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Third Best
Welcome to Shore Mount — one of India's most prestigious co-ed residential schools. Here, short skirts reign and sports stars are revered, and skinny dips and sneaking girls into boys' rooms are as much a part of the curriculum as the cool Mr Gomez's literature lessons... Into this world arrives Nirvan Shrivastava, with tremendous expectations weighing on his shoulders. After all, he's following in the footsteps of three generations of brilliant Shrivastavas immortalized on every possible honors board in the school. As he hesitatingly negotiates the crazy roller-coaster ride that is life at Shore Mount, he finds true buddies in Gautam, an unlikely musical genius obsessed with all things edible, and Faraz, the slick ladies' man. Together the boys discover that in Shore Mount survival means much more than braving the chill of heater-less dorms, or scrubbing toilets clean with toothbrushes. And as they learn to stand up to vicious bullies on and off the playing fields and survive the agony of heartaches and broken bones, they find themselves hurtling towards adulthood far sooner than they could have ever imagined...
- GenresFiction
400 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2010
10 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 27, 2011
A feel good read. Indian take on Malory Towers and St.Claires. However the author has a good style of writing.
Nostalgic!
Nostalgic!
April 18, 2013
Third Best is an entertaining story accurately throwing light on the life of students in Indian boarding schools. Set in the early 90’s, it spins around Mount Shore, a prestigious school where seniors command their juniors to do their homework and chores, girls sneak into the boys’ dormitories and infatuations are unrequited.
The protagonist of the story, Nirvan Shrivastava is enrolled in Mount Shore to continue the glowing legacy of his family. Each and every member of his family – be it his great-great grandparents or his aunts and uncles have attended the school and left with their names heroically embedded in its history. And the same success and excellence in academics and sports is expected of Nirvan, not to forget the coveted title of Head of the Mount which all of his predecessors with the exception of his elder brother Moksh had earned. But from the first day itself, he realizes that things aren’t easy as he’s been made to believe, because getting good grades to please his teachers and shouldering the pressure of his House to win an inter-house school football tournament weren’t the only problems he faced. No one had ever taught him how to talk to someone he had a crush on, how to stand up for the right and how to regain his lost respect.
Accompanied by Nirvan are his best friends at Mount Shore, consisting of Faraz, Gautam and Ruma. Faraz is a tall and incredibly good-looking young man who is desired by every girl he comes across – oblivious to his nonchalance to their advances and his desire lying in someone unattainable. That one friend everyone has who is a complete music freak is portrayed by Gautam, who in spite of his uncanny knack to get into trouble, low grades and obsession with hot girls has hidden qualities and talents, which he learns to discover and nurture along with the help of his caring friends. Meanwhile, Rumi is a girl who has lived abroad all her life and is a die-hard fan of Nirvana and Guns ‘n Roses, who falls for one of her unsuspecting friends.
Amidst the horrifying nervousness of dallying between studying for the upcoming board exams and playing football matches to bring glory to their House, they learn valuable lessons about sacrifices, hard work and making the right decisions. They learn to deal with heartaches and losing loved ones, and forgiveness too. The crime of bullying by seniors has a major role in this story, and the painful truth about violent bullying is openly displayed. But the most important lesson that the students learn is to always stand up for what is right, whomsoever the perpetrator might be.
Third Best is a light-hearted read for teens that enjoy the multiple interesting flavors of boarding school life. It successfully displays the concept of boarding school life which was popularized by Enid Blyton, the only differences being that in this book you find the abundant swearing, raging hormones and other aspects that come with the onset of adolescence and plots that are more appealing to young adults. Hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time, Third Best makes a fun read.
The protagonist of the story, Nirvan Shrivastava is enrolled in Mount Shore to continue the glowing legacy of his family. Each and every member of his family – be it his great-great grandparents or his aunts and uncles have attended the school and left with their names heroically embedded in its history. And the same success and excellence in academics and sports is expected of Nirvan, not to forget the coveted title of Head of the Mount which all of his predecessors with the exception of his elder brother Moksh had earned. But from the first day itself, he realizes that things aren’t easy as he’s been made to believe, because getting good grades to please his teachers and shouldering the pressure of his House to win an inter-house school football tournament weren’t the only problems he faced. No one had ever taught him how to talk to someone he had a crush on, how to stand up for the right and how to regain his lost respect.
