Amreekandesi - Masters of America by Atulya Mahajan

Title : Amreekandesi - Masters of America
Author : Atulya Mahajan
Genre : Fiction
Publisher : Ebury Press, Random House India
Pages : 318
My Rating : 6.5/10
Reviewed For : The Reader Cosmos Book Review Program / First Reads Challenge 2013 / South Asian Challenge 2013 / IQRC 2013

Blurb:

Akhil Arora, a young, dorky engineer in Delhi, can’t wait to get away from home and prove to his folks that he can be on his own. Meanwhile in a small town in Punjab, Jaspreet Singh, aka Jassi, is busy dreaming of a life straight out of American Pie. As fate would have it, they end up as roommates in Florida. But the two boys are poles apart in their perspectives and expectations of America. While Akhil is fiercely patriotic and hopes to come back to India in a few years, Jassi finds his Indian identity an uncomfortable burden and looks forward to finding an American girl with whom he can live happily ever after.

Laced with funny anecdotes and witty insights, Amreekandesi chronicles the quintessential immigrant experience, highlighting the clash of cultures, the search for identity, and the quest for survival in a foreign land.

My Review:

Amreekandesi - Masters of America is one of those reads that can be termed as a tell-all about Indian students living “The American Dream” & the confused life associated with it. The author – Atulya Mahajan, himself has ‘Been there, Done that’ and has wittily drawn out from his experience to portray the struggles of Indian students trying to find their feet in the foreign land whilst adapting to the diametrically opposite cultures. With equal doses of sarcasm & drollness, Amreekandesi weaves together contemporary issues of culture clash, identity crisis & the quest for survival. The plot itself revolves around two Indian boys - the protagonists - Akhil Arora and Jaspreet Singh, who not only share the same apartment but also the same dream of making it “big” in America albeit in different contexts!!

Akhil & Jaspreet (aka Jassi aka Jazz aka Jazzminator) are as opposite to each other as chalk & cheese & so is their reason to go to the States. Akhil Arora is a simple, pampered engineer from Delhi who wants to move away from his overbearing parents, stay independently and hence prove to everyone under the sun (read : nosy & snobbish Uncles & relatives) that he is capable of managing his own life. On the other hand, Jaspreet Singh hails from a small town in Punjab for whom life in America is akin to the movie American Pie and he intends to live it just like that – in the arms of Pamelaji (read : Pamela Anderson). What ensues is a series of episodes – some quirky, some hilarious, some embarrassing and some eye-opening when the horny Jassi meets the equally dorky Akhil in the States and both become roommates.

Akhil is fiercely patriotic & protective of his Indian identity. He looks at America as just a means to carve out his career while staying independently & prove himself. On the other hand, Jassi is ready to shed his Indian identity at the drop of a hat & adopt to the better American lifestyle. He changes his entire way of existence just so to fit in the crowd and be accepted as one amongst them. The author has done an excellent job of taking up these two completely opposite characters & blending them in one storyline. Also, the author gives an honest albeit interesting insight of the life that awaits the Indian students who aspire to study & settle in the States. The initial exhilaration & anxiety of settling down in a new country with an entirely different study system, the slow & tedious effort of blending in with the crowd, the typical mind set and attributes of Indian students and the thrill of visiting new places are some of the aspects that the author has hilariously drawn out in this novel. The reluctant comparisons between the American & Indian lifestyle that Akhil’s mind draws out and springs on him unsuspectingly when he comes back is something that is more and more prevalent today and the author has done an excellent job at portraying it.

At the outset, the book holds a promising note of being a rib-tickling funny read but as the novel progresses the humour quotient drops down the scale. Also, in the last few chapters, the read takes a turn which frankly, for me, was a tad too filmy. And then there is a Jassi’s lack of interest in books and preoccupation with American girls, which is amusing at the start but then only gets more & more repetitive towards the end.

The author’s writing style is simple and uncomplicated which makes this a light and breezy read. The narration keeps the readers interested, a touch of humour here and a speck of satire there make it an enjoyable read overall. Pick it up over the weekend if you are looking for some easy-on-the-senses read.

