Flight of the Flamingo

by Sangeeta Mall

Preeta Dhingra, an editor at Pradhan Publishers, has a dead-end job editing cheap romantic fiction. Life changes when one day a submission lands on her desk, a compilation of stories by well-known women whose public lives shield the terrible trauma of marital infidelity. Anchoring this project is celebrity banker Sonia Vaswani, a financial powerhouse whose marriage of twenty years has ended in divorce. Now Sonia has chosen to go public with the facts and share her vulnerability with the whole world. Preeta, single mother of a physically challenged child prodigy, chooses to go ahead with the publication of the book in defiance of her boss’s fiat against it. In doing so, she puts at risk her job, the trust of her friend, Sonia, and her relationship with Prakash Raghuraj, her mentor and close friend. Preeta’s decision to publish the book is borne out of her desire to do some thing meaningful in life, something that she can be proud of even if it means sacrificing the opportunity to earn enough money to take her daughter to the US for treatment. In the process, she learns some things about her origins that she didn’t know before, alongwith the ability to be at peace with what ever life chooses to throw her way.

312 pages, Paperback

First published June 5, 2013

Reviews

[Namrata D'souza · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the author of Cloud 9 Minus One comes a brilliant new offering, the first title in the 'Beyond Pink' series, a platform for narrating the stories of urban Indian women who have the courage and conviction to lead life on their own terms, even when it throws a banana peel their way. Preeta Dhingra, editor at Pradhan Publishers, is one such woman, with more than her share of challenges to deal with—a dead-end job editing insipid fiction, a boor of a boss, a prodigious daughter with special needs, a mother who’s been diagnosed with cancer, and single mother status. As boredom sets in her professional life, a submission lands on her desk, which charges her enough to make it her mission to publish it. But, her boss, Ashish Pradhan wants it trashed, as it carries the scandalous true stories of real women like celebrity banker Sonia Vaswani, the glamorous and page 3 regular Rimpy, and a top actress. As Preeta works on the book secretly, she grapples with unforeseen circumstances, new friendships, the promise of a special relationship with her colleague Prakash Raghuraj, betrayal, and the possibility of losing her job. In the process, she faces her fears, seeks answers to many of her vexing questions and exorcises her demons, but not before she’s been through hell and high water. Narrated in a racy style, that makes the characters vivid, alive and believable, while bringing out their complexities, this page-turner, written in crisp and contemporary language is a delight to read. You’ll walk with Preeta, sharing her good and bad times, and applaud her as she takes flight. A great monsoon pick!

[Nithya K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up the book while randomly scrolling through the Kindle Unlimited list. The cover and the name jumped at me. I read the blurb and I was in. This is one of those books that kept me hooked.
The dilemmas of urban women, their traumas, their ability to keep themselves upright in the face of personal storms makes this story very interesting. The context was novel: an editor in a Publishing house (at least for me, I have never read a book about an editor).
I liked the way the story progressed, covering all the angles, leaving no loose ends.
There were no mistakes in grammar, spelling, or punctuation. I loved that totally. Crisp sentences and simple language upped the ease quotient.
I recommend this book to anyone (men as well) who is looking for a great story.

[Anandh Sundar · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good book to understanding the Indian publishing space with a family drama built in.

[Sarmistha Biswas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected some encouraging self defining ending from the book but that didn't happen.

[Lakshmi]

loved the story and style of writing.