I never really had heard of Preeti Shenoy, nor was she discussed in the circle of my friends. I accidentally chanced upon her book Life is What You Make It while browsing through Flipkart.com. Browsing through Flipkart is one of my favourite things to do when I have absolutely nothing else to do. I saw that this book was up for pre-order. I just thought Flipkart is promoting new talent. I was tempted but did not really buy the book at that point in time. Once the book was released, I read the initial reviews, all of which suggested that the book was really good. I loved Flipkart at that time for they would give very good discounts on books and saw that there was a good deal with Life is What You Make It as well and purchased it....and then I began following Preeti's works religiously.
What I noticed in Preeti's writing:
- I have read 3 books so far. All 3 of them were women-centric.
- The language is free-flowing and simple and casual but not too casual in the sense it is not loosely written.
- The stories that I have read so far are based on women of today so it very easy to relate to.
A brief review of Preeti's books (that I have read so far):
This book bowled me over, for, before this book I never read a story like this before. It is about a woman with Bi-polar syndrome and how she is taught to overcome it. The writing is very heart-rending and I could really put myself in the place of the protagonist. Now, the funny thing about me is that whenever I read books describing disorders/diseases, I feel I am suffering from them too. So, you can understand how I must have felt while reading this book. When the main character suffered, I could experience it too. It is a possibility that this is one of the reasons why the book bowled me over. The story is one of a kind (at least for me). We do not associates these kind of stories from Indian writers. The writing is also quite positive and gives a lot of hope to people who suffer from the disease. 4.5/5 rating from me.
This book is another good work, however, I have not yet understood why the book has been titled the way it has been. It is not very obvious when you read the book. The story however is an important one. It is about a woman who gives up her career after marriage and becomes completely dependant on her husband. After a few years of marriage, she is faced with a divorce. Being completely dependant, she struggles to find her feet in the world following separation from her husband. The story is about how she manages to do it eventually. It indirectly tells you to treasure all skills you have learnt all through your life. It gives a message to all women on importance of financial independence and not to lose your identity after marriage. Quite a good book. The book is 4/5 rating from me.
Of the 3 books, I would rate this book the least. It is somewhat similar to Tea for Two yet different. It is about a woman who feels oppressed and lacks respect in her marriage. Her life revolves around pleasing her husband and child. Through a series of unexpected events, she decides to live her life for herself and creates a wish list where she pens her desires. Though the concept was good I did not enjoy it as much as the other two books. The language is quite 'teen'. There are some errors in the book- for example- when Diksha (the main character) talks to herself, she calls herself Vibha and when Diksha and her husband are having a conversation, he calls her Vibha/Tanu etc. It startles one when one is reading. Besides, the way the progression of the story happens is not very interesting. It was non-putdownable as you are expecting something exciting or new to happen and it does not. Quite average considering the other books. 2.5/5 rating from me.
Apart from these, there is another book, 34 Bubblegums and Candies. I think it was her first book. It is a collection of short stories. A friend of mine read one of the stories in the book and shared that it was quite average. I will have to read it myself to ascertain the feedback.
Hope to read a new kind of work from Preeti soon.
What I noticed in Preeti's writing:
- I have read 3 books so far. All 3 of them were women-centric.
- The language is free-flowing and simple and casual but not too casual in the sense it is not loosely written.
- The stories that I have read so far are based on women of today so it very easy to relate to.
A brief review of Preeti's books (that I have read so far):
Life is What You Make It
This book bowled me over, for, before this book I never read a story like this before. It is about a woman with Bi-polar syndrome and how she is taught to overcome it. The writing is very heart-rending and I could really put myself in the place of the protagonist. Now, the funny thing about me is that whenever I read books describing disorders/diseases, I feel I am suffering from them too. So, you can understand how I must have felt while reading this book. When the main character suffered, I could experience it too. It is a possibility that this is one of the reasons why the book bowled me over. The story is one of a kind (at least for me). We do not associates these kind of stories from Indian writers. The writing is also quite positive and gives a lot of hope to people who suffer from the disease. 4.5/5 rating from me.
