Equinox – Book Review

Author: Madhuri Maitra

Paperback:  258 pages

Publisher: Partridge Publishing (May 28th 2014)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1482816806

ISBN-13: 9781482816808

Genre: General Fiction

About The Book:

When Indus Publishers announces a short story competition, it affects the lives of the ensemble cast in unexpected ways. A jaded journalist, a bored housewife, a starry-eyed ambitious girl, an army colonel, an impoverished divorcee-all enter the competition for pressing reasons of their own. They emerge with only slightly deeper pockets than they had but far richer in experience. Social issues are explored in an engaging manner, entwined in the lives of the characters-this is indeed the way of life. The novel also promises an enchanting look at the diversity in India; the characters belong to different Indian states and embody the peculiarities of the people of that region. Equinox and its checkered characters step to music of their own; many readers will find that it resonates with their own inner music

About The Author:

Always an avid reader, dreaming of delighting her own readers someday, Madhuri published her first two books in 2014. Haiku and other Micropoetry is a collection of short verse on nature and on life; while Equinox is a novel dealing with urban realities. While the former is pithy and thought-provoking, the latter is a simple reflection of modern lives.
Madhuri lives and teaches in Pune. Films are as close to her heart as books are; she teaches Film Appreciation in addition to Creative Writing. She enjoys bringing her favourite authors and films
to young minds. She also conducts workshops for children and adults. She has also written and published papers on films and on writing. Visit her website http://of-prose-and-poetry.com/#/otherpublications for details.
She is currently enjoying the monsoon, immersing herself in her personal library and nurturing
ideas for her third book.

WEBSITE || FACEBOOK || TWITTER 

My Take:

The book was an easy and light read. It is the type of book that a reader would want to read on an idle afternoon or before the lights went off at night. People who will instantly relate to the book are: writers. And that was mainly the thing I liked so much about the book. It very accurately pin pointed the troubles we go through while trying to pen down some idea or while trying to capture that million dollar idea. It perfectly showcases the feelings and aspirations of writers that they often hide into their words. Other than the minds of writers, the reader gets the glimpses of various strata of society through this book. As the characters hail from different cities and different societies, they all come with their own set of problems and past. What touches the heart is the simplicity of the language and how beautifully it describes the lives of its characters.
As for the negatives, the book cover design isn’t much impressive and doesn’t come along with the theme of the book. There is no protagonist in the story, and therefore reader might not get very attached to any character in particular. There are no chapters in the book which often makes it confusing when the scene shifts from one character to another. Although some outline about the winning entries have been shared but still the book leaves the reader wanting to read those stories whose writers he/she witnessed struggling to put their ideas into words. Moreover, according to the flow of the story, the end seems to be too rushed.
In a nutshell, the book is a perfect blend of various lifestyles showcased in one. From high society hipocrisy to lower middle class aspirations and ambitions, a reader can find everything in this book written with utmost simplicity.

My Rating:

3/5

And now I’ll leave you with a line from the book…

“Whatever will be, will be. Grin and bear it. And then it would become all right.“

Here’s where you can grab a copy for yourself:

 AMAZON.IN 

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