The Naani Diaries by Riva Razdan- Book Review

Name Of The Book: The Naani Diaries

Author Of The Book: Riva Razdan

Genre: Romantic Fiction

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Riva Razdan is an author based in Mumbai. Her work has been featured in The Hindu Business Line, Grazia India and The Telegraph. Her debut novel, Arzu, was published by Hachette India in February 2021.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Naani Diaries is a painfully heart breaking, emotionally charged and beautifully crafted story of love, loss and healing. There is a romance that you feel with all your heart and soul. This book celebrates women who are independent, ambitious and brave. A well-conceived story about relationships be it mother-daughter, man-woman, friends and so on. It convinces us to believe in ourselves. A mere showcase of woman power. The protagonists in this book are mother (Mangala) -daughter (Radhika) and grandmother (Gayatri)who fought against all the odds particularly patriarchal society and conservative mindset. Radhika is an ambitious and a go getter and despite doing great in her professional life she was a disappointment when it comes to her love life. Heartbroken she decides to move to India and stay with her grandmother who was empathic and loving. As the name of the book suggests, "The Naani diaries" , Radhika get hold of her Naani's diary and was completely captivated with the love story , little she knew about the tragic ending which has not just changed her perspective but the life of her Naani too. Despite of all twist and turns, ups and downs and deep confusion, we can say "All's well that ends well".

There was this delicious push-pull tension between them that keeps you hooked and makes it an interesting read. The story is told in a mixture of flashbacks and present-day story lines which makes it very engrossing.

There is a subtle message which is hard hitting but something which needs to be told. You will witness different shades of women's personality and I am sure you can relate to at least one for sure. 

MY TAKE ON THE BOOK

The writing was flawless and just so raw and honest, with perfect pacing and a beautiful flow to it that fully conveyed every emotion that each character in the story went through.  I loved the writing as it captured the emotional intensity of the  love while balancing it out with touch of humor and other scenes that had me sitting there fanning myself from the hotness. It was the perfect balance!!

 There are no wasted words, no extra fluff. And despite the fact that it jumped back and forth in time, the segments were arranged in such a way that I was never once unsure of what was going on and the pacing and flow of the story was such that I there were no interruptions in my connection to the characters. You could just feel it in every scene that a great amount of thought, time and research had gone into the creation of this book.

This book leaves you in a good place, but also makes you desperate for more.

BOOK DEATILS

Book Format: Paper back/ Kindle edition

Price: INR 339/ INR 335.30

Pages: 564

Publisher: HarperCollins India

Availability: Amazon

This Post is part of the Blogchatter's  Book Review Program #TBRChallenge  #BookAChatter

OF Marriages and Madness by Sacheth - Book Review

 

Name of the book: OF Marriages and Madness

Author of the book: Sacheth

Genre: Fiction

ABOUT THE BOOK

Let's be very frank , if there is one steadfast truth that most married people can agree is that marriage isn't always easy. The book "OF Marriages and Madness" by Sacheth is a compilation of 8 stories that revolves around marriage and the different perspective surrounds the same. 

Each story has been woven beautifully by the author. They are thought provoking and relatable too. While reading you might connect to some and might reject some but you cannot ignore them. Author has left some stories with open end,  that might be frustrating for some but it helps you to be more imaginative and can bring up your creativity. Most of the stories are unpredictable and that's what makes it an interesting read. Do not expect happy endings as even in real life there is nothing called  black and white,  there is more of greys and probably that makes life challenging and fascinating at the same time. 

The Tiger Throne: Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan Retold by Preetha Rajah Kannan- Book Review

 Name of the Book: The Tiger Throne-Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan Retold

Author of the book: Preetha Rajah Kannan

Genre: Historical fiction

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Preetha Rajah Kannan has written five books on Indian mythology, edited a translation of the Telugu Navagraha Purana and contributed to several newspapers and magazines. A homemaker and mother to two sons, she lives in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. 

She is like neighbour and homemaker next door, excited about setting up the golu next week. But the difference is that at 53, Preetha Rajah Kannan has not one but 54 stories sold in a book and that seems to have opened the gates for her in the literary world.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Tiger Throne-Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan Retold is a historical novel set around 970 C.E. This book is a compact version of the Kalki's  2000 odd pages novel which was brilliantly written. It is about the Chola king and queens and princes and princesses and their friends and enemies. It has everything that one would expect in a historical novel from dashing warriors, beautiful princesses, secret passages, dark dungeons, sorcerers, spies, vengeance, romance and too many surprising revelations.

un PARENTING - Sharing Awkward Truths with Curious Kids By Reema Ahmad - Book Review

Name of the Book: un PARENTING- Sharing Awkward Truths with Curious Kids

Author of the Book:  Reema Ahmad

Genre: Non-Fiction

ABOUT THE BOOK

UnParenting is a great answer to every time you’ve ever wondered, “Is it just me, or is being a parent is actually challenging in today's time? Reema winningly leads us through the world of modern parenthood with both depth and breadth, in a voice that is insightful, relatable, and genuinely searching. Structuring her book, author weaves in her own experiences, her learnings and the story of people known to her, who have experienced difficult parenting and highlights what's changed and what hasn't to great effect. Reema split through many misconceptions of parenting with a great honesty. In her book, she has challenged the present notion of parenting competencies and hold on to a notion that parenting is not just about taking care of the child but being aware that we are bringing life on this earth and not just any commodity. 

By sharing her own examples, she has touched upon many issues which every parent by default faces in their lives while dealing with their children but are tend to keep under the hat for reasons only known to them, be it sex, consent, sexual abuse, trauma, divorce, bullying or body acceptance. Her tips on how to treat a child as an equal, being honest and speak your mind, empathizing with differences are very insightful and can help many parents. 

The book is very high at it's emotional quotient , that will navigate you through the murky world of emotions, self awareness, empathy and being grateful. 

MAYA - I BOW TO THEE, YOU CANNOT BE OVERCOME By Acharya Prashant - Book Review

Name of the Book: MAYA- I BOW TO THEE, YOU CANNOT BE OVERCOME

Author of the Book: Acharya Prashant

Genre: Non-Fiction

ABOUT THE BOOK

The book "Maya" is an assemblage of question answer sessions that Vedanta philosopher and teacher, Acharya Prashant has been having with diverse audience over a decade. As these audience come from various background the standard and depth of each session is enormous. Every chapter of this book is substantially based on these interactions. According to the author, readers would understand that "Maya " is the most scientific term and can be explained more explicitly. Authors explanation is deeply spiritual yet not confined by any tradition. 

According to the disclaimer given my him, the responses given by a teacher are customized and you might find some contradicting responses, the reason being, as seekers come from varied background and experiences, there cannot be one time solution for any problem. 

The book is divided into three parts, in first part "So Real She Looks" has 11 chapters, wherein author has explained who and what  Maya is. In the second part " She Conceal, She Reveals" has 12 chapters, here author reveals and give better understanding of Maya and in the last and third part "Only She Can Lead You Into Realty", has 14 chapters, wherein author talks about how to deal with Maya. Despite this demarcation every chapter is interrelated and as you read through, you will have better understanding of self.