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A Maverick Heart: Between Love and Life
Resonance - We often use the term, “frequency matching” in our daily life to define compatibility. Our frequency does not match, we do not get along? We are not in sync? We are not on the same page etc? When people of similar frequencies (wavelengths or within the same range) come together – output is not a simple sum of individual work, but exponential. In science we term this phenomenon as resonance. Output at this stage is beyond any logical limit. Three young kids, with different family backgrounds and outlook meet during their graduation days at IIT-Bombay campus and become close friends. Although, individually they are in sync, but the same is not true for their interaction with the world. How will their relation withstand the conflict of family and society pressure? How do their character shape out, as they traverse from an educational environment through the corporate world to the realm of the social-political world? Inspired by the real events across the globe from the last decade, Ravindra Shukla brings you the characters based story – struggle and triumphs of a young generation and their relevance in the current socio-eco-political era.
- GenresFiction
383 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2012
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August 9, 2013
Review also on : http://vaisakhimishra.blogspot.in/201...
Now a days when people see a book based on IIT or IIM and by an Indian Author the only thought that crosses their mind is, “OH NO, NOT AGAIN.” The same happened to me when A Maverick Heart – Between Love and Life was put up by Reader’s Cosmos for review. I went to ‘goodreads’ saw a 3.9 rating and said yes without a second thought. The book came, I read the synopsis, and must say I was impressed by the thought process put behind the book, but the mention of three friends and IIT campus had me half way convinced it was going to be another book inspired by Chetan Bhagat style campus story. And trust me when I say the book surprised me.
A Maverick Heart: Between Love and Life is a heartfelt story of three friends – Rahul, Richita ans Neerav. Rahul is an intelligent guy with the heart of gold, as many would say. He aims high and believes in social welfare. This idealistic self righteous trait of his forces him to choose between love, successful life and welfare of society and he chooses the later. He stays in India to fight corruption while his friends decide to explore life outside India.
Richita a girl from an affluent background, a politically influential professor’s daughter rooted to her core Indian values, falls in love with Rahul. But her dreams and Rahul’s ideologies tear them apart. She chooses life over love, but when something is left without a perfect sealed closure it is bound to come out and haunt you and that is exactly what drives Richita’s story.
Neerav is determined rich guy next door character who would do anything for his friend Rahul. People assume success to be gifted to him by destiny, but he craves to etch his own name with his own ink.
The story is a long, over a decade long journey of these characters and has every bit of emotion needed. From friendship to love, dedication to determination, need and dreams the author covers all human emotions with equal fervor. The characters of Rahul and Richita are very well sketched while same can’t be said about Neerav. The story is almost believable and is much more than a campus story. The usage of current events in the world makes the story gripping and at the same time a lot of people can relate to the characters. The book is high on emotional quotient and makes up for its slow pace with it.
PROS:
The story is believable and not Bollywood oriented.
The character of Richita, makes your heart cry and care for her. Also believe in her devotion and love.
The friendship between Rahul and Neerav, made me count my friends and find a Neerav from my group. Neerav was my favourite character of the book by the way.
The clever addition of the anti corruption protests and the way the story was weaved around it was compelling.
The conversations between the characters are witty and a food for your thought at the same time. One such dialogue that got stuck in my grey matter – “Beauty lies in one’s heart and sex lies in one’s mind. It all depends on where your belief lies”
CONS:
The biggest flaw with the book was the sudden change of the tone of the book – from first person to third person. It not only did break the flow of the story but was a bit confusing and annoying.
Too much description of some event was unimportant and the book lost its pace because of that. The editing could have been more prompt and crisp.
Neerav – why was he not given more importance like Richita. As i said earlier I loved that character and wish he had more role in the story.
Overall the book was a promising read and a great first attempt by author Ravindra Shukla. The writer’s craftsmanship is undeniable with words and if you are a quotes fan, keep your highlighters ready cause your are bound to find many during the story. I would rate the book a 3.5, would have been an easy four if the first and third person problem was averted. Young readers and Chetan Bhagat fans will enjoy the book thoroughly. And people like me tired of campus stories – Pick the book to be surprised.
Follow My Reviews on : http://vaisakhimishra.blogspot.in
Now a days when people see a book based on IIT or IIM and by an Indian Author the only thought that crosses their mind is, “OH NO, NOT AGAIN.” The same happened to me when A Maverick Heart – Between Love and Life was put up by Reader’s Cosmos for review. I went to ‘goodreads’ saw a 3.9 rating and said yes without a second thought. The book came, I read the synopsis, and must say I was impressed by the thought process put behind the book, but the mention of three friends and IIT campus had me half way convinced it was going to be another book inspired by Chetan Bhagat style campus story. And trust me when I say the book surprised me.
A Maverick Heart: Between Love and Life is a heartfelt story of three friends – Rahul, Richita ans Neerav. Rahul is an intelligent guy with the heart of gold, as many would say. He aims high and believes in social welfare. This idealistic self righteous trait of his forces him to choose between love, successful life and welfare of society and he chooses the later. He stays in India to fight corruption while his friends decide to explore life outside India.
Richita a girl from an affluent background, a politically influential professor’s daughter rooted to her core Indian values, falls in love with Rahul. But her dreams and Rahul’s ideologies tear them apart. She chooses life over love, but when something is left without a perfect sealed closure it is bound to come out and haunt you and that is exactly what drives Richita’s story.
Neerav is determined rich guy next door character who would do anything for his friend Rahul. People assume success to be gifted to him by destiny, but he craves to etch his own name with his own ink.
The story is a long, over a decade long journey of these characters and has every bit of emotion needed. From friendship to love, dedication to determination, need and dreams the author covers all human emotions with equal fervor. The characters of Rahul and Richita are very well sketched while same can’t be said about Neerav. The story is almost believable and is much more than a campus story. The usage of current events in the world makes the story gripping and at the same time a lot of people can relate to the characters. The book is high on emotional quotient and makes up for its slow pace with it.
PROS:
The story is believable and not Bollywood oriented.
The character of Richita, makes your heart cry and care for her. Also believe in her devotion and love.
The friendship between Rahul and Neerav, made me count my friends and find a Neerav from my group. Neerav was my favourite character of the book by the way.
The clever addition of the anti corruption protests and the way the story was weaved around it was compelling.
The conversations between the characters are witty and a food for your thought at the same time. One such dialogue that got stuck in my grey matter – “Beauty lies in one’s heart and sex lies in one’s mind. It all depends on where your belief lies”
CONS:
The biggest flaw with the book was the sudden change of the tone of the book – from first person to third person. It not only did break the flow of the story but was a bit confusing and annoying.
Too much description of some event was unimportant and the book lost its pace because of that. The editing could have been more prompt and crisp.
Neerav – why was he not given more importance like Richita. As i said earlier I loved that character and wish he had more role in the story.
Overall the book was a promising read and a great first attempt by author Ravindra Shukla. The writer’s craftsmanship is undeniable with words and if you are a quotes fan, keep your highlighters ready cause your are bound to find many during the story. I would rate the book a 3.5, would have been an easy four if the first and third person problem was averted. Young readers and Chetan Bhagat fans will enjoy the book thoroughly. And people like me tired of campus stories – Pick the book to be surprised.
Follow My Reviews on : http://vaisakhimishra.blogspot.in
February 6, 2013
This is the story of three friends, Richita, Rahul & Neerav. Their lives converge at IIT Mumbai where they forge a relationship of life time only to take different directions in life & eventually come together for a purpose which changes them for life.
Rahul, is a brilliant student who falls in love with Richita dreams a great life with her but when it comes to choose between love &country/ society he goes in for the latter. A little idealistic in life he sacrifices his education, money & love for the betterment of society.
Richita comes from an affluent background and supports Rahuls’ endeavours. However due to circumstances she Is forced to choose between her love & family and the decision that she takes changes her life forever.
Neerav comes from a wealthy background and knows what he wants from life. Nobody expects much from him as he his parents business to fall back upon and that is why he surprises everyone by carving an identity for himself.
The book charts the journey of these three characters, of how they discover themselves, do mistakes, learn from them and then take a path that has never been taken by anyone. They break the stereotypes, struggle with the system and come out shining. How they do it is best read.
My Verdict
I was apprehensive reading this book because I have had enough of IIT IIM books but then the author persuaded me that his book was much beyond the campus stories and I decided to give him a benefit of doubt.
True to his words the book is much more than a campus book. Covering a large span of time the book refers to many real time incidents like recession & the current anti-corruption protests and the author has cleverly woven the story around them.
What matters the most about the book is its good intention, it shows you a path that despite being educated from the best institutes you can give back to the society in more forms than one. The book is high on emotional quotient and questions our heavy appetite for materialistic things. On all these count the makes a mark.
But I had a major issue with the editing of the book. I honestly believe that 20% of it can easily be chopped off to make it a better, crisper & smarter book. The shoddy editing makes the book slow & there are quite a few incidents that are unnecessary incidents which hamper the narrative.
Do read this book if you been through recession or you feel you can do something for the society but don’t know how to do it.
My Rating 3/5
2.5 for the book 0.5 for the intention of the author.
Rahul, is a brilliant student who falls in love with Richita dreams a great life with her but when it comes to choose between love &country/ society he goes in for the latter. A little idealistic in life he sacrifices his education, money & love for the betterment of society.
Richita comes from an affluent background and supports Rahuls’ endeavours. However due to circumstances she Is forced to choose between her love & family and the decision that she takes changes her life forever.
Neerav comes from a wealthy background and knows what he wants from life. Nobody expects much from him as he his parents business to fall back upon and that is why he surprises everyone by carving an identity for himself.
The book charts the journey of these three characters, of how they discover themselves, do mistakes, learn from them and then take a path that has never been taken by anyone. They break the stereotypes, struggle with the system and come out shining. How they do it is best read.
My Verdict
I was apprehensive reading this book because I have had enough of IIT IIM books but then the author persuaded me that his book was much beyond the campus stories and I decided to give him a benefit of doubt.
True to his words the book is much more than a campus book. Covering a large span of time the book refers to many real time incidents like recession & the current anti-corruption protests and the author has cleverly woven the story around them.
What matters the most about the book is its good intention, it shows you a path that despite being educated from the best institutes you can give back to the society in more forms than one. The book is high on emotional quotient and questions our heavy appetite for materialistic things. On all these count the makes a mark.
But I had a major issue with the editing of the book. I honestly believe that 20% of it can easily be chopped off to make it a better, crisper & smarter book. The shoddy editing makes the book slow & there are quite a few incidents that are unnecessary incidents which hamper the narrative.
Do read this book if you been through recession or you feel you can do something for the society but don’t know how to do it.
My Rating 3/5
2.5 for the book 0.5 for the intention of the author.
April 12, 2021
Originally reviewed at --> http://vps3361.blogspot.in/2013/11/bo...
My Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Story:
A Maverick Heart is the story of three friends - Rahul, Richita and Neerav whose friendship journey starts at IIT Bombay around the year 1996. The former and the latter are best friends and sports pals too. Rahul and Richita come into interaction with each other during inter-IIT sports, and the natural frequency matching brings them closer during their exposure to certain social issues pertaining to a dam building site. Romance ensues between the two, while girl's parents start looking out for a suitable 'settled' boy for her. Amidst all this, Rahul starts prioritizing the dam issue at the expense of his project work thus missing the deadline as well as his confirmed chance of MS, and loses an academic year as well.
Richita's parents consider Rahul totally unworthy for her, and fix her marriage with an NRI, Deepak, despite her adamant disinterest. With time, their marriage proves to be more of an arrangement, and not of compatibility. Add in the Wall Street boom of 2000s and the recession afterwords, the marriage is rocking due to pure capitalist attitude of the husband. Neerav, on the other hand, completes his MS, opens a start-up and later starts working on a prospective internet entertainment platform with Yeren, while also bringing Richita on board post their chance meeting after 3 years.
Back in India, Rahul never enters corporate world and rather channels his whole energy into a social youth platform spanning across schools, colleges and universities of Delhi and Lucknow; besides taking up part-time academic research work with his mentor Dr. Sen at IIT Bombay. With RTI tool getting quite popular in the early 2000s, his socio-political movements result in him being threatened for life, which propels him to take the fight with the corrupt govt. head-on.
How each of the three protagonists lead and excel in their respective lives forms the main volume of the story. Is Rahul's pain of loss of love behind his aggressive attitude towards life? How can/will Richita help him despite no contact for several years between them? Does she even want to go back and face Rahul after what she did to him?! What is Neerav's role in the whole story?
Will the maverick heart survive between the throes of love and life?!!
To know how three lives get entangled together despite being so far and uninformed of each other, pick up and read the book now. :)
Review Analysis:
The story develops from college life to romance to capitalist corporate world to social issues, in the mix. The best thing about the first quarter of the story is the beautiful romance between the love-birds, the solar eclipse episode being the most enchanting. The second and third quarters slightly go overboard with corporate and capitalist philosophy discussions, which at times, seems over-stretched and boring, but still conveys some meaning. The last 100 pages offer some unexpected turns and the book closes on a heart-warming note.
On the other hand, the editorial aspects of the book are poor. Question marks appear frequently despite the sentences not carrying any interrogative approach. Though dialogue writing is good, but most of the times the reader doesn't even get the idea who is speaking what due to lack of brief expressive phrases acting as follow-up to the dialogues. Apart from this, frequent switching of narration between first and third person greatly hampers the smooth flow of the story.
It's not a simple breezy read, be ready for some heavy philosophy at regular intervals. Moreover, there is a glaring contradiction with the character of Yeren - at one point, she brings out Field Medal talk in her introductory discussion with Neerav, while at medal's proper time in the story, she is depicted as totally unaware about it.
To read more, go to --> http://vps3361.blogspot.in/2013/11/bo...
My Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Story:
A Maverick Heart is the story of three friends - Rahul, Richita and Neerav whose friendship journey starts at IIT Bombay around the year 1996. The former and the latter are best friends and sports pals too. Rahul and Richita come into interaction with each other during inter-IIT sports, and the natural frequency matching brings them closer during their exposure to certain social issues pertaining to a dam building site. Romance ensues between the two, while girl's parents start looking out for a suitable 'settled' boy for her. Amidst all this, Rahul starts prioritizing the dam issue at the expense of his project work thus missing the deadline as well as his confirmed chance of MS, and loses an academic year as well.
Richita's parents consider Rahul totally unworthy for her, and fix her marriage with an NRI, Deepak, despite her adamant disinterest. With time, their marriage proves to be more of an arrangement, and not of compatibility. Add in the Wall Street boom of 2000s and the recession afterwords, the marriage is rocking due to pure capitalist attitude of the husband. Neerav, on the other hand, completes his MS, opens a start-up and later starts working on a prospective internet entertainment platform with Yeren, while also bringing Richita on board post their chance meeting after 3 years.
Back in India, Rahul never enters corporate world and rather channels his whole energy into a social youth platform spanning across schools, colleges and universities of Delhi and Lucknow; besides taking up part-time academic research work with his mentor Dr. Sen at IIT Bombay. With RTI tool getting quite popular in the early 2000s, his socio-political movements result in him being threatened for life, which propels him to take the fight with the corrupt govt. head-on.
How each of the three protagonists lead and excel in their respective lives forms the main volume of the story. Is Rahul's pain of loss of love behind his aggressive attitude towards life? How can/will Richita help him despite no contact for several years between them? Does she even want to go back and face Rahul after what she did to him?! What is Neerav's role in the whole story?
Will the maverick heart survive between the throes of love and life?!!
To know how three lives get entangled together despite being so far and uninformed of each other, pick up and read the book now. :)
Review Analysis:
The story develops from college life to romance to capitalist corporate world to social issues, in the mix. The best thing about the first quarter of the story is the beautiful romance between the love-birds, the solar eclipse episode being the most enchanting. The second and third quarters slightly go overboard with corporate and capitalist philosophy discussions, which at times, seems over-stretched and boring, but still conveys some meaning. The last 100 pages offer some unexpected turns and the book closes on a heart-warming note.
On the other hand, the editorial aspects of the book are poor. Question marks appear frequently despite the sentences not carrying any interrogative approach. Though dialogue writing is good, but most of the times the reader doesn't even get the idea who is speaking what due to lack of brief expressive phrases acting as follow-up to the dialogues. Apart from this, frequent switching of narration between first and third person greatly hampers the smooth flow of the story.
It's not a simple breezy read, be ready for some heavy philosophy at regular intervals. Moreover, there is a glaring contradiction with the character of Yeren - at one point, she brings out Field Medal talk in her introductory discussion with Neerav, while at medal's proper time in the story, she is depicted as totally unaware about it.
To read more, go to --> http://vps3361.blogspot.in/2013/11/bo...
August 11, 2013
If someone asks me why they should read this book, I would reason out that this book is one of those types which won't make you feel that the writer has copy pasted bollywood dialogues or has been too much influenced by films. Although his story ends up as a Bollywood way which many of our Indian Authors happen to do, but from a debutant writer; you could never get something so wonderful.
January 21, 2013
It becomes hard to pick and finish a book of almost 400 pages when you are used to reading books of 225-250 pages from a long while. The 5th book that I picked this year is "A Maverick heart: Between love and life" published by Leadstart Publishers. Book is of 383 pages and it is seriously very lengthy. I would recommend everyone to read it only when you are totally free from all the other stuffs of your life like college, office, family responsibilities etc. The best environment to read this book is while journeying in train or bus. It will be an excellent read then. The book was been selected by Penguin Publishers but because of some issues, author turned over to Leadstart. An unfortunate step but then, such mistake happens in a debut novel. The author Ravindra Shukla is an Engineering graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. He has been working in IT software technology. He has worked with PWC and IBM in USA for 15+ years. It is surprising to know that we have an author from IIT and not from Srishti Publications. :-) A rare of the rarest moment. Haha!
Coming to the story of A Maverick Heart- It is the story of three young kids- Rahul, Neerav and Richita. All of them belongs to different family backgrounds with different approaches yet very close and affectionate towards each other. But life has some different plans for them. Their logic, practicality, emotions clashes against each other and all them get parted away. Being in the same IIT campus, meeting each other and befriending, they feel that their life is perfect. They love their college life a lot until Richita's family intervenes. Rahul's logic makes it difficult for everyone to stay with him. Later, all of them lands into corporate world and ends up in the realm of the social-political world. The book covers almost a journey of decade- 1996 to 2004. To know how the story moves forward, get the book and read it yourself.
Ravindra Shukla has a very fluent and good English. Yes, I get very few opportunities where I get to say that I got to learn something from author's language and this, fortunately, lands up in this good category. He has not used same sentences and emotions to express the events that we get to witness in almost every book. He has his own unique style which makes it evident that the author has talent to write. The way he has embedded lots of issues in a single story is appreciable. I got to learn so much from those parts. IIT's stories are abundant in market but still this is featured in its own artistic way. I can easily say that I will pick Ravindra Shukla's work next time I'll see it in market.
Coming to the review- The coverage of almost 10 years of all the three characters in the book is the reason why this book is good. Even when there are lots of characters in the book initially- Rahul, his mother, Richita, her parents, Roy's, Neerav, professors etc, author has succeeded in defining everyone's character uniquely that attaches us to each one of them. My favorite character of the book has been of Richita's because it is too real to be called a fictional character. :-)
The letter by Dr. Deen Dayal initially is so natural. The interaction of children with professors in a party-kind-of-gathering is amazing. I loved reading the part. Rahul and Richita's romance in the IIT campus is fine and mature. It isn't kept under the clouds of love making and sex but in determination and passion. The sketching part is sweet. The cheering part during Sporting ceremony is also a beautiful concept. The way Rahul and Richita has to part their ways later on in the story tells us what realistic world is and how some people have to take such decisions because of the situation. Richita's reaction to Rahul's last letter is emotional even when its expressed in just two sentences. Neerav and Richita's conversation in the Interactive session is very refreshing. Again, Deepak's coverage in the story is appreciable.
The USP of this book is the conversations that are described between any characters at any point of time. Each one of them carries a philosophy and knowledge with a pinch of wit and wisdom in it. I just want to frame all the conversations and place them on walls of my house and read them every morning. They are so good. Not in any other book did I find such wisdom in conversations. Even if you don't have time to read the book, go through its conversation, you will learn a lot. :-) The climax of the book is some thing that satisfied me a lot because as the whole story kept on going with lots of sacrifices in every character's life, I was skeptic about the climax.
Coming to the drawbacks- As the 2/3rd part of the story is based in America, I found it hard to connect myself with the environment. Even the whole business processes and cities' names didn't excite me. Just because the characterization is deep, I kept on reading the book. Yeren's involvement in the story didn't create any magic and it could have been done without including her in the book. But because author wanted to show how the mentality of Americans and Indians differ, he used the character. Then, the lots of economy and politics that is discussed in the book is sometimes good but sometimes over descriptive. That's all.
In all, I would say that the book is different with an outstanding genre. I will rate it 4 out of 5. Go get the book.
Thanks.
ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU
March 14, 2013
When you are at peak of something, and quite near to call it an achievement; it's hard to leave it all of a sudden. So here comes an end to my online book reviews. Many reasons I have, but for now I can say it’s because of my joining formalities. No more days of sheer joblessness. I’m proud to say that I gained a lot of respect from the authors, readers and some random people whom I didn’t even know. Never got the tag of being biased, nor been accused to review any book poorly. Quite satisfactory it is. I will keep on writing the reviews, but not as frequently as I used to write earlier.
The last book I chose for the review is “A Maverick Heart: Between Love And Life” by Mr. Ravindra Shukla, an IIT graduate, and is working at IBM in the field of emerging technology & business analytics. He is a member of the prestigious Film Writers Association, Mumbai and lives in San Diago, California with his family.
Before starting my review I’d apologize to the author because of delay in posting the review. It had been quite a busy month for me. First there was launch of my book ‘Uff Ye Emotions’ and then my joining date approached near so had to complete all pending reviews/articles in superhuman speed. And since the book is not on the ‘lighter’ side (383 pages), it became an obvious choice to read at the end of everything. And now I don’t regret my decision, because it’s not meant to read casually. Let us go through the back blurb.
The back blurb is definitely one of the best synopsis on any book I’ve read in recent time. It’s deep, and gives a feeling that this book is not Just Another IIT story. It doesn’t give away much of the story, but yet evokes the mind to think about it. However, the cover quality is really poor. The dark background and small font for title makes it hard to notice on the shelves of bookstores. Also there is no lamination over the cover jacket which reduces the shelf life of the book. After just two reads I found some wrinkles on the jacket. (I’m so protective about the books. It rarely happens with my book.)
Coming to the story, it’s about three people viz. Richita, Rahul and Neerav; who end up at India’s most prestigious institute, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), and embarks a journey that promises a tale of love, friendship, courage, faith, jealousy, revolution, and revelations. After reading Chetan Bhagat’s R2020, I had a strong urge to read something that could describe the social and political structure in a realistic way, and now I can say I read the book I wanted to. Mr. Shukla’s narration is very unique. He described the common events in a way that I never read before. However, there is an issue with the narration i.e. Mr. Shukla has changed the person quite often. Once the story is in First Person Narration, and all of a sudden it becomes a Third Person narration, which not only break the flow but confuses a lot as well. The captivity of the story is lost at every moment when the person narration is changed. However the simple language used in the conversations and narration makes it sure that the reader won’t lose the interest in the story.
Mr. Shukla’s language is simple, yet the way he described the events is really commendable. There’s been a huge risk while narrating ‘another’ IIT story, but Mr. Shukla smartly trounced all the obstacles. Certain parts have an unfathomable meaning. One of them is:
“I can fight with a real problem. But I cannot solve the ignorance. I cannot solve the illusion of your mind.”
This is just a random line from the book, which is a clear depiction of the intellect level of the author. There are no complicated terms, everything is so read that you can relate yourself with the story with a lot of ease. But there are some issues that need to be resolved. The editing could have been a lot better, because there are a lot of spelling mistakes here and there. Also the pace of narration is like a roller coaster. It's too fast for a while, then really slow; which is closest to boring. And the length of the book is also a minus point. The book could have been a little shorter if Mr. Shukla had ruled out some ‘stuffed’ events, like a detailed description of cricket matches and so on.
Now, to conclude my review, I’d say that ‘A Maverick Heart’ is a sum of Mr. Shukla’s observations and intentions. And this sum came out on a positive side. The book promises one-of-a-kind reading experience and succeed in standing out of the league of so many IIT/IIM stories. The way Mr. Shukla described the recession in the U.S.A. and political situation of India, is an evidence of his hold on these issues. The realistic characters, unique narration and intellect of the author makes it a wonderful book. I’d suggest this book to the young generation as well as the people above 35 who wants something more than a materialistic life.
If Mr. Shukla is working on another project, I look forward to it.
Note to Publisher: Leadstart Corp, you did it again. Congrats for publishing another superb and different story. Please look in to Cover Designs and Editing department. A good cover is as important as a good story.
Happy Reading :)
The last book I chose for the review is “A Maverick Heart: Between Love And Life” by Mr. Ravindra Shukla, an IIT graduate, and is working at IBM in the field of emerging technology & business analytics. He is a member of the prestigious Film Writers Association, Mumbai and lives in San Diago, California with his family.
Before starting my review I’d apologize to the author because of delay in posting the review. It had been quite a busy month for me. First there was launch of my book ‘Uff Ye Emotions’ and then my joining date approached near so had to complete all pending reviews/articles in superhuman speed. And since the book is not on the ‘lighter’ side (383 pages), it became an obvious choice to read at the end of everything. And now I don’t regret my decision, because it’s not meant to read casually. Let us go through the back blurb.
The back blurb is definitely one of the best synopsis on any book I’ve read in recent time. It’s deep, and gives a feeling that this book is not Just Another IIT story. It doesn’t give away much of the story, but yet evokes the mind to think about it. However, the cover quality is really poor. The dark background and small font for title makes it hard to notice on the shelves of bookstores. Also there is no lamination over the cover jacket which reduces the shelf life of the book. After just two reads I found some wrinkles on the jacket. (I’m so protective about the books. It rarely happens with my book.)
Coming to the story, it’s about three people viz. Richita, Rahul and Neerav; who end up at India’s most prestigious institute, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), and embarks a journey that promises a tale of love, friendship, courage, faith, jealousy, revolution, and revelations. After reading Chetan Bhagat’s R2020, I had a strong urge to read something that could describe the social and political structure in a realistic way, and now I can say I read the book I wanted to. Mr. Shukla’s narration is very unique. He described the common events in a way that I never read before. However, there is an issue with the narration i.e. Mr. Shukla has changed the person quite often. Once the story is in First Person Narration, and all of a sudden it becomes a Third Person narration, which not only break the flow but confuses a lot as well. The captivity of the story is lost at every moment when the person narration is changed. However the simple language used in the conversations and narration makes it sure that the reader won’t lose the interest in the story.
Mr. Shukla’s language is simple, yet the way he described the events is really commendable. There’s been a huge risk while narrating ‘another’ IIT story, but Mr. Shukla smartly trounced all the obstacles. Certain parts have an unfathomable meaning. One of them is:
“I can fight with a real problem. But I cannot solve the ignorance. I cannot solve the illusion of your mind.”
This is just a random line from the book, which is a clear depiction of the intellect level of the author. There are no complicated terms, everything is so read that you can relate yourself with the story with a lot of ease. But there are some issues that need to be resolved. The editing could have been a lot better, because there are a lot of spelling mistakes here and there. Also the pace of narration is like a roller coaster. It's too fast for a while, then really slow; which is closest to boring. And the length of the book is also a minus point. The book could have been a little shorter if Mr. Shukla had ruled out some ‘stuffed’ events, like a detailed description of cricket matches and so on.
Now, to conclude my review, I’d say that ‘A Maverick Heart’ is a sum of Mr. Shukla’s observations and intentions. And this sum came out on a positive side. The book promises one-of-a-kind reading experience and succeed in standing out of the league of so many IIT/IIM stories. The way Mr. Shukla described the recession in the U.S.A. and political situation of India, is an evidence of his hold on these issues. The realistic characters, unique narration and intellect of the author makes it a wonderful book. I’d suggest this book to the young generation as well as the people above 35 who wants something more than a materialistic life.
If Mr. Shukla is working on another project, I look forward to it.
Note to Publisher: Leadstart Corp, you did it again. Congrats for publishing another superb and different story. Please look in to Cover Designs and Editing department. A good cover is as important as a good story.
Happy Reading :)
August 15, 2013
Resonance
We often use the term, “frequency matching” in our daily life to define compatibility. Our frequency does not match, we do not get along? We are not in sync? We are not on the same page etc?
When people of similar frequencies (wavelengths or within the same range) come together – output is not a simple sum of individual work, but exponential. In science we term this phenomenon as resonance. Output at this stage is beyond any logical limit.
Interesting blurb for a book isn’t it? I knew the author was an ex-IITian and was real curious on what the author had in the pages to follow as I picked this book. Now the title “A Maverick Heart : Between love and life ” make it all the more curious and interesting doesn’t it? The cover page of the book with 3 shadows was making it all the more tough to guess what was inside. So even before I started reading the 383 page book, I was trying to guess if the book would be about a young man’s choice of being different a carving a niche for himself or would it be another college—girl — career — family type story or would it be different? Would it be a repeat of Chetan Bhagat’s Revolution 2020? Many questions were crossing my head as I picked this book.
Ravindra Shukla’s “A Maverick Heart : Between love and life ” turned out be different from all these, it’s a story of 3 teenagers who come together in IIT –Bombay , end up becoming good friends, work hard and make a few key choices in their lives . How do these choices affect them? Will the struggle and effort they put up in thier lives pay them off? As we all know and acknowledge there are always these powerful and important things like fate, destiny , coincidences etc that end up playing big and huge parts in our lives. How do the lives of Rahul, Richita and Neerav get impacted by these uncontrollable factors of life, What sectors do these people choose? What sort of turmoil would they undergo in their lives ? where all do they end up? what all do they do? and what’s the role of cupid and his charms in this plot ? all these form the crux of the book.
How can the young and vibrant India give solutions to the socio-political problems of this country? How determined can the individuals be ? How do higher levels of maturity help a person handle sensitive issues carefully ? are all very well portrayed in the book. I deliberately am not getting into the details of the each of the characters as revealing that would be a spoiler . I want you to read the book and discover it for yourself.
In short this book has many things from innocent love to corporate gaming. From undiluted passion and ideals to greed, lust and immorality the story sways between the extremes bt leaves the reader with an excellent message.
Coming to what all I liked in the book, I loved the depth of thought in conversations between the characters. For example look at this conversation that happens in a canteen“ No, I am not proving anything . It all depends on what you can infer. Any answer will depend on some assumption. So logic is always limited to your assumption (or imagination) ”
Here is another that comes when a set of people have drinks “You rob too much from one person it becomes murder. If you steal little by little it looks like business . Just refine it . ………. Steal a penny from every person – call it service charge and you are a millionaire ”.
Look at the depth of these conversations, I simply loved the way Ravindra Shukla brings up words of wisdom via conversations that look so simple,normal and yet have profound and powerful messages imbibed in them. If I am going to read the book again and again it’s only for these conversations. I also liked the simple english the author chose to use in the book.
One more thing I loved in the book is the passion Rahul has and the way he displays it. After a long time I was moved to tears while I was reading a book. Rahul’s dedication, passion and indomitable will have been beautifully portrayed and the way the author has used that character to inspire the masses is amazing.
Coming to the areas of improvement, The first part of the book has too much detail. I practically was fighting a feeling to the put the book down. The pace of the story is very slow till the 180th page or so . I had a lot of trouble traversing those pages . The excess detail could have been cut down.
However, the story picks in the second half of the book form the 180th page or so and the book becomes a page turner. The way the author merges the sub plots and the way he concludes the book definitely deserve praise and applause.
All in all a nice attempt, good to see a lot of books coming from Indian Authors and good to see that they are writing about socio-political happenings in the country. Nice job done Ravindra Shukla ji and nice way to inspire the youth of India.
Do pick the book guys, it would definitely be a good read.
We often use the term, “frequency matching” in our daily life to define compatibility. Our frequency does not match, we do not get along? We are not in sync? We are not on the same page etc?
When people of similar frequencies (wavelengths or within the same range) come together – output is not a simple sum of individual work, but exponential. In science we term this phenomenon as resonance. Output at this stage is beyond any logical limit.
Interesting blurb for a book isn’t it? I knew the author was an ex-IITian and was real curious on what the author had in the pages to follow as I picked this book. Now the title “A Maverick Heart : Between love and life ” make it all the more curious and interesting doesn’t it? The cover page of the book with 3 shadows was making it all the more tough to guess what was inside. So even before I started reading the 383 page book, I was trying to guess if the book would be about a young man’s choice of being different a carving a niche for himself or would it be another college—girl — career — family type story or would it be different? Would it be a repeat of Chetan Bhagat’s Revolution 2020? Many questions were crossing my head as I picked this book.
Ravindra Shukla’s “A Maverick Heart : Between love and life ” turned out be different from all these, it’s a story of 3 teenagers who come together in IIT –Bombay , end up becoming good friends, work hard and make a few key choices in their lives . How do these choices affect them? Will the struggle and effort they put up in thier lives pay them off? As we all know and acknowledge there are always these powerful and important things like fate, destiny , coincidences etc that end up playing big and huge parts in our lives. How do the lives of Rahul, Richita and Neerav get impacted by these uncontrollable factors of life, What sectors do these people choose? What sort of turmoil would they undergo in their lives ? where all do they end up? what all do they do? and what’s the role of cupid and his charms in this plot ? all these form the crux of the book.
How can the young and vibrant India give solutions to the socio-political problems of this country? How determined can the individuals be ? How do higher levels of maturity help a person handle sensitive issues carefully ? are all very well portrayed in the book. I deliberately am not getting into the details of the each of the characters as revealing that would be a spoiler . I want you to read the book and discover it for yourself.
In short this book has many things from innocent love to corporate gaming. From undiluted passion and ideals to greed, lust and immorality the story sways between the extremes bt leaves the reader with an excellent message.
Coming to what all I liked in the book, I loved the depth of thought in conversations between the characters. For example look at this conversation that happens in a canteen“ No, I am not proving anything . It all depends on what you can infer. Any answer will depend on some assumption. So logic is always limited to your assumption (or imagination) ”
Here is another that comes when a set of people have drinks “You rob too much from one person it becomes murder. If you steal little by little it looks like business . Just refine it . ………. Steal a penny from every person – call it service charge and you are a millionaire ”.
Look at the depth of these conversations, I simply loved the way Ravindra Shukla brings up words of wisdom via conversations that look so simple,normal and yet have profound and powerful messages imbibed in them. If I am going to read the book again and again it’s only for these conversations. I also liked the simple english the author chose to use in the book.
One more thing I loved in the book is the passion Rahul has and the way he displays it. After a long time I was moved to tears while I was reading a book. Rahul’s dedication, passion and indomitable will have been beautifully portrayed and the way the author has used that character to inspire the masses is amazing.
Coming to the areas of improvement, The first part of the book has too much detail. I practically was fighting a feeling to the put the book down. The pace of the story is very slow till the 180th page or so . I had a lot of trouble traversing those pages . The excess detail could have been cut down.
However, the story picks in the second half of the book form the 180th page or so and the book becomes a page turner. The way the author merges the sub plots and the way he concludes the book definitely deserve praise and applause.
All in all a nice attempt, good to see a lot of books coming from Indian Authors and good to see that they are writing about socio-political happenings in the country. Nice job done Ravindra Shukla ji and nice way to inspire the youth of India.
Do pick the book guys, it would definitely be a good read.
September 16, 2013
I hope you read the summary of the book above and noticed the word 'Resonance', I guess most of us are well acquainted with that word but the author Mr.Shukla presented it on a different platter, that word got my attention and in-spite of being 400 pages book of fiction genre it held it's charm (Though I have read books more than 800 pages but those are fantasy, my favorite genre). Though I have not been able to read books quite often, my reading speed has come down to 2 books a month because of the tight schedule (And I love reading hence it is a bit disheartening for me) Alright coming back to the story, I would say a pleasent cover would have been better, seeing a think book is this cover makes one reluctant and please don't judge this book by the cover, story is better.
This is a story an engineer can easily relate to, or anyone who is career oriented yet have core believes in Love. It's about three friends who came close in IIT Bombay (Yes that heavenly place every engineer dreams to be in) from IIT B they took up to 'Wall Street'. But it is not that simple. It is about making the big decision, between what your heart craves and what life demands or rather you demand from life. It is about how somewhere down the race of earning Dollars, perusing our dreams we lose connections with our once best-friends, it is about how society underestimates others, how the shine of Dollars matters the most to the society, it is about learning that what seems are not always true. People change with time and time is never the same.
The part of IIT campus life in book is quite exhilarating, the description and writing takes you there, on the grounds, sports fields, classes and well.. it just takes you to Powai. The three protagonists are Richita, Rahul and Neerav. All three are charming esteemed students of IIT, Where Richita is a typical Indian girl, when I say typical I mean an Indian girl of this generation who knows how to fly and achieve by keeping her morals intact. I liked that about her as it was easy to relate with her thought process, she is that girl who does not and will not disappoint her parents. She likes sports and studies but somewhere down the road she fell in love with Rahul, a nice rather not so worldly boy, he has high values and is more focused in inner satisfaction by betterment of the society rather than earning dollars. He is a strong character. The third star is Neerav, you can call him the hunk with brains in the group, he is charming. Now that Rachita and Rahul a couple, he isn't the third wheel but good friends with both, specially Richita.
When family comes into the picture, it either make or break thing, here Richita's family choose another guy Deepak for Richita, Deepak is this hot-shot perfect NRI, Wall street Millionaire and Richita's parents believe that Deepak will be best suited for Richita not Rahul because Rahul had a bad fall which disturbed his whole career and his plannings.
They say a lonely broken heart has immense power and energy, and Rahul is left with that after Richita left, he channeled his complete energy not in earning Dollars but for the betterment of the society addressing corruption and other black sides and is in bad terms with politicians.
Read the complete review @ Booklok Coffee Review : A Maverick Heart
August 18, 2013
The book’s blurb reads: “Resonance – We often use the term, “frequency matching” in our daily life to define compatibility. Our frequency does not match, we do not get along? We are not in sync? We are not on the same page etc.?
When people of similar frequencies (wavelengths or within the same range) come together – output is not a simple sum of individual work, but exponential. In science we term this phenomenon as resonance. Output at this stage is beyond any logical limit.
Three young kids, with different family backgrounds and outlook meet during their graduation days at IIT-Bombay campus and become close friends. Although, individually they are in sync, but the same is not true for their interaction with the world.
How will their relation withstand the conflict of family and society pressure?
How do their characters shape out, as they traverse from an educational environment through the corporate world to the realm of the socio-political world?
Inspired by the real events across the globe from the last decade, Ravindra Shukla brings you the characters based story – struggle and triumphs of a young generation and their relevance in the current socio-eco-political era.”
The book deals with the lives of Rahul, Richita and Neerav – three students at the prestigious IIT-Bombay who enter the engineering college with big dreams in their eyes and wanting to make something of their lives. During their academic sessions, Rahul and Richita get attracted to each other and fall in love. Neerav and Rahul become best buddies.
The author has described their interaction well, in addition to painting a realistic picture of the campus as well, including the famous lake where Rahul and Richita spend a lot of time discussing about their dreams and their future.
Do Rahul and Richita come together? Will they convince their respective families for this alliance considering they are barely qualified engineers? What importance does money play while deciding a career vis-a-vis wanting to contribute to society and make a change? Can both these meet at a common point? Does having a lot of degrees make you a better person? Can you truly forget your first love and move on with your life? How do you measure success – by your material possessions or by the impact your work has made on your surrounding environment? These are some of the questions Ravindra seeks to explore in this book.
His writing style is easy-going; the three main characters have been well-developed and you are interested in knowing more about their lives as the book progresses. Since the author himself is an engineering graduate, he has written quite in detail about the technical aspects.
The only negative for me was that I felt the book resembled the movie Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi a lot – it, too, talks about some of the points I mentioned above including the critical decision – to sell your soul for money or to enter the social sector without any financial concerns.
This book review is a part of "The Readers Cosmos Book Review Program". To get free books log on to thereaderscosmos.blogspot.com. This review first appeared on my blog www.pallosworld.blogspot.com.
When people of similar frequencies (wavelengths or within the same range) come together – output is not a simple sum of individual work, but exponential. In science we term this phenomenon as resonance. Output at this stage is beyond any logical limit.
Three young kids, with different family backgrounds and outlook meet during their graduation days at IIT-Bombay campus and become close friends. Although, individually they are in sync, but the same is not true for their interaction with the world.
How will their relation withstand the conflict of family and society pressure?
How do their characters shape out, as they traverse from an educational environment through the corporate world to the realm of the socio-political world?
Inspired by the real events across the globe from the last decade, Ravindra Shukla brings you the characters based story – struggle and triumphs of a young generation and their relevance in the current socio-eco-political era.”
The book deals with the lives of Rahul, Richita and Neerav – three students at the prestigious IIT-Bombay who enter the engineering college with big dreams in their eyes and wanting to make something of their lives. During their academic sessions, Rahul and Richita get attracted to each other and fall in love. Neerav and Rahul become best buddies.
The author has described their interaction well, in addition to painting a realistic picture of the campus as well, including the famous lake where Rahul and Richita spend a lot of time discussing about their dreams and their future.
Do Rahul and Richita come together? Will they convince their respective families for this alliance considering they are barely qualified engineers? What importance does money play while deciding a career vis-a-vis wanting to contribute to society and make a change? Can both these meet at a common point? Does having a lot of degrees make you a better person? Can you truly forget your first love and move on with your life? How do you measure success – by your material possessions or by the impact your work has made on your surrounding environment? These are some of the questions Ravindra seeks to explore in this book.
His writing style is easy-going; the three main characters have been well-developed and you are interested in knowing more about their lives as the book progresses. Since the author himself is an engineering graduate, he has written quite in detail about the technical aspects.
The only negative for me was that I felt the book resembled the movie Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi a lot – it, too, talks about some of the points I mentioned above including the critical decision – to sell your soul for money or to enter the social sector without any financial concerns.
This book review is a part of "The Readers Cosmos Book Review Program". To get free books log on to thereaderscosmos.blogspot.com. This review first appeared on my blog www.pallosworld.blogspot.com.
December 13, 2013
This book surprised me. I judge books by their cover and this one didn't really appeal to me. The summary was interesting and quite different so I decided to give it a try. I was assuming it to be like Bhagat's books and Boy, was I wrong or what?
It is definitely better and more relate-able. The conversations, characters are all very real. I could connect and sympathize with their dilemma's and struggles. The problems they face are the kind that we all face or see our friends facing.
I loved Rahul. He is such a nice guy. Mature, sensitive and intelligent. Richita is sweet and smart. She loves her parents and my heart goes out for her. She was trapped in such unfortunate circumstances, she never really had a choice. Neerav was my favorite. He is such a good friend. I wanted more of him in the book. All three of them are like-able and real. I loved being a part of their journey. The book is more than a love-story. It is a story of three lives. It is a story of friendship and love. It is story of choices and their outcome.
The writing is intelligent and has a depth to it. It makes you pause and think. It impressed me. The author knows what he is talking about. He gives us an insight into the life of an engineer and what we end up losing when we are busy running after money. The book raises some important questions.
The problems are really with the editing which is generally an issue I have with most of Indian books. The narration transitioned from third person to first person and left me feeling confused. There were times when I had to read a few lines to understand who is talking. And that's quite irritating. The book is 383 pages long. The second half of the book is stretched to the point of boredom. There are new characters and after a while it was hard to keep up.There is also a tendency to give too much information, which was just a waste because this book could have been a lot better.
Overall, definitely a worth reading book. There are so many lines that I can quote from the book.
“Look at this site - it is beautiful and deep. When we come here, we get ourselves lost in its beauty and vastness. Years of sorrow and pain lies in the depth of this lake. You do not know what was here 40-50 years back. Probably, a ditch full of stagnant water and mud breeding mosquitoes. Now here we have beautiful lake surrounded by lush green bushes and beautiful flowers. The place is beautiful today, so we come and enjoy its company, its presence. We do not think about its past or we do not to know what will happen here years later. We enjoy the beauty of its present.”
P.S. Sorry for the delay in reviewing the book. I've been really busy with work.
It is definitely better and more relate-able. The conversations, characters are all very real. I could connect and sympathize with their dilemma's and struggles. The problems they face are the kind that we all face or see our friends facing.
I loved Rahul. He is such a nice guy. Mature, sensitive and intelligent. Richita is sweet and smart. She loves her parents and my heart goes out for her. She was trapped in such unfortunate circumstances, she never really had a choice. Neerav was my favorite. He is such a good friend. I wanted more of him in the book. All three of them are like-able and real. I loved being a part of their journey. The book is more than a love-story. It is a story of three lives. It is a story of friendship and love. It is story of choices and their outcome.
The writing is intelligent and has a depth to it. It makes you pause and think. It impressed me. The author knows what he is talking about. He gives us an insight into the life of an engineer and what we end up losing when we are busy running after money. The book raises some important questions.
The problems are really with the editing which is generally an issue I have with most of Indian books. The narration transitioned from third person to first person and left me feeling confused. There were times when I had to read a few lines to understand who is talking. And that's quite irritating. The book is 383 pages long. The second half of the book is stretched to the point of boredom. There are new characters and after a while it was hard to keep up.There is also a tendency to give too much information, which was just a waste because this book could have been a lot better.
Overall, definitely a worth reading book. There are so many lines that I can quote from the book.
“Look at this site - it is beautiful and deep. When we come here, we get ourselves lost in its beauty and vastness. Years of sorrow and pain lies in the depth of this lake. You do not know what was here 40-50 years back. Probably, a ditch full of stagnant water and mud breeding mosquitoes. Now here we have beautiful lake surrounded by lush green bushes and beautiful flowers. The place is beautiful today, so we come and enjoy its company, its presence. We do not think about its past or we do not to know what will happen here years later. We enjoy the beauty of its present.”
P.S. Sorry for the delay in reviewing the book. I've been really busy with work.
November 12, 2013
AN INTERESTING STORY ABOUT FRIENDSHIP, BONDING, SOCIAL ECONOMIC PRESSURES IN LIFE OF PRESENT YOUNG GENEREATION. … "
This is the novel by Ravinder Shukla … The story is about depict how we all phase difference of opinion in our relationships on different levels. However, if we happen to meet someone with for whom we feel our frequencies, wavelengths matches and we gel well. This is the story about young kids, with different family backgrounds as their outlook match during their graduation days at IIT-Bombay campus and they become close friends. Though, it seems they are in sync, but when it comes to their interaction with the world it’s different.
We find love, sacrifice, emotions, and politics. All were beautifully defined. There were so many characters that readers will get confused but Ravinder had nicely defined each character that we can easily recognize them without getting confused. The Three main characters Rahul, Richita and neerav were very interesting to read. They have different backgrounds but destiny made them together and till the end they were attached with each other emotionally and physically. The Romance between Richita and Rahul during IIT days were very beautifully defined. It was passionate and mature. And their sacrifice for each other was commendable. Deepak as a husband was also nice to read. I personally liked Richita’s character. It was intense, love, sacrifice that she faced during whole life was appreciable. The reaction of Richita to Rahul’s last letter was interesting. Even when She had to confront Deepak for divorce was also interesting. I also loved to read Neerav and Richita’s interaction during some session was interesting. The best part of the book was some wisdom words which were mentioned in the book. The climax was good and interesting.
Now my Positive viewpoints:
The concept and climax is good, on each and every page it will teach you a lesson. The struggle and achievement of a young generation and their significance in the current socio-eco-political era have been narrated well. Mention of too much politics is something which makes reader to lose interest and story become boring.
Some suggestive points:
Overall the book is really good and very well expressed; I would like to suggest that a little stringent editing was required as there are some typing errors in the book. Also would like to mention that few chapters can be removed, like the long description of college completion, politics and other things would have made it much better.
Final words:
Overall if asked I would say...this is a good job done by Author… (Ravinder Shukla) I would give 3 stars to this book.
This is the novel by Ravinder Shukla … The story is about depict how we all phase difference of opinion in our relationships on different levels. However, if we happen to meet someone with for whom we feel our frequencies, wavelengths matches and we gel well. This is the story about young kids, with different family backgrounds as their outlook match during their graduation days at IIT-Bombay campus and they become close friends. Though, it seems they are in sync, but when it comes to their interaction with the world it’s different.
We find love, sacrifice, emotions, and politics. All were beautifully defined. There were so many characters that readers will get confused but Ravinder had nicely defined each character that we can easily recognize them without getting confused. The Three main characters Rahul, Richita and neerav were very interesting to read. They have different backgrounds but destiny made them together and till the end they were attached with each other emotionally and physically. The Romance between Richita and Rahul during IIT days were very beautifully defined. It was passionate and mature. And their sacrifice for each other was commendable. Deepak as a husband was also nice to read. I personally liked Richita’s character. It was intense, love, sacrifice that she faced during whole life was appreciable. The reaction of Richita to Rahul’s last letter was interesting. Even when She had to confront Deepak for divorce was also interesting. I also loved to read Neerav and Richita’s interaction during some session was interesting. The best part of the book was some wisdom words which were mentioned in the book. The climax was good and interesting.
Now my Positive viewpoints:
The concept and climax is good, on each and every page it will teach you a lesson. The struggle and achievement of a young generation and their significance in the current socio-eco-political era have been narrated well. Mention of too much politics is something which makes reader to lose interest and story become boring.
Some suggestive points:
Overall the book is really good and very well expressed; I would like to suggest that a little stringent editing was required as there are some typing errors in the book. Also would like to mention that few chapters can be removed, like the long description of college completion, politics and other things would have made it much better.
Final words:
Overall if asked I would say...this is a good job done by Author… (Ravinder Shukla) I would give 3 stars to this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2013
This book ‘A Maverick Heart’ was given by the author Ravindra Shukla for my feedback. Frankly I was little bit hesitant initially thinking it might be one of those many books about love from IITians. But once I started reading the book, the characters are so real that I simply could not put it down.
This is the story of three students, Rahul, Neerav, & Richita from different family backgrounds who become close friends but having different approach towards world. It is much more than campus book covering almost 10 years of ups and downs in their lives beyond college starting from IIT Mumbai to various parts of the world, covering various important issues like present youth’s conflict between choosing between social issues & money, current education system, RTI, government’s corruption, etc. Rahul can be described as a brilliant student in mathematics who follows his own heart even when he loses the person he loves. Richita is a girl who follows her family’s decision to marry a corporate guy Deepak from US and moves away from Rahul. Neerav is happy-go-lucky guy who reaches phenomenal rise in corporate world but still in touch with Rahul on his visits to India.
The author must be applauded for the good intentions in showing that you can give back something for the society in these materialistic times. The love story in IIT campus is sensible and mature.
As many people reviewed this book earlier, I too had issues with the editing. The book is too long with whooping 400 pages and could have been crispier for at-least 50 pages; mainly those conversations & descriptions about consulting firms are explained too much in detail during the events of Wall Street crash, and I found them difficult to connect. And also the emotions of Richita during her break-up with Rahul could have been well described. In the same way things move very fast, when Rahul is struggling with the local politicians and frustrated by corruption. His thoughts could have been explained more.
I am giving 4 stars for this book because it is different in its approach and inspires you to celebrate humanity. Definitely a satisfying read. As this is just first novel of Ravindra Shukla, I’m anticipating something bigger for his next book.
This is the story of three students, Rahul, Neerav, & Richita from different family backgrounds who become close friends but having different approach towards world. It is much more than campus book covering almost 10 years of ups and downs in their lives beyond college starting from IIT Mumbai to various parts of the world, covering various important issues like present youth’s conflict between choosing between social issues & money, current education system, RTI, government’s corruption, etc. Rahul can be described as a brilliant student in mathematics who follows his own heart even when he loses the person he loves. Richita is a girl who follows her family’s decision to marry a corporate guy Deepak from US and moves away from Rahul. Neerav is happy-go-lucky guy who reaches phenomenal rise in corporate world but still in touch with Rahul on his visits to India.
The author must be applauded for the good intentions in showing that you can give back something for the society in these materialistic times. The love story in IIT campus is sensible and mature.
As many people reviewed this book earlier, I too had issues with the editing. The book is too long with whooping 400 pages and could have been crispier for at-least 50 pages; mainly those conversations & descriptions about consulting firms are explained too much in detail during the events of Wall Street crash, and I found them difficult to connect. And also the emotions of Richita during her break-up with Rahul could have been well described. In the same way things move very fast, when Rahul is struggling with the local politicians and frustrated by corruption. His thoughts could have been explained more.
I am giving 4 stars for this book because it is different in its approach and inspires you to celebrate humanity. Definitely a satisfying read. As this is just first novel of Ravindra Shukla, I’m anticipating something bigger for his next book.
January 16, 2013
Read these quotes and you will get reflection of quality.
Major excerpts and Quotes from the book –
“Beauty is illusion and sex is reality, but they are the same event,” Pulash added further.
“Beauty lies in one’s heart and sex lies in one mind. It all depends on where your belief lies.”
