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allthatissim
These mini-comics were as cute as the full novels. It was good to see what Nick and Charlie are doing after all those years :)
I f***king hate GR, once again, for not having half star rating, ughh.
So this is more like 4.5 stars...
My first Rooney and how mesmerized I am!
Two friends and their love interests..
two friends talking over emails about everything..
from personal life to civilization
from love to sex
from faith to politics
from betrayal to belonging...
That sums up Beautiful World Where Are You!
And that's why it is probably not for every reader.
Not just because of the story but because of the way it is written.. slow, in-depth, and precise, making you look at your core and feel those emotions, just so that you can say how much you could relate to it.
Because at the core, it is about friendship. And trust it to remind you of your friends.. the ones who are still with you and the ones who were left behind.
When you finish it.. you feel whole, in the same way, you feel after having a long conversation with a life-long friend over coffee. It can feel satisfying and it can be awkward at the same time.
That's why the experience of reading this book, I call it 'a conversation over coffee'.
So this is more like 4.5 stars...
My first Rooney and how mesmerized I am!
Two friends and their love interests..
two friends talking over emails about everything..
from personal life to civilization
from love to sex
from faith to politics
from betrayal to belonging...
That sums up Beautiful World Where Are You!
And that's why it is probably not for every reader.
Not just because of the story but because of the way it is written.. slow, in-depth, and precise, making you look at your core and feel those emotions, just so that you can say how much you could relate to it.
Because at the core, it is about friendship. And trust it to remind you of your friends.. the ones who are still with you and the ones who were left behind.
“Presumably, remembered suffering never feels as bad as present suffering, even if it was really a lot worse - we can't remember how much worse it was, because remembering is weaker than experiencing.”
When you finish it.. you feel whole, in the same way, you feel after having a long conversation with a life-long friend over coffee. It can feel satisfying and it can be awkward at the same time.
That's why the experience of reading this book, I call it 'a conversation over coffee'.
I had expectations from this and well.. I am not impressed.
But the reason is not the writing.. it's the synopsis and the false expectation it sets, and the execution!
The synopsis says it is a story in verse but it wasn't a proper story flow at all. The poems are random, not following any timeline, so it is hard to understand the exact course of events. Also, the poems are more about their mother rather than the main character, as written in the the synopsis.
But, if you see individually, the poems themselves are good! Megha Rao's words really dig deep. You can tell she is good with the words. I have highlighted so many lines.
I just wish it was marketed correctly or rather differently.
But the reason is not the writing.. it's the synopsis and the false expectation it sets, and the execution!
The synopsis says it is a story in verse but it wasn't a proper story flow at all. The poems are random, not following any timeline, so it is hard to understand the exact course of events. Also, the poems are more about their mother rather than the main character, as written in the the synopsis.
But, if you see individually, the poems themselves are good! Megha Rao's words really dig deep. You can tell she is good with the words. I have highlighted so many lines.
I just wish it was marketed correctly or rather differently.
I had no idea who Sumi Jo was until I came across this audiobook on Storytel, My Life My Own Melody - translated from Korean by Storytel Korea, narrated by Erin Lee - certainly because I am not familiar with the world of Opera. She is known as the world's most popular Asian bel canto soprano and the highest selling classical singer. I was instantly fascinated by her and was interested in learning how an Asian from South Korea ended up in Rome and became the world's best soprano. This book celebrates the 35th anniversary of Sumi Jo's international debut in 2021.
Sumi Jo calls the story of her life dramatic and starts by telling about her childhood and her complex relationship with her mother. The first chapter was my favorite and left a mark on me, probably because now I am a mother myself. Her mother wanted her daughter to have a music career that she never had, and that's why she was super strict with her in regards to her music lessons. Sumi Jo later recalls that, though she hold grudges against her mother, she was the one who carved a path for her and played an important role in her success and that she can't thank her enough for it. But she can't tell her mother all that now because her memory is deteriorating. For the rest of the book, Sumi Jo talks about her career, her success, racism she faced in her career, amazing teachers she worked with, the tours around the world, and how Rome became her second home. While I was progressing with the later chapters, my mind was stuck in that first chapter, about the author and her feelings about her mother.
