Book Review: A Walk in the Rain

Book: A Walk in the Rain

Author: Udai Yadla

Publisher: Revelation House

Price: 190 INR

Pages: 326

Blurb: Love is elixir that keeps you alive. Love is poison that kills you. Unreciprocated love keeps you alive but kills every day.
Heartbroken Sunny lives a reclusive life, trapped in the past, living in his memories. He has no complaints about his life but refuses to embrace the present.
Saloni is a prostitute who is desperate to earn money by any means. She does not care about exploiting others to fulfill her purpose.
Fate unites the loner and the prostitute to embark on a life changing journey of retribution and self discovery.

Lovelorn Sunny turns misogynistic after Sandy, the only girl he loved walks away from his life, unannounced. He suffers painful solitude for almost two decades with the relentless haunting of her thoughts. A distressed friend Imran, vows to change his life forever. A surprise planned for his birthday turns into a tragedy that claims the life of his dear friend, triggering a series of unbelievable events. As Imran gets killed by a stranger, Sunny's calm life suddenly turns into a turbulent storm. With nothing left to live for, vengeance becomes his ultimate mission. His reluctant alliance with a prostitute to trace the killer sets him onto a nerve racking adventure of life and death.

Both are bound to a common goal with different motives but destiny has its own motive. A walk in the rain is an intricate tale of intense emotions, driven by hair raising twists and turns.

 

My Rating: 3.5/5

 

My Review:

 

I loved the prologue of the book. It ensured me that I am in for a great reading experience and I am in no way, disappointed.

There are two primary characters in the book. The first character is Sunny who is a lovelorn and lonely person after his childhood sweetheart, Sandy left his life unannounced. Even after two decades, he couldn't get over the girl he loved in his childhood. The other important character is Saloni, a prostitute who has been a victim of malicious fate. 

When their roads cross in an uncanny circumstance, both of them don't realize that they are getting entwined more and more in each others lives. Although they hate each other, but they could feel a deep sense of familiarity with every passing minute. Sunny wants to seek revenge for his best friend, Imran's death and Saloni is the only one who could help Sunny in finding his prey. In return, she demands a huge sum of money. Sunny loathes her nature for the sheer greed she exhibits.

Will the hatred on the surface and a deep sense of familiarty within give way to some unbelievable revelation? What is that thread which is binding Sunny and Saloni everytime, irrespective of their wants or whims?

You have to read the book to find it out.

 

There are some extremely heart touching moments in the book, which would make your eyes clammy if you are an emotional person. The childhood love and friendship between Sunny and Sandy is something that will stay with you even after you finish the book. There are also some incredible twists and turns that makes this book an absolute page turner.

The only downside of the book is that some places in the book are overly exaggerated which makes you want to skip a few pages. If the book would have been a little more compact, it would have been nearly flawless. However, it's a commendable job by a debut author. I would definitely like to read more from him.

These thought provoking words that Sandy told to Sunny touched my heart:

It's beyond your consciousness that your soul lingers with the person you love and hence your mood will affect the one you love. This is the reason why you sometimes sense your mood changing mysteriously with no reason.

 

Recommended to all who loves to read romance with a little thrill and adventure.

 

You can buy the book here 

 

 

Book Review: Shattered Dreams (Ramayana: The Game of Life #2)

Book: Shattered Dreams (Ramayana: The Game of Life #2)

Author: Shubha Vilas

Publisher: Jaico

Price: 350 INR

Pages: 387

Genre: Religion and Philosophy/ Self-help

Blurb: Shattered Dreams is the sequel to the national bestseller, Rise of the Sun Prince, in the new spiritual and motivational series Ramayana - The Game of Life. Twelve joyful years have passed in Ayodhya since the wedding of Rama and Sita at the end of Book 1.

Now, in Shattered Dreams, Shubha Vilas narrates the riveting drama of Rama’s exile. Through tales of Rama’s unwavering and enigmatic persona, the book teaches us how to handle reversals positively; through Bharata’s actions, it teaches us to handle temptation; and through Sita’s courage, to explore beyond our comfort zone. This complicated family drama provides deep insights on how human relationships work and how they fail.

With Valmiki’s Ramayana as its guiding light, Shattered Dreams deftly entwines poetic beauty from the Kamba Ramayana and Ramacharitramanas, as well as folk philosophy from the Loka Pramana tales, to demonstrate how the ancient epic holds immediate relevance to modern life. Experience the ancient saga of the Ramayana like never before.

My Rating: 4.5/5

My Review: 

Shattered Dreams is the second book in the spiritual and motivational series, Ramayana. This book starts from the juncture when Dasaratha decides to coronate Rama and ends at the point where Rama, Lakshmana and Sita head towards Dandakaranya after spending the first year of their exile in the mighty Chitrakoot mountain.

Despite knowing the story of Ramayana by heart, what hooked me to the book is its beautiful and lucid narration. The dialogues are exceptionally beautiful. Some scenes are so beautifully described that it fills you up with reverence and wonder. The scene where Bharata pleads Rama to go back to the kingdom of Ayodhya touched the innermost chords of my heart. The dialogues that were exchanged between the righteous Rama and the faithful Bharata would not fail to mesmerize the readers. I have always admired the character of Bharata in Ramayana and this book further enhanced my admiration. As told by a Guha, a friend of Rama to Bharata in the book : 

"Blessed are you, Bharata! You are one in a million! In fact, you are the only one. No one can be like you. What Rama did is not as big as what you plan to do. He abandoned the kingdom because he was asked to do so. In order to remain an obedient son to His father and stay compliant with the rules of Dharma, he took to a life of austerities. It is easy to forsake tasty food taken off your plate, but it is extremely difficult to resist the temptation of something that is available within your legal reach"

The emotional turmoil faced by each character was desribed aptly. The words that Rama said to Bharata when he compelled him to return to Ayodhya will provoke the readers to think deeper:

"Human beings are pawns at the hands of higher powers. My forest life, too is destined by Higher powers, Daiva (the hands of God). As far as death of our Father is concerned, it is the act of Time, kala kritha. When destiny and time are not in Our hands, what purpose does blaming anyone serve? People are just instruments of destiny and time."

The beautiful bond between Rama and Sita is definitely one of the best things in this book. The delicate moments, dialogues and emotions shared between the couple don't fail to amaze the readers. Similarly, Lakshmana's devotion towards Rama is perfectly depicted in the book. There is a chapter in the book which shows the egoistic nature of Ravana. The antagonist of the epic will be playing a significant role in the next book of the series, so the introduction of Ravana was rightly done in this book. 

Throughout the book, there are several mythological stories sprinkled on it that makes it more interesting to read especially the stories about Anasuya Devi. The book ends with Rama, Sita and Lakhsmana leaving the hut of Atri muni and Anayasuya Devi. Anasuya gives a subtle warning to Sita about her fate. 

What makes this book a beautiful self-help book is the footnotes in each page which contains beautiful nuggets of wisdom. I can surely go back to this book again and again for the wisdom it contains. 

Highly recommended to people who love to read books on mythology, philosophy and spirituality.

You can buy the book from here

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

Book Review: Wisdom of the White Mountain

Book: Wisdom of the White Mountain

Author: Kandathil Sebastian

Publisher: Leadstart Publishing

Price: 145 INR

Pages: 183

Genre: Fiction/ Self-discovery

Blurb: Some powerful men-including performers of black magic, underworld gangsters, sleuths, extremist zealots, and sellers of spirituality-chased a powerless, low caste man from a Kerala village through Mumbai, Karachi and Delhi till he finally escaped into the mountain ranges of Himalayas. All of them wanted to capture this man alive and keep him with them! 

However, none of these men could catch and keep this elusive man, as he always found his way to freedom. In the process of working out his escapes this man also unearthed some important mysteries of human life! Why did some powerful men continuously chase a low caste man? How did the man always find his way to freedom? What are the riddles he solved while he was trying to escape from his captors?

 Wisdom of the White Mountain is a suspenseful and adventurous story told in the cultural, spiritual and philosophical context of the South Asia. It is also about Karma, Kama and Jihad! It ultimately unravels greed and selfishness of powerful men who mix religion and politics to manipulate common people for advancing personal interests. 

