Saturday 23 February 2013

About warm scones and raspberry cordials!

Changing your life one book at a time...

I am not much of a foodie frankly (give me rice and curry any day) but when I read about food in the books, I am instantly hooked. It could be the mere thought of lashings of spice in a hot broth on a cold day, butter melting off a hot scone or ‘a creamy sauce laced with paprika’ that has me hungry in an instant. Phrases like a ‘a crust of pumpernickel’ or ‘fragrant bread’, ‘sun kissed tomatoes’ or ‘a raspberry cordial’ makes me curl up and reach foodie heaven. Never mind that I don’t really like raw tomatoes or anything made out of raspberry.
Come to think of it, the main reason I loved Enid Blyton’s book  was because of all the different kinds of food pictures that she painted. Do you remember them... that pitcher of icy-cold, creamy farm milk from the dairy, the meat and onions fried golden brown, the crusty loaves of new bread fresh from the oven? Ah food!

So when I got hold of Shoba Narayan’s Monsoon Diary, which was a memoir with recipes (it took an age to reach me though it is not an international title), I was delighted. I savoured each evocative phrase in her memoir with delight... “My mom would steam idlis, rice-and-lentil dumplings in the pressure cooker and open it with a pouf of steam just as we came into the kitchen” and “Grand Sweets in Madras... famed for its crumbly sohan papdi, saffron specked wheat halwa, golden jilebis, ghee dripping badushahs...” The book then combines some fabulous recipes, interspersed with stories about her family and later her life in America trying out those recipes.
 But no, Narayan’s memoir is not going to be my book review for the week. The point that I am trying to drive home is that writing about food is instantly appealing, whether it is the thought of a cool draught of root beer on a scorching day or warm mound of rice and golden fried pomfret on a cold night.

So, when I saw the title of this new book, Cupcakes at Carrington’s that I plan to review today, I was drawn to it at once. Did it live up to its title? Read on...
Book of the day: Cupcakes at Carrington’s by Alexandra Brown

I must begin by saying that besides the fact that the title sounds awesome, Brown’s writing is just as delicious. Savour these excerpts...
“I grew up in Mulberry-on-Sea and mum used to bring me here on Saturdays and we’d shop and eat fairy cakes in the old fashioned tea room with its Formica tables and white-pinnied waitresses.... this was years before Sam turned it into Cupcakes at Carrington’s , a cosy cafe serving red velvet cupcakes and sponge cake with pinkberry-infused frosting’.

And there’s more of that sumptuous writing when she describes Carrington’s. “It’s very nostalgic in an Orient Express kind of way. And the food is to die for – salted caramel cupcakes, rainbow salads, delicious artisan breads and the most fabulous afternoon cream teas you can possibly imagine.”

The heroine Georgie Hart, however is not quite so exciting. She works as a personal shopper in Carrington’s ladies bag department.  Her secret pleasure? Yup, you guessed it. She slips down to the cupcake store for her secret fix, the red velvet cupcake.
But Carrington’s itself is too old world to survive in a world of cut throat competition. It needs a makeover and that’s where the ruthless Maxine steps to make all the changes. Georgie has to step up to a new life of hard work or she might just lose her job.
Enter the men. Her boss James is married who is a big flirt. And then, the hot newcomer Tom. Will she choose between them or will there be anyone else?

The red velvet cupcake is like the muse in the background, sweet and scrumptious.

Did I like the book? It was very well written, yes. Unique, yes. But totally enjoyable? Not really. The problem perhaps lies with the heroine Georgie who is rather wimpy and a tad too reflective. The parts about the store was very interesting but the story was only what it promised to be, light, frothy, delicious -- almost like the cupcakes that were woven into the book.
Read it if you would like to read about an upscale department store, if you love cupcakes and if you are looking for an easy read for the warm days of summer that are coming up soon.

Tuesday 12 February 2013

The ticking clock waits for no man...


Ask me what I love about Indian authors today and I would say it is the fact so many of them are seriously funny now. This is such a far cry from the lugubrious books of one time, when the only stories that were accepted by publishers were those that dwelt long and over several pages on the sad life of the protagonist. Not that they are to be dismissed as unreadable. They were very good and though the humour stayed wry or subtle, the plots had been cleverly thought out, the characters well delineated to make a fabulous read.  Today, we get funny but where’s the story and the plot? Not sure if you even need one anymore.
But I never pass by a bookshop without buying a book written by an Indian author. Each book gives me another vista of the Indian experience. For instance, I am currently reading a book called ‘Those Pricey Thakur Girls’ by Anuja Chauhan which transports me to the heart of a posh colony in New Delhi. I often reread my favourites, like Jaishree Misra’s first novel, Ancient Promises and Anita Nair’s novel Mistress that always takes me through the sultry, rain drenched streets of Kerala and lives and loves of the people there. One of my favourite authors Thirty Umrigar perhaps puts it best when she writes in one of her books... ”In my mind, I travel through time and space in ways you cannot even dream of—from Ohio to Bombay to Ohio again, from the land of the living to the land of the dead, where my Rustom resides; from my wallpapered bedroom in this house to my painted bedroom in Bombay, of which I know every inch... where the embroidered handkerchiefs are kept in the bottom drawer and what books are kept on the bedside table... Yes I may be older than you...but I can run faster and fly higher than you can ever know.”
I have so many favourite Indian authors that I have lost count... and the bookshelves in my home are full of their books that stand tall next to my beloved classics and of late, my pile of chicklit novels.

Which brings me to the book I am reviewing today, Tick Tock, we’re 30 by Milan Vohra and the best thing about doing this review was that I got to speak to the author herself and I was able get her views on various questions that you might have too.
But first, my thoughts on the book...
Tick Tock, We’re 30
By Milan Vohra
What a rollicking ride of a book this is. We spin in and out of scenes, peppered with fresh perspective and laced with fresh and funny dialogue. Ah how delicious some of the writing is. Her word pictures evoke all kinds of memories, for instance who has not had an Indian neighbourhood like this... “around a rectangular park... the one with the horny homeopath’s clinic in a shed right in the middle of it. And oh yes, the house with the pajama wala uncle and the maid and the dog on the corner.” Or felt this way about an old school – “Let’s face it, going to an all girls’convent is dull... the highlight of school life is pretty much catching sight of the Sisters’undies drying on the clothesline.”

The story line of the novel is fairly simple. As the cover page suggests, the book begins with the clock ticking the years away and soon Lara, the protagonist will turn 30. She and her old friends, the S.N. gang (Sarva Niketan) as they call themselves decide to get together to celebrate the momentous occasion when all of them cross the big 3-0 and with all their grandiose plans, the event looks like it is going to be one rocking party. Easy peasy? Of course not. Because what Lara and gang don’t realize is that time has a way of changing people. Not just physically – like Fat Riya who is now more Thin Riya. But in so many other ways because bitter experiences and failed relationships can change people more than they know. And here’s where the skill of the writer comes in, when she throws in giddy moments, nostalgia, changing friends and new perspectives all into one mix, without getting overly sentimental or too frivolous, but making us empathize and love each character.
But wait – there’s more. There is another exciting twist to the story that will keep you turning the pages till the end. Lara and Nishad (a member of their gang) had made a pact one tipsy evening to marry each other if they were not hitched by 30. Now the time has arrived – but Lara is not going to allow Nishad to gloat over her zero boyfriend status. She decides to hire a fake fiancĂ© instead.

It is at this point that we get a new character in the story, the fabulous Perzaan (he of the rippling muscles, exotic tattoos and wild hair) who girls swoon over and who Lara is lucky enough to call her boyfriend. Has she hit on the perfect solution to her dilemma?
You will have to read the book to find out the answer to that one, but rest assured, there is plenty to keep you engrossed till all the pieces of the story fall in place. Vohra has created a bevy of interesting characters who have really funny things to say at times and interesting insights to offer at other moments.

I loved the exquisite use of words in certain parts of books. For instance, something as simple as making tea is written so perfectly... “She swirls the hot water around the cup, feels around the cup delicately the way one would a fruit...she lifts another tea cozy off a bigger teapot...she keeps going beautifully slowly, like a Japanese Noh theatre production.”
Vohra is a gifted writer and seems to have mastered the art of setting the pace and flow of a story with the use of dialogue. If I have a complaint, it is only in the frequency of the dialogues but even that is not a flaw, because she orchestrates the ebb and flow of her story so well.

A very enjoyable book and a must read if you love this kind of fiction as much I do. Plus I also got to interview her, which was a huge bonus for me.
Q and A with Milan Vohra
Where did your inspiration for this book come?
I had a large group of friends I grew up with in Delhi who kept talking about having a reunion ever since the millennium. One day I just decided, enough. These folks are never going to get their act together. I’m going to write myself a new set of friends and make this reunion happen. This is my revenge, haha.

How did you keep track of the many characters in the story?
Well, I guess I did work out each character in quite a lot of detail before I started writing. Their backgrounds, their physicality obviously, their take on things, the way they react to situations.

Soon the characters took on personalities and lives of their own.

 There is plenty of dialogue in the story. Did you draw from your own experiences to pen those very contemporary dialogues?

I have to confess I’m a horribly brazen eavesdropper and will quite often just end up joining a conversation among strangers at the cafes I usually haunt. It helps me make new friends and get a little more of an insider view of different lives from my own. But often I have imaginary dialogues and these find their way into the book.

How has being a copywriter helped you become an author?

 If you’ve been trained well in your early years in advertising you should at least be able to adapt your writing style vastly, depending on who the client is. That training has been useful even in just keeping each character sounding different. But it can’t teach you to develop a plot.

What is your working day like? How do you manage to juggle so many things?

I work on a ‘need to do’ basis. This includes sleep. I juggle being an ad professional up until about midnight between being a mom, racing to read book club books, trying to be there for my friends... you know, the usual stuff we all do. And then after everyone’s asleep I write. My visiting card actually says it well. It has a Picasso line drawing of an owl wearing two hats. It says, ‘Creative consultant. Author. Insomniac’.

 

 

Monday 4 February 2013


Love is in the air!

 
Right, so it’s coming out of our ears – all the love jingles, the bad poetry, the silly cards and maybe the young ones are already out there shopping for the perfect dress for the occasion. Valentine’s Day is many things for many people – for some a romantic interlude, for some the pressure of finding a date (or finding a pretend one for the night, if necessary) and for others, it could be about giving the spouse an evening of pure, unadulterated attention.

For me, it’s always a time when I like to go back to literature and the movies, searching out all the finest love quotes and savouring them over the season. Maybe you would find me mooning over a Shakespearean sonnet...  Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate....” Or watching my favourite movie, Harry Met Sally for the millionth time on the telly and enjoying the romance of lines like... “I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”

This year, I also found several beautiful and romantic lines in a book I am reading presently (recommended by a good friend and indeed, just as amazing as it was hyped up to be) called The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak. Here is one of my favourite quotes but there are so many in this lovely book... “Every true love and friendship is a story of unexpected transformation. If we are the same person before and after we loved, that means we haven’t loved enough.”  

But enough rambling. Let’s get down to the book I plan to review this week ...

The Publicist by Christina George

After that prologue on love, I am sure you were wondering if I was going to choose a romantic book to review. But sorry – I like to pick up current books and this one showed much promise and was centred on an industry I wanted to know more about.

Let me make just one quick detour. When I heard about this book, I wanted to read it right away but to my acute disappointment, it took over one month to reach me from an online book portal and when it did finally arrive, I ripped open the parcel and began reading it at once. (Ah that delicious anticipation that only book lovers understand!)
The story of The Publicist is set in the deeply mysterious world of publishing. The protagonist Kate Mitchell, is a publicist with a large New York publishing house and much of her time and energy is taken up with dealing with the humungous egos of the noted writers she represents. Whether it is handling books that don’t sell to reaching out to a celebrity hungry audience, Kate takes it all in her stride, with a remarkable air of poise.  

And so we are swept into this high powered world and with a breezy pace, we, the readers are flung from one crisis to another. A book launch where books don’t turn up. A suicidal author. Wheelings. Dealings. And so much more.

Of course, there is the star editor, MacDermott Ellis whom Kate is attracted to – but...  and here comes the big obstacle – he is married. So what will our Kate do? Any good guess? No? Well, you’ll have to read the book to find out that one.

The short chapters and the rapid pace at which events happen perhaps help keep up the tempo of all the excitement in the publishing world, but the writer does not seem to take enough time to develop her characters. By the time you are prepared to like Kate for being smart and sexy, you get drawn into her romantic life which is quite dull.
The book was apparently written by an insider in the industry and though it gives a reader a lot of insights into the publishing world, it seems to have been put together in a bit of a hurry, going by the brevity of some of the chapters and the sketchy details of characters and events in some parts of the book.

This is a good novel for those who love the world of books and would like to know what sells and what doesn’t.  And yes, it is a must read, for all those who are planning to write a book of your own someday or hoping to become a publicist yourself.