Five Point Someone, by Chetan Bhagat

About the author:

Chetan Bhagat is one of India’s most known authors. He’s the author of five novels and a collection of essays. All five novels have either already been, or expected to be, made into movies.

Cover and blurb:

The cover is somewhat like a college notebook, and the book is subtitled what not to do at IIT. The cover talks of a college story, of three friends and the darker side of IIT.

My thoughts on the book:

Chetan Bhagat is one of those authors I’ve loved and hated. I guess not every book can be a super hit, but I’ve read four of his five novels, felt two was average, and two was way below par. I’ve this habit of not reading books in order. So when one of my friends saw that I’ve not read CB’s debut book, Five Point Someone, she gave me her copy and told me I have to read that. I decided to complete the set of CB novels and took it eagerly. I’d heard rave reviews of the book from most of my friends, and with the movie 3 Idiots being adapted from this one (loosely adapted, I might add), I thought it possibly couldn’t be worse than the two novels I’ve felt way below par.

Five Point Someone brings to us, the story of three friends and their life in IIT. These three friends are linked, not by common points, but how they don’t have much in common at all. It tells us of their studies, their friendship, their obstacles (including the teachers), the ragging and the revolt and many other aspects of college life that many of us might be able to relate to.

Is the book memorable? No. Not very. It’s a simply written simple story with not a lot of twists and turns etc. It’s a fast paced book which you might pick up on a journey and the plot keeps you occupied for a few hours, save you from boredom on that. There are various characters that you can step into the shoes of and possibly understand their life. You feel intrigued by the depth of friendship between the main trio, and you do wish for a happy ending to the novel, which does happen. This book however is not for those who are really in love with English (like me), and you wish it was narrated better. Looking at the plot more critically, the actions of the characters may not make sense at all, and you start banging your head as to why you took it up in the first place. (It’s something that has happened to me when I’ve read his other novels).

Want a book that’s a definite one-time read and has only enough to keep the imagination occupied for a few hours? Then perhaps this is a book you can try. Not one of my favorites, but not CB’s worst either.

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My rating: 2.5/5

Book Details:
Title: Five Point Someone
Author: Chetan Bhagat
ISBN: 9788129104595
Genre: Contemporary
Publishers: Rupa and Company
Price: INR. 95

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Reviewed by Leo

Shared with

1. Indian Quills Review Challenge at The Tales Pensieve

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In Black and White by Rudyard Kipling

He was the youngest recipient of Nobel Prize in Literature, the first writer of English language to have that honour conferred on him. My inspiration in writing, Ruskin Bond, found inspiration in his writing. And if I had one regret emanating from the world of literature (which I know is vast and perhaps has no place for regrets), it was that I never got an opportunity to read any work of the great storyteller Rudyard Kipling. However, in a recent set of book Rupa Publications sent me for review, I got my chance to overcome that regret.

In Black and White is my first tryst with Rudyard Kipling, and what a grand, memorable meeting with the master-storyteller it has been. Kipling has been regarded as an innovator in the art of short story writing, and this book is only one of the many examples which lends credibility to that statement. In Black and White is a collection of some of Kipling's finest stories which shed light on the social, cultural and political fabric of India, as it was woven under colonial rule. The imperial conquest of power etched a firm, and almost cruel boundary between the ruler and the ruled - a reality which stories of this book bring out vividly. The language, I will have to admit, was not the easiest to understand. In fact, if anything, it was most abstract, but that is what gave space for philosophical ideas to run parallel to the main narrative of extremely engaging stories. A miner, a priest, a missionary, a betrayed and revenge seeking lover - each character has been drawn deep from within the womb of humble Indian terrain and represent in full the idiosyncrasies of Indians. The tales are endearing at times, witty at others, and scathingly ironical at certain places. Kipling presents both - the inherent innocence of Indians and the corruption which started taking roots under the reign of the Raj in these 8 short stories

The Whole Range of Kipling Special Books 

It is a small book, priced humbly, to invite readers to the enamouring, but critical world of Kipling. My favorite among all is a story called "Dray Wara Yow Dee". Don't ask me what that means. I just know I enjoyed this tale of a lover betrayed, seething with revenge. For the first time, it was not poetry, but prose in which I found an unmistakable lyrical quality.