My Rating: 4/5

My Review: 

There are some books that compel you to go on a journey with the protagonist and experience every victory and defeat of the protagonist deeply. You embark on an adventure with the protagonist and your mind constantly wanders with him even when you are taking breaks during reading the book. One such book is "Wisdom of the White Mountain". When the protagonist finally found freedom, I literally could taste that feeling of liberation.

The story begins with Thomas who is a low caste boy, always abandoned by people in his village and used by the powerful people for their own benefits. Being born to a schizophrenic mother and considered as an illegitimate child, his childhood was full of difficulties and drudgeries. He never received love or respect from anyone and he could realize at every juncture of his life that he was not a free man. He was captivated and enslaved for a lifetime.

His belief intensified when the rich Shivaraman Nair who was his real father tried to use him as an offering for the Tantric Puja. When he managed to escape there with his best friend Balu, he was captivated by a local goon. His journey continued from one bondage to another with several masters trying to use him as per their requirements. Though he was a Christian, he was converted to Muslim and later he was trained to be a mujahidin in Karachi to sacrifice his life in the Republic Day parade in Delhi. Despite plenty of masters trying to use and captivate him, he managed to escape every single time. Despite not being a free man and being totally powerless, a higher Power always guided him.

That Higher Power took him to The Himalayas where he gained the true wisdom of life. He understood the riddles and mysteries of life there. He became a saint and then a Godman when a Swamiji was highly impressed by his profound understanding for life. However, even after becoming a Godman, he found that he was being enslaved again.

The protagonist lived plenty of lives with plenty of names and embarked on countless journeys but he got the real freedom when he dared to walk the journey that he chose, not the journeys that other people chose for him. 

In the words of the protagonist: "To be myself in a world which constantly tried to make me something else is indeed my greatest achievement."

"Wisdom of the White Mountain" is a beautiful journey to freedom, to self-discovery and to hear that inner calling that beckons us constantly. The narration is beautifully embellished with excellent language and smooth flow. The author has done a commendable job in his second book.

Recommended to people who likes to read good literature and who loves books on self-discovery.

You can buy the book here

Book Review: Butterfly Season

Book: Butterfly Season

Author: Natasha Ahmed

Publisher: Indireads

Price: $3.17 (213 INR)

Pages: 169

Genre: Fiction Novella/ Coming-of-age romance

 

Blurb:  On her first holiday in six years, Rumi is expecting to relax and unwind. But when she is set up by her long-time friend, she doesn’t shy away from the possibilities. Ahad, a charming, independent, self-made man, captures her imagination, drawing her away from her disapproving sister, Juveria.

Faced with sizzling chemistry and a meeting of the minds, Ahad and Rumi find themselves deep in a relationship that moves forward with growing intensity. But as her desire for the self-assured Ahad grows, Rumi struggles with a decision that will impact the rest of her life.

Confronted by her scandalized sister, a forbidding uncle and a society that frowns on pre-marital intimacy, Rumi has to decide whether to shed her middle-class sensibilities, turning her back on her family, or return to her secluded existence as an unmarried woman in Pakistan.

We follow Rumi from rainy London to a sweltering Karachi, as she tries to take control of her own destiny.

 

My rating: 4.25/5

My review:

"Butterfly season" is a novella that has surprised me to the core, in a beautiful way. When I started with the book, I expected it to be another romantic tale. However as I started proceeding, I fell in love with the narration style of the author and with the characters of Rumi and Ahad. The title is perfectly chosen for the book and the cover is pretty.

The book deals with two things simultaneously. On one hand, there is the intense love story of Rumi and Ahad. On the other, there is Rumi's journey to self-realization and self-discovery. The story starts on the note where Rumi meets Ahad at a friend's place in London, where she has gone for a vacation. Sparks fly between Rumi and Ahad instantly and they find each other irresistable. As their relationship progresses, Rumi finds herself in a quandary which challenges her long time convictions and throws her in a difficult situation where she can lose her entire family. In the midst of orthodox relatives, overprotective sister and a lover who is somewhat commitment phobic, she finds herself trapped. She languishes between light and darkness for a considerable amount of time untill she decides to walk towards the path of light (read: self-discovery) crushing the darkness.

