A lopsided review seldom does any benefit to author and reader. But, then we live in times where every review counts irrespective of the quality of a review, such is the algorithm of e-commerce. I can seat on all three chairs – Reader, author and seller and debate upon pros and cons of reviews and why are they so important. But then that won’t help. The rule is set – More reviews, more visibility.
After finishing the book I thought Ananya doesn’t need to be reviewed or rather I should not review it. The reason is the strengths of the books are its weakness too. I will come to that in the latter half of the review.
Ananya- a bittersweet journey is a story of an intelligent girl Ananya. Narrated in the first person by Shilpa Gupta it is about how Ananya’s life changes after she falls in love with Rohit who is no less than a casanova. To make matter worse he’s Ananya’s best friend Moh’s brother. Eventually, Ananya gets pregnant from Rohit and Rohit does classical vanishing act upon the girl leaving her alone to fight.
The interesting thing is, Ananya isn’t 20+ girl or 25+ woman. She is a sixteen-year-old intelligent girl aspiring to get into IIT. She is a daughter of hard-working parents who are doing exceptionally well in their fields. Girls like Ananya don’t make mistakes. It’s unacceptable.
What I liked: Shilpa Gupta never slips while narrating the story from a teenager’s POV. The language is fluid and nowhere there is a showoff from the author. Author has deliberately avoided the traps of melodrama and overt emotional reactions. She also does not provide any kind of magic pill to protagonist’s conflict. The setting -- Upper middle-class family, Diwali celebrations, Coaching classes, Schools and café .
What I did not like - Every character needs to get a closure by end of the book. There is always an imminent question what happened to them? In this case, I did not like the way Rohit’s character is treated. Author has chosen to let the character fall which is expected considering Rohit’s action. However, the story is realistic and so are the characters. We know some of the people who are douche bag would still do better professionally, socially, and personally. There is no- reason about why Rohit does what he does once h returns to the US.
So back to why I should not have written this review – When I finished reading the book I genuinely felt fresh. It’s a good writing. I was not bogged down by instances in the book and I could go on with my life but at the same time, if the author would have allowed me as a reader to get intimate with characters, especially Ananya then I think the book might have scaled greater heights.
At the end of the day – Ananya is a must read for parents and teens alike.
The book can be ordered here.
After finishing the book I thought Ananya doesn’t need to be reviewed or rather I should not review it. The reason is the strengths of the books are its weakness too. I will come to that in the latter half of the review.
Ananya- a bittersweet journey is a story of an intelligent girl Ananya. Narrated in the first person by Shilpa Gupta it is about how Ananya’s life changes after she falls in love with Rohit who is no less than a casanova. To make matter worse he’s Ananya’s best friend Moh’s brother. Eventually, Ananya gets pregnant from Rohit and Rohit does classical vanishing act upon the girl leaving her alone to fight.
The interesting thing is, Ananya isn’t 20+ girl or 25+ woman. She is a sixteen-year-old intelligent girl aspiring to get into IIT. She is a daughter of hard-working parents who are doing exceptionally well in their fields. Girls like Ananya don’t make mistakes. It’s unacceptable.
What I liked: Shilpa Gupta never slips while narrating the story from a teenager’s POV. The language is fluid and nowhere there is a showoff from the author. Author has deliberately avoided the traps of melodrama and overt emotional reactions. She also does not provide any kind of magic pill to protagonist’s conflict. The setting -- Upper middle-class family, Diwali celebrations, Coaching classes, Schools and café .
What I did not like - Every character needs to get a closure by end of the book. There is always an imminent question what happened to them? In this case, I did not like the way Rohit’s character is treated. Author has chosen to let the character fall which is expected considering Rohit’s action. However, the story is realistic and so are the characters. We know some of the people who are douche bag would still do better professionally, socially, and personally. There is no- reason about why Rohit does what he does once h returns to the US.
So back to why I should not have written this review – When I finished reading the book I genuinely felt fresh. It’s a good writing. I was not bogged down by instances in the book and I could go on with my life but at the same time, if the author would have allowed me as a reader to get intimate with characters, especially Ananya then I think the book might have scaled greater heights.
At the end of the day – Ananya is a must read for parents and teens alike.
The book can be ordered here.
No comments:
Post a Comment