Saturday, February 28, 2015

Book Review : She Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

Title : She Loves Me,
He Loves Me Not
Author : Zeenat Mahal
Publisher : Indireads

Zoella has grown nurturing a silent crush for Fardeen Malik for many years. She happens to be the best friend of Fardeen's sister but she knows her feelings would never get reciprocated as Fardeen is already engaged to a  stunning socialite. Moreover, the two engaged families belong to the same section of the society. But destiny has something else in store for all of the characters when Fardeen gets badly disfigured in an accident. The accident takes away a lot from Fardeen besides his handsome looks and his fiancée is one of those. From a prince charming he transitions into an annoying, hurtful and hateful person. Twist of circumstances brings Zoella closer to Fardeen but was she wishing for such a fate for herself and for his beloved?

'She Loves Me, He Loves Me Not' is a love story set in modern day Pakistan while keeping the soul of a classic fairy tale intact. Hopeless circumstances, sudden twists, fate playing a big role, some baseless notions, tempers and much more are beautifully dealt with in the narrative.

The author has painstakingly carved the characters Zoella and Fardeen. Zoella, a silent admirer of her friend's brother, sincere in her duties and a family person does all for her family without expecting anything in return. Fardeen has always been away from any troubles or imperfections of life till he confronts a situation where he comes face to face with his own not so pleasing new reflection. Riding different waves of emotions and feelings, they end up tying their lives together and what follows is a bumpy ride.


The way different perspectives are dealt with and are allowed to develop gradually is a commendable job done by the author. Readers would surely appreciate how Zoella matures into a confident and strong individual from a shy and timid girl. Moreover, the window that Zeenat has opened into Pakistan through her writing is quite alluring. Her description of that world's traditions and  customs is fascinating and keeps the readers glued to the story till the last page. However, a tighter editing could have cut down a few pages from the book that keep highlighting their mutual conflicts. 

Monday, February 23, 2015

Article : Materchef in Every Kitchen (The Tribune : Feb 22, 2015)

Move over daily soaps, cookery shows have taken the nation by storm, as housewives from Kashmir to Kanyakumari are plating and presenting their dishes

Read the full story here...

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Interview : Kavita Kane

Kavita Kane, the author of Karna's Wife and Sita's Sister shares her views and opinions through this short e-interview here. 




Your first book was Karna's Wife and the second Sita's Sister. There is a pattern in the characters that you pick for your books. Who will be the  next?

There is no conscious pattern as such. I select characters which fascinate me in all their ambiguity whose story can be retold in a book. Am working on my third book but cannot say much about it right now. Just that it would be unlike the previous two.

We see a lot of books on retelling of mythology these  days, with contemporary touch. Why do you think mythology has become the flavour of the season?

Mythology has always been popular, be it part of our folk tales, theatre, art, literature, music and dance. In contemporary times the popularity has been translated to a new medium - teleserials, novels, video games etc. The interest in mythology especially the epics is witnessing a resurgence due to our close connect with it and its fascinating multi layers can be unravelled from time to time.

How has been the response to your books? Are you satisfied with the same?

Both have received excellent reports but I honestly was overwhelmed at the huge response!

What is your dream story, have you started working on that already?

Each story I write is a dream story. I dream about it often and the nightmare is if I get stuck! But seriously, every story is written with the same passion and creativity -but how well it does depends on the readers!

Which kind of books do you enjoy reading yourself? Who are your favourite authors?

I am still hooked onto PG Wodehouse and the thriller genre for light reading. I have no favourite authors - I have loved each author whose works I have read. Those I don't like I never manage to finish their book! Like reading, your choice of authors depend largely on your mood, age and maturity. Once upon a time I never read non-fiction!

How has been the journey of being an authoress so far? What is the biggest joy of being one?

It's been a big pleasant surprise! And what really touched me was the huge help I received from other authors especially the famous established ones who took out time to encourage me. What I love about being a writer is that I get to do what I love!

Any tips that you'd want to pass on to the new authors?

Write a good story and tell it well. 
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