Strawberry Wine by Lee Adams

Title : Strawberry Wine

Author : Lee Adams

Publisher : Brandylane Publishers, Inc. (October, 2012)

Pages : 218

Genre : Chick Lit

My Rating : 7/10

Reviewed For : Chicklit Club

Blurb:

Ten years have passed since Tanya Smith's last summer at Laurel Lake-the summer of Marie. Today Tanya is a confident, successful music promoter-a far cry from the naïve seventeen-year-old who showed up at the lake full of rosy notions of first love, lifelong friendships, and evenings spent sipping strawberry wine on the shore. That September changed everything, and as far as Tanya is concerned, there's no going back. That is, until a mysterious phone call from Marie's lawyer brings Tanya face to face with the past. Suddenly she finds herself returning to Laurel Lake and to everything she left behind there. Will the dark secret that haunts the lake break her heart all over again? Or will Marie's legacy be the key that unlocks the future Tanya gave up on ten long years ago?

My Review:

They say that in order to hold something close to your heart and cherish it for a lifetime, you must lose it first ... that to come back together forever, true love must first break apart...

Tanya Smith, 27, has carved out a successful life as a music promoter in New York. One day she gets a call which immediately transports her to a summer 10 years back, to a time when she met Marie. Tanya would always spend her summers at Laurel Lake with her family. The place was like a second home to her. During one summer, Marie stumbled into her life. From finding confidantes in one another and sipping strawberry wine on the beach to betrayal, heartbreak and a horrible incident, that summer turned out to be the best and yet the worst for both of them. Needless to say it was their last summer at Laurel Lake. Now 10 years later, a phone call drags Tanya back to Laurel Lake and she learns that there exists a link between her and Marie. And now Tanya has to return not only to pick up the pieces of her heart and Marie's life but also to bind them together.

This is a sweet and refreshing read where the story flows seamlessly between the past and present. A point worth mentioning is that the author has drawn on her experience as an organ donor in this book and has portrayed the account of organ donation in an honest yet tender way. It showcases how giving in this instance can be so fulfilling that it fills up the gaps of your life with love and makes you whole again!
 

The Bankster by Ravi Subramanian

Title : The Bankster
Author : Ravi Subramanian
Genre : Mystery, Thriller
Publisher : Rupa Publications
Pages : 364
My Rating : 8.5/10
Reviewed For : Blogadda


Blurb:

Bankers build their careers on trust, or so everyone thinks, till a series of murders threaten to destroy the reputation that the Greater Boston Global Bank (GB2) has built over the years. Who is behind these killings, and what is their motive? Is the banker at GB2 fast turning into a bankster? Or he was always one?

When Karan Panjabi, press reporter and ex-banker, digs deeper, he realizes that he has stumbled upon a global conspiracy with far reaching ramifications a secret that could not only destroy the bank but also cast a shadow on the entire nation. With only thirty-six hours at his disposal, he must fight the clock and trust no one if he is to stay alive and uncover the truth.

Spinning an intricate web of lies, deceit and treachery, bestselling author Ravi Subramanian, a master storyteller of financial crime and winner of the Golden Quill Readers Choice Award, returns with his most gripping thriller yet.

My review:

Well, to start with this is my first review for Blogadda & when I received a signed copy for review I was absolutely chuffed!! Tearing open the cover (literally!), the first thing that jumped out to me was the cover of this book. It’s throws off an uber sinister vibe depicting our “Bankster” with a briefcase in one hand & a pistol in another standing at what appears to be our own Mumbai’s Queen’s Necklace & with a plane rushing out in the skyline.

Moving on to the author, with three best selling thrillers on banking already in his kitty, Ravi Subramanian continues to keep the readers on the very edge with this Bank lore. To be honest, I have never read Ravi Subramanian before so I did not know what cracker of a plot was awaiting me!! But now after reading this financial thriller, I intend to visit each of his reads...

