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The Girl from Rostov
He stood there watching him, smoking a cigarette, silently waiting.
“Where is my money?” he asked. He spoke softly, as if scolding a child for his misbehaviour, trying not to come across as too harsh.
“I swear to you, I didn’t take it. I would never betray you,” the man sitting across from him replied. He was tied to a chair, unable to move, the rope cutting into his wrists.
He took two steps forward, towering over the man in the chair, well within his personal space. He smacked him hard across the face. The man and the chair were both knocked to the floor. He caught hold of his collar and pulled the chair with him still in it back onto its feet. He took two steps back.
“Now, shall we do this again?”
THE GIRL FROM ROSTOV is a crime thriller/love story, but more importantly it is also a story of loss and the range of human emotions that a person goes through following it. The orphaned niece of a Russian gangster/international spy and arms dealer must find out who killed her uncle and why. She teams up with the son of a millionaire who has his own set of demons from the past.
* A couple of chapters in the beginning of the book are situated in Russia while most of the other scenes take place in India.
Editorial Reviews
From the Author
Being my first book, The Girl From Rostov will always have a special place in my heart. It's a story, not about the girl from rostov a.k.a Maya herself but of the people who surround her, the people who shelter her and guide her. It's about the people who shape her world. It's tough to imagine a world without the ones you love but such a world is often our reality. The pain of an orphan, the love of a mentor, the pangs of heartbreak and the misdeeds borne of greed are all things that we all have witnessed at some point or the other. This book has it all, violence and death, despair and heartbreak, but the thing is that even in the face of all this it is a life shadowed by death and not death itself that haunts the souls of innocents.
From the Inside Flap
"He loved me more than anything in the world you know. He would have done anything for me. I never really missed my parents with him around. I was happy. People were scared of him but I could never understand why. He was always so gentle with me. I know he was a criminal, that he made many unforgivable mistakes. But he was not a bad man. He did what he had to do, what he thought was right, and somehow I think that ought to be respected."
“Where is my money?” he asked. He spoke softly, as if scolding a child for his misbehaviour, trying not to come across as too harsh.
“I swear to you, I didn’t take it. I would never betray you,” the man sitting across from him replied. He was tied to a chair, unable to move, the rope cutting into his wrists.
He took two steps forward, towering over the man in the chair, well within his personal space. He smacked him hard across the face. The man and the chair were both knocked to the floor. He caught hold of his collar and pulled the chair with him still in it back onto its feet. He took two steps back.
“Now, shall we do this again?”
THE GIRL FROM ROSTOV is a crime thriller/love story, but more importantly it is also a story of loss and the range of human emotions that a person goes through following it. The orphaned niece of a Russian gangster/international spy and arms dealer must find out who killed her uncle and why. She teams up with the son of a millionaire who has his own set of demons from the past.
* A couple of chapters in the beginning of the book are situated in Russia while most of the other scenes take place in India.
Editorial Reviews
From the Author
Being my first book, The Girl From Rostov will always have a special place in my heart. It's a story, not about the girl from rostov a.k.a Maya herself but of the people who surround her, the people who shelter her and guide her. It's about the people who shape her world. It's tough to imagine a world without the ones you love but such a world is often our reality. The pain of an orphan, the love of a mentor, the pangs of heartbreak and the misdeeds borne of greed are all things that we all have witnessed at some point or the other. This book has it all, violence and death, despair and heartbreak, but the thing is that even in the face of all this it is a life shadowed by death and not death itself that haunts the souls of innocents.
From the Inside Flap
"He loved me more than anything in the world you know. He would have done anything for me. I never really missed my parents with him around. I was happy. People were scared of him but I could never understand why. He was always so gentle with me. I know he was a criminal, that he made many unforgivable mistakes. But he was not a bad man. He did what he had to do, what he thought was right, and somehow I think that ought to be respected."
142 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 2, 2016
15 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Shitij Sharma
5 books13 followersShitij Sharma is a nineteen year old budding author from India. He is the author of the book - THE GIRL FROM ROSTOV.
'This world was a strange place to live in. It was disorderly and chaotic. Therefore, we had to find our way through this labyrinth of human emotions and actions to arrive at a place where there was some resemblance to order, order in the form of disorderly governments and a moral compass that does not always point north.'
He currently resides in New Delhi, India. He spends most of his time writing his second novel which he hopes to complete before this year is out.
THE GIRL FROM ROSTOV is a crime thriller/love story, but more importantly it is also a story of loss and the range of human emotions that a person goes through following it. The orphaned niece of a Russian gangster/international spy and arms dealer must find out who killed her uncle and why. She teams up with the son of a millionaire who has his own set of demons from the past.
* A couple of chapters in the beginning of the book are situated in Russia while most of the other scenes take place in India.
'This world was a strange place to live in. It was disorderly and chaotic. Therefore, we had to find our way through this labyrinth of human emotions and actions to arrive at a place where there was some resemblance to order, order in the form of disorderly governments and a moral compass that does not always point north.'
He currently resides in New Delhi, India. He spends most of his time writing his second novel which he hopes to complete before this year is out.
THE GIRL FROM ROSTOV is a crime thriller/love story, but more importantly it is also a story of loss and the range of human emotions that a person goes through following it. The orphaned niece of a Russian gangster/international spy and arms dealer must find out who killed her uncle and why. She teams up with the son of a millionaire who has his own set of demons from the past.
* A couple of chapters in the beginning of the book are situated in Russia while most of the other scenes take place in India.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 16, 2016
I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
The Girl From Rostov by Shitij Sharma is a crime thriller and love story. This story begins with Majid, a man who is very involved with business. His business costs him the lives of both his brother and his brother’s wife. From there on, he is forced to take in Maya, his now orphaned niece. When Majid takes Maya in, he understands that her presence in his life could cause her harm. However, she has no one else, so he takes her in. Unfortunately, Maya does witness gruesome activities that go on within her uncle’s business. But suddenly, out of nowhere, Majid is violently killed. This leaves Maya heartbroken and she quickly becomes consumed by all that has gone on in her life. With her best friend Samar by her side, they are both left to try to figure out how and why Majid was murdered.
The Girl from Rostov is an insightful account of how people deal with loss. There are so many emotions that follow when losing someone, and poor Maya lost three very important people in her life. I loved learning about her story, her detailed past and how she gained an understanding of the world as time went on. I slowly fell in love with her relationship with Samar. Honestly, their relationship was my favorite part of the book. They are both good people and I was so glad to see that they were there for each other in ways that no one else possibly could be. I really enjoyed reading about all of the character’s past and see them grow as the book went forward. The things they had to go through were scary and hard to read at some points but these characters were able to face reality head on and I really enjoyed that. I myself do not know much about what it’s like to be in a ruthless business but I liked that I had chance to imagine that while reading this story.
All in all, I was impressed by this novel. Shitij Sharma’s writing is smooth and flows well. His attention to details in characters is admirable and his writing overall is intriguing. The pace of the story changes here and there but it always maintains a good balance that doesn’t throw you off. My only criticism for this book is that there were grammatical errors throughout. However, these grammatical errors did not take my attention from the story but could potentially bother someone else. I think if you love learning about crimes and love getting involved with a good love story then you should check this book out. I also think if you have ever lost someone than this is a good book for you to read, as well. It teaches you that it is okay to feel sad, or pangs of grief or whatever you are feeling but to know that no matter what, you will never be alone.
December 30, 2016
Did not finish due to so many grammatical errors and confusing sentences it made it impossible to enjoy. I can't really say if the plot was decent because I was lost. Made it to page 35. Longer review coming soon.
February 20, 2018
He stood there watching him, smoking a cigarette, silently waiting.
“Where is my money?” he asked. He spoke softly, as if scolding a child for his misbehavior, trying not to come across as too harsh.
“I swear to you, I didn’t take it. I would never betray you,” the man sitting across from him replied. He was tied to a chair, unable to move, the rope cutting into his wrists...
The Girl From Rostov is an international spy thriller with an element of love that begins in Russia, but quickly moves to India. Maya, the orphaned niece of a Russian gangster, spy, and illicit arms dealer must find out who killed her uncle, Majid, and why. She meets Shamar, the son of a millionaire who has his own dark secrets from the past. Maya was the only ray of beauty that God allowed into Sharma’s small and dreary world.
In his debut novel, 19 year old author Shitij Sharma of India weaves the characters together in a masterful way. Although Sharma uses names of characters sparingly, and the reader often must go back to figure out who was talking or who was in a particular scene, the connection of characters is intriguing.
The Girl From Rostov is a journey into the dark and often chaotic world of gangsters involved in espionage. The life of one or another gangster becomes an obstacle and must be eliminated in order for any opposing gangster to remain on top and in control. One who commits misdeeds born of greed gives no thought to the value of a life snuffed out and sheds no tears of regret. Yet, there are scenes of tenderness and love and pangs of heartbreak when another person’s life does matter; when a person is valued and cherished and lost.
A diary, introduced early in the story, becomes a vital, sought-after possession. Whoever would own it may discover the location of a warehouse stockpiled with stolen arms and weapons of mass destruction that could be sold to the highest bidder making the owner of the diary extremely rich. Suspense builds when it is discovered that Maya, innocently involved in the world of gangsters, has the diary. Resolve to the story brings an unexpected turn of events. Who ends up with the diary and how he obtained it takes a moment or two to figure out. The reader has to connect the dots.
I give "The Girl from Rostov" a 3-star rating.
Review by: Rita Kroon, author of Kiss Your Mommy Goodbye and Letters from the Past
“Where is my money?” he asked. He spoke softly, as if scolding a child for his misbehavior, trying not to come across as too harsh.
“I swear to you, I didn’t take it. I would never betray you,” the man sitting across from him replied. He was tied to a chair, unable to move, the rope cutting into his wrists...
The Girl From Rostov is an international spy thriller with an element of love that begins in Russia, but quickly moves to India. Maya, the orphaned niece of a Russian gangster, spy, and illicit arms dealer must find out who killed her uncle, Majid, and why. She meets Shamar, the son of a millionaire who has his own dark secrets from the past. Maya was the only ray of beauty that God allowed into Sharma’s small and dreary world.
In his debut novel, 19 year old author Shitij Sharma of India weaves the characters together in a masterful way. Although Sharma uses names of characters sparingly, and the reader often must go back to figure out who was talking or who was in a particular scene, the connection of characters is intriguing.
The Girl From Rostov is a journey into the dark and often chaotic world of gangsters involved in espionage. The life of one or another gangster becomes an obstacle and must be eliminated in order for any opposing gangster to remain on top and in control. One who commits misdeeds born of greed gives no thought to the value of a life snuffed out and sheds no tears of regret. Yet, there are scenes of tenderness and love and pangs of heartbreak when another person’s life does matter; when a person is valued and cherished and lost.
A diary, introduced early in the story, becomes a vital, sought-after possession. Whoever would own it may discover the location of a warehouse stockpiled with stolen arms and weapons of mass destruction that could be sold to the highest bidder making the owner of the diary extremely rich. Suspense builds when it is discovered that Maya, innocently involved in the world of gangsters, has the diary. Resolve to the story brings an unexpected turn of events. Who ends up with the diary and how he obtained it takes a moment or two to figure out. The reader has to connect the dots.
I give "The Girl from Rostov" a 3-star rating.
Review by: Rita Kroon, author of Kiss Your Mommy Goodbye and Letters from the Past
January 6, 2017
The Girl from Rostov by Shitij Sharma is a lovely and deeply felt love story involving Samar and Maya. The story is rich in love, but it is also rich in violence, a very interesting contrast. I don’t want to give the plot away, so I will simply say there are dark characters from the past that deeply affect the lives of the young lovers and threaten any happiness the two of them might seek.
The writing is involved and concerned, a philosophical examination of the lives of these two characters and of the nature of love and violence. What it the meaning of life? What are the secrets that we carry within us? None of these questions is fully answered, but they are explored at length in this account of fate and passion.
This is a deeply felt book, and I recommend it for those enchanted by Russia and India, by intrigue and mystery and by the nature of life and love. A thorough and well thought out read.