That reminded me of the Hindi movie 3 Idiots. The biggest lesson from that movie was probably that let children decide their career for themselves! Though I think this should be the case in theory, in practicality I couldn't shake the feeling of what I would have been if my parents hadn't set me on this path? As much as it is important for parents to understand the interests of their children, is it not also important that they guide them towards their career? Would Sumi Jo had been so successful today if her mother wasn't strict with her in her childhood? No one can say for sure, because of course, hard work and luck also plays a role. Still, I can't deny that parents do play an important role in setting their children's career.
This autobiography didn't leave a huge impression and I feel that it was mainly about Sumi Jo's career and her success rather than more stories from her personal life, but that first chapter did leave an impression on me. This audiobook narration, however, was wonderful.
Sumi Jo calls the story of her life dramatic and starts by telling about her childhood and her complex relationship with her mother. The first chapter was my favorite and left a mark on me, probably because now I am a mother myself. Her mother wanted her daughter to have a music career that she never had, and that's why she was super strict with her in regards to her music lessons. Sumi Jo later recalls that, though she hold grudges against her mother, she was the one who carved a path for her and played an important role in her success and that she can't thank her enough for it. But she can't tell her mother all that now because her memory is deteriorating. For the rest of the book, Sumi Jo talks about her career, her success, racism she faced in her career, amazing teachers she worked with, the tours around the world, and how Rome became her second home. While I was progressing with the later chapters, my mind was stuck in that first chapter, about the author and her feelings about her mother.
That reminded me of the Hindi movie 3 Idiots. The biggest lesson from that movie was probably that let children decide their career for themselves! Though I think this should be the case in theory, in practicality I couldn't shake the feeling of what I would have been if my parents hadn't set me on this path? As much as it is important for parents to understand the interests of their children, is it not also important that they guide them towards their career? Would Sumi Jo had been so successful today if her mother wasn't strict with her in her childhood? No one can say for sure, because of course, hard work and luck also plays a role. Still, I can't deny that parents do play an important role in setting their children's career.
This autobiography didn't leave a huge impression and I feel that it was mainly about Sumi Jo's career and her success rather than more stories from her personal life, but that first chapter did leave an impression on me. This audiobook narration, however, was wonderful.
Hellfire is my first translated read of the year and what a thought-provoking and phenomenal read it is! This book was originally written in Bengali and the author is Bangladeshi.
Hellfire is a story of a controlling mother and her two adult daughters in their late 30s. Their mother has always controlled them. They never went out of the house on their own. So when the elder sister, Lovely, goes out of the house alone for the first time, on her 40th birthday, the house is in chaos. Farida Khanam, the mother, couldn’t understand why she gave her permission to Lovely to go out. And the younger sister, Beauty, couldn’t understand how her sister was allowed to go out of the house though she herself never got that chance. What we see afterwards, in a span of 24 hours, is a family full of chaos and secrets.
The story is character oriented and in Farida, we see a woman who wanted to be the matriarch of the family. The decisions she took to protect her family and her daughters, the choices she made, and the sacrifices she gave to be what she was today. But at the same time, the story also shows how it resulted in failure and collateral damage because of her need to be in power.
The setting is of Bangladesh so it does feels similar to Indian household. Most of the Indian mothers are controlling too but I can’t imagine a mother being this much control-freak
Hellfire is a story of a controlling mother and her two adult daughters in their late 30s. Their mother has always controlled them. They never went out of the house on their own. So when the elder sister, Lovely, goes out of the house alone for the first time, on her 40th birthday, the house is in chaos. Farida Khanam, the mother, couldn’t understand why she gave her permission to Lovely to go out. And the younger sister, Beauty, couldn’t understand how her sister was allowed to go out of the house though she herself never got that chance. What we see afterwards, in a span of 24 hours, is a family full of chaos and secrets.
The story is character oriented and in Farida, we see a woman who wanted to be the matriarch of the family. The decisions she took to protect her family and her daughters, the choices she made, and the sacrifices she gave to be what she was today. But at the same time, the story also shows how it resulted in failure and collateral damage because of her need to be in power.
The setting is of Bangladesh so it does feels similar to Indian household. Most of the Indian mothers are controlling too but I can’t imagine a mother being this much control-freak
Full review on: FLIPPING THROUGH THE PAGES
Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars
There are two kinds of interesting books. One that you totally enjoy based on the plot and characters. The other is one that you don’t only enjoy but also consider as your true self and it convinces you that it is your story. This book falls into the latter category.
When you start the story, it will look like the story of an Indian middle-class family with normal income and basic values. The father of the narrator is the only source of income in the family and thus they lived a very normal life. When the narrator’s uncle starts a business then they become rich overnight. The story then follows how their life changed with all that money and how their personal relations got affected.
When I finished the last page, I suddenly realized that I don’t know the name of the narrator, or rather it was never mentioned? In my opinion, the reason behind not giving the name to the narrator can be because of the metaphorical description that Shanbhag wanted to showcase in his book. The narrator is a simple person like all of us and represents our common man.
The story starts with the narrator sitting in a coffee house (his usual spot) observing the surroundings and was lost in his own thoughts. He tells his story from there and makes us feel how his life has changed since they have become rich. He was the CEO in his uncle’s company but he didn’t do anything there. Every month the money automatically gets added to his account without actually doing anything.
His family was smoothly running before his marriage. After his wife Anita comes to the family, the quarrels start between her and the narrator’s mother and sister. The house was not that peaceful anymore as it used to be. When Anita asked him what does he do in office, he was speechless and ignored her question for many days. That’s when he realized that for his wife, his respect was more important than the money.
The author has portrayed the story of a typical Indian family living in Bangalore, India. Obviously, the story has to be Indian in nature. But the unique thing is, it is not just for the Indian audience. Vivek Shanbhag has captured the basic essence of a middle-class family with such delicacy and accuracy that you would be amazed by his writing.
I belong to a middle-class family too. Most of the events in the book made me realize like it’s my own story as if I am the part of it. The smallest things of the family, the struggles etc. seemed surreal.
The first thing that attracts you towards this novel of just 119 pages is its name. “Ghachar Ghochar” is a nonsensical word which Anita used. He first heard the word when the narrator was trying to untie her petticoat string during their honeymoon, but instead, the string was more tangled. She then explained the meaning as “tangled beyond repair”.
Later he explained that his life has become Ghachar Ghochar i.e. tangled too. Once the life which was peaceful suddenly became stressful and messed up because of all the money.
Apart from the distinct title, I love the cover of the book. It symbolizes something. The symbolization of it is related to the changes the money has made up in their lives. There is a reference to ants made in the story. Their home gets infected by ants and they used to kill them whenever they see any. Later the narrator seems to resonate with it – Like their home infected by ants, their lives were also infected by the money.
This is a true portrayal of Indian middle-class family which not only Indians but everyone should read. this will make you think and will tangle your thoughts. The writing and humor are superb and will keep you hooked on the story. I would definitely recommend this to everyone.
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Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars
There are two kinds of interesting books. One that you totally enjoy based on the plot and characters. The other is one that you don’t only enjoy but also consider as your true self and it convinces you that it is your story. This book falls into the latter category.
When you start the story, it will look like the story of an Indian middle-class family with normal income and basic values. The father of the narrator is the only source of income in the family and thus they lived a very normal life. When the narrator’s uncle starts a business then they become rich overnight. The story then follows how their life changed with all that money and how their personal relations got affected.
When I finished the last page, I suddenly realized that I don’t know the name of the narrator, or rather it was never mentioned? In my opinion, the reason behind not giving the name to the narrator can be because of the metaphorical description that Shanbhag wanted to showcase in his book. The narrator is a simple person like all of us and represents our common man.
The story starts with the narrator sitting in a coffee house (his usual spot) observing the surroundings and was lost in his own thoughts. He tells his story from there and makes us feel how his life has changed since they have become rich. He was the CEO in his uncle’s company but he didn’t do anything there. Every month the money automatically gets added to his account without actually doing anything.
His family was smoothly running before his marriage. After his wife Anita comes to the family, the quarrels start between her and the narrator’s mother and sister. The house was not that peaceful anymore as it used to be. When Anita asked him what does he do in office, he was speechless and ignored her question for many days. That’s when he realized that for his wife, his respect was more important than the money.
The author has portrayed the story of a typical Indian family living in Bangalore, India. Obviously, the story has to be Indian in nature. But the unique thing is, it is not just for the Indian audience. Vivek Shanbhag has captured the basic essence of a middle-class family with such delicacy and accuracy that you would be amazed by his writing.
I belong to a middle-class family too. Most of the events in the book made me realize like it’s my own story as if I am the part of it. The smallest things of the family, the struggles etc. seemed surreal.
The first thing that attracts you towards this novel of just 119 pages is its name. “Ghachar Ghochar” is a nonsensical word which Anita used. He first heard the word when the narrator was trying to untie her petticoat string during their honeymoon, but instead, the string was more tangled. She then explained the meaning as “tangled beyond repair”.
Later he explained that his life has become Ghachar Ghochar i.e. tangled too. Once the life which was peaceful suddenly became stressful and messed up because of all the money.
Apart from the distinct title, I love the cover of the book. It symbolizes something. The symbolization of it is related to the changes the money has made up in their lives. There is a reference to ants made in the story. Their home gets infected by ants and they used to kill them whenever they see any. Later the narrator seems to resonate with it – Like their home infected by ants, their lives were also infected by the money.
This is a true portrayal of Indian middle-class family which not only Indians but everyone should read. this will make you think and will tangle your thoughts. The writing and humor are superb and will keep you hooked on the story. I would definitely recommend this to everyone.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Amazon
Full review on: FLIPPING THROUGH THE PAGES
Tulsi is the main protagonist of this book and the story starts in Vrindavan where she is a Meera sadhu now. The story then continues in flashbacks, switching between past and present. When Tulsi was young, she was a talented woman who had a bright career ahead of her and was about to marry her fiance. But then there was Madhav to whom she was strongly attracted and thus leaves her fiance and marries Madhav.
Madhav had 27 girlfriends in past and Tulsi was his 28th. Still, Tulsi believed him and dedicates herself towards his charms and sweet talking. But soon she comes out of her fairy tale and realized that the things were not what they appeared. She makes various horrific choices in the way and finally lands to Vrindavan as shaven-headed Meera Sadhu. A very sick but apparently repentant Madhav then traced her to Vrindavan and was desperate for an audience. Tulsi was still shocked to see that she was still attracted towards him after all the mishappenings. She finally met an end that was hard to believe.
Love is something which is widely used everywhere and in every context. It can itself become intense if it goes after a limit. K.R. Meera has effectively started this book with these lines:
The starting line itself gives a creepy feeling. Though Tulsi was a bright student, she leaves behind a broken family and a promising career to embarks on a life that she never expected, just because she was too blindly in love with Madhav. Even after 8 years of her misery and finally ending up in Vrindavan as Meera sadhu, she was not able to detach herself from her feeling about Madhav and the repulsion that she carried out for him, though she resented him.
This was my first book by K.R. Meera. I was not familiar with her writing style that’s why I was little shocked by the narrative and description. Tulsi’s relationship with Madhav was extremely twisted and destructive. Her state of mind was perfectly described by the author which made it equally engrossing and disturbing. The author has clearly made the line between love and hatred by moving back and forth between Tulsi’s present (in Vrindavan) and her past while building up to a chilling end.