So the plot kick offs in Angola where a covert CIA agent seals off an arms deal in lieu of blood diamonds. The author then takes us to an episode in the past in Kerala where a resort owner is falsely accused of a crime that he has not committed. Laying down these two brief but essential blocks, the author steers the plot to his home ground – yes you guessed it right!! – The Greater Boston Global Bank (GB2) in Mumbai. At GB2, the author acquaints us not only with the power games (which turn as twisted as the plot proceeds) but also with a sundry of characters. With people in power trying to usurp even more power by manoeuvring each possible opportunity for their own gain while heady & young Relationship Managers trying to climb their way up the corporate ladder by any possible means, GB2 is fast becoming a breeding ground for rivalry & competitions. However, the “who wins it-who loses it” mood at the bank is hampered by a series of murders & it’s long before someone really starts connecting the dots & voila!! A pattern emerges. This is when, Karan Punjabi – the ex-banker, who is now the Financial Editor at The Times of India, steps in & opens up the Pandora’s Box as he unearths the real reasons for the death of GB2 employees.

So basically we have three plots, one with a CIA agent whose work is to strike deals for his agency. Second plot revolves around an aging man’s lone struggle in Devikulum, Kerala against the government. After the horrors of Chernobyl (Russia) & Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant (Japan), Krishna Menon wants the government to come clean on the environmental impacts of a Nuclear Plant set up in Kerala & the measures taken to avoid history repeating in India!! Thirdly, we have the carnage going on at GB2 which, on the face of it, are deemed as suicides. Do you get a connection???? Of course, you didn’t & you aren’t even supposed to & neither did I!! But you have to hand it down to the author for not only weaving these three seemingly disjointed plots together seamlessly but also doing so with an edge. However, the absolute smasher of a plot is written in the last 75 pages of this book, where the hunter becomes the hunted & it is revealed who indeed holds the strings!!

The plot is spanned across diverse locales – from Angola to Kerala to Mumbai to Vienna – and as you dart from one locus to another, you will experience what is known as a rollercoaster of a ride!! Also, each character in the plot is relatable, since the author brings out the most basic human instincts through them. Greed for more power, backstabbing, envy, moral bankruptcy - just to name a few!! The plot can be compared to a big game of chess where you don’t know who is a pawn & who is the king till the end!!

Fortunately I received this book on a Friday & before I knew it I was done with over the weekend!! I never realised how I breezed past the bulk of the book!! And I can say that for non bankers like me, the author provides an interesting insight into the banking world - all neatly packaged & beautifully presented replete with its corporate twists & turns where loyalties keep changing every second. The only point that did not go well with me was that at the end not all the characters were given the right attention which left me kind of unsatiated. But other than that, this book is a Total Blockbuster..oops...a “Bankbuster”...

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com . Participate now to get free books!

 
 

Trade Winds to Meluhha by Vasant Dave

Title : Trade Winds to Meluhha
Author : Vasant Dave
Publisher : Vasant Dave (Self Published)
Pages : 329
Genre : Historical Fiction
My Rating : 7.5/10
Reviewed For : Author (http://vasantdave.weebly.com/index.html)
 
 
 
 
 




 

My Review:

From the outset, the one aspect that I found most striking about this novel while reading it was that it was a well researched work. The author has taken the backdrop of a prehistoric setting and used the archaeological evidence available whilst donning a creative cap to paint a story that keeps the reader intrigued. In 1977, an explorer -Thor Heyerdahl undertook a voyage in reed-boat named 'Tigris'. He sailed from Iraq (Mesopotamia) via Oman (Magan) to Pakistan (Indus Valley). The author has started from this point of fact and has worked towards a plot that is fiction. I did not pay attention to the minute technical details since I feel that once you start getting absorbed in the story, these things tend to take a background.

Trade winds to Meluhha is based in the Bronze Age, with the plot spanning across a wide geographical spread  but majorly revolving in Sumeria (Mesopotamia) and Meluhha (Indus Valley). The plot kick starts with a young stable boy Samasin who is falsely accused of murder of a Meluhhan tradesman & then the plot charts Samasin’s adventuristic voyage and his metamorphosis from an innocent boy to a street-smart man. In addition to the adventures, the plot is interspiced with mystery, romance, revenge, heart-break and black market activities. The author has included a map, too, for the reader’s ready reference!!

 

 

Samasin works as a stable boy to a wealthy Babylonian named Nergal. On an unfortunate day when Samasin receives a reward for his year long services to the royal family, he also stands witness to the murder of a Meluhhan tradesman. Before dying in Samasin’s lap, the tradesman from the strange land (Meluhha) gives Samasin a bronze fish hook & utters the name “Siwa Saqra” along with a stranger message(in foreign language). This triggers off a chain of events, at the epicentre of which Samasin is sucked like a lone piece of leaf in a hurricane. Samasin, whose only fault was that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, is falsely accused in the murder of the foreign trader & is captured by Sumerian authorities. However, he manages to escape due to twin unique astronomical events (these events have actually happened in real!!!). After escaping, Samasin sets off on a voyage in search of the elusive Siwa Saqra armed only with the parting relic given to him by the dying man. In his conquest, Samasin is helped by Nergal’s ex-wife-Elati & Captain of a Meluhhan ship – Paravar to escape from Sumeria. During his voyage, he comes across a damoiselle – Velli with whom Samasin falls heads over heels in love at the first sight but the emotion is not reciprocated!! Also along the road, he stumbles across Anu – a Mesopotamian woman with a concealed identity & greater hidden purpose. Samasin has an interesting quest with lots of twists & turns where he falls in love, deals with bandits, goes on treasure hunt, combats with pythons but inspite of all this, Samasin doesn’t give up on his original search for Siwa Saqra.

The author has filled the plot with motley of people. Initially, I was a bit overwhelmed by the vast array of characters but as the plot advanced, I realised that each & every character is important. While reading, I could not help but think of these characters as pawns in the game of chess, however, powerful or insignificant each one is, ultimately they all serve the same purpose of defeating the antagonist!! Also, what I found really helpful was that the author has provided links to each character’s name which leads to an appendix where the character is briefly described.

Another major highlight was the subplots. As I said earlier, there are a lot of characters & each has his/her own story. However, in the end I found that each such story / subplot is like a piece in a big jigsaw puzzle. These subplots are interwoven seamlessly into each other & in the end we finally unravel the main big picture. Also, these characters are relatable in their traits & actions!

The only thing that held me back was the slow pace of the novel. I guess that was essential since Samasin’s voyage takes him through different locales & he interacts with different people but it could have a bit more on the edge. However, it cannot be denied that the author has spun a gripping fictional tale yet taking a meticulous effort at being authentic to the period. As a debut work & so much effort, the author definitely deserves kudos.

About the Author:

Vasant Davé was born in Kenya to immigrant parents from India. He was schooled there under teachers coming from all the races living in East Africa during British rule. He passed Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Bombay and served for 24 years in companies manufacturing electrical and electronic capital goods. For another 8 years, he took up industrial market research contracts from consultants based in Singapore and Hong Kong. He conducted face-to-face and telephonic surveys in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh for multinational end-users such as Siemens, BASF, Henkel, Dow Chemical, AkzoNobel and Linde. His work in Industrial Market Research often took him to remote parts of the country where he could visit nearby archaeological sites too.

His interest in the ancient past of the sub-continent led him to write a historical novel after retirement in 2008. His technical background helped him to understand and apply historical, geographical, environmental and cultural nuances bearing upon the life during 3rd millennium BC, the period in which Trade winds to Meluhha is set. 
 

It's time to rock & roll...

Hello everyone!!!