Tea for Two and a Piece of Cake
This book is another good work, however, I have not yet understood why the book has been titled the way it has been. It is not very obvious when you read the book. The story however is an important one. It is about a woman who gives up her career after marriage and becomes completely dependant on her husband. After a few years of marriage, she is faced with a divorce. Being completely dependant, she struggles to find her feet in the world following separation from her husband. The story is about how she manages to do it eventually. It indirectly tells you to treasure all skills you have learnt all through your life. It gives a message to all women on importance of financial independence and not to lose your identity after marriage. Quite a good book. The book is 4/5 rating from me.
The Secret Wish List
Of the 3 books, I would rate this book the least. It is somewhat similar to Tea for Two yet different. It is about a woman who feels oppressed and lacks respect in her marriage. Her life revolves around pleasing her husband and child. Through a series of unexpected events, she decides to live her life for herself and creates a wish list where she pens her desires. Though the concept was good I did not enjoy it as much as the other two books. The language is quite 'teen'. There are some errors in the book- for example- when Diksha (the main character) talks to herself, she calls herself Vibha and when Diksha and her husband are having a conversation, he calls her Vibha/Tanu etc. It startles one when one is reading. Besides, the way the progression of the story happens is not very interesting. It was non-putdownable as you are expecting something exciting or new to happen and it does not. Quite average considering the other books. 2.5/5 rating from me.
Apart from these, there is another book, 34 Bubblegums and Candies. I think it was her first book. It is a collection of short stories. A friend of mine read one of the stories in the book and shared that it was quite average. I will have to read it myself to ascertain the feedback.
Hope to read a new kind of work from Preeti soon.
Life is what you make it is Preeti Shenoy’s second book. Her first book, 34 Bubblegums and Candies is a lighthearted book about the journey called life and the bittersweet experiences that we get out of it. It’s delightful and it’s peppy. Her second book however, is in a totally different league.
ReplyDeleteLife is what you make it is a story about Ankita Sharma, a regular college kid. Her life is like that of any youngster, revolving around her friends, studies, with a few romantic swings thrown in as well ! She is smart, intelligent and very sure of what she wants out of her life. Life for her couldn’t be better. Suddenly and totally unexpectedly her life is thrown out of gear as starts showing symptoms of a mental illness and is finally diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. What follows is a gripping tale of how a mental disorder turns a young girl’s life topsy turvy and how she manages to come out the abysmal depths of her depression and fights tooth and nail to regain her sanity and her hold over life. This book is about growing up, not only physically but mentally and emotionally, by redefining your beliefs, your opinion about life and emerging out of a life threatening incident as not only a stronger but a far more insightful person.
There are two things that stand out about this book. One is the unusual but very sensitive topic that Preeti has chosen to write about. Almost all the books that we read now days are either chic lits, or books about college life (I am sick of Books about life in IITs and management institutes! ) or about the corporate jungle. Preeti has dared to go off the beaten track to write about a topic few people know anything about, let alone would care to write about. The second thing that actually makes this book such a good read is the way Preeti has written it. The topic could have been dealt in a cold clinical manner or in an over emotional rambling way that would just make the reader pity Ankita and shed tears. Preeti however, has dealt with the issue in a very sensitive and perceptive manner without being over dramatic. In the first part of the book, She takes us through Ankita’s life as a college student with the usual escapades and happenings that gives us that `been there done that` feeling and brings a smile to our lips. But Preeti truly comes into her own as a writer in the second half of the book when Ankita goes through an emotional roller coaster thanks to Bipolar Disorder. Preeti has described the fears, agonies, frustration and pain that Ankita goes through in a very touching yet realistic manner that moves you beyond words and leaves you totally numb. The narration is simple, yet extremely eloquent. Words flow easily and lucidly and do a much better job in portraying feelings and emotions than complicated or intricate sentences would have done. Life is what you make it is that rare blend of emotions, sensitivity and excellent writing that makes Preeti a class apart from the other writers that we see these days.
This is a very intense book. A book that moves and inspires you immensely and makes you realize that life can change at any moment and within the happy, carefree and supposedly balanced individuals that we see every day a mental illness can rear its ugly head at any time. This is also a highly inspiring tale of determination, courage and a tribute to the indomitable spirit within each one of us.