Book Review: Love, Job or Country by Rohit Agarwal

Introduction

ISIN: 978-93-84226-47-3
Genre: Fiction
Publishers: Leadstart
Price: Rs. 175/- (I got this book from the author for review)

Avinash and Chetan live in different domains, while one is an ambitious marketing professional; another is a hard-core spy out to serve his country. Avinash is struggling to retain the new job he has joined. Chetan has recently shifted from Colombo to Ahmedabad, as station head of R & AW. Destiny bring them together when Tamanna, the love interest of Avinash, leads him to an unthinkable terrorist plot emanating from a Pakistan based Jihadi group.The Story moves across the Indian subcontinent , from Pakistan to Bangladesh and Nepal to Sri lanka uncovering a deadly terrorist plot which can put Indian union in danger. It has to be seen if Chetan is able to stop the terrorists before they strike and if Avinash is vindicated in his trust in Tamanna.

Behind The book

Source: Google Images

About the author

Rohit Agarwal is a marketing professional, who works in the mid-management level in a textile company based in Ahmadabad. His work experience of about 15 years is based mainly in Ahmadabad. He has travelled extensively within India and abroad in the line of duty. He is excited and moved with stories, as he is an avid reader. This is his debut book. He resides in Ahmadabad with his two kids and wife. He can be reached at a.rohit1975@yahoo.co.in

Me thinks

The first word that comes to my mind after reading this book is “Commendable!” For a debut novel it is very well researched and written with a very gripping narrative. The author deserves applause for the same.

The book, as the blurb says it about two people coming from completely different backgrounds – one is a spy who works for RAW while the other is a simple common man trying to make a life out of the chaos he is surrounded with. Enter a girl called Tamanna and things change; for good or bad is something that the reader has to find out from the book.

Making your protagonist a RAW agent is no mean feat and for this the author should take a bow! He has not only read books on RAW but has also personally met some station heads and RAW agents discussing this book just to ensure the authenticity of the same. And to a very large extent he has been successful I must say.

Through his simplistic language skills he has managed to weave a very complex cobweb of lies, deceit, love and patriotism.

I somehow feel this book lacked proper marketing which a book of this kind truly deserves to reach one and all for its powerful story line. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy reading thrillers and such action genres purely for the strong story line and plot backed by exhaustive research.

Foodie Verdict

This book is like corn chaat - tasty, crunchy, spicy, salty and mouth watering!

Source: Google Images

Book Review: Desiccated Land by David Lepeska

ISBN: 978-9395481205 Genre: Non-fiction Publisher: Vishwakarma Publications Bringing together his experiences as a journalist and a keen observer, David Lepeska writes a raw and gut-wrenching book on Kashmir. Part memoir, part travelogue, and part reportage, Desiccated Land is a page-turner. The book starts by tracing the history of the region along with his own history, as a student who was dimly aware of the history of Kashmir and the turmoil it has been causing for centuries between India and Pakistan. Lepenska takes us to Nilamata Purana ( likely written in the 7th century ) which tells us the story leading to the birth of this region. He also shares an alternate possibility of the word being derived from a lake ‘Mira’ named after Vedic Sage Kashyapa. His first visit to Kashmir closely followed by his second (and much longer) visit as a journalist working for the Kashmir Observer after the 9/11 attacks, make for an interesting read. Lepeska had questions, a lot of them. An

From there to here to where

From this blog in 2011 to Barnes and Noble website, my reviewing journey has been full of surprises. I am working on an essay tracing it and realized that I started reviewing books in 2001 (Yes! I am old) for a small library next to my house. Needless to add, my payment was in the books. The library owner also happened to be the first person who taught me how to write a book review and what to focus on. And that is where I learned why reviews matter. Cut to 2016 when my book review was taught in a Literary Criticism class held by British Library. A relative happened to attend that class and the news spread like wildfire in the family. That is the moment when my family knew this much more than just a hobby.

Book Review: Never Mind Yaar by K Mathur

Introduction · ISBN - 978-0-473-17480-4 · Genre: Fiction · Publishers: Southpac Publishers · Price: Rs. 350/- ( I got this book from Blog Adda for a review ) The title is an attitude - our tendency to feel defeated by the scale and nature of certain problems. Rather than meet them head on, we circumvent them with a sigh and a consoling “never mind, yaar”. When long time friends Binaifer Desai and Louella D’Costa meet Shalini Dayal at Gyan Shakti College, a true friendship that transcends cultural and religious backgrounds is born. Louella is a Christian, Binaifer, a Parsi and Shalini, a Hindu. The novel’s main plotline surrounds Shalini who has fallen for an impetuous student activist, Bhagu. Where does his desire to help the less fortunate lead him? The challenges are many - Shalini’s tradition bound family, the couple’s youth and inexperience and the travails of life in Mumbai, a city the girls love but know, is fraug

Reviews & Musings

Search This Blog