The writing is involved and concerned, a philosophical examination of the lives of these two characters and of the nature of love and violence. What it the meaning of life? What are the secrets that we carry within us? None of these questions is fully answered, but they are explored at length in this account of fate and passion.
This is a deeply felt book, and I recommend it for those enchanted by Russia and India, by intrigue and mystery and by the nature of life and love. A thorough and well thought out read.
May 22, 2017
This is a very good "first" novel by a new young author. This is an international spy thriller involving Russian gansters, spies, arms dealers, starting in Russia and ending up in India. The characters were well developed. The story is very reminiscent of The Godfather, meaning a love story in the middle of violent Russian mafiaso. The story centers around "the girl" Maya who ends up being raised by her uncle after her parents are killed. She teams up with the son of a millionaire to find out who killed her parents. The Russian characters are mean, vicious killers, and it takes a while before Maya learns that her uncle is one of the "bad guys." The pace is steady. I look forward to future products of this young author's imagination.
December 16, 2016
‘Maya was the only ray of beauty that God had allowed into his small and dreary world.’
Indian author Shitij Sharma makes an impressive debut at age 19 years with THE GIRL FROM ROSTOV. Not only a young writer but also a young philosopher, Shitij shares his view of the universe – ‘This world was a strange place to live in. It was disorderly and chaotic. Therefore, we had to find our way through this labyrinth of human emotions and actions to arrive at a place where there was some resemblance to order, order in the form of disorderly governments and a moral compass that does not always point north.' He lives in New Delhi, India and is committed to writing as a career.
Shitij describes this debut novel – ‘The Girl From Rostov is a story, not about the girl from Rostov (Maya) herself but of the people who surround her, the people who shelter her and guide her. It's about the people who shape her world. Maya is the orphaned niece of a Russian gangster/international spy and arms dealer and must find out who killed her uncle and why. She teams up with the son of a millionaire who has his own set of demons from the past. It's tough to imagine a world without the ones you love but such a world is often our reality. The pain of an orphan, the love of a mentor, the pangs of heartbreak and the misdeeds borne of greed are all things that we all have witnessed at some point or the other. This book has it all, violence and death, despair and heartbreak, but the thing is that even in the face of all this it is a life shadowed by death and not death itself that haunts the souls of innocents.’
The flavor of the novel is apparent in the opening chapter as the narrator (Samar) is introduced – ‘He just sat there, his fingers trembling over the keyboard as he stared at the as of yet empty computer screen. His mind was buzzing with ideas but his fingers refused to type a single letter. There are 26 alphabets that can be arranged together in a countless number of ways to create words and these words in turn can be arranged in such a manner which is coherent and beautiful. Yet he did not need coherent or beautiful. He just needed that one particular combination of words, out of the countless, that had the potential to repair what he was about to destroy. But so far the words he needed had evaded him. Countless men and women have been in a similar predicament and this is an ailment that shall never be cured as long as communication is the foundation of human thought. The ailment which I refer to is vulgarly known as a loss for words. It is quite common but sometimes has immense implications. Countless men have tried to come up with a similar recipe of words that could somehow change their situation - intangible words with tangible effects. At the very least he was not alone in his predicament but that does not mean that he was not alone in other ways. He felt lonelier that night than he had ever felt before. To think that there were seven billion people in the world and he was all alone. However there was one only person whose company mattered to him at that very moment and that person had decided to leave, possibly forever. The digital sheet of paper was still empty except for the one letter which after all his deliberations had somehow managed to find its way on to it and that was the letter I. Yes, I, me, myself, no one to help me fend off my demons tonight.’
The angst of youth as written by a youth is refreshing and bodes well for a solid career in literature.
Indian author Shitij Sharma makes an impressive debut at age 19 years with THE GIRL FROM ROSTOV. Not only a young writer but also a young philosopher, Shitij shares his view of the universe – ‘This world was a strange place to live in. It was disorderly and chaotic. Therefore, we had to find our way through this labyrinth of human emotions and actions to arrive at a place where there was some resemblance to order, order in the form of disorderly governments and a moral compass that does not always point north.' He lives in New Delhi, India and is committed to writing as a career.
Shitij describes this debut novel – ‘The Girl From Rostov is a story, not about the girl from Rostov (Maya) herself but of the people who surround her, the people who shelter her and guide her. It's about the people who shape her world. Maya is the orphaned niece of a Russian gangster/international spy and arms dealer and must find out who killed her uncle and why. She teams up with the son of a millionaire who has his own set of demons from the past. It's tough to imagine a world without the ones you love but such a world is often our reality. The pain of an orphan, the love of a mentor, the pangs of heartbreak and the misdeeds borne of greed are all things that we all have witnessed at some point or the other. This book has it all, violence and death, despair and heartbreak, but the thing is that even in the face of all this it is a life shadowed by death and not death itself that haunts the souls of innocents.’
The flavor of the novel is apparent in the opening chapter as the narrator (Samar) is introduced – ‘He just sat there, his fingers trembling over the keyboard as he stared at the as of yet empty computer screen. His mind was buzzing with ideas but his fingers refused to type a single letter. There are 26 alphabets that can be arranged together in a countless number of ways to create words and these words in turn can be arranged in such a manner which is coherent and beautiful. Yet he did not need coherent or beautiful. He just needed that one particular combination of words, out of the countless, that had the potential to repair what he was about to destroy. But so far the words he needed had evaded him. Countless men and women have been in a similar predicament and this is an ailment that shall never be cured as long as communication is the foundation of human thought. The ailment which I refer to is vulgarly known as a loss for words. It is quite common but sometimes has immense implications. Countless men have tried to come up with a similar recipe of words that could somehow change their situation - intangible words with tangible effects. At the very least he was not alone in his predicament but that does not mean that he was not alone in other ways. He felt lonelier that night than he had ever felt before. To think that there were seven billion people in the world and he was all alone. However there was one only person whose company mattered to him at that very moment and that person had decided to leave, possibly forever. The digital sheet of paper was still empty except for the one letter which after all his deliberations had somehow managed to find its way on to it and that was the letter I. Yes, I, me, myself, no one to help me fend off my demons tonight.’
The angst of youth as written by a youth is refreshing and bodes well for a solid career in literature.
January 13, 2017
DNF at 10%.
December 30, 2016
The girl from Rostov by Sharma. I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it. The language disappointed me - Indian background I presume - as well as the grammatical errors e.g. lose instead of loose. The story is about betrayal, money laundering and murder but it is also a story of familial love whereby the main protagonist, Majid, goes to India to protect his niece, Maya. After losing her lifeline to Russia, she heads off (to Spain?) but not before she joins up with a boy called Samar, who also has his losses.
January 11, 2017
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
"Do the actions of our father's decide who we are or do they decide what we become? Did we choose this, brought this upon ourselves? We must have been fools to listen to them, to trust their promises and believe their lies and if it were to happen all over again we would still make all the same mistakes. Do you know why? Because we are still fools groping in the dark, looking for any sort of guidance that can be provided."
The Girl from Rostov is a stand-alone thriller by Shitij Sharma. It follows Majid and his niece Maya as they both battle the ghosts of their past. Their journey takes them to unexpected places and places them with unexpected situations. The book is about a family that is laden with tragedy. It is a mixture of love, loss, family, crime and grief.
I was surprised when I started this book. It was captivating right from the first few paragraphs. I liked how smoothly it flowed. It was easy to read but also very intense throughout.
The story takes places in various times between Russia and India. As the book starts, we are taken to Russia and introduced to a place where crimes take place ruthlessly. Much of the book in the beginning is about Majid and Maya's younger days. There are new problems arising for them constantly. Just as I'm starting to really get into the story, we are suddenly transported to India.
I loved the plot. It keeps the reader intrigued throughout. The story is fast-paced, easy to read and keeps you on the edge. Everything that happens is unpredictable. It only gets darker and darker and even heartbreaking at times.
The writing is good. At some points, the book felt disorganized and got quite confusing. The interactions between Maya and Samar in the middle of the book felt a little unnatural and out of place to me.
Towards the end, It was amazing how all the pieces started to fit together. I was hooked to the story by then and was left speechless when it ended. The ending fit perfectly and gave a sense of completion to the story.
I highly enjoyed reading this book! It is an excellent debut by the author. If you're looking for a good thriller, I definitely recommend this.
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December 13, 2016
"The Girl from Rostov " is a very well written novel, where every character has been dealt meticulously with absolute precision.
"Every thing adds up. Every second, every lie, every breath. In the end, it all catches up with you " forms the main thrust of the crime thriller . It deals with a trail of human emotions, most importantly , the pain of losing a loved one and the thirst for revenge.
The story begins in Russia ,describing the close bond that two brothers named Majid and Mazhar share .They're both Russian gangsters. But as fate has it,an occurence of unfortunate events , leaves Majid shattered and broken as he loses his brother .His orphaned niece,Maya is his only ray of hope left in the dark world.
Maya, who's the protagonist, becomes the mouthpiece ,voicing the thoughts and pain of a girl stuck in a cruel, vindictive world. Her heart keeps shattering bit by bit as she loses everyone who ever mattered to her. Her life takes a new turn when she falls in love with a boy named Samar but they both have their own share of secrets to which they're both oblivious .
This book is a must read for anyone who's looking for a mixture of everything in one book because 'The Girl From Rostov" has a tinge of crime, thriller and romance as well. With profound quotes and intriguing characters, the author manages to keep his readers hooked to the book till the end.
"Every thing adds up. Every second, every lie, every breath. In the end, it all catches up with you " forms the main thrust of the crime thriller . It deals with a trail of human emotions, most importantly , the pain of losing a loved one and the thirst for revenge.
The story begins in Russia ,describing the close bond that two brothers named Majid and Mazhar share .They're both Russian gangsters. But as fate has it,an occurence of unfortunate events , leaves Majid shattered and broken as he loses his brother .His orphaned niece,Maya is his only ray of hope left in the dark world.
Maya, who's the protagonist, becomes the mouthpiece ,voicing the thoughts and pain of a girl stuck in a cruel, vindictive world. Her heart keeps shattering bit by bit as she loses everyone who ever mattered to her. Her life takes a new turn when she falls in love with a boy named Samar but they both have their own share of secrets to which they're both oblivious .
This book is a must read for anyone who's looking for a mixture of everything in one book because 'The Girl From Rostov" has a tinge of crime, thriller and romance as well. With profound quotes and intriguing characters, the author manages to keep his readers hooked to the book till the end.
Read
December 9, 2020Being my first book, The Girl From Rostov will always have a special place in my heart. It's a story, not about the girl from Rostov a.k.a Maya herself but of the people who surround her, the people who shelter and guide her. It's about the people who shape her world. It's tough to imagine a world without the ones you love but such a world is often our reality. The pain of an orphan, the love of a mentor, the pangs of heartbreak and the misdeeds borne of greed are all things that we all have witnessed at some point or the other. This book has it all, violence and death, despair and heartbreak, but the thing is that even in the face of all this it is a life shadowed by death and not death itself that haunts the souls of innocents.
From the Inside Flap
"He loved me more than anything in the world you know. He would have done anything for me. I never really missed my parents with him around. I was happy. People were scared of him but I could never understand why. He was always so gentle with me. I know he was a criminal, that he made many unforgivable mistakes. But he was not a bad man. He did what he had to do, what he thought was right, and somehow I think that ought to be respected."
From the Inside Flap
"He loved me more than anything in the world you know. He would have done anything for me. I never really missed my parents with him around. I was happy. People were scared of him but I could never understand why. He was always so gentle with me. I know he was a criminal, that he made many unforgivable mistakes. But he was not a bad man. He did what he had to do, what he thought was right, and somehow I think that ought to be respected."
