Beaten By Bhagath: Review!

I’m sure you can do a much better job than Bhagath!’

When BB hears these inspiring words from his sexy lady boss, his staid life as a successful analyst in an MNC goes into a tailspin.

Bitten by the ego bug and smitten by her, BB sets off on his quest to write a book that’s better than India’s greatest writer Dr.Bhagath’s blockbusters. Nothing unusual about this for BB, who likes a good fight. Except that he and Bhagath had been classmates and friends at college. 

What follows is a roller-coaster voyage of the debutant author and his book, with all its twists and cul-de-sacs. Brushes with publishers, celebrities, retailers, book chains, and competition with the alliances among giants, mark the challenger’s journey, upping the stakes at every stage. 

Will BB catch up with his famous friend? 

What will their encounter be like? 

Written from inside the ring, ‘Beaten by Bhagath’ is a gripping tale …the first-ever about the unseen side of the wonderland of Indian fiction.

REVIEW: 

This book shows the reality of Indian publishing business. How new authors have to struggle to get their manuscript accepted or even read, for that matter? Its a really sad that some really talented authors don’t get proper recognition due to the flaw in the system. 

I can see that the S.V. Divvaakar has put in hard work and done his research to present this insightful story of a budding author who thinks he can be the next Ketan Bhagath. (read: Chetan Bhagat) I like the writing style and the simplicity of the book. 

But…..

There were many things that I didn’t like about the book. There were many things that I didn’t agree with. There were many times when I just had to put it down. It took a long time for the story to pick up and get me interested. Honestly, I didn’t like the story. The characters are a little flat and not well-developed. Also, I didn’t like the ending. I’m sorry but this book was not for me and I can’t give it more than 2 stars.

Its only about 200 pages so you can give it a try and for all those interested in publishing business or getting published, this book will surely open your eyes, as it did for me. 

Review: A Maverick Heart: Between Love and Life

Author: Ravindra Shukla

Resonance –  We often use the term, “frequency matching” in our daily life to define compatibility. Our frequency does not match, we do not get along? We are not in sync? We are not on the same page etc? When people of similar frequencies (wavelengths or within the same range) come together – output is not a simple sum of individual work, but exponential. In science we term this phenomenon as resonance. Output at this stage is beyond any logical limit. Three young kids, with different family backgrounds and outlook meet during their graduation days at IIT-Bombay campus and become close friends. Although, individually they are in sync, but the same is not true for their interaction with the world. How will their relation withstand the conflict of family and society pressure? How do their character shape out, as they traverse from an educational environment through the corporate world to the realm of the social-political world? Inspired by the real events across the globe from the last decade, Ravindra Shukla brings you the characters based story – struggle and triumphs of a young generation and their relevance in the current socio-eco-political era.

REVIEW:

This book surprised me. I judge books by their cover and this one didn’t really appeal to me. The summary was interesting and quite different so I decided to give it a try. I was assuming it to be like Bhagat’s books and Boy, was I wrong or what?

It is definitely better and more relate-able. The conversations, characters are all very real. I could connect and sympathize with their dilemma’s and struggles. The problems they face are the kind that we all face or see our friends facing. 

I loved Rahul. He is such a nice guy. Mature, sensitive and intelligent. Richita is sweet and smart. She loves her parents and my heart goes out for her. She was trapped in such unfortunate circumstances, she never really had a choice.  Neerav was my favorite. He is such a good friend. I wanted more of him in the book. All three of them are like-able and real. I loved being a part of their journey. The book is more than a love-story. It is a story of three lives. It is a story of friendship and love. It is story of choices and their outcome. 

The writing is intelligent and has a depth to it. It makes you pause and think. It impressed me. The author knows what he is talking about. He gives us an insight into the life of an engineer and what we end up losing when we are busy running after money. The book raises some important questions. 

The problems are really with the editing which is generally an issue I have with most of Indian books. The narration transitioned from third person to first person and left me feeling confused. There were times when I had to read a few lines to understand who is talking. And that’s quite irritating. The book is 383 pages long. The second half of the book is stretched to the point of boredom. There are new characters and after a while it was hard to keep up.There is also a tendency to give too much information, which was just a waste because this book could have been a lot better. 

Overall, definitely a worth reading book. There are so many lines that I can quote from the book.

“Look at this site – it is beautiful and deep. When we come here, we get ourselves lost in its beauty and vastness. Years of sorrow and pain lies in the depth of this lake. You do not know what was here 40-50 years back. Probably, a ditch full of stagnant water and mud breeding mosquitoes. Now here we have beautiful lake surrounded by lush green bushes and beautiful flowers. The place is beautiful today, so we come and enjoy its company, its presence. We do not think about its past or we do not to know what will happen here years later. We enjoy the beauty of its present.”

P.S. Sorry for the delay in reviewing the book. I’ve been really busy with work. 

BUY: Flipkart(India) || Amazon

“This Book Review is a part of The Readers Cosmos Book Review Program. To get free books log on to thereaderscosmos.blogspot.com”

Blog Tour + Giveaway! Love, Films and Rock ‘n’ Roll (India Only)

Fate throws together three young men travelling on a train from Jamshedpur to Kolkata. 

Sunil is a graduate from FTII who wants to make a mark in Tollywood by directing his first feature film. 

Sameer aka Sam, is a software professional working in Silicon Valley. 

Dipankar aka Dipsy, decides to focus on music after being expelled from IIT on a false charge of peddling drugs.

Dilemmas, disillusionments and desires blend to tell their tales in this delightful novel,which although reflective of the carefree ways and the fun loving spirit of the younger generation also attempts to encourage them to incorporate the sense of values which are synonymous with our Indian culture.

And they bind one and all through Love, Films and Rock n Roll!

REVIEW:

I really enjoyed the book. It’s entertaining and well written. I immediately felt connected to the characters and what they were going through. I thought that the author has done a brilliant job with the book. Even the secondary characters are well-developed. 

Its clear that the author knows what he is talking about be it about movies, music or love.  I like the tidbits of information that has been provided through the entire book about music and movies. I have an urge to see Iranian movies now. 

The book is about the three guys, Sam, Sunil and Dipsy who meet on a train and forge a friendship. I liked all three of them. I came to care about them. It was relate-able, like listening to a friend tell their story and you cross your fingers and wish that they get their happy ending.  

Sam has come to India from U.S. in search of a wife, Sunil wants to make a movie and Dipsy, well, he just got expelled from IIT and is homeless and jobless. He starts a band with his friend, Walrus (interesting guy!) and is hoping for it all to work out. All three stories go on together and I liked all three of them equally. 

I couldn’t keep the book down, its a page turner that will have you hooked to it from the very start. The chapters are short and make it a quick read. I definitely recommend it.  

||GIVEAWAY||
India only

a Rafflecopter giveaway