Just Read

Keep The Change – Nirupama Subramanian

Keep The Change is the story of B. Damayanthi, who feels trapped in her average life as a middle-class Tam-Brahm, a resident of Amman Kovil Street, and as a small-time employee at an accounting firm. What’s more, she hates her name too – it is so very non-glamorous, just like her. All Damayanthi wants to do is get out of the rut, be admired and appreciated, and find a dream lover. When she finds a job at First Global Bank in Mumbai and moves out of the constraining atmosphere of her home in Chennai, she has the perfect opportunity to begin living the life she has always dreamt about. But will she? You have to read the book to find that out!

I had an enjoyable experience reading this book, which happens to be the author’s debut. It is a light, fun read, full of very Indian English. Humorous and witty, the book is no great literature, but the storyline is something most girls will definitely be able to relate to. Damayanthi’s story is narrated through letters from her to her friend Victoria aka Vic, who apparently is super sexy and lives a charmed life in London.

What I liked the most about the book is that Damayanthi is not dumb. She is the average girl next door, with her own fears and dreams, not the beautiful do-no-wrong heroine straight out of a Mills & Boon novel. She has a brain which very much works, and she has her heart in the right place. Her story is very much ground in reality, and is not something most of us can only imagine.

My recommendation? Go for it, if you are looking for something breezy and yet not entirely brainless to read.

Julie And Romeo – Jeanne Ray

I discovered Jeanne Ray thanks to this post of Sangitha’s, and I am so very glad I did. Her Julie And Romeo was an absolute delight to read. Now, I am eager to read more by this author, and she has indeed written a few more books.

Julie And Romeo is a modern take on Romeo and Juliet’s story. It is the story of two florists, Julie Roseman and Romeo Cacciamani. The Rosemans and the Cacciamanis have been arch rivals for generations together, and no one can really remember how the feud started. Moreover, the fact that both families are in the business of flowers inevitably puts them at loggerheads with each other. One fine day, Julie and Romeo, both in their 60s, run into each other at a business conference, and… fall in love! This is, naturally, unacceptable to both families, their respective children included. Will the family feud prevent Julie and Romeo from getting together or will their love endure? That is what the book is all about.

The book is very well written, full of wit and humour. Though there are a number of very movie-like and unrealistic scenarios, Julie And Romeo makes for a fun and very entertaining read. I kept thinking, throughout my reading of the book, that it would make a lovely Bollywood movie, albeit a through-and-through entertainer.

Grab a copy soon. Recommended, if you are looking for a light, not-too-serious read and don’t mind a bit of deviation from real life.

Something From Tiffany’s – Melissa Hill

Gary and his girlfriend Rachel, as well as Ethan and his girlfriend Vanessa, are two different couples vacationing in New York at Christmas time. Both men decide to buy Christmas presents for their girls from Tiffany’s, but two very different things – Gary buys a silver charm bracelet for Rachel, while Ethan buys a whopper of a diamond ring, intending to propose to Vanessa when she opens her present. However, fate has other plans for them. Gary and Ethan bump into each other on the street, and their Tiffany’s bags are accidentally exchanged. What will happen when Vanessa discovers the charm bracelet in her parcel and Rachel the diamond ring in hers? That is what Something From Tiffany’s is all about.

I picked up the book thinking the premise was quite interesting, but I was downright disappointed. I can do with some deviation from reality in my books, but this storyline was utterly dumb. Totally unacceptable. The book is extremely long-winded and seemed to go on and on and on. I struggled to finish it, because I wanted to find out how it all ended.

Recommended? Not at all.