It's been quite some time (more than a month, to be precise!) since I have blogged. For those who have gone blue in the face holding their breath, waiting for my next post (though I am sure there would be hardly anyone doing that),sincere apologies!! So yes, in between checking out my regular blogs and watching in envy as people religiously blogged daily, weekly or fortnightly & staring at my own blog so hard and willing for some miracle to happen & a post to emerge magically on its own (I was always a fan of Harry Potter!) & oh!! Did I mention the usual mind numbing & exhausting stuff on my plate?? , yes my dear friend, in between all of that I did manage to read some awesome books...yayyyyyyyy!!!!
So with Diwali just around the corner let the festivities begin!!!! So, ladies & gentlemen, get ready...some awesome reviews coming right up!! :-)

Tender Hooks (aka Duty Free) by Moni Mohsin

 

 

 

 

 

 

Title : Tender Hooks / Duty Free

Author : Moni Mohsin

Publisher : Randon House India / Random House UK, 2011 / 2012

Pages : 256

Genre : Fiction / Chick lit / Satire

My Rating : 9/10

Reviewed For : Chicklit Club

 

"Duty Free" (originally released as "Tender Hooks") is a follow-up to Moni Mohsin's "The Diary of a Social Butterfly". Honestly, I had not read "The Diary of a Social Butterfly" & I picked up its sequel on a whim!! And after reading the first page, I was bewildered, because the author had written it in a style, that was full of malaprops. Now if you look up for the meaning of "malaprop" in a dictionary, it says - The unintentional misuse of a word by confusion with one that sounds similar. But once you start this book, you will realise that Mohsin has "intentionally" filled the narration with misspellings and used a language that is a cross between English & Urdu. But that, my dear friend, is the most enjoyable part of this novel,undoubtedly. At the beginning, it is a bit difficult to understand, but as you start getting the hang of it, you will clearly fall for it hook, line & sinker...

 

So meet Butterfly, our unnamed heroine, who is the quintessential privileged class with an absolute preoccupation for designer labels in Lahore, Pakistan. This novel is in the form of diary entries (something which reminds you of Bridget Jones but let me assure you that the similarity ends here) narrating the peppered happenings of her life – from her bore “Oxen” (read: Oxford educated) husband to the overblown kitty parties & wedding season to the fierce competition in her social life. She receives the charge (more like she is emotionally manipulated) from her Aunt Pussy : to quickly find a suitable (read : rich, fair, beautiful, old-family type) match for her hapless cousin Jonkers (who is not exactly marriage material - plain, shy & already divorced) which is ironic since Butterfly’s own marriage is on the rocks. However, taking all this in her stride, Butterfly shinnies her way through the dangerous territories i.e. the Pakistani wedding circuit in search of the right girl from the right “bagground”. What ensues is a series of humorous upshots as she encounters a Smith educated lesbian, fundamentalist parents & drug smuggling families as a potential brides & in-laws. To top it all, our protagonist has to look out for backstabbing frenemies, errant maidservants & beardo weirdos (suicide bombers) who are out to spoil her matrimonial mission.

In a way, Butterfly might remind you of Jane Austen’s Emma - a clueless socialite matchmaker, who believes she can make marriages happen & a man who loves her despite her shallowness. I particularly loved the honest portrayal of the protagonist which made her neither the perfect heroine nor a villain.

Another highlight of this novel is that it is sharply satirical but even with the satire, the book tickles your funny bone. Each chapter begins with headlines from the local newspaper which gives a kaleidoscope view of the social, political, and economic upheaval in Pakistan.  Also, you will laugh out loud at the various nicknames the author uses throughout the narration. Between you, me and the four walls, this is an absolutely witty, funny & thought-provoking romp.

Bombay Mixx by S.L.Lewis

Title : Bombay Mixx

Author : S.L.Lewis

Publisher : Big Bang Books, 2012

Pages : 230

Genre : Fiction / Multicultural Chick lit

My Rating : 7/10

Reviewed For : Chicklit Club

Blurb:

Part one of a two part series, 'Bombay Mixx' is a fresh, chic tale of vibrant Bombay meets alluring Ireland, in this sexy cultural blend! Including breaking sexual boundaries, experiences of the 'secret' side of the London elite and a major family secret which could destroy the Patel family...this book breaks all the women fiction rules!

