A Newlywed's Adventures in Married Land by Shweta Ganesh Kumar

Title : A Newlywed's Adventures in Married Land

Author : Shweta Ganesh Kumar

Genre : Chick-lit, Travel, Journal

~ Summary ~

"Former workaholic Mythili moves to the Philippines to be with her new husband Siddharth. Once there, however, she is faced with unemployment and expat wives, all the while struggling to overcome culture shock. Is Siddharth’s love enough to help this real life Alice find her way out of Wonderland?"

~ Review ~

It is a very breezy read,  you can read it in one go. It is Mythili's story, which begins in present time as she picks up her favourite book, Alice in Wonderland, and then goes to the past couple of years and ends in present time. 

What I really liked are the constant connectors to Alice, the names of all chapters and the quotes at their beginnings. I thoroughly enjoyed the way the lines from Alice were woven in the chapters wittily. It makes for a fun read which you would enjoy reading while travelling. I could connect with when she snaps at people who ask her if she eats cows, and that entire conversation is something a lot of us can identify with, because the half information about India that is online, is not ono so far fetched that it is funny, but also ridiculous to the point of disappointment. It is a narrative so you feel like you're actually inside her head, exploring her thoughts and feelings.

What I didn't like, however, was the one dimensional characterisation of almost everybody except Mythili and kind of Siddharth. Everybody else were stereotypical side characters, with little to them but unredeemable qualities which I personally do not like. Also, the references made to both schizophrenia and anorexia, in my opinion, seem to trivialise the diseases.

"Mythili wished she had met Sarah under different circumstances. She would have liked her. She would have liked her even more if she was sure Sarah was completely lesbian. Yes, sad, very sad, but honestly, she would have. Yes, she had a girlfriend, who Mythili was having a hard time identifying as a girl at all. She had short cropped hair, a very square jaw and was dressed in a men’s sweater t-shirt with jeans and sneakers. A pair of thick glasses and absolutely no makeup. She was solid looking and could easily pass for a rather handsome, clean-cut guy. It was her very masculinity that had Mythili on the fence. If Sarah had really switched sides on the gender she preferred to be with, why not be with a girly girl; why a girl who looked like a guy? Didn’t that mean she still liked guys?"

^ This paragraph I found extremely disturbing. And disrespectful. This is obviously a character flaw, and I get it but I got so disconnected from the character and lost what little identification I felt. 

~ Verdict ~

1/5

I read a few reviews about this book and I found that people generally liked it, I can see why. Its a continuous flow and it is interesting. Personally, it didn't do anything for me. I didn't quite enjoy it as much as I thought I would after the initial 20 pages. 

You can find out more and buy it here. 

One Fifth Avenue- Candace Bushnell

Author: Candace Bushnell
Price: 12.70 USD

Pages: 433 
ISBN: 978-1-4013-0161-3

Synopsis (from the back of the book):

 One Fifth Avenue, the Art Deco beauty towering over one of Manhattan's oldest and most historically hip neighborhoods, is a one-of-a-kind address, the sort of building you have to earn your way into - one way or another. For the women in Candace Bushnell's new novel, One Fifth Avenue, this edifice is essential to the lives they've carefully established - or hope to establish. From the hedge fund king's wife to the aging gossip columnist to the free-spirited actress (a recent refugee from L.A.), each person's game plan for a rich life comes together under the soaring roof of this landmark building." 

This book is a modern-day story of old and new money, that same combustible mix that Edith Wharton mastered in her novels about New York's Gilded Age and F. Scott Fitzgerald illuminated in his Jazz Age tales. Many decades later, Bushnell's New Yorkers suffer the same passions as those fictional Manhattanites from eras past: They thirst for power, for social prominence, and for marriages that are successful - at least to the public eye. But Bushnell is an original, and One Fifth Avenue is so fresh that it reads as if sexual politics, real estate theft, and fortunes lost in a day have never happened before.

Y.Ahn.: 
This was the first Candace Bushnell book that I have ever read. She wrote Sex and the City for all of you who don't know her, yet. It was a gift from a distant relative who saw it on the New York Times Bestseller list. I was reluctant at first to read it but I was in for a pleasant surprise. Many of you are probably rolling your eyes at me as soon as you see the words chick lit. However, Candace Bushnell writes in a sarcastic and witty manner. The story isn't a modern Cinderella story but rather the darker side of fame and fortune. 

