Grieve with Understanding: We Will Meet Again… by Farzana Sarup

I received the book, Grieve with Understanding: We Will Meet Again… by Farzana Sarup, as a review copy and am thankful to her for the same.

The blurb:

God had made up his mind. No one could do anything to cure Mona’s mother. Her cancer had returned aggressively, and all one could do was accept God’s will. Was Mona’s faith being tested, or had God failed her? Was God the creator or a destroyer? Mona gradually began to understand all the answers to her questions as her mother’s soul prepared to journey into the next realm. The spiritual experiences she witnessed during the time assured her that her loved ones would always be with her in spirit and they would reunite once their journey ended.

My take:

I was a little skeptical when I started this book, because this is one topic that is very difficult to handle both as a person and as a reader. So, I was not sure how the author would have handled it as a writer.

The author has used Mona, the protagonist, as a medium to convey her thoughts. Mona is just like one of us. She fights with her mother (I do a lot too), her sibling and blames God for things not happening her way. She lives in India while her mother lives with her younger brother in the US. The author gives us an idea of Mona’s upbringing, her growing up years, her family and her present life. She also gives us an idea as to why she is what she is.

The story is a simple description of the emotions one goes through while seeing a loved one pass on to the other world. The slow process of death and the suffering the patient as well as the family members go through.

This book opened a lot of emotions that one feels when they know that the person they love is suffering from a terminal illness and would succumb to it one day.

Please do read this book, but with the warning, that it would make you cry without even you realising it.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from the author in return for my honest review. I have NOT received any monetary compensation for the same.

Ludhiana to London by Vibha Batra

I received the book Ludhiana to London by Vibha Batra as a review copy from the author. This book has been published on Juggernaut. I am thankful to the author for the book

The Blurb:

Mahi runs a rocking party planning company called Ludhiana to London and has no time for love. When a family crisis erupts, she takes up her stepmother’s offer to plan a wedding in Goa, where she falls for the bride’s hot son. Will he return her love? Find out in this hilarious romantic comedy.

The story:

Mahi Ahluwalia lives in Ludhiana with her step-brother, Niku, and her step-mother Bhooto (that’s what she refers to her as in the entire story) and runs a party planning company, Ludhiana to London, with her best friend Dingy, who is also a partner in the company. And then there is her other best friend, Dingy’s brother, Dumpy, who is in love with her. Niku wants to go to the US and his visa gets rejected times, so she decides to sell her father’s property and give him his share to start the business, but there is a rider, she has to get married to sell it and she proposes to Dumpy.

And Bhooto has an offer, she suggests that Mahi takes up planning the wedding of her friend in Goa. And Mahi moves to Goa to stay in her client’s house, but what she is not aware of, is that Lavith, her client’s son is already living there and does not know about his mother’s impending marriage to his father.

My take:

The book is hilarious from the word go. Written in first person from Mahi’s point of view, the language of the book is funny and words have been spelt giving it a Mahi touch, like the is spelt thee. And then there is the humour which has a Punjabi touch to it. I enjoyed the humour a lot.

The  characters are realistic and could be easily picturised. And the dialogues between them, Lavith speaking proper English and Mahi’s Punju English with her slangs. The author has really done a god job switching from one style to another. Even the secondary characters are important.

Words like BFF is not Best friend forever but, Be Fikre friends, and PMS is PleaseMistakeSorry, to name a few.

A must, must read.

DISCLAIMER: I received the book as a review copy from the author in exchange for a honest review. I have not received any monetary compensation for the same.

 

Aru’s Balcony Garden by Arundhati Nithiyanandhan

What do you do when you received a sweet mail from a seven year old who says that she writes book and has already written three. And would you like to review them? You say Yes and that is what I did.

I received the book Aru’s Balcony Garden as a review copy from the author Arundhati Nithiyanandhan and am thankful to her for the same.

The blurb:

Arundhati who lives in an apartment community of a metro city is used to a small garden at her home balcony that is full of blooming plants that she loves. Every morning she likes to spend a moment before leaving to catch her school bus, in the garden looking at the flowers. This story is inspired by this habit of hers and how she likes to water the plants with her parents.

My take:

This book that talks about simple but important habit like kids watering plants.

A very sweet book with excellent illustrations, this book is one which adults and children would love. Adults, because the language is simple and can be easily understood by small children who can just manage to understand it, so they don’t have to explain much to the children. And children because they would love the illustrations done by Oksana Vynokurova.

All the best Aru, looking forward to more such books from you.

 

DISCLAIMER: I received the book as a review copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. I have not received any monetary compensation for the same.