Lovers rock

by Ravi Bedi

Mani Shankar Varadharajan, is a flight Lieutenant who vanishes without a trace on one cold winter’s night. Was it a sinister plan framed with the help of his beautiful wife, Grace, or did his aircraft really crash? After a few years, Grace embarks on an unexpected journey to unravel the mysteries of the past and to find out what exactly happened to the Lieutenant. Will Grace be able to find out the truth or will this journey prove disastrous for her?

366 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Ravi Bedi did Chemical Engineering from BHU (1962), and joined the Indian Air Force for the lure of its blue uniform than for any patriotic fervor. But his heart was in the creative world, composing music on digital piaon being his first love. To quench his creative thirst, he became a self-taught painter with moderate success and, when his basement started filling up with all the trash (read paintings) he decided to become a writer. With his first novel, “Lovers’ Rock” (published by Rupa Publications - 2014), he has earned a pass to join the club.
He has since added seven more titles to his credit:

Seven Stories
Mail Order Bride
Perfect Imperfect,
The Roots
The Equals
Dark Chocolate
The Grand Piano And Other stories.

Ravi Bedi loves his golf, enjoys his music, runs a hotel in town to put meat on the table, and lives with his wife of 57 years in the historic city of Jodhpur.

Reviews

[Adite · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovers' Rock is a good mystery plot and lovers of Sidney Sheldon's novels will definitely take a shine to it. There is intrigue, mystery and dodgy goings-on. The lead characters are no two-goody-shoes. Mani Shankar (Shanks), a fighter pilot, falls head over heels in love with the sexy bombshell Grace Wilson. Shanks pays no heed to his friends who warn him that she is the type who eat men for breakfast. Besotted that he is, he soon proposes marriage to her and Grace gracefully accepts. However, the honeymoon doesn't last for long as Shanks discovers that Grace has no intention of giving a rest to her wild ways. She is soon running up huge bills and pushing her pilot husband into bankruptcy. Desperate to keep his beautiful wife happy at any cost, Shanks comes up with a devious plan to crook the system in order to get his hands on a bunch of money that will see the couple live the rest of their lives in lavish style. However Shanks is in for a shock when Grace vamooses with the money leaving him in the lurch. What happens next? Will Shanks rise from the ashes? What happens to Grace? Does she get her comeuppance?

The story is well told with enough twists and turns to keep the reader hooked. However, the pacing is kind of erratic and can be a bit confusing for readers. The second half of the story flags a bit. While Shanks' character arc has been done with great finesse, the author has not put in enough effort to flesh out Grace's character. She comes across as rather stereotypical and the manner in which she gets her comeuppance is less than satisfying. Overall though, Lovers' Rock is an enjoyable read.

[Leena Varghese · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been a while since I read a great paperback. This one was classy and worth every minute of my time. I have read this fine author’s collection of short stories called ‘Seven Stories’ which was a fantastic read. As expected, this one outshone the previous one. Everything about Lovers’ Rock from the twisted, outrageously dramatic, but imaginative plot that begins with the fighter plane going down, the realistically etched characters and the enigmatic end, all written in pristine language, shows the author’s deep understanding of human nature. The story had all the characteristics of a classy thriller with twists and turns to keep one guessing until the end.

Mani’s character was layered beautifully. The simple man, though a talented artist with a keen eye for beauty, does not understand that the truth goes beyond the obvious. He is obsessed with his stunningly beautiful wife, ready to discard his ethics and hard-earned reputation as a decorated fighter pilot. His character was completely believable even though his crazy scheme was not. But he does manage to get away with it with a carefully crafted plan, together with his wife, Grace.

But Mani had overlooked one problem. Grace was no sweet, adoring wife. The moment Mani’s plane goes down she considers herself rid of a lifetime of living in a box with limited means and avenues of entertainment. Her character has all the shades of a femme fatale, greedy and avaricious to the core, a parasite that feeds on luxury, and moves on to the next victim as she begins to lose interest. All this, beautifully packaged in long legs, an envy-generating figure, and fine features…so stunning in appearance (well described by the author that a reader could picture her easily) that no mortal is free of her damaging influence, except perhaps that bitter-gourd, Pestonji, Mani’s best friend.

There were times when I felt terribly sorry for Grace. She was one dimensional. She had such great charismatic appeal and could have done so much more. Yet she was a victim of her own arrogance and naiveté. A decadent lifestyle and an insatiable hunger for glamour leads her to making foolish decisions about both money and men.

There are moments in the book that wrenched a compassionate response from me when she says that her father had urged her to marry quickly before she loses her charms. A line that most women have to hear when they are of marriageable age in a patriarchal society. As though they are nothing more than beautiful pieces to be labeled, tagged and passed on to the next pair of hands. Perhaps it was this insensitive attitude that made Grace who she was. A woman trying to escape her present situation that appears suffocating. Not wisely done in Grace’s case though because she finally falls into a trap of her own making.

Mani’s aggressive rejection of Grace’s overtures to seduce him in the climactic chapters was very harsh. But it was true. “You might as well hang yourself in a meat shop,” Mani says. It was not just Mani who believed that. Most men in the story were looking at Grace with lust as though she were something to be used. And she was not averse to using her own body to gain what she wanted. She had turned herself into a piece of meat through her own folly. She had turned into a woman with no self-respect.

There are moments in the book that are poignant and heartbreaking. Mani’s first realization that Grace had deserted him, his dreams of a small cottage and his children playing in the little garden, all shattered. Grace’s old parents who can’t believe that she would do something so dastardly…Grace’s death, though beautiful in its finale, the gnawing loneliness…a life wasted…all very well portrayed.

Tanya, I felt, was a weakly etched character. I would have loved to see more of her, even though the author had portrayed her as exactly the opposite of Grace. She is a lovely, sweet-tempered woman, exactly the kind needed to soothe Mani’s raging, vengeful heart, to help him wash his sins away. But Grace’s influence was all pervasive in the story. She simply overshadows everything else. Perhaps it was done intentionally by the author?

Mark was the pitch black smudge in the story. A completely unscrupulous character, a suave charmer, a cheat and a murderer. A male version of Grace, perhaps worse than her, who knows her well enough to inveigle her into his crafty schemes, luring her into his lair with diamonds and dreams of untold riches. I was miffed with the author for not punishing Mark in the end. His escape was not justified because the main protagonists were punished harshly for their indiscretions.

And finally the backdrop of the story, the life in the Air Force, the JFK shooting, the sixties with its glamour and post-colonial sheen, the limousines and the flashy convertibles, the beautiful women enveloped in clouds of imported perfume and shimmering gowns, the men in their tweeds. The Hollywood influence… with its Grace Kelly and Gina Lollobrigida and many other famous names scattered all over the pages…the heart-melting music of Nat King Cole…The elite art scene and the gritty politics behind it…I could almost see and hear and smell it all!

A roller-coaster read indeed!

[Ruchi Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in 1960’s ‘Lover’s Rock’ is a tale of obsessive love, greed, vengeance and redemption. The entire novel gives tantalizing glimpses of lifestyle of elite Indians in that era. The book is a brilliant portrayal of post independence lifestyle of a section of Indians still immersed under British influence—the world of lavish parties, free flowing wine, and silk gowns.

Mani Shankar, aka Shanks, is madly in love with gorgeous Grace, and couldn’t believe his luck when she agrees to his marriage proposal. The trouble starts when he is unable to finance her expectations of a lavish lifestyle. His obsession with Grace leads him to unchartered web of lies and deception. The unpredictable twist in the end makes the novel remarkable.

Author has expertly etched Mani’s character as a besotted lover and husband. His journey is something which keeps the readers turning the pages. Grace is a typical beautiful lady who thinks the world owes her everything she wishes; and that leads to myriad complications which slowly spiral out of their control. Mr. Bedi has given complete attention to the supporting characters as well, be it Tanya, Mr. Pestonji or Mark. All the characters complement the story and the protagonists.

The narration is fluent and interesting, bringing alive the picturesque locales, beaches and scenes. The book is fast paced and brilliantly written.

There are two things which I found lacking. Mani’s obsession and fear that his wife would leave him, and later her depression was dealt with too quickly. Their emotions did not stay with me, and the story jumped to the next step too soon. Another thing which confused me a little was the shifting timeline of the events happening in the lives of Mani and Grace—mainly in the middle of the novel. It was a little jarring when I had to go to and fro to maintain the calendar in my head.

I wished somehow Mark should also have been exposed, but then that is the author’s prerogative. Nevertheless it doesn’t take away anything from the story.

All in all a very intense debut and I look forward to the next one from the author.

[Aditya Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too often, the thing you want most is the one thing you can’t have & when you do finally get to possess it you realize that the price you have to pay to keep it is with your own life.
Set in picturesque locales in the 60’s, Ravi Bedi, spins an intriguing tale of passion, greed & betrayal which engages the reader to reflect on one’s own desires. The novel is an unputdownable read as it journeys through thriller like myriad twists & turns bringing alive a fascinating world view, a rather refreshing departure from the expected while keeping the dynamic between Mani & Grace racy & palpable.
Unintentional though the book does have the feel of a classic Film Noir plot wherein the downfall of the protagonist is always an irresistible enchanting woman in this case Mani’s wife Grace who is ethereally beautiful & devastatingly desirable.
The story goes through its own biblical twist of the Garden of Eden, the fall, purgatory, redemption & justifiably so but ones heart goes out to Grace who Im sure every reader will fall secretly in love with as she confronts her demons in a tragic climax leaving us gasping for more…
Aditya Seth.
Film Maker/ Academic/ Consultant

www.adityaseth.com

[Reet Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you looking for a spirited, crisp read - one that fuses suspense, romance, intrigue, and adventure? And employs an engaging narrative? Then pick up this book - Lovers' rock.

The story has an old-world charm, and no wonder since it is based in the 1960s. The author displays a fine ability to 'show - and - not - tell' - it made the characters come alive for me - their flaws and strengths, their beauty and ugliness, all were exposed.

The narrative is brisk - no long, never-ending sentences; the author moves quickly from scene to scene, and the plot develops at a nice clip. From the clever hook at the very beginning, to the twist at the end, the story is entertaining and gives us a glimpse into the world of glamorous women, gallant officers, rapacious gold-diggers, benevolent strangers, and trustworthy friends.

I thoroughly enjoyed this bracing book and recommend it for your bookshelf.

[Debolina Mukherjee · Rating 3 out of 5]

If one were to summarize Lover’s Rock in a couple of sentences it would go something like this – Mani Shankar Varadharajan, a decorated Air Force officer falls passionately in love with Grace Wilson only to lose her to a deviously hatched plan. A wicked swirl of fate brings Grace dangerously close to the alluring charm of Mark Braganza, the playboy hotelier of Goa. What starts as a tale of love and unending passion ensues into a plot of deception and revenge culminating into a tragic twist. But thats just the summary. Its really about whats between these that keeps the reader locked on to Lover’s Rock.

I truly applaud Mr Bedi, the author, on the plot of the novel – it has every essence of a potboiler. The description of the life in an Airforce base builds up the character of the novel, Mani and Grace. And the story keeps moving at a pace that keeps the reader on a trot. There is never a dull moment in the novel and you as a reader are tempted to let go only when there are no more pages to turn. The character of Mani has been built quite intricately with the requisite shades of grey. He evolves from a devoted lover to a reckless gambler and then just touching onto the edges of retribution settles onto his base character. Grace on the other hand hadn’t been treated as much with care. Her character lacks the depth of humaneness and comes out quite shallow throughout the storyline. All the other characters in the plot exhibit themselves enough to move the story along. I would have loved for the characters to have a bit more soliloquy perhaps just to understand them better. Instead it was mostly through dialogues that their true motives were developed. Its often what we think in our deepest thoughts is what shapes our actions than what we talk to our closest friends, or so I believe.
Lover’s Rock rides on plain often colloquial language. This plays along quite well in the informal setting of the Airforce base depicting the playful banter between friends. But what I lament about is that there is sometimes an overuse of repetitive phrases – ‘What’s your poison?’ and uninspiring metaphors. But what lacks in the construct makes up in the flow. The language is free flowing and easy to comprehend and helps the reader to keep pace with the story.
Overall its a good light read for a weekend especially for the story line that Mr Bedi has created. He uses his author’s imagination and his expansive knowledge of the world, having himself served in the Airforce all his career, and brings to life the stories he writes. I like the ingenious plot he creates and having read his collection of short stories too I know for sure he has quite a few more hatching in his mind already.

[Oriona · Rating 5 out of 5]

A remarkably well-written book that brings to life the charm of the yesteryears! It is a story about Mani and his money getting parted by his craze for Grace! The author exhibits an excellent command over the language. A superb effort!

[Percy Wadiwala]

The Indian literary scene has gone through several changes, from being virtually non-existent to high international visibility to what is threatening to become a deluge of surprisingly-similar books focussed around romance and historical re-tellings.

It is easy for a book to get lost in this deluge, and that is precisely what I hope Lovers’ Rock by Ravi Bedi does not become, for it is definitely different from its peers, not just in plotting but also in functioning in a genre that is not easy to slot.

Plot
Lovers’ Rock is the story of Mani Shankar Varadharajan, a Flight Lieutenant with the Indian Air Force, and his wife, Grace Wilson, Anglo-Indian daughter of a Railway signalman. When the modest Mani marries the flamboyant Grace, it sets into motion a series of events that takes the reader on a journey from the Air Force base in Kalaikunda to the virgin beaches of Digha, to Mumbai and Goa. But it also takes us on a journey into the minds of the two protagonists, one a fundamentally good person drawn into evil, and the other a reckless, petty one who suffers its consequences.

From the society of the Air Force Base to the seedy hotels of Kolkata, from the high-octane party scene in Goa to Mumbai’s art scene, Mr. Bedi depicts the vicissitudes in the lives of both his characters quite well. [Spoiler Alert] Both are flawed people, but perhaps what makes the difference in their lives is that while Mani finds good people to stand by him at his lowest point in the kindly Aunt Jane, her sweet-tempered daughter Tanya and the canny art promoter Pestonjee, Grace pushes aside the helping hand offered by the Gomez family and hitches her wagon to the rascally Mark Braganza.

Characters
I spoke earlier about Lovers’ Rock being difficult to easily classify into genre. If I had to, I would say it is a form of revenge fiction in the mould of the better genre fic writers of the last century. This does mean that the characters in the story are driven by the plot, rather than the other way around.

Mani and Grace are undoubtedly complex and realistic characters, both flawed in their own ways. By refraining from white-washing Mani and giving even Grace a moment or two of good sense, Mr. Bedi does make them believable. Yet, as a reader I felt their internal struggles and dilemmas could have been brought out more strongly and would have given the story a layer of depth.

As it stands, Grace in particular, felt a little too predictable in her ways, though I wonder if this is a fair criticism, after all real people often have fewer dimensions to their character than what we expect from those in fiction.

The other characters in the story like Mark, Pestonjee, Aunt Jane and Tanya, as well as minor characters like Fernandez the moneylender and Patel the real estate broker are definitely plot driven and adequate to their function within the story without coming across as being well-fleshed-out.

The other things
Of books I have had the opportunity to review lately, the cover of Lovers’ Rock stands out, bringing out just the right poignancy that the story deserves. The editing is good as well, and Mr. Bedi’s writing is smooth and after a slow start, the story picks up pace very well.

Fairly fast-paced once it gets past the major plot point, Lovers’ Rock was an easy read, the language good without being obscure and simple without pandering. In some places there was ‘tell’ which was perhaps not necessary, and as I’ve said before, certain aspects like Grace’s motivations at various stages could have made for a more emotionally-layered story. Also, in some place the dialogue can be somewhat more formal than you would expect, which comes across as not quite natural.

Yet, this is not a simple narrative, and by the ending it is apparent that this is not a mere revenge fantasy or faux-literary posturing, but a fully-realised plot written with an excellent understanding of its settings and subject.

Conclusion
Lovers’ Rock takes the readers on a journey through the art scene of Mumbai, military society and Goa’s high-flying party scene, all the while painting an interesting story of passion and revenge. Though at times, events seem a little contrived, the book remains a definite page-turner, and the ending serves a form of poetic injustice that brings in just the right tinge of realism.

[Jenny Arora · Rating 5 out of 5]

The foremost thing you see, the cover – I just fell in love with the cover the moment i saw it.

The blurb is very intriguing and enough to engage someone into reading more.

The story is about the Protagonist couple in the story – Mani, who is a flight lieutenant, a decorated flight pilot and is doing just well with the finance until he meets the girl he falls in the love with – Grace. Grace is quite popular in the town and has a vivid social life, which results in high living and the lust for money.
The story starts from where Mani and Grace meet and start spending a life together getting married to each other.
Until one day, giving in to Grace’s needs and demands, Mani gets an idea to take under lots of money from the government and become rich. Following his idea, Mani fakes his death and lives away from home and Grace for months on end. However, things don’t go as per the plan. 

While both of them are away from each other, the book portrays a vivid picture where they meet new people and explore new ideas as well as themselves, living a life apart from each other.

The book is an epitome of the lives full of uncertainty, betrayal, humiliation and the haunt of failure. It is a journey set out in the search of money, lust, love and a lavished and more desired lifestyle.

Speaking about the narration style, the author seems to have very firm grip over his language.
There is a perfect blend of romance, humour and thrill.
The vocabulary throughout the book has been just the perfect – not too high, not too low. You can hardly find any errors, given the editing is just perfect.
However, the narration is in third person and the style is very straightforward and of the tell-tale kind. ( Like there are books books which “show” you things, this one will “tell” you about them.) But, it hardly bothered me.
The plot is constantly interesting and is totally unpredictable. It succeeded to keep me hooked to the book until the very end, and I couldn’t predict a single plot twist.

About the quality of the cover and the paperback, they were really very good. Worth all the bucks.

Overall, it was a very fun and thrilling read. It might also teach you a thing or two about the inevitability of the unknown and the Karma coming back to you, but only if you’re good at reading between the lines.

I would gladly give this book 4.5/5 stars.

And would highly recommend it to anyone who loved to read thrillers with a slight touch of humour.

[If you ask my personal opinion, I would really suggest you to please go and read it. It is totally worth all the money and bucks.]

[Aditi Ray]

It did not take me two months to read the book. It was racy enough to get done in one sitting. However, things here and there have kept my mind preoccupied. Apologies to the author and to my readers for delaying this one for so long.

So here's the first for 2017!

"The tertiary characters, all had their roles etched out and they did play it pretty decently. However, when I asked myself, how many of these, if any, would become a memorable one, then only one name cropped up – the Gomez family. Maybe the fact that Grace pushes them away ungracefully enough, helped."

Read the entire review here:

https://lovewordie.wordpress.com/2017...

[Sarah Rees · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book on goodreads. after reading the synopsis on the book I imagined in my mind what it could be about, the story inside was quite different to how I imagined which was a nice surprise. beautiful use of expressive language, I could really imagine the things I was seeing. great book, great ending

[Manoj · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very filmy plot, with lots of predictable twists and turn, a glamorous female lead, a naive protagonist, some good picturesque locations, and yes very unpredictable end. A good time pass read, you wont put the book down once started. The writer was able to create very vivid imagery of the beaches of Goa. The description of the characters is also very good. There are too many dialogues, which do not help build the plot or characterization, and could have been edited. Considering this is the writers first novel, we hope he will do better in the next ones.

[Lorraine Evette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lover's Rock is a Great Read ! The twists and mystery kept me hooked on till the very end. I read it in one go !