A Second Spring : Novel Review
A Second Spring…brings new hope is the debut work of Sandhya Jane, who has been associated with the corporate world for about two decades, working for leading investment banks across continents.
Avantika, lovingly called Avi, is a single mom and a workaholic who’s often referred to as Monster boss by her sub-ordinates. She is successful, intelligent, witty, ferocious, passionate about work and a control freak. She socializes only for work and post that, rushes home to be with her young son.
She takes Rohan, a new employee with the bank she works in, under her wing as she sees potential in him and wants to give him a chance. Rohan is exact opposite of her and isn’t as passionate about work. He is careless, likes to enjoy life and take it easy instead of being absorbed in work all the time. Although Avi is irritated with his erratic behavior in the beginning, she doesn’t torment him because he manages to meet his deadlines and finish his work in time.
They spend a lot of time together at work, planning and preparing presentations, meeting new and prospective clients, finishing business and having fun. Slowly Rohan manages to tear down the facade of aloofness that Avantika carried around herself to ‘protect’ herself from pain and gets closer to her. Eventually they fall in love.
One fine day, Rohan vanishes from her life, leaving a note that his marriage was fixed by his parents and he couldn’t rebel against them. She immediately moves to States as she is surrounded by the memories of her love in Mumbai and she needed to get away. She finds solace in spiritualism and meditation. Eventually Rohan comes back to her.
What happened to Rohan’s marriage? Doesn’t Avantika find anybody in States? Does she forgive and accept Rohan back in her life? Read on to find out the answers to these questions.
The characterization in A Second Spring is perfect and the matters of love and life are ably dealt with in the novel. Control-freak facade and that aloofness to keep people away, so as to protect oneself against the pain experienced in the past and not wanting to going through it again. But that soft and caring demeanor and vulnerability beneath the facade that allows anyone who’s a little persistent to get closer and gives them the power to hurt.
About how it is in most middle-class families in India where people still don’t rebel against their parents’ choices and sacrifice their love when it comes to duty.
About how destiny plays a major role in who you end up with and if something is meant to be, it happens anyway, now or eventually.
Both know that what they are getting into is trouble and their struggles to stay away in the beginning are nicely portrayed. And how eventually love overcomes their resistance and brings them together only to be fallen apart by the curse of destiny.
How they get closer and how wrecked their lives become when they are drifted apart and how difficult it gets to cope up with the break up is also nicely portrayed.
How most loveless marriages turn out to be after a few years is also aptly shown and while many continue to stay in it for the sake of society and children, more and more people are getting divorced today in modern India.
Overall, A Second Spring makes up for a good read.
Connect with the author here : Sandhya Jane
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Hiccups : Novel Review
When I first saw the cover and the title, Hiccups, I believed it was just another love-story with some glitches/misunderstandings/fights in the relationship and how they overcome it. Am glad that I was wrong.
It is not just another love-story, but, as the caption says, it is A love story with a difference.
source : goodreads.com
My review:
Hiccups starts with a hospital scene where our protagonist stands outside the ICU room while his mother battles life and death. The intent of the author is clear in the very first page, he wants to make us cry.
He just passed the entrance examination for engineering but there’s no one to look after him. His father passed away while he was just 11-years old, his mother is in comatose state and he has no roof to take shelter under as he sells off their only home to meet the expenses of the medication and his education.
Understandably, the tragedy takes a toll on his life in more than one ways. He begins to lead an austere life and get’s so engrossed in studying hard that he has no time for his old friends or to make new ones in his college.
He participates in the quiz competitions that have cash as the prize money and tries to win as many as possible to help him with other expenses. Educational expenses are taken care of by the scholarships that he earns.
He manages his life on frugal expenses, forgets about the terms “enjoyment” or “celebration” and never socializes with anyone except his lecturers. Nobody has ever seen him even for 5 minutes in the premises after the college-hours. Quite understandably, his classmates consider him aloof, arrogant and selfish.
Then we are introduced to the female protagonist and we know that author has more intentions than just making us cry.