Operation Lipstick: Mission for Mr Right by Pia Heikkila

Title : Operation Lipstick: Mission for Mr Right
Author : Pia Heikkila
Genre : Mystery / Chick Lit
Publisher : Ebury Press / Random House India
Pages : 304
My Rating : 6.5/10
Reviewed For : Random House India
 

Blurb:

Anna Sanderson is not your average thirty-something. She’s a war journalist based in one of the most troubled countries in the world Afghanistan. Tough as nails, Sexy, and ballsy as hell, she won’t stop at anything to get her scoop or the man she wants. But the game changes when she meets Mr Delectable handsome, aloof, and secretive, he frustratingly keeps Anna guessing if he’s into her or not.

Things take a nasty turn when Anna’s best friend Kelly discovers that her boyfriend, Rich, has been cheating on her and Anna unearths a series of secrets which tie in her man. The mission Operation Lipstick takes Anna on a journey like never before into the heart of the Helmand province, and the lair of the most feared movements of the world the Taliban. Will Kelly get her revenge? Will Anna survive to tell her story? Will she get her man?

 

My Review :

With the readers constantly on the lookout for something new, authors are exploring uncharted territories & bringing out quite new intriguing concepts. One such read is Pia Heikkila’s Operation Lipstick: Mission For Mr Right which dwells in a unique setting – the war pillaged Afghanistan. When I initially read the blurb, I found the setting of the plot intriguing & after reading the book I have to say that Pia Heikkila takes the dating scenario to an “entirely new level” with her debut work.

So what if you are in one of the most troubled countries in the world?? This ain’t stopping our war-zone chick Anna Sanderson from pulling up her combat zone stockings & hunting for her Mr. Right!!! Keeping up with the context of this plot is its cover which is quite slick with our protagonist all decked up with an even glossier lipstick (Operation Lipstick it is!!). And a man with a gun reflected in the glares of our lady just sets up the war mood!

Anna Sanderson, the protagonist, is a war journalist currently based in Afghanistan, working for a UK based news channel GNN.  But in addition to being on a constant look out for “Breaking News”, our heroine is also searching for her Mr. Right. The country is swarming with army men & Anna, our girl in the man’s world, is surrounded by men all around. Yet she cannot find that one single guy with whom she can settle down & spend her entire life with, the special one who tugs the strings in her heart. Ironic, right?? Alone, frustrated & horny as hell, she has only her best friend, Kelly & cameraman Tim as her BFFs. But then on discovering that her boyfriend Rich has been cheating on her, Kelly spills out the dirt on Rich tying him to the dangerous Taliban. Anna being the loyal BFF decides to help Kelly in having her revenge (Ohh the sweet lure of revenge) and drags in Tim too. They name the mission as “Operation Lipstick” but Operation Lipstick opens up a Pandora’s Box that leads the trio (Anna, Kelly & Tim) into the heart of Taliban and life threatening consequences.

Pia has drawn on her experience as a war journalist & has portrayed the perils, the lows & highs and the adrenaline rush that comes with it quite comfortably. That combined with equal doses of drollness & brashness keeps the readers hooked. However, I found the first half of the book a bit of a drag with the plot gaining some momentum as it proceeded towards the second half. The narration does take a turn towards some racy, action-packed sequences from here. But again the ending seemed a bit rushed and abrupt which might leave the reader unsated.

Another thing that left me unsatisfied was Mr. Delectable aka Mark’s character development. He turns out to be quite the “knight in shining armour” for our “damsel in distress” but Pia has left him as an enigma throughout the read. Also, Pia has punctuated the read with Anna’s debauchery sessions which might make a few readers cringe (eventually making them skip those parts entirely). All in all, this one makes a good weekend read of a feisty heroine’s journey in a war ravaged backdrop!!

 

(The review copy has been provided by Random House India. This review is entirely my own personal & honest opinion. I do not receive any kind of payment or monetary gains for my review.)

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

Title : I've Got Your Number
Author : Sophie Kinsella
Publisher : Random House
Pages : 448
Genre : Chick Lit
My Rating : 9/10
Reviewed For : Random House India

 

Blurb:

I’ve lost it. :( The only thing in the world I wasn’t supposed to lose. My engagement ring. It’s been in Magnus’s family for three generations. And now the very same day his parents are coming, I’ve lost it. The very same day! Do not hyperventilate, Poppy. Stay positive :) !!

Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry her ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her “happily ever after” begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring in a hotel fire drill but in the panic that follows, her phone is stolen. As she paces shakily around the lobby, she spots an abandoned phone in a trash can. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect!

Well, perfect except that the phone’s owner, businessman Sam Roxton, doesn’t agree. He wants his phone back and doesn’t appreciate Poppy reading his messages and wading into his personal life.

What ensues is a hilarious and unpredictable turn of events as Poppy and Sam increasingly upend each other’s lives through emails and text messages. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, mysterious phone calls, and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents . . . she soon realizes that she is in for the biggest surprise of her life.

My Review:

For Chick Lit buffs, Sophie Kinsella is a household name. For me, however, a Sophie Kinsella novel is like my favourite flavour of ice-cream, with which I can just sit back & treat myself to a pleasurable indulgence over & over again!! Kinsella (the pseudonym of British writer Madeleine Wickham) got famous with the best-selling Shopaholic series but apart from that, Sophie has written five stand alone novels, I’ve Got Your Number (IGYN) being the latest of them.

This book is pure, unadulterated chick-lit, starting from its cover to the last word. On the cover, standing out amongst the bright colours, is a Girl with a Cell phone in one hand & a ring above her!! There is also a mysterious guy with trail of alphabets between the girl & the guy. And well, that is really the gist of it.

Poppy Wyatt, our 29-year old protagonist is a free-spirited & charismatic physiotherapist albeit a bit clumsy. After a whirlwind romance of six months, Magnus (tall, handsome & a famous university lecturer) ¹ goes down on the knee with his heirloom ring for Poppy. Poppy just cannot believe her luck that after being in the disaster zone as far as the dating scene went; she managed to bag an intellectual Greek God himself!! But then, what’s life if it’s entirely perfect??!! Catastrophe strikes twice as Poppy loses the emerald engagement ring at champagne & cupcakes party with her female friends and then her cell phone too! However she gets a lucky break when she stumbles upon another phone in a nearby trash bin. The phone belongs to the former assistant of Sam Roxton, a handsome & socially aloof executive at a consulting firm. Sam wants the phone back but Poppy convinces Sam to allow her to keep the phone until her ring is found whilst fervently promising to forward his emails & messages. And thence hilarious chaos reigns as Poppy & Sam share a single communication device & their lives get enmeshed.

In this age where high-tech gadgets have become almost a part of our anatomy, the loss of a phone can have disastrous consequences. Sophie Kinsella has used exactly this premise & developed the plot adding her usual trademark humour & wittiness which frankly, just makes this read unputdownable. The best part without doubt is the marathon exchange of texts between Poppy & Sam, the stark contrast between their text replies being inevitable. While Poppy’s texts are gushy with loads of hugs & kisses (xoxo), Sam really is a man of few words (literally!!)

Honestly speaking, when I first read the blurb for IGYN, I feared that Poppy would be a character similar to other Kinsella heroines. But as I read the book, I realised that apart from being endearingly predictable, she was rather different. Poppy is an appealing character, someone that you & I might turn out to be. Struggling with her own insecurities & driven by the need to be accepted by everyone, she turns out to be a people pleaser subconsciously. However, she is vivacious, has an affectionate personality and is extremely burbly whilst being whacky at times. In short, someone whom everyone ends up liking. Sam, on the other hand, is snippy, sharp, stoic & brutally honest!!  Needless to say, a volley of insane & rib-tickling events are triggered as a result of the interaction between Sam & Poppy. Plus, you cannot really blame Poppy for her inquisitiveness as she snoops around in Sam’s phone opening a Pandora’s Box!!

Kinsella has taken two diametrically opposite characters with strong personalities & has developed them as the plot progresses. Both gain a refreshing perspective from each other & realise their own flaws. From being strangers to having something undefined between Sam & Poppy, is the kind of build up that the readers will be rooting for & Kinsella gives them just that but with her own unique spin! The only downside is that a few of the instances seem unreal & a bit over the top but then, Kinsella is known to have heroines who are drama queens. On the whole, this is a light-hearted & warm romantic comedy that will liven up an otherwise drab day. So what are you waiting for??

1. Impressed by the footnotes in Magnus’s book, Poppy tries to include a lot of footnotes throughout the narration whilst her life is on a roller coaster ride. And well, I thought it is a fun concept so even I included one. J