Book Review: Hurry Om Hari by Parul Tyagi

Hurry om hari

Author: Parul Tyagi

Publisher: Half Baked Beans

Rating: 3.5/5

Summary

Roosevelt said,“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams” and this has been proved true. “Hurry Om Hari” is all about love, hope, trust, support and relationships. The story begins with Harini’s family visiting Om’s house for “rishta”. The two families meet, the girl and the boy meet and the wedding is settled. But there is more to it. Harini is a national level Hockey player and she wants to play the last match before getting herself busy with the chores of married life. On the other hand is Om, who wants to prove himself and for this he decides that a “Reality show” is the answer. Their lives are destined to be together, but not so early. Tables are turned when the families of both the protagonists permit them to live their dreams, without each other, and then meet on the other side. Time is limited, tasks are enormous! Will Hari and Om successfully execute their plans? Or will someone cut the ground from under their feet, destroying the dreams of both? Read this novella to get the answers!

My opinion

“Hurry Om Hari” is a fast paced love story. The plot has all the ingredients that makes a good pot boiler, in a chronological lineup. We are introduced to Om, a generous groom-to-be and then Harini,  a bold and brainy bride-to-be. Both the characters have been crafted really very well, such that they compliment each other. The title is catchy and the cover is mesmerizing. The best part of the novella is its continuity and the flow that forces the readers to complete reading the book, in one go. We have a flustered mother- Rani, contrary to her extremely supportive husband- Shail, a draconian father-Dhananjay and his submissive wife- Meeraji, the everready-Bobby Bhabhi, and many more jolly characters that add to the “fun” element of the story. The author has perfectly depicted the emotions of a self made man and has also targeted the social issue where women are treated as not-fit-to-go-out. Harini is one such character who believes in calling a spade a spade and Om respects her audacity to fight for herself.

Behind the curtain of marriage, how does one cope with the dreams and desires, with the new responsibilities and all the other small nothings- this has been beautifully shown. It definitely takes the support and belief of parents and the life partner, to realize the dream and transform it into reality.

Overall, a good read! Grab this book if you are always in a hurry and can spend little time on reading.

Drawbacks

The book lacks proofreading and there are punctuation mistakes time and again.

Buy this book at:

Link (Amazon India): http://www.amazon.in/Hurry-Om-Hari-Parul-Tyagi/dp/8192893634/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429258352&sr=8-1&keywords=parul+tyagi

   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Book Review: All the best, baby by Karan Singh Surana

All the best, baby

Author: Karan Singh Surana

Publisher: Half Baked Beans

Rating: 2.5/5

Summary

“All the best, baby” is full of love and politics. The story revolves around Sahil Surana, the protagonist, who decides to part company from his family and join M. Tech in the Orion University. But the plot is not as simple as it seems. Love, is the main hassle in his life. When Sahil decides to teach in a coaching centre, cupid strikes him hard. He gets smitten by one of his students- Natasha and eventually succeeds in robbing the cradle. The wheels of the story move forward, with Sahil and Natasha in their respective colleges, both speaking the same language, spending countless hours on phone calls and grabbing even the smallest opportunity, to meet each other. Perhaps, life is not a bed of roses and the elders set the alarm bells ringing with their endeavours to find match for their respective children. On one hand, is Sahil’s mother, who has negative views on Inter caste marriages and on the other hand, is Natasha’s father, who is more concerned about the societal values, name and fame. The issue of Sahil getting married to Natasha, becomes a bone of contention for both the families. Sahil chops and changes all the time, but with no fruitful outcome. As if this was not enough, Sahil faces trouble at the college front as well, when Mr. Mishra, a barefaced liar, tries to ruin the future of all the students.

Amidst dirty politics in college, love being a can of worms and employment being the upcoming hurdle, will Sahil be able to dodge the bullet? Or will he surrender his dreams and hopes? Read this novella to get all the answers!