She’s beautiful, hot, intelligent, full of zest and wants to enjoy each and every moment of her college-life as she knows that these 4 years are the last years of her independence. After which, she would be trapped in a jail of corporate world and later marriage. Although, she doesn’t have an inclination to study much, she manages to get top grades in the examinations.
Predictably, these two meet and their lives are changed forever.
She is the one that every boy of the class wants to talk to, but nobody manages to muster up enough courage.
He is someone who’s so detached and aloof that nobody knows anybody about him and nobody bothers to know either. Except her.
They both become friends much to the shock of all their classmates.
And, now we realize that the author also intends to make us laugh, feel and fall in love.
If you have grown-up reading romantic novels or Bollywood movies, you would already know that they are destined to fall in love.
The rest of the story is about their journey of love.
How the friendship blossoms, how some misunderstanding and a couple of goof-ups almost breaks their friendship, how one birthday party changes it all and how they become thick friends again.
Whether his mother makes it or stays in coma? How do they fall in love? What troubles do they face in the love-life? Whether her parents agree for their marriage? Answers to these and few more questions forms the rest of the story.
The best part of the novel, although quite hard to pick just one, is the “Fastermind Quiz Competition” where they first talk as they become the team that is to represent their college.
We know it is fiction and we know that they would win the competition anyway, yet the author has penned the whole affair, which constitutes a considerable part of the 1st half, in such a way that you get goosebumps out of anxiety. Especially, the penultimate round where it is next to impossible to get a lead, because of the her goofing-up, he fights back and strongly so. The difficulty levels are so hard and when he answers question after question, you admire him with respect and almost give him a standing ovation with whistles, along with the audience.
The next amazing aspect of the novel is the humor. We discover the quirky side of him as he shows his wit and sense of humor when he loosens up a bit and opens up to her after much persuasion, which is so funny and makes you laugh.
Their occasional sarcasm, their funny conversations, their antics, and some situations actually make you laugh so loud that your parents/siblings might consider you mad.
The next amazing aspect is romance. Reading the novel makes you want to fall in love. For real. The sweet and mushy conversations, the passion, the feelings, the setting, everything is just so romantic. Also, the physical activity surrounding the romance is also so aesthetic and not put in just for titillation unlike many other Indian romance novels.
The poems that feature now and then in the novel also deserve a special mention. Boy, not do they just rhyme, they also move you.
There is lots of maturity in the characters of the novel. They have their own set of ideologies and philosophies.
He philosophizes so often and gives his gyaan on various topics. From professors’ attitude to being courageous to not letting few minor setbacks affect our attitude towards life to Bollywood to music to love to life.
She has her opinions on the freedom/independence of college life, on how fake and mechanical the corporate life seemed. She is a strong-headed woman and is willing to go that extra-mile for her love and gives ample support to him even without his asking.
His mom and her dad’s thinking and ideology are so strong and acceptable too.
For instance, his mom says, “We are not here to question God or our Destiny on all the hardships/troubles we face. We should simply face them, move on and live our lives. Life is all about finding out what happens next.”
Her dad says, “I know she loves you, but I don’t think that you both can lead a happy life together and this is why I think so…” and her dad lists out all the points for which he has no answer or a valid point to counter.
On the flipside, sometimes, the gyaan seems unnecessary or it seems that it should have been cut down a little.
Although, Hinglish in novels is totally acceptable in India, sometimes it seems artificial or over-done.
A “your-you’re” error in a novel is just inexcusable. There are also few more grammatical and typing errors which could’ve been avoided with some proof-reading.
On the whole, a wonderful read. It makes you cry, laugh, smile, feel, root, love, learn and enjoy. A must-read.
Know more about the author – Harsh Pande
Book published by Jaico Books.
Book is available on Amazon.
P.S : Oh, I didn’t give you the names of protagonists itself. They are a team and the name is “The Nameless Victors.”
The author doesn’t give them a name.
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Silver Is For Secrets : Novel Review
Silver Is For Secrets is the third novel in the Jacob-Stacey series, comprising of 5 books, by Laurie Faria Stolarz. (It is not titled as Jacob-Stacey series by the author.)
source: jaicobooks.com
My review:
The group of friends, Stacey, Drea, Amber and Jacob, Chad, PJ are at a cottage for their holiday before heading to college. Although, Stacey expected a quiet summer and a sweet “us” time with Jacob, but her premonitions return to haunt her and leave her nose-bleeding every time. Stacey dreams of blood dripping through Clara’s dead body and she hears someone telling her, “Don’t tell anyone” and “I will make you pay” but she finds nobody when she turns around.
Stacey dreams of a certain girl named Clara being in danger and that she is about to die. Stacey searches for Clara and finds out that she is there for a holiday too with her parents and that someone has been stalking her. Clara is a neatness freak but she finds her things misplaced, although she remembers putting them in their place just that morning. There are warnings, graffiti-threatening, weird things landing up at her door and windows with weirder notes. So, Clara keeps close to the group for her own safety.
Unfortunately, Clara is a trouble-monger. She is hated instantly wherever she goes. She creates troubles between Chad and Drea and also PJ screws up his chances with Amber because of Clara. Clara has this big flirting-fetish and she ends up causing problems in many relationships. Although, Stacey and Jacob are safe from Clara because their bonding is stronger, but the secrets that Jacob seems to be maintaining of-late and the way he gets distant, it does cause some troubles and doubts in her mind. She longs for his support, for his presence around her, for his assurance and for his hands around her.
Although, everyone hates Clara, including Stacey, she has to save her. She doesn’t want to have to bear the guilt of having someone’s death on her conscience. Yet again.
So, who is stalking Clara? Why is he/she stalking her? Or, is someone actually stalking her? Does Stacey manage to save Clara or does she pass away? What causes Jacob go farther from Stacey? Why doesn’t he support Stacey when she needs him the most? Answers to all these questions forms the crux of the story. Needless to say, the crux is too predictable, clichéd and expected.
This is the book three of the series, yet you don’t necessarily have to read the previous works to understand the plot.
The writing is simple with vivid characterization that you instantly connect with all of them. Much importance is given to the detailing and surroundings are vividly explained in each and every situation.
Also, many words that are used in the novel would instantly connect with the young-adults. Although, I’m surprised the author has never used the F-word whereas 18-years old today can’t seem to live without it. 😛
They are all 18-years old and they act like that, thinking about drinks, food, girls/boys, tan, chilling-out and having-fun all the time.
Drea and Amber are for the laughs and they provide ample amounts of those. Okay, not laughs really, but some chuckles for sure. Chad and PJ are there to accompany the girls and have fun. Stacey and Jacob are the matured ones among the lot.
On the downside though, there are many loopholes and threads that are either not connected properly or not explained.
It’s hard to imagine a 14-years old kid (something that happens in book 2, I guess) falling so madly in love that the kid seeks revenge when it’s taken away.
It’s hard to imagine that a 15-years old kid can be capable of plotting such schemes and harming self.
Why does Stacey go wrong with her premonitions this time around when she got them right previously?
How does the criminal know about Stacey’s premonitions without her telling them to anyone?
May be, the answer is, “It is fiction.”
Also, the novel seems rather long. As a reader, you tend to get restless, impatient and frustrated because you are (along with the characters) kept in dark until the end.
Every-time something happens, like she is upset, or stressed, or depressed, or angry, or hurt, Stacey mixes some potion and casts a spell. Gets annoying after a bit.
Also, you expect Stacey to go to bed all the time. Ironically, the only action that you expect later is that she dreams and not you-know-what!
And, the sad ending does it in a bit too. I do hope that Jacob returns in the consequent books.
The target audience, the young adults, will surely enjoy and find it an entertaining novel.
Damn, I am getting older!
P.S : In spite of myself, I would still love to read the remaining parts of the series to know the characters better and to know what happens next!
Connect with the author here – Laurie Faria Stolarz
Published by – Jaico Books
Book is available on Amazon.
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Wise Enough To Be Foolish : Novel Review
Wise Enough To Be Foolish is penned by the first-time author Gauri Jayaram, who is a multi-talented mother dabbling into various things like athletics, sports, travelling, entrepreneurship yet not satisfied and always wanting more.
source : wiseenoughtobefoolish.com
My Review:
First, it was Madhuri Banerjee, whose (female) protagonists defied the traditions and lived on their own to follow their dreams and had varied men as partners at various stages of their lives and now it is Gauri Jayaram.
As self-confessed by the author, this book is a fictionalised version of her own life. This biography is more of a monologue where it seems like she’s directly talking to us, readers, and telling us her story right from the beginning, the day that she was born.
This is the story of Gauri (although her parents had first named her Aprajit), the second of the three siblings in a fauji household . Born in 1972, she had already traveled to various cities in India by the time she was 15, thanks to the frequent transfer orders that her father received. This also gave rise to a nomad in her who wanted to explore the world and travel to various parts of the world. As we would later learn in the story, travelling healed her.
She talks to us about almost everything as she grow old. The sibling rivalry, the feeling of being ignored by the parents, the discrimination of the parents towards her brother just because he was a boy, that feeling of helplessness because of the restrictions of the parents, the tantrums to attract attention, the troubles at the school, the feeling of wanting to run away and about her classmates at school. She talks about the Army quarters and the Army community, the Punjabi mentality in general in her parents, the hypocrisy and all. She also talks about the the first crushes, the puppy loves, the peer pressure and her encounter with the word sex and all.
Later, she finishes high school and fate brings her to Bombay (as it was called then and as she likes it to be called with no offence to any political party) although she wanted to go to Delhi. Gauri settles down in a hostel and is more than happy to be out of the cage that she was living in and enjoys the independence that the hostel life brings.
She makes 3 best friends in the hostel and soon she evolves from a troublesome kid to an aspiring, fierce, independent and matured woman who wants to travel the world. She also has various encounters with guys from different religions and learns about many new terms like “kissing friends” and “fu*k buddies” for the first time.
The rest of the story is about her professional life, about various relationships (both professional and personal) she gets into, about the hardships she faces in living on her own, about her strained relationships with her parents, about her life in general and the types (and number) of men she encounters in her journey of life.
Her life, in short, has been a roller-coaster ride. She has dabbled into various jobs. She has worked in various creative fields. She has never had it easy and has always fought the hard way to achieve what she wanted and over the period of time, she has also evolved as a person.
Quoting a statement from the novel on the attitude of her mother, “She (mother) wanted us to have the freedom she had never had but she didn’t want to accept the consequences. She expected we would eventually settle down with boys of her choice. It was a bit hypocritical, I think, but then that’s so totally Punjabi too!”
She had had them all, (the then) taboo situations like live-in relationships, love-marriages, inter-caste marriages, divorce in her life. She had faced enough opposition from her own family and at the same time, she had also earned acceptance and encouragement from friends and strangers.
She raises some valid questions every now and then, making us ponder, with her arguments. The narrative is filled with humor and a bit of sarcasm, making it a fun and riveting read. Many life experiences are included as anecdotes which we can instantly relate to. She also gets a bit spiritual and philosphical along the way.
It’s a must-read for all women and men alike. It’s inspiring in bits and takes us through the psyche of Gauri and we begin to like her more and more as we keep growing with her. We often get a feel, “Wish, my life was like that..” while reading the novel. And it’s a novel, which justifies it’s title as we near the climax.
These are some of the lessons that Gauri teaches us through the novel.
- No pain, no gain.
- Sometimes, you just got to have faith in Him.
- You should do something only because you want to do it. Not because someone else wants you to do it. Even if that someone else are your parents.
- It is always an advantage to have an evil side to you.
- Sometimes, it is wise enough to be foolish.
A hard-hitting and a wonderful read. Not to be missed.
Published by Jaico Books
Book is available on Amazon.
Musings of Jigar 