Kipling has a controversial place in History. He is credited with a doctrine which not just justifies, but glorifies imperial conquests. Given his philosophy of 'A White Man's Burden', I have always wondered how is it that Kipling wrote of nothing but India and its people, so much so, that many literary connoisseurs bracket him in the Indian Writing in English category. A man, not wedded to the sensibilities of this magnificent land could not have possibly written literature which seems like our own. Perhaps this dichotomy in Kipling's writing is best understood in the words of one of my English teachers, who warns with affection - History often doesn't give us the chance to alter our opinions, we must learn to be careful with them.

Its a 3.5 on 5 star book for me.

Book Details - 
Author - Rudyard Kipling (With an introduction by Ruskin Bond)
Source - Review Copy
Genre - Literary Fiction/Short Fiction
Publisher - Rupa Publications
Price - ₹ 140
Pages - 118 (8 stories)
Rating - 3.5/5

The Green Room - Wendell Rodricks

When I first got to know that Wendell Rodricks', a fashion designer who is a household name (if people of that house read newspapers) is coming up with a book, I made up my mind that I am surely going to read it. I have always followed news related to the fashion world, not to the T, but yes on and off so I knew who Wendell Rodricks' was and what he was famous for. The book named "The Green Room" with Malaika Arora Khan on its jacket landed up at my house on previous friday and thats when I thought that this is going to be my weekend read. 

The book opens up with a prologue in which models are getting ready in the green room, the backstage manager shouting at the models, and the choreographer of the show is all set to fire instructions so that the show can begin as soon as possible. Amidst all the chaos, the backstage manager keeps shouting that if something goes wrong, Wendell is going to throw a fit, so models should make sure nothing goes wrong. The way prologue has been written instantly had me. Wendell came across as a strikingly good story teller. It was one of the youtube videos that I saw about the book in which Wendell shared that it was a challenge among friends that who can write 60,000 words in two months and Wendell took up the challenge quite seriously and actually began writing. He completed the challenge and later realised that he should add some 60,000 words more to bring this book to life. In the book he shares that Lara Dutta once asked him to write a book because she liked the way he told stories. Wendell has politely thanked her in the book! :) 

The book has some 350 odd pages and 21 chapters and covers each and every aspect of Wendell's life. His family, his ancestors, his education, his friends, his collections, his designs, his assorted works, fashion shows he did, his sexuality, the controversies of the fashion industry, his infinite holidays all over the world, his stints in various parts of the world, his love and passion for Goa, his love for food, numerous friends he made in his life, his love for wine, his discoveries including Deepika Padukone and Anushka Sharma, controversies around him and his relationship with his partner Jerome, a french man he met in Oman, his pets and people who have worked with him over the years. 

The way this book has been written makes it an absolute page turner. If you have the slightest idea about fashion and fashion industry and popular names of the industry, you would sail through the book quite easily. Wendell is witty and blatantly honest with whatever he has shared in the book. His writing has got the WOW factor. The way he has described everything in the book shows how observant he is with things surrounding him. Also, Wendell praises Shefalee Vasudev, who has written a book Powder Room, which I read and reviewed few days back, for her honest reviews about the fashion shows and the fashion world. I absolutely loved Powder Room as well. 

I would definitely suggest you to read this book once. It gives you a wide insight about the fashion world and how to become somebody from nobody. Wendell has poured his heart out in the book and deserves a place in your book shelf if you enjoy reading autobiographies. 

Publisher : Rain Tree Publishers
Genre : Autobiography
ISBN : 978-81-291-2022-9