What do you think?
Rate this book
The Roots
“Had Ronald Brown not discovered his father’s old diaries, nothing much would’ve change in his life. He would’ve become a professional golfer, won a few trophies, and lived on a caddie fee for the rest of his life. But he did, and his life changed forever.”
The journals of the early forties motivate him to travel across the continent to search for his roots in India. There he is faced with a cruel celebrate the discovery of a long-lost sibling, or mourn the demise of a newfound love. Torn between his mind and his heart, he returns home, only to face false accusations and ensuing violence. Miserable, he returns once again to India to the love of his life.
Does he live happily-ever-after . . . or is destined to suffer more?
The journals of the early forties motivate him to travel across the continent to search for his roots in India. There he is faced with a cruel celebrate the discovery of a long-lost sibling, or mourn the demise of a newfound love. Torn between his mind and his heart, he returns home, only to face false accusations and ensuing violence. Miserable, he returns once again to India to the love of his life.
Does he live happily-ever-after . . . or is destined to suffer more?
327 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 31, 2017
About the author
Ravi Bedi
12 books16 followersRavi 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 22, 2018
This is probably the author’s best book. I have read two more and found this one to be the simplest in execution and plot structuring, but far more complex in the depiction of the characters which is layered and deep. The story is simple and yet poignant. Ron Brown is the son of an English father and an Indian mother. Set in the days of the British Raj, moving on to the post colonial times when the British community left India after the partition, the background is intricately woven with descriptions of Indian Royalty and the rich and the famous. The author has beautifully brought out the flavours and textures of the Raj, the lifestyles and the underlying intrigue and mystery of a tumultuous era that shaped the country and the lives of many people.
Ron Brown is a simple young man, living in London whose father died when Ron was a young child. The story unfolds from Ron’s discovery of his father’s personal diaries and how it changes Ron’s life forever. The revelation from the diaries leads him to a lost sibling in India. The entire story revolves around how the momentous discovery changes him as a person, bringing pure, unabashed love (like a burst of radiant sunlight) into his life and then how it is wrenched away from him by unforeseen circumstances.
Every scene, every subtle nuance in the story was overwhelming to say the least. I wept with Ron for his loss, for he was such a beautiful person with so much love and simplicity in his heart. He was more his mother’s son and it was evident in all the decisions he took. He was soft-hearted but courageous enough to follow that heart. That he loved his errant, shallow and disloyal father in spite of his indiscretions was unusual. Ron’s futile search for any mention of his mother and himself in the diary was heartbreaking. And yet, to love that father who spent most of his time in selfish pursuits and illicit relationships would have been impossible for any son. But Ron was more forgiving than I could ever be. Perhaps he, like everyone else, merely wanted someone to love?
He was prudent and wise when he let go of that forbidden love that nearly tore him apart. His faith in humanity never gets shaken even when he goes through so many misfortunes including death threats.
It was a relief when he does find love in the end. I loved Zovita a tad bit more than Ron’s first love Sheena. Both the characters are distinctly different and beautifully portrayed. Sheena is like a rippling brook that trips down a mountain and Zovita is as deep as the sea, full of forgiveness and love; a perfect match to Ron. Both the women underline the predominant theme of the story that it is possible to love two people at the same time.
The author has brought out different shades of womanhood and human nature in his various female characters. From Ron’s mother Sheila, a strong but gentle woman, to Zovita, who is sensitive and empathetic. Sheena who is young and impetuous, but fiercely loyal and her final metamorphosis into a cynical woman of the world. Then there is Jessica, a voracious man-eater, and Miss Jones, the wise woman who guides Ron in his difficult times.
The lighter moments in the story are provided by Ron’s wicked, overbearing, crass, best friend, Chris. He was irrepressibly witty and quite free with his appalling golf puns and innuendoes. I know nothing about golf so I had to go back a few times to understand the double entendres which had me laughing.
The character of Mrs. Singh was a bit unconvincing. She comes across as a strong, loving mother to Sheena in the beginning, but suddenly succumbs to greed, displaying considerable moral weakening in the end. It was a little unbelievable. So was Jai the goon. He was too filmy for my taste.
Overall a very beautiful story!
Ron Brown is a simple young man, living in London whose father died when Ron was a young child. The story unfolds from Ron’s discovery of his father’s personal diaries and how it changes Ron’s life forever. The revelation from the diaries leads him to a lost sibling in India. The entire story revolves around how the momentous discovery changes him as a person, bringing pure, unabashed love (like a burst of radiant sunlight) into his life and then how it is wrenched away from him by unforeseen circumstances.
Every scene, every subtle nuance in the story was overwhelming to say the least. I wept with Ron for his loss, for he was such a beautiful person with so much love and simplicity in his heart. He was more his mother’s son and it was evident in all the decisions he took. He was soft-hearted but courageous enough to follow that heart. That he loved his errant, shallow and disloyal father in spite of his indiscretions was unusual. Ron’s futile search for any mention of his mother and himself in the diary was heartbreaking. And yet, to love that father who spent most of his time in selfish pursuits and illicit relationships would have been impossible for any son. But Ron was more forgiving than I could ever be. Perhaps he, like everyone else, merely wanted someone to love?
He was prudent and wise when he let go of that forbidden love that nearly tore him apart. His faith in humanity never gets shaken even when he goes through so many misfortunes including death threats.
It was a relief when he does find love in the end. I loved Zovita a tad bit more than Ron’s first love Sheena. Both the characters are distinctly different and beautifully portrayed. Sheena is like a rippling brook that trips down a mountain and Zovita is as deep as the sea, full of forgiveness and love; a perfect match to Ron. Both the women underline the predominant theme of the story that it is possible to love two people at the same time.
The author has brought out different shades of womanhood and human nature in his various female characters. From Ron’s mother Sheila, a strong but gentle woman, to Zovita, who is sensitive and empathetic. Sheena who is young and impetuous, but fiercely loyal and her final metamorphosis into a cynical woman of the world. Then there is Jessica, a voracious man-eater, and Miss Jones, the wise woman who guides Ron in his difficult times.
The lighter moments in the story are provided by Ron’s wicked, overbearing, crass, best friend, Chris. He was irrepressibly witty and quite free with his appalling golf puns and innuendoes. I know nothing about golf so I had to go back a few times to understand the double entendres which had me laughing.
The character of Mrs. Singh was a bit unconvincing. She comes across as a strong, loving mother to Sheena in the beginning, but suddenly succumbs to greed, displaying considerable moral weakening in the end. It was a little unbelievable. So was Jai the goon. He was too filmy for my taste.
Overall a very beautiful story!
May 28, 2018
Enjoyable - twisty tale.
Old-fashioned - but naturally, seeing as how it is set in the post-partition era.
Ron, the hero, is a good man, generally speaking, which is saying something considering his best friend, Chris, is a creep who objectifies women ad nauseum.
Unusual plot, but that is something I have come to expect from this author - no two books are the same. In this one, Ron is beset by misfortune which tangles the plot a good deal - happily, the author is able to tie up all the loose ends very satisfactorily in the end.
A must read if you like action and suspense with a touch of romance!
Old-fashioned - but naturally, seeing as how it is set in the post-partition era.
Ron, the hero, is a good man, generally speaking, which is saying something considering his best friend, Chris, is a creep who objectifies women ad nauseum.
Unusual plot, but that is something I have come to expect from this author - no two books are the same. In this one, Ron is beset by misfortune which tangles the plot a good deal - happily, the author is able to tie up all the loose ends very satisfactorily in the end.
A must read if you like action and suspense with a touch of romance!
June 16, 2018
The Book Cover : What caught my attention was definitely the haveli on the book cover and the synopsis which spoke of Ron reading an old diary.
The Plot : The story is about Ronald Brown who has an Indian mother and an English father. He lost his father as a child and is brought up by his mother. One fine day he discovers his father’s old diary and it is through this, that he gets to know his father. In the next few days, his mother succumbs to health issues and Ron is left alone. He decides to go to India in search of lost relations…
The storyline is simple. But Ravi has written it beautifully. Be it the part where Ron gets to read about his father’s affairs with beautiful ladies or the part where Ron realizes a few truths about his past, every emotion has been described nicely.
The beauty of the book is that it is set in different eras and moves beautifully from British Era in India to the time the country was declared independent. It also moves from India to London. With every shift, every other attribute change seamlessly.
Author’s touch : The language , the poise everything is just perfect. It is quite tough to portray complicated relations, especially when there is a plot related to a ‘half-sister’, who doesn’t about it.(Read the book to know more, I haven’t given out anything even in the Plot section). He has weaved a complicated story where one of the foremost attributes is ‘emotions’. So, kudos to the author! This book has nostalgic scenes, romance, love, affection, friendship, enmity and of course multiple heartbreaks!
What could have been better? : There were some pages, where Ron is discussing his problems with his friend Chris or the pages where there is revenge drama, these could have been shortened. At times, the story seems to drag, but soon the pace progresses.
Verdict : If you are looking for a breezy read and believe in complexities of relationship – Grab this book! If you are looking for adventure, thriller – this book is not for you. It is definitely a different book.
The Plot : The story is about Ronald Brown who has an Indian mother and an English father. He lost his father as a child and is brought up by his mother. One fine day he discovers his father’s old diary and it is through this, that he gets to know his father. In the next few days, his mother succumbs to health issues and Ron is left alone. He decides to go to India in search of lost relations…
The storyline is simple. But Ravi has written it beautifully. Be it the part where Ron gets to read about his father’s affairs with beautiful ladies or the part where Ron realizes a few truths about his past, every emotion has been described nicely.
The beauty of the book is that it is set in different eras and moves beautifully from British Era in India to the time the country was declared independent. It also moves from India to London. With every shift, every other attribute change seamlessly.
Author’s touch : The language , the poise everything is just perfect. It is quite tough to portray complicated relations, especially when there is a plot related to a ‘half-sister’, who doesn’t about it.(Read the book to know more, I haven’t given out anything even in the Plot section). He has weaved a complicated story where one of the foremost attributes is ‘emotions’. So, kudos to the author! This book has nostalgic scenes, romance, love, affection, friendship, enmity and of course multiple heartbreaks!
What could have been better? : There were some pages, where Ron is discussing his problems with his friend Chris or the pages where there is revenge drama, these could have been shortened. At times, the story seems to drag, but soon the pace progresses.
Verdict : If you are looking for a breezy read and believe in complexities of relationship – Grab this book! If you are looking for adventure, thriller – this book is not for you. It is definitely a different book.
August 8, 2018
Nice suspense book which takes you to and forth from Mount Abu to London. The author does have a panache for writing suspense.
Liked reading this book, though I felt in some places the plot was a little slow but otherwise did like reading The Roots.
Liked reading this book, though I felt in some places the plot was a little slow but otherwise did like reading The Roots.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews