The Weight Loss Club

by Devapriya Roy

A warm, witty, gloriously realistic novel about living, loving and losing weight.

Set in a middle-class housing colony, this is the story of stay-at-home mum Monalisa, who cannot clean the kitchen counter enough times; Meera, who is bullied constantly by her traditional mother-in-law; college-going Abeer, who isnt sure how to impress the glamorous Mandy; academic Aparajita, who has no takers on the marriage mart; philosopher Ananda, whom no one takes seriously; and Treeza, a former school secretary now sunk in gloom. Into their midst arrives Oxford-returned Sandhya: half hippie, half saadhvi, full spiritual guru. Under her aegis is formed The Weight Loss Club, throwing the lives of our heroes and heroines into utter and delightful disarray.

But while chemistry brews and equations change, one question remains: who is Brahmacharini Sandhya, and why on earth has she moved into Nancy Housing Cooperative?

Genres: Fiction, India

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Indrani Sen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well written light read. It gets the atmosphere of a regular housing society in Kolkata very well. Many of the current social issues are well dealt with. Irrespective of whether you agree with the spiritual angle, the book reads well. I am definitely going to read this writer's first book now.

[Sandhya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Devapriya Roy’s novel proves once again why books and literature continue to offer women the most satisfying expression to their lives.

After thoroughly enjoying her first book, ‘The Vague Woman’s Handbook’, I took up her second, ‘The Weight Loss Club’, with a certain assuredness in the young author’s talent. Also, since Devapriya Roy tends to draw a lot from her own personality and interests, which I relate to, I knew I was in for a good time. The author is a bibliophile and much of the things that happen in her fictional universe mirror her real-life passion for books. Her lead characters have academic careers, revel in their intellectual pursuits, and have a singular love for books. Like all book lovers who love leisure and have a special fondness for cafes, bakeries and tea time in general, Devapriya’s books abound in lush descriptions of food, which are guaranteed to make you head to the kitchen while reading the book.
Being a researcher herself, she has a curious mind, and many subjects find expression through the novel’s varied and interesting characters.

the rest here: http://sandyi.blogspot.in/2015/03/the...

[Ahtims · Rating 3 out of 5]

The initial promise of a cozy Indian story did not last through the entire book. By about 40% things began to pall, and it dragged on and on and on, and finally wrapped itself up including exotic circumstances. The only character I loved was Apoorva or Apu, rest all were sort of stereotyped to the extreme.
The story of the parallel lives lived in a middle income group apartment complex takes place in Calcutta, but it may be true (to some extent, sans the extreme picturization) to all Indian metros and cities.. and can be extrapolated to all mid socioeconomic status people.

[Madhubanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful book crafted with gentle humour and care. All the characters, from Apu with her hunger pangs, unassuming, gentle Anondo to the two mothers in the book, so vastly different from each other- Treeza and Mrs. Das- come vividly(and very lovably) to life. Others like Abeer, AJ, Mandy, Rocky and Molly populate the 'college scene', endearingly young, and caught up in their little romances. And then, of course, there's Sandhya, holding the book together with her narrative of pain and enlightenment, bringing happiness and peace to the wonderful world of Nancy Housing Cooperative.With numerous pop culture references(with Mary Poppins as my personal favourite), The Weight Loss Club is a pleasure to read from beginning to end. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has lived in Calcutta (which, incidentally, is beautifully represented in all its reality) or to anyone who hasn't. Oh, and by the end of the book, the reader will have 'lost' as much 'weight' as Apu has.

[Sanhita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Name of the book sounds like a chic-lit but has much more than that. There isn't much to do with weigh-loss either. The story is based on typical Kolkata residential complex, with a number of families, gossips, college and school going kids, romances happening there. However if it was just that, perhaps it would have been another book added to the read and forgotten list. Here the addition of a brahmacharini who is a world-reknowned yoga guru and spiritual author with a past and a link to Kolkata gives the twist to the tale. In fact it's her story which runs behind the main story holds the interest more and impressed me most. There are way too many characters which soon become difficult to keep a tab on, which is a big drawback.
On the whole I liked the book.

[Sonali Ekka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple, entertaining and gripping. It doesn't have a weak, cliched plot like many other books by contemporary Indian authors, the language, though simple isn't simplistic. And the colourful characters, the attention to the tiniest of details, frequent references to the various localities, language and cuisine of Calcutta is what makes this book an enjoyable read. Not to mention the description of the Puja itself, without which a book based in Calcutta and written by a Bengali author would have been incomplete.

[Sujatha · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you can withstand the onslaught of an odd 50 characters in a book of 300 + pages, you should read this. It is a novel of many stories of the residents of a housing colony called Nancy. I thought this was another one of those frivolous, light, Indian chic-litty kind of quick-to-be-forgotten books. But I was in for a very pleasant surprise. It had a bit of everything for everyone. Gossipmongers, teenagers in love, a very famous yoga guru from the UK with tidbits on meditation and yoga, a very polite bachelor who is always too eager to please, a mother worrying about her slightly overweight daughter's marriage prospects, a mother who strives for perfection in everything she does, a woman struggling with her kids, irritating in-laws, a young woman who always has a vacant, faraway look in her eyes because of reasons known only to her and many more adorable characters.

Set mostly in Calcutta in the 21st century, the narrative is smooth and flowing and the characters are people who you are likely to meet in your daily life with all their flaws and imperfections. There is never a lull in the writing. My only peeve against this book is the number of characters. If you have a sieve like memory like mine, I would suggest you to note down who is who. Otherwise you would be blinking foolishly at the names of the people in the book.

Another funny thing about this book is its title. It has nothing to do with weight loss or clubs dealing with the same. I chose this book thinking it was about some ladies struggling with weight issues and how they join a club and overcome their weight issues and all. But I was highly mistaken and it’s not my fault. It deals with some serious issues like post partum depression, depression stemming from guilt and loneliness, the pressures that exams have on students and their consequences etc. There is a lot of talk too on how our insecurities, if unchecked, can lead to serious and harmful effects on our body. Yoga, thus, is introduced into the narrative as a means of bringing about balance and restoring mental peace, good health and a sound mind.

All in all, it’s a very good one time read.

[Priya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I have been meaning to read for quite some time now and I really enjoyed it when I did get to it!
In fact,I originally subscribed to KU to read this book!
Reminiscent of TV shows that have a whole set of diverse families living in a housing society and interacting with each other, this one had very varied characters and situations.
The harried daughter in law who succumbs to the pressures on her, the girl pursuing her PhD whose marital prospects nevertheless depend on her losing weight and being a wonderful cook, the mother who only wants the best for her children but inadvertently pressurises them, the married couple dealing with a loss without knowing how to turn to each other, the confirmed bachelor taking care of his mother and wondering what more there is to life, the young people and their first crushes and their attempts to spend more time with the ones they fancy... these are some of the interesting people who live in the Nancy Housing Society in Calcutta.
. Every individual can identify themselves in and relate to these people and the issues they are faced with.
As they deal with life's problems, they encounter spiritual master Sandhya who is there for reasons of her own and who quickly becomes the voice of reason for many.
Life in Calcutta, the markets, the hawkers, the colleges and booksellers and most importantly the time of Durga puja with all its accompanying rituals is very nicely described and woven into the narrative.

The story has humour, emotion, philosophy and a lot of depth.
A very refreshing, nice read.

[The Notorious Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Weight Loss Club by Devapriya Roy is a warm and witty novel which highlights social stigmas faced by average middle class families in India. As the name suggests, it talks about living, loving and losing weight. Set in a middle-class bengali housing colony, it spans across many characters of different age groups, situations and circumstances. Reader feels a personal connection with these characters each dealing with their own struggles. Whether you are a teenager struggling to impress the pretty girl or mature adult unable to tackle your kids, this story have something in store for everyone.

This is a simple story of self realisation without any mind-boggling twists, turns and frills of a thriller novel. Not only is the novel extremely relatable also it teaches how big issues in our life might have some very simple solutions.
I enjoyed reading as it was very relatable but also struggled to finish it as it as it lacked the thrill of a mystery genre which I personally like to read.

[Karishma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am conflicted about this book, so I'm going to do what I do best: make a list. (Let's see if I can resurrect some ancient HTML knowledge for this.)

What I liked:

The individual stories of people
The poignancy of the stories and the struggle of characters
Action-packed and fast reading
The characters are absurdly lovable


What I didn't like:

The meandering stories which took too long to come together
The unrealistic dialogues, behaviours, and thoughts the characters have. Doesn't really reflect normal human interaction.
In an effort to show-not-tell, there is no clarity or consistency. The scenes are described in insane and unnecessary detail, but the people aren't.
The oh-so-neat ending for everyone's stories. Yes, light reading, but is it necessary to suspend belief altogether?
One-dimensional characters


Even after making the list, I have no conclusion. I enjoyed reading it, but it made me roll my eyes far too many times.

[Sony · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I started reading this book, I didn't had any expectations from it as I hadn't heard the name of the book or the author before.
The book starts in a old regular housing society in Kolkata and has the character of the city embedded in it , from the description of mouthwatering Bengali dishes to larger than life pandals of Durga puja. The story revolves around different characters living in the housing society, their relationships and their problems dealing with life. Many of the current social issues are introduced and dealt with in the book. There is a spiritual angel in the book as well. The cutest was the "pink chappal" part in the book { you would have to read it to know about it further :) } I really enjoyed reading the book and it is a very well written, light read.

[Gowri N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5.

If you like reading about the everyday lives of ordinary people with their little joys and unspoken sorrows, you will find The Weight Loss Club very readable. Devapriya Roy is a good writer and manages to bring her (many) characters alive, most of whom are likable. You do become interested in their individual journeys and want to find out what happens in the end.

What doesn't work for the book is how it becomes preachy (much ado about existential philosophy) and prescriptive (sesame oil massages, yoga, and exercise will solve most problems in life) in parts. Because I treated this as a light weekend read, I was okay with the happy endings all around. In general though, I like a little more realism in my reads.

[Anuradha Mohankumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Weight Loss Club - When I heard the name, I thought it would about a club where the characters try to lose their weight. So I was kind of looking for a fun read. Well, this book is definitely fun but more than that it is enlightening. It is about losing all the extra baggage we carry along and how it can actually ruin our lives. It is about some interesting,diverse characters in Nancy Cooperative Society living with various issues and how a lady named Sandhya comes into their lives and changes them all for the better. I really loved the breezy writing style of Devapriya Roy.

[Book Nerdy 2020 · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE WEIGHT LOSS CLUB is set in a middle class housing society of Kolkata.
The book shows the journey of the residents of Nancy housing cooperative as they go about the curious experiments with love,life and weight loss. Each character has been very well defined. Though the title says weightloss, only one character seems to loose a few kilos. So I guess it's more about shedding the mental baggage than the physical one.
It's a warm ,witty and quite a realistic book.
A easy and simple read.

My Rating - 3.5/5

[Subhadra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too many characters and sadly, one distinguishable from the other only by name. Although I belong to the same culture and even the same city, for that matter; I found it hard to relate. When my attempt to view the story as an insider fell flat on the face; I tried to read it as an outsider, and there too, I could not find the charm. I tried. Real hard. But I just could not connect with the plot or the characters.

[Shlok Shah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The weight Loss Club is set in Nancy Colony where people, with their own specific problems reside. One day, matters start to resolve once Oxford-return Sandhya, or Mataji arrives to live. Its a fabulous tale of what people face in general and the way to come out of that is through self-faith. I really recommend people to read it.

[Sonam Dubey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book's name will definitely misguide you about what this book is! I truly enjoyed this book , a masala book which will entertain you. It also teaches you some very important life lessons. It's a feel good, happy ending kind of book which you definitely want to read.

[Sreelakshmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its more than just weight loss, its about the freedom of letting go and finding happiness.

[Ajeet Velankar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written

Vivid images of Calcutta and Calcuttans I expected. But an interesting plot narrated with such style, was something I didn't expect from such a young author.

[Aekta Kapoor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kolkata comes alive in its nuanced Calcutta avatar and Durga Puja becomes the climactic high point where events and emotions reach their nail-biting peak in Devapriya Roy’s new novel The Weight Loss Club (Rupa Publications). Set in a middle-class neighbourhood in an unfashionable part of town, the book follows the journeys of the residents of Nancy Housing Cooperative as they go about their ‘curious experiments’ in life, love and loss. Written with insight, compassion and wit, the interwoven stories in the book grow on you, tugging both your funny bone and your heartstrings, until you find yourself hooked to the end. For those who cannot resist 21st-century urban fairy tales, this one is a clincher.

Unlike Roy’s debut novel The Vague Woman’s Handbook (Harper Collins India, 2011) which centred on two women friends, there are multiple protagonists in The Weight Loss Club. There’s Apu (Aparajita Mukherjee), the accomplished PhD scholar and professor, who must submit to her mother’s overarching desire to see her married and lose a few kilos before a prospective NRI groom arrives from America to check her out. There’s her friend Meera Sahai who, after two little babies, is unable to handle her monster mother-in-law and indifferent husband any longer.

There’s Ananda Bose, the garrulous bachelor, neighbourhood philosopher and devoted son. There’s John and Treeza, the once-in-love couple now torn apart by clinical depression and intimate secrets. There’s Monalisa Das, super mom, super cook and super-driven manager of all things home, whose two young sons must bear the brunt of her super ambition. There’s Abeer, who is hopelessly in love with the sexy Mandy in his college music club but who must overcome the obstacles of his own chubby girth and her dandy suitor before he can make any progress.

And then there’s former rock star and cancer-survivor Sandhya, the Caribbean-born, East Indian guru of all things, who travels from England to India in a mystical turn of events and ends up setting up a ‘half-ashram’ in Nancy Housing Cooperative, healing broken hearts and mending wounded relationships.

Besides the people, the city too has a distinct role, with its Bengali quirks, chaos and cuisine. Calcutta comes alive with each dawn and changes its tune with every season, holding its own against a tableau of compelling tales from globalised India.

The book’s title is a tad misleading as the phrase only occurs for the first time halfway through the book and only a few kilos are lost (and by only one person) in the course of its 294 pages. Instead, the characters, sketched with a commendable balance of seriousness and humour, mostly go about their humdrum, everyday lives replete with drama and aplomb. As Durga Puja approaches, their stories get increasingly interlinked until a crescendo is reached, death underlines the festivities with dark humour, and a new life begins with its trademark wink of promise.

Roy writes with wisdom without moralising, poignancy without pathos. Her own experiences no doubt play a role in her artful weaving of history, spirituality and political commentary while keeping up a chatty narrative. Racy, rich and calorie-free, The Weight Loss Club is feel-good food for thought.

[Nirmalya Kajuri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really enjoyable read. A mostly well paced light read with relatable characters and situations, the book is often funny, occasionally touching and ultimately large hearted. Of all the popular fiction by the current generation of Indian writers that I've read, this is surely one of the best and certainly the gentlest. The first part was nothing short of brilliant.

The story brings together a number of quirky but believable characters who share an apartment. All of them have problems of their own, ranging from love troubles of a young teenager to the mother obsessed with her son's performance at school to one woman who is gradually losing all interest in life. Their problems escalate and appear to overwhelm the characters. But then a mysterious guest arrives at the apartment and helps everyone shed some spiritual weight. There are a several romantic sub plots, one of which I thought was really sweet.

Most of the characters come across like people you would know in real life, particularly if you've lived in Kolkata. In portraying such diverse characters with verisimilitude Roy shows herself to be a writer of some range. She also has a talent for poking fun at socially normative but hypocritical behaviour, which reminded me of the great Ashapurna Devi. Roy's portrayal of social life in a Kolkata apartment is perfectly done, and happily unlike most Bengali writers she doesn't confine herself to writing only about Bengali characters.

If the book has a fault, it is perhaps Roy trying to get inside the skin of too many different characters and situations. She undoubtedly has range, but I think the book could have shed some unessential weight - particularly the Sadhvi's backstory doesn't quite gel into the rest of the novel.

I also thought that it would have been a better novel if the residents of the apartment could have gotten together and helped solve each other's problems without help from the mysterious guest. There is also quite a bit about Reiki in the second half of the book - which I found interesting because I knew nothing of it - but again I think it would have been a better book if those bits weren't there.

But these minor quibbles apart, a very entertaining and broad hearted book, which will almost certainly make your day.

[Readers Cosmos · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Review:
Positives: The author has told an interesting story with real life like characters. Along with it she has also mildly addressed issues like the female child, the obsession of parents with marks etc. Each character has his unique story and there is no overlap of multiple characters. Balancing so many characters well is indeed an accomplishment. Also the scientific facts mentioned about memory of genes being passed across generation is very accurate and I am very impressed by that.
Negatives: Some places the author has gone into too much description, the part where Treeza and her husband go for a party and meet the avalanche of characters that the reader cannot cope up with is not needed. The part two as I said earlier goes downhill after setting up high expectations in part one. A little restructuring there would help a great deal. Also there are some hind words in between , just two or three places which isn't expected.

The Verdict: Over all an entertaining read. Let me into introspection at times. Worth a read. 3.5 stars on 5.

[Locomente · Rating 3 out of 5]

To begin with, the cover page is designed very well. It is vibrant and has the flair to attract reader’s attention.

The author’s style of writing carries in depth philosophy and it is intricately woven into the simple lives of the neighbors in Nancy Housing Cooperatives!

There is no story as such. This book can be called as a compilation of few events that unravels during some days prior to and a few months after the arrival of Sandhya.

The beauty of the book lies in the fact that the characters are so real. They are like you and me. There is neither exaggeration nor drama. The author has essayed the characters with heaps of reality and hence, we get to connect with them easily.

Though the book is titled “The Weight Loss Club”, it is essentially much more than that. The book celebrated human mind and body which needs to be looked beyond physical appearance. This concept is brilliantly dealt by the author and we will enjoy the journey.


The book hits the right chord and at the end, we pine for a mentor like Sandhya in our lives.

[Sudipta · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast paced, fun, harmless read....language of the book flowed effortlessly. It connected the lives of the residents of an apartment complex in Kolkata nicely, always holding the reader's interest. The end is quite neatly tied up and cliched but from the genre it belongs to, that is expected and infact not quite so laden with cliches like others of its kinds. I quite liked the spiritual tone of the book's title and mood,it added certain weight to this breezy, easy read.

Having just brought my nose out of the mesmerizing and disturbing 'Life of Pi', this was that perfect read to shake the weight(I am not complaining, it was a book I shall cherish having read forever)of that book. Total time pass!

[Zarreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took so long to read it cause I read 4 pages and thought too many descriptions and left it aside for many months. I like fast paced books with lots of dialogues. But when I picked it up again last week I was so taken in by the gorgeous language and the metaphors she's used. Some bits were a drag but otherwise a deliciously written book!

[Salonee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very endearing, comforting tale, one that lets me believe that running will definitely help me lose some weight, and that there's always hope. Always. Interwoven tales of a selected bunch of residents in a middle class apartment block set in Kolkata, it highlights how our neighbours are our first family - especially in India.

[Sudeepa Nair · Rating 3 out of 5]

A harmless story line, proceeds at a languid pace, wonderful insights into certain social quirks of middle class families and coping mechanisms of their women, ideal for a cup of tea and pakoras on a lazy, rainy, Sunday afternoon... :)

[Aditi Dutta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Devapriya Roy is definitely skilled at chalking out her characters, they seem very real. she is able to setup a complex backdrop for the story, but the pace of the book is rather slow. There is too much description and very little 'story'. It makes the reader question where it is all headed.

[Tanvi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been through a tough time lately.
This is a book i would always remember as my only log of wood when i was almost sinking in the sea. I would not say much about the story but this is a story written straight from the heart by an intelligent writer. It inspires you to live, is refreshing :)

[Samarpita Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.