December 24, 2016
Odd book without much meaning
I read this book at the request of the author but found it difficult to follow her line of writing. Kept getting lost in the dialogues and all the characters. Sorry I wasn't able to give a Better review. I am usually better at this but promised a true review
The area of the story was a bit confusing for me
I read this book at the request of the author but found it difficult to follow her line of writing. Kept getting lost in the dialogues and all the characters. Sorry I wasn't able to give a Better review. I am usually better at this but promised a true review
The area of the story was a bit confusing for me
December 31, 2016
This is a stellar first novel from a talented writer. I look forward to more from Shitij Sharma in the future. This is a story about Russia and India, family, friends, enemies, intrigue, loss and love, but it is more than that. The Girl From Rostov bridges the vast differences by illuminating the shared human condition, letting us all know we are more alike than different.
December 12, 2016
Deeply Moving
This first novel by Ms Shitij was excellent. Her chg
character, Maya,Shamar, and even Majhid were very fe. The spirituality and emotional contrast between love and violence brought her characters to life.
This first novel by Ms Shitij was excellent. Her chg
character, Maya,Shamar, and even Majhid were very fe. The spirituality and emotional contrast between love and violence brought her characters to life.
September 8, 2016
I literally just stumbled upon this book while browsing the kindle bookstore. This is such an amazing book and the characters are soo moving. I recommend this book as a must read to all my friends.
December 23, 2016
I'm done. This story has way too many grammatical errors and unfinished thoughts. I'll look at it again when a cleaner copy is available.
March 29, 2022
Intriguing and lucrative read!
The book did two things for me-
1. Took me through an unforgettable journey, and
2. Made me fall in love with The Girl from Rostov.
The book did two things for me-
1. Took me through an unforgettable journey, and
2. Made me fall in love with The Girl from Rostov.
April 19, 2017
Title – The Girl From Rostov
Author – Shitij Sharma
Genre – Thriller, Romance
142 Amazon Pages
Rating 3 stars out of 5 Posted
20 - 2017
My impressions: wordy, repetitive, weak needy lovers, vicious bad guys.
The main characters:
Majid – Russian gangster
Kaya – Majid’s niece.
Samar – the male lover.
The Girl from Rastov is largely narrative. Apparently, the author doesn’t know about the axiom, Show Don’t Tell.
The thriller portion is a backdrop to provide the catalyst for moving the romance story forward. There is a viable love story here but the writing drags it down. I wanted to like both of the young lovers but never developed empathy for either of them.
The Russian characters are mean and vicious. Kaya eventually learns the uncle she adored was one of the killers.
There are many issues with the writing of this story that overshadow the story being told.
There is a continuity problem when an initial shooting scene presents five men present, but when the scene is retold the details change and only three men are present.
The editing is poor with many missing, misspelled, extra and wrong words along with many missing commas. The frequent mixing of past and present tense in the same sentence is confusing.
Repetitive word usage in the same sentence is boring.
Sentence structure is poor and in need of reorganization or rewriting. Example: As he raced his car out of the apartment. – Was he running alongside the car racing it? Was the car really parked inside the apartment building?
For the reasons detailed above I can’t strongly recommend this story.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
Author – Shitij Sharma
Genre – Thriller, Romance
142 Amazon Pages
Rating 3 stars out of 5 Posted
20 - 2017
My impressions: wordy, repetitive, weak needy lovers, vicious bad guys.
The main characters:
Majid – Russian gangster
Kaya – Majid’s niece.
Samar – the male lover.
The Girl from Rastov is largely narrative. Apparently, the author doesn’t know about the axiom, Show Don’t Tell.
The thriller portion is a backdrop to provide the catalyst for moving the romance story forward. There is a viable love story here but the writing drags it down. I wanted to like both of the young lovers but never developed empathy for either of them.
The Russian characters are mean and vicious. Kaya eventually learns the uncle she adored was one of the killers.
There are many issues with the writing of this story that overshadow the story being told.
There is a continuity problem when an initial shooting scene presents five men present, but when the scene is retold the details change and only three men are present.
The editing is poor with many missing, misspelled, extra and wrong words along with many missing commas. The frequent mixing of past and present tense in the same sentence is confusing.
Repetitive word usage in the same sentence is boring.
Sentence structure is poor and in need of reorganization or rewriting. Example: As he raced his car out of the apartment. – Was he running alongside the car racing it? Was the car really parked inside the apartment building?
For the reasons detailed above I can’t strongly recommend this story.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
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