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Sita's Curse : The Language of Desire
Somewhere, behind closed doors, in her solitary world; somewhere, under the sheets with an indifferent lover; Somewhere, is a woman who will not be denied. Trapped for fifteen years in the stranglehold of a dead marriage and soulless household domesticity, the beautiful, full-bodied and passionate Meera Patel depends on her memories and her flights of fancy to soothe the aches that wrack her body; to quieten an unquenchable need. Until one cataclysmic day in Mumbai, when she finally breaks free... Bold, brazen and defiant, Sitas Curse looks at the hypocrisy of Indian society and tells the compelling story of a middle-class Indian housewifes urgent need for love, respect, acceptance and sexual fulfillment.
344 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
June 1, 2014
Plot: A beautiful young girl from a village in Gujarat, Meera has barely come to terms with the death of her twin brother, when she is married off to a stranger in Mumbai. The groom seems aloof from the start, and Meera realizes that she is stuck in a loveless marriage that fails to satisfy her desires and longings. She meets several people through the years, though she fails to strike a bond with anyone. Finally, a rainy, flooded day in Mumbai changes her life.
Review: I’m sorry if the plot seems so short and incomplete, but that’s all there really is to it. I’ll be honest here: The title of the book and the blurb misled me into thinking that this was a feminist story – a woman breaking free of all the oppression around her. Only much later did I realize that the genre was erotica but even then, I had high expectations. This book, sadly, doesn’t really fall into any of those categories.
Broadly speaking, this seems like the screenplay of a C grade Hindi movie, like the ones that get screened in shady movie halls in the corner of a town or village. The heroine Meera is immensely unlikeable, as she cruises through the wafer thin storyline, her pallu slipping all the time, revealing her perky assets, ‘like the ones foreigners have’.
Meera is so beautiful that she has the men of the colony thronging the streets when she walks. Even the gigolo ends up getting smitten by her. Unfortunately, she is just as obsessed with herself and comes across as callous and unscrupulous.
At the risk of sounding like a prude, I’m going to say that this novel was actually disgusting for me. After a point, you get tired of reading about all the sex Meera has (which is quite boring) and just want the story to move on. And she does get a lot of action with practically everyone; no one is spared, not her brother, her cousin, her dance teacher, her second dance teacher, the family Guruji etc.
There are also some cringe-worthy conversations with her Mother, Mother in law and her husband, the bra salesman. Among all these, there are a few digs at the hypocritical Indian society, but by then you are just tired of hearing about how much she loves chest hair on men. Eww.
The title of the book is surprising, since other than the fact that she played Sita at Dussehra every year in her village, there is no relation between the plot and the title. At least there aren’t any typos or grammatical mistakes.
Verdict: By now, you must have a pretty good idea about what to expect from the book. You are free to give it a try, of course, but my recommendation would be to stay away. I’m sure you’ll find several other options if you want either erotica or feminism which are miles better than this tiring book.
Review: I’m sorry if the plot seems so short and incomplete, but that’s all there really is to it. I’ll be honest here: The title of the book and the blurb misled me into thinking that this was a feminist story – a woman breaking free of all the oppression around her. Only much later did I realize that the genre was erotica but even then, I had high expectations. This book, sadly, doesn’t really fall into any of those categories.
Broadly speaking, this seems like the screenplay of a C grade Hindi movie, like the ones that get screened in shady movie halls in the corner of a town or village. The heroine Meera is immensely unlikeable, as she cruises through the wafer thin storyline, her pallu slipping all the time, revealing her perky assets, ‘like the ones foreigners have’.
Meera is so beautiful that she has the men of the colony thronging the streets when she walks. Even the gigolo ends up getting smitten by her. Unfortunately, she is just as obsessed with herself and comes across as callous and unscrupulous.
At the risk of sounding like a prude, I’m going to say that this novel was actually disgusting for me. After a point, you get tired of reading about all the sex Meera has (which is quite boring) and just want the story to move on. And she does get a lot of action with practically everyone; no one is spared, not her brother, her cousin, her dance teacher, her second dance teacher, the family Guruji etc.
There are also some cringe-worthy conversations with her Mother, Mother in law and her husband, the bra salesman. Among all these, there are a few digs at the hypocritical Indian society, but by then you are just tired of hearing about how much she loves chest hair on men. Eww.
The title of the book is surprising, since other than the fact that she played Sita at Dussehra every year in her village, there is no relation between the plot and the title. At least there aren’t any typos or grammatical mistakes.
Verdict: By now, you must have a pretty good idea about what to expect from the book. You are free to give it a try, of course, but my recommendation would be to stay away. I’m sure you’ll find several other options if you want either erotica or feminism which are miles better than this tiring book.
May 16, 2014
Very disappointing considering the hype. Described as the story of a middle-class Indian housewife's urgent need for love, respect, acceptance and sexual fulfillment...sadly, she ends up finding only Sexual fulfillment. Love, respect and acceptance seems to get drowned in the deluge.
May 19, 2014
'After 15 years of a loveless marriage...' it says. Love? Hah.
Spoilers ahead. But hey, this is not the kind of book you read for the plot.
Meera. The ordinary girl from the village. The girl who starts off her sexual journey with incest, moves on to underage discovery, graduates to doing it with a stranger on a riverbank, experiments with another woman and finally gets into that supposedly loveless marriage.
The husband of course is ,well, inadequate. The husband, inconsistent wimpy creature that he is, tries hard. He really tries. He tries at home, he tries in a movie theater, he tries on the public road behind a parked car. He tries. He even calls her up in the middle of the day and has a very contrived, shudderworthy conversation describing various pieces of imported lingerie. The poor man. He tries. But hello, what about love shove and all that.
In between the extremely graphic scenes a bit of story happens. And then she has Guruji sex, indulges in icky voyeurism ( thanks to the lustworthy brother-in-law and his wife), lots of self pleasuring and some more. And then some more. Wait. That's not all. She moves on to have sex with the hot dance teacher neighbour and then enjoys some cliched partying with classmates from here English class.
And finally she ushers in the internet era and discovers the pleasures of cyber sex using webcams in paid chatrooms. Oh, the book doesn't disappoint, these scenes come complete with graphic chats with mumbailover (well researched, I assume ). And that that cataclysmic day finally happens with the earth shaking climax : A gigolo who completes her search for whatever she is searching for. What more can a woman trapped in a loveless marriage ask for? Seriously.
Yes, the book is not meant to titillate. It is meant to make you cringe. No, I'm not a prude. I'm so 'modern' that I was even disappointed with the level of erotica in the 50 Shades books. But this book is pure ick. I have no other words to describe it. Written in first person, it makes it even more icky. There's so much of sex that towards the end, I skimmed through the scenes just to get to the damn story.
You know those sleazy websites like indian sax stories dot com ( how do I know? Puhleese). Those websites that have 'true' stories born out of suppressed fantasies written in really bad grammar? This book is like a compilation of all those stories, but with the grammar and spellings corrected. Complete with backless cholis and conveniently slipping pallus.
Sita. Where does she come in? I don't know. She is plugged into the book in a few places, but I don't understand the connection. Maybe I should read between the sheets. I have half a mind to call in the culturebrigade and outrage about misusing Sita's name.
Verdict? Nope. I couldn't digest it. But maybe you can.
http://thebookstoryblog.wordpress.com...
Spoilers ahead. But hey, this is not the kind of book you read for the plot.
Meera. The ordinary girl from the village. The girl who starts off her sexual journey with incest, moves on to underage discovery, graduates to doing it with a stranger on a riverbank, experiments with another woman and finally gets into that supposedly loveless marriage.
The husband of course is ,well, inadequate. The husband, inconsistent wimpy creature that he is, tries hard. He really tries. He tries at home, he tries in a movie theater, he tries on the public road behind a parked car. He tries. He even calls her up in the middle of the day and has a very contrived, shudderworthy conversation describing various pieces of imported lingerie. The poor man. He tries. But hello, what about love shove and all that.
In between the extremely graphic scenes a bit of story happens. And then she has Guruji sex, indulges in icky voyeurism ( thanks to the lustworthy brother-in-law and his wife), lots of self pleasuring and some more. And then some more. Wait. That's not all. She moves on to have sex with the hot dance teacher neighbour and then enjoys some cliched partying with classmates from here English class.
And finally she ushers in the internet era and discovers the pleasures of cyber sex using webcams in paid chatrooms. Oh, the book doesn't disappoint, these scenes come complete with graphic chats with mumbailover (well researched, I assume ). And that that cataclysmic day finally happens with the earth shaking climax : A gigolo who completes her search for whatever she is searching for. What more can a woman trapped in a loveless marriage ask for? Seriously.
Yes, the book is not meant to titillate. It is meant to make you cringe. No, I'm not a prude. I'm so 'modern' that I was even disappointed with the level of erotica in the 50 Shades books. But this book is pure ick. I have no other words to describe it. Written in first person, it makes it even more icky. There's so much of sex that towards the end, I skimmed through the scenes just to get to the damn story.
You know those sleazy websites like indian sax stories dot com ( how do I know? Puhleese). Those websites that have 'true' stories born out of suppressed fantasies written in really bad grammar? This book is like a compilation of all those stories, but with the grammar and spellings corrected. Complete with backless cholis and conveniently slipping pallus.
Sita. Where does she come in? I don't know. She is plugged into the book in a few places, but I don't understand the connection. Maybe I should read between the sheets. I have half a mind to call in the culturebrigade and outrage about misusing Sita's name.
Verdict? Nope. I couldn't digest it. But maybe you can.
http://thebookstoryblog.wordpress.com...
May 19, 2014
Sita's Curse is the story of a girl named Meera and traces the journey of her life from childhood to adulthood. Born to her parents, after three miscarriages, she did not come into the world alone. Kartik, her twin brother is her soul mate, in every other term that we will find out later. Married at the age of nineteen to a man twelve years older than her, the need for her sexual fulfillment forms the story. Meera is clearly the heroine here, even if there is a chapter by that name dedicated solely to her in the book.
The prologue starts of with a masturbation scene, where in Meera is lying on her bed enjoying her pleasures as her husband and his family are knocking on the door to her bedroom, along with a parrot constantly screeching out "Ram Ram". Her self indulging act is described with vivid detail, as her fingers reach every inch of her own body. As she folds her leg to sit up as she reaches her climax, the author chooses to call her 'Goddess Lakshmi seated on a half open lotus'. Meera's act in the introduction of the book clearly is responsible for the sales of this book. Indian authors have been always known to rely on sex to build up a story, pre-marital or otherwise; Sita's Curse is no different. Every alternate page in the book is a sex scene, described with clear details as to where whose hands was. Meera's vagina is called as 'her sex' and the male organ here is called as 'his hardness'. The sexual content did not bother me much, as much as Meera did. In search of pleasure, she goes on having sex with almost every male character in the book. And one female too.
The book starts of promisingly, with Meera's childhood and her bonding with her twin brother. But after a few pages, it turns cringe worthy. Kartik, her own twin brother begins lusting for her. She is seen discussing about her breasts and every other change in her body with him. Why, he even helps her remove her bra, because she finds it too tight. Incest much? Well yeah. Meera is described to be very beautiful and her hands are described to induce poetry. At a tender age, she tries to have sex with her dance teacher, which again is described with microscopic details, only to be interrupted by her first period. I was surprised that she know how to perform oral sex and understood sexual pleasure even before reaching puberty. Her twin brother, apparently sees this scene and is troubled in his mind as her wants his sister only for himself, body and soul. In order to control his feelings for her, he is conveniently sent away from the house, only to be dead a few years later.
The rest of Meera's life is spent in the quest of a male who would make her feel the way Kartik did. She tries to find him in every man she encounters. Be it the complete stranger, whom she has sex with on the river banks, or the modern dance teacher in her building or her sex chat lover whom she meets later. Meera is clearly a woman with a voracious sexual appetite, and her sterile husband, Mohan is someone who can barely get his organ up. The first time they have sex, ends up with Mohan raping her and she writhing in pain. This is soon forgotten and they try to start afresh soon. With her initiating sex in bizarre of places, including an open street one night, immediately after a movie where all they did was feel up each other. Meera even gets excited when she watches her brother in law Bansi and his wife Vrinda, having sex in their room one day. Natural, I suppose. But the hunger she shows is insatiable and after a few chapters I ended up feeling sorry for her.
The other most important characters are Guru Amarkant Maharaj and Yosuf. Yes, you guessed it right, Meera has sex with both of them, while being married to Mohan. Guruji is a saint worshiped by her husband's family and he steps into her room time and again to 'heal' her as her mother in law believes that she is jinxed. Yosuf is the guy she meets in a sex chat site aptly called 'Mumbailover.com'. They have sex online first, via the camera and on one cataclysmic day, they meet. Only to end up saving sex again. And again. And again. This fateful day was June 26th, when the city of Mumbai flooded. That day, both Mohan and Yosuf go missing. Only one of them comes back. What happens to Meera next? Nothing. She still remains the same old girl, craving for sexual fulfillment. She even masturbates on the night, her husband goes missing.
This is how the book is described; "Bold, brazen and defiant, Sita's Curse looks at the hypocrisy of Indian society and tells the compelling story of a middle-class Indian housewife's urgent need for love, respect, acceptance and sexual fulfillment."
Strangely love, respect and acceptance does not make its way in to the book at all. Mohan willingly sends her to English classes and her nephew teaches her how to use the internet, which she used to dangerous extents. Everybody she sleeps with has only sex on their mind. And so does she. Not even once she is shown falling in love with any of these men. Even with Yosuf, it seems transactional instead of love. She has sex with all the men with the same passion and desires more from each of them. At one point of time, I even thought that she is lusting after Bansi, but that angle abruptly ends so does the angle of Chhotu who conveniently disappears from the story line. Guruji's sex scandal takes too much of limelight towards the end, making the already struggling story line sink. Expectations were really high with this book, but in the end it turns out to be real cold. Just like the protagonist, who is touted to be hot and lust worthy.
Inspite of the million references made to the Ramayana, the title of the book is not clear. Sita and Meera, both iconic characters of mythology are compared often, but the result again ends in bad taste.
The prologue starts of with a masturbation scene, where in Meera is lying on her bed enjoying her pleasures as her husband and his family are knocking on the door to her bedroom, along with a parrot constantly screeching out "Ram Ram". Her self indulging act is described with vivid detail, as her fingers reach every inch of her own body. As she folds her leg to sit up as she reaches her climax, the author chooses to call her 'Goddess Lakshmi seated on a half open lotus'. Meera's act in the introduction of the book clearly is responsible for the sales of this book. Indian authors have been always known to rely on sex to build up a story, pre-marital or otherwise; Sita's Curse is no different. Every alternate page in the book is a sex scene, described with clear details as to where whose hands was. Meera's vagina is called as 'her sex' and the male organ here is called as 'his hardness'. The sexual content did not bother me much, as much as Meera did. In search of pleasure, she goes on having sex with almost every male character in the book. And one female too.
The book starts of promisingly, with Meera's childhood and her bonding with her twin brother. But after a few pages, it turns cringe worthy. Kartik, her own twin brother begins lusting for her. She is seen discussing about her breasts and every other change in her body with him. Why, he even helps her remove her bra, because she finds it too tight. Incest much? Well yeah. Meera is described to be very beautiful and her hands are described to induce poetry. At a tender age, she tries to have sex with her dance teacher, which again is described with microscopic details, only to be interrupted by her first period. I was surprised that she know how to perform oral sex and understood sexual pleasure even before reaching puberty. Her twin brother, apparently sees this scene and is troubled in his mind as her wants his sister only for himself, body and soul. In order to control his feelings for her, he is conveniently sent away from the house, only to be dead a few years later.
The rest of Meera's life is spent in the quest of a male who would make her feel the way Kartik did. She tries to find him in every man she encounters. Be it the complete stranger, whom she has sex with on the river banks, or the modern dance teacher in her building or her sex chat lover whom she meets later. Meera is clearly a woman with a voracious sexual appetite, and her sterile husband, Mohan is someone who can barely get his organ up. The first time they have sex, ends up with Mohan raping her and she writhing in pain. This is soon forgotten and they try to start afresh soon. With her initiating sex in bizarre of places, including an open street one night, immediately after a movie where all they did was feel up each other. Meera even gets excited when she watches her brother in law Bansi and his wife Vrinda, having sex in their room one day. Natural, I suppose. But the hunger she shows is insatiable and after a few chapters I ended up feeling sorry for her.
