Designed by Pinaki De
The cover shows London + Madrid in the background.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Book Review - First You Plz by Nisha B. Thakur
‘FIRST YOU PLZ’ is a SWEET, yet PREDICTABLE, and a POORLY-EDITED book.
Genre: Romance/ Fiction
Publisher: Power Publishers
‘FIRST YOU PLZ’ is the first novel by Nisha B. Thakur. I am still confused whether I should call it a novel or a short story, as it is just 96 pages long (if we only consider the story). Anyway, ‘First You Plz’ is a story of four characters – Avanti, Akash, Rachana and Meenakshi.
Avanti, Rachana and Meenakshi are best friends who join a MBA college in Matheran. Upon reaching their hostel, Avanti’s gaze fell over a handsome lad, Aakash, who loves to play cricket. She gets attracted towards him, and eventually falls in love with him. Though, she befriends Aakash, her best friends Rachana and Meenakshi help her to find out if Aakash is already dating someone or not. Once they are assured that Aakash is not dating anyone, Rachana and Meenakshi help their friend Avanti in conveying her love for Aakash. Avanti, though a sweet and charming girl, is a bit immature at heart. She reacts all too soon, and is quite judgmental at times. Aakash, though likes Avanti as a dear friend, is uncertain of Avanti’s immature behavior. He is afraid that like his ex-girlfriend, Avanti will also prove to be an immature girl friend, who will complain constantly. What will be the future of Avanti and Aakash’s friendship? Will Aakash overcome his fears of a failed relationship, and accept Avanti’s love? Read the book, and find out your answers.
Now, the REVIEW...
Now, the REVIEW...
As a first time writer, Nisha B. Thakur has done an ‘okayish’ job. The story is sweet, but offers nothing new. A few scenes are sweet though, and I would love to mention them here. There is one scene when Avanti finds Aakash online on a chat. She combs her hair, and checks herself in the mirror, and then realizes – it is not a web-cam chat, and she smiles to herself. Then there is another scene when Aakash and Avanti visit a temple, during Navratri. Avanti prays ardently and cajoles God to make Aakash say to her those 3 magical words!!! And Aakash says – Jai Mata Di. Then there is a sweet and meaningful story recited by Avanti, about Wealth, Knowledge and Trust. The poems are good, and the description of Matheran’s scenic beauty is worth a mention. Scripting a book is a tough job, and I really applaud Nisha for the effort.
As I said earlier, there are a few sweet moments in the book, but overall, the book disappoints. The story, or the short story, offers nothing new. The characters are not well described, and a reader cannot imagine them. The look and feel of the book is as if no effort has been made by the author or the publisher on the cover design. The pages, in the last two chapters are also jumbled up, which further annoys the reader. The editing of the book is its major drawback. There are some instances where the book is narrated in present tense, and at some instances, it is in past tense. The grammar and punctuations are wrong at many places, and sometimes you don’t even feel like completing this 100 page book. For instance, the dialogues in the quotes are terminated by a full stop, instead of a comma –
“Absolutely right.” said Rachana.
This should be:
“Absolutely right,” said Rachana.
These are very basic mistakes, and publishers should take care of these before printing any book. The price tag of this book (INR 170) also disappoints me. But the author has nothing to do with the price tag, and hence I am targeting the publishers.
On the whole, Nisha B. Thakur’s ‘FIRST YOU PLZ’ is an ‘okayish’ first attempt. It offers nothing new, but may go well with the readers who want to read a short story. I am going with a lenient yet motivating 2.5 out of 5 stars for Nisha B. Thakur’s 'First You Plz.’
Verdict : SWEET. PREDICTABLE. DISAPPOINTS.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
Book Review - Palanquin of Heaven by H R Krishna
‘PALANQUIN OF HEAVEN’ sets a strong BENCHMARK, and is a CLASS APART.
