Book Review: Perfect Love (5.5 Ways to a lasting relationship)

Book: Perfect Love 

Author: Shubha Vilas

Publisher: Westland Books

Genre: Non-Fiction | Self-Help

Pages: 203

Price: 350 INR

Blurb:

Happily ever afters are easier said than done. How do we choose the right partner, and how do we sustain that relationship so it lasts a lifetime?

Spiritual life coach Shubha Vilas tells you how, with the help of six beautiful love stories from the scriptures. Nala and Damayanti, Krishna and Rukmini, Shakuntala and Dushyanta, Udayana and Vasavadatta, Satyavan and Savitri, Draupadi and the five Pandava brothers—these are accounts we may have heard many a time but have not had an opportunity to understand in such depth and detail, and with such empathy.

But why 5.5 ways and not 6? Because the sixth way is a half-truth, which can be twisted either way.

Combining powerful story-telling with deep philosophical truths, Perfect Love is a treasure trove of scriptural wisdom for the modern age.

An enriching and personal guide for having healthy relationships

"Perfect Love" by Shubha Vilas is a book that has plenty to offer its readers. It does not only teach how to have a long lasting relationship with your partner but makes you feel good about the world that you live in. In this digital world, we often feel that maintaining relationships have become tougher, but reading this book will change your perspective. 

Through 6 classic Vedic stories, the author has imparted his knowledge in maintaining relationships. In Nala and Damyanti's story, the author has shown the importance of forgiveness in a relationship. He says that tolerate first and then forgive. Mistakes are committed by human beings. Even a person with the best qualities can commit an unbelievable mistake. If the relationship is important, you must learn to forgive. 

"Forgiveness comes between bitterness and betterness.

The ability to forgive a mistake is always greater than the rigidity to hold a grudge." ~Page 29

The second story is about Krishna and Rukmini. It is one of my favorite stories in this collection. I loved the way the author has narrated this story. It was a treat to read Rukmini's letter to Krishna. Through this story, the author shows the importance of expressing your love. When a person uses the right words to express his or her love, it strengthens the relationship. 

"Words play with the ball of emotions in the playground of our hearts in the game of love. Choose words well to win the game of love." ~ Page 56

The third story is about Dushyant and Shakuntala, where the importance of trusting your partner is shown. In the story of Udayana and Vasavadatta, the author has shown that good times in a relationship help tide over bad times. Therefore, it is extremely important to spend quality time with your partner. 

"To align with one another, two people need to have deep, meaningful, soul-searching conversations." ~Page 135

The fifth story is about Satyavan and Savitri. It is my another favorite story in this collection. Through Savitri, the author has shown the importance of determination to stay together in a relationship. 

"Do not underestimate the role of determination in a relationship. Ordinary relationships transform into extraordinary bonds when ordinary people show extraordinary determination." ~Page 148

The sixth story is about Draupadi and the Pandavas. Just like Satyabhama, I also wondered how Draupadi had a peaceful married life, despite having five husbands. This story shows that positive conditions can help a relationship blossom, whereas negative conditions can make a relationship wither away with time. 

"Positive conditions are like a rainbow that unites the rainbow with the sun. Negative conditions are like lightning that divides even the sky." ~ Page 190

"Perfect Love" is a book that will enlighten you, one story at a time. All the six stories have thrill and adventure, apart from romance. The book is embellished with plenty of beautiful and enriching quotes. The writing is refined and the editing is perfect. I am going with 4.5 and would love to recommend this book to everyone as it is filled with wisdom. 

I got a review copy from the author for an honest review. The opinions are my own.

Book Spotlight: Love Sutra: Secret to Happily Ever After by Urvashi Pahwa

Urvashi Pahwa's debut book "Love Sutra: Secret to Happily Ever After" uncovers the secrets of happily ever after through a couple of interesting short stories. 

About the Book

What happens AFTER falling in love? Is there a happily ever after or love fades away?
It is hard to find love but even harder to keep it strong. Sometimes, little things that we overlook matter a lot. 
Through a series of short stories, uncover the secrets of happily ever after. Take a ride into the lives of these five couples and explore how easy it is to keep dating forever.
•Casanova's Lover - A girl falls for a Casanova. Her heart was bound to be broken but will she ever find love again?
•The Rich Wife - She can buy whatever she likes, but all she needs is time from her husband. Is it her fault or her husband's? 
• Love Birds - Young hearts meet in college and start living together but more they get to know each other, more they start fighting on silly things. And then they found a way to solve this forever. 
•Miss Belligerent - Her husband was an entrepreneur. As a few challenges popped up, she clutched her claws on him, making his life miserable. How would he escape the situation?
•Mr. Always Right - He considered himself superior to his wife, and did not value her opinions, crushing her self - respect. Will she ever stand up for herself or will she keep enduring it?

Grab your copy of the eBook HERE

If you enjoy reading books on love and relationships, you might like it. The review of the book will be posted on the blog soon. 

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Book Review: The Tree with a Thousand Apples

Book: The Tree with a thousand apples

Author: Sanchit Gupta

Publisher: Niyogi Books

Pages: 283

Price: 350 INR
Genre: Fiction | Thriller

Blurb:

Inspired by true events, this riveting narrative traces the lives of Safeena Malik, Deewan Bhat and Bilal Ahanagar, three childhood friends who grow up in an atmosphere of peace and amity in Srinagar, Kashmir, until the night of 20 January 1990 changes it all. 

While Deewan is forced to flee from his home, Safeena’s mother becomes ‘collateral damage’ and Bilal has to embrace a wretched life of poverty and fear. The place they called paradise becomes a battleground and their friendship struggles when fate forces them to choose sides against their will. 

Twenty years later destiny brings them to a crossroads again, when they no longer know what is right and what is wrong. While both compassion and injustice have the power to transform lives, will the three friends now choose to become sinful criminals or pacifist saints?The Tree with a Thousand Apples is a universal story of cultures, belongingness, revenge and atonement. The stylized layered format, fast-paced narration and suspenseful storytelling makes for a powerful, gripping read

My Rating:

Plot: 4.75/5

Writing Style: 4/5

Character Sketch: 4.5/5

My Review:

There are some books that drown you so deep within them that you feel you can see the characters in front of you. You feel you are a part of their life. You start empathizing with the characters and root for them to emerge victorious in the end. When I finished reading "The Tree with a thousand apples", I sat like a statue for about fifteen minutes, lost in thoughts. My mood was sombre as I thought about Bilal, Safeena and Deewan. It took me an hour to collect myself and write this review. 

The strongest love and friendship is the one that sacrifices with a peaceful smile. This book is a heart-wrenching and beautiful tale of friendship amidst a battlefield called Kashmir. Deewan, Safeena and Bilal are childhood friends, living in the beautiful city of Srinagar. They love each other so much that they won't even think twice before taking the blame for someone else's mistake. They can bear anything to save each other. As Bilal says "For us, Deewan Bhai, whatever it takes."

As the peaceful city of Srinagar converts into a ruthless battlefield where Muslims and Hindus start killing each other without any mercy, the lives of the three friends change drastically. On one fateful night, Deewan had to flee from Srinagar with his family. He doesn't get a chance to bid adieu to Bilal. 

Deewan loses his brother and later his mother that night. His arm gets amputated. Safeena loses her mother while her father tries to save Deewan's family. Bilal watches his sister molested and killed by the officers in the name of inquiry. One thing common with the three friends is that all of them loses their dear ones. All of them suffers at the hands of fate. While Deewan and Safeena do not think of revenge, Bilal avenges his sister's death. 

Many, many years later, Deewan gets an email from Bilal, pleading to save Safeena from walking in the wrong path and becoming another Bilal. Deewan returns back to his hometown after twenty years to save Safeena.

But how far does he succeed? What happens to the lives of the three friends? Who is the ultimate hero? Whose friendship and love is the purest of all? 

As you will complete the book, you will get all the answers. The quote with which the author starts the book "If the criminal was once a saint and a saint was once a criminal, then who is the criminal and who is the saint?" was ringing in my mind when I finished reading the book. 

The author has painted Kashmir beautifully in the book by mentioning about Kashmiri culture and Kashmiri cuisine. He has shown how the paradise turned into a battlefield suddenly, robbing the innocence of three kids and putting their friendship to test. The apple tree in the backyard of Deewan's house stands as a metaphor of their friendship. 

The narration of the book is mostly fast-paced. Only at few places, I found the pace dropping a little. There are a few typos in the book, but they can be overlooked because of the gripping plot. All the characters are beautifully sketched. The characters have a lot of depth and intensity. The ending is something that will stay with the readers after closing the book. Full points to the author for the heartwrenching ending!

I will go with 4.5 and would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good read. You won't be disappointed for sure!

'I received a copy from Writersmelon in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.'

Posto Movie Review

Last weekend, I went to watch a Bengali film called “Posto” with my Dad. The reason for watching the movie is that Posto is directed by the same director duo, Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy, who had enthralled me in the last two years with movies like ‘Bela Seshe’ and ‘Praktan’.

This director duo surely knows how to tell a story that is emotional and relatable. The subjects that they deal with in their movies are something that will linger in your mind long after you have left the theatres. While Bela Seshe (In the Autumn of my Life) was an emotional re-discovery of the institution of marriage, Praktan (Former) was about a separated married couple who bumped into each other years after, on a train journey from Mumbai to Kolkata.

Their latest offering, Posto is about a seven-year old boy, Posto who lives with his grandparents in Shantiniketan. His parents, Arnab and Sushmita are ambitious, working individuals living in Kolkata who have no time to look after Posto. Therefore, they have left Posto with his grandparents in Shantiniketan. Posto’s grandparents Dinen and Gauri cannot think of their life without Posto. In the same way, Posto is also very much attached to his grandparents.

Life is rosy with Posto’s parents visiting him on the weekends and his grandparents raising him. Things become chaotic when Arnab gets a lucrative business offer in the UK. He plans to relocate to the UK with his wife and son. But Posto’s grandparents are not willing to let go of Posto whom they had raised like their own child since Posto was a baby. Seeing no other way out, Posto’s grandfather decides to fight against his own son to gain the custody of Posto. The matter drags to the court where a heart-wrenching tale of attachment and love unfolds.

Dale Carnegie had said long back “When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion.” We human beings get attached to the ones with whom we spend a lot of time and who love us unconditionally. This is the reason why Posto calls his grandmother ‘Ma’ whereas his mother ‘Mammam”. As Posto is raised by his grandparents, he is attached to them much more than his parents. 

His biological parents think that they have every right to take Posto with them wherever they want, without realizing that Posto hardly knows his parents beyond the weekend meetings. His life revolves around his grandparents, the same way his grandparents’ lives revolve around him. The lawyer fighting the case asks a pertinent question to the judge which is so relevant:

Who is the actual guardian? The biological parents or the caregiver parents? Devaki or Yashoda?

Giving birth to a child is not enough. Raising the child to be a wonderful human being is the true duty of every parent. And in this movie, that duty is done by Posto’s grandparents. Despite their age and physical ailments, they spend all their time looking after Posto, giving him the right education and teaching him the values of life. 

This movie is extremely relevant in today’s times as many parents due to their busy schedule cannot spend ample amount of time with their children. The movie also shows the role that grandparents play in the life of their grandchildren. The first half of the movie is good, but the second half takes the audience on an emotional ride when the matter gets dragged to court. Some of the scenes made me so emotional that tears started rolling down my eyes.

Since the backdrop of the movie is Shantiniketan, Tagore songs are a huge element of the movie that beautifies it effortlessly. Soumitra Chatterjee as Dinen Lahiri is fabulous in the movie. Special mention to the child actor, Arghya Basu Roy for making the character of Posto so lovable. Performances by Jisshu Sengupta, Paran Bandopadhyay, Lily Chakraborty and Mimi Chakraborty are also praiseworthy.

Posto is a beautiful Bengali film that will be loved by the Bengali audience as it has Tagore songs, authentic emotions and a great theme. I would recommend Posto to everyone who loves watching a good movie. This is a slice of life movie with the perfect backdrop and brilliant performances. I am going with 4.5 stars. 

Book Review: Someone to Love

Book: Someone to Love

Author: Ruchita Misra

Publisher: Harlequin India

Pages: 237

Price: 175 INR

Blurb:

Not everyone is lucky enough to find this kind of love. Koyal and Atharv are childhood friends. They are also soulmates. Confidantes. Kindred spirits. They are made for each other only, neither of them seems to have figured it out just yet. As they grow into adulthood, they turn to each other in sorrow and joy, only becoming closer. But then one day, something happens, and their rare friendship is cruelly transformed into something a lot like hatred. Atharv, scarred and hurt, fumes with anger, while impetuous Koyal presses the self-destruct button. 

Years later, just when they've both found peace within themselves, their paths cross again. And destiny, that strange creature, has a few tricks up her sleeve. Will these two ever forgive each other? Or have they already lost their one chance to find someone to love?

My Rating:

Plot: 3.5/5

Writing Style: 4/5

Character Sketch: 4.5/5

My Review:

"Someone to love" is a beautiful love story of childhood best friends, Atharv and Koyal separated by destiny to meet again. I loved the way the author had sketched these two characters. Koyal is hyper. Atharv is calm. Koyal is extremely emotional and unable to control her emotions. Atharv is emotionally stable. She is self-destructive when hurt. He is distant when hurt. Since childhood, Atharv keeps Koyal calm and stable. They are like yin and yang. Without one, another is lost. 

They have a soul connection and can understand each other's silence. Even when both of them don't have an idea about each other's whereabouts, the soul connection is still there. They can communicate through telepathy and know if the other person is going through a difficult time. The way the author had depicted the beautiful and complicated relationship between Atharv and Koyal is indeed praiseworthy. 

The story constantly oscillates between the past and the present and that keeps the story interesting and unpredictable. The beautiful friendship between Atharv and Koyal breaks when Koyal decides to go away from his life. Atharv gets hurt when Koyal cuts off the friendship suddenly without any explanations, leaving only questions and hatred between them. They move on with each other's lives and finally meet after more than a decade in London with questions and resentments. 

The author cleverly camouflaged the reason behind Koyal's decision, dropping subtle hints at certain places. It was only in the last few pages of the novel that she reveals the reason why Koyal walked out of Atharv's life and all the dots finally get connected. The prologue of the book is very intriguing.

After a long time, I read a romance novel that I enjoyed reading so much. I was totally invested in these two characters, Atharv and Koyal. I also loved the character of Koyal's mom, Atharv's mom, Mansha and Hema. Although the plot was not very unique, the writing was fresh and intense. Here are some of the lines of the book that have stayed with me:

"Sometimes, even if we forget our friends, our soul does not."

"Love sets free, love empowers, love liberates, love exhilarates. Madness destroys. Possessiveness destroys. Hatred destroys."

"The language best friends use to communicate is facial expressions. And sometimes, though words mean one thing, the expressions tell the truth." 

"Nothing, she realized in that moment, ever separates a child from her mother. Not even death."

"Letting go of someone you love is hard, but holding on to something that was never meant to be yours is harder. Hating anyone is hard, but fighting with yourself to keep on hating a person you hate to hate is exhausting."

There are various scenes of the book that made me emotional. If you are a romantic person and if you believe in soulmates, you will absolutely love reading this book and may require a few tissues while reading it. Those who do not like romantic novels may find some of the scenes cliched and a bit over the top. 

I would give it a 4 stars and recommend it to all the romantic souls. Now that Valentine's Day is just around the corner, this book can be your perfect read. 

'I received a copy from Writersmelon in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.'