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Anant Dot com
"For Mohan, it all begins in his second year at Saint John’s College, a low-profile college in Dharampur, a small town in foothills of Shivalik. Mohan is from a religious family of kathavachaks (Those who recite Scriptures). His grandfather wants to expose him to western education system as he believes that those with the traditional background should be familiar with the modern thought process, and the westernized Indians should take interest in the ancient Indian teachings so as to have a balanced outlook on life. Mohan shares accommodation with Anant who is from a very rich family. Anant is not studious but he has a passion for sports.
There is another interesting character, Baldev, who is from a dysfunctional family. Is he worthy of Mala’s affections? As the story unfolds, there appear other interesting characters like Panther, Sudha, Nalini, Sayeeda, Posco, Verma Sir and Mamaji. The story also contains scenes involving Bollywood, Match Fixing and Betting. All the characters and incidents have been invented by imagination.
In this novel, author Dr. Govind Sharma conveys important messages contained in the Indian Scripture Ram Charit Manas to offer a look at duty, sacrifice, and the joint family system. The narrator, Mohan, tells the story of his friends; and in between the scenes, the narrator gives the key messages of Ram Charit Manas by way of his recitals."
There is another interesting character, Baldev, who is from a dysfunctional family. Is he worthy of Mala’s affections? As the story unfolds, there appear other interesting characters like Panther, Sudha, Nalini, Sayeeda, Posco, Verma Sir and Mamaji. The story also contains scenes involving Bollywood, Match Fixing and Betting. All the characters and incidents have been invented by imagination.
In this novel, author Dr. Govind Sharma conveys important messages contained in the Indian Scripture Ram Charit Manas to offer a look at duty, sacrifice, and the joint family system. The narrator, Mohan, tells the story of his friends; and in between the scenes, the narrator gives the key messages of Ram Charit Manas by way of his recitals."
107 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 4, 2016
328 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
September 9, 2018
Govind Sharma, I read you loud and clear!
When I hear some one say Anant Dot Com, the only thing I remember is :
How precisely and engagingly Govind Sharma has managed to narrate 'an actually lengthy'story!
Anant Dot Com's account moves around some of the college friends. Anant, a carefree boy's journey from the perspective of Mohan.
Chase your dreams. Fearlessly!
Above quote summerizes this book.
But not on keeping your family, relations and friends at stake!
This was what I concluded from Anant Dot Com.
I was narrating its theme to my wife.
It took me 30 minutes to portray the characters and plot. (Regardless to say, she listened to it with full attention)
Even after this narration, I asked myself if I poured everything out or not which left me wondering how the author has handled all characters at once.
He has provided a clear and unambiguous short yet big picture quite easily like it was a piece of cake for him.
The book was grammatical errors free.
I wasn't expexting it to be because you don't do that with first time authors. You understand that publishing and writing a book for the first time, is not so easy.
Any kind of mistakes can happen and you will be more helpful to not only the author but also to society if you point out the shortcomings of the books politely.
You give them the space and judge their book on the basis of plot, story, narration and unexpected starting/ending.
All of these things I considered before I started reading it and I was about to do the same.
Being a grammar nazi myself, it pains me when I see somehing out of order.
But guess what???
Govind Sharma didn't give me a single chance for pointing out any mistakes.
The moment I finished reading it, I knew that all these theories, concepts and phenomenon I had previously, have come to pieces!
This book turned out to be an exception.
And what an exception it was!
Innocent narrator was like an icing on the cake!
His ideologies can make an impact on anyone's living style.
He cares for his friends and their life style like anything.
Cover gives it all to you that what you might expect from the book and a delightful read it becomes!
Many college stories will pass you by, but if you're searching something light and enjoyable in a bus journey of 3-4 hours, then
There is nothing better than Anant Dot Com to get your hands at!!
Amusing and Entertaining!
When I hear some one say Anant Dot Com, the only thing I remember is :
How precisely and engagingly Govind Sharma has managed to narrate 'an actually lengthy'story!
Anant Dot Com's account moves around some of the college friends. Anant, a carefree boy's journey from the perspective of Mohan.
Chase your dreams. Fearlessly!
Above quote summerizes this book.
But not on keeping your family, relations and friends at stake!
This was what I concluded from Anant Dot Com.
I was narrating its theme to my wife.
It took me 30 minutes to portray the characters and plot. (Regardless to say, she listened to it with full attention)
Even after this narration, I asked myself if I poured everything out or not which left me wondering how the author has handled all characters at once.
He has provided a clear and unambiguous short yet big picture quite easily like it was a piece of cake for him.
The book was grammatical errors free.
I wasn't expexting it to be because you don't do that with first time authors. You understand that publishing and writing a book for the first time, is not so easy.
Any kind of mistakes can happen and you will be more helpful to not only the author but also to society if you point out the shortcomings of the books politely.
You give them the space and judge their book on the basis of plot, story, narration and unexpected starting/ending.
All of these things I considered before I started reading it and I was about to do the same.
Being a grammar nazi myself, it pains me when I see somehing out of order.
But guess what???
Govind Sharma didn't give me a single chance for pointing out any mistakes.
The moment I finished reading it, I knew that all these theories, concepts and phenomenon I had previously, have come to pieces!
This book turned out to be an exception.
And what an exception it was!
Innocent narrator was like an icing on the cake!
His ideologies can make an impact on anyone's living style.
He cares for his friends and their life style like anything.
Cover gives it all to you that what you might expect from the book and a delightful read it becomes!
Many college stories will pass you by, but if you're searching something light and enjoyable in a bus journey of 3-4 hours, then
There is nothing better than Anant Dot Com to get your hands at!!
Amusing and Entertaining!
April 15, 2017
" Gunja Grahai, Parasmani Khoi"
First of all thank you to the author for sending me this book. It's a goodread, its a small book so can be read in a short amount of time and yet its very knowledgeable . I seldom read book this fast so o can say that this book is interesting. The story is set in a time frame of fifteen years and all the characters are so interesting that you go on reading to find out what happens in their lives. And all the recitals of Ram Charit Manas are so good And i got to know about the teachings of Guru Nanak which has only increased my respect for Sikhism. I like Mohan's character as he was so adamant. The author conveys this message that religion and family are two pillars of an individual's life. The concept i love is that it is not described to prohibit the western culture but on the other hand it tells to abide & blend with it. Ending with a chopai i learnt from this book " Gunja Grahai, Parasmani Khoi" - those who indulge in vices and luxuries, waste this opportunity. In fact they convert nectar to poison, and exchange philosopher's stone for marble.
First of all thank you to the author for sending me this book. It's a goodread, its a small book so can be read in a short amount of time and yet its very knowledgeable . I seldom read book this fast so o can say that this book is interesting. The story is set in a time frame of fifteen years and all the characters are so interesting that you go on reading to find out what happens in their lives. And all the recitals of Ram Charit Manas are so good And i got to know about the teachings of Guru Nanak which has only increased my respect for Sikhism. I like Mohan's character as he was so adamant. The author conveys this message that religion and family are two pillars of an individual's life. The concept i love is that it is not described to prohibit the western culture but on the other hand it tells to abide & blend with it. Ending with a chopai i learnt from this book " Gunja Grahai, Parasmani Khoi" - those who indulge in vices and luxuries, waste this opportunity. In fact they convert nectar to poison, and exchange philosopher's stone for marble.
April 18, 2016
**I received this book from the author for exchange of honest review**
I really thank the Author for sending me a copy of his book !!
First of all page quality of a book means something for me.The page quality of this book is very nice and I really liked the quality of the book binding and presentation.
Coming to the novel it is small and fast moving one, It has nice twist and turns at some places and is relates to college life of few students.The knowledge and teachings shared from Ram Charit Manas at some places in the book , I found it Good .The story is quite simple and has nice lucid words to understand .It is made interesting for all ages.The author defined the situations and characters like Mohan ,Anant ,Baldev along with Sudha nicely and interesting leading into a good read time .
I was reading a lot of love stories lately so this book came to be a good break .
The chapters are small and the story does not drag so it's interesting and fast moving.But I would have loved if the situations and chapters were a bit more defined at some places as I wanted to know more about the situations so that I could know more about the characters involved in the novel.It's a small novel , so if you are fast reader you can easily complete it in one sitting.
I am very impatient on finishing books as I do not get much time for reading story books
so it was quite good to have read this book within few days according to me.
I would recommend everyone to give it a try and read it.
I came to know that this book is Author's first book so I Should encourage him to write more books in future and would love to read more from him.All the Best !!
I really thank the Author for sending me a copy of his book !!
First of all page quality of a book means something for me.The page quality of this book is very nice and I really liked the quality of the book binding and presentation.
Coming to the novel it is small and fast moving one, It has nice twist and turns at some places and is relates to college life of few students.The knowledge and teachings shared from Ram Charit Manas at some places in the book , I found it Good .The story is quite simple and has nice lucid words to understand .It is made interesting for all ages.The author defined the situations and characters like Mohan ,Anant ,Baldev along with Sudha nicely and interesting leading into a good read time .
I was reading a lot of love stories lately so this book came to be a good break .
The chapters are small and the story does not drag so it's interesting and fast moving.But I would have loved if the situations and chapters were a bit more defined at some places as I wanted to know more about the situations so that I could know more about the characters involved in the novel.It's a small novel , so if you are fast reader you can easily complete it in one sitting.
I am very impatient on finishing books as I do not get much time for reading story books
so it was quite good to have read this book within few days according to me.
I would recommend everyone to give it a try and read it.
I came to know that this book is Author's first book so I Should encourage him to write more books in future and would love to read more from him.All the Best !!
July 7, 2017
Review originally posted in Abby's Shelves: https://goo.gl/u4gUq6
Anant Dot Com by Govind Sharma IAS is fast paced, very short entertaining read. It can be read within two to three hours even with a low reading speed. The author has deliberately kept this book as short as possible as it has the potential of being a longer book which would be enjoyed by those who love reading detailed descriptions and depth in writing.
The plot of the book revolves around the life of few college friends, their life afterwards and how people transform over time told from the perspective of Mohan as the narrator. The book attempts to share the knowledge and teachings from Ramcharitmanas which I enjoyed but personally felt these more as a distraction. There are a number of characters but they do not create any confusion to the reader but author could have developed them further making this book more detailed and interesting.
The book has an interesting storyline but it seems rushed, impacting the overall reading experience. I would have enjoyed more if I knew the characters and their past. Considering this as the author’s debut work I would definitely read his next work hoping it would be livelier.
A complimentary copy was provided by the author/publisher via Goodreads Giveaway
Anant Dot Com by Govind Sharma IAS is fast paced, very short entertaining read. It can be read within two to three hours even with a low reading speed. The author has deliberately kept this book as short as possible as it has the potential of being a longer book which would be enjoyed by those who love reading detailed descriptions and depth in writing.
The plot of the book revolves around the life of few college friends, their life afterwards and how people transform over time told from the perspective of Mohan as the narrator. The book attempts to share the knowledge and teachings from Ramcharitmanas which I enjoyed but personally felt these more as a distraction. There are a number of characters but they do not create any confusion to the reader but author could have developed them further making this book more detailed and interesting.
The book has an interesting storyline but it seems rushed, impacting the overall reading experience. I would have enjoyed more if I knew the characters and their past. Considering this as the author’s debut work I would definitely read his next work hoping it would be livelier.
A complimentary copy was provided by the author/publisher via Goodreads Giveaway
October 28, 2017
A simple novel which will take you back to your school/college days. This is a story of group of friends as to how their lives turn around as and when they grew up. Various events like first sight love, infatuation, greed, passion has been well portrayed. Though this would be really appealing to kids between age group of 6-16, the story gives a wide prospect of how one should perceive the life.
What makes the novel even more appealing is the inclusion of Ram Charit Manas since one of the protagonist cum narrator of this story Mohan indulges himself in giving a discourse in the subject which gives some good message from time to time.
The story involves around characters Anant, Baldev, Mala, Panther, Sudha, Nalini, Sayeeda, Posco, Verma Sir and Mamaji with each one of them playing their roles perfectly well. To make this story more interesting, the story also has bollywood, match fixing and betting and advocates on joint family system, sacrifice and duties.
Not all of us would have come across all the events captured in this novel but it would surely make you live the past.
December 17, 2017
"Anant Dot Com", when I started this Novella , I thought that it would probably be based on the story of a website and of course this is what it's all about. But, to be more precise, its much more than a website's story. It tells about the group of college friends, their transformations, lost and crossed paths, and all problems solved finally with a happy ending. The phrases from Ram Charita Manas are incredible, ever green and truly guiding.
It's a story full of necessary teachings, being told in a very convincing way. I started to read it at 11.30 PM and could not go to sleep till I was done with the entire book by 1.15 AM. It's indeed a good read and a grand salute to DR Sharma for his exceptional way of story telling.
It's a story full of necessary teachings, being told in a very convincing way. I started to read it at 11.30 PM and could not go to sleep till I was done with the entire book by 1.15 AM. It's indeed a good read and a grand salute to DR Sharma for his exceptional way of story telling.
September 13, 2016
I thank the author Dr.Govind Sharma for sending out a copy of this book through Goodreads-giveaways..It was a book about various characters' lives and it explains the different ways people usually deviate from the right path.It has intervening morals from the Ram Charit Manas as well..It was a very gripping novel and I finished reading it in a single sitting.It's a great read..I await many more such works from the author.
September 6, 2016
must read this book
February 17, 2021
The story lacks a direction or a plot that will move it forward. Random characters, storylines and information is stitched together without any cohesiveness. The writing style is text-book like and just presents the reader with too much information in just a couple of sentences without allowing the reader to register it slowly. It trivializes important incidents by having said them so hastily.
June 26, 2020
This book was gifted to me by one of my friends and I really liked it.
The book took me back to my college days and I felt nostalgic. It is such a quick read that I completed the book in less than a day and enjoyed it as well. Well done Dr. Govind Sharma.
The book took me back to my college days and I felt nostalgic. It is such a quick read that I completed the book in less than a day and enjoyed it as well. Well done Dr. Govind Sharma.
January 16, 2021
Disclaimer: I received this book as a free giveaway and read it in one sitting in a couple hours
The book starts with a spelling mistake and a grammatical mistake in the opening sentence. However, after reading the first page, the reader gets used to it and adapts to such mistakes throughout the book. The story telling changes between first person and third person randomly and with no apparent rhyme or reason. The sentences are small and childish and no character makes you feel connected. The protagonists themselves frequently behave out of character and the story is simply rushed to a seemingly old Bollywood ending.
The narrator tries to build a halo around his own head but has no role to play in the story apart from telling the reader that he is a preacher and sometimes tells that he said some specific chaupai from the revered text of Ramcharitmanas. The greatest mystery is - why is this even mentioned in the book and the reader never gets the answer.
Also, the story starts in a Bhagat-esque manner with the narrator trying to search his old college friend, but the story never fully connects back to this thread and feels unstructured.
I feel bad about giving only a one-star rating (a lower rating isn't possible), as I received the book free in a giveaway program, but a harsh review may benefit the author more - afterall, "Satyam Shivam Sundaram".
Now - here's what I would recommend the author:
1. Rewrite the book. Either in Hindi or else hire a good editor.
2. Make a central plot - ex. Anant and Sudha's relationship - get rid of distractions - ex. The househelp running away only to suffer later is too clichéd - The match fixing and shooting bullets are not serving any purpose, and so on
3. Have each chapter wrapped around the theme of RamCharitmanas - Name of the chapter to based on a chaupai and the incidents in the chapter are related to teachings from that chaupai.
4. The various phrases from other languages are too forced (C'est la vie types). They either need to gel more naturally or can be done away with.
5. Either explain all Hindi terms, or don't do any in the middle of story (put them in an index)
6. Narration style to be more consistent in its tone and voice
7. Characters' emotions need to be felt and not told to the reader, and so on.
The book starts with a spelling mistake and a grammatical mistake in the opening sentence. However, after reading the first page, the reader gets used to it and adapts to such mistakes throughout the book. The story telling changes between first person and third person randomly and with no apparent rhyme or reason. The sentences are small and childish and no character makes you feel connected. The protagonists themselves frequently behave out of character and the story is simply rushed to a seemingly old Bollywood ending.
The narrator tries to build a halo around his own head but has no role to play in the story apart from telling the reader that he is a preacher and sometimes tells that he said some specific chaupai from the revered text of Ramcharitmanas. The greatest mystery is - why is this even mentioned in the book and the reader never gets the answer.
Also, the story starts in a Bhagat-esque manner with the narrator trying to search his old college friend, but the story never fully connects back to this thread and feels unstructured.
I feel bad about giving only a one-star rating (a lower rating isn't possible), as I received the book free in a giveaway program, but a harsh review may benefit the author more - afterall, "Satyam Shivam Sundaram".
Now - here's what I would recommend the author:
1. Rewrite the book. Either in Hindi or else hire a good editor.
2. Make a central plot - ex. Anant and Sudha's relationship - get rid of distractions - ex. The househelp running away only to suffer later is too clichéd - The match fixing and shooting bullets are not serving any purpose, and so on
3. Have each chapter wrapped around the theme of RamCharitmanas - Name of the chapter to based on a chaupai and the incidents in the chapter are related to teachings from that chaupai.
4. The various phrases from other languages are too forced (C'est la vie types). They either need to gel more naturally or can be done away with.
5. Either explain all Hindi terms, or don't do any in the middle of story (put them in an index)
6. Narration style to be more consistent in its tone and voice
7. Characters' emotions need to be felt and not told to the reader, and so on.
May 6, 2016
**********This book was an author giveaway for a honest review **********
First up I would like to thank Govind for sending me this book which was a delight to read.
It was a short read and I was able to complete it within a day. Wanted to give it 4 stars, but have to settle 1 lesser due to the fact that there were several disjoints in the entire book but due to several strong characters, the story chuggs on.
As told from the perspective of Mohan as the narrator, how Anant becomes the person he is from the life of a careless youth, a troubled employer and a successful sports coach which finally dawns to him what his life needs to be be and takes it in his stride. Mamaji as the go to guy for Anant is a delightful character so is Mala . She stands tall with all the misfortune falling for her. More than the protagonist , she takes the readers heart from her sacrifices and stands firm with her husband even though the story also starts as a form of jealously to capture Anant's heart.
One thing which is easily told by the Author in his book , always pursue your dream and you will be successful in it.
I was reminded of Sudha Murthy books and the type of story line follows a similar theme and has a quite a cheerful ending.
A lot of things could be improved in his future stories to tell :
One is to ensure that the story does not deviate from what the character is trying to tell. When Mohan arrives at Anant's place, a lot of things happen and episode is not explained clearly
The other would not to stereotype some of the incidents and not bring out the usual cliches in the book.
A good read with a lot of amends. Dr. Govind , you should be proud of your creation and will expect another good one from your works. All the best!
First up I would like to thank Govind for sending me this book which was a delight to read.
It was a short read and I was able to complete it within a day. Wanted to give it 4 stars, but have to settle 1 lesser due to the fact that there were several disjoints in the entire book but due to several strong characters, the story chuggs on.
As told from the perspective of Mohan as the narrator, how Anant becomes the person he is from the life of a careless youth, a troubled employer and a successful sports coach which finally dawns to him what his life needs to be be and takes it in his stride. Mamaji as the go to guy for Anant is a delightful character so is Mala . She stands tall with all the misfortune falling for her. More than the protagonist , she takes the readers heart from her sacrifices and stands firm with her husband even though the story also starts as a form of jealously to capture Anant's heart.
One thing which is easily told by the Author in his book , always pursue your dream and you will be successful in it.
I was reminded of Sudha Murthy books and the type of story line follows a similar theme and has a quite a cheerful ending.
A lot of things could be improved in his future stories to tell :
One is to ensure that the story does not deviate from what the character is trying to tell. When Mohan arrives at Anant's place, a lot of things happen and episode is not explained clearly
The other would not to stereotype some of the incidents and not bring out the usual cliches in the book.
A good read with a lot of amends. Dr. Govind , you should be proud of your creation and will expect another good one from your works. All the best!
September 15, 2016
This story starts from a college and narrates life of a number of characters on various stages of their life. Anant is a young rich lad who came to study in a small college and how a beautiful girl Sudha fell in love with him.Their story along with their classmates is described in this novel. Plot is straightforward and book is easy to get through. It is an easy and comforting read.But the story is too predictable .It neither surprised nor offered me anything new.It is a good book but it lacks maturity. 3 stars from me.
I have received this book as a part of goodreads giveaway.
I have received this book as a part of goodreads giveaway.
September 11, 2016
***This book was a giveaway for an honest review. Thank you Dr Govind Sharma for this opportunity***
This book is fast paced and a quick read. The story line is interesting but could have been better if it was a bit longer and detailed.
I liked the fact that it is divided into parts few years apart. That makes the book interesting. The connection between individual chapters is a bit loose and could have made a better narrative.
Overall a decent read.
This book is fast paced and a quick read. The story line is interesting but could have been better if it was a bit longer and detailed.
I liked the fact that it is divided into parts few years apart. That makes the book interesting. The connection between individual chapters is a bit loose and could have made a better narrative.
Overall a decent read.
December 9, 2016
I got this book from GOODREADS giveaway. Thanks to Author Govind Sharma for the copy.
A quick read with lot of contents like kathaa vachan, teenage dramas, how age and experience changes a human, Bollywood style, match fixing, faith in GOD, the list goes on...
All are neatly arranged in small chapters that make the reading flow naturally through words.
Worth one time reading.
A quick read with lot of contents like kathaa vachan, teenage dramas, how age and experience changes a human, Bollywood style, match fixing, faith in GOD, the list goes on...
All are neatly arranged in small chapters that make the reading flow naturally through words.
Worth one time reading.
January 28, 2017
This book is fast paced and a quick read. The story line is interesting but could have been better if it was a bit longer and detailed.
I liked the fact that it is divided into parts few years apart. That makes the book interesting. The connection between individual chapters is a bit loose and could have made a better narrative.
Received Via Good reads giveaway.
I liked the fact that it is divided into parts few years apart. That makes the book interesting. The connection between individual chapters is a bit loose and could have made a better narrative.
Received Via Good reads giveaway.
April 29, 2018
I was about to review it but I read it in a single sitting and found nothing appealing and thus I forgot about the story and the book just like that, in a jiffy. It was a quick read but nothing worthy.
April 15, 2016
I won this book in a giveaway listed by the author.
The book is nothing special, very average story and unrealistic characters. Makes for a decent quick read!
The book is nothing special, very average story and unrealistic characters. Makes for a decent quick read!
December 16, 2016
Good book for beginners.. simple English.. Worth for one time reading.
October 21, 2017
Anant Dot Com – Dr. GOVIND SHARMA
First of all I would like to thank the author for sending me the book.
!! 3.5 stars!!
It is a quick read, a way too quick. Although I loved the way the author showed the perspectives of different characters and drawn a parallel with the teachings of Ram Charit Manas, all the character were very interesting and so was there growth as individuals through the course of novel. There way of dealing with situations and different approaches was on the point, but it felt a bit rushed like there could be a lot more to say.
Nonetheless the book is a quick and nice read. Good work!
First of all I would like to thank the author for sending me the book.
!! 3.5 stars!!
It is a quick read, a way too quick. Although I loved the way the author showed the perspectives of different characters and drawn a parallel with the teachings of Ram Charit Manas, all the character were very interesting and so was there growth as individuals through the course of novel. There way of dealing with situations and different approaches was on the point, but it felt a bit rushed like there could be a lot more to say.
Nonetheless the book is a quick and nice read. Good work!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2018
Author Dr. Govind Sharma conveys important messages contained in the Indian Scripture Ram Charit Manas to offer a look at duty, sacrifice, and the joint family system.
I really enjoyed the book, just college friends, their different back grounds, their families, the upbringing. The lifestyle very different but similar in aways to America.
I would definitely recommend, its about friendship, Indian culture.
Congratulations to the author for its publication Dr Govind Sharma.
I won this book through Goodreads, I would definitely recommend it.
I really enjoyed the book, just college friends, their different back grounds, their families, the upbringing. The lifestyle very different but similar in aways to America.
I would definitely recommend, its about friendship, Indian culture.
Congratulations to the author for its publication Dr Govind Sharma.
I won this book through Goodreads, I would definitely recommend it.
February 26, 2018
Dr Sharma is a good writer, his membroila on Dev Anand was excellent.
But this one is not. Writer couldn't get the grasp of story or attention span of reader. Too many characters and too many plots kill the things. You dont get answer of so many things and so many people make you a. Bit of claustrophobic.
But this one is not. Writer couldn't get the grasp of story or attention span of reader. Too many characters and too many plots kill the things. You dont get answer of so many things and so many people make you a. Bit of claustrophobic.
May 25, 2016
Anant Dot Com by Dr. Govind Sharma is a fast paced entertaining read. The story has enough twists and turns to keep the attention of the readers. Additionally, the novel is a small one and can be finished within two to three hours if your reading speed is good. The chapters are small and the author has avoided the use of lengthy descriptions. The book could have been a lengthy one as there is enough potential to expand the book. However, it seems that the author has deliberately attempted to keep the book as short as possible. The reasons behind this could be related to making this book a fast paced novel. While I do not see any harm in doing that as it makes this book a good travel companion, the same may irk some readers who love reading detailed descriptions and depth in writing.
The story of the book revolves around the life of a few college students and their life after the college. As typical of any college story, romance plays a very important role in the main story-line of this book too. The main protagonist of this novel is Ananat. And, in a way, it is his story. Different phases of his life (a careless college student but an avid sports lover, a troubled businessman and a successful sports coach) have been depicted to promote the values of joint-family systems and the true meaning of life. The author has also inserted messages from Ramcharitmanasa at a number of places in the main plot to emphasize these points. However, instead of giving emphasis to these points, these messages act as a distraction. These messages suddenly appear and create a diversion. These messages could have been made interesting if the author would have interwoven the same within the main story-line.
There are a number of characters in this book. Nevertheless, instead of creating confusion in readers’ mind, these characters help the story-line to move ahead in an attractive manner. Though a number of these characters should have been developed further, they are interesting enough to charm you. I especially liked the characters of Mala, Mamaji and Baldev. The language is simple and the author has avoided the use of complicated words. The title of the book is an unusual one and, in fact, was one of the reasons for me for picking up this book. However, after reading the book, I found out that this title does not relate to the contents of the book in a major way. The cover of the book is appealing but the blurb could certainly have been better.
So, what is my overall impression of this book? The book is a nice read but could have been much better.
Note: The review was originally posted on:
https://pgalmora.wordpress.com/2016/0...
The story of the book revolves around the life of a few college students and their life after the college. As typical of any college story, romance plays a very important role in the main story-line of this book too. The main protagonist of this novel is Ananat. And, in a way, it is his story. Different phases of his life (a careless college student but an avid sports lover, a troubled businessman and a successful sports coach) have been depicted to promote the values of joint-family systems and the true meaning of life. The author has also inserted messages from Ramcharitmanasa at a number of places in the main plot to emphasize these points. However, instead of giving emphasis to these points, these messages act as a distraction. These messages suddenly appear and create a diversion. These messages could have been made interesting if the author would have interwoven the same within the main story-line.
There are a number of characters in this book. Nevertheless, instead of creating confusion in readers’ mind, these characters help the story-line to move ahead in an attractive manner. Though a number of these characters should have been developed further, they are interesting enough to charm you. I especially liked the characters of Mala, Mamaji and Baldev. The language is simple and the author has avoided the use of complicated words. The title of the book is an unusual one and, in fact, was one of the reasons for me for picking up this book. However, after reading the book, I found out that this title does not relate to the contents of the book in a major way. The cover of the book is appealing but the blurb could certainly have been better.
So, what is my overall impression of this book? The book is a nice read but could have been much better.
Note: The review was originally posted on:
https://pgalmora.wordpress.com/2016/0...
September 12, 2016
Nice book, in times where Indian literature is marred with obscene love story novels that often senseless, this book is much more sensibly written.
(I don't believe in authorial intent hence the review is what I felt being conveyed by the book rather than trying to figure out what the author is trying to make me understand)
The book makes a good attempt to show relevance of Ram Charit manas to the incidences that take place ( specifically through recitation of certain phrases and excerpts of the Ram charit manas placed in chapters: 15-part 1, Chapter 1- part 2, chapter 3 -part 3).
The language is simple and straightforward and the plot is good ( It felt like watching a 90s hindi movie). There is no flashy use of language to substantiate the story. The story is dished out straight and hot, right out of the oven. The book can leave you confused if you fail to draw the parallels between the Ram Charit Manas Excerpts and the developments in the plot.
The book though seems rushed, the book could have been better served with a much more detailed plot development. Some of the incidences and scenes could have been portrayed better. The explanations and excerpts of the Ram Charit Manas could have better portrayed some thing that I looked forward to after reading the authors letter but was disappointed to find missing in the book.
The ending seemed even more rush with all the different plots playing out coming to an abrupt end in a matter of few pages.
The book is extremely short just 130 odd pages despite the large font and spacious placement. Could have been made a longer book. Took me just 75 minutes to get through the full book.
I also thank the author for sending me a copy of this book and a letter too in the package. Look forward to reading more books from the author.
More detailed review on my new blog: https://niharmadkaiker.wordpress.com/...
(I don't believe in authorial intent hence the review is what I felt being conveyed by the book rather than trying to figure out what the author is trying to make me understand)
The book makes a good attempt to show relevance of Ram Charit manas to the incidences that take place ( specifically through recitation of certain phrases and excerpts of the Ram charit manas placed in chapters: 15-part 1, Chapter 1- part 2, chapter 3 -part 3).
The language is simple and straightforward and the plot is good ( It felt like watching a 90s hindi movie). There is no flashy use of language to substantiate the story. The story is dished out straight and hot, right out of the oven. The book can leave you confused if you fail to draw the parallels between the Ram Charit Manas Excerpts and the developments in the plot.
The book though seems rushed, the book could have been better served with a much more detailed plot development. Some of the incidences and scenes could have been portrayed better. The explanations and excerpts of the Ram Charit Manas could have better portrayed some thing that I looked forward to after reading the authors letter but was disappointed to find missing in the book.
The ending seemed even more rush with all the different plots playing out coming to an abrupt end in a matter of few pages.
The book is extremely short just 130 odd pages despite the large font and spacious placement. Could have been made a longer book. Took me just 75 minutes to get through the full book.
I also thank the author for sending me a copy of this book and a letter too in the package. Look forward to reading more books from the author.
More detailed review on my new blog: https://niharmadkaiker.wordpress.com/...
September 28, 2016
The cover design speaks it loud and clear; the easy style of narration, the story itself and not to speak of the language - small sentences, careful lexical selection - obviously corroborate the objective of the cover design.
The objective of inculcating religious teachings as enunciated by Ram Charit Manas, the value of family life, and faith on the inevitability of poetic justice - the virtuous rewarded and the evil punished as in the instance of match fixers etc. while Anant emerges victorious at the end - are at the core of the book.
Drama, love, film, and sports are the lollipops offered to the young readers to keep them engaged. Though the author has exploited the first three with some success, the last has been used to exposed the evil in man via betting and match fixing. But Sports itself is missing.
Keeping a sweet balance between art and teaching is a delicate task and requires tight rope walking. For the unpalatable objective of teaching brings in its own limitations. This work is no exception to it. The restrained treatment of the said lollipops on offer has made them less sweet to the sweet hungry young palates.
I award this book three stars.
It was a Giveaway to me.
The objective of inculcating religious teachings as enunciated by Ram Charit Manas, the value of family life, and faith on the inevitability of poetic justice - the virtuous rewarded and the evil punished as in the instance of match fixers etc. while Anant emerges victorious at the end - are at the core of the book.
Drama, love, film, and sports are the lollipops offered to the young readers to keep them engaged. Though the author has exploited the first three with some success, the last has been used to exposed the evil in man via betting and match fixing. But Sports itself is missing.
Keeping a sweet balance between art and teaching is a delicate task and requires tight rope walking. For the unpalatable objective of teaching brings in its own limitations. This work is no exception to it. The restrained treatment of the said lollipops on offer has made them less sweet to the sweet hungry young palates.
I award this book three stars.
It was a Giveaway to me.
April 12, 2016
Firstly I would.like to thank Mr Govind Sharma for sharing a copy of his first book. Frankly speaking I am a bit confused as to what the author wanted to convey through the story, was it just everyone should leave all material pleasures & become a baba or sadhu. To certain extent I agree that power & money & obsession corrupts a mind but I don't agree that only spiritual people lead happy & fulfilling life.
Secondly, the story was just "another read" for me. I was not able relate myself or feel myself to be a part of it which I feel is the very soul of a good book.
Finally, I wanted more. I am not happy when things happen way too fast, I want to know more about the characters, more about the situations which shape those characters. For me, the book lacked length.
But given it is author's first book, I would like to encourage Mr Sharma to give us more books to read. Make them more lively and happening :D ALL THE BEST!!
Secondly, the story was just "another read" for me. I was not able relate myself or feel myself to be a part of it which I feel is the very soul of a good book.
Finally, I wanted more. I am not happy when things happen way too fast, I want to know more about the characters, more about the situations which shape those characters. For me, the book lacked length.
But given it is author's first book, I would like to encourage Mr Sharma to give us more books to read. Make them more lively and happening :D ALL THE BEST!!
November 20, 2016
I got this books as a part of Giveaway program.
It's another screenplay in line with Chetan Bhagat's style.
Writing style is incoherent. The story is clichéd. Many spelling mistakes.
Girl falling for the bad guy. Bad guy, as you can guess is also hero of the story, has many puppets to impress his girl because he is too lazy to do anything genuine for her. Bad guy has a very "good", relegious friend who always take him out of the bad situations. blah blah. Then drama of girl taking up her life because our bad guy took liking in another girl, and yeah, she is saved and married to another person and then the twist comes, surprise surprise!, entry of old girl into bad guy life after some years. And our heroine still harboring feeling for the bad guy and helps her bad guy in clearing his name. Thank God for that because our bad guy is not a bad guy anymore ! yay! huzzah!
I think I was not the intended audience. Many characters were baseless and useless.
I do not recommend.
It's another screenplay in line with Chetan Bhagat's style.
Writing style is incoherent. The story is clichéd. Many spelling mistakes.
Girl falling for the bad guy. Bad guy, as you can guess is also hero of the story, has many puppets to impress his girl because he is too lazy to do anything genuine for her. Bad guy has a very "good", relegious friend who always take him out of the bad situations. blah blah. Then drama of girl taking up her life because our bad guy took liking in another girl, and yeah, she is saved and married to another person and then the twist comes, surprise surprise!, entry of old girl into bad guy life after some years. And our heroine still harboring feeling for the bad guy and helps her bad guy in clearing his name. Thank God for that because our bad guy is not a bad guy anymore ! yay! huzzah!
I think I was not the intended audience. Many characters were baseless and useless.
I do not recommend.
August 11, 2019
***I received this book as a Giveaway from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review***
Truly speaking, I am not sure of how to begin with what I felt about this book. Even now, I am trying to comprehend in my head about what was happening and what was the story all about...
Starting from the cover, which is eyecatching, the story is narrated by Mohan and its not "only" about Anant but many of his college friends and at last a happy ending. Inspite of so many characters the author has been successful in keeping the story simple which is at the same time very brief and succinct one.
Though I am myself an admirer of Ram's character but the out-of-the-place insertions of the ramcharitmanas' stories/messages didn't seem so interesting because of their redundancy in storyline... it would have been better if the author would have tried to relate it somehow to the story.
Truly speaking, I am not sure of how to begin with what I felt about this book. Even now, I am trying to comprehend in my head about what was happening and what was the story all about...
Starting from the cover, which is eyecatching, the story is narrated by Mohan and its not "only" about Anant but many of his college friends and at last a happy ending. Inspite of so many characters the author has been successful in keeping the story simple which is at the same time very brief and succinct one.
Though I am myself an admirer of Ram's character but the out-of-the-place insertions of the ramcharitmanas' stories/messages didn't seem so interesting because of their redundancy in storyline... it would have been better if the author would have tried to relate it somehow to the story.
September 13, 2016
First of all I would like to thank Govind Sir for sending me the book. It was a delight to read the book.
The book is fast paced and a quick read. A good attempt has been made to show the relevance of Ram Charit Manas to the incidences that take place. The book shows how people change and forget their closed ones who have helped them during their difficult times and take relationships for granted.
The book also highlights that children should not leave their parents even if they are disputes or any misunderstandings instead they can be solved by talking instead of keeping grudges against parents and later regretting for the mistakes made...
In short it was a good book to read enjoyed it very much. Looking forward to read more books from the author. ALL THE BEST!!!
The book is fast paced and a quick read. A good attempt has been made to show the relevance of Ram Charit Manas to the incidences that take place. The book shows how people change and forget their closed ones who have helped them during their difficult times and take relationships for granted.
The book also highlights that children should not leave their parents even if they are disputes or any misunderstandings instead they can be solved by talking instead of keeping grudges against parents and later regretting for the mistakes made...
In short it was a good book to read enjoyed it very much. Looking forward to read more books from the author. ALL THE BEST!!!
March 27, 2017
fast-paced and too short to be involving
First of all a huge thanks to the author for sharing me a copy of his book to read and review
Author tries to establish a lot of characters and a vast time line of years into a short book has gone completely wrong. It just appears to be jumping from one scene to other and that further baffles the readers. Book could have been a tad lengthy giving insights into the characters and their struggle. And there is no way that ram charit manas thing worked for the book its just quotes and poems spread randomly irrelevant of the story as I'm aware off.
I've rated it 2 stars for the author for this attempt to write, at-least he tried. Its no disrespect but book was bad but he tried where none of us not even dare to do that.
First of all a huge thanks to the author for sharing me a copy of his book to read and review
Author tries to establish a lot of characters and a vast time line of years into a short book has gone completely wrong. It just appears to be jumping from one scene to other and that further baffles the readers. Book could have been a tad lengthy giving insights into the characters and their struggle. And there is no way that ram charit manas thing worked for the book its just quotes and poems spread randomly irrelevant of the story as I'm aware off.
I've rated it 2 stars for the author for this attempt to write, at-least he tried. Its no disrespect but book was bad but he tried where none of us not even dare to do that.
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