Accompanied by Nirvan are his best friends at Mount Shore, consisting of Faraz, Gautam and Ruma. Faraz is a tall and incredibly good-looking young man who is desired by every girl he comes across – oblivious to his nonchalance to their advances and his desire lying in someone unattainable. That one friend everyone has who is a complete music freak is portrayed by Gautam, who in spite of his uncanny knack to get into trouble, low grades and obsession with hot girls has hidden qualities and talents, which he learns to discover and nurture along with the help of his caring friends. Meanwhile, Rumi is a girl who has lived abroad all her life and is a die-hard fan of Nirvana and Guns ‘n Roses, who falls for one of her unsuspecting friends.
Amidst the horrifying nervousness of dallying between studying for the upcoming board exams and playing football matches to bring glory to their House, they learn valuable lessons about sacrifices, hard work and making the right decisions. They learn to deal with heartaches and losing loved ones, and forgiveness too. The crime of bullying by seniors has a major role in this story, and the painful truth about violent bullying is openly displayed. But the most important lesson that the students learn is to always stand up for what is right, whomsoever the perpetrator might be.
Third Best is a light-hearted read for teens that enjoy the multiple interesting flavors of boarding school life. It successfully displays the concept of boarding school life which was popularized by Enid Blyton, the only differences being that in this book you find the abundant swearing, raging hormones and other aspects that come with the onset of adolescence and plots that are more appealing to young adults. Hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time, Third Best makes a fun read.
November 23, 2013
well....i usually dont read books twice, forget thrice....but for a lot of reasons i have read this multiple times!
the story is very well put, i just cannot help but find similarities between my school life and this one...
the scenarios , the teachers, all the football, the awkward moments with girls, the senior-junior relations...and the positive outlook just elevates you when you read this book.
i have read lot of american and british literature including the classics but still this is my favorite book !!
the story is very well put, i just cannot help but find similarities between my school life and this one...
the scenarios , the teachers, all the football, the awkward moments with girls, the senior-junior relations...and the positive outlook just elevates you when you read this book.
i have read lot of american and british literature including the classics but still this is my favorite book !!
September 12, 2011
I always thought boarders were different species. But this book clear that doubt and they are as human as we are. A good narrative by Arjun Rao. I could identify with this book, which I presume the setting is The Lawrence School, Lovedale, Ooty. A coming of age book with a difference.
September 14, 2011
Good Read!
The language is grasping and the plot though very common, is still invigorating.
The writer has surely put in autobiographical bits, sprinkled with a little bit of Mohabbatein and Harry Potter, but I did enjoy it!
The language is grasping and the plot though very common, is still invigorating.
The writer has surely put in autobiographical bits, sprinkled with a little bit of Mohabbatein and Harry Potter, but I did enjoy it!
October 25, 2011
its a lovely book............a must read
March 30, 2012
For anyone who ever spent time growing up in a boarding school anywhere. Thanks Arjun, thanks for the memories!!!
July 8, 2017
A lovely story about friendship, loyalty and love. Everybody will connect to it instantly especially with Mr. Gomez an extremely supportive teacher.
April 3, 2023
I absolutely loved the book . This book isn't a one time . This book never gets old even if you have read it a 100 times . The fact that I relate soo much with the book has left me in weird whirlpool of emotions that I can't seem to clear out . I mean it all in a good way.
August 26, 2017
i wished i was living this dream
December 20, 2015
The setting here is a boarding school located in some countryside where rich kids of India study. Here, students are treated as adults, there is always some sports competition on, the teachers on campus are the cool sorts, the students make out on campus, there is a lake that separates the boys' hostel from the girls', there are ball dances. Overall, it becomes hard to imagine a school like this in India.
The protagonist is your average (ahem) all-rounder: good at sports, good at academics, well-built, morally right, with loaded parents in London. Well. We meet him when he is in eighth standard. Soon, he has two friends and a girlfriend. Soon his friends also have girlfriends. Sub-plots emerge. The backgrounds of each friend are delved into. More characters in the sidelines are introduced. Many have nicknames that are used interchangeably with real names, until it becomes painful to track who is what. You can spot editing errors easily.
The book ends after many, many easy-to-read pages and you wonder what did the author want to accomplish. What was the main story? Why did I read it?
The setting is heavily borrowed from Harry Potter (complete with secret passageways). You wish your school were like this. You wish the story here was powerful.
Recommended for young early readers who do not expect much from their books. This is a read-and-throw-it book.
