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Liberal Hearts
'When the besotted expression returns to his face and his eyes slide down to her mouth again, he toughens up his exterior and attempts to convince himself that she’s just a fool drunk on her privilege.’
When Namya arrives at Maurya College of Liberal Arts—an elite bubble in the middle of rural Haryana—she finds the brightest and the most privileged living a life of complete self-indulgence. Alongside academic excellence, promiscuity and incessant partying are also the norm.
Meanwhile, the village’s golden boy, Vir Kumar Yadav, has turned his back on a brilliant future and resorted to selling overpriced booze to Mauryan undergraduates to support his family.
As their paths cross, Namya begins to question her entitlement, while Vir finds himself struggling with the black-and-white notions he’s always held true. And when a Westernized pub, Tej Ka Theka, opens next door, the walls of the glass palace begin to crumble, setting the stage for an irrevocable culture clash.
Fresh and witty, Nayantara Violet Alva’s vivid and cinematic debut, Liberal Hearts, is as much a college romance as it is a coming-of-age story.
When Namya arrives at Maurya College of Liberal Arts—an elite bubble in the middle of rural Haryana—she finds the brightest and the most privileged living a life of complete self-indulgence. Alongside academic excellence, promiscuity and incessant partying are also the norm.
Meanwhile, the village’s golden boy, Vir Kumar Yadav, has turned his back on a brilliant future and resorted to selling overpriced booze to Mauryan undergraduates to support his family.
As their paths cross, Namya begins to question her entitlement, while Vir finds himself struggling with the black-and-white notions he’s always held true. And when a Westernized pub, Tej Ka Theka, opens next door, the walls of the glass palace begin to crumble, setting the stage for an irrevocable culture clash.
Fresh and witty, Nayantara Violet Alva’s vivid and cinematic debut, Liberal Hearts, is as much a college romance as it is a coming-of-age story.
397 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 21, 2024
7 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
November 25, 2024
If you're looking for a love story, please know that this book contained maybe 7 pages of a love story, 190 pages of graphic, sudden, and horribly insensitive caricatures of sexual violence, and around 200 pages of the protagonist ranking people on hotness, smelliness, and accents. One can only assume that Penguin's editorial team found the manuscript's neck too smelly to spend time editing it because the average Goodreads comment section has a better grasp of the English language.
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October 15, 2024Just me looking for the “wrote” pile 😂
October 23, 2024
5 stars only because I can't give 7! The only thing worth wrecking my sleep schedule for, Liberal Hearts had me by the balls from page 1. I was just minding my own business, sipping my tea - when the plot twists hit me in the face with a BAM, Namya & Vir took over my work day and Mehreen & gang replaced my actual friends! I'm biting my nails again as my lovely book friends deal with the happenings in and around MCLA, but hey, sore & bleeding cuticles is a small price to pay to be able to witness their journey.
Liberal Hearts made me think about privilege, caste, class, consent, female friendships, toxic masculinity and so much more, all while making me laugh-cry. 11/10 must must MUST read!
Liberal Hearts made me think about privilege, caste, class, consent, female friendships, toxic masculinity and so much more, all while making me laugh-cry. 11/10 must must MUST read!
February 26, 2025
Worst book I've ever read. Dnf
Some books are not meant to be published
Some books are not meant to be published
October 26, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
An interesting and fun read, with so much character and story! Enjoyed the authentic characters, the back-to-campus feels at Maurya College, the glimpses of true friendships and all the strange but real personalities that come to life throughout some point of life for all of us. Vir was such a well written character too, and Phool my favourite!
Looking forward to what the future holds for you Nayantara, and the stories you weave, onwards and upwards, cheers!
An interesting and fun read, with so much character and story! Enjoyed the authentic characters, the back-to-campus feels at Maurya College, the glimpses of true friendships and all the strange but real personalities that come to life throughout some point of life for all of us. Vir was such a well written character too, and Phool my favourite!
Looking forward to what the future holds for you Nayantara, and the stories you weave, onwards and upwards, cheers!
October 17, 2024
Having had the absolute privilege of being beside Tara while she has given her heart and soul into this book, I am so happy to be finally reviewing it on goodreads!!! Liberal Hearts is a heart warming, reflective and nuanced journey into the complicated world of Maurya, a liberal arts college that is set up against the background of Renadh, a rural village in Haryana. Namya and Vir are two of the strongest protagonists in this coming of age story that will inspire incredible growth and love in you as a reader. For me this book is a must read, it paints a vivid picture of privilege, casteism, young love, consent, strong female friendships as well as takes you right back into what it was like to be at university - making critical decisions at the cusp of the rest of your life.
Cannot wait for the world to see the wonders in the stories Tara weaves <3
Cannot wait for the world to see the wonders in the stories Tara weaves <3
May 30, 2025
I really wanted to give this a fair shot but not only was the subject material vapid and tone deaf, it was also pretty badly written. The kind of thing you get away with when you’re 16 because you haven’t really experienced life and you don’t know better. This also feels like it would be fairly illegible to an average Indian reader who hasn’t attended Ashoka themselves, which makes me wonder who the audience of this book is even supposed to be. This is a very smug, self satisfied project where the writer and the team behind it congratulate themselves on their ability to point towards the existence of class on the college campus, but not much else beyond that. I also wish the love story had more…love in it, because this was more about a rich girl being impressed by her ability to find the village boy hot, which is a position that many many upper class women already occupy, and they’re somehow still less cringey about it.
September 9, 2025
Exceptionally bad writing.
I want to give this author the benefit of the doubt and believe that this was not intended as a self-aggrandizing and self-congratulatory award for going toAshoka Maurya University and knowing about caste and class, but it is very difficult.
Politics aside, this is very simply, a badly written book.
To begin with, it is rife with errors. The grammar, syntax, and sentence construction are awful. Random punctuation marks are sprinkled with abandon throughout. Italicization abounds. There are exclamation marks aplenty. I cannot believe this has made it to print. One would think that Penguin has the budget to hire an editor, seeing as they're publishing just about anything these days, but it looks like they don't.
Some particularly bad bits:
"Seeta has a bad leg; she limped around my bags suspiciously as she handed me my welcome package. And then around the few didis she was bossing around, she even checked them for drugs, vapes and alcohol!"
"...doesn’t mean that you have the right to disrespect other people’s identities and cultures, that of the people of Renadh in this case, who too, are not accustomed to Maurya’s culture either.’"
Apart from language errors, the quality of the writing itself is atrocious. It alternated between reading like a teenager's Wattpad fanfic and a middle-schooler's creative writing essay. Even when not written from the POV of the eighteen year old protagonist, the prose sounds juvenile and try-hard, with much help from a thesaurus. The tone and chronology of writing is disjointed, unrealistic, and painfully corny.
If you gave me a rupee for every time the word 'obsequious' has been used, I would have two rupees. Which is not much but it's weird that it happened twice. In contrast, the word 'adorable' and its variations have been used at least a hundred times per chapter.
Some of the best bits:
"...his petulant daughter, who is probably boiling with rage in the car, that too at the peak of Delhi summer. On his way to her, he makes a final walk around his college. All these young, clueless freshers are out and about, much like himself and his friends an entire lifetime ago."
"And in that one second, as she frustratedly begins to twist her hair into a sweaty bun, the soft annoyance in her hazel eyes conveys a sense of inevitability.."
"On reading these lines from the book, a surge of random emotion sweeps over Vir, much like the tsunami described in the same. This author is casually making personal attacks on him, every other page."
"Then she randomly switches to talking about how she has recently read The Secret History by Donna Tartt and wants to be careful about the kind of friends she makes in her literature classes because she doesn’t want to end up having bacchanals and murdering someone. I listen carefully, following her topsy-turvy narrative while it darts in multiple directions at once. I keep up fine, which I think makes her like me more. Paridhi gets even more hyper after seeing my dress, saying she has earrings that match perfectly."
(Are these the same kids who are in casual conversation saying things like "Maurya has a vast bouquet."?)
And my personal fav:
"His quickening pulse throbs under his jaw as he leans forward in his chair like an alpha wolf trying to push a predator off his territory."
What. The. Helly.
Anyway.
I didn't even attempt to unravel the can of worms that is the politics of this book. A good review about the class and caste politics of the book and likely of the author herself is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I am exhausted! And I have, I don't know, thirdhand embarrassment at knowing someone who knows someone who wrote this book. Some books are not meant to be published 😀
I want to give this author the benefit of the doubt and believe that this was not intended as a self-aggrandizing and self-congratulatory award for going to
Politics aside, this is very simply, a badly written book.
To begin with, it is rife with errors. The grammar, syntax, and sentence construction are awful. Random punctuation marks are sprinkled with abandon throughout. Italicization abounds. There are exclamation marks aplenty. I cannot believe this has made it to print. One would think that Penguin has the budget to hire an editor, seeing as they're publishing just about anything these days, but it looks like they don't.
Some particularly bad bits:
"Seeta has a bad leg; she limped around my bags suspiciously as she handed me my welcome package. And then around the few didis she was bossing around, she even checked them for drugs, vapes and alcohol!"
"...doesn’t mean that you have the right to disrespect other people’s identities and cultures, that of the people of Renadh in this case, who too, are not accustomed to Maurya’s culture either.’"
Apart from language errors, the quality of the writing itself is atrocious. It alternated between reading like a teenager's Wattpad fanfic and a middle-schooler's creative writing essay. Even when not written from the POV of the eighteen year old protagonist, the prose sounds juvenile and try-hard, with much help from a thesaurus. The tone and chronology of writing is disjointed, unrealistic, and painfully corny.
If you gave me a rupee for every time the word 'obsequious' has been used, I would have two rupees. Which is not much but it's weird that it happened twice. In contrast, the word 'adorable' and its variations have been used at least a hundred times per chapter.
Some of the best bits:
"...his petulant daughter, who is probably boiling with rage in the car, that too at the peak of Delhi summer. On his way to her, he makes a final walk around his college. All these young, clueless freshers are out and about, much like himself and his friends an entire lifetime ago."
"And in that one second, as she frustratedly begins to twist her hair into a sweaty bun, the soft annoyance in her hazel eyes conveys a sense of inevitability.."
"On reading these lines from the book, a surge of random emotion sweeps over Vir, much like the tsunami described in the same. This author is casually making personal attacks on him, every other page."
"Then she randomly switches to talking about how she has recently read The Secret History by Donna Tartt and wants to be careful about the kind of friends she makes in her literature classes because she doesn’t want to end up having bacchanals and murdering someone. I listen carefully, following her topsy-turvy narrative while it darts in multiple directions at once. I keep up fine, which I think makes her like me more. Paridhi gets even more hyper after seeing my dress, saying she has earrings that match perfectly."
(Are these the same kids who are in casual conversation saying things like "Maurya has a vast bouquet."?)
And my personal fav:
"His quickening pulse throbs under his jaw as he leans forward in his chair like an alpha wolf trying to push a predator off his territory."
What. The. Helly.
Anyway.
I didn't even attempt to unravel the can of worms that is the politics of this book. A good review about the class and caste politics of the book and likely of the author herself is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I am exhausted! And I have, I don't know, thirdhand embarrassment at knowing someone who knows someone who wrote this book. Some books are not meant to be published 😀
July 4, 2025
(This review is based on the 60% of the book I somehow managed to finish)
I was so excited to read Liberal Hearts, honestly. Not only because it’s written by THE Anuja Chauhan’s daughter (and the apple can’t fall far from the tree, I thought) but also because it’s based on my alma mater. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. While the plot was quite refreshing and there was a very sweet, child-like vibe to the story that did transport you back to your college days, the author really fell short of what she could have achieved. My main issue with the book was the writing itself. It felt like I was reading a fanfiction written by a 13-year-old. In some places the writing was so bad I was convinced that each sentence was written by a different person (who hadn’t read the previous one) and it just didn’t make sense when it came together. Also, something that put me off constantly was the fact that, when a person continued their dialogue with some sort of description in between, the rest of their dialogue was in a different paragraph as opposed to the same one, making it seem like it was said by a different character. HOW did the editor not fix this??
As an Ashokan, something that really bothered me was how cruel, narcissistic, and sex-obsessed all the characters (other than the protagonist and her friends, obviously) were made out to be. Maybe I was lucky in my experience, but everyone I met at Ashoka, especially the seniors when I was in my first-year, were nothing but amazing. And it really pissed me off to read how all the other Ashokans/Mauryans were portrayed as being absolutely horrible and pathetic JUST so Namya could be shown as an angel. This was especially strange given that the book was supposed to be a “love letter” to Ashoka and the author basically did no world-building of her own when it came to the setting of the story.
Lastly, as many people have mentioned before the pronunciation bit and changing the spelling of words based on who was saying it was very painful to read. I don’t understand why, when a villager is saying “thank you”, it needs to be written as “thenk yew”. It really just felt very classist to me which is what the book was trying to challenge all along.
All I can say in summary is that just because you’ve read a lot of books in your life and have a plot you want to pen down (and your mother happens to be a famous author) does NOT mean you should try and get your book published. My request to the author is that if you’re currently working on another project, please just take a few years, finesse your writing skills, and then give it a shot. Maybe that way you’ll do justice to the story.
I was so excited to read Liberal Hearts, honestly. Not only because it’s written by THE Anuja Chauhan’s daughter (and the apple can’t fall far from the tree, I thought) but also because it’s based on my alma mater. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. While the plot was quite refreshing and there was a very sweet, child-like vibe to the story that did transport you back to your college days, the author really fell short of what she could have achieved. My main issue with the book was the writing itself. It felt like I was reading a fanfiction written by a 13-year-old. In some places the writing was so bad I was convinced that each sentence was written by a different person (who hadn’t read the previous one) and it just didn’t make sense when it came together. Also, something that put me off constantly was the fact that, when a person continued their dialogue with some sort of description in between, the rest of their dialogue was in a different paragraph as opposed to the same one, making it seem like it was said by a different character. HOW did the editor not fix this??
As an Ashokan, something that really bothered me was how cruel, narcissistic, and sex-obsessed all the characters (other than the protagonist and her friends, obviously) were made out to be. Maybe I was lucky in my experience, but everyone I met at Ashoka, especially the seniors when I was in my first-year, were nothing but amazing. And it really pissed me off to read how all the other Ashokans/Mauryans were portrayed as being absolutely horrible and pathetic JUST so Namya could be shown as an angel. This was especially strange given that the book was supposed to be a “love letter” to Ashoka and the author basically did no world-building of her own when it came to the setting of the story.
Lastly, as many people have mentioned before the pronunciation bit and changing the spelling of words based on who was saying it was very painful to read. I don’t understand why, when a villager is saying “thank you”, it needs to be written as “thenk yew”. It really just felt very classist to me which is what the book was trying to challenge all along.
All I can say in summary is that just because you’ve read a lot of books in your life and have a plot you want to pen down (and your mother happens to be a famous author) does NOT mean you should try and get your book published. My request to the author is that if you’re currently working on another project, please just take a few years, finesse your writing skills, and then give it a shot. Maybe that way you’ll do justice to the story.
January 14, 2025
2.25⭐
I finally managed to finish it
Ok, I'll just list the things I liked about this book
1. Exchanging physical letters
2. Throwing light to the discrimination faced
3. Book cover (ik it's a lame thing to say but yeah)
4. There is character development ( but namya will need a personality development if I have to like her)
The book was marketed saying there's lots of drama and it was delivered. Literally from the first chapter
Something that gave me the ick was how ppl were classified based on their hotness and the way they smell. I felt that it was so absurd to judge someone's whole personality based on those two random factors
Also the pronunciation part. I understand that there are dilates that can influence the way english is spoken in India ( stereotypical Indian accent) but I wasn't comfortable reading it when words were not spelt correctly just to create that effect.
I finally managed to finish it
Ok, I'll just list the things I liked about this book
1. Exchanging physical letters
2. Throwing light to the discrimination faced
3. Book cover (ik it's a lame thing to say but yeah)
4. There is character development ( but namya will need a personality development if I have to like her)
The book was marketed saying there's lots of drama and it was delivered. Literally from the first chapter
Something that gave me the ick was how ppl were classified based on their hotness and the way they smell. I felt that it was so absurd to judge someone's whole personality based on those two random factors
Also the pronunciation part. I understand that there are dilates that can influence the way english is spoken in India ( stereotypical Indian accent) but I wasn't comfortable reading it when words were not spelt correctly just to create that effect.
November 24, 2024
This book was such a fun read. You get sucked into the world created by the author and want to stick with it until the end. Its engaging throughout and the plot
is entertaining while having depth to it, I really liked the way the characters developed throughout the story. Tender and dreamy. Excited to see the authors future work
is entertaining while having depth to it, I really liked the way the characters developed throughout the story. Tender and dreamy. Excited to see the authors future work
November 12, 2024
I have always loved love stories, until i didn't. Until they started following the same pattern, and ended up adding nothing new. Similar looking and sounding characters, similar situations, misunderstandings and the grand gestures.
And then this book walks in and finally I have a romance that I would love to read about. I have always loved when the book just doesn't keep revolving around the romance aspect of the leads and they end up seeming like caricatures, instead of real people. I love when there's more to the story. I know of just one person who has nailed this style and i was looking for more.
This book is just that, it has the makings of a perfect bollywood blockbuster, with action, drama, romance , comedy and a lot of emotions.
I loved that the author gave a beautiful commentary, while not sounding preachy, on various social issues like caste and the clash between the privileged and the underprivileged, the educated and the uneducated, and the rich and the not so much. And how she pitted the views of one against the other and kind of left it for the reader to decide on their own. I loved, how hinglish, and haryanvi were used. I read the haryanvi dialogues with poora accent 😂😂.Also i am amazed by the character arcs of the lead pair, it was just so perfect.
I always love books that give me something to ponder upon. And this one did just that.
Also the epilogue has my heart.
This one will be special to me.
I would have loved a few more namya and vir scenes though 🥲. .
And then this book walks in and finally I have a romance that I would love to read about. I have always loved when the book just doesn't keep revolving around the romance aspect of the leads and they end up seeming like caricatures, instead of real people. I love when there's more to the story. I know of just one person who has nailed this style and i was looking for more.
This book is just that, it has the makings of a perfect bollywood blockbuster, with action, drama, romance , comedy and a lot of emotions.
I loved that the author gave a beautiful commentary, while not sounding preachy, on various social issues like caste and the clash between the privileged and the underprivileged, the educated and the uneducated, and the rich and the not so much. And how she pitted the views of one against the other and kind of left it for the reader to decide on their own. I loved, how hinglish, and haryanvi were used. I read the haryanvi dialogues with poora accent 😂😂.Also i am amazed by the character arcs of the lead pair, it was just so perfect.
I always love books that give me something to ponder upon. And this one did just that.
Also the epilogue has my heart.
This one will be special to me.
I would have loved a few more namya and vir scenes though 🥲. .
November 23, 2024
Well-Meaning, Ill-Advised
The author + every single other person involved in the project has forgotten to consider the politics of storytelling.
I honestly find no joy in saying it because I can only imagine that putting yourself and your work out there is tough and this will definitely be unpleasant for the author to hear. I’m saying it publicly anyway because I think any discourse about the book would be incomplete without a long hard look at its politics.
This book reeks of blind privilege and everything people stereotype Ashoka for.
Generally speaking, all characters are 2 dimensional and predictable. For example, all of Renadh’s girls are obsessed with appearances and all the boys are obsessed with violence and sex (Curdi Bee, Mehgun, Doza Kitten, Nora Fatehi). Further, everyone in the Liberal Hearts world can be bucketed easily by their (1) smells and (2) pronunciation.
1. On campus, everyone Namya doesn’t like stinks. In the village, everyone except Vir is “unwashed” or “reeking” or “greasy” or “smells a little funny”. The author’s world-view is clear – the worst Mauryans smell but villagers smell in general. In the author’s rural India, a whole village can only produce ~1 decent (smelling) person. “What if he’s a creep? But then, I get a whiff of his neck. Safe.”
2. One of the book’s central themes is pronunciation elitism. “Okay, list gimme fastly Renadh ke kidz ij pagal.” “Hull-o sweet-hurt”. “Sister wow are yew princess?” “Yu think yu arr da hero?...You can’t be hero becaj I em not villain.” As if the author’s own social class is the custodian of Indian English and the only valid Indian accent is her own. Baki sab unpadh gawaar.
“‘Hello, Namya Didi…it…is…very…nice…to…meet…you!’ Each word is enunciated perfectly.”
‘Perfectly’, the author decides.
Funnily enough, this is the exact same classism that the author denounces in the book itself – “He spent two years being bullied for his funny manner of speaking and the way he smelt.” This pattern will continue through the book, wherein the author condemns the very notions that bolster her own narrative.
Another result of the classism that pervades this book is that Vir’s personality is 40% biceps and 60% passing in upper-class circles. He is the exceptional villager with an intellectual resume like none other in his community. Which makes sense because he was educated at an elite boarding school far removed from his own people and culture. Public school wouldn’t cut it, that pleb shit is not sexy. Vir needed to be from a village for the story / author / Namya to be positioned as liberal but also removed just enough from the village for him to be hot.
And as if this isn’t enough, Vir is written to WANT to be UC-passing: “What would he say? That the ‘Best Outgoing Student’ of Spring Valley School now ran a kirana store and a failing farm in some random village? Who would accept him with an identity he had spent a decade trying to scrub off in the shower?”
As if satirising herself, the author projects this ‘villager fantasy’ onto a side character: “Because he’s sexy, you know, but like in a kinky, villager-type way. The way he smells is an aphrodisiac in itself; you can just tell that if he grabbed you and kissed you, it would be so hot!” When Devki says this, Namya is given/the author gives herself the chance to prove her progressiveness through her disgust of this fetishization. It doesn’t work because just a few sentences later, she outs her own ‘villager but UC passing’ fantasy – “I’m sure some villagers could think that, but not Vir. He wouldn’t think of Maurya’s girls like that; he’s had a modern education at Spring Valley, after all!” The fact that a sentence like this made it to print betrays Penguin’s part in India’s systemic literary classism. It seems like even our most established and prestigious publishing houses are filled with editors and strategists too spineless to stand up to obscenely well-connected, invincible nepo babies. Either that or they too, like the author, have not had the privilege of being taught to think beyond their privilege.
Even the direct discussions around caste and class – the additions of which are definitely appreciated – still come across as self-aggrandizing on behalf of both Namya and the author. Namya is the only politically consistent Ashokan, with the keenest eye for catching casteism and classism among other Ashokans. She is the nicest, kindest, most politically correct, most open minded, most liberal – “the most perfect Mauryan in the world”. Additionally, by her own admission, Namya’s work with the children from the village “made me feel like I was bringing some amount of positive change to the world…They made me feel wanted.”
At some point, it becomes unclear where Namya’s self-service ends and the author’s begins. Just as Namya needs Pragya for her own personhood, the author too seems to be the primary beneficiary of the simplistic class and caste conversations in the book.
For an example of ‘simplistic’, the author describes Vir’s experience in an elite school: “No matter how hard he tried to fit in, he inherently didn’t and would thus end up spending his free time making friends with the support staff – a cleaning woman here, a bus driver there and his absolute favourite was the old lady in the kitchen who saved him ice-cream after lunch. Altogether, they become his Renadh away from Renadh…” Setting aside for a moment the dehumanising dismissiveness of “a cleaning woman here, a bus driver there”, the author betrays her simplistic understanding of class and caste in India – all the poor are the same.
This simplistic sociology is further pronounced when Vir finds solidarity with a Muslim student, a friendship entirely based on their othering. Safe to say that many subalterns were harmed in the writing of this book.
Another misstep in the representation of class and caste dynamics is that just as every character in the book is a caricature, so is oppression. Anyone who has been to Ashoka will tell you that the way division lends itself to that space is a lot more subtle, a lot more quietly sinister than the overt, over-the-top hate-crimes illustrated in the book. “Arre it’s the same thing na. A villager, a fifth grader. C’mon babe, you know the state of education in India.” The same goes for s**ual a**ault and misogyny. “The p**sy was so good; these chicks just can’t resist me, man. Even the ones who put up a price and pretend to be prissy really like it rough.”
I’m not saying it’s impossible for someone to be this overtly casteist / misogynistic at Ashoka. I’m saying the author took all the intricacies out of how caste and patriarchy manifest in these spaces, thus missing out on the opportunity to add anything nuanced or new to the conversation.
And I don’t say this out of concern for a misrepresentation of Ashoka. I say this because the average person reading these descriptions and dialogues is going to think to themselves, ‘I don’t do / say things like these. I’m so progressive.’ When in fact denouncing oppression that looks like this is barely the bare minimum. Nothing special.
The book, however, is a better example of subtle Ashokan classism and casteism.
If this book were truly about caste and class, caste and class would’ve been treated with more care in the premise and writing. But they are not. The author is the centre of this project. The book isn’t about class and caste, it’s about how much the author gets class and caste and how brave she is to discuss them.
This of course doesn’t come across as intentional. I don’t believe the author sat down to specifically create a self-serving project. Rather, it seems the author’s experiences of caste and class have been limited to her readings and discussions in college, uncoloured by diverse perspectives or actual immersion. It’s not cruel, it’s just unbaked.
There’s also a clear class divide in whose names have been changed (the author’s alleged friends) and who hasn’t had that privilege (on-campus vendors, theka team) because they’re less likely to read the book / sue. I hope I’m wrong in my assumption. I hope that the author took consent from all those named, whether in the story or in the Acknowledgements.
These themes — and the rest of the book — betray the author’s amazement at stepping out of her bubble and stepping into India for the first time. It stuck with her in such a stark way that she wrote a book about it. So stunned to observe this enigma that is rural India that she figured she must show the world, “”Look, look what I found! They look like me, live beside me, but don’t smell or sound like me! Imagine…just imagine…if one of them smelled and sounded good?? Then I could love one of them as an equal?! Eet ij amajjing aayDeeya, as they would say hehe.””
In sum — as much as it is crystal clear that this was not the author’s intent — this whole book reads as if a wide-eyed, well-meaning colonial anthropologist, who’s sympathetic to the colonised’s freedom struggle, decided to write fiction.
“Night after night, I alternate between imagining his glorious hands on my body and the tragic thought of him using them solely to milk [his cow] until the end of time.”
And like some kind of meta accident, this features in the book. The author’s professor asks the class to interview someone from the village and write a 3000-word essay — the first half about the person themselves, “the second fifteen hundred words will view that very individual through a political lens, situated amidst the larger socio-politico-cultural scheme of things”. The author grants herself permission to gaze upon the Indian village from an ivory tower, then dissect, categorise, classify, criticise, fetishise, fictionalise, and monetise it without consequence.
To give credit where due, there is an explicit attempt to weave in conversations about privilege. Reading Ambedkar, discussing how your househelp sits on the sofa with you, bringing in the fact that Ashoka was built at a massive human cost, highlighting the impact of Ashokan party culture on the surrounding landscape, discussing the hypocrisies of the caste conversations at Ashoka, highlighting sexual violence among Ashokans, Prof Lahiri’s explanation of culture shock — Namya is trying. We see some self-awareness as an Ashokan. What we cannot find is self-awareness as an author.
The author believes she can ensconce the perspective of someone whose lived experience she can never truly understand but has attempted to monetise. As if observing a sliver of a singular rural Indian community from the outside is enough. As if admitting that class and caste inequalities exist is the same thing as being able to speak for those whom these inequalities impact. Under the pretext of shedding light on social injustices, the subjects of the injustices become the drama, the punchline, the caricature.
““It’s not that serious.””
That’s the problem. To monetise caste and class and take it lightly is a problem.
It’s not “nuanced”, it sits squarely in the upper class gaze. It’s not “funny”, it’s juvenile. It’s not “accessible”, it lacks depth.
Tell only stories that are yours to tell.
There’s nothing wrong with trying to step into someone else’s shoes. It’s healthy! Keeps us grounded. But empathy for a situation is not the same as ownership of the narrative of the experience.
Unless the author co-wrote this (which I’m guessing is not the case due to the solo credits) with someone like Vir who fell in love with someone like Namya, this feels like theft.
On the writing itself: For a book that makes such a big deal about “perfect” English, the writing has its fair share of technical shortcomings. Many commas are used terribly incorrectly, and the semicolons; they show up continually; without logic. We find multiple ‘who’s where we should be seeing ‘whom’s. Some words seem to have been used without a full grasp of their meaning (“erudite education”, “crickets twerp in the background”, “easily in the gunning for the best night of my life”). Often, the sentence structure and grammar leave much wanting. Not in a creative, refreshing way but in a ‘this took me 2 reads to realise you don’t mean what the sentence means’ way. Penguin of course bears a lot of the burden since the team missed many small typos + many translations are either incorrect or incomplete.
Even when the writing is technically sound, it’s not good. Happy gas is an adorable concept and a genuinely unique addition to the book. Apart from that, a sloppy project. “Tej’s abuse sounds like the growl of a dog about to be put down, thrashing and biting as the vet injects him with the final, lethal liquid.” Good god, Penguin. Editor didi woj on leeuw.
I don’t blame the author, I blame the echo chamber and Penguin. I genuinely believe she has good intent. I don’t doubt that she’s trying to create something radical and add to the conversation about liberal politics among India’s privately educated youth. It comes through starkly in her writing. I just think she’s terribly blinded to her social positioning and surrounded by friends and mentors who’re either not giving it to her straight up or are just as blind to the politics of taking on this project. How no one at Penguin had the good sense to rethink the classist premise is much more disturbing than the author’s individual classism. I hope the author seeks better mentors for her next book, folks who can actually nurture the part of her that genuinely wants to have difficult conversations with sensitivity and nuance.
The author + every single other person involved in the project has forgotten to consider the politics of storytelling.
I honestly find no joy in saying it because I can only imagine that putting yourself and your work out there is tough and this will definitely be unpleasant for the author to hear. I’m saying it publicly anyway because I think any discourse about the book would be incomplete without a long hard look at its politics.
This book reeks of blind privilege and everything people stereotype Ashoka for.
Generally speaking, all characters are 2 dimensional and predictable. For example, all of Renadh’s girls are obsessed with appearances and all the boys are obsessed with violence and sex (Curdi Bee, Mehgun, Doza Kitten, Nora Fatehi). Further, everyone in the Liberal Hearts world can be bucketed easily by their (1) smells and (2) pronunciation.
1. On campus, everyone Namya doesn’t like stinks. In the village, everyone except Vir is “unwashed” or “reeking” or “greasy” or “smells a little funny”. The author’s world-view is clear – the worst Mauryans smell but villagers smell in general. In the author’s rural India, a whole village can only produce ~1 decent (smelling) person. “What if he’s a creep? But then, I get a whiff of his neck. Safe.”
2. One of the book’s central themes is pronunciation elitism. “Okay, list gimme fastly Renadh ke kidz ij pagal.” “Hull-o sweet-hurt”. “Sister wow are yew princess?” “Yu think yu arr da hero?...You can’t be hero becaj I em not villain.” As if the author’s own social class is the custodian of Indian English and the only valid Indian accent is her own. Baki sab unpadh gawaar.
“‘Hello, Namya Didi…it…is…very…nice…to…meet…you!’ Each word is enunciated perfectly.”
‘Perfectly’, the author decides.
Funnily enough, this is the exact same classism that the author denounces in the book itself – “He spent two years being bullied for his funny manner of speaking and the way he smelt.” This pattern will continue through the book, wherein the author condemns the very notions that bolster her own narrative.
Another result of the classism that pervades this book is that Vir’s personality is 40% biceps and 60% passing in upper-class circles. He is the exceptional villager with an intellectual resume like none other in his community. Which makes sense because he was educated at an elite boarding school far removed from his own people and culture. Public school wouldn’t cut it, that pleb shit is not sexy. Vir needed to be from a village for the story / author / Namya to be positioned as liberal but also removed just enough from the village for him to be hot.
And as if this isn’t enough, Vir is written to WANT to be UC-passing: “What would he say? That the ‘Best Outgoing Student’ of Spring Valley School now ran a kirana store and a failing farm in some random village? Who would accept him with an identity he had spent a decade trying to scrub off in the shower?”
As if satirising herself, the author projects this ‘villager fantasy’ onto a side character: “Because he’s sexy, you know, but like in a kinky, villager-type way. The way he smells is an aphrodisiac in itself; you can just tell that if he grabbed you and kissed you, it would be so hot!” When Devki says this, Namya is given/the author gives herself the chance to prove her progressiveness through her disgust of this fetishization. It doesn’t work because just a few sentences later, she outs her own ‘villager but UC passing’ fantasy – “I’m sure some villagers could think that, but not Vir. He wouldn’t think of Maurya’s girls like that; he’s had a modern education at Spring Valley, after all!” The fact that a sentence like this made it to print betrays Penguin’s part in India’s systemic literary classism. It seems like even our most established and prestigious publishing houses are filled with editors and strategists too spineless to stand up to obscenely well-connected, invincible nepo babies. Either that or they too, like the author, have not had the privilege of being taught to think beyond their privilege.
Even the direct discussions around caste and class – the additions of which are definitely appreciated – still come across as self-aggrandizing on behalf of both Namya and the author. Namya is the only politically consistent Ashokan, with the keenest eye for catching casteism and classism among other Ashokans. She is the nicest, kindest, most politically correct, most open minded, most liberal – “the most perfect Mauryan in the world”. Additionally, by her own admission, Namya’s work with the children from the village “made me feel like I was bringing some amount of positive change to the world…They made me feel wanted.”
At some point, it becomes unclear where Namya’s self-service ends and the author’s begins. Just as Namya needs Pragya for her own personhood, the author too seems to be the primary beneficiary of the simplistic class and caste conversations in the book.
For an example of ‘simplistic’, the author describes Vir’s experience in an elite school: “No matter how hard he tried to fit in, he inherently didn’t and would thus end up spending his free time making friends with the support staff – a cleaning woman here, a bus driver there and his absolute favourite was the old lady in the kitchen who saved him ice-cream after lunch. Altogether, they become his Renadh away from Renadh…” Setting aside for a moment the dehumanising dismissiveness of “a cleaning woman here, a bus driver there”, the author betrays her simplistic understanding of class and caste in India – all the poor are the same.
This simplistic sociology is further pronounced when Vir finds solidarity with a Muslim student, a friendship entirely based on their othering. Safe to say that many subalterns were harmed in the writing of this book.
Another misstep in the representation of class and caste dynamics is that just as every character in the book is a caricature, so is oppression. Anyone who has been to Ashoka will tell you that the way division lends itself to that space is a lot more subtle, a lot more quietly sinister than the overt, over-the-top hate-crimes illustrated in the book. “Arre it’s the same thing na. A villager, a fifth grader. C’mon babe, you know the state of education in India.” The same goes for s**ual a**ault and misogyny. “The p**sy was so good; these chicks just can’t resist me, man. Even the ones who put up a price and pretend to be prissy really like it rough.”
I’m not saying it’s impossible for someone to be this overtly casteist / misogynistic at Ashoka. I’m saying the author took all the intricacies out of how caste and patriarchy manifest in these spaces, thus missing out on the opportunity to add anything nuanced or new to the conversation.
And I don’t say this out of concern for a misrepresentation of Ashoka. I say this because the average person reading these descriptions and dialogues is going to think to themselves, ‘I don’t do / say things like these. I’m so progressive.’ When in fact denouncing oppression that looks like this is barely the bare minimum. Nothing special.
The book, however, is a better example of subtle Ashokan classism and casteism.
If this book were truly about caste and class, caste and class would’ve been treated with more care in the premise and writing. But they are not. The author is the centre of this project. The book isn’t about class and caste, it’s about how much the author gets class and caste and how brave she is to discuss them.
This of course doesn’t come across as intentional. I don’t believe the author sat down to specifically create a self-serving project. Rather, it seems the author’s experiences of caste and class have been limited to her readings and discussions in college, uncoloured by diverse perspectives or actual immersion. It’s not cruel, it’s just unbaked.
There’s also a clear class divide in whose names have been changed (the author’s alleged friends) and who hasn’t had that privilege (on-campus vendors, theka team) because they’re less likely to read the book / sue. I hope I’m wrong in my assumption. I hope that the author took consent from all those named, whether in the story or in the Acknowledgements.
These themes — and the rest of the book — betray the author’s amazement at stepping out of her bubble and stepping into India for the first time. It stuck with her in such a stark way that she wrote a book about it. So stunned to observe this enigma that is rural India that she figured she must show the world, “”Look, look what I found! They look like me, live beside me, but don’t smell or sound like me! Imagine…just imagine…if one of them smelled and sounded good?? Then I could love one of them as an equal?! Eet ij amajjing aayDeeya, as they would say hehe.””
In sum — as much as it is crystal clear that this was not the author’s intent — this whole book reads as if a wide-eyed, well-meaning colonial anthropologist, who’s sympathetic to the colonised’s freedom struggle, decided to write fiction.
“Night after night, I alternate between imagining his glorious hands on my body and the tragic thought of him using them solely to milk [his cow] until the end of time.”
And like some kind of meta accident, this features in the book. The author’s professor asks the class to interview someone from the village and write a 3000-word essay — the first half about the person themselves, “the second fifteen hundred words will view that very individual through a political lens, situated amidst the larger socio-politico-cultural scheme of things”. The author grants herself permission to gaze upon the Indian village from an ivory tower, then dissect, categorise, classify, criticise, fetishise, fictionalise, and monetise it without consequence.
To give credit where due, there is an explicit attempt to weave in conversations about privilege. Reading Ambedkar, discussing how your househelp sits on the sofa with you, bringing in the fact that Ashoka was built at a massive human cost, highlighting the impact of Ashokan party culture on the surrounding landscape, discussing the hypocrisies of the caste conversations at Ashoka, highlighting sexual violence among Ashokans, Prof Lahiri’s explanation of culture shock — Namya is trying. We see some self-awareness as an Ashokan. What we cannot find is self-awareness as an author.
The author believes she can ensconce the perspective of someone whose lived experience she can never truly understand but has attempted to monetise. As if observing a sliver of a singular rural Indian community from the outside is enough. As if admitting that class and caste inequalities exist is the same thing as being able to speak for those whom these inequalities impact. Under the pretext of shedding light on social injustices, the subjects of the injustices become the drama, the punchline, the caricature.
““It’s not that serious.””
That’s the problem. To monetise caste and class and take it lightly is a problem.
It’s not “nuanced”, it sits squarely in the upper class gaze. It’s not “funny”, it’s juvenile. It’s not “accessible”, it lacks depth.
Tell only stories that are yours to tell.
There’s nothing wrong with trying to step into someone else’s shoes. It’s healthy! Keeps us grounded. But empathy for a situation is not the same as ownership of the narrative of the experience.
Unless the author co-wrote this (which I’m guessing is not the case due to the solo credits) with someone like Vir who fell in love with someone like Namya, this feels like theft.
On the writing itself: For a book that makes such a big deal about “perfect” English, the writing has its fair share of technical shortcomings. Many commas are used terribly incorrectly, and the semicolons; they show up continually; without logic. We find multiple ‘who’s where we should be seeing ‘whom’s. Some words seem to have been used without a full grasp of their meaning (“erudite education”, “crickets twerp in the background”, “easily in the gunning for the best night of my life”). Often, the sentence structure and grammar leave much wanting. Not in a creative, refreshing way but in a ‘this took me 2 reads to realise you don’t mean what the sentence means’ way. Penguin of course bears a lot of the burden since the team missed many small typos + many translations are either incorrect or incomplete.
Even when the writing is technically sound, it’s not good. Happy gas is an adorable concept and a genuinely unique addition to the book. Apart from that, a sloppy project. “Tej’s abuse sounds like the growl of a dog about to be put down, thrashing and biting as the vet injects him with the final, lethal liquid.” Good god, Penguin. Editor didi woj on leeuw.
I don’t blame the author, I blame the echo chamber and Penguin. I genuinely believe she has good intent. I don’t doubt that she’s trying to create something radical and add to the conversation about liberal politics among India’s privately educated youth. It comes through starkly in her writing. I just think she’s terribly blinded to her social positioning and surrounded by friends and mentors who’re either not giving it to her straight up or are just as blind to the politics of taking on this project. How no one at Penguin had the good sense to rethink the classist premise is much more disturbing than the author’s individual classism. I hope the author seeks better mentors for her next book, folks who can actually nurture the part of her that genuinely wants to have difficult conversations with sensitivity and nuance.
November 20, 2024
Nayantara is a brilliant story teller and this book is worth every moment of your time - It really does a fantastic job with hooking you early on and you don’t feel like putting it down till the very end (and leaves you longing for more if you’re a sucker for romance like me). You feel like you’re personally watching two very lovable characters struggle and grow in their own way, getting attached to them very quickly. A MUST READ!
November 17, 2024
3.5 stars!
The characters grow on you. Liberal Hearts was a fun desi read, giving major channel V show vibes. Will always pine for Namya and Vir ♥️
The characters grow on you. Liberal Hearts was a fun desi read, giving major channel V show vibes. Will always pine for Namya and Vir ♥️
January 11, 2025
‘Liberal Hearts’ is a coming-of-age novel that explores privilege, caste and class through the lives of Namya, a privileged student at the prestigious Maurya Institute and Vir, a brilliant but underprivileged young man running a small grocery store. Their bond begins to bridge the divide between the Maurya students and the neighbouring villagers, exposing harsh realities of discrimination and marginalization.
The plot deepens when a liquor shack threatens Vir’s business and becomes a hub for malpractice involving Maurya students. After Namya becomes a victim of the shack’s predatory environment, she and Vir join forces to uncover a conspiracy linking the shack’s owner and some affluent Maurya elites.
Nayantara Violet Alva skilfully blends themes of romance, privilege and social justice, with Namya and Vir’s relationship offering a tender yet powerful lens into systemic inequalities. The incorporation of regional dialects and modern slang adds authenticity, making the story relatable and engaging.
Overall the novel is a poignant and thought-provoking read, shedding light on the complexities of caste and privilege while telling a heartfelt story of growth and resilience.
The plot deepens when a liquor shack threatens Vir’s business and becomes a hub for malpractice involving Maurya students. After Namya becomes a victim of the shack’s predatory environment, she and Vir join forces to uncover a conspiracy linking the shack’s owner and some affluent Maurya elites.
Nayantara Violet Alva skilfully blends themes of romance, privilege and social justice, with Namya and Vir’s relationship offering a tender yet powerful lens into systemic inequalities. The incorporation of regional dialects and modern slang adds authenticity, making the story relatable and engaging.
Overall the novel is a poignant and thought-provoking read, shedding light on the complexities of caste and privilege while telling a heartfelt story of growth and resilience.
April 1, 2025
Just sharing my opinion here but I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It was such a fun read and created a fun world of a 'dramatic' college experience. The chemistry between Vir and Namya was off the charts and kept me coming back for more.
Definitely recommend to those who would like to have conversations or think a little about privilege, class, society without the book forcing you to believe a certain narrative. I think the author has really been able to capture that essence of encouraging a conversation about these issues via her character which I don't think is a direct correlation to what the author believes. It is in fact a story of Namya who is having these thoughts. Very surprised to see the amount of hate that is going about
Seems like the people the author is mocking in the book took it to heart. Only unemployed lit majors have the time to write a review too long and illogical to read shitting on someone too busy to even read it.
Like cmon guys
Definitely recommend to those who would like to have conversations or think a little about privilege, class, society without the book forcing you to believe a certain narrative. I think the author has really been able to capture that essence of encouraging a conversation about these issues via her character which I don't think is a direct correlation to what the author believes. It is in fact a story of Namya who is having these thoughts. Very surprised to see the amount of hate that is going about
Seems like the people the author is mocking in the book took it to heart. Only unemployed lit majors have the time to write a review too long and illogical to read shitting on someone too busy to even read it.
Like cmon guys
December 28, 2024
Honestly the writing is terrible. Like there were times when i just wanted to rip it apart. But the story is too good, its whole and hearty with just the perfect amount of drama. A movie adaptation of this book would turn out a blockbuster.
November 25, 2024
4.5 stars
I just finished this book last night. I picked it up after seeing it on Anuv Jain’s story because I thought the writing looked simple and fresh. I enjoyed it a lot and finished it in 5 hours, it flew by like a Bollywood film or bingeable fun, massy Amazon Mini college show that holds well and is captivating, dramatic and makes a massive impact. It made me remember the delight of reading.
Sadly, this style of writing won’t be appreciated by everyone, and definitely not by the pretentious people it calls out in a laugh out loud manner. I feel sad that a well-meaning book clearly written by someone with more empathy than most can muster went to a college that trolls her instead of supporting her.
it makes me very glad that i didn't go to an elite college like Ashoka or OP Jindal. All I knew about these colleges the author is reportedly writing about until reading this book was how its graduates are unemployable and entitled.
But after seeing this world from Namya’s lens, I got an inside look and really felt for her and liked her. Vir might not be realistic but c’mon, you’re reading fiction! Who wants a realistic man on this side of things? They’re disappointing enough IRL. I liked that it was romantic, but not a "romance novel.." the character arcs were neat.
This book provided a nice escape for me, a 28 year old working in the corporate sector who hadn’t been able to pick up and finish one in years. I made a goodreads account now determined to start reading again!
I don’t know why this book has one star reviews and essays attacking it. In fact, I didn’t plan on writing one myself until I saw them and in all honesty it is quite funny because they seem to be written by the very people Namya and Vir make fun of in the book. The Lata’s of the world. Odd that they are calling her out for being snobby, the irony. How very "Mauryan!" I feel like the author would have a good cackle if she saw all this, poetic!
Saying that, I'm glad this book makes exclusive,"we-are-better-than-you" worlds like MCLA accessible to us, no book is perfect but this was a sweet ride, and I look forward to her next. Salut.
I just finished this book last night. I picked it up after seeing it on Anuv Jain’s story because I thought the writing looked simple and fresh. I enjoyed it a lot and finished it in 5 hours, it flew by like a Bollywood film or bingeable fun, massy Amazon Mini college show that holds well and is captivating, dramatic and makes a massive impact. It made me remember the delight of reading.
Sadly, this style of writing won’t be appreciated by everyone, and definitely not by the pretentious people it calls out in a laugh out loud manner. I feel sad that a well-meaning book clearly written by someone with more empathy than most can muster went to a college that trolls her instead of supporting her.
it makes me very glad that i didn't go to an elite college like Ashoka or OP Jindal. All I knew about these colleges the author is reportedly writing about until reading this book was how its graduates are unemployable and entitled.
But after seeing this world from Namya’s lens, I got an inside look and really felt for her and liked her. Vir might not be realistic but c’mon, you’re reading fiction! Who wants a realistic man on this side of things? They’re disappointing enough IRL. I liked that it was romantic, but not a "romance novel.." the character arcs were neat.
This book provided a nice escape for me, a 28 year old working in the corporate sector who hadn’t been able to pick up and finish one in years. I made a goodreads account now determined to start reading again!
I don’t know why this book has one star reviews and essays attacking it. In fact, I didn’t plan on writing one myself until I saw them and in all honesty it is quite funny because they seem to be written by the very people Namya and Vir make fun of in the book. The Lata’s of the world. Odd that they are calling her out for being snobby, the irony. How very "Mauryan!" I feel like the author would have a good cackle if she saw all this, poetic!
Saying that, I'm glad this book makes exclusive,"we-are-better-than-you" worlds like MCLA accessible to us, no book is perfect but this was a sweet ride, and I look forward to her next. Salut.
January 20, 2025
Nayantara’s writing is interestingly fresh and right from the very first page, you are transported to the world of Maurya and its inhabitants. The storytelling is quite visual and you can almost find yourself sitting through the classes or walking through the streets of Renadh. What I enjoyed was that the social divide that forms one of the pillars is clearly shown throughout the story through various incidents. Another aspect of the story that stood out for me was the chemistry between Namya and Vir. The on-off moments were amazing to read and the parts where we see both were my favorites. The first scene on Vir’s roof was a funny one to read specially how the call back to the climax that is. The relationship between the prologue and the climax is quite good, but honestly, I would have loved to see a bit more of entaglement between Namya’s father and Vir. The entire sub-plot around Tej-Ka-Theka was something that drove the plot and the skirmishes between Tej and Vir really brought out the local flavour. The climax was quite good and I liked how the author took her time to close the story in the manner that she does, and while I was rooting for an immediate happily-ever after, the way the epilogue pans out really warms your heart.
Coming to the characters, Namya’s character arc is wonderfully explored and you explore these little tidbits about her that help you picture her and read the story in her own voice. When we met her initially, she is fresh out of school, confused about career choices to the point where she finds her voice and makes the hard choices. The way the arch pans out is so soothing to read and wonderful to explore. Vir’s character is another one that impressed me. From the very first time we meet him in the prologue, to the changed man-of-the-house, Vir’s transformation was a bit painful to read but I could connect to him deeply and understand his dilemma and the motivation for his actions. Another character that deserves a mention here is that of Professor Lahiri, and we all have had that one Professor in our lives who has had such a profound impact in our lives and shaped our own futures.
Coming to the characters, Namya’s character arc is wonderfully explored and you explore these little tidbits about her that help you picture her and read the story in her own voice. When we met her initially, she is fresh out of school, confused about career choices to the point where she finds her voice and makes the hard choices. The way the arch pans out is so soothing to read and wonderful to explore. Vir’s character is another one that impressed me. From the very first time we meet him in the prologue, to the changed man-of-the-house, Vir’s transformation was a bit painful to read but I could connect to him deeply and understand his dilemma and the motivation for his actions. Another character that deserves a mention here is that of Professor Lahiri, and we all have had that one Professor in our lives who has had such a profound impact in our lives and shaped our own futures.
December 6, 2024
TLDR: Tatti
Rarely does a book manage to offend not only my intellect but also my very sense of smell. Somehow, inexplicably, reading this tome felt as though I had been transported to a landfill during peak summer heat—an olfactory hallucination induced by the rotting ideas and decaying morality that seeped through its pages. I don’t know what dark magic allowed this book to emit the stench of bad garbage, but it was the perfect accompaniment to the toxic elitism that oozed from every word.
The tone-deaf classism was almost awe-inspiring in its brazenness, as though the author wrote this while sipping overpriced champagne and scoffing at the mere concept of humanity. The writing made me want to throw the book across the room and then organize a full-scale rebellion against the bourgeoisie. If literature is meant to inspire action, then perhaps this book succeeded—though I doubt the author intended to ignite my existential rage and sudden revolutionary tendencies.
The plot? A turgid mess of self-indulgent drivel, so detached from reality it reads more like a parody of privilege than an actual attempt at storytelling. And yet, it lacked even the self-awareness to be amusing, making its relentless pretension feel like a personal insult.
In summary, this book is not merely a waste of time but an attack on the senses and the soul. Its mere existence is an argument against the free market’s ability to curate quality, and it has left me with only one goal: to eradicate every metaphorical and literal garbage heap like this from my life—and perhaps society at large.
Rarely does a book manage to offend not only my intellect but also my very sense of smell. Somehow, inexplicably, reading this tome felt as though I had been transported to a landfill during peak summer heat—an olfactory hallucination induced by the rotting ideas and decaying morality that seeped through its pages. I don’t know what dark magic allowed this book to emit the stench of bad garbage, but it was the perfect accompaniment to the toxic elitism that oozed from every word.
The tone-deaf classism was almost awe-inspiring in its brazenness, as though the author wrote this while sipping overpriced champagne and scoffing at the mere concept of humanity. The writing made me want to throw the book across the room and then organize a full-scale rebellion against the bourgeoisie. If literature is meant to inspire action, then perhaps this book succeeded—though I doubt the author intended to ignite my existential rage and sudden revolutionary tendencies.
The plot? A turgid mess of self-indulgent drivel, so detached from reality it reads more like a parody of privilege than an actual attempt at storytelling. And yet, it lacked even the self-awareness to be amusing, making its relentless pretension feel like a personal insult.
In summary, this book is not merely a waste of time but an attack on the senses and the soul. Its mere existence is an argument against the free market’s ability to curate quality, and it has left me with only one goal: to eradicate every metaphorical and literal garbage heap like this from my life—and perhaps society at large.
December 8, 2024
Book Review: Liberal Hearts by Nayantara Violet Alva
Let me take you back to the college days—the friendships that shaped us, the unforgettable moments of self-discovery, and the experiences that challenged our understanding of the world. Liberal Hearts by Nayantara Violet Alva does just that.
Namya arrives at Maurya College, a world of privilege and excess, where academic excellence and partying go hand in hand. She’s from a different world, one that makes her question the life she’s lived so far. Then there’s Vir Kumar Yadav, the village boy who gave up his dreams to support his family, now selling overpriced liquor to the same students who live in that bubble. Their paths cross, and both of them start to question everything they thought they knew about privilege, identity, and love.
The romance between Namya and Vir is slow and beautiful, built on mutual respect and understanding. It’s a romance that feels real, one where the chemistry grows with every page. The book also addresses issues like caste, class, and privilege with grace, making it more than just a love story.
Why you should read it:
Liberal Hearts is a refreshing, heartfelt novel that blends romance, self-discovery, and meaningful themes. If you’re looking for a story that takes you back to your college days while making you think, this book is a must-read.
Let me take you back to the college days—the friendships that shaped us, the unforgettable moments of self-discovery, and the experiences that challenged our understanding of the world. Liberal Hearts by Nayantara Violet Alva does just that.
Namya arrives at Maurya College, a world of privilege and excess, where academic excellence and partying go hand in hand. She’s from a different world, one that makes her question the life she’s lived so far. Then there’s Vir Kumar Yadav, the village boy who gave up his dreams to support his family, now selling overpriced liquor to the same students who live in that bubble. Their paths cross, and both of them start to question everything they thought they knew about privilege, identity, and love.
The romance between Namya and Vir is slow and beautiful, built on mutual respect and understanding. It’s a romance that feels real, one where the chemistry grows with every page. The book also addresses issues like caste, class, and privilege with grace, making it more than just a love story.
Why you should read it:
Liberal Hearts is a refreshing, heartfelt novel that blends romance, self-discovery, and meaningful themes. If you’re looking for a story that takes you back to your college days while making you think, this book is a must-read.
November 24, 2024
The premise of this book feels tricky to begin with. With the setting of the plot and the identity of the author in mind, I was hoping there would be some nuance in approaching themes of cultural differences, classism, and elitism. Instead, in my opinion, it has reinforced some of the very tropes it had the potential to problematise. The stereotypes of 'good/hot/sophisticated villager' vs 'bad/crass/villager' are well intact and uncomfortable to stomach.
I appreciate the effort that the author has put in to emphasize privilege as a concept exists, but the discussions around it read like pieces of theory interpreted with the plot, and sections of tone-deaf dialogue undermine this exploration quite thoroughly.
While the author states that this is a work of fiction, there are characters that are written very close to (and are identifiable as) real people that I was able to recognise. I am hopeful that their consent was sought in the way they were represented, especially in cases where names haven't been changed or identities adequately anonymised.
I appreciate the effort that the author has put in to emphasize privilege as a concept exists, but the discussions around it read like pieces of theory interpreted with the plot, and sections of tone-deaf dialogue undermine this exploration quite thoroughly.
While the author states that this is a work of fiction, there are characters that are written very close to (and are identifiable as) real people that I was able to recognise. I am hopeful that their consent was sought in the way they were represented, especially in cases where names haven't been changed or identities adequately anonymised.
November 29, 2024
Liberal Hearts by Nayantara Violet Alva is such a beautiful book. It’s not just about college life or romance - it’s about real people, their struggles and their growth.
I really loved the relationship between Namya and Vir. Namya’s quiet strength and Vir’s protective, caring nature made them such memorable characters. Vir’s relationship with his little sister was such a sweetest part. It added so much warmth to the story and made me love him even more.
What I really appreciated was how the book touched on topics like privilege, caste and class without making it feel forced. These themes were naturally part of the story making it thought provoking without taking away from the characters’ journeys.
The romance between Namya and Vir was everything! It’s slow burn but in the best way possible. Their chemistry builds up so beautifully and you can’t help but root for them.
If you’re looking for a book that combines heartfelt romance with meaningful themes, this book is definitely worth a read
I really loved the relationship between Namya and Vir. Namya’s quiet strength and Vir’s protective, caring nature made them such memorable characters. Vir’s relationship with his little sister was such a sweetest part. It added so much warmth to the story and made me love him even more.
What I really appreciated was how the book touched on topics like privilege, caste and class without making it feel forced. These themes were naturally part of the story making it thought provoking without taking away from the characters’ journeys.
The romance between Namya and Vir was everything! It’s slow burn but in the best way possible. Their chemistry builds up so beautifully and you can’t help but root for them.
If you’re looking for a book that combines heartfelt romance with meaningful themes, this book is definitely worth a read
January 8, 2025
Good folks at Penguin, what are you smoking? I'm usually not one to leave reviews, but given that this was my first read of the year and because it had me questioning my life choices, here's a piece of my mind (or what's left of it). I admit that I have nobody but myself to blame; first for having payed for the book, and then for having persevered to finish it. I have read Wattpad fanfics far more eloquent than whatever travesty this was. Smut reads better. A 13 years old's journal reads better. Classifieds read better. This is essentially 500-odd pages of Ms. Alva flaunting everything she ever studied at Ashoka. I say study not learnt, because clearly she hasn't learnt anything. You can name-drop Ambedkar, Dostoevsky, and Auden all you want (with Dinakar thrown in for good measure, because naturally, she’s not an Anglophile), but if all your characters remain two-dimensional, sex-obsessed, depraved, narcissistic caricatures of Gen Z from Instaland, does your writing truly deserve to be published? The audacity!
December 27, 2024
Nayantara's Liberal Hearts is a raw and polished cinematic experience that will make you not want to put the book down. The writing style is engaging and feels like a friend is narrating you a story. Nayantara's work on each angle of the plot shows, in how well they unfold. While the main declared characters are Vir and Namya. The emotions, childhood trauma, self doubt, anxiety and their struggles were well used as the supporting characters.
I am someone who loves reading romances. I was left wanting more of Namya and Vir, that's how much I got involved with them. They feel real and relatable at different times and levels. The book is not only a romance and coming of age tale but it also explores the themes of friendship, peer pressure, societal expectations, family, mental health, cast system, consent and finding oneself.
It's a powerful debut that touched all the required points for me. The end has made me thirsty for a sequel.
I am someone who loves reading romances. I was left wanting more of Namya and Vir, that's how much I got involved with them. They feel real and relatable at different times and levels. The book is not only a romance and coming of age tale but it also explores the themes of friendship, peer pressure, societal expectations, family, mental health, cast system, consent and finding oneself.
It's a powerful debut that touched all the required points for me. The end has made me thirsty for a sequel.
December 28, 2024
I just finished Liberal Hearts by Nayantara Violet Alva, and wow—I didn’t expect a romcom set in India to hit this hard, but it absolutely did! While the beginning was slow and Namya and Vir’s interactions were fewer than I’d hoped, it’s clear the author prioritized exploring other characters and their impact on the story. And it worked! The book dives headfirst into issues like caste, class, and gender discrimination, weaving them seamlessly into the narrative. As a humanities student, I felt seen and proud to understand these themes deeply.
But let’s talk friendships—they stole the show! Nayantara nails the messy beauty of real relationships: fights, differing opinions, and all. Despite some swoon-worthy moments, the book keeps it tasteful with minimal smut. Oh, and the epilogue? Chef’s kiss! Fixing the “right person, wrong time” trope? Iconic. It’s a thoughtful, heartwarming, and fun read I wholeheartedly recommend!
But let’s talk friendships—they stole the show! Nayantara nails the messy beauty of real relationships: fights, differing opinions, and all. Despite some swoon-worthy moments, the book keeps it tasteful with minimal smut. Oh, and the epilogue? Chef’s kiss! Fixing the “right person, wrong time” trope? Iconic. It’s a thoughtful, heartwarming, and fun read I wholeheartedly recommend!
March 20, 2025
Liberal Hearts by Nayantara was a must-pick for me, given my unwavering loyalty to Anuja Chauhan (just like I will show up for Aryan and Suhana’s movies!). But I must say, I was pleasantly surprised.
The apple hasn’t just fallen close to the tree—it’s got the same signature sass and wit! NT brings her own voice while keeping that sharp humor we love. The lead characters are beautifully crafted (Vir is the ultimate "male written by a woman"), and while it’s a campus romance, the themes run deep. Caste, privilege, and systemic failures aren’t just background noise; they’re central to the narrative in a way that makes you reflect, regardless of your age.
NT, it's heartening to see young writers not just thinking about these issues but also weaving them into stories that matter. I had to finish the book overnight because, even though I knew how it would end, I just had to see it through.
Take a bow, NT
The apple hasn’t just fallen close to the tree—it’s got the same signature sass and wit! NT brings her own voice while keeping that sharp humor we love. The lead characters are beautifully crafted (Vir is the ultimate "male written by a woman"), and while it’s a campus romance, the themes run deep. Caste, privilege, and systemic failures aren’t just background noise; they’re central to the narrative in a way that makes you reflect, regardless of your age.
NT, it's heartening to see young writers not just thinking about these issues but also weaving them into stories that matter. I had to finish the book overnight because, even though I knew how it would end, I just had to see it through.
Take a bow, NT
December 5, 2024
Nayantara Violet Alva’s Liberal Hearts is a compelling exploration of love as a transformative force. It was an enlightening read for me. Yes, there’s romance in the story, but it offers so much more. It made me reflect deeply on our society. The main characters, despite coming from polar opposite backgrounds, carried their own heartbreaking struggles. Without reading their POVs, one might mistakenly assume they have perfect lives—especially Namya. But her journey is unforgettable. Among the countless stories I might read in the future, Namya will remain a character who has left a lasting impact on me. Vir’s story was raw, real, and utterly heartbreaking. He has my heart. 💔 His perspective as a self-made man stands in sharp contrast to Namya’s privileged upbringing, providing insightful commentary on societal divides. Through Namya and Vir’s unlikely connection, the story masterfully portrays how their evolving relationship pushes them to confront their biases and flaws. The narrative challenges entrenched norms and delves into issues of entitlement, morality, and cultural identity with nuance and wit.
Vividly written and thought-provoking, this debut is as heartwarming as it is eye-opening. 💕
Vividly written and thought-provoking, this debut is as heartwarming as it is eye-opening. 💕
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