Her Secret Husband - Book Review

Her Secret Husband is Sundari Venkatraman’s tenth book. This is book three in the 5-novella series titled Marriages Made in India.

This is story of Ruma who falls for the rich and handsome Lakshman. Ruma is a middle-class girl and her parents have arranged her marriage with Bunty. As Ruma’s engagement is soon to take place, Lakshman and Ruma get married in secret. This marriage is supported by Lakshman’s sister and brother-in-law. Ruma’s grandmother too has plays an important role in arranging this secret wedding. So Ruma is already married before her engagement to Bunty. It is their plan that Ruma’s parents would give in when they are told about her marriage at the time of engagement, in the presence of friends and relatives. However destiny has some other plans. Just before engagement it is revealed that Bunty and his family had furnished wrong information regarding their business. As a result of which the engagement is called off. Lakshman marries Ruma the very next day.

What I liked about Sundari’s writing is its simplicity. She doesn’t go for unnecessary descriptions and complex sentences. She tells her story in simple words and simple language. This is the biggest USP of her writing. This being a romance falling in Mills & Boons genre one can’t expect much from the story. It is high on romance and erotica quotient and I am sure it wont disappoint its readers. 
 

Six Suspects - Book Review

Vikas Swarup’s six suspects is a murder mystery. Vicky Rai, a minister’s son is killed at his farmhouse in a party which he had thrown to celebrate his acquittal in a murder case. Apparently he had shot a bar girl for refusing him a drink. The police cordon off the venue. They search each and every guest. Six guests are found in possession of guns. These are the six suspects.

All these six suspects have a back story of their own. A corrupt bureaucrat who is suffering from a split personality. An American foreman who travels to India to marry a girl whom he has seen only in her photographs. On landing in India he finds out that the photograph is of a famous Indian movie star, who too is found with a gun at Vicky Rai’s party. Then there is a mobile thief who has had a sudden windfall and is in love with Vicky’s sister. A tribal from the distant land who is in search of a sacred stone which is stolen, is also one of the suspects. Vicky Rai’s father, a minister, who dreams to become a chief minister, is forced to resign because of the wayward ways of his son. He wants to get rid of his son. He too is found in possession of a gun. So who has done it?

The author creates wonderful back stories. Though they are far stretched and highly improbable, they are riveting and entertaining for sure. There is a flow in the author’s writing which wants you to read more.

However with a novel called Six Suspects you want to read a good murder mystery. On this count alone this novel is disappointing. The climax, if it can be called one, is wafer thin. This thick book would have been worth the read, if it had an interesting climax.

Unrequited love

The title walk in the rain and the picture of a couple walking on a beach with a colourful umbrella turned upside down, gives an impression that this book is a romantic novel. Yes, there is romance but this book is a thriller.

This is a story of introvert Surya and his classmate Sandhya. Sandhya forges a friendship with the reserve, introvert Surya and they become inseparable. They even spend their vacations together. Then one day Sandhya suddenly disappears. Circumstances and a wicked uncle Hari force her to take up a new name Saloni and enter the flesh trade. Surya is taken to the brothel by his friend Imran. Surya meets Saloni but doesn't recognize her. He doesn't even touch her. As a result one feckless person considers that Surya has some sexual problem and offers him a cure for his predicament. Surya is irritated. A small accidental push leads to a full fledged quarrel. That man kills Imran. Surya wants to take revenge of his friend's murder. Surya has heard Saloni call that man Hari. Hari has fled the spot. Surya thinks as Saloni has called him by his name, she would know his whereabouts. So he tries to get to Hari through Saloni. Needless to say he discovers that Saloni is Sandhya and the lovers are reunited.

What I liked about the novel is the pace and the easy narration. That kept me hooked. I finished reading the entire book in a single setting. The characters and the plot make the book a page turner. This book is high in entertainment quotient for sure.

There are couple of typographical errors in the book which I wish were avoided. The novel has got a good pace, but at (many) places the writing is confusing.

This book is like watching a Bollywood movie. You don't use your brains and you will have a good time reading this book. Don't ask questions like why does Surya want an instant revenge and you are bound to enjoy this book.

The Little Black Book of Stunning Success

Robin Sharma's The Little Black Book of Stunning Success is published for the first time in the world by Jaico Books. This book contains short write ups which will help you achieve your goals. As the blurb says, if you're truly ready to live your dreams, this book is your fuel.

The author's writing, as always, is simple and easy to understand. The examples he gives are easy to relate and inspiring. This book is not about making great acts, it is about doing simple things, which will inevitably total into a big picture. To quote a line from the book – The best way to get to your greatness is through small continuous steps – what I call the '1% wins.'

The author says, I'm not the someone who would every tell you that you could get to your dreams without having to make some sacrifices and pay the price in terms of dedication and self-control. Speaking of focus, he says 'The most successful human beings are wildly focused. They have a very clear picture of what it is they want to create by the time they reach the end of their lives and then they have the discipline (and courage) to stick to their mission, saying “no” to everything that is not the mission critical.'

Telling us to enjoy life, the author tell us that we take life too seriously. But at the end, the billionaire gets buried next to the street sweeper. We all end up as dust.

According to the author one of the primary traits of the world-class performers (in business and in life) is their ability to 'detach from the noise.' Each day, 'noise' such as little crises, minor interruptions and interesting distractions beg for our attention. To get to your own unique form of personal and professional greatness, it's important – no, essential – to detach from the noise and stay 'on vision.'

Imparting an important lesson, the author says, “the hours that ordinary people waste extraordinary people leverage.” Speaking of difficult times he says, 'The challenging pieces of our lives just might be when we are most alive. And, if you are awake to them, they always bring tiny miracles.'

Indeed this book hold tremendous potential to uplift your life. It will help you overcome your weaknesses, build your strenghths and live your ultimate dream.

Open-Eyed Meditations - Book Review

I had great expectations from Open-Eyed Meditations. I have been meditating for a long time and with a title like that I was eager to learn more meditation techniques. But in the initial pages itself I felt that I was cheated. The title is meant only to attract the audiences. The word meditation in the title is sure to attract many readers. What the writer has served us under this garb is left overs of footnotes in his Ramanyana- The Game of Life series. Yes the subtitle, of course in a smaller font says practical wisdom for everyday life. But I was so attracted by the words meditations that I read the subtitle only after I had finished the entire book.

Once you accept the fact that this book is not about meditations, you come in a mental state to appreciate the positives, which fortunately are more than one, of the book. In the authors own words ‘Open-eyed Meditations is a distillation of wisdom tips for modern live; a unique self-help book wherein each meditation takes you on a journey to the past, bringing a secret herb to heal a problem of the present.’ The writer draws stories and incidents from the epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana and imparts us moral lessons. The writer has succeeded in creating a buzz by selecting a catchy title ‘Open Eyed Meditations.’ He again does an excellent job in giving the chapter headings. So we have catchy headings like ‘Do Likes Make My Life’ ‘X Factor influencing Success’ ‘7 Secrets of Innovations’ and ‘*Conditions Apply – In Love.’

I really liked some of the ideas mentioned in the book. Let me enumerate a few. The author says many problems don’t need to be solved, they need to be just tolerated. This type of problem solving is called ‘Delayed Management.’ An intelligent problem solver is not a one who solves every problem, but one who knows which problems to solve and which to tolerate.

With people whom we love over relatively longer periods of time, it is important to remember that people seldom change, our perceptions do, based on steady expectations. The author says that we can choose any symbol in our life that will either act as an upgrader or a downgrader.

The author says that we will do good to remember that relationships don’t need us; it is we who need relationships. If there is any need we can be selfish about, it is this need.

While telling us how to deal with difficult people, the author says expecting people’s natures to change to suit ours is like expecting the lion to dwell peacefully in a city with a human. The best way to deal with those having contradictory nature is by maintaining respectful distances. When circumstances force you to deal with them, keep the interactions to minimum. The writer tells us an interesting fact that a human is an average of five people he is surrounded the most with. Speaking of anger management, the author says that anger is nothing but need not fulfilled. So to manage your anger look for the underlying need which is causing it.

Speaking of destiny he says that our life is like a novel, where some pages have already been written and the remaining pages get written depending on our present actions. I liked what the author has to say about forgiving. He says that forgiving is the sign of being concerned about the future and hatred is the sign of being stuck in the past. According to him most people assume others’ actions based on the data base of their bad experiences. Rather than assuming others innocent until proven guilty, we assume others guilty until proven innocent.

The writing is simple and easy to understand. The book does indeed contain some gems of wisdom. So except for the super deceptive title, this book makes a decent read.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

The Pursuit - Book Review

An Unsuitable Boy

Anik Par’s the Pursuit has an interesting premise. An unwed girl delivers a child. Her parents give it away. However they tell her that the child was still born. After three years she comes to know that her child was alive when born and given away by her parents. The Pursuit is the story of her search for the child.

In spite of such an interesting story, which had ample scope for emotional ups and downs, the plot fells flat. The climax, is hard to believe. Why would a trafficker in Mumbai extend help to the protagonist to find her missing child. Also the ease with which she locates the child, robs away the thrill in the story. The book is ridden with grammatical mistakes, especially tenses have gone wrong in many places.

Yet I congratulate the writer for coming up with such a novel plot for his book.

This book has been published by Leadstart Publishing.
 

White Clouds, Green Mountains - Book Review

Living in the hills was like living in the bosom of a strong, sometimes proud, but always comforting mother. When you have received love from people and the freedom that only mountains can give, then you have come very near the borders of Heaven. Ruskin bond says in the opening story Mother Hill in this collection called White Clouds, Green Mountains.

The following write ups Song of the Whistling Thrush, Visitors from the Forest and Monkey on the roof are about the birds, insects and animals who entered the author's room in Mussorie, where he wrote his stories on his typewriter. In Trees by my Window he speaks of the vegetation in the mountains.

Travels with my Bank Manager is about the travels in the forest with this colourful manager. This story with a tinge of humour brings back the banking era when there were no computers and the manager had to borrow the author's typewriter for bank audits. A Long Story shows how adults weave stories to entertain the children. In Binya Passes by the author in his own words look back on love of long ago.

Road to Badrinath is a travelogue which depicts the journey, faith and the people of the mountains very well. The story In Search of Sweet Peas is all about a school boy's innocence and adventure. The Wind on the Haunted Hill is about children who are lost in a haunted hill. The Night the Roof Blew Off shows the harsh life of people living amidst the beautiful mountains. The Last Truck Ride is about an old Truck driver who is in the habit of driving fast and what happens when a stray mule suddenly appears before him. In And Now We Are Twelve the author narrates his tryst with the legal system when he wrote a slightly risque story. He says he is not the most inventive of writers, and fantastical plots are beyond him. His forte is observation, recollection and reflection. The School among the Pines again depicts the hard life of children in the mountains who have to walk through the forests, which are inhabited by man-eaters.

Ruskin Bond never disappoints you. With his vivid descriptions of the mountains and interesting character sketches, he makes you feel good and this book is no exception to it. This book is actually a compilation of the author's earlier published works. Unfortunately like other books of Ruskin Bond recently published by Rupa, there are typographical mistakes in the book. If those are ignored, this is a nice collection.