My opinion

It is true that every relationship has problems but true love is when you want to stick beside your significant other, inspite of a stormy relationship and all the hurdles that block your path. “All the best baby” is all about holding on to your love, even when the final outcome is not predictable. The author has successfully crafted the characters of Sahil and Natasha, their strict and stubborn parents, their wonderful friends and the corrupt teachers and administration in Orion (or probably every other University) University. The novella is fast paced, with short and to-the-point chapters. The ambience smells of young romance and the plot highlights the cliché (d) inter caste weddings that restricts two people from falling in love without prior information about their background, caste, religion and what not! There are some dialogues that directly target the society and are indeed delightful.

Overall, good effort by the author!

Drawbacks

The major drawback in the book is the lack of proofreading and presence of several grammatical errors that makes the content ambiguous. Secondly, there is lack of flow and continuity, thereby failing to hold the attention of readers for long.

Buy this book at:

Link (Amazon India): http://www.amazon.in/best-Baby-Karan-Singh-Surana/dp/9384315001/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1430906388&sr=1-1&keywords=all+the+best+baby.

Link (Flipkart): http://www.flipkart.com/all-best-baby-english/p/itme62y4zup2gyps?pid=9789384315009&affid=vcommission&affExtParam1=34876&affExtParam2=matt&otracker=start&q=All+the+Best+%2C+Baby+%28English%29&as-pos=p_1_all+the+best+a&as=on&as-show=on

   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Book Review: The Last Surge by Pramit Sarkar

The last surge

Author: Pramit Sarkar

Publisher: Gargi Publishers

Rating: 4/5

Summary

“The last surge” is a story plotted in the streets of Kotkata. Gabriel, the protagonist, is a dab hand at playing football. The female lead is Rimi, who is an orphan, but lives with her aunt. Gabriel falls in love with Rimi during his quest of finding out the person who hid his shoes during the final tournament of football and eventually loaded the dice against him. The elegance and the magnificence of Rimi makes him fall head over heels in love with her, at the first sight. And Gabriel is taken unawares when Rimi reciprocates the same feelings for him as well. But love is always a mystery- sometimes glorious and sometimes painful. The tables are turned when Rimi decides to marry someone else, leaving behind Gabriel, at the altar. The thorns of betrayal suck out life from Gabriel, each day, unless he finds solace for his yearning heart, by adopting a daughter (Sneha) and deciding to stay bachelor lifelong. He leaves football and instead becomes a relationship counselor. Such is the irony of life.

Probably Gabriel thinks that things will be easier after deciding to move on. But who knew what life had in store for him. When his sister, Esabelle, narrates the story of his long lost love to his beloved daughter, her daughter decides to find Rimi, for her father and get the answers from her. Lo and behold, Gabriel meets Rimi in his office but thing get heated up. He surrenders to destiny with fate accompli. And in the attempt to avenge the treason meted out to him, he meets with such an end that is blissful in its own sense.

My opinion

The novella is a bodice ripper set in the land of Bengal. The theme is appealing. The characters are crafted very well. Somewhere the climax of the story resembles the climax of the Bollywood movie, “Raanjhaana”. None-the-less the depiction of relationships is impeccable. The story gives an insight into the relationship shared by an adopted child, with her father and that is ethereal.  Love is unpredictable, it makes you realize how weak you are and how strong you can be. The love struck protagonist, Gabriel, is successfully able to grab the attention of the readers such that they feel connected to the story. It is always said that a women is the only creation of God that has the ability to fit into different roles of life, perfectly. But Gabriel proves this saying wrong. A perfect brother who caters to the needs of her sister- emotionally, psychologically and mentally; a perfect father who cherry picks the opportunites for his adopted daughter and tries to make life, a bed of roses, for her; a die-hard romantic who continues to suffer through the pangs of betrayal even though there is a chance to move on and have a life of his own. On the contrary, the female protagonist, Rimi, has been portrayed as the person who is all things to all people and believes in calling a spade a spade. The author has put forward a balancing act in sketching the character of these two people.

Overall, a delightful story!

Buy this book at:

Link (Amazon India): http://www.amazon.in/The-Last-Surge-Pramit-Sarkar/dp/9384382051/