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Canaries #1
Waves in the Sky
Time maneuvered their lives through unforeseen circumstances. The canaries- Charu, Ananya, Neha, Avantika,Raihana and Yami- the heart and soul of Naivedya, run by Ms.Malini. They played together, studied together, stayed together, under the shades of their mother banyan, till they fell apart. Little did they know that they would be centrifuged by the Waves in the Sky. Hanging on to their mother banyan, they held their wings together and fought the storm.
A mind boggling tale of six headstrong girls, thirty years of their life, their mother banyan-Ms.Malini and a mystery.
A thrilling mysterious contemporary fiction.
A mind boggling tale of six headstrong girls, thirty years of their life, their mother banyan-Ms.Malini and a mystery.
A thrilling mysterious contemporary fiction.
- GenresMystery
216 pages, Paperback
First published February 20, 2016
2 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Rakhi Jayashankar
2 books98 followersRakhi Jayashankar is a a full-time mother, blogger, author, a Holistic Wellness Coach, Meditation Teacher and Health and Nutrition Life Coach.
Her passion for literature made her the author of the poetry collection Un-assuaged- The blossoms of my Imagination.Her debut novel Waves in the Sky was published in 2015.
Her passion for books made her a book reviewer through the blog: https://outsetbooks.com
She also bring her readers towards wellness through https://jayashankarrakhi.in
Get connected through mail jayashankarrakhi@gmail.com
https://instagram.com/rakhijayasankar
https://instagram.com/outsetbooks
https://facebook.com/rakhijayashankar
Her passion for literature made her the author of the poetry collection Un-assuaged- The blossoms of my Imagination.Her debut novel Waves in the Sky was published in 2015.
Her passion for books made her a book reviewer through the blog: https://outsetbooks.com
She also bring her readers towards wellness through https://jayashankarrakhi.in
Get connected through mail jayashankarrakhi@gmail.com
https://instagram.com/rakhijayasankar
https://instagram.com/outsetbooks
https://facebook.com/rakhijayashankar
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
May 1, 2016
First of all, I would like to thank the author for providing me with a copy for reviewing this book.
Waves in the Sky is the debut novel by Rakhi Jayashankar, an Indian author. This book chronicles the journey of six women, starting from their school life in a boarding school in the Indian state of Kerala to adulthood.The six friends called themselves the Canaries and each one had a distinct personality.
The beginning is pretty good. It starts with a rape victim decrying the social custom of stigmatizing the victim instead of the perpetrator in TV. Why should the innocent victim lead a life of shame and trauma, have to conceal her identity, she demands to know. Suddenly a "handsome male" appeared on the screen and announced an audience poll via SMS -- "Should rape victims reveal their identity" . Media wants to turn the woman's plight into an opportunity for earning revenues from the service providers and getting materials for their talk shows.
The author has shown the various social evils plaguing our society & the dark side of human nature on one hand and human kindness on another. The story contains religious orthodoxy, discrimination meted out to the girl child, ambition driving one to loose the last vestige of humanity, obsession with wealth and status making people forget human emotions, an unscrupulous woman abusing of law to protect women from domestic violence to frame her innocent husband and the list goes on. On the other hand, there are also instances of selfless love for the weak and helpless, people forgiving someone who had wronged them terribly. All these and much more in just 216 pages.
The results of misunderstanding and lack of communication occupy an important place in the story.
In addition, love stories and a murder mystery in the novel have been included in the story. As an ardent fan of the mystery genre, I have to say the identity of the culprit was unexpected. The book actually tries to portray the society and the mystery is a part of the story, not the focus of the story.
Rakhi Jayashankar is a decent storyteller. She had tried to come up with a decent story. May be because this was her first novel, she could not help herself from adding so many social issues, subplots and characters.
My biggest complaint against the book is grammatical errors. There are quite a few and some quite glaring.
She has also used a few uncommon words in her narrative, which was unnecessary and I felt were not compatible with the language of the narrative.
Some of the characters were believable but few not so. Towards the end, all the characters would have redeemed themselves and we have a "everybody is happy" situation. Can all obnoxious characters turn over a new leaf so easily !!!
A debut author might not be able to produce a work befitting an experienced one but this can not be an excuse for bad grammar. As I have said before, the story was decent and I hope the author's next novel would be free from grammatical mistakes and have less "social evils" and more of the mystery component.
People interested in exploring the work of a contemporary Indian writer might want to give this book a try.
Waves in the Sky is the debut novel by Rakhi Jayashankar, an Indian author. This book chronicles the journey of six women, starting from their school life in a boarding school in the Indian state of Kerala to adulthood.The six friends called themselves the Canaries and each one had a distinct personality.
The beginning is pretty good. It starts with a rape victim decrying the social custom of stigmatizing the victim instead of the perpetrator in TV. Why should the innocent victim lead a life of shame and trauma, have to conceal her identity, she demands to know. Suddenly a "handsome male" appeared on the screen and announced an audience poll via SMS -- "Should rape victims reveal their identity" . Media wants to turn the woman's plight into an opportunity for earning revenues from the service providers and getting materials for their talk shows.
The author has shown the various social evils plaguing our society & the dark side of human nature on one hand and human kindness on another. The story contains religious orthodoxy, discrimination meted out to the girl child, ambition driving one to loose the last vestige of humanity, obsession with wealth and status making people forget human emotions, an unscrupulous woman abusing of law to protect women from domestic violence to frame her innocent husband and the list goes on. On the other hand, there are also instances of selfless love for the weak and helpless, people forgiving someone who had wronged them terribly. All these and much more in just 216 pages.
The results of misunderstanding and lack of communication occupy an important place in the story.
In addition, love stories and a murder mystery in the novel have been included in the story. As an ardent fan of the mystery genre, I have to say the identity of the culprit was unexpected. The book actually tries to portray the society and the mystery is a part of the story, not the focus of the story.
Rakhi Jayashankar is a decent storyteller. She had tried to come up with a decent story. May be because this was her first novel, she could not help herself from adding so many social issues, subplots and characters.
My biggest complaint against the book is grammatical errors. There are quite a few and some quite glaring.
She has also used a few uncommon words in her narrative, which was unnecessary and I felt were not compatible with the language of the narrative.
Some of the characters were believable but few not so. Towards the end, all the characters would have redeemed themselves and we have a "everybody is happy" situation. Can all obnoxious characters turn over a new leaf so easily !!!
A debut author might not be able to produce a work befitting an experienced one but this can not be an excuse for bad grammar. As I have said before, the story was decent and I hope the author's next novel would be free from grammatical mistakes and have less "social evils" and more of the mystery component.
People interested in exploring the work of a contemporary Indian writer might want to give this book a try.
May 9, 2019
Well, I will definitely rate my book a five star.
There are of course glitches in the book like too much happening, too many characters, some of which show their face in just a single chapter, jumping of time span, vernacular language etc.
But I wrote this book with utmost sincerity. I hope I could convey it to the readers as well. :)
If you have read this book, please share your honest and valuable opinion here and in Amazon as well as your blog and social networking pages.
There are of course glitches in the book like too much happening, too many characters, some of which show their face in just a single chapter, jumping of time span, vernacular language etc.
But I wrote this book with utmost sincerity. I hope I could convey it to the readers as well. :)
If you have read this book, please share your honest and valuable opinion here and in Amazon as well as your blog and social networking pages.
May 20, 2019
To begin with, this book is surely going to take you down the Memory Lane and make you nostalgic about the time you spend at school, with your friends. For a while, I felt it to be the story of my school days.
The story begins with six friends Chary, Avantika, Neha, Ananya, Raihana and Yami, referred to as canaries, students of class tenth in Marietta school. Caring and compassionate, MS Malini, their principal, whom they idolises Mother Banyan. In spite of being different in several ways, the six girls stick together and stand for each other through thick and thin. However, towards the end of their tenth grade, an unfortunate event throws them apart.
They continue with their respective journeys and never try to contact each other. Eventually the storms in their respective lives bring them together again and they realise that all the anger, hurt and ego vanish as if it was never there.
The tale of six sweet, cute friends, slowly, turns to be a mystery thriller with loads of twists and bends.