A unique thing in this book was the description of corpse-eating ants which perfectly stitched parts of the story together. Tulsi used to have dreams about ants and then she also saw them in Vrindavan where she used to live. She associates them with death. She was so hurtful and mad in love that she was self-destructive.
This novella has been written in the first person and goes back and forth in time. Due to this, sometimes it was difficult to understand the exact plot. Except this, it was dramatic and realistic with all the feelings.The novel ends on a dark note, as it had begun. K.R. Meera keeps a firm grip on her words. The feel on every page is that of the scraping of raw skin and horrified. Towards the end, you can’t actually make sympathy on either of the characters as both were bad on their own parts. This book leaves you with pain, anger, resentment, and sadness and I think this is the main thing that author wants to deliver.
The Poison of Love is an intense and dramatic novel which clearly explains what a corrosive love can do. It is not an easy book to read and I would certainly not recommend it if you are in a mood for a light read. It is a strange story of emotion and betrayal which turns out to be dark. For many of the readers, this is a one-sitting read. It gives you mixed feelings where at one point you can find yourself devouring the characters while on another page you find yourself completely horrified.
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Tulsi is the main protagonist of this book and the story starts in Vrindavan where she is a Meera sadhu now. The story then continues in flashbacks, switching between past and present. When Tulsi was young, she was a talented woman who had a bright career ahead of her and was about to marry her fiance. But then there was Madhav to whom she was strongly attracted and thus leaves her fiance and marries Madhav.
Madhav had 27 girlfriends in past and Tulsi was his 28th. Still, Tulsi believed him and dedicates herself towards his charms and sweet talking. But soon she comes out of her fairy tale and realized that the things were not what they appeared. She makes various horrific choices in the way and finally lands to Vrindavan as shaven-headed Meera Sadhu. A very sick but apparently repentant Madhav then traced her to Vrindavan and was desperate for an audience. Tulsi was still shocked to see that she was still attracted towards him after all the mishappenings. She finally met an end that was hard to believe.
Love is something which is widely used everywhere and in every context. It can itself become intense if it goes after a limit. K.R. Meera has effectively started this book with these lines:
Love is like milk. With the passage of time, it sours, splits and becomes poison.
The starting line itself gives a creepy feeling. Though Tulsi was a bright student, she leaves behind a broken family and a promising career to embarks on a life that she never expected, just because she was too blindly in love with Madhav. Even after 8 years of her misery and finally ending up in Vrindavan as Meera sadhu, she was not able to detach herself from her feeling about Madhav and the repulsion that she carried out for him, though she resented him.
This was my first book by K.R. Meera. I was not familiar with her writing style that’s why I was little shocked by the narrative and description. Tulsi’s relationship with Madhav was extremely twisted and destructive. Her state of mind was perfectly described by the author which made it equally engrossing and disturbing. The author has clearly made the line between love and hatred by moving back and forth between Tulsi’s present (in Vrindavan) and her past while building up to a chilling end.
A unique thing in this book was the description of corpse-eating ants which perfectly stitched parts of the story together. Tulsi used to have dreams about ants and then she also saw them in Vrindavan where she used to live. She associates them with death. She was so hurtful and mad in love that she was self-destructive.
This novella has been written in the first person and goes back and forth in time. Due to this, sometimes it was difficult to understand the exact plot. Except this, it was dramatic and realistic with all the feelings.The novel ends on a dark note, as it had begun. K.R. Meera keeps a firm grip on her words. The feel on every page is that of the scraping of raw skin and horrified. Towards the end, you can’t actually make sympathy on either of the characters as both were bad on their own parts. This book leaves you with pain, anger, resentment, and sadness and I think this is the main thing that author wants to deliver.
The Poison of Love is an intense and dramatic novel which clearly explains what a corrosive love can do. It is not an easy book to read and I would certainly not recommend it if you are in a mood for a light read. It is a strange story of emotion and betrayal which turns out to be dark. For many of the readers, this is a one-sitting read. It gives you mixed feelings where at one point you can find yourself devouring the characters while on another page you find yourself completely horrified.
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