ELEANOR & PARK BOOK REVIEW BY JAYSHREE SRIDHAR

Once after finishing Fangirl, I couldn't stop myself from reading her books so I picked Eleanor and Park and Oh GOD!!

Let's just begin with a standing ovation to the wonderful Rainbow Rowell for giving us this book. MAJORLY Because she doesn't want to kill off characters for the sake of adding pain or 'Value' to the story. Yet...She does something to you that makes you go like...

Eleanor and Park are so vivid, so unique, so much together and so much more apart. That is what hits you really hard in this book, you just can't take it when they are apart. The book brilliantly explains the insecurities that almost every girl goes through, every change a boy goes through at a certain stage of their life.

The book makes you feel what it is like to be loved, what it's like when you have that one person with you and all problems don't matter anymore. 

The story is set in 1980's, with music, comics and sneaky phone calls you can actually feel yourself standing there watching it all happen. The high school love unfolds itself in the most beautiful way. To be honest, the relationship between Park and Eleanor, or even their relationship with other members of the family, seems almost unrealistic for today, but the point is you hope it's true.

You hope people like Eleanor exist, You hope people like Park exist. You hope People like Park would do anything for people like Eleanor. You realize falling in love was never cliche. You realize how good it feels to have someone who's the Sun for you. 

I also liked Park's parents who made it work everytime with each other no matter how ugly the situation is. And thats why like Park, I was curious too to know how his parents met. 

So read the book. Just read it. Feel it, Cry, Smile, Love, and thank the author once you do. She brought back all the good feelings inside back to life. She made you feel young and happy again.

You know what I do when I'm overwhelmed with happiness...

STAR SHOWERS!!!

I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE THREE WORDS. DO NOT ASK ME. IT'S A HAPPY ENDING. MAKE PEACE WITH IT AND GO BACK TO CRYING.

Tell me what you think about the book in the comments below.

Loads of Love

Jayshree Sridhar

THE SECRET WISH LIST Book Review

THE SECRET WISH LIST now includes death due to boredom and time travel to the time when facebook didn't exist. Guess what? It did happen when I read this book.

Preeti Shenoy managed to pick one of the most ignored topic in Indian society, the suppression an indian housewife goes through, which although is quite appreciated, is also a story that is already known to everyone.

The draggy narration of how the protagonist's husband uses as housemaid and sex toy as if is not painful enough, it is repeated in every tenth page making sure the readers still continue to hate him.

We get it miss, you are a timid housewife raising a child and your husband is a jackass and?

So the story goes like one day Diksha, the protagonist when goes to meet her cousin Vibha, recently widowed, comes up with a secret wish list of her own due to all the pushing from Vibha. Diksha's wish list includes a lot of things like learning salsa, snorkeling, getting drunk and sex with another guy and stuff like that. Now that an annoying cousin that Vibha is, although is willing to help her tick off everything, keeps reminding her that except for the last wish, she can have everything, ALL THE TIME.

Bad ass that Diksha is, manages to tick off all the things in her wish list with just a gallon of drama from her husband added in between. Yes, even the sex part. And quite the happy ending there was, she manages to get away with her affair guy Ankit, give a long speech to her family about how they ruined her life and salutes her husband with middle finger and takes off with her kid.

Now questions from all the women across the world with jerk husbands, We didn't have high school affair and nobody is taking us anymore, any suggestion for us and our marriage?No? OKAY.

FUNNIEST PART OF THE STORY: Now there is a mention of social networking site where people register about their education and jobs and meet people from the same places if you lost contact with them, now if you think this is Facebook, gotcha buddy, you are wrong!! This site has the lamest name and quite creepy in some sense 'Blast From The Past'. The writer managed to keep even the name draggy enough to bore you to sleep. I really wonder if anybody wants any kind of blast from the past anymore.

Person: HEYYYYYY!!!! Remember we did our 3^rd grade together, I've been searching for you all over. How are you??? Where have you been???

Me: *blocked* You cannot send message to this person anymore.

So the narration is repetitive, dialogues are lame and downright bland, the depth in the storytelling that should make the readers dwell inside the story made us dwell into sleeping.

I would like to give two stars to this book, one for the topic raised and one for the representation of a mother in law, completely opposite to the stereotypical ones.   

Letter from my love

I could start feeling the perspiration in my hand as I dialed his number for the fifth time and disconnected again. Without thinking any more I dialed his number again and just as expected, he picked the call within the second ring. 

“So how did it go?” was his hello.

“Well, if you minus the drama, the yelling and screaming, I would say pretty much okay.”

He didn't say anything to that, and I had nothing to offer either.

“We had expected this would happen.” I say after the silence that seemed to last for eternity.

“Yeah, of course we did. So what do they want?” he asked partially frustrated and partially worried.

“Doesn't matter”

“It does, what is it?”

“There's absolute ridiculousness and black-mailing. Nothing important.”

“Would you just give me the exact words?” he almost shouted.

“They want me to stay, okay? They want me to stay with them, marry someone and they seem pretty sure I will find love again. How about that?”

There was silence again and this time I had no intention of letting it stay any longer.

“Apparently I'm all they have. Well you won't disagree. What say, sweetheart? Shall I stay? Won't that be just absolutely great?” I shot back at him sarcastically, a reaction triggered by the extreme pressure life was putting me under.

“What do you expect me to say then?” he yelled again.

“You have said enough and I did as much I could have. Now, we go by my plan. And I need no argument from you. Is that clear?”

“Yes. Okay.” he said slowly.

“I'll see you at office on Monday, keep your passports ready.”

“Okay.”

“Hey, I love you”

“I love you too”

                                                                    ***

I didn't call him since Saturday night and he didn't try either. We both needed that little time to process what we were going through and for what we were going to do. I picked up the bottle of wine I had saved up for a special occasion and rushed to office. Its been a long time we had a good meal together.  Maybe we'll drive to his favorite dhaba for the meal. 

I hurriedly walked into my cabin and dumped my bag on the chair and was about to leave for his cabin when I saw a wine bottle already on my table. It was holding a green paper beneath it.

Hi Ashwin,

I truly don't know how to start but an apology would seem appropriate. I'm really sorry for not listening to you once again and this time I can only hope that you would forgive me some day. Before you read any further, I just want you to remember that I have loved you beyond anything ever and letting go of you is the most painful thing I have done so far in my life.

I took a transfer to Amsterdam. I had been discussing with our CEO about this since a while. I took an early morning flight today. I'm sure you could take the next flight and reach here. Only I don't want you to. They're your parents, Ashwin. They were there everytime we needed them. I don't think you should deny them the one time they need you. I'm not saying this because I lost my family, I just know you won't be able to take it if you had to lose them too. No matter how hard you try, I know you cannot stop caring about them.

So, I'm leaving you here to do that job and do it right. Now don't you think I'm asking you to marry a woman, have kids and spend your life without love. I will always be waiting for you. But just come on the day when your parents understand what you really love and are truly happy to see you with me. Until then, please don't stop fighting and I promise I won't stop waiting. 

Here's me hoping that someday I would wake up beside you in a land where our dear ones accept us just the way we are, here's me hoping a forever with you, here's me hoping for you to come take me back home soon, here's me hoping you'd forgive me sometime.

With love and longing,

Yashwant

                                                                           ***

3 years later...

"Sir, whom should I say is here to see him?" The receptionist asked holding the phone line.

"Ashwin Sagar. He said he would be expecting me."