*********************************************************************

One lavish celeb-style wedding.
Four friends with very delicate secrets, all hoping to avoid them being exposed.
One of the friend’s unaware that the happy proceedings will be an event to remember, from a simmering secret that no one could have predicted.
With no morals, taboo’s or thought of destroying the special moment or a family, can the Patel’s pull together to get over this life changing revelation from this strange gate crasher and her younger sidekick?*********************************************************************

Walking through the door of this countryside mansion, you could be mistaken that you had walked into a rich Moroccan Sheik’s tent. With a Middle Eastern theme, rich colours of deep red, orange and gold; the engagement party filled the entering guests with immediate Eastern promise.

Although she managed to escape the stresses of her current situation, with the constant demands from the dominating bride-to-be, her spoilt sister, Gabrielle, Nita always had her girlfriends Amelia and Anya to pass some of the burden to, along with her new ‘perfect boyfriend’ Yatin.

Nita is 28, half Indian and half Irish, with a down-to-earth, loving personality who is desperate to meet Mr. Right. With a doting father, strong mother and close siblings, Nita has everything she needs until her first relationship ends and she has to move back in with her parents.

Getting the break she so desperately needs, she accepts a job in the city as a secretary and moves into her parent’s apartment in North London and begins to realise the single life is not so bad when you have a cut throat Russian Escort, an eccentric Fashion Buyer and your WAG wannabe sister to welcome you to this new world!

With these wild, drunken nights, enjoying the high life by accepting the invitations to all the fashion after show parties Amelia would arrange each weekend, an affair with your boss and questioning her sexuality with a co-worker, it’s not surprising Nita didn’t see the start of her brother’s and parent’s marriage deteriorating with the arrival of this new mysterious woman! But who was she? Why did she have a strong effect on her father? And how was her brother connected to her immoral revelations?

My Review:

What would you do if you are caught in a whirlwind of betrayals ... would you lose your trust in everyone or would you still hold on and provide unwavering support to your nearest and dearest even in the eye of a storm? This is the  basic premise for “Bombay Mixx”…

Nita is a 28-year-old half-Indian and half-Irish single girl, single because she has been recently cheated on by her long-term boyfriend. So to put some distance between herself & her ex, she takes up a secretarial job in a big stockbroking firm and moves into her parents' apartment where she has an eccentric mix of flat shares which include her spoilt sister Gabrielle, a Russian escort, Anya and a feisty fashion PR, Amelia. In between the wild drunken nights, all the fashion after-show parties and a tumultuous affair with her married boss, Nita has quite a lot on her plate. But then oblivious to her (initially), her brother Renesh's marriage is on the rocks & crumbling around him.. Being closest to his sister, he seeks out Nita's emotional support. Juggling between office, friends & family (not to mention her own personal dilemmas), just when Nita thinks she has reached a lull, a devil from Nita's family's past returns and all hell breaks loose. This is a pacy read yet each character is developed individually, with each of them having their own secrets and insecurities. These sub-plots all add up to fit into the big picture, although some threads seem a bit rushed. Extra-marital affairs, betrayal and sexual boundaries stretched taut are the themes of this book. This is a spicy plot peppered with an unexpected series of twists. There are several unanswered questions at the end which may be cleared up in its sequel. Looking forward for the Part Two…

P.S.: The author is having a Free Two Day Promotion for Bombay Mixx for all Kindle users.. Visit the link below & grab your copy of Bombay Mixx for free :

http://www.amazon.com/Bombay-Mixx-ebook/dp/B008CINC5C/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1348606052&sr=1-1&keywords=bombay+mixx.

