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I Kissed a Frog
Girls aren’t really made of sugar and spice and everything nice. Well, perhaps some girls are, but those are certainly not the girls you’ll meet in 'I Kissed a Frog' – a collection of wacky short stories, tongue-in-cheek diaries and not so grim twenty-first century fairy tales that turn love and friendship inside out and upside down. You’ll find it all here: getting even with exes, changes in male-female dynamics, crazy diet wars, besties turning into worsties, dark humour, light comedy and the startling discovery that Prince Charming may not be your pitcher of beer. Young, fun and feminist, 'I Kissed a Frog' is just what a girl needs to chase the blues away.
- GenresChick Lit
230 pages, Paperback
First published February 10, 2013
6 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
Rupa Gulab
11 books22 followersRupa Gulab is a columnist and the author of Girl Alone, Chip of the Old Blockhead, and The Great Depression of the 40s.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 29, 2017
Rupa Gulab’s I Kissed a Frog is a cool book and I don’t know why I hadn’t heard about it before. Living under a rock the size of Antarctica isn’t the answer, isolation from fellow bookworms is. Not many book nerds around ergo even less bookish discussions because apparently everyone has a life. Sniff. As if I don’t. My idea of living it up is just different from most of y’all.
Never judge a book by its cover or the colour of its cover. Or its title for that matter as it is completely misleading sometimes. I am a woman but I despise Rani Pink and no, you cannot change my mind. It took awhile for me to pick it up because of my reservations. I eyed it warily in the book fair many times before picking it up and reading the blurb, then surreptitiously googling. What! I have loads of unread books and no space to keep them because I have been shallow before and bought books because I loved their covers. What will you do? Disown me and banish me from sisterhood? No can do. Once a woman always a woman (or so I have been told).
Google told me that the reverse fairy tales are supposed to funny, so picked it up, and read them first. They subvert stereotypes sure and these modern fairytales were interesting but they didn’t hold my interest. They were too short to make a real impact but I loved the accompanying cartoons. I would like to read them again, preferably out loud to my sister (that is if she can stand my grating voice and is willing to waste precious time) so that we can both have a good laugh.
The stories in the book are divided into three parts – love, friendship and fairytales and, as you know I read them in reverse order.
In the first section love is the theme. It has 4 stories out of which Welcome to Sisterhood and Heavy Weather stood out for me. I liked the first story Hell’s Angel too but it was predictable, the outcome I mean, but the treatment was original though exaggerated in places. It was as much about friendship as about love. I love a guy (or girl) who is comfortable with their flab and can eat to their heart’s content, without batting an eyelid, in front of company without offering any excuses.
Love in F Major was interesting. It shows what happens in a relationship between an older man with a family and a younger woman when they decide to live-in together. Forget declarations of love, if you can at least each tolerate other and be around each other without killing each other then the relationship perhaps has a chance of surviving. She shows us how it is, warts and all deflating romantic notions but all done in good humour and for that this book is priceless.
Welcome to Sisterhood isn’t a story unlike anything I have read in the Indian context – a man undergoing a sex change operation because he has always felt like a woman inside. Antara and Ajay are buddies. Antara has had the hots for Ajay since the time they met and she thinks he will come around someday soon. All hell breaks lose when he tells her what he plans to do. The man she love doesn’t want to remain a man anymore. It has shown that people who care about us do come around and that dealing with loss, rejection and forging a new identity isn’t easy. Of all the stories the ending of Welcome to Sisterhood felt like a new beginning and I found myself wanting to read what happens next.
Heavy Weather was romcom worthy and saying anything would be giving the plot away.
In the next section the theme is friendship. In Ex-Files a girl finds an unlikely best friend in her mom while dealing with (lack of) boyfriend woes.
The diary style in which Best Friends and Boyfriends (see who comes first here) and Diet Wars were written reminded me of Bridget Jones Diary, casual almost to the point of flippancy, but they kept me laughing so no worries. If you come between a girl and her bestie (I don’t use this term!), good luck to you.
Au Revoir deals with the impending death of a bestfriend but the treatment astonished me. What a way of looking at things.
The last story Wannabe Mum shows that there is a hell and heaven difference between wanting a baby and single-handedly bringing one up. No I am not being melodramatic, it’s a logistical nightmare, unless you have a battery of servants at your disposal.
Rupa Gulab has a good sense of humour and she doesn’t take anything seriously as far as these stories go. Do you know how rare it is for a woman in our country? Women are always supposed to maintain a decorum and always be decent simpering servile creatures without an opinion otherwise their families will lose face in society. This is a tale about urban woman where having boyfriends, sleeping around, partying and drinking isn’t judged that severely. I really like the author’s tone, it is consistent throughout the stories though sometimes it can appear too glib.
She talks about many important things but it is never shoved down your throat and is as light as a soufflé done by a master chef (Don’t ask me about it though I have never eaten one!). It’s like walking on air, full of fluff you think, but that’s deceptive. This is a book about relationships, some would say the relationships that define us, but you will find every cliché subverted on your head here and there lies the appeal of the book. At the heart of these stories is a paean to friendship of different kinds we forge all our lives, the bond that makes our life livable.
In I Kissed a Frog marriage proposals are as easy as squeezing whipping cream. So, yes, suspension of disbelief was required in some stories. Sometimes the plot was wafer thin and I wish the stories had more depth but the emotions depicted were just right. Having said that, these stories have squashed all the romantic notions in my head, brewing over a decade, into a pulp. And I am inching closer to thirty, so this is a good thing.
Read it for the irreverent humour while I go and look for more books by Rupa Gulab. I could do with more laughter in my life.
Originally posted at https://eternaloxymoron.wordpress.com...
Never judge a book by its cover or the colour of its cover. Or its title for that matter as it is completely misleading sometimes. I am a woman but I despise Rani Pink and no, you cannot change my mind. It took awhile for me to pick it up because of my reservations. I eyed it warily in the book fair many times before picking it up and reading the blurb, then surreptitiously googling. What! I have loads of unread books and no space to keep them because I have been shallow before and bought books because I loved their covers. What will you do? Disown me and banish me from sisterhood? No can do. Once a woman always a woman (or so I have been told).
Google told me that the reverse fairy tales are supposed to funny, so picked it up, and read them first. They subvert stereotypes sure and these modern fairytales were interesting but they didn’t hold my interest. They were too short to make a real impact but I loved the accompanying cartoons. I would like to read them again, preferably out loud to my sister (that is if she can stand my grating voice and is willing to waste precious time) so that we can both have a good laugh.
The stories in the book are divided into three parts – love, friendship and fairytales and, as you know I read them in reverse order.
In the first section love is the theme. It has 4 stories out of which Welcome to Sisterhood and Heavy Weather stood out for me. I liked the first story Hell’s Angel too but it was predictable, the outcome I mean, but the treatment was original though exaggerated in places. It was as much about friendship as about love. I love a guy (or girl) who is comfortable with their flab and can eat to their heart’s content, without batting an eyelid, in front of company without offering any excuses.
Love in F Major was interesting. It shows what happens in a relationship between an older man with a family and a younger woman when they decide to live-in together. Forget declarations of love, if you can at least each tolerate other and be around each other without killing each other then the relationship perhaps has a chance of surviving. She shows us how it is, warts and all deflating romantic notions but all done in good humour and for that this book is priceless.
Welcome to Sisterhood isn’t a story unlike anything I have read in the Indian context – a man undergoing a sex change operation because he has always felt like a woman inside. Antara and Ajay are buddies. Antara has had the hots for Ajay since the time they met and she thinks he will come around someday soon. All hell breaks lose when he tells her what he plans to do. The man she love doesn’t want to remain a man anymore. It has shown that people who care about us do come around and that dealing with loss, rejection and forging a new identity isn’t easy. Of all the stories the ending of Welcome to Sisterhood felt like a new beginning and I found myself wanting to read what happens next.
Heavy Weather was romcom worthy and saying anything would be giving the plot away.
In the next section the theme is friendship. In Ex-Files a girl finds an unlikely best friend in her mom while dealing with (lack of) boyfriend woes.
The diary style in which Best Friends and Boyfriends (see who comes first here) and Diet Wars were written reminded me of Bridget Jones Diary, casual almost to the point of flippancy, but they kept me laughing so no worries. If you come between a girl and her bestie (I don’t use this term!), good luck to you.
Au Revoir deals with the impending death of a bestfriend but the treatment astonished me. What a way of looking at things.
The last story Wannabe Mum shows that there is a hell and heaven difference between wanting a baby and single-handedly bringing one up. No I am not being melodramatic, it’s a logistical nightmare, unless you have a battery of servants at your disposal.
Rupa Gulab has a good sense of humour and she doesn’t take anything seriously as far as these stories go. Do you know how rare it is for a woman in our country? Women are always supposed to maintain a decorum and always be decent simpering servile creatures without an opinion otherwise their families will lose face in society. This is a tale about urban woman where having boyfriends, sleeping around, partying and drinking isn’t judged that severely. I really like the author’s tone, it is consistent throughout the stories though sometimes it can appear too glib.
She talks about many important things but it is never shoved down your throat and is as light as a soufflé done by a master chef (Don’t ask me about it though I have never eaten one!). It’s like walking on air, full of fluff you think, but that’s deceptive. This is a book about relationships, some would say the relationships that define us, but you will find every cliché subverted on your head here and there lies the appeal of the book. At the heart of these stories is a paean to friendship of different kinds we forge all our lives, the bond that makes our life livable.
In I Kissed a Frog marriage proposals are as easy as squeezing whipping cream. So, yes, suspension of disbelief was required in some stories. Sometimes the plot was wafer thin and I wish the stories had more depth but the emotions depicted were just right. Having said that, these stories have squashed all the romantic notions in my head, brewing over a decade, into a pulp. And I am inching closer to thirty, so this is a good thing.
Read it for the irreverent humour while I go and look for more books by Rupa Gulab. I could do with more laughter in my life.
Originally posted at https://eternaloxymoron.wordpress.com...
March 30, 2013
Definitely what the title claims it to be.... Presenting
I Kissed A Frog & other stories by Rupa Gulab.
Here is the summary of the book:
Girls aren’t really made of sugar and spice and everything nice. Well, perhaps some girls are, but those are certainly not the girls you’ll meet in 'I Kissed a Frog' – a collection of wacky short stories, tongue-in-cheek diaries and not so grim twenty-first century fairy tales that turn love and friendship inside out and upside down. You’ll find it all here: getting even with exes, changes in male-female dynamics, crazy diet wars, besties turning into worsties, dark humour, light comedy and the startling discovery that Prince Charming may not be your pitcher of beer. Young, fun and feminist, 'I Kissed a Frog' is just what a girl needs to chase the blues away.
I'm no fan of chic-lit....I a a chic yes but this genre never really interested me but man this was good. 'Sugar and spice and everything nice'....totally not the case with these girls. Strong feminism. Strong dislike of the norm. These are modernist girls, they are no damsels in distress and know how to make themselves known and heard.
Jealousy, revenge, first love gone wrong, diet wars, snagging the guys from the rival in the office and then bragging about it. Rupa Gulab has presented is a treasure trove of hilarious, exciting and strongly feminist short stories....... A collection of short and interesting tales by a woman and for the women!!! *wink* *wink*
Here is the summary of the book:
Girls aren’t really made of sugar and spice and everything nice. Well, perhaps some girls are, but those are certainly not the girls you’ll meet in 'I Kissed a Frog' – a collection of wacky short stories, tongue-in-cheek diaries and not so grim twenty-first century fairy tales that turn love and friendship inside out and upside down. You’ll find it all here: getting even with exes, changes in male-female dynamics, crazy diet wars, besties turning into worsties, dark humour, light comedy and the startling discovery that Prince Charming may not be your pitcher of beer. Young, fun and feminist, 'I Kissed a Frog' is just what a girl needs to chase the blues away.
I'm no fan of chic-lit....I a a chic yes but this genre never really interested me but man this was good. 'Sugar and spice and everything nice'....totally not the case with these girls. Strong feminism. Strong dislike of the norm. These are modernist girls, they are no damsels in distress and know how to make themselves known and heard.
Jealousy, revenge, first love gone wrong, diet wars, snagging the guys from the rival in the office and then bragging about it. Rupa Gulab has presented is a treasure trove of hilarious, exciting and strongly feminist short stories....... A collection of short and interesting tales by a woman and for the women!!! *wink* *wink*
"Hilarious, exciting and feminist..... These are the stories of woman who help define what it means to be such.....perfect for a light reading"
September 26, 2016
Oh Lord, what a crap-fest of a book. Especially the main "I kissed a Frog" short story. Just so below mediocre, really.
September 18, 2018
A good collection of not-so-same short stories. Many are really a breath of fresh air, while some are downright boring.
April 15, 2013
By Rupa Gulab. Grade: A
I always felt there was a dearth of good chick-lit authors in India, but this book put all my fears to rest. It’s one of the best chick-lit I’ve read in ages!
I Kissed A Frog
Girls aren’t really made of sugar and spice and everything nice. Well, perhaps some girls are, but those are certainly not the girls you’ll meet in ‘I Kissed a Frog’ – a collection of wacky short stories, tongue-in-cheek diaries and not so grim twenty-first century fairy tales that turn love and friendship inside out and upside down.
You’ll find it all here: getting even with exes, changes in male-female dynamics, crazy diet wars, besties turning into worsties, dark humour, light comedy and the startling discovery that Prince Charming may not be your pitcher of beer. Young, fun and feminist, ‘I Kissed a Frog’ is just what a girl needs to chase the blues away.
It took me less than three days to completely finish it, because the book is a very breezy read. Since it consists of short stories, it was a very quick read.
The title is awesome, and very befitting. What warmed me up to the novel, however, was definitely the blurb: It’s wacky and a delight to read, and I could already sense that’s what I would get on the inside too, and I was not disappointed at all!
As I’ve mentioned before, the book is a collection of short stories. It’s divided into three parts. The first part is ‘Love and other four letter words’, and the title pretty much sold it to me, even before I started reading. It’s witty, which is the exact tone of the stories in this part. It has four short stories, and they are all very decent reads. The second part is about Friendship, and it had five stories. I enjoyed them all, more so because of the pacing, which, as I’ve mentioned is quite fast. The third part of the book had eight stories with illustrations. This was probably my least favourite part of the book, but it was still quite funny all the same.
I liked all the stories. The main attraction of the book is the fact that the author manages to deal with some very sensitive topics in a very lighthearted manner. The stories are extremely funny, and will surely make you laugh. The vibe of the book is hilarious, and the portrayal of women is different – a very welcome change from what Indian authors usually write.
If I had to point out something I did not like, I guess it would be the impracticality. It’s all a little too exaggerated at times; it tends to grate on the nerves sometimes, but it’s tolerable. Another thing would be the fact that the lead characters are often not very likeable. I know I said I liked the portrayal of women, but just like the stories, the characters are also exaggerated sometimes, to the point that the protagonists didn’t seem like protagonists. I don’t mean as in I want perfect and flawless characters, because flawed characters usually make for the best stories, but even then, they have to be likeable! Their motivations were often beyond comprehension; I suppose some of that was because of the nature of the stories– they were short stories, after all, so character development could obviously not be as extensive as I am used to. In the limited space the author had, she did a commendable job.
Over all, my verdict is exactly what the blurb says– this book is just what a girl needs to chase the blues away. Although, beware, it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. If you’re prepared for some seriously crazy characters, and are ready to read of the not-so-sati-savitris, only then should you pick this book up. Definitely recommended to anyone who’s looking for light reading!
Originally reviewed at http://vaultofbooks.com/
I always felt there was a dearth of good chick-lit authors in India, but this book put all my fears to rest. It’s one of the best chick-lit I’ve read in ages!
I Kissed A Frog
Girls aren’t really made of sugar and spice and everything nice. Well, perhaps some girls are, but those are certainly not the girls you’ll meet in ‘I Kissed a Frog’ – a collection of wacky short stories, tongue-in-cheek diaries and not so grim twenty-first century fairy tales that turn love and friendship inside out and upside down.
You’ll find it all here: getting even with exes, changes in male-female dynamics, crazy diet wars, besties turning into worsties, dark humour, light comedy and the startling discovery that Prince Charming may not be your pitcher of beer. Young, fun and feminist, ‘I Kissed a Frog’ is just what a girl needs to chase the blues away.
It took me less than three days to completely finish it, because the book is a very breezy read. Since it consists of short stories, it was a very quick read.
The title is awesome, and very befitting. What warmed me up to the novel, however, was definitely the blurb: It’s wacky and a delight to read, and I could already sense that’s what I would get on the inside too, and I was not disappointed at all!
As I’ve mentioned before, the book is a collection of short stories. It’s divided into three parts. The first part is ‘Love and other four letter words’, and the title pretty much sold it to me, even before I started reading. It’s witty, which is the exact tone of the stories in this part. It has four short stories, and they are all very decent reads. The second part is about Friendship, and it had five stories. I enjoyed them all, more so because of the pacing, which, as I’ve mentioned is quite fast. The third part of the book had eight stories with illustrations. This was probably my least favourite part of the book, but it was still quite funny all the same.
I liked all the stories. The main attraction of the book is the fact that the author manages to deal with some very sensitive topics in a very lighthearted manner. The stories are extremely funny, and will surely make you laugh. The vibe of the book is hilarious, and the portrayal of women is different – a very welcome change from what Indian authors usually write.
If I had to point out something I did not like, I guess it would be the impracticality. It’s all a little too exaggerated at times; it tends to grate on the nerves sometimes, but it’s tolerable. Another thing would be the fact that the lead characters are often not very likeable. I know I said I liked the portrayal of women, but just like the stories, the characters are also exaggerated sometimes, to the point that the protagonists didn’t seem like protagonists. I don’t mean as in I want perfect and flawless characters, because flawed characters usually make for the best stories, but even then, they have to be likeable! Their motivations were often beyond comprehension; I suppose some of that was because of the nature of the stories– they were short stories, after all, so character development could obviously not be as extensive as I am used to. In the limited space the author had, she did a commendable job.
Over all, my verdict is exactly what the blurb says– this book is just what a girl needs to chase the blues away. Although, beware, it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. If you’re prepared for some seriously crazy characters, and are ready to read of the not-so-sati-savitris, only then should you pick this book up. Definitely recommended to anyone who’s looking for light reading!
Originally reviewed at http://vaultofbooks.com/
January 28, 2015
To be honest, I dint take 4 days to read this book, technically I just read for 3 hours in my flight.
Now what started to be a light read, progressed into total shit as I went on reading more.
The writer over here presents women in a bad light despite being a woman herself also she doesn't spare men either. She simply presents both the sexes as shallow. I'm not saying that no one has had one night stands which became beautiful relationships or that women are never after sex, if I say that I would simply be lying but the way in which she presents her characters makes them seen shallow and disgusting...
Guys please don't waste your time reading this shit even to kill the most boring hours...I would suggest you all to read Chetan Bhagat over this...I have always thought Chetan is a humungous bighead but at least his stories keep you occupied and are relatable sometimes...
I am happy that I picked this book in a sale and it cost me only 50 Rs but I would sincerely request you all to not even waste 10 bucks on buying this crap...
I wish I could give this book 0 stars but unfortunately goodreads doesn't provide that option...
Now what started to be a light read, progressed into total shit as I went on reading more.
The writer over here presents women in a bad light despite being a woman herself also she doesn't spare men either. She simply presents both the sexes as shallow. I'm not saying that no one has had one night stands which became beautiful relationships or that women are never after sex, if I say that I would simply be lying but the way in which she presents her characters makes them seen shallow and disgusting...
Guys please don't waste your time reading this shit even to kill the most boring hours...I would suggest you all to read Chetan Bhagat over this...I have always thought Chetan is a humungous bighead but at least his stories keep you occupied and are relatable sometimes...
I am happy that I picked this book in a sale and it cost me only 50 Rs but I would sincerely request you all to not even waste 10 bucks on buying this crap...
I wish I could give this book 0 stars but unfortunately goodreads doesn't provide that option...
August 20, 2015
Here is Rupa Gulab with her army of female protagonists with truckloads of laughter with I kissed a frog.
Mind well, the book itself is like a cute looking girl but what lies inside are the witches and wicked girl characters which are of modern age and ready to rock the world.
Each story revolves around the day to day life events of a female characters and the amount of humour arising from the witty way of writing of author is highly entertaining.
Last few stories are a nice mixture of ancient stories and modern elements. Loved the book and every story. A highly entertaining read and a real stress buster.
Mind well, the book itself is like a cute looking girl but what lies inside are the witches and wicked girl characters which are of modern age and ready to rock the world.
Each story revolves around the day to day life events of a female characters and the amount of humour arising from the witty way of writing of author is highly entertaining.
Last few stories are a nice mixture of ancient stories and modern elements. Loved the book and every story. A highly entertaining read and a real stress buster.
March 28, 2013
This was such a disappointment. I generally like books enough to at least read through. I enjoy chic-lit - they're predictable, but the formula works. But this one made me want to throw up, because it doesn't offer anything fresh, despite such a promising cover. There's a reason why short-format writing / short-stories do not sell well in India, and this one proves why: it tries to do too many things, leaves a bitter aftertaste, and therefore word-of-mouth gets watered down, thanks to a far compelling book you stumbled upon after reading this one.
November 19, 2015
I didn't want to give this book 2 stars, so gave it 3 instead. Ideally, it is somewhere in between. It's a breezy read, took me two evenings to finish. It doesn't do much to prod your mind or imagination, most of the stories are predictable. Some, however, are interesting. The third part of the book was completely pointless and non-interesting.
But the author's wit comes through here and there in some stories, which makes it worth the read.
But the author's wit comes through here and there in some stories, which makes it worth the read.
February 5, 2013
Absolutely meant to chase those blues away especially the fairy tales which had me laughing out loud! Puck it up if you are tired of those cliches especially with Valentine's Day not far away :)
April 15, 2015
Does justice to the blurb!!!
Read
November 24, 2014Just taught me to deal with my exes and hormonal attacks
November 18, 2013
Quite a terrible read. Not even brainless fun.Definitely avoid.
June 5, 2015
I just enjoyed the contemporary fairy tales. Rest are really stereotypical chiclit stories.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews