot of Just Married drama but the honeymoon period of marriage turned out to be just one part of the book. The blurb also let me believe there would crazy-ass fireworks in the story but alas, there were more sparklers than rockets.

The initial years of marriage is an age-old plot that doesn’t age as long as you have a good storyteller and Yashodhara is that. She weaves the story of two people of different minds and backgrounds coming together and finding the peace such that there is rarely a dull moment. The conflicts between Yashodhara and Vijay are things any married woman would associate with and had me chuckling often through the book.

Set in Bangalore and Mumbai the book took me down memory lane to the days when the Old Bangalore Airport was still on Airport Road and at a walk-able distance and in Mumbai there was a possibility of wrangling a flat at Bandstand with a sea view and claiming you had Shah Rukh Khan as your neighbour even if you never really visited or saw him.

Yashodhara does justice to each character in her just married story, describing them well not only in looks but also mannerisms. I laughed along as Vijay the quirky guy with foot-in-the-mouth syndrome learns to navigate the choppy waters of marriage and pregnancy. He has an awesome sense of timing and humour that brings out many a chuckle as long as you are not the wife at the receiving end. Zareena is the quintessential bossy Bombay maid. Kajal the fifty something maid from her mothers house makes for some hilarious moments of misunderstanding. Not to forget the families of both Yashodhara and Vijay that hold true to the saying “In India you don’t marry the boy/girl, you marry his/her family”.

The story has three parts – getting married and the honeymoon period, realising that wow, you’re really married, pregnancy and early baby days, and what follows the introduction of a third character in a two person equation. Yashodhara and Vijay share moments of bliss alongside some nasty friction as through the three years they slowly learn the art of being happily married. Yashodhara ties it all up well to end on a high note.

Written in the first person, Yashodhara uses simple language that keeps you engaged through the book. Her usage of languages and accents along with her sense of humour and wit add to the the comic timing to make the book an enjoyable read.

If you are in a relationship, just married, or ‘plain’ married, this is a book to pick up for an entertaining evening filled with nods of ‘having being there’ and many a laugh.

About the Author:
An IIM Bangalore graduate with over 10 years of work-ex, Yashodhara Lal started out as a writer with her blog – www.yashodharalal.com. Just Married, Please Excuse is her first book and I’m definitely looking forward to more books from her with similar wit and humour. She currently lives in Gurgaon with her husband Vijay and three children – Peanut, Pickle and Papad.

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Title: Under The Hawthorn Tree
Author: Ai Mi
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: House of Anansi Press (January 1st 2011)
Genre: Historical Fiction
Read: Paperback
Stars: ***/5
Buy On: Amazon
Summary: (Goodreads)
Yichang municipality, Hubei province, China, early 1970s. High-school student Jingqiu is one of many educated urban youth sent to the countryside to be “re-educated” under a dictate from Chairman Mao. Jing’s father is a political prisoner somewhere in China, and her mother, a former teacher branded as a “capitalist,” is now reduced to menial work to support Jing and her two younger siblings.

When Jing arrives with a group at Xiping village in the Yangtze River’s Three Gorges region, she meets geology student Jianxin, nicknamed “Old Three,” who is the son of a high-ranking military officer, but whose mother committed suicide after being branded a “rightist.” Despite their disparate social backgrounds and a political atmosphere that forbids the relationship, Jingqiu and Jianxin fall desperately in love. But their budding romance is cut short by fate…

My Review:

Cover: The book I got had a cute still from the movie. Not great but not so bad either.

Paper and font: Ivory and Ebony! 🙂

Readability, language: : The language is simple but it’s an easier read if you know some of the history of China.

Why did I choose this book: I impulsively picked this up at the library since the book has been a sensation in China since 2007 when Ai Mi shared it on her website and is now even a movie.

Set during the Cultural Revolution in China this is a quaint love story of Jingqui a poor city girl. Jingqui is selected along with a small group of students to go to the countryside for an educational project. The students live the rural life and interact with the farmers while writing stories that will become a part of the education system to further the cultural revolution.

Jingqui who comes from a politically questionable family knows she must be careful about what she says, writes and does to stay safe politically. Her life is already mapped out for her; after her schooling she will be sent to work in the fields somewhere in rural China where she will get a meagre wage. Love isn’t on the cards for her but fall in love she does with Sun Jianxin, the son of an army general.

Sun Jianxin or Old Third is an intelligent and kind boy but way out of Jingqui’s league. And there starts Jingqui’s lessons in love. A naive girl Jingqui has feelings for Old Third that she doesn’t understand. She struggles with her emotions and tries hard to avoid slipping. Her mother has always told her that one slip could cause much harm but Jingqui doesn’t know what her mother means by a slip. As her relationship with Old Third progresses, so does her internal struggles as she tries to figure out if she has slipped.

Completing her stint at the village Jingqui returns to the city and her life where she hopes time will help her forget Old Third but she finds that she cannot. And when Old Third starts to visit her in the city, her love is rekindled. She embarks on the journey of love, learning to accept and embrace it while discovering the meaning of true love.

Being ignorant as I’m about world history, Under the Hawthorn Tree took me a long time to read. Initially I found the story difficult to understand and it took me a while to grasp the history and setting of the book. It would have helped I think if I knew a little of China’s history before I read the book.

The characters are easy to associate with and feel for though. Jingqui’s naiveness brought a smile to my face as she struggles with her heart. Old Third’s love makes for the magic in love stories. The big heartedness of people who shared what little they had was touching. The societal structure of China in the 60’s and 70’s was an eye-opener.

Overall a simple love story, Under the Hawthorn Tree was an education in the lives of the people of China and their trials and struggles during the Cultural Revolution.

I did enjoy reading this book even though I had to push myself sometimes to read on. If you like touching love stories or have an interest in the history of China this is a book to read.

Buy On: Amazon

Title: Shiva Trilogy (The Immortals of Meluha, The Secret of the Nagas, The Oath of the Vayuputras)
Author: Amish Tripathy
Paperback: 1. 436 pages, 2. 396 pages, 3. 565 pages
Publisher: Westland (April 1st 2010, August 12th 2011, February 27th 2013)
Genre: Indian Mythology
Read: Paperback
Stars: ****/5
Buy On:
The Immortals of Meluha:Amazon | FlipKart
The Secrets of the Nagas: Amazon | FlipKart
The Oath of the Vayuputras: Amazon | FlipKart
Summary: (Goodreads)

1900 BC. In what modern Indians mistakenly call the Indus Valley Civilisation. The inhabitants of that period called it the land of Meluha a near perfect empire created many centuries earlier by Lord Ram, one of the greatest monarchs that ever lived. This once proud empire and its Suryavanshi rulers face severe perils.
The only hope for the Suryavanshis is an ancient legend: When evil reaches epic proportions, when all seems lost, when it appears that your enemies have triumphed, a hero will emerge.
Is the rough-hewn Tibetan immigrant Shiva, really that hero? And does he want to be that hero at all? Drawn suddenly to his destiny, by duty as well as by love, will Shiva lead the Suryavanshi vengeance and destroy evil?
Today, He is a God.
4000 years ago, He was just a man.
In a journey that will take him across the length and breadth of ancient India, Shiva searches for the truth in a land of deadly mysteries only to find that nothing is what it seems.
Only A God Can Stop It.
Shiva is gathering his forces. He reaches the Naga capital, Panchavati, and Evil is finally revealed. The Neelkanth prepares for a holy war against his true enemy, a man whose name instils dread in the fiercest of warriors.
Will he succeed? And what will be the real cost of battling Evil? To India? And to Shiva’s soul?

My Review:

Note: Thanks to the guys at MySmartPrice for offering me “The Oath of the Vayuputras” to review 🙂

Cover: All three covers have been beautifully designed with vibrant colours and textures.

Paper and font: The font was fine but I felt the paper and print quality kept varying through the books. I may have got a bad bind but my copy of the first book was a pain to hold up and read with one hand.

Readability, language: : Not a lot of big words that I didn’t already know, the books are quick reads even though they are big.

Why did I choose this book: I’ve been hearing a lot about the series and with my interest in mythology, there’s no way I’d have missed this series.

I have waited a long time to read this series. Yeah yeah I know book 1 and 2 were available but after seeing Che’s reaction to book 1, I decided to wait until 3 came out. I didn’t want to wait between books. That of course meant I heard a lot of opinions on the books and that did leave me a bit worried. Most people said the first book was good but two was a drag and three was quite a drag. With all that I heard I wondered if I would get to book three or would I give up midway.

Amish makes the premise that Shiva is a man and that there are no magical gods when writing his trilogy. The story starts off with Shiva coming to the plains from the banks of the Mansarovar to fulfil his destiny of ridding the world of evil. On drinking somras, the elixir of those times, his throat turns blue and people bow to the Neelkanth who has come to save them. Only the Neelkanth is reluctant to believe he is the saviour of the people and there starts the story of Shiva, who from a mere man becomes the Mahadev.

Evil is not a person, it is an idea or belief. This is something Shiva has to learn on his journey through the three books.

In “The Immortals of Meluha” Shiva meets the Meluhans who have found immortality. They are Suryavanshis who follow the path set out by Ram. They have order and discipline in their lives and believe in the betterment of the community rather than that of the individual. He fights the Chandravanshis who are the descendants of Ram too and have different beliefs and lifestyles to the Suryavanshis only to realise they aren’t evil.

This realisation leads him to the Nagas in “The Secret of the Nagas”. It’s in meeting them that he learns of Kali, the other half of his wife Sati and has to make peace with Ganesh, the other son of Sati. It is in this book that Karthik makes his appearance growing up faster than a normal boy. The Nagas take him to their city – Panchvati where Shiva again has to confront and revise his idea and understanding of evil.

“The Oath of the Vayuputras” is about Shiva’s confrontation with evil and his fighting the righteous fight. He teams up with the Vasudevs who are the guides of the Rudra avatar to take on evil and meets and understands the previous Mahadev Rudra through his tribe the Vayuputras who are sworn to support the Neelkanth in his war against evil. The book isn’t about whether Shiva will win, that’s a given but rather about how a man becomes so loveable that we still love, fear and worship him to this day.

The characters of the books are the ones we all grew up hearing about in our grandma’s stories – Shiva, Sati, Kali, Ganesh, Karthik…, they are all there in human believable form. Not gods but human beings like you and me who are flawed and yet loved. And there were some I’d never heard of before like Badhra, Shiva’s best friend, Krittika, Sati best friend, Parvateshwar the amy general after whom Sati is also called Parvati, among others. The characters are well sketched and memorable; each one of them.

Set in the Sapt Sindu or land of seven rivers the trilogy stays largely towards North India. Guess Amish’s next series will be on the South 😀 That said he has done a great job describing the terrain through the book. In my minds eye it was a movie playing out as I read the book. I could imagine the cities, the rivers and the wars so vividly through the book.

I enjoyed the trilogy and was hooked until the end. Didn’t like the last couple of lines though 😛 On one count I agree with all other reviews that the first book had pace but two and three are a drag. There is a lot of description rather than action. But I quite enjoyed that. One of the best parts of the book for me was the scientific reasoning behind all that magical technology of those times. It was interesting to read about the magic behind the divya astras, the bhramastra, and such (Amish has definitely done his research). I had seen too much magic in the Ramayan and Mahabharata on TV growing up.

I love stories and mythology is nothing but that, add to this the number of Gods we have in Hinduism and the two Epics and you have never ending stories. How can I not love Indian mythology. This trilogy is great if you like Indian mythology; well written it is an enjoyable read but be warned it does get draggy as you progress through the books.

Buy On:
The Immortals of Meluha:Amazon | FlipKart
The Secrets of the Nagas: Amazon | FlipKart
The Oath of the Vayuputras: Amazon | FlipKart