The other most important characters are Guru Amarkant Maharaj and Yosuf. Yes, you guessed it right, Meera has sex with both of them, while being married to Mohan. Guruji is a saint worshiped by her husband's family and he steps into her room time and again to 'heal' her as her mother in law believes that she is jinxed. Yosuf is the guy she meets in a sex chat site aptly called 'Mumbailover.com'. They have sex online first, via the camera and on one cataclysmic day, they meet. Only to end up saving sex again. And again. And again. This fateful day was June 26th, when the city of Mumbai flooded. That day, both Mohan and Yosuf go missing. Only one of them comes back. What happens to Meera next? Nothing. She still remains the same old girl, craving for sexual fulfillment. She even masturbates on the night, her husband goes missing.
This is how the book is described; "Bold, brazen and defiant, Sita's Curse looks at the hypocrisy of Indian society and tells the compelling story of a middle-class Indian housewife's urgent need for love, respect, acceptance and sexual fulfillment."
Strangely love, respect and acceptance does not make its way in to the book at all. Mohan willingly sends her to English classes and her nephew teaches her how to use the internet, which she used to dangerous extents. Everybody she sleeps with has only sex on their mind. And so does she. Not even once she is shown falling in love with any of these men. Even with Yosuf, it seems transactional instead of love. She has sex with all the men with the same passion and desires more from each of them. At one point of time, I even thought that she is lusting after Bansi, but that angle abruptly ends so does the angle of Chhotu who conveniently disappears from the story line. Guruji's sex scandal takes too much of limelight towards the end, making the already struggling story line sink. Expectations were really high with this book, but in the end it turns out to be real cold. Just like the protagonist, who is touted to be hot and lust worthy.
Inspite of the million references made to the Ramayana, the title of the book is not clear. Sita and Meera, both iconic characters of mythology are compared often, but the result again ends in bad taste.
May 25, 2014
Erotica is all about vividness of expression. Where words replay scenes before the readers’ eyes – in order to titillate through the realism. It requires language that freely succumbs to the writer’s fancy, and a writer with an imagination sans social bounds. ‘Sita’s Curse’ is full of sex and love making – some unpleasant, but mostly pleasant. However, notice not just how visually sex has been described but how it has been used by Sreemoyee - to expose socio-religious hypocrisy and question the institution of marriage, by giving a feminist’s voice to Meera, the woman seeking ‘flying without the fear of falling’, a personal freedom.
To read the full review, please click here:
http://www.sakshinanda.com/2014/05/bo...
To read the full review, please click here:
http://www.sakshinanda.com/2014/05/bo...
May 22, 2014
Sita’s Curse is an attempt to ask a few questions that often are either neglected or brushed aside in our society. What if a marriage does not satisfy the bodily wants of a woman, what if her desires remain unfulfilled? How should she react when her husband cannot give her children? How should she react to all these circumstances and handle her own desires that unsettle her? Tough questions aren’t they? The author Sreemoyee Piu Kundu challenges the readers to think about these questions in her book “Sita’s Curse”.
This book is about Meera Patel, a woman from the rural heartlands of Gujarat, It is about her dreams since her childhood, her needs, her marriage to a wealthy man, the short comings of her marriage, her belief system, the people she encounters in her life and finally the big step she takes.
What did I like in the book ?
I liked the questions that were raised, I also liked the way she shows the consequences when important questions are brushed aside and a woman’s needs are not taken care of. When there are short comings and such things are ignored in a marriage, we might end up seeing a result that might bring pain to everyone involved. This particular thing was portrayed very well.
Things I did not like :
The amount of sex in this book, it was really too much. It’s there everywhere, you cannot flip a few pages before running into a scene, a fantasy or something. I was feeling uncomfortable very often while reading the book.
The book starts off with a steamy scene where the protagonist goes to her fantasy world and extracts some self pleasure, everything there is described to the microscopic detail. I was like already uncomfortable, its not just that one place where the author does a deep dive but every few pages you see something of this sort. I understand it is a book that speaks about the desires of a woman but every few pages you get to speak about sex and describe it in microscopic detail, it unsettles the person who is reading it. “Ati sarvatra varjayet”.
The link between the title and the story doesn’t come out well. I somehow did not find the connect.
I understand the demands of the body do play an important role in one’s life, while I am not the right person to speak about the importance of these aspects in the life of a woman, I am really astonished at the way the carnal pleasures become central to the existence of the protagonist. I see a disconnect here, isn’t the life of a 20th or a 21st century woman more tied to her goals, her career, her kids and other vocations of her. I felt really sad that the protagonist’s sole purpose of life seems to be getting the carnal pleasures and quenching the thirst.
No doubt fantastic questions were asked in the book, but where are solutions? Giving a solution to the problems mentioned would have made the book even better. Giving hope and saying that mistakes could be corrected would have definitely taken the book to the next level.
References to Gods and Goddesses could have been avoided, the mention of Goddess Lakshmi in the first few pages of the book is in sour taste.
Conclusion
To sum it up, Sita’s curse is not regular stereotype you see in the market, it is a book that asks tough questions to the Indian Society. On the flip side it has too much erotic content that might really make it a tough read. The questions and the good things of the book get pygmied in front of all that sexual and erotic content. For a person with a conservative mindset it might be a tough book to read.
This book is about Meera Patel, a woman from the rural heartlands of Gujarat, It is about her dreams since her childhood, her needs, her marriage to a wealthy man, the short comings of her marriage, her belief system, the people she encounters in her life and finally the big step she takes.
What did I like in the book ?
I liked the questions that were raised, I also liked the way she shows the consequences when important questions are brushed aside and a woman’s needs are not taken care of. When there are short comings and such things are ignored in a marriage, we might end up seeing a result that might bring pain to everyone involved. This particular thing was portrayed very well.
Things I did not like :
The amount of sex in this book, it was really too much. It’s there everywhere, you cannot flip a few pages before running into a scene, a fantasy or something. I was feeling uncomfortable very often while reading the book.
The book starts off with a steamy scene where the protagonist goes to her fantasy world and extracts some self pleasure, everything there is described to the microscopic detail. I was like already uncomfortable, its not just that one place where the author does a deep dive but every few pages you see something of this sort. I understand it is a book that speaks about the desires of a woman but every few pages you get to speak about sex and describe it in microscopic detail, it unsettles the person who is reading it. “Ati sarvatra varjayet”.
The link between the title and the story doesn’t come out well. I somehow did not find the connect.
I understand the demands of the body do play an important role in one’s life, while I am not the right person to speak about the importance of these aspects in the life of a woman, I am really astonished at the way the carnal pleasures become central to the existence of the protagonist. I see a disconnect here, isn’t the life of a 20th or a 21st century woman more tied to her goals, her career, her kids and other vocations of her. I felt really sad that the protagonist’s sole purpose of life seems to be getting the carnal pleasures and quenching the thirst.
No doubt fantastic questions were asked in the book, but where are solutions? Giving a solution to the problems mentioned would have made the book even better. Giving hope and saying that mistakes could be corrected would have definitely taken the book to the next level.
References to Gods and Goddesses could have been avoided, the mention of Goddess Lakshmi in the first few pages of the book is in sour taste.
Conclusion
To sum it up, Sita’s curse is not regular stereotype you see in the market, it is a book that asks tough questions to the Indian Society. On the flip side it has too much erotic content that might really make it a tough read. The questions and the good things of the book get pygmied in front of all that sexual and erotic content. For a person with a conservative mindset it might be a tough book to read.
May 18, 2014
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Book Review: Sitas Curse: by Sreemoyee Piu Kundu: Any Rating To This Book Will Be An Insult Of Rating
Hot, Sizzling, Erotic, Fantasy, Exotic, Chic Lit, Young Adult, Sexy and Mesmerizing, Arousing; well, Sita's Curse: The Language of Desire by Sreemoyee Piu Kundu nowhere could fall near to any of these categories. Only category where I could place it was Cheap, Third Grade, Overrated, Extrapolated (unnecessarily) with no story, plot or message. It has just one motive - to fantasize porn on each page, in each word. The novel is a dirt for youth, women who could easily fall into its trap towards darker side of unhealthy lifestyle.
The moment I read first couple of pages, my curiosity instantly grew to understand more about its author. No offenses but an ex Lifestyle Editor and a former PR Head could produce a far better positive side of life, something that could go constructive in nature. I am sure everything what an author pens down is never 100% fiction and if even 1% of all porn that Sreemoyee Piu Kundu has had in her real life - she had a worst taste of life, I would say. And on top of it - the best part of the joke is that this nonsense, full of sex, book has been dedicated by the author to her parents. I am sure no parent would be able to read even a single page of this rubbish book in front of their children and even vice versa. Readers can guess out well what all goes in the life of a lifestyle editor and a PR executive. Is it an autobiography, fiction or 50:50; am wondering.
Further absurd things are - the publisher Hachette India, who thought it to be a buck generating stuff and thus allowing it to be published, Blogadda distributing copies to book lovers probably with no understanding at their end on what low grade stuff it carried. The stuff is totally infection to mind and heart to take away the purity and fill in filth in it. Few might like this third grade stuff as it might help them in taking to their dark fantasy world. On top of it the writer felt no shame in using respectful mythological characters' names of Gods and Goddesses.
There are number of ways of presenting a story or plot. A story on a red light area can be produced in such a strong and powerful manner that it nowhere appears to be a porn stuff. But then it also depends on the mental status of author also. Here it is totally reverse. The overall intention of author is not to present a powerful or meaningful story or plot in a constructive manner, but to put all the filth of her career and mind in each and every page of Sita's Curse: The Language of Desire. And it is clearly evident that author has smartly covered this completely third grade porn stuff in form of a story and putting a title that promises a lot of intensive and serious story.
A prayer at the end for the author to get right kind of grey cells growth in mind by God, to write right stuff for right kind of audience instead of masking the stuff and misguiding the readers.
Giving any rating to such a book would be an insult of the rating.
Book Review: Sitas Curse: by Sreemoyee Piu Kundu: Any Rating To This Book Will Be An Insult Of Rating
Hot, Sizzling, Erotic, Fantasy, Exotic, Chic Lit, Young Adult, Sexy and Mesmerizing, Arousing; well, Sita's Curse: The Language of Desire by Sreemoyee Piu Kundu nowhere could fall near to any of these categories. Only category where I could place it was Cheap, Third Grade, Overrated, Extrapolated (unnecessarily) with no story, plot or message. It has just one motive - to fantasize porn on each page, in each word. The novel is a dirt for youth, women who could easily fall into its trap towards darker side of unhealthy lifestyle.
The moment I read first couple of pages, my curiosity instantly grew to understand more about its author. No offenses but an ex Lifestyle Editor and a former PR Head could produce a far better positive side of life, something that could go constructive in nature. I am sure everything what an author pens down is never 100% fiction and if even 1% of all porn that Sreemoyee Piu Kundu has had in her real life - she had a worst taste of life, I would say. And on top of it - the best part of the joke is that this nonsense, full of sex, book has been dedicated by the author to her parents. I am sure no parent would be able to read even a single page of this rubbish book in front of their children and even vice versa. Readers can guess out well what all goes in the life of a lifestyle editor and a PR executive. Is it an autobiography, fiction or 50:50; am wondering.
Further absurd things are - the publisher Hachette India, who thought it to be a buck generating stuff and thus allowing it to be published, Blogadda distributing copies to book lovers probably with no understanding at their end on what low grade stuff it carried. The stuff is totally infection to mind and heart to take away the purity and fill in filth in it. Few might like this third grade stuff as it might help them in taking to their dark fantasy world. On top of it the writer felt no shame in using respectful mythological characters' names of Gods and Goddesses.
There are number of ways of presenting a story or plot. A story on a red light area can be produced in such a strong and powerful manner that it nowhere appears to be a porn stuff. But then it also depends on the mental status of author also. Here it is totally reverse. The overall intention of author is not to present a powerful or meaningful story or plot in a constructive manner, but to put all the filth of her career and mind in each and every page of Sita's Curse: The Language of Desire. And it is clearly evident that author has smartly covered this completely third grade porn stuff in form of a story and putting a title that promises a lot of intensive and serious story.
A prayer at the end for the author to get right kind of grey cells growth in mind by God, to write right stuff for right kind of audience instead of masking the stuff and misguiding the readers.
Giving any rating to such a book would be an insult of the rating.
May 13, 2014
Sita’s Curse explores a woman’s desire for love, acceptance and sexual gratification which is still a taboo in our country, the land of Khajuraho and Kamasutra! The book has a lot of graphic sex scenes but the idea is not to titillate. To me, it represents the empowerment for women, the recognition of women and their sexual desires and cravings.
Detailed Review on the blog : http://shilpaagarg.com/2014/05/sitas-...
Detailed Review on the blog : http://shilpaagarg.com/2014/05/sitas-...
May 13, 2014
There's always a meticulous rise to something. For a woman it's never been easy. The part she plays in this male dominated society is quite contrary as to what her heart makes images of. For some it's a rosy life but for some it constantly asks questions to which no one has appropriate answers. Sita's Curse is one such story where a woman undertakes a fore-lone journey in order to survive in this cruel yet sympathetic world.
The transformation from a young girl to a doting wife and an understanding bahu for a mother in law and to a quiet home maker is a stark contrast of what it looks from outside. The turmoil and it's effects are real and leaves a stirring effect on the mind. The story sharing all sorts of emotions with equal attention and adding glitz, sleaze, lust, desire and want on of a woman. The constant questions and the scarred innocence of the character protrudes and breaks all the barriers. The freedom within touching distance at one moment and vanishing in the other adds meat to the entire book. There is a surreal impact of whatever the story undergoes time and again as it makes you hate and love the reality in equal force.
There is only one mistake in the book where Binal has been misspelt as Bimal couple of times.
All in all the book swallows the readers and if the reader is a woman gives wings to their unfulfilled desires but cautioning it with right decisions. The story has a long lasting lingering over the mind and the heart flows along with it. The book's fiction is more realistic and can be related to real life scenarios too. The transformation of the entire story binding you till the end. A book with tenacity and cruel effect yet subtle and tactical emotions which work it's magic all over.
The transformation from a young girl to a doting wife and an understanding bahu for a mother in law and to a quiet home maker is a stark contrast of what it looks from outside. The turmoil and it's effects are real and leaves a stirring effect on the mind. The story sharing all sorts of emotions with equal attention and adding glitz, sleaze, lust, desire and want on of a woman. The constant questions and the scarred innocence of the character protrudes and breaks all the barriers. The freedom within touching distance at one moment and vanishing in the other adds meat to the entire book. There is a surreal impact of whatever the story undergoes time and again as it makes you hate and love the reality in equal force.
There is only one mistake in the book where Binal has been misspelt as Bimal couple of times.
All in all the book swallows the readers and if the reader is a woman gives wings to their unfulfilled desires but cautioning it with right decisions. The story has a long lasting lingering over the mind and the heart flows along with it. The book's fiction is more realistic and can be related to real life scenarios too. The transformation of the entire story binding you till the end. A book with tenacity and cruel effect yet subtle and tactical emotions which work it's magic all over.
May 21, 2014
Liberation is both internal and external. Placing liberation into slots somehow fractures its whole purpose, renders its useless. For instance what use is sexual liberation if you are chained to many other dogmas and thinkings surrounding you? Again seeking sexual freedom is seen as the ultimate form of liberation when you unshackle yourself from the guilt and biases that surround the seeking of this pleasure. ‘Sita’s Curse’ begins on this very premise.
Meera the feminist and the feminine: Meera is aware of her sexuality right from the time she steps into adolescence. For the first time we are seeing a woman, a Bharatiya Nari at that from a subservient family aware of her desires and fantasies and longing of the flesh separate and distinct from the longings of her soul someone whose longings are not reduced to feminine wiles. I liked that.
Read more here http://sridevidatta.wordpress.com/201...
Meera the feminist and the feminine: Meera is aware of her sexuality right from the time she steps into adolescence. For the first time we are seeing a woman, a Bharatiya Nari at that from a subservient family aware of her desires and fantasies and longing of the flesh separate and distinct from the longings of her soul someone whose longings are not reduced to feminine wiles. I liked that.
Read more here http://sridevidatta.wordpress.com/201...
May 28, 2014
I don't know what kind of message the author was trying to convey in this book. To be honest...I found 50 shades a lot better than this one. There were things in parts that made sense like a woman loves to be desired more than to be loved. Either I'm not normal or there was some kind of serious problem with the protagonist. The book is all about her saree, blouse, hair etc and yes a lot of things apart from this which were not only difficult to read but made my eyes bleed...specially her relationship with her teen brother. Too much mindfuck. If you like that then go ahead :) good luck :p
November 15, 2015
1.5 stars actually.
Meera is a very very peculiar lady. After going through her shenanigans I think she is a nymphomaniac, there's no other way to rationalize why she has unbridled sex with almost every convenient male she meets, irrespective of age, situation in life. She only needs a relatively isolated space. She is very beautiful, graceful, has lost her twin brother with whom she was having regular physical relations, has been pushed into a loveless arranged marriage, has come to realize that her husband is impotent, is frustrated with life, but all this doesnot justify her actions and erratic behavior.
Felt slightly queasy while reading the vulgarly described physical attributes. And at around 65% of the book, enters the hero, who changed the course of Meera's life, and which led to the much awaited, though not at all satisfactory ending of the book.
There are numerous editing mistakes. There is abrupt change in events and turns even at the middle of paragraphs, the fonts are tiny, especially the italic paragraphs, which jump in amidst the normal ones. I am unable to guess the importance of the italicized events.
The only thing I understood from the book is
1. If you are a beautiful female your libido is quite high, almost uncomparably high
2. If you don't go out to work, you are always fantasizing about doing IT with all and sundry
3. Men are fools with only one thought in their brains
4. All females around you are ugly
5. Of course you will land up with an unsatisfactory husband
6. Yes, you are justified in having a sexual romp
7. No, it is not at all abnormal, in fact it is liberating, to shut the door to your bedroom at all odd hours and either masturbate, or go to online sex rooms, or reminisce about your previous lovers.
I thoroughly hated this story, even discounting the X-rated parts. It was feeble, full of holes, quite unbelievable. I wish there is never a lady like our Meera in this whole universe, and nor are there likes of the 'gents' I encountered in this book.
Highly recommended if you are in search of something close to Porn with a loose story line
Highly to be avoided, if you are more interested in psychology of arranged marriage, female loneliness and female liberation.
What I felt was that it was female emancipation, not liberation.
With due apologies for the scathing review. I just HAD to vent it out.
Meera is a very very peculiar lady. After going through her shenanigans I think she is a nymphomaniac, there's no other way to rationalize why she has unbridled sex with almost every convenient male she meets, irrespective of age, situation in life. She only needs a relatively isolated space. She is very beautiful, graceful, has lost her twin brother with whom she was having regular physical relations, has been pushed into a loveless arranged marriage, has come to realize that her husband is impotent, is frustrated with life, but all this doesnot justify her actions and erratic behavior.
Felt slightly queasy while reading the vulgarly described physical attributes. And at around 65% of the book, enters the hero, who changed the course of Meera's life, and which led to the much awaited, though not at all satisfactory ending of the book.
There are numerous editing mistakes. There is abrupt change in events and turns even at the middle of paragraphs, the fonts are tiny, especially the italic paragraphs, which jump in amidst the normal ones. I am unable to guess the importance of the italicized events.
The only thing I understood from the book is
1. If you are a beautiful female your libido is quite high, almost uncomparably high
2. If you don't go out to work, you are always fantasizing about doing IT with all and sundry
3. Men are fools with only one thought in their brains
4. All females around you are ugly
5. Of course you will land up with an unsatisfactory husband
6. Yes, you are justified in having a sexual romp
7. No, it is not at all abnormal, in fact it is liberating, to shut the door to your bedroom at all odd hours and either masturbate, or go to online sex rooms, or reminisce about your previous lovers.
I thoroughly hated this story, even discounting the X-rated parts. It was feeble, full of holes, quite unbelievable. I wish there is never a lady like our Meera in this whole universe, and nor are there likes of the 'gents' I encountered in this book.
Highly recommended if you are in search of something close to Porn with a loose story line
Highly to be avoided, if you are more interested in psychology of arranged marriage, female loneliness and female liberation.
What I felt was that it was female emancipation, not liberation.
With due apologies for the scathing review. I just HAD to vent it out.
August 19, 2014
This book may be a good treat for the light erotica readers.
Being a woman, the author has tried to lighten up the needs of sexual desires of a woman named Meera Patel in this book and I must say the author has failed miserably.
Throughout the story, Meera is portrayed constantly carving for fulfillment of her sexual desires. Right from the childhood till the end she had several sexual escapades with different men. After premature death of her brother, she was married to a local businessman Mohan in Mumbai who could never fulfill her desires. Eventually she has sexual affairs with a dance teacher in her colony, a Guruji, a porn website male chat mate etc and few more.
For fulfillment of her desires, she made herself available for almost every male character in the book. Throughout the story, she is portrayed to be EverReady to have sex with everyone who showed smallest of the interest in her which is something I hate the author for portraying her so.
Core idea behind this book seems to be just dishing out the sexual escapades of a woman. I could not at all developed any liking or at least have some sympathy with Meera throughout the book.
Moreover, title of this book is completely misleading. Author should have avoided the use of mythological names like Sita & Meera in such a category book. Sita is nowhere related to the character apart from a small role of Sita that Meera played in few plays in her childhood.
Also, I sincerely request the author to avoid using Gujarati words in any of her upcoming books. The most loving word used for daughter in Gujarati is DIKRI and author made DICKRI out of it. I am thoroughly pissed with author for doing so.
Overall, this is a plain erotica tale set in India with backless cholis and conveniently slipping pallus and a behavior which a reader may not be able to digest from a woman's point of view.
Being a woman, the author has tried to lighten up the needs of sexual desires of a woman named Meera Patel in this book and I must say the author has failed miserably.
Throughout the story, Meera is portrayed constantly carving for fulfillment of her sexual desires. Right from the childhood till the end she had several sexual escapades with different men. After premature death of her brother, she was married to a local businessman Mohan in Mumbai who could never fulfill her desires. Eventually she has sexual affairs with a dance teacher in her colony, a Guruji, a porn website male chat mate etc and few more.
For fulfillment of her desires, she made herself available for almost every male character in the book. Throughout the story, she is portrayed to be EverReady to have sex with everyone who showed smallest of the interest in her which is something I hate the author for portraying her so.
Core idea behind this book seems to be just dishing out the sexual escapades of a woman. I could not at all developed any liking or at least have some sympathy with Meera throughout the book.
Moreover, title of this book is completely misleading. Author should have avoided the use of mythological names like Sita & Meera in such a category book. Sita is nowhere related to the character apart from a small role of Sita that Meera played in few plays in her childhood.
Also, I sincerely request the author to avoid using Gujarati words in any of her upcoming books. The most loving word used for daughter in Gujarati is DIKRI and author made DICKRI out of it. I am thoroughly pissed with author for doing so.
Overall, this is a plain erotica tale set in India with backless cholis and conveniently slipping pallus and a behavior which a reader may not be able to digest from a woman's point of view.
May 19, 2014
Some books you read with an expectation , some with doubts. I picked this book with both in equal measures. I would like to call this book a mix of poetry and prose , the poetry erupting in flashes like Meera's strength to keep her marriage working. She wants to be loved and more than that perhaps she needs to be desired , its said. This made me wonder , is it not the feeling of being desired that binds one to his or her partner. Of course there is a lot of love but can it withstand the waves of unfulfilled desires ?
Some of the incidents in the book seem far fetched , but Sreemoyee keeps the flow of the events as reaction to Meera's life in her husband's home. Beautiful or not , every woman has wants , both physical and emotional. Every woman deserves respect and truth from her partner . Without all this , there are bound to be regrets and complaints. But inspite of all this , Meera doesn't loses herself , doesn't cries herself to misery but instead works to be independent and supports the house ably in best possible ways.
The first part of the book describes Meera's life in her father's home with her twin brother Kartik , and that bond somehow defines all her life. From surrendering to a life less wedding and then finally walking out of it , she never forgets her brother , her best friend and partner.
This was a difficult book to read , specially the erotic parts of the book. They can be little uncomfortable at times but its liberating too. That is a feeling I can not express too well but I can still thank the author for this wonderful book.
Some of the incidents in the book seem far fetched , but Sreemoyee keeps the flow of the events as reaction to Meera's life in her husband's home. Beautiful or not , every woman has wants , both physical and emotional. Every woman deserves respect and truth from her partner . Without all this , there are bound to be regrets and complaints. But inspite of all this , Meera doesn't loses herself , doesn't cries herself to misery but instead works to be independent and supports the house ably in best possible ways.
The first part of the book describes Meera's life in her father's home with her twin brother Kartik , and that bond somehow defines all her life. From surrendering to a life less wedding and then finally walking out of it , she never forgets her brother , her best friend and partner.
This was a difficult book to read , specially the erotic parts of the book. They can be little uncomfortable at times but its liberating too. That is a feeling I can not express too well but I can still thank the author for this wonderful book.
July 7, 2014
This is probably the only book that I have given just one star. I am usually far more generous with my ratings. Rarely any book makes me dislike it enough to give less than 3 stars. So you can imagine what I think of this book.
This is neither feminist literature not erotica. It is just a thin storyline written in coarse, vulgar and obscene language. The love (rather sex) scenes did not titillate but disgusted me. I am no prude in reading. I have enjoyed Fifty Shades & Sylvia Day's Cross series. I read erotic romance as much as I read philosophy, but this is just crude to fit in any category. I can take graphic details in a book but somethings are just no no. Incest for no particular point to make for the story - surely a big negative.
Apart from the language, the storyline itself doesn't work for me. It would have been much palatable had Meera been shown as a woman with an unfulfilled sex drive, who goes to find solace in different ways. An impotent husband could be shown as volatile but here there is no attempt to show his mindset. The fact that she is treated indifferently most of the time by her husband, who seems more attracted to her sister-in-law just does not seem congruous. The attraction to Vrinda does not make sense. And that too before he has given himself any chance with Meera. This is just one thing. Almost the entire story appears to fill in gaps between some lurid, over the top and not a bit erotic sex scenes.
This will make a perfect script for a porn movie where story is immaterial & sex doesn't need to be classy.
This is neither feminist literature not erotica. It is just a thin storyline written in coarse, vulgar and obscene language. The love (rather sex) scenes did not titillate but disgusted me. I am no prude in reading. I have enjoyed Fifty Shades & Sylvia Day's Cross series. I read erotic romance as much as I read philosophy, but this is just crude to fit in any category. I can take graphic details in a book but somethings are just no no. Incest for no particular point to make for the story - surely a big negative.
Apart from the language, the storyline itself doesn't work for me. It would have been much palatable had Meera been shown as a woman with an unfulfilled sex drive, who goes to find solace in different ways. An impotent husband could be shown as volatile but here there is no attempt to show his mindset. The fact that she is treated indifferently most of the time by her husband, who seems more attracted to her sister-in-law just does not seem congruous. The attraction to Vrinda does not make sense. And that too before he has given himself any chance with Meera. This is just one thing. Almost the entire story appears to fill in gaps between some lurid, over the top and not a bit erotic sex scenes.
This will make a perfect script for a porn movie where story is immaterial & sex doesn't need to be classy.
August 26, 2016
Review at A Bookworm’s Musing: http://wp.me/p2J8yh-2Cd
In all honesty, this is a book that needs to be read, but one that would be better reviewed by a girl than a guy. Though it is erotica, it has much more a story to it than just lust or sex. Read the book for the story of a girl trapped in a loveless marriage, as well as by notions of society. The author takes up those things that society is still somewhat reluctant to discuss, and gives them life too through this novel.
In all honesty, this is a book that needs to be read, but one that would be better reviewed by a girl than a guy. Though it is erotica, it has much more a story to it than just lust or sex. Read the book for the story of a girl trapped in a loveless marriage, as well as by notions of society. The author takes up those things that society is still somewhat reluctant to discuss, and gives them life too through this novel.
July 1, 2014
Indian women don't talk of sex. Except in their bedrooms. And with their husbands, and sometimes with their girlfriends. To write a piece of erotica in this part of the planet, needs nerves of steel. Sreemoyee tried to liberate the Indian woman from these shackles imposed on her body, by patriarchy. She has used sex as an instrument to expose the religious and social hypocrisy and questioned the Indian arranged marriages by vividly wording the insatiable desires that were never fulfilled in the protagonist's marriage to Mohan.
Meera, is in tune with her sensuality and the pristine pleasures the body seeks, right from the time she hits adolescence. She sets out on a journey to find a conduit for these carnal cravings. Her first encounters with her twin brother are venerated in poetic language, most of which didn't go down too well with me. All throughout the story, Kartik her brother is shown as that first person who gave wings to her desires and as her most trusted confidante, but what is disappointing is his portrayal as an empty suit, who is made to die too soon. What also left me flabbergasted was her encounter with Binal that made me wonder. Was Meera a nymphomaniac? And which way was her swing? This rendezvous leaves the reader with a distaste in the mouth.
Again, as the story flows, the writer has effectively phrased the lessons in modesty that a young Indian girl is given before her marriage. She has also vented the hubris of hypocrisy that the Indian arranged marriage thrives on. Also the purpose of most Indian marriages is announced from the rooftops, firstly when Meera feels worthless for having had the periods on time. Her mother-in-law taking her to guruji to "purify her womb" clarifies the stand of most Indians about marriage, which translates to adding to the brood. Secondly, the sexist stand of Indian marriages is revealed when her mother reminds her of the age catching up, and why she must keep herself in shape to stay desirable to her husband. I admire Meera's guts to have escaped from that cage of endless expectations.
Mohan setting his heart on Vrinda added an interesting dimension to the tale.
I applaud the writer's "Cherry pick" in the story. A 20 something guy who had set free the caged bird. In him Meera had found an answer to the thirst that no one could quench, although I still have to come to terms with the ending. Why so abrupt?
I give the book 2 out of 5. Two points go away for the loss of track. Meera could have been set free without penciling her character as a "nymphomaniac". I mean how on earth can a woman find an answer to her lust in her own brother and a woman. At times, I could only imagine Meera as a slut who didn't even know her swing, and got carried away by the touch of another woman when she was a young girl. Incest as a vehicle of lustfulness can't be acceptable always. The language was poetic and sometimes even unconvincing. One point goes away for the flowery language. Although it was laden with imagery.
There were a few typographical errors which can be dealt with in the next edition.
Also, the disappearance of certain characters and the coincidences that were too good to be true made the read a drag.
Sita's curse is a convincing attempt at trying to embody a woman's sexuality, but somewhere it lost track and couldn't serve the purpose it was meant to. Calling it feminist erotica is not doing justice to feminism, for feminism is more than just getting aroused at the 'drop of a hat' and sleeping around.
May 22, 2014
It’s not every day that I come across a book that leaves me in a dilemma – did I like it or not? To understand and respond to this question, we have to acknowledge the fact that this book is meant to be an erotica, and deals with an Indian woman’s need of love and acceptance along with sexual gratification. The story line might offend a few sensibilities, but then, if one has picked up a book and is well aware of its genre, it should be read keeping that in mind.
‘Sita’s Curse’ by Sreemoyee Piu Kundu traces the journey of Meera, right from her childhood, teenage and adolescence to her marriage with Mohan. Her life is plotted amidst urge and desire of being wanted, always seeking company and affection, embracing whatever life has to offer her. Her trysts with several men, and a woman, including her own twin brother and a God-man, might leave you cringing at times, but the book, aimed to be bold and brazen, does full justice on that front.
Meera, the protagonist, shines in every frame. She is the star of the show, ruling the words enclosed in the pages, making you feel her presence as you read about her life, the slight tinge of familiarity smiling back at you. Meera is sensual, beautiful, a dream and a fantasy, inviting you to know her better, to love her and to want her. Meera is the perfect character for a subject like ‘Sita’s Curse’.
The narration is top class, those beautifully designed words keeping you hooked to the book, and though Meera’s rendezvous with several men does get a tad monotonous towards the last few pages, you cannot stop wondering what would eventually happen to her. In a way, Meera turns out to be an addiction that you can’t get rid of easily.
And that brings me back to my first question – did I like the book? In parts, yes. I loved the fluency of the language and how Sreemoyee described the scenes vividly, as if you are watching a motion picture. The pages come alive and flow before you, immersing you in its spicy concoction. However, at times I did feel that the book had been dragged unnecessarily. But then again, if you ask me which sections should have been left out, I can’t point out any, since every frame of the book was necessary for providing it with the aura of completeness.
One thing about the book that disappointed me was the usage of Hindi lines. In my opinion, Sreemoyee shouldn't have had resorted to them as they somehow diluted the classy ambiance that she had created through her beautiful usage of language and words, the imagery profound and meticulous. However, if we ignore that part, considering that the Hindi lines were used to make the situation appear more realistic, then I would surely recommend ‘Sita’s Curse’ as one of the must read books this year.
However, pick it up only if you are comfortable with the genre erotica, else the bold overtures may not go down well with you.
‘Sita’s Curse’ by Sreemoyee Piu Kundu traces the journey of Meera, right from her childhood, teenage and adolescence to her marriage with Mohan. Her life is plotted amidst urge and desire of being wanted, always seeking company and affection, embracing whatever life has to offer her. Her trysts with several men, and a woman, including her own twin brother and a God-man, might leave you cringing at times, but the book, aimed to be bold and brazen, does full justice on that front.
Meera, the protagonist, shines in every frame. She is the star of the show, ruling the words enclosed in the pages, making you feel her presence as you read about her life, the slight tinge of familiarity smiling back at you. Meera is sensual, beautiful, a dream and a fantasy, inviting you to know her better, to love her and to want her. Meera is the perfect character for a subject like ‘Sita’s Curse’.
The narration is top class, those beautifully designed words keeping you hooked to the book, and though Meera’s rendezvous with several men does get a tad monotonous towards the last few pages, you cannot stop wondering what would eventually happen to her. In a way, Meera turns out to be an addiction that you can’t get rid of easily.
And that brings me back to my first question – did I like the book? In parts, yes. I loved the fluency of the language and how Sreemoyee described the scenes vividly, as if you are watching a motion picture. The pages come alive and flow before you, immersing you in its spicy concoction. However, at times I did feel that the book had been dragged unnecessarily. But then again, if you ask me which sections should have been left out, I can’t point out any, since every frame of the book was necessary for providing it with the aura of completeness.
One thing about the book that disappointed me was the usage of Hindi lines. In my opinion, Sreemoyee shouldn't have had resorted to them as they somehow diluted the classy ambiance that she had created through her beautiful usage of language and words, the imagery profound and meticulous. However, if we ignore that part, considering that the Hindi lines were used to make the situation appear more realistic, then I would surely recommend ‘Sita’s Curse’ as one of the must read books this year.
However, pick it up only if you are comfortable with the genre erotica, else the bold overtures may not go down well with you.
June 18, 2017
Totally bamboozled into reading this book. No I am no goody two shoes who feels shy in reading erotica. But when I got this book from India ( I told my MIL to buy this book!!!!), I had no idea what this book is all about. My bad! I should have read the reviews. Well. To cut the long story short I read my first 'desi' erotica. Not shy of words Ms.Kundu has made me gulp a few times, rewind the pages , re read before the word soaring high was fully understood by me. It was definitely not a flight if the birds !
I have nothing against erotica. I just don't promote it because I promote kids books too. And well these two cannot be on the same page. So why the heck am I reviewing this. I just want to ask the writer and Hatchette that please state clearly on the cover that this book is an erotica. For the name Sita's Curse sounds mythological and that is not good for kids and many ladies who may not read this genre. Let people make an educated choice regarding such book. Ultimately those who want to buy will buy.
Ms. Kundu, great attempt. Hats off to your boldness and you almost pulled it off. Except Meera came off as a nymphomaniac. You could have avoided the bro relationship or at least justified it. Nora Roberts has used incest in many of her stories. But they either always had a reason or they ended in a definite way. Here there was no ending. It was left hanging in between a string of flowery language. Why did the brother die? Was it guilt? Or was it unfulfilled desire? Here it was like the writer did not know what to do with him so it is better to drown him.
Meera’s sexual desires had no wings. They were everywhere and anywhere. Even a man, a Casanova has limitations. At least keep that. Here it was anybody and anywhere. That is not a language of Desire.. but A language of a nymphomaniac.. and certainly does not represent Female erotica. … or does it? :O
Frankly speaking what made me so sad about this book was it is really very beautifully written. I really wish Ms. Kundu’s next book will have a reason for a woman having sex and not just a never ending different postures and types and ways you can have sex without your husband knowing.
Now let me close my eyes and do my meditations. I need some cleansing .. *shucks!! GURUJI :O
I have nothing against erotica. I just don't promote it because I promote kids books too. And well these two cannot be on the same page. So why the heck am I reviewing this. I just want to ask the writer and Hatchette that please state clearly on the cover that this book is an erotica. For the name Sita's Curse sounds mythological and that is not good for kids and many ladies who may not read this genre. Let people make an educated choice regarding such book. Ultimately those who want to buy will buy.
Ms. Kundu, great attempt. Hats off to your boldness and you almost pulled it off. Except Meera came off as a nymphomaniac. You could have avoided the bro relationship or at least justified it. Nora Roberts has used incest in many of her stories. But they either always had a reason or they ended in a definite way. Here there was no ending. It was left hanging in between a string of flowery language. Why did the brother die? Was it guilt? Or was it unfulfilled desire? Here it was like the writer did not know what to do with him so it is better to drown him.
Meera’s sexual desires had no wings. They were everywhere and anywhere. Even a man, a Casanova has limitations. At least keep that. Here it was anybody and anywhere. That is not a language of Desire.. but A language of a nymphomaniac.. and certainly does not represent Female erotica. … or does it? :O
Frankly speaking what made me so sad about this book was it is really very beautifully written. I really wish Ms. Kundu’s next book will have a reason for a woman having sex and not just a never ending different postures and types and ways you can have sex without your husband knowing.
Now let me close my eyes and do my meditations. I need some cleansing .. *shucks!! GURUJI :O
June 13, 2014
In India, very rarely do we openly talk about sex. There are many erotic story, novels available but then this is a really, really different one. Its prologue is enough for a reader to realize that the book is erotic.
This book brings us a story from a typical Gujrati family. Readers are introduced to Meera a simple girl who has high sexual desires. She is close to her twin brother Kartik who expires, leaving her lonely.
Soon after his death she is married off to a Mumbai-based Businessman Mohan Patel. Quickly after her marriage Meera, quite a bit, gets attracted to Mohan’s younger brother Bansi. Bansi is basically a jolly kind of person who keeps on entertaining Meera. In her married life too, Meera doesn’t gets much attention from her husband. Her lust and desire continues to remain the same. She tries a lot to get Mohan on her but he doesn’t shows much interest. She then begins finding source to fulfill her wish.
This book, Sita’s Curse also highlights existing superstitious mindsets of the rural India. Slots where-in Meera is told to cover her face with the ghunghat, Mohan kicking a black cat etc.
Each and every story automatically attaches readers to it and then reading the book gives an enjoyable time. The topic chosen by the authoress is such which isn’t discussed so frankly in our cultured society.
Speaking about its cover: It is simple yet suitable. The writing style of the authoress is also good and the way she has crafted the chapters in the book is fabulous! The title of each and every story is enthralling.
Altogether Sita’s Curse gets a well-framed, well-crafted and a very well-narrated story which engrosses a reader into it, from the beginning till the end. It deserves a sure shot 4.5/5. Great work of fiction by Sreemoyee!
This book brings us a story from a typical Gujrati family. Readers are introduced to Meera a simple girl who has high sexual desires. She is close to her twin brother Kartik who expires, leaving her lonely.
Soon after his death she is married off to a Mumbai-based Businessman Mohan Patel. Quickly after her marriage Meera, quite a bit, gets attracted to Mohan’s younger brother Bansi. Bansi is basically a jolly kind of person who keeps on entertaining Meera. In her married life too, Meera doesn’t gets much attention from her husband. Her lust and desire continues to remain the same. She tries a lot to get Mohan on her but he doesn’t shows much interest. She then begins finding source to fulfill her wish.
This book, Sita’s Curse also highlights existing superstitious mindsets of the rural India. Slots where-in Meera is told to cover her face with the ghunghat, Mohan kicking a black cat etc.
Each and every story automatically attaches readers to it and then reading the book gives an enjoyable time. The topic chosen by the authoress is such which isn’t discussed so frankly in our cultured society.
Speaking about its cover: It is simple yet suitable. The writing style of the authoress is also good and the way she has crafted the chapters in the book is fabulous! The title of each and every story is enthralling.
Altogether Sita’s Curse gets a well-framed, well-crafted and a very well-narrated story which engrosses a reader into it, from the beginning till the end. It deserves a sure shot 4.5/5. Great work of fiction by Sreemoyee!
May 28, 2014
Sita’s Curse is being mooted as the first among its kind, to brazenly speak about a topic that is usually discussed in hushed tones behind closed doors of houses- sex, a woman’s unfulfilled desires in a marriage, adultery and incest.
And for that alone the author deserves to be acknowledged and appreciated. But if you ask me how much I, as a reader, enjoyed reading this book, then I would, unfortunately, have to say that I was a tad disappointed. When reading this book I had this edgy feeling that Meera was portrayed as more of a sensual woman with this unquenchable desire and most of her relationships with the men in her life were clouded by her passion.
The only chapters I enjoyed reading were when Meera tries to adjust to her new life in Mumbai and her husband’s family. After few years, Meera connects with the real life in Mumbai when she starts going out with her friends from her English course but then a tragedy strikes and changes her life in a way that she never thought possible.
The inability of Meera’s husband to sexually satisfy her and the constant humiliation by her husband and her co-sister, wilts her each day, dying a slow death of suffocation and stifling.
The sex in the book is not exactly titillating but what drew me is the mindset of the good-old, subservient, middle-class wife, who craves the power to control, to triumph over her husband and yet at the same time to serve and be acquiescent.
It is worth a read for brazenly bringing out the taboo topic of sex and adultery in the open. Negatives- Too much of sex that does nothing much to forward the plot and tends to get dreary at times.
And for that alone the author deserves to be acknowledged and appreciated. But if you ask me how much I, as a reader, enjoyed reading this book, then I would, unfortunately, have to say that I was a tad disappointed. When reading this book I had this edgy feeling that Meera was portrayed as more of a sensual woman with this unquenchable desire and most of her relationships with the men in her life were clouded by her passion.
The only chapters I enjoyed reading were when Meera tries to adjust to her new life in Mumbai and her husband’s family. After few years, Meera connects with the real life in Mumbai when she starts going out with her friends from her English course but then a tragedy strikes and changes her life in a way that she never thought possible.
The inability of Meera’s husband to sexually satisfy her and the constant humiliation by her husband and her co-sister, wilts her each day, dying a slow death of suffocation and stifling.
The sex in the book is not exactly titillating but what drew me is the mindset of the good-old, subservient, middle-class wife, who craves the power to control, to triumph over her husband and yet at the same time to serve and be acquiescent.
It is worth a read for brazenly bringing out the taboo topic of sex and adultery in the open. Negatives- Too much of sex that does nothing much to forward the plot and tends to get dreary at times.
May 19, 2014
Writing an erotica by a woman and about a woman will not go quite well with people in this country; as talking about sex openly is still an eyes-widening-and-mouth-opening thing. But the author manages to do a great job and has given us a compelling read.
Sita’s Curse is erotic from the very first page itself and there is no denying it. There are vivid descriptions, of which some are pleasant and some unpleasant too. It is the story of Meera Patel born and brought up in a village in Gujarat who is later married off to an elder groom in Mumbai. The house she was married to had a window in the whole chawl (colony) they lived! It is her journey of transformation from a village belle to a Mumbai house-wife who is trapped in a loveless, sexually frustrated / abusive and bad marriage.
Sita’s Curse is Meera’s story of breaking free of the bonds that held her…frustrated her. Over the years all Meera wanted was love, respect, acceptance and sexual fulfillment. Was it too much?
Read full review here - http://dreamzandclouds.wordpress.com/...
Sreemoyee Piu Kundu
Sita’s Curse is erotic from the very first page itself and there is no denying it. There are vivid descriptions, of which some are pleasant and some unpleasant too. It is the story of Meera Patel born and brought up in a village in Gujarat who is later married off to an elder groom in Mumbai. The house she was married to had a window in the whole chawl (colony) they lived! It is her journey of transformation from a village belle to a Mumbai house-wife who is trapped in a loveless, sexually frustrated / abusive and bad marriage.
Sita’s Curse is Meera’s story of breaking free of the bonds that held her…frustrated her. Over the years all Meera wanted was love, respect, acceptance and sexual fulfillment. Was it too much?
Read full review here - http://dreamzandclouds.wordpress.com/...
Sreemoyee Piu Kundu
May 27, 2014
The story is not only bold (all the time), but also very realistic (many a times). The loneliness, the desire to be loved, the plight of womanhood and the way their dreams are bottled in the name of marriage are well handled and established.
I generally like to read biopic-like fictions. Sita’s Curse is one such book which takes us through the Meera’s life from childhood. It makes her more real and as readers, we are able to empathize with her. The first person narrative adds to the charm. The story slowly unravels the transformation of a little girl into a dreamy teenager and then into a middle-aged woman who understands the mysteries of life. The story matures with Meera, so does the narrative.
I appreciate the way in which the author relates the title of the book with the plot. It makes us think if Sita’s life was indeed a curse. It makes us wonder if Sita was ever happy as a woman.
Read the full review at:
http://locomente.blogspot.in/2014/05/...
I generally like to read biopic-like fictions. Sita’s Curse is one such book which takes us through the Meera’s life from childhood. It makes her more real and as readers, we are able to empathize with her. The first person narrative adds to the charm. The story slowly unravels the transformation of a little girl into a dreamy teenager and then into a middle-aged woman who understands the mysteries of life. The story matures with Meera, so does the narrative.
I appreciate the way in which the author relates the title of the book with the plot. It makes us think if Sita’s life was indeed a curse. It makes us wonder if Sita was ever happy as a woman.
Read the full review at:
http://locomente.blogspot.in/2014/05/...
June 2, 2014
A very interesting and a very different novel (something i have not read before).
At first, it sounded almost semi-po*rn but gradually the internal conflict of Meera/Sita began to surface and it became the overpowering thread of the storyline.
the narration is believable ... and in spite of arguing with yourself, it was not difficult to convince yourself that this piece of fiction could well be the fact of someone's life ... however repulsive / horrifying / tragic one may find it ...
an interesting one ... but a note of caution to anyone who picks this up. This novel hits you hard, below the belt at times, so be prepared for it. or skip this if you are the overly sensitive types and may not be able to digest the hard tragic horrifying realities of life.
At first, it sounded almost semi-po*rn but gradually the internal conflict of Meera/Sita began to surface and it became the overpowering thread of the storyline.
the narration is believable ... and in spite of arguing with yourself, it was not difficult to convince yourself that this piece of fiction could well be the fact of someone's life ... however repulsive / horrifying / tragic one may find it ...
an interesting one ... but a note of caution to anyone who picks this up. This novel hits you hard, below the belt at times, so be prepared for it. or skip this if you are the overly sensitive types and may not be able to digest the hard tragic horrifying realities of life.
August 22, 2014
Sometimes one comes across the book that is so different that it is a challenge to review it, Sita’s Curse is one such book. This is one of the new age ‘feminist erotica’ genre, one of the first kind in Indian literary landscape.
This is the story of Meera, a girl stuck in the shackles of Patriarchy, stuck as a young girl in the dos and don’ts and then later in a dead marriage.
There is a strong undercurrent of feminism throughout the book. The quiet rebellion of a young woman quietly breaking her shackles.
Read the complete review here: http://thereandtheir.wordpress.com/20...
This is the story of Meera, a girl stuck in the shackles of Patriarchy, stuck as a young girl in the dos and don’ts and then later in a dead marriage.
There is a strong undercurrent of feminism throughout the book. The quiet rebellion of a young woman quietly breaking her shackles.
Read the complete review here: http://thereandtheir.wordpress.com/20...
January 10, 2017
Read my review on my blog:
For me, it was annoying, murky, difficult and depressing read. It was disappointing considering the reviews it has got. I have realized that Erotica is NOT my genre.
http://tarangsinha.blogspot.in/2014/0...
For me, it was annoying, murky, difficult and depressing read. It was disappointing considering the reviews it has got. I have realized that Erotica is NOT my genre.
http://tarangsinha.blogspot.in/2014/0...
December 19, 2020
Brought alive the language of desire and pain in stark reality. Glimpses of the unsaid, hidden stories in my own middle-class Indian upbringing. Things that are unsaid, unseen, unfelt and yet they exist within the four walls of many an Indian home. Beautiful! Provoking! Discomforting!
Read
May 19, 2014For all the hype built around it, it's an extremely disappointing book. The erotica isn't erotic enough and the story is a goner! And couldn't quite understand the Sita connection!
October 12, 2019
A beautiful young girl in a remote village in Gujarat Meera is married to Mohan, a Mumbai settled businessman. Meera was not ready or prepared for this marriage, she was mourning death of her twin brother Kartik who was not only her brother but her best friend. Meera reached Mumbai only after a year of her marriage, and finds her married life a bit more disappointing. Meera had beauty and charm but couldn’t find love, desire or satisfaction in her life.
Will Meera achieve what she desires - this becomes her story.
Sita’s Curser - I thought the book will be a feminist book but turned out to be an erotica.
Rating : 1.8/5
Will Meera achieve what she desires - this becomes her story.
Sita’s Curser - I thought the book will be a feminist book but turned out to be an erotica.
Rating : 1.8/5
January 2, 2020
Don’t read this
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