The chemistry between Rumi and Ahad is scintillating and readers would root for the two of them to come back together. The characters in the book are very believable and each character has a different flavour. The dilemmas and predicaments that the protagonists face are very relatable. Some moments described in the book are so beautiful that you can actually picture those moments. Kudos to the author's narration skills! The instance where Rumi blurts something very hurting to Ahad totally out of confusion and regrets the next second is beautifully described. The Ghazal night at Ahad's friend's place where Ahad takes Rumi and obviously the instance where Rumi sheds all her inhibitions and runs to meet Ahad does not leave your mind after the book ends.

The climax is definitely beautiful. Though it is quite predictable, but the author has managed to make it very interesting. The language used in the book is marvellous, the flow is smooth and it's a treat to read the novella. I literally felt sad when the book ended as I was so engrossed in it.

Recommended to all! It's a superb work by a debut author. The book starts with these soul stirring lines of Jalaluddin Rumi:

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field. I'll meet you there.

When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.

You can buy the book from here

Book Review: God is a gamer

Book: God is a Gamer

Author: Ravi Subhramanian

Publisher: Penguin Books India
Price: 299
Page: 324

Blurb:  Aditya is an entrepreneur, running his own gaming company. The arrival of a part-time drug dealer and full-time genius named Varun turns Aditya’s struggling company’s fortunes around. However, things are not as they seem. A banker slips from the rooftop of a high-rise building and falls to his death. A finance minister with his heart on his sleeve discovers that he has made some promises which will cost him far too much. An explosion in Washington D.C. leads the FBI to a chase in Mumbai. The investigators begin to plummet down a world where bitcoins are the only meaningful form of currency. Here, everything is governed by the Dark Net, a group of nefarious websites dealing with illegal transactions. In this world, God is a Gamer, martyrs are villains, the hunters become the hunted and the ancient Greeks teach the secrets of assassination. In this new novel, nothing is what it seems.

My Rating: 3/5

My Review: "God is a Gamer" is a crime thriller devised in the global platform. There are plenty of interesting characters in the book starting from investigation agencies of both India and US, political leaders and some banking professionals. 

In the beginning, it was a little boring to read about so many characters who were introduced in a new chapter which spanned over only 3-4 pages. The extra short chapters was quite a turn off for me. I couldn't find myself getting hooked to the book. I couldn't connect with any characters even after finishing the 324 pages book. However as the mystery starts building up, the story starts getting interesting.

There are plenty of twists and turns thrown in teh story at frequent intervals and so you need to be very attentive. But when I couldn't relate to any of the characters, it was slightly tough for me to read the 324 pages book. Another drawback of the book was the climax which was quite cliched. The dots don't connect smoothly and the zigsaw puzzles do not fall rightly in place.

On the positive side, the fresh new concept of bitcoin thriller was the USP of the book. Though we all have heard about the term "Bitcoin", we don't have much knowledge about it. The book definitely sheds light on bitcoins but not too much. It delves on the mystery. The mystery is well crafted making it an interesting read. However so many events happen parallely that it is quite normal for a reader to feel lost if he doesn't pay 100 % attention. Plenty and plenty of dots which gets connected in the end, in an uneven way. The language of the book is easy going and so people can read it at a go.

Overall the book is more of a gaming thriller rather than a bitcoin thriller. The bitcoin thing is mentioned in some parts but the story doesn't revolve totally around bitcoins.It is a good story, the mystery cleverly crafted but not something to be cherished for long.

Despite the murders for virtual money, catchy title and easy language, this book couldn't impress me much. I guess this is not my kind of book. But however people who love to read such type of thrillers would definitely find it interesting.

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

Book Review: Half Girlfriend

Book: Half Girlfriend

Author: Chetan Bhagat

Publisher: Rupa Publication

Price: 176 INR

ISBN: 9788129135728

Blurb: Once upon a time, there was a Bihari boy called Madhav. He fell in love with a rich girl from Delhi called Riya. Madhav didnt speak English well. Riya did. Madhav wanted a relationship. Riya didn't. Riya just wanted friendship. Madhav didn't. Riya suggested a compromise. She agreed to be his half-girlfriend.

From the author of the blockbuster novels Five Point Someone, One Night at the Call Center, The 3 Mistakes of My Life, 2 States and Revolution 2020 comes a simple and beautiful love story that will touch your heart and inspire you to chase your dreams.