The story begins with an introduction to the setting and in one way the main focal point of this novel. The one thing that all the characters have in common is their home, the glittering building of One Fifth Avenue. The rich and famous live here as well as the people who want to be rich and famous. No one is afraid to claw their way up to the top. 

My favorite thing about this novel was the fact that there were so many different characters. Sometimes, too many characters result in a haphazard story that doesn't flow well because the reader doesn't understand how all the characters fit together. In this novel, each character has a seamless way of zipping in and out of the central plot. 

Schiffer Diamond is an actress who is beautiful, elegant, and graceful. She recently moves back to One Fifth Avenue for a TV show. Her old love Phillip Oakland lives there with his aunt Enid. Neither of them are sure where they stand with each other. Enid was friends with Louise Houghton who passes away due to a rainy accident. Louise and Enid's stepmother, Flossie, had a rivalry and Flossie was kicked out of the apartment. In the old servant's quarter, Mindy lives with her husband James and her son Sam. Mindy wants to move up on the social ladder but her husband is a "serious" writer who doesn't make any money. James has the same publisher as Phillip Oakland, who now writes screenplays. When Louise Hampton dies, Mindy is in charge of finding a new owner for her floor. Just to make sure that Enid and Phillip don't get their way, Mindy lets a new couple Annalisa and Paul buy Louisa's apartment. Paul makes a huge amount of money working for hedge fund king, Sandy Brewer. Billy Litchfield is an old man who enjoys living in New York and teaching ladies, like Connie Brewer, how to navigate in the world of the rich and famous. Lola is a girl from Atlanta who wants to be famous in New York. She gets a job as Phillip's researcher, only she's twenty years younger than him and determined to marry him. Lola befriends Thayer who currently writes for an online gossip blog but wants to be a serious writer. 

Events connect all the characters together, like the discovery of a stolen cross necklace. Her characters are all so real because they all have flaws and mistakes haunting them. They behave like people which is sort of rare for chick lit. Don't get me wrong, I like reading about the girl who was swept off her feet by some billionaire she happened to meet coincidentally. One Fifth Avenue was different because it was so unpredictable. Candace Bushnell is such a meticulous writer. She draws you in little by little until you are so rapt around the novel that you have to finish it. One thing that I really enjoyed was the fact that she remembered all the little details. They reappear again and you just have that sinking feeling of dramatic irony for these characters. The characters all know each other by mutual connections but it makes sense that they know each other because Bushnell provides a concise history of each character. There is no sugarcoating and One Fifth Avenue captures the essence of the New York scene. I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants a different type of chick lit. 

Rating : 4/5

Confessions Of A Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

• Title : 'Confessions Of A Sopaholic'
• Author : Sophie Kinsella
• Genre : Chick-lit, Comedy, General Fiction
• Followed by : Shopaholic Abroad(Shopaholic Takes Manhattan), Shopaholic Ties The Knot, Shopaholic and Sister, Shopaholic and Baby, Mini Shopaholic.

~ Summary ~

Rebecca Bloomwood, or Becky as she likes to be called, is an employee of the finance magazine called 'Successful Saving'.

She's a financial journalist who earns her living by telling others how to sort their finances.
What does she do in her free time? SHOP.

Shopping is her answer to everything. When she's low, she shops. When there's a sale, she shops. When she just sees something pretty, she shops!

One day, she opens her mail only to find her VISA bill a staggering amount of 949 pounds!

She tries earning more, she tries spending less, but she gets caught up in the web of lies she's had to concoct.
Can Becky get herself out of this mess, self respect intact?

~ Excerpt ~

"That moment, that instant when your fingers curl round the handles of a shiny, uncreased bag—and all the gorgeous new things inside it become yours. What’s it like? It’s like going hungry for days, then cramming your mouth full of warm buttered toast. It’s like waking up and realizing it’s the weekend. It’s like the better moments of sex. Everything else is blocked out of your mind. It’s pure, selfish pleasure. I walk slowly out of the shop, still in a haze of delight. I’ve got a Denny and George scarf. I’ve got a Denny and George scarf!"

~ My Review ~

I love chick lits, so this totally was my home ground. I really enjoy reading Sophie Kinsella because she has this very simple, not over the top kind of writing where she doesn't really add unnecessary huge words, but manages to capture the feelings so perfectly!
'Confessions of a Shopaholic' is really an interesting read because once you read the way Becky feels about clothes, and about how buying/wearing them makes her feel, you kind of get why she does what she does.
It is never sermon-y or boring, for even a bit! There's loads of drama, and hilarious encounters because her lies and stories keep blowing up in her face!
The best bit about the book, and the entire series, is the way Becky thinks, honestly. She has this wonderful yet crazy at times, imaginative powers. And that is what just makes this book all that more engaging and exciting!

~ Final Verdict ~

3/5. If you do not like chick lit, then this is probably not the right book for you.
But if you like light, humorous, interesting stuff, then go on and buy it! :D

 *********
The paperback version is available on Flipkart for Rs.301 and you can check it out here.
You can also download the pdf ebook here.

['Confessions Of A Shopaholic' is also known as 'The Secret Dreamworld Of A Shopaholic']

Crossroads- Jenny Markas

1st PUBLISHED: 2001

ISBN: 0-439-39744-8

GENRE: Chick Lit/ Teen Fiction (Adapted from the screenplay by Shonda Rhimes; based on the movie starring Britney Spears.)

SYNOPSIS:

Lucy, Kit, and Mimi were best friends. Until they hit high school, that is. Then Kit became queen of the popular crew; Lucy became queen of the nerds (yes, that's Britney. Imagine.) and Mimi became queen of the rebels. But they're all determined to follow their dreams- no matter where they might lead.

And on the day after graduation, those dreams bring Lucy, Kit, and Mimi together again- and lead them on a road trip across the country. Along the way,they'll bicker, banter, laugh, cry, and sing their hearts out. They'll find love, friendship, and loyalty. And they'll discover that where you end up is not as important as the people you bring along with you on the journey.

EXCERPT:

I can't stand it anymore. I meet Mimi's eyes and see that she can't stand it, either. I slide forward, reach over the seat, start to touch the radio dial.

"What are you doing?" Ben demands.

"What is with this music?" I demand back.

"I like it," he says.

"Can we listen to something else for ten minutes?" I need a break. Desperately.

"No." His eyes are on the road. His face is stony.

"Come on, Ben," says Lucy, barely looking up from her journal.

"Okay, okay," he says, "Five minutes."

Yes! I twist the dial until a pop station comes on. Soon, Mimi and Lucy and I are singing along, bouncing around in our seats. Ben's gritting his teeth. He can't take it. Finally, he reaches out and grabs the dial. Metal comes thundering out.

"You said five minutes!" Lucy yells over the music.

He just shakes his head. "I can't listen to that. Forget it."


ARPITA SPEAKS:

Crossroads is one of those stories that sound entertaining- and are- but also happen to be the kind that belong to the less impressive category of teen fiction. It's amateurish, juvenile and stereotypical; yet, mercifully, a little better than the disastrous movie. The pictures included are pretty, though. And the first person narration by each of the characters gives it a personal touch. The rare portions with Ben speaking up are definitely amusing.

Having known each other since they were eight years old, Lucy, Mimi and Kit had made a pact to remain lifelong friends. However, when they enter high school, their differences draw them apart. They make new friends, face new challenges, and try to forget about the past. But on the day of the graduation party, they decide to keep their promise of meeting in the school grounds to dig up an old shoe box they'd decorated and buried when they were kids. Opening it, they are all overcome by nostalgia as they go through all those things they'd once held dear.

Mimi, the pregnant girl from the trailer park who misses her friends the most, tells Lucy and Kit about her plans to audition for a record company in L.A. When they express their shock, she tries to persuade them to join her and this guy she's getting a ride with. Tempted by her desire to meet her boyfriend, Kit ponders over the idea...as does Lucy, who is desperate to find the mother who abandoned her when she was a little child.

What follows is a bumpy ride that leads to self realization and a lot more. As the girls try to keep aside their differences, learn to accept the changes in each other and try to live life the way they'd always wanted to, they learn that dreams may change, but friends remain forever.

RATING: 2.5 on 5

PRICE: Rs.125/- (Scholastic)

NUMBER OF PAGES: 142

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Title : The Princess Diaries

Author : Meg Cabot

Genre : Young Adult / Chick-lit

Price : Rs 499

ISBN : 0061479934

Publisher : Harper Teen

Total no. of titles in the series : 17 (includes novels, novellas and companion books)

First Published : 2000

Summary : Mia Thermopolis has many things to worry about – a best friend who produces a TV show, and is stalked by a weird guy who has a fetish for shoes, the fact that her crush, the most popular boy in school, Josh Richter only has eyes for Lana Weinberger, her arch-enemy, and a mother who is dating her Algebra teacher – without having to find out that she is not Mia Thermopolis.

She is Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo, the princess of Genovia. Her paternal grandmother, the Dowager Princess of Genovia arrives in New York to groom her into a proper princess who, Mia soon finds out, has to be everything that she is not.

Excerpt :

Lilly says Josh's synapses were probably misfiring that day, due to heatstroke or something. She said he probably thought I looked familiar but couldn't place my face without the cement block walls of Albert Einstein High behind me. Why else, she asked, would the most popular senior in high school say hey to me, Mia Thermopolis, a lowly freshman? But I know it wasn't heatstroke. The truth is, when he's away from Lana and all his jock friends, Josh is a totally different person. The kind of person who doesn't care if a girl is flat-chested or wears size-ten shoes. The kind of person who can see beyond all that into the depths of a girl's soul. I know because when I looked into his eyes that day at Bigelows, I saw the deeply sensitive person inside him, struggling to get out.

Lilly says I have an overactive imagination and a pathological need to invent drama in my life. She says the fact that I'm so upset about my mom and Mr. G is a classic example.

Sudeshna's take : The Princess Diaries is a humorous and engaging take on the life of a New York city high school student, but with a twist. While there are the regular challenges of school life that Mia has to deal with, the additional pressure of finding out that she is a princess plunges her into unknown territories, which becomes the life of the novel. The characters are well-built to add to a fast-paced plot, and there isn't a single dull page in the book. In fact, I finished it in one sitting.

The format makes the book easy to read, and teen-aged girls will adore this book once they get hold of it. Although the story may sound a bit off-landish at first, Ms Cabot has crafted the story so well that everything becomes more than believable.

It is one of those stories that you will want to read again and again. I'd say, do read it!

Rating : 4.5/5.0

Ira Trivedi's Great Indian Love Story

The Great Indian Love Story

Title : …Great Indian Love Story
Author : Ira Trivedi
Price : INR 295/-

Penguin India

Ira Trivedi's 'The Great Indian Love Story' tries to explore the darker side of Delhi and it's socialite class.Though her intention to tell a bold and provocative tale on the lives of rich and the mighty is noteworthy it's treatment is so bland that the story loses its track right after the first few chapters itself.The characters appear as if they are sleep walking through a Madhur Bhandarkar movie with almost everyone sleeping around with everyone else and there is too much talk about drugs,sex and lacy underwears!

The story: Though the story is narrated by Riya,a U.S. educated twenty something girl who befriends Sereena Sharma at a high end Delhi gym,'The Great Indian Love Story' is more of a story of Sereena and her sexual escapades.Sereena herself is having a troubled life,her father has died recently and his mother has happily married a guy who is half her age.There is also a sub plot involving Parmeet(Sereena's mother) and her extramarital affairs.The story goes and on with nothing really happening in the narrative except Sereena(who also gets pregnant in between) and her mother having sex with multiple partners!

The writing: The language is plain and quite simple.Ira has done away with long descriptions and un necessary detailing.But the basic problem with her writing is that though there are only a few characters in this book none of them have been etched out well and as a result the reader is not able to empathise with any of them.Neither has she justified the weird behaviour of Sereena or her various boyfriends. The character of S.P.Sharma also seems half baked.The pacing of the book is also a major drawback.As i said before ,a lot has been written(that too in a disspirited,un interesting manner) on the protagonists' sexual adventures which just turns you off.The saddest part is that though the book calls itself a 'love story',there is not even a trace of true love between any of the characters here!

The climax: This book has got the weakest climax among the books which i have read recently.Though it depicts the tragic fate of Sereena and her friend Amar khanna it neither touches nor shocks the reader.It only serves to remind you that you have come to the end of an un inspiring, wannabe 'society tale'.

Verdict: Stay away from this trash!Rating -1/10(wonder why Penguin India is publishing trash like this!)