The protagonist is your average (ahem) all-rounder: good at sports, good at academics, well-built, morally right, with loaded parents in London. Well. We meet him when he is in eighth standard. Soon, he has two friends and a girlfriend. Soon his friends also have girlfriends. Sub-plots emerge. The backgrounds of each friend are delved into. More characters in the sidelines are introduced. Many have nicknames that are used interchangeably with real names, until it becomes painful to track who is what. You can spot editing errors easily.
The book ends after many, many easy-to-read pages and you wonder what did the author want to accomplish. What was the main story? Why did I read it?
The setting is heavily borrowed from Harry Potter (complete with secret passageways). You wish your school were like this. You wish the story here was powerful.
Recommended for young early readers who do not expect much from their books. This is a read-and-throw-it book.
December 3, 2014
A complete review of this book appears on my website, The Booklegger =):
Full Review Here
This book came with good recommendations. The Goodreads page is also a glowingly positive one. And so, I was completely prepared to love it.
And it's especially sad that I didn't. The fact that I'm still sort of making up my mind about it is a sure enough sign that it didn't blow my mind.
It isn't all bad, actually. In fact, it's a bit of a first. Very young adult, very...fresh. At least, the plot is refreshing. Indian boarding school, co-ed, a whole bag of interesting characters; lots of potential, some realised, some not so much.
The fact that I've studied in a boarding school for seven years might have something to do with the fact that I haven't loved this book. It's definitely not the only reason, but one of the big ones. Shore Mount was familiar, of course. The seniors and their chores were familiar, the dorms, the PT, the classes, the mess, the socials, all of it felt like tiny bits from my own memory. Or would have. I can't quite put my finger on what was wrong. The closest I can do it this-- Rao has, perhaps to increase the effectiveness, turned the volume up on every single aspect of a boarding school...
Full Review Here
This book came with good recommendations. The Goodreads page is also a glowingly positive one. And so, I was completely prepared to love it.
And it's especially sad that I didn't. The fact that I'm still sort of making up my mind about it is a sure enough sign that it didn't blow my mind.
It isn't all bad, actually. In fact, it's a bit of a first. Very young adult, very...fresh. At least, the plot is refreshing. Indian boarding school, co-ed, a whole bag of interesting characters; lots of potential, some realised, some not so much.
The fact that I've studied in a boarding school for seven years might have something to do with the fact that I haven't loved this book. It's definitely not the only reason, but one of the big ones. Shore Mount was familiar, of course. The seniors and their chores were familiar, the dorms, the PT, the classes, the mess, the socials, all of it felt like tiny bits from my own memory. Or would have. I can't quite put my finger on what was wrong. The closest I can do it this-- Rao has, perhaps to increase the effectiveness, turned the volume up on every single aspect of a boarding school...
July 29, 2014
It's hilariously bad ... excerpt:
Pg22 f##### used multiple times , pages are filled with nonsensical poetry and songs like :
"I don't know why you're mean to me,
I don't know what you mean to me...
You will be mine ,You will be mine, all the time",
and awkward phrases like "Give me your leg" are used for some reason my simple mind fails to comprehend
Pg22 f##### used multiple times , pages are filled with nonsensical poetry and songs like :
"I don't know why you're mean to me,
I don't know what you mean to me...
You will be mine ,You will be mine, all the time",
and awkward phrases like "Give me your leg" are used for some reason my simple mind fails to comprehend
March 28, 2012
A coming of age fiction. It is difficult to identify with the characters, uber rich and almost mythical. Could identify in parts to the school life being in a boarding school myself, like the traditions, prefects, bullying and sports. Overall if you have a weekend to kill go for it.
March 19, 2017
There was no plot, just a bunch of interconnected incidents. This is very off putting. Also, I liked the sub plots of Faraz and Gautam's relationships much much better, and I wish they were given more importance in the overall story.
October 9, 2013
It's juz an awesome book . While reading I thought that it was written keeping in mind just my interest.This book is so great. I am short of words.I loved this book .When I was reading it I wanted that the book should never end and go on and on and on................!
May 10, 2016
I can't really relate to the characters or events or anything..but somehow it totally reminded me of my own school life...there is no real plot to it, but I just loved itt
June 14, 2013
Fluid and smooth. A little cinematic, but vividly describes the adolescent life of a school student
October 11, 2014
This was unexpectedly fun! 3.5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews