ANANYA : A BITTERSWEET JOURNEY

by Shilpa Gupta

‘I took the test and prayed for the colour of the lines on the strip to stay as they were. But they did not. The test was positive. I felt my entire world come crashing down around me.’
Meet Ananya Sharma, not your regular, teenage girl-next-door. Sure, she loves hanging out with her friends and engaging in whispered confidences at sleepovers, but when it comes to boys, she has competition on her mind rather than romance.
At school, she is passionate about math and the sciences,
and completely focussed on cracking the IIT entrance exams.
But when distraction enters her life in the form of the handsome and charming Rohit, Ananya discovers love, longing and betrayal, all at once. Finding herself pregnant at the age of seventeen, she learns that the world is a very different place once you are on its wrong side. The discovery of the fault lines in
her parents’ relationship—which until then had seemed perfect to her—further breaks her.

Will Ananya be able to reverse the downward spiral that her life has plunged into and find meaning once again?

In this wonderfully stark and honest portrayal of a teenager’s life, Ananya: A Bittersweet Journey has managed to encapsulate an entire generation’s struggle of growing up in today’s often troubled times.

208 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2015

About the author

A chemical engineer from IIT Roorkee, Shilpa Gupta holds a post-graduate degree in management from IIM Ahmedabad. After working as an investment banker for thirteen years in Mumbai, she relocated to Pune in 2007 and quit her corporate career a couple of years later to take care of her two growing boys, Aditya and Ritwik. Apart from mathematics and finance, her interests lie in meditation, writing, painting and travel. Shilpa is married to Sriram, her batch mate from IIT Roorkee. While she has many published financial research papers to her credit, 'Ananya:a bittersweet journey' marks her debut into the world of fiction.

Reviews

[Madhuri Varma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bittersweet journey of a teenager, a good read. (4/5)
Full review- http://wp.me/p2vbKI-66

[Sanhita · Rating 2 out of 5]

A nice and easy read, exactly what i needed in the midst of the hullabaloo of packing and moving. The story is nothing out of ordinary but the way it's told is what I loved about it. Language is easy and apt and the story flows. The present day teenager's life has been described beautifully as also the nuclear family situation with both parents working, many of whom miss out on being friends with their children and warn them of the errors of judgement that may occur as they grow up. As the story is like what can happen to any kid with similar background and very predictable, the reaction of the society has been touched upon beautifully. While allowing the freedom of making friends, moving around with ease has been more or less accepted, the pitfalls are still frowned upon. The shackles are only partially broken in the minds and thought process, where the successes are accepted but not the drawbacks that are likely to come with it. Unfortunately, in the present day society the Rohits are aplenty and so are the vulnerable Ananyas, but the strong and genuine Amits are the rarely to be spotted needles in the haystack.

[Bookish Indulgenges with b00k r3vi3ws · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the blurb of the story it is difficult to guess which way the story would sway. This premise could be handled in so many ways and I was curious to know what the author’s take would be and that is why I accepted a review copy of this book from the author.

This is the story of our protagonist Ananya Sharma. She is just another teenage girl who loves to hang out with her friends and do what other kids of her age likes to do. But she stands out in two matters – One she likes Mathematics (really! I still cannot believe it) and is only interested in competing with boys. While her friends are nursing crushes on cute boys, she is busy studying for JEE exams. But in life things do not always go as planned and Ananya discovers that little fact by getting pregnant at seventeen. What happens next? Where will her decisions take her?

Ananya is a character who is easy to identify with. She is an average Indian girl who wouldn’t stand out in a crowd. That is until her trials and tribulations start. That is when her character really opens up and shows us the shades of her personality that were hidden before. It is also easy to sympathize with her because haven’t we all, at some point of our lives, felt like the society was choking us with its restrictions and the judgments passed on our life decisions? The author has given some reprieve by surrounding her with couple of characters who stood strongly by her and gave her the strength. Amit surprised me at a couple of places. I also adored Karuna, Nandini and Sanjana.

The plot and the premise of the story have been handled quite well. This story is a perfect example of how sometimes people discover their true selves after they have gone through some hardship in life. It tells them more about themselves than anything else.

The author has kept her language simple and the narrative really picks up in the second half of the book. It is pretty easy to get into the story. I felt let down in the sense that I did wish for some surprises along the way, which did not happen. However, I do admire the author for picking up a sensitive issue like teen pregnancy and delivering something that is assuredly more than just another mundane romance novel.

http://www.b00kr3vi3ws.in/2016/01/boo...

[Priyaanka Batra Harjai]

Teenagers in India, are very much energetic and have been blessed with a go – getter attitude. Yes, children from other regions are not far ahead or even far behind them but what distinguishes the two from each other is the trailing issues that overshadow their bright future prospects!

This story highlights one such incident wherein the author attempts to dissect into the depth and in the process educates the readers with the issues that should not be ignored and actions which should not be taken for granted at this crucial age!

During the course of action in the story; the author raises the social issue of teenage miscarriage along with generation gap. She weaves a story wherein an aspiring girl falls prey willingly! Though, we all boast of becoming smarter and open minded people but the fact is that this scar never leaves a girl, because she is a born – bearer by nature.

Though,this book comes with its share of points which I personally do not favor. Why is it that escape is easy for one and not another? Why a girl ALWAYS needs testimonies to prove herself? Why do ONLY they have to succumb to the other gender’s alignments?

Digg in with her as she treads along on rocky terrains of a landscape called life.

Source: https://booksnewsindia.wordpress.com/...

[Shrilaxmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from the author.

'I envied my earlier carefree and innocent self, naïve, starry eyed and gullible. What a far cry from who I had become now. The physical and mental scars may fade with time, but they couldn't take me back to the child I was.'

Sometimes you come across a rare gem of a book that doesn't tell you a story - it makes you FEEL it. I LOVED it. It makes you think long after you've turned the final page. But the most amazing thing was, although the book was full of suffering, there was always hope that things would get better. You've just got to stay strong. Because it may be stormy now, but it never rains forever. ❤🌈

I liked this book a lot but the best thing about it is the way you look at life when you are done reading. It's a story about how shitty life can be sometimes but also about how you can recover and how to appreciate the people around you.

[Ed Goodbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andaleeb Wajid reviews the book on Goodbooks: "Ananya is a simple story, well told. The author tries to portray the life of a young girl on the cusp of life. Everything that is amazing is going to happen to her. Everything that she wants, she’s going to get. It’s typical of today’s youth who believe that they deserve the best. And yet, everything goes to pieces.

The titular character Ananya is a studious, bespectacled girl, who lives in Pune with her family. An only child, she holds the key to her parents’ dreams and she knows exactly what she wants from her life. But things change unexpectedly when her friend Mohini’s brother Rohit breezes into her well-ordered life. Ananya finds herself drawn to this handsome boy, who is studying in the US. Rohit is the aspirational figure for Ananya in more ways than one. But it is his good looks and charm that win her over eventually and change her life forever." Click here to read the full review: http://goodbooks.in/node/7304

[Anita Dsilva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would really love to congratulate author Shilpa Gupta for such a lovely book. The topic of teen pregnancy so well written.

I could actually visualise each and every scene from her book. I loved the way the author has described Ananya. Her parents, friends, first love, her teachers, her haters every thing was properly spelled out. The emotions were built up properly too.

I loved the way you have used a nursery rhyme incy Wincy spider... Superb Idea! It fits perfectly to the way Ananya's life is going up and down. This was surely a unique concept never seen or read before. I hope in your other books too you try and use this concept.

I felt a bit bad for the guy in this story. He should have done certain things differently but we all are bound to mess up under pressure, so he is well forgiven.

I will highly recommend it to all my friends. Dear Author, I am your fan now!

[Jeevika Shah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really as said a bitter sweet journey. Meeting Ananya who got pregnant and her boyfriend her best friends brother Rohit cheated her and said he was not responsible for it. Her regret for lose of life of her own girl child made her sad every moment . Read this book for knowing how does she get out o that stuff with help o her parents and her friends

[Pranav Patil · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's really nice story...

[Varun Prabhu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: Though this book has been written by my friend, this review is in no way with bias. I really liked the book and hence given it a 4 star.

Ananya: A Bittersweet Journey lives true to its title. It really is a bittersweet journey. How could it not be? This book takes us on a rollercoaster of a journey that follows Ananya, a girl in her early teens, and her life around her friends. All is well until she falls in love with her best friend's brother and all hell breaks loose. At first, she thinks she has found the budding roots of a relationship and then when she gets pregnant at such a young age, most of her relationships tend to shatter. Her friendship with Moh has broken up, her parents don't really see her as her old version -- the studious, high-scoring type, who always was counted on to choose what is right and what is wrong. This book delves into the mindset of this young girl who has gotten pregnant and I say, this could not have come at a better time, especially in this age where teenage pregnancies are on the rise.

This book has been written exceptionally well, with adequate descriptions and beautiful insights into the character's mind. The author has managed to understand the psyche of this teenage girl, Ananya, quite well and depicted it wonderfully through her writing -- eloquent and fluid. The characters are believable and anyone could relate to them. They are developed quite artistically.

However, the book does have its own share of errors, mostly proofreading ones, but not so jarring as to put the reader off. Just that, some sentences can give a different meaning than they are supposed to.

This book is a must read, especially for the young adults who are coping up the stress of education and peer pressure and also for the parents, who need to keep an open eye and understand what their children are going through, counsel them and be their friend in need. The language is easy enough for a layman to understand and the author knows her vocabulary well. Hence, I would really suggest a reader to pick this book up.

[Ammu Nair · Rating 3 out of 5]

CoverPage:

The coverpage depicts a picture of a gal with her backpack on journey and infinite possibilities which is all about this book. So Kudos!!!!

Review:

The book is about Ananya and her life's Journey.At 11th Std she realises that she is pregnant, so all the book revolves around that theme.I would describe the book is divided in two parts (PRE - POST) Incidence though by actually by author its three (Pre incidence , incident,Post Incident) . As the name suggest pre is all about how her life was, how she excelled, who were her friends, who & how did she fall in love , what wrong move did she make.And post is all about how she copes with what happened, and how she recovers.

The Wow Factor of the book is the relationship between parents and children is impeccable.And even the author has tried to put across a point about how both working parents and their children relationship should be (which is must for today's genration).The part where giving your children sex education coz they are growing, hormonal changes are happening and are not theirs little babies anymore.Even the author tried to put across friendship in such a beautiful way that makes us think having a right set of friends really matters, as its only on time will we know that were they the same when we were high, as now when we are low.

The Downpart of the book is to be honest I expected a lot in terms of story and it was only met in few terms like the Pre face took a whole lot of time than the post one , but as the summary depicts the post should just go like BANG BANG and BANG which didn't happen.Due to which I wasnt able to connect with the characters.

So if you ask me to tell in short - different yet common read

Ratings:3.5 out of 5

[Ranjini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ananya Sharma is an ordinary, average looking, teenage girl who is a brilliant student and has her life charted. She aspires to get into IIT and become a civil engineer and is focused on her studies. She has a close circle of friends and no time for boys and romance.
Enter Rohit Singh - her best friend's brother, and her life goes topsy turvy! He woos her and she is smitten by him. At the delicate age of 17, she finds herself pregnant!

What ensues is captured very nicely by the author.
Her life collapses, her world crumbles around her, her parents are shattered beyond belief and she goes into depression.
How she picks herself and forms some semblance of a life forms the last third of the book.

This story deals with the sensitive issue of teenage pregnancy - and how, as parents, we need to spend time with our growing children and talk to them/pep them about various issues.
It also portrays the double standards that a woman is subjected to in our society - not just on the issue of sexual behaviour and morality, but also where a mother’s ambitious goals and involvement in her career is seen as something secondary to the father’s, as far as giving time and attention to children is concerned.

Overall, quite a good read.

[Purba Chakraborty · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating is 3.75

Honestly speaking, when I started reading Ananya, I was not completely hooked to the book because the initial chapters mostly contained the daily incidents of a class 11 girl, Ananya Sharma like her studies, her friends, her teachers and her crush, Rohit. However, as I gradually turned the pages, I was completely surprised. The book not only picked up momentum, but also touched my heart. This is one book that became better and better with every page. I was slightly sad as the book ended because by that time, I formed a kind of connection with Ananya.

The language and narration of the book is beautiful. There were a few editing errors, which can be overlooked. I just wish that the first part of the book was a little more interesting.
However,being a woman, the journey of Ananya touched the innermost chords of my heart. I could feel her agony, her loss and her triumph.

A very heart touching book which deals with a sensitive subject! Recommended especially to teenage girls and women in their twenties.

Read the complete review here: http://purbareviews.blogspot.in/2015/...

[Komal Priyani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quote For this book :- "Fiction reveals truths that reality obscures"

Pre- Reading Thoughts :-

Initially i mistook this book to be a rom-com melodrama featuring a female protagonist & her "Go Gaga" over her miseries but after exploring this "bittersweet" journey of Ananya i must say this book holds much more than i actually anticipated.

My Views :-

This book not only showcased the despondency of a teenager but also unveiled the impotency of our "sophisticated" modern society where females are concerned.

The story keeps revolving around a self centred highly ambitious girl called Ananya and her encounter with Fictitious love & Factual Life.

From Nandini's artistic side to Sanjana's carefree sight,From Moh's Soothing personality to Amit's mischievousness ,From Nani's "Mine of wisdom" to Aditti's dumbness,from Karuna's calmness to Shastriji's Grumpiness, From Rohit's malevolence to societies coldness, From the crushed dreams to the new hopes...this book is a pragmatic read.

Bitter & Sweet notches of the
book -

[Piyusha Vir · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting much-needed story in a first-person account of a young teenager, about first love, teenage pregnancy, love, friendships, heartbreak and human relationships.
The protagonist Ananya is a young school kid and her insecurities, fears, desires are very beautifully narrated. The heartbreak suffered by the girl along with the angst of the parents is very well described. I particularly liked the way the author deals with the impact the incident has on all the characters involved, especially on the girl and her parents, and their relationships with the world outside. The solutions and the treatment post the big reveal is delicately dealt with and tells the right path that should be taken in such situations without being preachy.
The only thing I didn't like was that the guy (Rohit) who made Ananya pregnant got away with suffering little consequences for his actions.
This is as realistic and yet idealistic it can get, making it a must read for both - young kids as well as their parents.

[Shreya Ganguly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A teenager, an IIT aspirant well-grounded in morale and a brilliant student. But something goes wrong, she falls prey to the age temptation. Life gets to a standstill, there is emotional breakdown and wreckage in life. This tale unfurls a deep sense of belongingness that every child in the tender age need and the fact that the lack of it pushes the child to the extreme. It was indeed beautifully written and it reached out into the depths of my soul. My heart just poured out as I read the last few pages of the book. Such a tiny book to stir such great emotions in me.
It's such a quick read, but man does this book pack an emotional punch. The characters really come to life.

For more, visit: https://thenotepadreviews.wordpress.c...

[Shivani Agrawal · Rating 4 out of 5]

a must read book
I took the test and prayed for the colour of the lines on the strip to stay as they were. But they did not. The test was positive. I felt my entire world come crashing down around me.’
Meet Ananya Sharma, not your regular, teenage girl-next-door. Sure, she loves hanging out with her friends and engaging in whispered confidences at sleepovers, but when it comes to boys, she has competition on her mind rather than romance. for the whole review check the link

http://www.literamuse.in/2016/03/gues...

[Himani Goyal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply A heart-touching tale of a young girl blend with emotions. As a girl, I could simply relate to Ananya and her life.. An appealing and enthralling tale by a young debutante writer. A must read book.



Full book review: http://www.himanipassion.com/book-rev...

[Vanita Bodke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the its one of the better written books in recent time. To tell a story from a teenagers POV on a sensitive topic and yet not sound melodramatic is one of the major strength of the book. The author has deliberately avoided traps overt emotional drama in the books and hence it stays rooted to a cause. I will definitely read more works from her. :)

[Ankit Gupta 'Aseer' · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW element of this book which I discovered is that it inspire me to fight and look for solution of your pain to transform it into happiness. Read Full review here.. https://samvednaayen.wordpress.com/20...

[Nikhil Talwar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice Read. Book Specially for girls. MUST READ FOR ALL YOUNG GIRLS. I also liked the whole novel. Light and simple read.

[Sanjay Gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice novel to read , focussed on teenage issues , quite absorbing , got hooked to it and finished in two sittings.

[Aruna Kumar Gadepalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of a girl who drifts away from dream, how she survives problems and copes with situation.