My Rating: 2.75/5

My Review:

After you finish reading Half Girlfriend, you will feel that this book is written to be made into a movie. It is like a prepared script which is just on the waiting list to be made into a commercial Bollywood flick.

The book is divided into 3 acts: Delhi, Bihar and New York. In each of these three places, the lead protagonists, Madhav and Riya  meets, separates and meets again. The story begins with Madhav, a guy hailing from a rural place in Bihar who gets admitted to the high-class and posh St Stephen's College through the sports quota. He is a state level basketball player and apart from that, has no brownie points to earn from the ultra cool people of St-Stephens. He can barely speak English but finds himself falling head over heels for a girl called Riya Somani who also plays basketball at Stephens. 

As expected from the blurb, Madhav falls in love with Riya but Riya doesn't want anything more than friendship. On Madhav's push, she agrees to be his half girlfriend: someone who is more than a friend, can spend lots of time together and have affectionate hugs.A chain of incidents takes place from then, separating their roads and merging their paths and separating the half lovers again. 

The Act 3 of the book was totally predictable and dragged beyond limits. You can easily skip the pages in between and read the last few pages to match your prediction. The Act 1 was quite interesting and romantic. The scenes of Madhav and Riya had some immaculate charm. The Act 2 had some twists and turns but seemed quite unreasonable at places. 

It is a book that you can forget an hour after reading it. There is no freshness in the plot apart from the concept of half girlfriend. You can skip plenty of pages in between and yet catch up with the plot as it is so simple. And after finishing the book, you will surely be wondering which Bollywood actor and actress would be roped to play Madhav and Riya.

A one time quick read. Recommended for people who like light hearted fiction. If you are a literary geek, then give it a miss. You can check out Bhagat's other books in the meanwhile as I felt, all his other books are better than this one. 

You can purchase the book from here

 

Book review : Adultery

Book: Adultery

Author: Paulo Coelho

Publisher: Random House

Price: 299 INR

ISBN: 9788184006094

Blurb:  Linda is in her thirties and is facing a crisis mentally and emotionally. She begins to question the void that was growing in her, the mundane, predictable days of her life. Although her life seemed perfect in everybody’s eyes – a contented marriage, adorable children and a successful career - she feels a keen sense of emptiness and displeasure. But it all drastically changes when she meets a prosperous politician who happens to be her high-school boyfriend from years ago. As Linda revives the passion that was absent in her life, she would have to make a life-altering choice.

My rating: 4/5

My review:  

Being a huge fan of Paulo Coelho, I always expect a lot from his books and I am thankfully never disappointed. However while reading this book, I felt that it is not a book for all. Only those people who are able to introspect while reading, who understand the profound meaning in books and people who are patient should try this book. 

The story starts with the lady, Linda who is strangely unhappy with her more than perfect life. She feels she is slipping gradually into the abyss of depression for no specific reason.  Her husband loves her and she also loves her husband. They have two children and Linda has a lucrative job of a journalist in a leading tabloid of Geneva. Yet she feels her life is dull and captivated in the shackles of monotony. 

In the course of her job, she goes to interview a politician who happens to be her high school boyfriend. When the politician tells her how unhappy he is in his married life, Linda feels that she can see her reflection in him. They indulge in adultery.

However the book is not only about adultery. It is about how fickle a human mind can be. It explains beautifully how an angel and a monster both dwells in a human mind. It is upto you whether the angel/demon will dominate the other. 

A person has to get lost totally in order to discover oneself. The book narrates the tale of Linda's self-discovery after running through pebbles and inferno, commiting deeds she could never imagine in her nightmare.

The narration is wonderful. Readers can feel that they can hear the protagonist talking infront of them. The last few pages of the book is sure to enlighten the readers. The place where Linda goes for paragliding enchants me completely as she feels her soul getting enlightened. The readers may also feel totally lost, just like the protagonist while leafing through the pages of the book. That is perhaps a flaw of the book and so I said that only people who are patient enough should read the book.

It will compel you to introspect and some words of the book wil surely stay with you after you have completed it. . This is actually a book of self-discovery. I really liked it,

You can get the book  here