The Purple Line by Priyamvada N. Purushotham

Title : The Purple Line

Author : Priyamvada N. Purushotham
Publisher : Harper Collins, 2012
Pages : 226
Genre : Fiction / Women Oriented
My Rating : 9 /10
Reviewed For : The Book Lovers

 

 

 

 

 

Priyamvada’s debut novel, The Purple Line, delves into womanhood and explores the significance & intricacies revolving around the elusive “Purple Line” that symbolises Pregnancy....

It’s the era of Star Wars & Tennessee Williams & the place is Madras - 1982 (before it morphed into Chennai), where Mrinalini, a typical teenager, is besotted by poetry & finds solace in the literary world. She breezes past from one vocation to another like a running train as her heart makes journey stops on each. But then puberty hits & the hormonal changes conduced by her pubescence bestir her dormant Tam Brahm genes & in a moment of epiphany, she finally realizes that she wants to be a gynaecologist...Mrinalini then sets on a journey that makes her laugh, cry & teaches her the true meaning of womanhood...

Fast forward to the year 2000, where Mrinalini is now a Gynaecologist with a Masters from London. She returns back to Chennai to set up a clinic in her ancestral home...As a gynaecologist, Mrinalini encounters motley of characters in her patients everyday but six of Mrinalini’s patients instantaneously strike the chord. This is Mrinalini’s story & the story of these six women whose lives are unknowingly linked together like fibres braided in a rope..

First there is Zubeida, a typical burqa clad muslim woman, whose entire existence engulfs everything that encompasses womanhood. Zubeida has four boys & yet she yearns for a girl because she firmly believes that only a girl will be the absolute redemption of her motherhood. Zubeida wants to be that ideal mother for her daughter, a mother that she never had & always craved for. She finds solace in watching movies with her neighbour while pining for a girl but then one incident changes her entire way of existence..

Then there is Megha, wed in a heavily patriarchal Marwadi family where having a son is a quintessential status quo.. Needless to say Megha desperately wants a boy, a boy who will lift her entire state of beingness to a higher stratum.. For Megha, a mother of three daughters, delivering a boy to the family is her only way of achieving salvation but then it she realises that it takes a one broken heart to heal another...

Leela is like a Shakespearean sonnet, who is unblemished & always so perfect that wherever she goes she leaves behind a trail of immaculateness. On an first impression to any outsider, like Mrinalini - Leela’s world would seem picture perfect like those in fairy tales but as you move closer, you would see the cracks in the otherwise impeccable wall...But Leela never let the cracks run deeper & in her quest she never experimented, nor explored and never fell down to fit the pieces of herself back together...

Pooja, the 16 year old falls in love and slides headlong into the tunnel of a painful loneliness. She is bowled over by the Cricket Captain of her school team and ends up being pregnant. She comes to the clinic to abort the child but as she does so she learns to embrace a brave new world...

Tulsi, an art director, has been trying to make a kid with her husband Dhruv for 3 years but without any results. She follows her ovulation cycles meticulously but as she goes on & on the method loses its rhythm and the passion seems to seep out from her unfertile efforts. Tulsi is an artist waiting in the wings and ultimately a time comes when she realises what she truly wants & what she can have.

Anjolie is a performance artist who has the capability to breathe life even into a sleepy consultation room by her mere presence. She is a fading artist who has mastered her emotions & conquered her fears but when her time comes she must know that it takes two sounds to make a heartbeat...

This is a beautifully crafted tale that explores the various convolutions of a female mind and reveals the vulnerability of women along with their dreams. The plot narrates seven different stories including Mrinalini’s own tangled tale of love but they flow seamlessly into one another be it Zubeida’s tale ending on a delicious note or Megha’s desperation for her own selfish interests or the abrupt ending of Leela’s tale. The writing is sensous, vibrant & audacious but not brassy. The Another high point is the aesthetic way in which the author has highlighted realistic stories like teen pregnancy or the unwantedness of a girl child... A must read for every woman!!