I, particularly, like the title very much, especially the canary part that happens to be acronym of their names. The secret, warm your heart, just like innocent canaries, in their own special way. However, the cover could have been better.
Crisp and concise blurb conveys just enough and evokes interest yet maintaining the suspense.
The narration is strong and seamless. The story keeps you intrigued as well as curious. One will go on reading chapter after chapter. At times, I felt the story to be little draggy but certainly not boring. Certain subplots and sequences seem little unrealistic and give a feel of Bollywood and Tollywood. The author tried to touch many social issues, crime against women as well as certain women who try to take advantage of laws to suit their interests.
The characters are described beautifully. They are so so relatable that you can easily find a fearless Charu, a dumb Ananya and a selfish Raihana among your school mates. The characters evolve with the story well. Their growth and inner struggles are magnificently portrayed by the author.
Language is simple, yet delectable. Even the beginners will be able to enjoy it without struggling much with the dictionary.
All in all, the book, as I said earlier, will surely take you back to your school days and you can relive those days with this story.
I received this book as a part of review program by https://rakhijayashankar.blogspot.in/ in exchange of an honest review. Thanks to the author Rakhi Jayashankar for the same.
The story begins with six friends Chary, Avantika, Neha, Ananya, Raihana and Yami, referred to as canaries, students of class tenth in Marietta school. Caring and compassionate, MS Malini, their principal, whom they idolises Mother Banyan. In spite of being different in several ways, the six girls stick together and stand for each other through thick and thin. However, towards the end of their tenth grade, an unfortunate event throws them apart.
They continue with their respective journeys and never try to contact each other. Eventually the storms in their respective lives bring them together again and they realise that all the anger, hurt and ego vanish as if it was never there.
The tale of six sweet, cute friends, slowly, turns to be a mystery thriller with loads of twists and bends.
I, particularly, like the title very much, especially the canary part that happens to be acronym of their names. The secret, warm your heart, just like innocent canaries, in their own special way. However, the cover could have been better.
Crisp and concise blurb conveys just enough and evokes interest yet maintaining the suspense.
The narration is strong and seamless. The story keeps you intrigued as well as curious. One will go on reading chapter after chapter. At times, I felt the story to be little draggy but certainly not boring. Certain subplots and sequences seem little unrealistic and give a feel of Bollywood and Tollywood. The author tried to touch many social issues, crime against women as well as certain women who try to take advantage of laws to suit their interests.
The characters are described beautifully. They are so so relatable that you can easily find a fearless Charu, a dumb Ananya and a selfish Raihana among your school mates. The characters evolve with the story well. Their growth and inner struggles are magnificently portrayed by the author.
Language is simple, yet delectable. Even the beginners will be able to enjoy it without struggling much with the dictionary.
All in all, the book, as I said earlier, will surely take you back to your school days and you can relive those days with this story.
I received this book as a part of review program by https://rakhijayashankar.blogspot.in/ in exchange of an honest review. Thanks to the author Rakhi Jayashankar for the same.
February 9, 2016
Received a copy from the author for review, but it has no way influenced my brutally honest review. I give it 2.5 stars, rounding up to 3.
Gist - story of 6 girls, which starts when they are in their early teens, and ends a decade and a half later. They are from varying circumstances - orphan/ rich neglected child / product of a divorce /two fraternal middle class twins/ coming from repressed household with restrictions. They are of varying personalities - bold to sly. Still they somehow stick together in their school years, then separate, then come together under weird circumstances.
What I liked:
The background being Kerala, a state I grew up in
Few of the interactions between the main characters
The chapter titles were cute and informative
What baffled me:
This story was chocful of weird incidents, all sorts of scandals and scoops and co-incidences and what nots; am not saying that these things don't occur. Such incidents occur, but widespread and to different people. A set of six experiencing manhandling, murder attempts, rape, deceitful relatives, weird misunderstandings, and all the people they come across being interrelated and interconnected is too much to digest. These six girls suffered all mishaps that can ever occur, individually and collectively.
I have grouse with certain characters which are too negative to contemplate.
I could relate with many incidents which were front page sensations of 90s and 2000s.
Did I enjoy reading it?
Perhaps...
Curiosity made me read ahead, almost at my maximum speed to see what happens.
The end was neatly tied up, but after a couple of deaths and unfortunate events.
The six canaries (so they are called as their names start from C, A, N,A, R,Y respectively) finally settle down.
Whom would I recommend it to?
To those who like Indian literature, especially those who love fast paced stories. People who love happening stories will not be disappointed at all.
Suggested Improvement (am not a literary critic,not even a lit graduate, and my only claim to suggest improvements lies in the fact that I read a lot in my spare time. :P)
The ebook format has to improve as there is problem with page continuity.
A few grammatical errors to be taken care of.
This story has the material for perhaps a dozen stories. If each idea/incident is expanded and the main character is given time and space to develop, each of the exotic incident can be a story of its own.
Gist - story of 6 girls, which starts when they are in their early teens, and ends a decade and a half later. They are from varying circumstances - orphan/ rich neglected child / product of a divorce /two fraternal middle class twins/ coming from repressed household with restrictions. They are of varying personalities - bold to sly. Still they somehow stick together in their school years, then separate, then come together under weird circumstances.
What I liked:
The background being Kerala, a state I grew up in
Few of the interactions between the main characters
The chapter titles were cute and informative
What baffled me:
This story was chocful of weird incidents, all sorts of scandals and scoops and co-incidences and what nots; am not saying that these things don't occur. Such incidents occur, but widespread and to different people. A set of six experiencing manhandling, murder attempts, rape, deceitful relatives, weird misunderstandings, and all the people they come across being interrelated and interconnected is too much to digest. These six girls suffered all mishaps that can ever occur, individually and collectively.
I have grouse with certain characters which are too negative to contemplate.
I could relate with many incidents which were front page sensations of 90s and 2000s.
Did I enjoy reading it?
Perhaps...
Curiosity made me read ahead, almost at my maximum speed to see what happens.
The end was neatly tied up, but after a couple of deaths and unfortunate events.
The six canaries (so they are called as their names start from C, A, N,A, R,Y respectively) finally settle down.
Whom would I recommend it to?
To those who like Indian literature, especially those who love fast paced stories. People who love happening stories will not be disappointed at all.
Suggested Improvement (am not a literary critic,not even a lit graduate, and my only claim to suggest improvements lies in the fact that I read a lot in my spare time. :P)
The ebook format has to improve as there is problem with page continuity.
A few grammatical errors to be taken care of.
This story has the material for perhaps a dozen stories. If each idea/incident is expanded and the main character is given time and space to develop, each of the exotic incident can be a story of its own.
August 5, 2016
I received an ARC for an honest review, and I am being very honest here. I know that as this is an ARC, and that the author will be reading this review, so while I do promise to try not to be too brutal, I can't say for sure how the final product will be. We all know how I get with bad grammar, so let's start, shall we?
Okay, right off the bat, I have say that the grammar is bad. Terrible. Appalling. I'm sorry, but the tense is all over the place, as is the voice, and the number. It kills the story, bad grammar does, and the reader loses interest, and fast. The prose is clunky at best, and again, the grammar is all over the place. It's like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle, and as soon as you make any progress, ten new pieces are added. It's annoying, to say the least. Also, I need to make note here of a new fad that I seem to have noticed among newer Indian authors, which is the use of really complicated words to explain simple things. I hate this. I do. I think that the beauty of a book lies in the simplicity of the language, and while I do love lush, eloquent prose with lots of big, nice words, I believe that a writer must strive for that only after having achieved grammar nirvana.
Again, as I have mentioned in many reviews before, I'd like to add here that the writer needs to show, not tell. Like for instance, if you've mentioned that Naivedya School is a school for smart kids, and that the Canaries were the best at Naivedya, you don't have to reiterate that they're smarter than the smartest, or any version of the same. I'll tell you why: a) if the reader is an egotistical bitch like me, she'll get damn pissed off because she can put two and two together; and b) it's always important to let the readers draw their conclusions.
Plotwise, Ms. Jayashankar is a pretty decent storyteller, no doubt about that, but there are too. many. fucking. stories. Anything bad that could happen in the world happens to our MCs, and they overcome it all. Maybe tone down on the drama a bit? The characters were okay; I didn't hate them, I didn't love them. And while the essence behind the story is about the eternal friendship of a group of six girls, somewhere in the the middle, this got lost, only to suddenly crop up in the end. It's an okay book; I don't regret reading it, but I don't think I would read it again.
Okay, right off the bat, I have say that the grammar is bad. Terrible. Appalling. I'm sorry, but the tense is all over the place, as is the voice, and the number. It kills the story, bad grammar does, and the reader loses interest, and fast. The prose is clunky at best, and again, the grammar is all over the place. It's like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle, and as soon as you make any progress, ten new pieces are added. It's annoying, to say the least. Also, I need to make note here of a new fad that I seem to have noticed among newer Indian authors, which is the use of really complicated words to explain simple things. I hate this. I do. I think that the beauty of a book lies in the simplicity of the language, and while I do love lush, eloquent prose with lots of big, nice words, I believe that a writer must strive for that only after having achieved grammar nirvana.
Again, as I have mentioned in many reviews before, I'd like to add here that the writer needs to show, not tell. Like for instance, if you've mentioned that Naivedya School is a school for smart kids, and that the Canaries were the best at Naivedya, you don't have to reiterate that they're smarter than the smartest, or any version of the same. I'll tell you why: a) if the reader is an egotistical bitch like me, she'll get damn pissed off because she can put two and two together; and b) it's always important to let the readers draw their conclusions.
Plotwise, Ms. Jayashankar is a pretty decent storyteller, no doubt about that, but there are too. many. fucking. stories. Anything bad that could happen in the world happens to our MCs, and they overcome it all. Maybe tone down on the drama a bit? The characters were okay; I didn't hate them, I didn't love them. And while the essence behind the story is about the eternal friendship of a group of six girls, somewhere in the the middle, this got lost, only to suddenly crop up in the end. It's an okay book; I don't regret reading it, but I don't think I would read it again.
June 4, 2019
Full review on my blog:
https://medium.com/kiranmayi-g/book-r...
CANARY — the abbreviation for the group of six girls Charu, Ananya, Neha, Avantika, Raihanna, Yami and this story is about these six girls, starting from their teenage, high school days. Each of them have a different background and their own struggles. Interestingly Ananya and Avantika are twin sisters but have with their own set of insecurities.
Charu has been brought up away from her parents at her grandparents house, which, over the years, created a mental and emotional gap between them. Ananya is insecure of Avantika grabbing attention of the boys as she assumes her fairer complexion is superior to Avantika’s dusky tone. Raihanna though shares the hostel room with the other girls and considered a part of the group, always stays aloof and is engrossed in her own world of books and scoring marks. Yami is brought up in an orphanage and later adopted by a kind family who treats her as their won.
Life seems to be a fun ride till the girls discover one day that not all was well in their paradise and a lot was happening behind them. Is it jealousy or something else — before they could find the reason for the sudden issues that cropped between them, they are all separated to pursue their higher studies and hence move to different destinations.
Six girls sharing room in high school and forging a beautiful bond of friendship is a very interesting theme and would take most readers on a nostalgia ride as the situations these girls face are so relatable. Also, each of them has a very strong, independent, no non-sense personas which makes them very lovable. Also, since the story’s timeline is in the past, there is a certain innocence to each of them. Those readers hailing from Kerala would love the book more for the authentic, intricate details used in the narration. Pick this one to be taken into the world of these girls, to experience their happiness, madness, emotions all at once.
https://medium.com/kiranmayi-g/book-r...
CANARY — the abbreviation for the group of six girls Charu, Ananya, Neha, Avantika, Raihanna, Yami and this story is about these six girls, starting from their teenage, high school days. Each of them have a different background and their own struggles. Interestingly Ananya and Avantika are twin sisters but have with their own set of insecurities.
Charu has been brought up away from her parents at her grandparents house, which, over the years, created a mental and emotional gap between them. Ananya is insecure of Avantika grabbing attention of the boys as she assumes her fairer complexion is superior to Avantika’s dusky tone. Raihanna though shares the hostel room with the other girls and considered a part of the group, always stays aloof and is engrossed in her own world of books and scoring marks. Yami is brought up in an orphanage and later adopted by a kind family who treats her as their won.
Life seems to be a fun ride till the girls discover one day that not all was well in their paradise and a lot was happening behind them. Is it jealousy or something else — before they could find the reason for the sudden issues that cropped between them, they are all separated to pursue their higher studies and hence move to different destinations.
Six girls sharing room in high school and forging a beautiful bond of friendship is a very interesting theme and would take most readers on a nostalgia ride as the situations these girls face are so relatable. Also, each of them has a very strong, independent, no non-sense personas which makes them very lovable. Also, since the story’s timeline is in the past, there is a certain innocence to each of them. Those readers hailing from Kerala would love the book more for the authentic, intricate details used in the narration. Pick this one to be taken into the world of these girls, to experience their happiness, madness, emotions all at once.
September 25, 2017
Waves in the Sky is the debut novel by Rakhi Jayashankar. I loved it. Gripping and very well plotted story !!!
This book chronicles the journey of six women, six friends who call themselves the Canaries. They are of distinct personalities - audacious to artful. Rakhi has created many great subplots and strong characters.
The only hiccup is the grammar and the editing.
Waiting for more books from this talented author.
This book chronicles the journey of six women, six friends who call themselves the Canaries. They are of distinct personalities - audacious to artful. Rakhi has created many great subplots and strong characters.
The only hiccup is the grammar and the editing.
Waiting for more books from this talented author.
February 8, 2016
Waves in the Sky is a novel about the coming of age for a group of young girls. We watch as their friendship crumbles and they heartbreakingly drift apart. The reader is then taken on a journey through each character's life, witnessing them fall and pick themselves back up again. Each character, as most people in today's world, has a fault that drives them and just as so, each character has a fault that destroys them. But in the end, they find their way back to each other and I think the biggest message is that life goes on. Whatever happened in the past doesn't matter, because there's nothing you can do to change it. Life goes on.
Strong points:
-The character development is strong. Each character has a mind of their own, a purpose in life, and unique personality.
-Great dialogue. I love when books have description, and this book had a lot of fantastic description, but another important thing for me is dialogue. Nothing helps a book move forward more than dialogue does. And at the same time, this helped me learn what the characters were like. How they spoke to each other, how they spoke of each other, etc. This is all important points to a character's development and you seemed to do a great job at doing this.
-Action (this is also a drawback, but we will get to that.) Nothing helps a book stay interesting more than action. The beginning of this book was very slow in my opinion, and the small bits of action at the beginning wasn't enough to keep me satisfied as a reader. However, towards the middle things began to speed up. Each character had bad things happen to and around them. My interest began to spike, here, as I wanted to know why some of these things were happening.
-I learned a lot about a culture I'm not a part of, and that was pretty interesting for me!
Draw Backs:
-There's too many characters. I found it hard to follow along with who's who and what role they serve. Characters that are mentioned in the beginning of the book quickly became forgotten until they come back into view. The addition of so many characters seemed to take away from the book for me. I couldn't follow much because of this, and I began to no longer care about the character's names, only what was happening during that particular scene.
-Too much time jump. I felt like the book jumped around a lot. We start out with the characters as (14 year old?) girls and end with them as (middle aged?) adults. And if that weren't enough time jumping throughout the book, in some scenes we fall back as many as 30 years (to when the girls were babies?) to learn about a past that I felt we should have known much sooner in the book. While I agree it's important to save these memories for the right timing, I feel there could have been a better way of doing so. Instead of writing a new scene for it, maybe write it as the character who remembers it telling a story? I would have rathered hear it from that character's point of view instead. I would have liked to hear why he thought what happened was the right thing to do and feel his emotion as he told it. I wanted to feel his regret as he realized what happened wasn't the answer. I don't care about who was wearing what or exactly what they said in the past. I wanted to hear it as a memory, not jump back in time and watch it play out. Keep me in the present time, there was enough jumping around in time at this point.
-The action. Even though I said a lot of action is great, an author has to think about whether or not these events help the story move forward. The biggest problem I had here was that a lot of what happened seemed a bit too extreme. While I know this is a book and not real life, I felt like a lot of things (such as the character who tried to kill her child because school was too important to her. this is where you started to lose me) were drawn out too far and were very unrealistic. While people can do crazy things, I felt this was very uncharacteristic of this character.
Overall, I felt this book has a lot of potential to be better. It's a great story about coming of age that has its flaws, but does hold an important message: life goes on.
(Update: Upon conversing with the author, I have learned that the events in this book are in fact real incidents.)
Strong points:
-The character development is strong. Each character has a mind of their own, a purpose in life, and unique personality.
-Great dialogue. I love when books have description, and this book had a lot of fantastic description, but another important thing for me is dialogue. Nothing helps a book move forward more than dialogue does. And at the same time, this helped me learn what the characters were like. How they spoke to each other, how they spoke of each other, etc. This is all important points to a character's development and you seemed to do a great job at doing this.
-Action (this is also a drawback, but we will get to that.) Nothing helps a book stay interesting more than action. The beginning of this book was very slow in my opinion, and the small bits of action at the beginning wasn't enough to keep me satisfied as a reader. However, towards the middle things began to speed up. Each character had bad things happen to and around them. My interest began to spike, here, as I wanted to know why some of these things were happening.
-I learned a lot about a culture I'm not a part of, and that was pretty interesting for me!
Draw Backs:
-There's too many characters. I found it hard to follow along with who's who and what role they serve. Characters that are mentioned in the beginning of the book quickly became forgotten until they come back into view. The addition of so many characters seemed to take away from the book for me. I couldn't follow much because of this, and I began to no longer care about the character's names, only what was happening during that particular scene.
-Too much time jump. I felt like the book jumped around a lot. We start out with the characters as (14 year old?) girls and end with them as (middle aged?) adults. And if that weren't enough time jumping throughout the book, in some scenes we fall back as many as 30 years (to when the girls were babies?) to learn about a past that I felt we should have known much sooner in the book. While I agree it's important to save these memories for the right timing, I feel there could have been a better way of doing so. Instead of writing a new scene for it, maybe write it as the character who remembers it telling a story? I would have rathered hear it from that character's point of view instead. I would have liked to hear why he thought what happened was the right thing to do and feel his emotion as he told it. I wanted to feel his regret as he realized what happened wasn't the answer. I don't care about who was wearing what or exactly what they said in the past. I wanted to hear it as a memory, not jump back in time and watch it play out. Keep me in the present time, there was enough jumping around in time at this point.
-The action. Even though I said a lot of action is great, an author has to think about whether or not these events help the story move forward. The biggest problem I had here was that a lot of what happened seemed a bit too extreme. While I know this is a book and not real life, I felt like a lot of things (such as the character who tried to kill her child because school was too important to her. this is where you started to lose me) were drawn out too far and were very unrealistic. While people can do crazy things, I felt this was very uncharacteristic of this character.
Overall, I felt this book has a lot of potential to be better. It's a great story about coming of age that has its flaws, but does hold an important message: life goes on.
(Update: Upon conversing with the author, I have learned that the events in this book are in fact real incidents.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2016
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you author!
Words don't describe how amazing the book is, neither does its summary. How can anyone express the feeling of reuniting with school buds with words?? That's what I have to say to this spectacular book. Being an Indian, the school situation with which the book starts is quite close to my heart. The gang of six girls calling themselves Canaries, reminds of my school days. If its the same with you, then you will be hooked till the end.
The story takes off from the happy school days to the broad life, where each of the girls get to play their cards, some make good decisions, some make bad ones. Then through series of events and with the help of fate they reunite and look back on their journey. They love, they live and they make you relive all of the experiences once again. There is so much that this book talks about that one will go through a huge emotional roller-coaster while reading this book!
For a detailed review, visit my blog: https://dreambookreviews.wordpress.co...
Words don't describe how amazing the book is, neither does its summary. How can anyone express the feeling of reuniting with school buds with words?? That's what I have to say to this spectacular book. Being an Indian, the school situation with which the book starts is quite close to my heart. The gang of six girls calling themselves Canaries, reminds of my school days. If its the same with you, then you will be hooked till the end.
The story takes off from the happy school days to the broad life, where each of the girls get to play their cards, some make good decisions, some make bad ones. Then through series of events and with the help of fate they reunite and look back on their journey. They love, they live and they make you relive all of the experiences once again. There is so much that this book talks about that one will go through a huge emotional roller-coaster while reading this book!
For a detailed review, visit my blog: https://dreambookreviews.wordpress.co...
June 8, 2017
With too many subplots and characters, the author definitely needs to be applauded for weaving them all together neatly and holding the reader's attention with a pace that never slackens and for keeping the mystery element intact till the last page. The book has definitely come out well, and quite captivating to the end. It was a fast read for me as I got curioser and curioser!
Definitely worth 3.5 stars. Marked as Canaries #1, I am eagerly looking forward to the series. My full review here - http://bookskkread.blogspot.in/2016/0...
Definitely worth 3.5 stars. Marked as Canaries #1, I am eagerly looking forward to the series. My full review here - http://bookskkread.blogspot.in/2016/0...
February 11, 2016
The Canarian Flight by Rakhi Jayashankar:
The debut novel from India-based author Rakhi Jayashankar is a testament to a lifetime spent pursuing a dream. The culture and spirit of the
author's background and the lives she's lived and seen come to life. This is a must-read for any and all interested in a cultural shift
like no other. The story of the six canaries and the lives that are led in this culture are incredible to read, and this book was quite
alluring and fun to read.
The debut novel from India-based author Rakhi Jayashankar is a testament to a lifetime spent pursuing a dream. The culture and spirit of the
author's background and the lives she's lived and seen come to life. This is a must-read for any and all interested in a cultural shift
like no other. The story of the six canaries and the lives that are led in this culture are incredible to read, and this book was quite
alluring and fun to read.
May 17, 2019
Waves in the sky follows six friends named Charu,Ananya,Neha,Avantika,Raihana and Yami. They were a group of popular girls in the Naivedya school in Kerela. In the first half of the book we are introduced to their school as well as hostel lives and as the story further expands we see what they have achieved and how far they have gone in their respective lives.
If you look close enough you can see that each character's first letter in their name forms an acronym called CANARY which is so cool. These friends have been through thick and thin.Like in every friendship they were also subjected to occasional arguments and disagreements but when the situation to stand united arrive they never ever back down. But during their last year at school,envy and competitiveness took over and resulted in separation and cutting off all ties.
Years after,every canary is busy in their own life with happiness and obstacles going hand in hand.Some of them have achieved greatness by lending a helping hand and becoming an epitome but only one one of them didn't have such a fateful progress in her future.Her character, i wont reveal her name was one of the irksome character in the entire book.I mean this could have everything but one reckless mistake of trusting a bad influence landed her in a position of no return.
Waves in the sky was an emotional read.Going through pages,i undoubtedly felt that this book was written with unconditional love and a lot of patience. All the characters were special in their own way and at he same point or other you'll connect with their circumstances and ideologies.
The author's writing was splendid considering this was her debut novel i didn't for once noticed any plot holes or incomplete character arc. This book conveyed an array of emotions and rendered me speechless in the end. Story that also has a blend of thrilling suspense i haven't read anything like this before.
Finally,Waves in the sky was a 5 stars read. The title of the book appealed me but the story grabbed my attention from the very beginning.
"I got the book as a part of the review program in Outset" with a hyperlink to https://rakhijayashankar.blogspot.in
If you look close enough you can see that each character's first letter in their name forms an acronym called CANARY which is so cool. These friends have been through thick and thin.Like in every friendship they were also subjected to occasional arguments and disagreements but when the situation to stand united arrive they never ever back down. But during their last year at school,envy and competitiveness took over and resulted in separation and cutting off all ties.
Years after,every canary is busy in their own life with happiness and obstacles going hand in hand.Some of them have achieved greatness by lending a helping hand and becoming an epitome but only one one of them didn't have such a fateful progress in her future.Her character, i wont reveal her name was one of the irksome character in the entire book.I mean this could have everything but one reckless mistake of trusting a bad influence landed her in a position of no return.
Waves in the sky was an emotional read.Going through pages,i undoubtedly felt that this book was written with unconditional love and a lot of patience. All the characters were special in their own way and at he same point or other you'll connect with their circumstances and ideologies.
The author's writing was splendid considering this was her debut novel i didn't for once noticed any plot holes or incomplete character arc. This book conveyed an array of emotions and rendered me speechless in the end. Story that also has a blend of thrilling suspense i haven't read anything like this before.
Finally,Waves in the sky was a 5 stars read. The title of the book appealed me but the story grabbed my attention from the very beginning.
"I got the book as a part of the review program in Outset" with a hyperlink to https://rakhijayashankar.blogspot.in
June 8, 2019
Follow Just A Girl High On Books for more reviews.
I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
"Who will become a child's parent is not anyone's choice but how will we handle the relations is purely our choice."
Waves in the Sky by Rakhi Jayashankar is the first book about the "Canaries". The Canaries are basically six girls—Charu, Raihana, Avantika, Neha, Ananya and Yami. Throughout the course of this novel, we read more and more about them and the kind of life they lead once they finish their high school. (A little bit of it is from when they were in the high school as well.) Hence, it won't be a lie to say that the book takes you down the memory lane. I mean, I'm still in college and even I miss my high school after reading it.
However, what upset me was that despite the various issues raised by the book, it wasn't able to give the characters any lasting impression. Perhaps, that was because there were way too many of them and not enough space to bring alive all the sub-plots and character developments going on in the story. I guess, the book could have easily increased with at least 50 pages and given each of them enough attention for them to stand out. Despite their differences, they sort of blended together so that bothered me a little.
Other than that, I believe the book could have used a little more editing. I mean, I'm not saying that the writing was bad, but I think the narration wasn't that great and had there been more focus on it, the book could have easily turned into a 5 star. Besides, that would have taken away the character thing, too. And the few grammatical errors there were could have been rectified with that as well. I mean, some of those errors were staring me right in the face.
I'm hoping that these things are taken into account in the future "Canaries" books because really, the story was good and rather exciting. If only the narration or the characters could have been developed better, the book would have been amazing!
I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
"Who will become a child's parent is not anyone's choice but how will we handle the relations is purely our choice."
Waves in the Sky by Rakhi Jayashankar is the first book about the "Canaries". The Canaries are basically six girls—Charu, Raihana, Avantika, Neha, Ananya and Yami. Throughout the course of this novel, we read more and more about them and the kind of life they lead once they finish their high school. (A little bit of it is from when they were in the high school as well.) Hence, it won't be a lie to say that the book takes you down the memory lane. I mean, I'm still in college and even I miss my high school after reading it.
However, what upset me was that despite the various issues raised by the book, it wasn't able to give the characters any lasting impression. Perhaps, that was because there were way too many of them and not enough space to bring alive all the sub-plots and character developments going on in the story. I guess, the book could have easily increased with at least 50 pages and given each of them enough attention for them to stand out. Despite their differences, they sort of blended together so that bothered me a little.
Other than that, I believe the book could have used a little more editing. I mean, I'm not saying that the writing was bad, but I think the narration wasn't that great and had there been more focus on it, the book could have easily turned into a 5 star. Besides, that would have taken away the character thing, too. And the few grammatical errors there were could have been rectified with that as well. I mean, some of those errors were staring me right in the face.
I'm hoping that these things are taken into account in the future "Canaries" books because really, the story was good and rather exciting. If only the narration or the characters could have been developed better, the book would have been amazing!
March 31, 2016
Waves in the Sky
By Rakhi JayaShankar
Plot:
This is a story of 6 friends, angry young girl - Charu, drama queen – Ananya, frightened from princi – Neha, ambitious and logical – Avantika, selfish – Raihana and the outspoken and confident – Yami, together known as the CANARY/ies.
Written In the backdrop of Kerala, Waves in the sky is the story of the lives of Canaries and their mother Banyan - Ms. Malini. From being school students till they get finished with their twenties, a lot happen in their lives. From a sweet tale of friendship, the book becomes a mind boggling murder mystery.
Delve deep into this mysterious contemporary fiction to know more about the lives of Canaries and the murder mystery that follows.
Pros and Cons:
Positives
One of the best parts about the book was the characterization of each and every chief character of the book. All the Canaries, their attributes, Malini’s nature and their background are well defined to give a proper base to the story. A simple language and good vocabulary is well amalgamated with the correct narration style which will bind its readers to it. To give a touch of Kerala, some words of Malyalam have been used which creates an ambience and feel of that place. Also, a creative and different title is used for the book.
Negatives:
Pointing out the negatives of a good book is always a difficult task but I always believe that like a coin sides, a book shall also have a negative side so that the author can always have a scope for improvement. The only negatives I found was that the ending was penned in a fast pace as compared to the slow and perfect pace with which the start is written. Other than that, some incidents have been unnecessarily exaggerated in the book which could have been avoided. Also, book cover is something she should have worked more on since it lacks in attracting reader’s attention.
My take on the story:
Penning a story is an easy task, but connection it emotionally with the readers and binding the reader to it till the very ending is one of the toughest tasks and Rakhi has surely passed this task.
Right from describing the selfish nature of human beings to the bond of friendship that is one of the beautiful relations in this world to the motherly love, care and affection to the heart wrenching description of female harassment, all these elements are the building blocks of this story. A wonderful effort in form of a debut novel, Waves in the sky is an enjoyable and
Pick this book if you are looking forward for a gripping tale of friendship with a tint of mystery, I am sure you will be compelled to finish it in one go.
Final Rating:
Book Cover and Title: 1+2=3; 3/5
Plot, language and Literature: 3.5/5
Character Justification: 3.5/5
Final Rating: 3.5/5
By Rakhi JayaShankar
Plot:
This is a story of 6 friends, angry young girl - Charu, drama queen – Ananya, frightened from princi – Neha, ambitious and logical – Avantika, selfish – Raihana and the outspoken and confident – Yami, together known as the CANARY/ies.
Written In the backdrop of Kerala, Waves in the sky is the story of the lives of Canaries and their mother Banyan - Ms. Malini. From being school students till they get finished with their twenties, a lot happen in their lives. From a sweet tale of friendship, the book becomes a mind boggling murder mystery.
Delve deep into this mysterious contemporary fiction to know more about the lives of Canaries and the murder mystery that follows.
Pros and Cons:
Positives
One of the best parts about the book was the characterization of each and every chief character of the book. All the Canaries, their attributes, Malini’s nature and their background are well defined to give a proper base to the story. A simple language and good vocabulary is well amalgamated with the correct narration style which will bind its readers to it. To give a touch of Kerala, some words of Malyalam have been used which creates an ambience and feel of that place. Also, a creative and different title is used for the book.
Negatives:
Pointing out the negatives of a good book is always a difficult task but I always believe that like a coin sides, a book shall also have a negative side so that the author can always have a scope for improvement. The only negatives I found was that the ending was penned in a fast pace as compared to the slow and perfect pace with which the start is written. Other than that, some incidents have been unnecessarily exaggerated in the book which could have been avoided. Also, book cover is something she should have worked more on since it lacks in attracting reader’s attention.
My take on the story:
Penning a story is an easy task, but connection it emotionally with the readers and binding the reader to it till the very ending is one of the toughest tasks and Rakhi has surely passed this task.
Right from describing the selfish nature of human beings to the bond of friendship that is one of the beautiful relations in this world to the motherly love, care and affection to the heart wrenching description of female harassment, all these elements are the building blocks of this story. A wonderful effort in form of a debut novel, Waves in the sky is an enjoyable and
Pick this book if you are looking forward for a gripping tale of friendship with a tint of mystery, I am sure you will be compelled to finish it in one go.
Final Rating:
Book Cover and Title: 1+2=3; 3/5
Plot, language and Literature: 3.5/5
Character Justification: 3.5/5
Final Rating: 3.5/5
May 10, 2016
Read full review here: https://thereandtheir.wordpress.com/2...
Waves in the sky is based on the lives of 6 girls and it is kind of an ode to their friendship. Like all friendships, theirs too is tested in different ways, and it was interesting to read how these girls fought through.
What is different about this book, is that each and every female character is quite different and yet, each has their own individual strengths.
This is a very fast paced book, so those who likes stories in Indian setting with the aforementioned pace should go through it.
Waves in the sky is based on the lives of 6 girls and it is kind of an ode to their friendship. Like all friendships, theirs too is tested in different ways, and it was interesting to read how these girls fought through.
What is different about this book, is that each and every female character is quite different and yet, each has their own individual strengths.
This is a very fast paced book, so those who likes stories in Indian setting with the aforementioned pace should go through it.
March 19, 2016
The book is about lives of different individuals woven together in a very brilliant and dramatic way. The story clearly states how inspired the author is about Kerala. I mostly find books with too many characters, hard to keep up with but, the author has managed to do it very well. I found some parts to be very dark. And as someone who is too sensitive, I'd have skipped that part. Anyways I read the complete story, I just couldn't put it down! It is interesting, thrilling, even beautiful and with all the drama, you get engrossed in the tale!
Being her first book, the author has done a nice job. I wish her all the luck with her future projects.
Being her first book, the author has done a nice job. I wish her all the luck with her future projects.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2019
Waves in the Sky written by Rakhi Jayashankar is about Charu, Ananya, Neha, Avantika,Raihana and Yami- the true friends. The six friends called themselves as Canaries. The Group is so famous in their “ Naivedya” school campus in Kerela. The six friends are having intermittent fights among themselves but they reconcile the issues quickly and join hands instantly. But on the last year of their schooling, the canaries are having some squabble and differences and it wreck their relationship.
The unfortunate events force them to cut all ties and they are separated to all parts. Years after they happen to meet each other, but an emotional rides awaits them. Will they able to prove their friendship is powerful. Please read the story.
This is one of those stories that the reader can relate to at least one character if not more throughout the tale. Friendship plays an enormous role and it is always heart-warming in any story to see a strong element throughout. But with friendship often comes betrayal, hurt or both and this tale covers all the bases.
This book is the absolute comfort read for me. A heart-warming, emotionally, gratifying experience. The one where, after finishing, you just sit & stare out of your head happy & content that again the friendship has been put to rights.
This book is about friendship, love, betrayal, growing up, learning to fight for what is important & learning to let go. This book is having lot of characters and there is a challenge thrown to the reader to remember all of their names.
The writing style is too good and superb. The final pages of the books are enthralling and the author connects all the dots and answers the question asked by the reader. I loved this book!! It’s so well written and the character development is amazing.
I liked the way the book moved; it’s rhythm. It wasn’t slow moving but it wasn’t action packed. I think the best way I can narrate it is that it seemed pesticide-free. I could believe that all of these things were happening to these characters. Things prosper organically and I don’t think that happens enough in books.
Do I recommend this book? Absolutely! It was just what I needed to read at this moment and I’m so glad I did.
The unfortunate events force them to cut all ties and they are separated to all parts. Years after they happen to meet each other, but an emotional rides awaits them. Will they able to prove their friendship is powerful. Please read the story.
This is one of those stories that the reader can relate to at least one character if not more throughout the tale. Friendship plays an enormous role and it is always heart-warming in any story to see a strong element throughout. But with friendship often comes betrayal, hurt or both and this tale covers all the bases.
This book is the absolute comfort read for me. A heart-warming, emotionally, gratifying experience. The one where, after finishing, you just sit & stare out of your head happy & content that again the friendship has been put to rights.
This book is about friendship, love, betrayal, growing up, learning to fight for what is important & learning to let go. This book is having lot of characters and there is a challenge thrown to the reader to remember all of their names.
The writing style is too good and superb. The final pages of the books are enthralling and the author connects all the dots and answers the question asked by the reader. I loved this book!! It’s so well written and the character development is amazing.
I liked the way the book moved; it’s rhythm. It wasn’t slow moving but it wasn’t action packed. I think the best way I can narrate it is that it seemed pesticide-free. I could believe that all of these things were happening to these characters. Things prosper organically and I don’t think that happens enough in books.
Do I recommend this book? Absolutely! It was just what I needed to read at this moment and I’m so glad I did.
May 30, 2019
When I picked up and read few pages of this book, I felt like it’s all about teenage friendships and romance but to my surprise it turned out completely different. I am really glad that I picked up this book. The book is all about six friends Avantika, Neha, Yami, Raihana, Ananya and Chary they are referred as CANARY. They stayed in a hostel and Miss. Malini is the principal and mostly their dear caretaker referred as Banyan tree. The story is set up in Kerala. As I stated above, initially when I picked up this book, I felt like it will be some kind of chick flick novel with about friendships and love but to my surprise it turned out completely different. In first part of the story, it’s all about their school and hostel life and friendships with one another. That part reminded me of my school life and made me nostalgic. The second part is during college, graduation and after graduation phases. I loved that part the most as everyone lived different life though they were there for one another and suffered different kind of consequences. I loved the background stories of Yami. How she was orphan and once he visit his caretaker’s house and the conversation between his daughter and Yami was really heart touching. I also loved the story of Raihana. That was really heart touching as I have seen a similar type of real life incident. That made me realise till today there is a huge need of women empowerment. If we talk about the book. I loved the plot. How each and every story is unique in nature and still they are woven together and interrelated. Good use of vocabulary and language done by author. I loved the wide range of time frame covered. I always love the story that moves at faster pace. Overall good one. Worth reading!
"I got the book as a part of the review program in Outset" with https://rakhijayashankar.blogspot.in
"I got the book as a part of the review program in Outset" with https://rakhijayashankar.blogspot.in
May 29, 2019
Waves in the Sky by Rakhi Jayashankar is a story about six Canaries— Charu, Ananya, Neha, Avantika, Raihana, and Yami. The Canaries are best friends they cannot imagine their lives without each other just like we all did when in high school. These girls have been through thick and thin together and yet come out more stronger.
They were inseparable or so they thought, as life takes a dramatic turn, their friendship is tested and like all fragile things, it too comes to an hault.
What seemed like an innocent tale of young friend soon transforms into something rather dark and twisted a the story progresses and all hells break loose.
For me, Nostalgia is the only feeling which I got after reading about the Canaries. It made me miss my school days. The characters are given attention but not enough to make them stand out and leave a lasting impression.
The plot consists of various subplots that deals with social issues. The author tried to tell too much and had too little time which made the story crammed and didn't give enough space for a single story line to develop freely. They overlap with each other too much without either of them being described in a proper mannee which makes you feel that you're reading a product of lazy writing. No offense.
The writing stye was simple, too simple and could've been better. The narration plays a huge part in story telling especially when you've so much to say. If the narrative was more vivid and descriptive, this book could've easily been a page turner.
I liked the idea but the execution was poorly done and left me feeling underwhelmed.
I would recommend this to the beginners though.
P.S: The cover could've been better too.
They were inseparable or so they thought, as life takes a dramatic turn, their friendship is tested and like all fragile things, it too comes to an hault.
What seemed like an innocent tale of young friend soon transforms into something rather dark and twisted a the story progresses and all hells break loose.
For me, Nostalgia is the only feeling which I got after reading about the Canaries. It made me miss my school days. The characters are given attention but not enough to make them stand out and leave a lasting impression.
The plot consists of various subplots that deals with social issues. The author tried to tell too much and had too little time which made the story crammed and didn't give enough space for a single story line to develop freely. They overlap with each other too much without either of them being described in a proper mannee which makes you feel that you're reading a product of lazy writing. No offense.
The writing stye was simple, too simple and could've been better. The narration plays a huge part in story telling especially when you've so much to say. If the narrative was more vivid and descriptive, this book could've easily been a page turner.
I liked the idea but the execution was poorly done and left me feeling underwhelmed.
I would recommend this to the beginners though.
P.S: The cover could've been better too.
December 20, 2019
A book about six best friends called CANARY and their adventures of life.
It was entertaining at first, but later I felt it was quite too lengthy.
Also, its quite of a murder mystery. So mystery lovers can read it
It was entertaining at first, but later I felt it was quite too lengthy.
Also, its quite of a murder mystery. So mystery lovers can read it
February 29, 2016
Sometimes, in order to understand a particular culture, you need to wear the shoes of the author in case he or she happens to be a part of it. I happened to read the ARC of this book, thanks to Rakhi. I must admit, the plot is marvellous.
The story is about friendship. The plot revolves around six friends, their separation and finally, reunion. I must add that interconnections between characters add on to the plot.
The narration conjures up lovely visual imageries. Rakhi has attempted to address various social issues - adoption, child abuse, family outcasts, divorce due to mistrust. Yes, fitting in all issues in a single story may seem a bit extravagant, but since this is first in a series, I guess, proper introduction of characters vis-a-vis their background is vital for future stories.
The characters address emotions - love, empathy, kindness, friendship, anger, hatred, mistrust. All these elements have played an integral part to the story. Each canary has a distinctive character. Though I have no particular favourites, I must mention that writing a book with lots of characters is time consuming, great work Rakhi.
There were a few weak links in the ARC (nothing to do with grammar etc.). There were a few questions which came to my mind as I kept reading- What exactly was the thing which made Canaries drift apart? Why didnt Charu's parents try to get closer to their daughter? Why didnt Malini tell her husband about Varun? Why did Varun keep quiet and spend seven years in jail? A bit more elaboration was felt needed on these aspects to make the book unputdownable. Also, for a global audience, an English translation of the statements in Malayalam or references could be helpful. Since I had read the ARC only, hence, my rating and review is based solely on it.
To sum up, Rakhi has a good story to tell, one that can be read in a single sitting. The twist she has introduced is really very interesting. The book is definitely worth a read.
P.S - Rakhi, I am sure, your next will be worth the wait. Looking forward!
The story is about friendship. The plot revolves around six friends, their separation and finally, reunion. I must add that interconnections between characters add on to the plot.
The narration conjures up lovely visual imageries. Rakhi has attempted to address various social issues - adoption, child abuse, family outcasts, divorce due to mistrust. Yes, fitting in all issues in a single story may seem a bit extravagant, but since this is first in a series, I guess, proper introduction of characters vis-a-vis their background is vital for future stories.
The characters address emotions - love, empathy, kindness, friendship, anger, hatred, mistrust. All these elements have played an integral part to the story. Each canary has a distinctive character. Though I have no particular favourites, I must mention that writing a book with lots of characters is time consuming, great work Rakhi.
There were a few weak links in the ARC (nothing to do with grammar etc.). There were a few questions which came to my mind as I kept reading- What exactly was the thing which made Canaries drift apart? Why didnt Charu's parents try to get closer to their daughter? Why didnt Malini tell her husband about Varun? Why did Varun keep quiet and spend seven years in jail? A bit more elaboration was felt needed on these aspects to make the book unputdownable. Also, for a global audience, an English translation of the statements in Malayalam or references could be helpful. Since I had read the ARC only, hence, my rating and review is based solely on it.
To sum up, Rakhi has a good story to tell, one that can be read in a single sitting. The twist she has introduced is really very interesting. The book is definitely worth a read.
P.S - Rakhi, I am sure, your next will be worth the wait. Looking forward!
April 16, 2016
Many thanks to Ms. Jayashankar for letting me read the ARC of her first novel. The story in this book will make a very good movie. The plot was realistic, and it wasn't easy at all, but what is, truly? Should life be about happy realizations?
I need time to understand the context of the stories and the culture that took place in the book but it was only refreshing to see new people and places. I have many good friends from India and I often watch Indian movies with them. I can say that I love Indian movies more than I love Mexican telenovelas. There is something about these movies: is it the simplicity? The sincerity?
It is a lovely book, and by lovely I mean 'life is not easy at all'. This book is very thick and it should've been thicker. The stories were many, and readers need to be able to experience the stories more acutely and vividly to apprehend the stories. The stories can be made into a 3-hour long movie. I was sad to find that the book itself wasn't long enough.
When I finished, I said to myself: what else could happen to these guys.
A roller coaster ride, life is. And as a philosopher once said, "Life is one death too many."
I need time to understand the context of the stories and the culture that took place in the book but it was only refreshing to see new people and places. I have many good friends from India and I often watch Indian movies with them. I can say that I love Indian movies more than I love Mexican telenovelas. There is something about these movies: is it the simplicity? The sincerity?
It is a lovely book, and by lovely I mean 'life is not easy at all'. This book is very thick and it should've been thicker. The stories were many, and readers need to be able to experience the stories more acutely and vividly to apprehend the stories. The stories can be made into a 3-hour long movie. I was sad to find that the book itself wasn't long enough.
When I finished, I said to myself: what else could happen to these guys.
A roller coaster ride, life is. And as a philosopher once said, "Life is one death too many."
February 10, 2016
I was privileged to receive an ARC of this book from the author for a comment. This is a delightful tale of the sinuous adventures of six girls in one of India's most literature-friendly states--Kerala. "Waves in the Sky" carefully tracks every little aspect of the lives of the girls, fondly called the Canaries, from adolescence to early adulthood. A tale imbued with delicate details that bare the all too familiar quirks of growing up.
This is a debut novel with potential, but while the plot is captivating, I did not find the narrative voice strong enough to keep a reader glued to the pages the way it should for the kind of thought-provoking events it recounts.
This is a debut novel with potential, but while the plot is captivating, I did not find the narrative voice strong enough to keep a reader glued to the pages the way it should for the kind of thought-provoking events it recounts.
July 23, 2020
‘Waves in the Sky (Canaries 1)’ is a tale of six girls - Charu, Ananya, Neha, Avantika, Raihana and Yami. CANARY is an acronym for their names. The book begins with their lives at Naivedya School in Kerala; and amidst their fun-filled lives, there is also the stress for standard tenth board examinations. These six stories stand on their own, growing in its complexities with time. The character of Malini, the School Principal, revered by the girls as their Mother Banyan, brings the twist in the lives of these happy-go-lucky girls and we enter the world of murder mystery. So, this combination of chick lit and murder mystery serves a platter for an engaging read.
February 12, 2016
I got free copy of the book in return of an honest review,
I loved the book. Fast paced, thrilling, and engaging,
I loved the ending too.
I loved the book. Fast paced, thrilling, and engaging,
I loved the ending too.
December 2, 2021
"Who will become a child's parent is not anyone's choice but how will we handle the relations is purely our choice."
Waves in the Sky by Rakhi Jayashankar is the first book about the "Canaries". The Canaries are basically six girls—Charu, Raihana, Avantika, Neha, Ananya and Yami. Throughout the course of this novel, we read more and more about them and the kind of life they lead once they finish their high school. (A little bit of it is from when they were in the high school as well.) Hence, it won't be a lie to say that the book takes you down the memory lane. I mean, I'm still in college and even I miss my high school after reading it.
However, what upset me was that despite the various issues raised by the book, it wasn't able to give the characters any lasting impression. Perhaps, that was because there were way too many of them and not enough space to bring alive all the sub-plots and character developments going on in the story. I guess, the book could have easily increased with at least 50 pages and given each of them enough attention for them to stand out. Despite their differences, they sort of blended together so that bothered me a little.
Other than that, I believe the book could have used a little more editing. I mean, I'm not saying that the writing was bad, but I think the narration wasn't that great and had there been more focus on it, the book could have easily turned into a 5 star. Besides, that would have taken away the character thing, too. And the few grammatical errors there were could have been rectified with that as well. I mean, some of those errors were staring me right in the face.
I'm hoping that these things are taken into account in the future "Canaries" books because really, the story was good and rather exciting. If only the narration or the characters could have been developed better, the book would have been amazing!
Waves in the Sky by Rakhi Jayashankar is the first book about the "Canaries". The Canaries are basically six girls—Charu, Raihana, Avantika, Neha, Ananya and Yami. Throughout the course of this novel, we read more and more about them and the kind of life they lead once they finish their high school. (A little bit of it is from when they were in the high school as well.) Hence, it won't be a lie to say that the book takes you down the memory lane. I mean, I'm still in college and even I miss my high school after reading it.
However, what upset me was that despite the various issues raised by the book, it wasn't able to give the characters any lasting impression. Perhaps, that was because there were way too many of them and not enough space to bring alive all the sub-plots and character developments going on in the story. I guess, the book could have easily increased with at least 50 pages and given each of them enough attention for them to stand out. Despite their differences, they sort of blended together so that bothered me a little.
Other than that, I believe the book could have used a little more editing. I mean, I'm not saying that the writing was bad, but I think the narration wasn't that great and had there been more focus on it, the book could have easily turned into a 5 star. Besides, that would have taken away the character thing, too. And the few grammatical errors there were could have been rectified with that as well. I mean, some of those errors were staring me right in the face.
I'm hoping that these things are taken into account in the future "Canaries" books because really, the story was good and rather exciting. If only the narration or the characters could have been developed better, the book would have been amazing!
May 30, 2019
This a debut novel of the author. The entire novel focuses on the lives of six childhood friends.Their names are Charu, Ananya, Neha, Avantika, Raihana and Yami. Together these friends are called CANARY in the book. The story is set on the background of the Naivedya Boarding School, in Kerala.
The book begins with an incidence of a rape victim coming forward and denying to hide her identity. However, there is no immediate reference to this plot in the book. It is important to understand the past of Canaries to understand this plot.
The Canaries were very good friends in the boarding school but an unfortunate incidence drives them apart after their tenth.
The story develops further with different plots focusing on each of the friends' life. With different plots and subplots, the story becomes one big jigsaw puzzle. But I must compliment the author for putting all pieces together to develop a beautiful picture. After every character struggles through their share of bad luck the story ends on a slightly positive note.
Because of too many things happening at the same time, it was difficult for me to keep a track of who's who and it became slightly confusing. It appears that the author has tried to put everything in the first novel. Therefore, the novel looks little cramped.
In my view, introducing too many characters in the story gave little chance to the author to develop them. More descriptive narration can make this novel a definite page-turner.
Overall a good effort as a debut novel. I will give 3 stars to the novel.
The book begins with an incidence of a rape victim coming forward and denying to hide her identity. However, there is no immediate reference to this plot in the book. It is important to understand the past of Canaries to understand this plot.
The Canaries were very good friends in the boarding school but an unfortunate incidence drives them apart after their tenth.
The story develops further with different plots focusing on each of the friends' life. With different plots and subplots, the story becomes one big jigsaw puzzle. But I must compliment the author for putting all pieces together to develop a beautiful picture. After every character struggles through their share of bad luck the story ends on a slightly positive note.
Because of too many things happening at the same time, it was difficult for me to keep a track of who's who and it became slightly confusing. It appears that the author has tried to put everything in the first novel. Therefore, the novel looks little cramped.
In my view, introducing too many characters in the story gave little chance to the author to develop them. More descriptive narration can make this novel a definite page-turner.
Overall a good effort as a debut novel. I will give 3 stars to the novel.
June 25, 2019
To begin with, I loved the title of the book. The blurb is concise and very intriguing, it surely invokes your interest in reading more.
'Waves in the Sky' is a story of six friends who have very different personalities and yet stand by each other through thick and thin.
Charu, Avantika, Neha, Ananya, Raihana and Yami, refer themselves as canaries and are students of class tenth at Naivedya School. The first part of the story is quite nostalgic and will remind you of your school days. I loved the way the characters and their backgrounds are portrayed. Each girl is strong and independent in her own way.
The story becomes more interesting in the second part where towards the end of tenth class the girls fall apart. Though I very much enjoyed reading about their lovely bond, I could very much relate to the way their friendship falls apart, it reminded me of my hostel days.
Eventually the girls move on with their own lives and never try to contact each other, but life has different plans for them.
The plot is very engaging and the narrations are gripping, the language is simple and there are also many subplots through which the author has tried to touch different social issues. I just felt that too many characters was confusing at times apart from that it was a good read :)
Absolutely loved the way the author has successfully woven a female centric story which an emotional roller coaster.
Definitely recommended!
'Waves in the Sky' is a story of six friends who have very different personalities and yet stand by each other through thick and thin.
Charu, Avantika, Neha, Ananya, Raihana and Yami, refer themselves as canaries and are students of class tenth at Naivedya School. The first part of the story is quite nostalgic and will remind you of your school days. I loved the way the characters and their backgrounds are portrayed. Each girl is strong and independent in her own way.
The story becomes more interesting in the second part where towards the end of tenth class the girls fall apart. Though I very much enjoyed reading about their lovely bond, I could very much relate to the way their friendship falls apart, it reminded me of my hostel days.
Eventually the girls move on with their own lives and never try to contact each other, but life has different plans for them.
The plot is very engaging and the narrations are gripping, the language is simple and there are also many subplots through which the author has tried to touch different social issues. I just felt that too many characters was confusing at times apart from that it was a good read :)
Absolutely loved the way the author has successfully woven a female centric story which an emotional roller coaster.
Definitely recommended!
August 6, 2019
Waves in the sky by Rakhi Jayashankar is a story of 6 girls from class 10. The group is addressed as Canaries by the author. The 6 girls being different in their attitudes were bound under a single roof called Friendship. They promise to stay together but destiny has their plot planned. They pass with flying colours in class ten but however had to part their ways for each other's future. Six years later, different circumstances get them close to each other. What has been the reason that stayed unnoticed in these years?? How has life treated?? To know all the questions grab you copies...
Firstly, I liked the way the author specifically spoke about the girls. Unlike other stories that focus on male protagonists, the uthor strengthened the characters of the girls.
The title and the coverpage are perfect for each other and the word "Canaries" but could have been more interesting.
The book, I can say is a long read that include life stories of all the individual protagonists.
The entire plot revolves around a common secret which is the twist of the plot.
The succession of events and the goodness of grammar is seen clearly.
However with many characters involved and their past stories...the narration was a bit confusing.
Firstly, I liked the way the author specifically spoke about the girls. Unlike other stories that focus on male protagonists, the uthor strengthened the characters of the girls.
The title and the coverpage are perfect for each other and the word "Canaries" but could have been more interesting.
The book, I can say is a long read that include life stories of all the individual protagonists.
The entire plot revolves around a common secret which is the twist of the plot.
The succession of events and the goodness of grammar is seen clearly.
However with many characters involved and their past stories...the narration was a bit confusing.
May 27, 2019
I've been reading a lot of debut novels lately and I can pretty much say that Waves in the Sky by Rakhi Jayashankar was nicely written! It's a story about a group of 6 friends The Canaries - Ananya, Avantika, Charu, Neha, Raihana and Yami - who have stayed and studied together, ever since they started school. But when they grow up and choose to go their own different ways, destiny makes every effort to bring each of them down now that they're sole fingers instead of the fist they used to be.
As they face their own demons, the book takes us on a journey filled with drama, romance, crime, thriller and even some moral values. The best part of the book was the way the author showed the contrast between the 6 girls. All of them had their own personas and the author subtly built the reader's bond with each of them perfectly. The way she brought all of their lives together in the end was also commendable.
Though the plot went mundane sometimes, the author had a nice writing style as she tried to encompass a lot many genres. I would love her to go deeper with her beliefs and write more freely in her next book. It was a pleasure reading your book Rakhi! It was totally one of a kind. Thank you so much for the free copy as a part of your Outset review program. To read more of her works follow this link right here https://rakhijayashankar.blogspot.in/
As they face their own demons, the book takes us on a journey filled with drama, romance, crime, thriller and even some moral values. The best part of the book was the way the author showed the contrast between the 6 girls. All of them had their own personas and the author subtly built the reader's bond with each of them perfectly. The way she brought all of their lives together in the end was also commendable.
Though the plot went mundane sometimes, the author had a nice writing style as she tried to encompass a lot many genres. I would love her to go deeper with her beliefs and write more freely in her next book. It was a pleasure reading your book Rakhi! It was totally one of a kind. Thank you so much for the free copy as a part of your Outset review program. To read more of her works follow this link right here https://rakhijayashankar.blogspot.in/
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