Betrayal by Danielle Steel

Yesterday I finished “Betrayal by Danielle Steel”. This was a review copy sent by Random House India. Thanks to Rukun and Random Reads.

I haven’t read many books by Danielle Steel. Before this book I have read only one book authored by her and that was “Vanished”

Betrayal is a story of…..betrayal. Tallie Jones is 39 and is a very successful movie director. After two failed marriages, she lives with her boyfriend of three years, Hunt Lloyd. Her extremely efficient secretary Brigitte Parker is her best friend and cares a lot for her. Overall Tallie’s life is hectic yet blissful. At least she thinks so.

Her trusted accountant Victor Carson reveals that there has been some regular disorder in her financial records. Someone has been squandering a large amount of money in cash. Tallie has no idea about these expenses. Then who’s that? Her best friend Brigitte, who manages everything for her? Or her live-in loving partner Hunt? Or her accountant Victor himself, who has an over demanding young wife?

Tallie obviously wants to find out and this unfolds many shocking and unbelievable disclosures and her so called perfect life upends. To know more you’ll have to read the book.

Okay, what can I say about Danielle Steel? She is a big name in the world of writing and who wouldn't want to read her? But as far as I’m concerned, I didn't like two very important things in this book. 

First: The repetitiveness. In this book same things are said and explained many times in different ways. I think it disturbs the pace of the story.

Second: I didn't like the idea of multiple points of views. It somehow loosens the grip of the story as we are not supposed to know everyone’s feeling through their point of view in a suspense fiction.

Overall I would say the plot is nice and it could be a nice read for Danielle Steel fans. I’ll be back with some more Danielle Steel books. I hope to like them more. Unfortunately, Betrayal was not a 'very' interesting and engrossing read for me.

Tribulations of bad marriages and society: An article published in Alive

Marriage is something people call settlement. May be. Life may seem settled for someone who gets loving and caring life partner and a peaceful life. But in many cases (You can see many real life stories on television or can observe around your circle) married life is not very sweet (Or say it's bitter especially for women) and life becomes completely disturbed and troubled.

In many cases women are forced to compromise. To what extent? This question keeps hanging. Ups & downs and some normal argument are inevitable in married life but at some point suffering women must put a full stop in front of their tolerance level and learn to take some strong and wise decisions to lead the life forward peacefully. Else it could be painful or even dangerous. 

I think our society plays an important role.

I wrote an article on tribulations of bad marriage which got published in Alivemagazine (Delhi Press).

Shared @ Three Word Wednesday

Nature smiles gladly

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Sunbeams, slicing the

Mist, sprinkles warmth in winter

Nature smiles gladly

For: Haiku Heights 

One Single Impression
Poetry Jam
Haiku My Heart

"स्वयंवर": नीलाभ वर्मा

 इसमें कोई शंका नहीं है कि महाभारत  एक महान गाथा है। महाभारत में सैकड़ो कहानियाँ निहित हैं। कई कहानियों से हम सब भली भांति परिचित है मगर कुछ कहानियां ऐसी भी हैं जिसके बारे में हमें उतनी जानकारी नहीं है शायद।

एक नया उपन्यास "स्वयंवर" (डायमंड बुक्स द्वारा प्रकाशित) जो नीलाभ वर्मा की पहली पुस्तक है, महाभारत के अति महत्वपूर्ण पात्र भीष्म और अम्बा के संबंधों पर आधारित है। 

इतिहास के अनुसार भीष्म ने अपने भाई विचित्रवीर्य के लिए अम्बा का उसी के स्वयंवर से हरण कर लिया। परन्तु ये जानने के पश्चात् कि अम्बा शाल्व से प्रेम करती है, भीष्म ने उसे ससम्मान उसके प्रेमी के पास पहुंचा दिया मगर शाल्व ने अम्बा को अपनाने से इनकार कर दिया। दुखी हो वापस लौटकर अम्बा ने भीष्म से विवाह करने का हठ किया किन्तु ब्रह्मचर्य की प्रतिज्ञा लेनेवाले भीष्म के लिए यह असंभव था। 

अम्बा का क्रोध शाल्व की बजाय भीष्म पर निकला और अपनी अवस्था का भीष्म को ज़िम्मेदार मानते हुए अम्बा ने भीष्म के सर्वनाश की शपथ ली। कहा जाता है की महाभारत के केंद्र में एक स्त्री ही थी। माना जाता है कि वो द्रौपदी थी मगर शायद इसकी नींव पहले ही रखी जा चुकी थी और शायद वो अम्बा ही थी।

नीलाभ वर्मा का  धार्मिक  प्रसंगों का ज्ञान अद्भुत है।यद्यपि स्वयंवर इनकी  पहली पुस्तक है, उनकी लेखन शैली काफी मंझी  हुई लगती है।मेरे ख्याल से भीष्म महाभारत के सबसे प्रभावशाली पात्र है और ये मेरे इस पुस्तक की ओर आकर्षित होने की एक वज़ह है।  स्वयंवर की कहानी पौराणिक कथा पर आधारित होने के बावजूद मुझे थोड़ी अलग लगी।  इस किताब के संवाद अच्छे और स्वाभाविक है। मेरा विश्वास है की अगर आप धार्मिक कहानियों को पसंद करते है तो आपको ये किताब निश्चिततौर पर पसंद आएगी। 

Overall, if you like mythological fiction and you can read Hindi, then Swayamvar could be an interesting and different read. A nicely written novel indeed! Go grab it!:)

Sunshine

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Morning sunshine

Breaks the slumber of lovely blossoms

They smile

They bloom

Hug the delicate dew drops

Morning sunshine

Touches the dew drops softly

They shrink in shyness

And finally slip in the embrace of

Morning sunshine

Divine smile

Just like sunshine

Erases the darkness of

Gloomy heart

Costs nothing

Just

Spreads compassion and bliss

Shared @ Theme Thursday

                        Poets United

Book Review: I’ve got your number by Sophie Kinsella

I've got your number by Sophie KInsella

A novel by Sophie Kinsella I wanted to read was/is “Remember me?” as its synopsis seems very intriguing but I still couldn’t but never mind as I got a pleasant chance to read “I’ve got your number by Sophie Kinsella”.

At first glance I was doubtful about finishing it soon as it’s a large book with 381 pages. Generally you can find many insignificant things in long novels but believe me, in this book, not a single page was boring.

Poppy Wyatt, 29, is a physiotherapist. Always eager to help anyone (Even that ‘anyone’ is a paid worker), she is ready to marry Magnus Tavish, a wealthy guy hailing from an academic family (Poppy thinks they are from different league as they publish journals and all that)

She loses a huge emerald engagement ring which belongs to Tavish family for three generations, on the very same day when she is going to meet her future in-laws and she is searching it frantically. To add more terror to her already panicking mind, her phone has been snatched. Now what was she going to do? She badly needs a phone to get in touch with the hotel staff in case they have some information about the ring.

All of a sudden, she finds a mobile phone in a bin (She thinks anything in the bin is public property) and so... now… she has a phone. But it’s not that easy. Owner of the phone, stoical and curt, Sam Roxton wants his phone back. But she can’t (As she already has distributed her new number to everyone). Finally they settle for an idea: share the phone and that’s how they stay connected.

This book tells all about how they interact (As Poppy gets some strange messages), help each other, somehow become friends and change (a little) each other, come closer and perhaps fall for each other. Wait! What about that Magnus Tavish (Poppy’s fiancée)? For that you’ll have to read the novel (And trust me, you won’t regret that)

I must say Sophie Kinsella is an author with a very entertaining, humorous and witty style of writing. I liked the new and unique storyline. It’s basically a sweet love story of Poppy and Sam (without saying “I Love You” even for once). I so liked the very well crafted characters of Poppy Waytt and Sam Roxton. The humour in this novel is naturally amusing. I found myself laughing many a times while reading the book, especially in the first half. The texting sessions between Sam and Poppy are very entertaining.

The footnotes were the only thing I did not like in the book. But that doesn’t matter.

Overall, for me, it was a very entertaining, engrossing and delightful read! Highly recommended for everyone who like contemporary women/romance fiction.

Review written for Random House. Thank you so much Random Reads!! Click HERE to see the books I've got by Random Reads!!

Aspects of mental state

The leaves crunched under my boots

Until they did not…

This statement, for me, depicts two aspects of my mental state.

One: when my mind is totally engrossed, shrouded in myriad of thoughts. Memories, regrets, ideas, planning, ‘Reading’. I become oblivious of everything and the impact of the surrounding starts to diminish or rather vanishes.

Two: when I face too much trouble…say difficulties in life, challenges that I think, are hard to handle, pain or fear. I try to fight them hard until they start to lose their impact. Finally they stop bothering me much. Facing difficult situation bravely is the best way to beat them.

Written For Saturday Centus

I’ve got a mail!!

Yesterday Random Reads has sent me this whole  set of interesting books by Random House. Of course I’m super excited!! Will get back to you soon with book reviews of these books...one by one. 

Emotional insecurity

Recently, I saw a movie “Monster-in-law”. Charlotte (Played by Jennifer Lopez) falls in love with Kevin (Michael Vartan), a wealthy guy, and thinks that her life is about to shine with flying colors. But she is wrong as Viola (Jane Fonda), Kevin’s mother seems evidently not happy with this relationship. When Kevin proposes Charlotte, Viola gets hyper and then she tries everything to destroy their relationship.

Finally, on the wedding day, Charlotte rethinks about her marriage with Kevin and plans to tell him that this marriage is not going to work. Just then, Viola and her own mother-in-law get into a serious argument.

Realizing that her son’s happiness is her main priority, Viola comes to Charlotte and says that she wants her to marry his son. And all she did was just out of her emotional insecurity of losing his son, her only asset to life. And finally, they both resolve their tiff. Charlotte asks her mother-in-law to be with them in every small or big occasion of their life.

Okay this was a movie which I enjoyed but here are many such cases in real life too.

Mini was initially very startled to see her mother-in-law’s behavior. Her Mother-in-law Vasudha still wanted to carry all the responsibilities of her son and Mini’s husband Mayank. Vasudha desperately wanted to attend her son when he returned from the office, no matter what time. She wanted to manage his meals, his clothes and his essential stuff like before. She wanted his son to take her for outing along with Mini. Buy things that he bought for Mini.

Mini got frustrated. It seemed weird. But her husband, maybe feeling like a sandwich, made her realize the situation. Actually Mayank’s father died many years ago and he was all his mother has in life. Obviously, she was possessive about her son and she did not realize that she was going overboard as his son was now a married man and the couple needed some space.

Actually, this is just a problem of emotional insecurity. Nothing like having a monster-in-law. Of course it could be irritating but both parties have to develop an understanding.

There is no harm to give importance and some quality time to the lonely parents especially when they’re single. One must involve them graciously in small happiness of life. And the parents also must understand that after marriage their son and daughter-in-law need some privacy and space. They should try to keep themselves busy in some activities to get over the insecurity. It is not good to develop a competitive attitude in such delicate relationship. Just try to create a healthy environment at home and cherish happy moments. Both mother and wife have a special space in a man’s life. It’s just a matter of understanding and thoughtfulness.