“We prefer mind games,” they shouted in unison.
Ignoring somebody’s mistakes in life from a powerful position makes you a saint, but the same act (whose intention
does not matter), if carried out from a weak position, will make you a coward or helpless.
“Needs are stronger than liking.”
“America runs on credit darling. Why do you worry, our credit will take care of this payment. It is not saving or cash in
hand that matters. We do not need cash, we just need potential. The system in the US believes in potential. That is the model of the future. You need not be born rich, but you should be in the league that can make it big.”
“Robots do not celebrate anything. Celebration is an expression of joy, which cannot be mechanized.”
“What about young age? You will be miserable all through your 15 years to reach that goal of $10 million. After 50 years, even if you pay a million to get back a week of your time at 35, you will never get that. Your beer will taste very different when you are at 50 from how it tasted at 30,”
“There are two powers in this world which cannot be matched. Beauty and Youth. Buy the beauty and imprison the
youth. Give the best models, actress, and girls from town and nail them. I do not care how much it costs.”
“If you rob too much from one person, it becomes murder. If you steal little by little, it looks like
business. Just find a way to refine it. The Internet has made it possible to connect to the whole
world via one platform. Steal a penny from each person, call it service charge and you will be a
millionaire. The volume makes a difference.”
Major excerpts and Quotes from the book –
“Beauty is illusion and sex is reality, but they are the same event,” Pulash added further.
“Beauty lies in one’s heart and sex lies in one mind. It all depends on where your belief lies.”
“We prefer mind games,” they shouted in unison.
Ignoring somebody’s mistakes in life from a powerful position makes you a saint, but the same act (whose intention
does not matter), if carried out from a weak position, will make you a coward or helpless.
“Needs are stronger than liking.”
“America runs on credit darling. Why do you worry, our credit will take care of this payment. It is not saving or cash in
hand that matters. We do not need cash, we just need potential. The system in the US believes in potential. That is the model of the future. You need not be born rich, but you should be in the league that can make it big.”
“Robots do not celebrate anything. Celebration is an expression of joy, which cannot be mechanized.”
“What about young age? You will be miserable all through your 15 years to reach that goal of $10 million. After 50 years, even if you pay a million to get back a week of your time at 35, you will never get that. Your beer will taste very different when you are at 50 from how it tasted at 30,”
“There are two powers in this world which cannot be matched. Beauty and Youth. Buy the beauty and imprison the
youth. Give the best models, actress, and girls from town and nail them. I do not care how much it costs.”
“If you rob too much from one person, it becomes murder. If you steal little by little, it looks like
business. Just find a way to refine it. The Internet has made it possible to connect to the whole
world via one platform. Steal a penny from each person, call it service charge and you will be a
millionaire. The volume makes a difference.”
June 15, 2015
A Maverick Heart : Between Love and Life is a difficult book to like, more so when the author maintains a narrative which is agonizingly boring and border line ridiculous. Through three characters - Rahul, Richita and Neerav, students of IIT-B the author tries to bind through their life graphs. Their problems are genuine and mostly practical, their impulsive decisions understandable and there is certain growth of characters which is appreciated as a reader.But all these subtle nuances are buried under a whopping 380 odd pages which is too long by any stretch of imagination for a story of this magnitude. It definitely needed to be short and coherent and the best bits are trapped under long stretches where nothing of significance happen in the story.
When narrating the central theme, the author does make some pertinent points regarding racism in US work places, cultural divide, recession in early 2000s and burden of carrying an IIT tag all along the life. These portions, even though poorly edited still are the best bits in a long and convoluted novel which loses its shine and as we go along, the underlying message somewhere as well. The author eventually grapples with so many unnecessary sub-plots of NGOs, RTIs, social activism and relief operations that you feel like reading from the pages of a diary rather than a book trying to make some sense.
I can understand that this story is based out of real characters and their honest motivations, but poor editing and grammatical structure at all places absolutely mar those sincere intentions. The writing style is easy and usually maintains a brisk pace but inundated with too many details ultimately let it down.
I am going with 2/5 for Ravindra Shukla's 'A Maverick Heart'. Leaving its noble intentions apart, its a hard slog for its audience. Read it if you must.
When narrating the central theme, the author does make some pertinent points regarding racism in US work places, cultural divide, recession in early 2000s and burden of carrying an IIT tag all along the life. These portions, even though poorly edited still are the best bits in a long and convoluted novel which loses its shine and as we go along, the underlying message somewhere as well. The author eventually grapples with so many unnecessary sub-plots of NGOs, RTIs, social activism and relief operations that you feel like reading from the pages of a diary rather than a book trying to make some sense.
I can understand that this story is based out of real characters and their honest motivations, but poor editing and grammatical structure at all places absolutely mar those sincere intentions. The writing style is easy and usually maintains a brisk pace but inundated with too many details ultimately let it down.
I am going with 2/5 for Ravindra Shukla's 'A Maverick Heart'. Leaving its noble intentions apart, its a hard slog for its audience. Read it if you must.
July 28, 2013
First of all I must say I apologies to the author because I have given my fact review, not like other reviewers who only give 5/4. I know that writing a novel is very tough job I am appreciating the work but the author have to do an total ground work for writing I am saying on the basis of what I have read different author’s up till now. Now about this book it is based on life of individual/group of friends in and around the campus of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). The first part i.e. campus and college life is good. As the author himself has studied in IIT. At one time I thought to quite this book but I must say it was interesting when there was a life in USA. The story is too much stretch it should be near about 250 pages. Although I like many parts such as the struggle life of USA how our Indians ruined there life in the year 2000. The jobless Indians and the recession of Wall Street. But when it came to near 250 pages it is getting very interest because that is the turning point of all of the characters of this novel. Many a times I was getting confused while reading as it jumps from one character to another without knowing to which character we are reading. The language is very simple which makes it easy to read it. The author has not provided any new things. It seems whatever the author has wrote everyone have already read it. However, this novel didn’t quite live up to my expectations. Now a days there is too much of IIT, campus etc, many books have been published on this field I think new author should think out of this box.
This book review is a part of "The Readers Cosmos Book Review Program". To get free books log on to thereaderscosmos.blogspot.com.
This book review is a part of "The Readers Cosmos Book Review Program". To get free books log on to thereaderscosmos.blogspot.com.
August 7, 2013
The story express the combat of a maverick heart between the practicality and love in life. The story revolves around 3 characters; Rahul, Richita and Neerav with few others who come and go in their lives. The writing is simple but tone is not well balanced by the writer, at many places, description; or it is better to say essay on many topics with technical terms are very lengthy and unnecessary. Many a places have long conversations which have no input to the story.
The story is distinctively divided into 4 parts, first part is about Richita’s stumble upon a rape attempt by one of her friend at a party and the conversation with the auto driver who saves her. Second part is when she went to the college and meet Rahul. Third part is about Rahul’s struggle in his life because of the non-practical approach towards life and not compromising on his principles. Fourth part is about ups and down in Richita’s life which she faces after her college life. Giving any more details here would reveal the story so I would not do that.
The reason I rated this book so low is because in my view writer has failed to connect these four parts into a single story. Otherwise all the four parts are nicely written. Among the four parts, Rahul’s struggle as a social Activist is the best where he fights against a mighty minister and the system by getting into the system. There are some beautiful moments in the second part of the story which you are going to remember for a long time. Fourth part of the story tells us about the contrast in lifestyle in India and US, which was weakly written.
I would not suggest this book as a must read but if you want to pick up a book and read to lighten your mood then you can go for this book.
The story is distinctively divided into 4 parts, first part is about Richita’s stumble upon a rape attempt by one of her friend at a party and the conversation with the auto driver who saves her. Second part is when she went to the college and meet Rahul. Third part is about Rahul’s struggle in his life because of the non-practical approach towards life and not compromising on his principles. Fourth part is about ups and down in Richita’s life which she faces after her college life. Giving any more details here would reveal the story so I would not do that.
The reason I rated this book so low is because in my view writer has failed to connect these four parts into a single story. Otherwise all the four parts are nicely written. Among the four parts, Rahul’s struggle as a social Activist is the best where he fights against a mighty minister and the system by getting into the system. There are some beautiful moments in the second part of the story which you are going to remember for a long time. Fourth part of the story tells us about the contrast in lifestyle in India and US, which was weakly written.
I would not suggest this book as a must read but if you want to pick up a book and read to lighten your mood then you can go for this book.
February 17, 2017
Rahul and Richita meet on campus. She is the reflection of a modern girl with a hint of traditional values. He is dynamic and socialist. They fall in love. They are separated. Richita gets married and moves on to US while Rahul starts working on social issues at grass root level. There’s a third party in the novel – Neerav is Rahul’s best friend and thus becomes friends with Richita too. The story spans beyond their lives on campus and includes the trials and tribulations of each character over a period of time. The question is… what happens to each of them ultimately – do Rahul and Richita ever meet again? Even after the different paths that their lives have taken them on – will the ever reconnect?
IIT – Bombay Campus, three friends, love-friendship-drama… Sounds familiar? Yeah well, this seems to be the only outline/formula that out modern Indian writers can work around and as a result this book is the umpteenth novel with the same ‘masala’. But hang on – this book has a different aftertaste... For once, the story encompasses more than just a sleazy love affair and mind numbing heartbreak. This story has dealt with a couple of issues and characteristics of modern India. For instance Rahul’s encounter with corrupt politician by way of his social work, flawed education system in India, a woman’s dilemma in choosing between her parent’s wish and following her own heart, etc. It was interesting to see such issues being handled in guise of popular fiction.
The characters were each very distinct and well developed. The narration style and editing could do with some more work input. Overall, it was interesting, fun and light read.
IIT – Bombay Campus, three friends, love-friendship-drama… Sounds familiar? Yeah well, this seems to be the only outline/formula that out modern Indian writers can work around and as a result this book is the umpteenth novel with the same ‘masala’. But hang on – this book has a different aftertaste... For once, the story encompasses more than just a sleazy love affair and mind numbing heartbreak. This story has dealt with a couple of issues and characteristics of modern India. For instance Rahul’s encounter with corrupt politician by way of his social work, flawed education system in India, a woman’s dilemma in choosing between her parent’s wish and following her own heart, etc. It was interesting to see such issues being handled in guise of popular fiction.
The characters were each very distinct and well developed. The narration style and editing could do with some more work input. Overall, it was interesting, fun and light read.
August 19, 2013
The book is a pleasant read. And it is different from many of the IIT stories that we have read. The characters here are more focused. Their campus life is not restricted to vodka shots, girls, love, girls’ hostel or bunking classes. The characters in this book seem to be more real and relatable. They study and they have fun too. They study in a premier institute like IIT and the characters stand to the value that the institute carries. And I loved that.
The narrative has dates along with it. Therefore it seems as if we are reading a few pages from the diary of these character’s lives. Also it makes us aware of the fact that the story is spanning over a long period of time.
I particularly loved the transition characters and the choices they make. The plot carries tons of positivity!
But...
Everything said the book is a slow read. Maybe because of the lengthy timeline... Maybe narrative is too detailed... And the book is nearly 400 pages. Some editing would have done wonders to the book!
There are two things that draws a reader’s attention, especially when it is a first time author!
i. The excerpts – It was promising enough. And I opted to read it ONLY because the plot seemed REALLY interesting!
ii. The cover page – A colorful or innovative cover-page is an assured show stopper. But the cover page of this book is really boring! It could have been made much better. Cover page is like make-up for a beauty. It only adds to the beauty that she already has!
Should you read it?
Why not? This book is a no-non sense book.
But it does test reader’s patience
Yet time well-spent I would say!
The narrative has dates along with it. Therefore it seems as if we are reading a few pages from the diary of these character’s lives. Also it makes us aware of the fact that the story is spanning over a long period of time.
I particularly loved the transition characters and the choices they make. The plot carries tons of positivity!
But...
Everything said the book is a slow read. Maybe because of the lengthy timeline... Maybe narrative is too detailed... And the book is nearly 400 pages. Some editing would have done wonders to the book!
There are two things that draws a reader’s attention, especially when it is a first time author!
i. The excerpts – It was promising enough. And I opted to read it ONLY because the plot seemed REALLY interesting!
ii. The cover page – A colorful or innovative cover-page is an assured show stopper. But the cover page of this book is really boring! It could have been made much better. Cover page is like make-up for a beauty. It only adds to the beauty that she already has!
Should you read it?
Why not? This book is a no-non sense book.
But it does test reader’s patience
Yet time well-spent I would say!
January 31, 2013
Richita, Rahul and Neerav meet while doing their graduation at IIT Bombay. Rahul and Neerav were already friends, while a close frinedship springs up between Rahul and Richita. Both of them had similar ideas, and similar objectives in life. Towards the end of their days at IIT, Rahul and Richita had been clear that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together.
But fate had other plans. Things changed, circumstances changed. They realise that life has a way of changing everything in seconds. Everything Rahul and Richita had planned for meticulously meant nothing anymore. Mainly because society had a different standard of measuring things. Especially the standards of success. Soon the three friends go their separate ways. Each to try and make a life of their own, making the most of their circumstances.
As they enter the 'real world' both Richita and Rahul learn to live their lives, and Neerav pursues his dreams in America. So do the friends meet again? Does life give them a second chance? Well, you will have to read the book to find out.
The story is interesting, not the regular run of mill sorts, but has a direction and it makes you want to know how it all ends. The characters are well defined. Richita's compulsions, Rahul's motivation, and the way each character responds to the challenges life throws them, is well-thought out. There are a few stereotypes, but not so much that it puts one off.
All in all, an interesting read. And I think a book in which the author has touched on issues that matter to him as well.
But fate had other plans. Things changed, circumstances changed. They realise that life has a way of changing everything in seconds. Everything Rahul and Richita had planned for meticulously meant nothing anymore. Mainly because society had a different standard of measuring things. Especially the standards of success. Soon the three friends go their separate ways. Each to try and make a life of their own, making the most of their circumstances.
As they enter the 'real world' both Richita and Rahul learn to live their lives, and Neerav pursues his dreams in America. So do the friends meet again? Does life give them a second chance? Well, you will have to read the book to find out.
The story is interesting, not the regular run of mill sorts, but has a direction and it makes you want to know how it all ends. The characters are well defined. Richita's compulsions, Rahul's motivation, and the way each character responds to the challenges life throws them, is well-thought out. There are a few stereotypes, but not so much that it puts one off.
All in all, an interesting read. And I think a book in which the author has touched on issues that matter to him as well.
October 19, 2013
I am not a great Bookie to write review, hardly it was fifth book of mine. This was my first book I have completed so early.
Coming to the A Maverick Heart:-
1. Just reminds our collage life, make you to cheer up the Best moments that we had.
2. Every character in Book has their own style of attitude, and makes us to think about the characters you have met before.
3. As I know from normal leader to PM ,every own has their own gurus To establish them as Leaders in the society , which is maintained very well in the book.( 100 % succeeded to build a relation Between Gurus and students in entire story)
4. Good narration of Recession time in US and Software life style and US life style too.
5. Nicely bifurcated the value of money and relations.
6. Emotional Dialogues used by the charters makes you emotional, which is far better than Bollywood copy paste Dialogues.
7. Mathematical genius are really so different from normal people in way of thinking which has narrated in the story was acceptable.
I felt that some time it was so bored narration of particular field or place or person in the story.
It would have been better if Deepak's character was minimized and extending Neerav's character.
Overall it is a Good Book to read and Really deserved for Promotion.
Books has Ability to make impact on Indian youth while taking decisions.
Congrats Ravindra Shukla for Good attempt.
Coming to the A Maverick Heart:-
1. Just reminds our collage life, make you to cheer up the Best moments that we had.
2. Every character in Book has their own style of attitude, and makes us to think about the characters you have met before.
3. As I know from normal leader to PM ,every own has their own gurus To establish them as Leaders in the society , which is maintained very well in the book.( 100 % succeeded to build a relation Between Gurus and students in entire story)
4. Good narration of Recession time in US and Software life style and US life style too.
5. Nicely bifurcated the value of money and relations.
6. Emotional Dialogues used by the charters makes you emotional, which is far better than Bollywood copy paste Dialogues.
7. Mathematical genius are really so different from normal people in way of thinking which has narrated in the story was acceptable.
I felt that some time it was so bored narration of particular field or place or person in the story.
It would have been better if Deepak's character was minimized and extending Neerav's character.
Overall it is a Good Book to read and Really deserved for Promotion.
Books has Ability to make impact on Indian youth while taking decisions.
Congrats Ravindra Shukla for Good attempt.
February 16, 2013
The Review!!!
Positives: The book has highlighted quiet a lot of important issues like, the drawbacks of Indian education system, a woman's conflict between Indian Values and love, the attraction of parents to NRI grooms, materialistic youth, corrupt government etc. to name a few. Language, flow etc is good. Characters very strongly defined and a reader can easily understand them without words in the later part. There are some amazing quotes and dialogues all through the story.
Negatives: The editing could have been better. There are parts which were explained in too much detail and there are parts which really needed more detail. Also in some parts the story is narrated as first person and in some parts as third person. Minor spelling errors are also there.
For a detailed review visit: http://thereaderscosmos.blogspot.com/...
November 13, 2013
It Needs some editing. it is good in parts. Climax is little dramatic.
December 26, 2012
By Ravindra Shukla. Grade: C
Expectations make or break the day. This is true with love and life, and also with stories. While there are some that may not cater to your heartstrings immediately, there are a few that manage to provide a good first impression. It’s the writer’s job to win the attention of his readers instantly, making them fall in love with his/her creation.
Resonance –
We often use the term, “frequency matching” in our daily life to define compatibility. Our frequency does not match, we do not get along? We are not in sync? We are not on the same page etc?
When people of similar frequencies (wavelengths or within the same range) come together – output is not a simple sum of individual work, but exponential. In science we term this phenomenon as resonance. Output at this stage is beyond any logical limit.
Three young kids, with different family backgrounds and outlook meet during their graduation days at IIT-Bombay campus and become close friends. Although, individually they are in sync, but the same is not true for their interaction with the world.
How will their relation withstand the conflict of family and society pressure?
How do their characters shape out, as they traverse from an educational environment through the corporate world to the realm of the social-political world?
Inspired by the real events across the globe from the last decade, Ravindra Shukla brings you the characters based story – struggle and triumphs of a young generation and their relevance in the current socio-eco-political era.
A Maverick Heart: Between Love And Life is penned by Ravindra Shukla, an alumnus of IIT Bombay. He has over 15 years of experience of working with consulting firms. He is a member of the Film Writers Association, Mumbai and loves writing fiction, literature and movie script. Needless to say, these qualities accentuate his credibility as an author. Thus, I was very eager to read his debut novel.
The first thing that really turned me off was the cover. For a book that promised to be a story of a young rebellious heart, or rather hearts, it could have done with a better design. The cover looks quite simple, highlighting three shadows, probably belonging to the protagonists, on an open road surrounded by grass and bushes. A young tale of romance and dreams could have been better portrayed with a brighter layout.
‘Never judge a book by its cover’ – true at times. The synopsis looked promising. It spoke of frequency matching and how three individuals who are in sync with each other, fail to relate with the outside world. With high hopes, I started turning the pages.
The first few chapters introduce the three main characters – Rahul, Richita and Neerav, all studying in IIT Bombay. They go on to display the close friendship between Rahul and Neerav, and illustrate the gradual progression of love between Richita and Rahul. Unfortunately, things do not go as planned – because they rarely do – and the three move towards their separate ways. What happens next, and how they progress with their lives, forms the crux of the story.
The plot was promising and had the potential to churn out a great tale of love and friendship. The three characters looked ‘real’ and the readers could have easily identified with them. However, it was sadly let down by the poor narrative style adopted in the book. The narration changed from first person to third person quite often, and that seemed to break the flow and fluency in story telling. Also, the pace of the novel was erratic. Sometimes, the story moved too fast, and at other times, it dragged on for pages. There were instances when a new development came up without warning, and I had to go back a few pages to check if there were any references made to it previously.
There were times when I felt that the book was a bit too long. The number of pages could have been reduced by scraping out the unnecessary details. Also, there were many sentences spoken in Hindi. Though that made the dialogues sound natural, the author could have done a better job by providing the English translations for them for the benefit of readers who do not understand Hindi. That would have given the book a universal appeal.
If you are an ardent reader, you can definitely give this book a try. However, this novel didn’t quite live up to my expectations. It might be that I was anticipating something bigger, but isn’t that’s how stories should be?
Originally reviewed at http://vaultofbooks.com/
Expectations make or break the day. This is true with love and life, and also with stories. While there are some that may not cater to your heartstrings immediately, there are a few that manage to provide a good first impression. It’s the writer’s job to win the attention of his readers instantly, making them fall in love with his/her creation.
Resonance –
We often use the term, “frequency matching” in our daily life to define compatibility. Our frequency does not match, we do not get along? We are not in sync? We are not on the same page etc?
When people of similar frequencies (wavelengths or within the same range) come together – output is not a simple sum of individual work, but exponential. In science we term this phenomenon as resonance. Output at this stage is beyond any logical limit.
Three young kids, with different family backgrounds and outlook meet during their graduation days at IIT-Bombay campus and become close friends. Although, individually they are in sync, but the same is not true for their interaction with the world.
How will their relation withstand the conflict of family and society pressure?
How do their characters shape out, as they traverse from an educational environment through the corporate world to the realm of the social-political world?
Inspired by the real events across the globe from the last decade, Ravindra Shukla brings you the characters based story – struggle and triumphs of a young generation and their relevance in the current socio-eco-political era.
A Maverick Heart: Between Love And Life is penned by Ravindra Shukla, an alumnus of IIT Bombay. He has over 15 years of experience of working with consulting firms. He is a member of the Film Writers Association, Mumbai and loves writing fiction, literature and movie script. Needless to say, these qualities accentuate his credibility as an author. Thus, I was very eager to read his debut novel.
The first thing that really turned me off was the cover. For a book that promised to be a story of a young rebellious heart, or rather hearts, it could have done with a better design. The cover looks quite simple, highlighting three shadows, probably belonging to the protagonists, on an open road surrounded by grass and bushes. A young tale of romance and dreams could have been better portrayed with a brighter layout.
‘Never judge a book by its cover’ – true at times. The synopsis looked promising. It spoke of frequency matching and how three individuals who are in sync with each other, fail to relate with the outside world. With high hopes, I started turning the pages.
The first few chapters introduce the three main characters – Rahul, Richita and Neerav, all studying in IIT Bombay. They go on to display the close friendship between Rahul and Neerav, and illustrate the gradual progression of love between Richita and Rahul. Unfortunately, things do not go as planned – because they rarely do – and the three move towards their separate ways. What happens next, and how they progress with their lives, forms the crux of the story.
The plot was promising and had the potential to churn out a great tale of love and friendship. The three characters looked ‘real’ and the readers could have easily identified with them. However, it was sadly let down by the poor narrative style adopted in the book. The narration changed from first person to third person quite often, and that seemed to break the flow and fluency in story telling. Also, the pace of the novel was erratic. Sometimes, the story moved too fast, and at other times, it dragged on for pages. There were instances when a new development came up without warning, and I had to go back a few pages to check if there were any references made to it previously.
There were times when I felt that the book was a bit too long. The number of pages could have been reduced by scraping out the unnecessary details. Also, there were many sentences spoken in Hindi. Though that made the dialogues sound natural, the author could have done a better job by providing the English translations for them for the benefit of readers who do not understand Hindi. That would have given the book a universal appeal.
If you are an ardent reader, you can definitely give this book a try. However, this novel didn’t quite live up to my expectations. It might be that I was anticipating something bigger, but isn’t that’s how stories should be?
Originally reviewed at http://vaultofbooks.com/
August 9, 2013
Review:
It is always a pleasure to receive a book from Nimi Vashi (of thereaderscosmos.blogspot.in). Though, she guaranteed a author-signed copy or a book with a exclusive bookmark, I wouldn't dare saying 'no' to her. Her role in keeping this blog active and running is no less than any author or publisher, who send their books. So I would love to thank Nimi was weighing me eligible to read and review this book. Thank you, Nimi...
A book through Nimi is always exciting. It is always off the track and pretty fresh to me. Though, she had promised to send this book over a long ago, she finally did.
"The Readers Cosmos stands for its commitments and once we have told you it will reach you sonner or later." She said during one of her mails.
Well, if there are other people to The Reader Cosmos, then, I would like to thank them, too.
Midst thanking everyone, I shouldn't forget to thank the author himself (or the publishers), for sending the book over, expecting nothing other than a honest feedback. So, honest feedback, it is...
Plot (from the jacket):
Resonance - We often use the term, “frequency matching” in our daily life to define compatibility. Our frequency does not match, we do not get along? We are not in sync? We are not on the same page etc?
When people of similar frequencies (wavelengths or within the same range) come together – output is not a simple sum of individual work, but exponential. In science we term this phenomenon as resonance. Output at this stage is beyond any logical limit.
Three young kids, with different family backgrounds and outlook meet during their graduation days at IIT-Bombay campus and become close friends. Although, individually they are in sync, but the same is not true for their interaction with the world.
How will their relation withstand the conflict of family and society pressure?
How do their character shape out, as they traverse from an educational environment through the corporate world to the realm of the social-political world?
Inspired by the real events across the globe from the last decade, Ravindra Shukla brings you the characters based story – struggle and triumphs of a young generation and their relevance in the current socio-eco-political era.
About the author (from the book):
Ravindra Shukla is an engineering graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. He has been working in emerging technology and business analytics in IT software technology. His professional experience includes working with consulting firms – PWC and IBM in USA...................
To read the entire review, click here...
It is always a pleasure to receive a book from Nimi Vashi (of thereaderscosmos.blogspot.in). Though, she guaranteed a author-signed copy or a book with a exclusive bookmark, I wouldn't dare saying 'no' to her. Her role in keeping this blog active and running is no less than any author or publisher, who send their books. So I would love to thank Nimi was weighing me eligible to read and review this book. Thank you, Nimi...
A book through Nimi is always exciting. It is always off the track and pretty fresh to me. Though, she had promised to send this book over a long ago, she finally did.
"The Readers Cosmos stands for its commitments and once we have told you it will reach you sonner or later." She said during one of her mails.
Well, if there are other people to The Reader Cosmos, then, I would like to thank them, too.
Midst thanking everyone, I shouldn't forget to thank the author himself (or the publishers), for sending the book over, expecting nothing other than a honest feedback. So, honest feedback, it is...
Plot (from the jacket):
Resonance - We often use the term, “frequency matching” in our daily life to define compatibility. Our frequency does not match, we do not get along? We are not in sync? We are not on the same page etc?
When people of similar frequencies (wavelengths or within the same range) come together – output is not a simple sum of individual work, but exponential. In science we term this phenomenon as resonance. Output at this stage is beyond any logical limit.
Three young kids, with different family backgrounds and outlook meet during their graduation days at IIT-Bombay campus and become close friends. Although, individually they are in sync, but the same is not true for their interaction with the world.
How will their relation withstand the conflict of family and society pressure?
How do their character shape out, as they traverse from an educational environment through the corporate world to the realm of the social-political world?
Inspired by the real events across the globe from the last decade, Ravindra Shukla brings you the characters based story – struggle and triumphs of a young generation and their relevance in the current socio-eco-political era.
About the author (from the book):
Ravindra Shukla is an engineering graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. He has been working in emerging technology and business analytics in IT software technology. His professional experience includes working with consulting firms – PWC and IBM in USA...................
To read the entire review, click here...
November 6, 2013
The book blurb and the author profile promised a lot of great things. A lot of important contemporary issues like cultural conflicts, corruption, the marriage scenario are highlighted and paid attention to. As the very title suggests, the book is not just a love story but tells the tales of three protagonists, Rahul, Richita and Neerav, their stories of love, friendship and how they waddle through life trying to find meaning.
The characters in the books are not sketchy and are developed quite in depth. However, I would have liked if Neerav was paid a little more attention. The stories of camaraderie between the two guys, campus tales from IIT-B, and the thoughtfully penned dialogues are the positives.
The problem areas in the book were mostly with the editing and the typos spread throughout the course of the book which is a major turn off. The book was unnecessarily dragged to almost 400 pages which makes the pace painfully slow in certain areas. It could have been almost brought down to half the size with careful editing which would have made it crisp and sharper. The few Hindi dialogues inserted into the book helps to bring out the Indian fervor but a translation would've been a lot of help for non-Hindi knowing readers.
Another issue I had with the book is the way it was presented. The story is quite promising and tries to bring together some very great ideas but the unusually slow pace is a little disappointing. Also the shuttling between the narratives were pretty confusing for me and I think they could be neater. A good example of narration shift from first person to third person can be seen in R.K. Narayan's "Guide" which I think the author can refer to to sharpen his narrative skills for his future endeavors.
Overall, the book is an okay-ish read. You can give it a try it if you like campus stories and like detailed narratives.
Originally published on http://swarnalidreams.blogspot.in/201...
The characters in the books are not sketchy and are developed quite in depth. However, I would have liked if Neerav was paid a little more attention. The stories of camaraderie between the two guys, campus tales from IIT-B, and the thoughtfully penned dialogues are the positives.
The problem areas in the book were mostly with the editing and the typos spread throughout the course of the book which is a major turn off. The book was unnecessarily dragged to almost 400 pages which makes the pace painfully slow in certain areas. It could have been almost brought down to half the size with careful editing which would have made it crisp and sharper. The few Hindi dialogues inserted into the book helps to bring out the Indian fervor but a translation would've been a lot of help for non-Hindi knowing readers.
Another issue I had with the book is the way it was presented. The story is quite promising and tries to bring together some very great ideas but the unusually slow pace is a little disappointing. Also the shuttling between the narratives were pretty confusing for me and I think they could be neater. A good example of narration shift from first person to third person can be seen in R.K. Narayan's "Guide" which I think the author can refer to to sharpen his narrative skills for his future endeavors.
Overall, the book is an okay-ish read. You can give it a try it if you like campus stories and like detailed narratives.
Originally published on http://swarnalidreams.blogspot.in/201...
Read
August 16, 2013The back cover promised an interesting read as the scientific concept of resonance being used to define a bond between two people was something new. The story was however a disappointment. The narrating style was poor and the editing bad. The sudden and frequent changes from first person to 3rd person was confusing. The characters were built properly and the chemistry between Rahul and Rhichita was a let down.
The only good thing about the book was the realistic approach towards the Indian society. The story describes the pressure on a girl to get settled, her own doubts about whether she would find love in her marriage which was written pretty well.
The youth taking interest in social work and trying to change the way things worked was also pretty good.
Apart from that, I didnt feel the story had anything worth remembering.
I rate it 1.5/5
The only good thing about the book was the realistic approach towards the Indian society. The story describes the pressure on a girl to get settled, her own doubts about whether she would find love in her marriage which was written pretty well.
The youth taking interest in social work and trying to change the way things worked was also pretty good.
Apart from that, I didnt feel the story had anything worth remembering.
I rate it 1.5/5
September 10, 2013
Review: http://wp.me/p2J8yh-2s6
I felt this was an average book. The plot has promise, but is weakly delivered. The good thing about the book perhaps is that it is not just a love story. The paths of the two lovers is shown realistically, and their obstacles in society and family are definitely believable. The alternating first and third person views doesn't work, it muddles the reader I felt. A book with a lot thrown in, and having quality, but the lot thrown in made the book heavy, and slow pace of the story at the beginning made it difficult to read. A one-time read for me.
I felt this was an average book. The plot has promise, but is weakly delivered. The good thing about the book perhaps is that it is not just a love story. The paths of the two lovers is shown realistically, and their obstacles in society and family are definitely believable. The alternating first and third person views doesn't work, it muddles the reader I felt. A book with a lot thrown in, and having quality, but the lot thrown in made the book heavy, and slow pace of the story at the beginning made it difficult to read. A one-time read for me.
August 7, 2013
3.5 stars
Want to read
July 30, 2014195
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