Genre: Romance/Fantasy/Fiction
Publisher: Vamptasy
‘Palanquin of Heaven’ is the first novel by H. R. Krishna. It is a beautifully knit story of two completely different characters – Raag and Aditi. Raag, a boy of a tender age and an inhabitant of a mysterious island near South Africa, sees his entire tribe getting killed mercilessly. Left alone with his elder sister, he sets out on a boat, but gets caught by the Pirates, who brutally rape and eventually kill his elder sister. Filled with extreme anger and excruciating venom for the Pirates, he quickly learns all the tricks, and becomes a pirate himself. One fine day, he gets the opportunity, and murders every single pirate on the ship, only to get deceived by a Japanese mother-daughter. He is somehow saved by the people living in the southern coast of India, and manages to grow among them, in the life’s most brutal ways. One night, while escaping along with his adopted brother, he meets a strange, yet gifted musician – Gautam, who teaches him the art of making and playing a Violin. Raag participates in the music competition in a hope to win the prize money, so that he can save his dying brother. Luck does not favor him, and he loses to Baalaji, who later becomes his best friend. Unable to save his brother, he donates the kidneys to Niya - Aditi’s best friend. Aditi Chowdhary, daughter of a reputed construction company owner, has grown up in the environment which is completely different to Raag’s. She is polished, she has a class, and she is extremely beautiful. Once Niya gets a kidney donor, in the form of Raag’s brother, Aditi befriends Raag, and they become phone-friends. Meanwhile, Raag meets Dr. Sam, who finds out some special traits in Raag’s blood, and asks him to join his hospital. Raag, a brilliant learner he is, learns quickly under Dr. Sam, who, for some reason, hides the secret behind Raag’s special blood. Aditi, meanwhile, goes through the tough time, when she loses her father, her brother and her best friend, and eventually comes on the verge of losing her father’s company. She takes up the mission to save her father’s business from the corrupt people. She faces deception from the most trusted people around her. Time finally brings Raag and Aditi on the same road, and their friendship blossoms into true love. But, will their relationship survive? All the loved ones of Raag have died? Will Raag be able to save Aditi? Will he be able to find the secrets behind his mysterious blood, the elixir, and the reason behind the killings of his tribe? Will Aditi be able to save his father’s massive company from the corrupt people? To find out the answers, read the book!
Phew, I have somehow managed to write a ‘small’ gist of this magnificent book. Lives of Raag and Aditi go through so many up and down events and you feel like mentioning everything! So, please forgive me if I went too much into the detailing of the story, and trust me, I have told only half of the events!!
Now, the REVIEW...
‘Palanquin of Heaven’ is a CLASS APART. It is fantastic; it is unusual; it is very different from the usual love stories floating in the market. The characters are so meticulously sketched that you feel like patting the writer, almost after every chapter. Right from the first scene, the book grips the reader’s mind so strongly that it becomes almost next to impossible to put the book down. Each and every scene has been written, undoubtedly, after extensive research work. The writer has a strong hold on the language, and delivers some magical lines, and unforgettable scenes. The first scene, where Raag digs the grave of every member of his tribe, still gives me goose bumps, and the scene, when Raag finally takes his love Aditi on a date, is so sweet and romantic. This is a very unusual and a very unpredictable love story – Unusual because of the way Raag’s character has been sketched and unpredictable because the reader is left shocked in the climax. This book, if sold and marketed properly, can surely set a benchmark. After finishing the book, one can easily make out the extent of research work done in scripting this story. It is a good lesson for all the fresh writers/authors to come out of their comfort zones, and write something which they themselves not have experienced. Then only, the book is termed as a Fiction – a real Fiction, and a fiction needs a lot of imagination. As a first time writer, H. R. Krishna has done an outstanding job.
And, the negatives...
I didn’t find any serious negativity to point out. Well, a reader may feel that the first meeting of Raag and Aditi happens a bit too late, and he/she may feel a little restless.
On the whole, H. R. Krishna’s ‘Palanquin of Heaven’ is a master stroke. It is very well written, very well narrated, and each scene is very well described. This book may easily set a bench mark for other books, of the same genre. This one is certainly for Literature freaks, who want to read GOOD BOOKS!!! I am going with well-deserved 4 out of 5 stars and a thumbs-up for H. R. Krishna’s ‘Palanquin of Heaven’.
Verdict : A CLASS APART !!! TOTALLY ENGAGING !!! A MUST READ !!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)