Review - That Man in The Mirror by Rajeev Ranjan

Name of the Book - That Man in the Mirror

                                  Love…Lust…Life

Author - Rajeev Ranjan

Publishers - Lifi Publications

Price - 220 INR

www.lifipublications.com

Blurb ­­-

How far one should go to help his sibling…Can we draw a line in blood relationships?

What happens…when we stop counting our blessings and long for fictitious pleasures, when lust takes over gentle senile notions of love and when you lie to yourself and justify it?

Is there any date sheet for emotions?

This novel tries answering these questions through a beautiful story. Besides it also touches the emotions that cross our heart when we embark on the journey of betrayal. It is also an attempt to locate that man in the mirror that we generally choose to ignore.

Review 

What I liked -

That Man in the Mirror is about everything it claims to be – Love…Lust…Life! It is real because it talks about human emotions that bring about a feeling of euphoria and then deep uncontrollable pain and regret. The story woven by the author is real and anyone can associate with it.

The female characters in the novel are projected as strong individuals who are entirely different from each other. While reading the novel you cannot help but draw a comparison between each of them and people you know. The protagonist Raghav is a man with dreams who knows what he wants and yet loses his way somewhere in his quest of finding happiness and realizing his dreams. He makes decisions, he doubts himself, he questions his motives and then he regrets his decisions and starts making amends. 

I liked the way the author has mentioned topics like superstitions, quacks, adolescence, pride, lust, love and regret. He has woven each of these feelings neatly into the novel which helps the flow of the story. I especially like one quote -  “Silent people are the most difficult to understand.” I loved the fact that the book ended on a positive note…After all I love happy endings!

Things that could have been better - 

The beginning was good, but then somewhere in the middle the story became very predictable; this changed after a few chapters! In my opinion the author could have added more details about a few characters - his brother and father. There is a brief mention about them, but a little more details about how they felt, what they were going through etc. would have made the book more interesting. A more visually appealing cover would have aroused more interest in the book, but as they say don’t judge a book by its cover; so I would like to end by saying…That Man in the Mirror is an interesting novel which will certainly touch a chord in your heart!

Rating - 3/5

Links -

https://www.facebook.com/pages/That-man-in-the-mirror/371139536394346

http://www.amazon.in/That-Man-Mirror-Love-    Lust/dp/9382536728/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425141516&sr=8-1&keywords=that+man+in+the+mirror

  

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Review of "India Was One" by An Indian

A poem from the book –

India, an Enigma

She stands with arms open,

steadfast in times of turmoil,

donning the lovely tri-colors,

holy rivers making a beautiful smile.

She is the mother of pearls.

The land of festivals,

with a romantic history,

language and God of choice,

and culture has an identity.

Here music finds its voice.

Her magnetic architectures,

as old as her mysterious traditions,

hold beautiful treasures.

When people want to break her,

it so pains my heart,

the image of her future seems,

a mirror of the past.

And my dreams remain just memories.

But India has won,

you and I can live together

as one,

now and forever.

- Rahul

About the Author – 

The author of this book has chosen not to reveal his identity and has instead used the penname “An Indian.” The only information we have about him is that he was born and raised in Mumbai and moved to the US in 1989. He now lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.

What the book is about – 

As the name suggests, the book is about our wonderful country, India and the different people who inhabit it. The story revolves around Vijay (Jai) and Kahani (Kaahi), their college life, their friends, their families, their interests and their future. As the story unfolds we find the protagonists falling in love and moving to the US for work. Life goes on and they settle in, but soon there are other things in store for them. Will they separate? What will happen in the land of their birth? Will India remain one?

What I liked about the book – 

As mentioned earlier, I am very particular about the books I read and because of that I usually read books only by an author I like or one that a friend recommends. Well! This one was an exception and I am glad to have read it! The main thing that worked for me in this book are the sentiments attached. The love that the author has for the land of his birth is clearly evident from the way he describes the festivals, the food, the customs and the places. Any reader who has never been to India would actually have a very good idea about India because of this book. Of course, I would be wrong not to mention that he has written about other places in the world in with the same amount of detailing, providing readers a view of the world as seen through his eyes!

What did not work for me – 

One thing the writer could have done in order to keep the flow intact was write the explanations of the new words/words not known by people outside India, at the bottom of the page. That way the story would have flowed better. He could also have gone deeper into some of the topics instead of just touching upon them and leaving the reader wanting more!

All in all the book is a good read, especially if you want to see India through the eyes of someone who left long ago and yet feels so much love for his country.

Where can I buy the book? 

India Was One, is available, both, in paperback as well as in eBook (for all devices) format. It is available on popular sites, like: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple iBooks, Google Play etc., which can be accessed from anywhere in the world. For reader in India, in addition to it being available on online stores, such as: Flipkart, Infibeam, etc., it also is available in bookstores in Mumbai at Oxford Bookstore and Crossword bookstore. Very recently, it is also available in all the Sapna Book House stores in Bangalore and online with free shipping.

The book's website also has a lot of goodies, such as, artwork used in the book, poem used in the book, some reviews (including media reviews that was published in India, Canada and the US), interactive map of India, a few sample chapters, and much more.

Website: www.IndiaWasOne.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/IndiaWasOne (over 27,000 fans) Twitter: @IndiaWasOne 

Find out more about the book at www.IndiaWasOne.com/FindOut

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