This Delicious Life

by Lekshmi Gopinathan

This Delicious Life’ is a genre defying novel entwining a cookbook with fiction. A tale of food, love and life. Meet Radhamma, the brave young sarpanch, Matilda- an entrepreneur on her bike touring India, Vishal- a righteous District Collector, Gerald- a nomadic football coach and the beautiful fisher folk of the quaint coastal fishing village of Iraalpatinam as you ruffle through the pages. Listen to their tales hidden in the steaming, spluttering and simmering of the recipes. Scoop a generous helping of Jaffna Crab Curry, Tiramisu, Spinach Casserole, Adai Avial and so much more. There is sweet and savoury, sprinkled along the way. Feed your hearts and souls, because life can be delightfully scrumptious.

Genres: Indian Literature

136 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 30, 2021

Reviews

[Rama Vani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books with an interesting story plot & characters make it a good read for your mind. This one is a book with story and characters spun around the love for food, food not just for yourtummy, but to your life and soul. A differently written book with the chapters named after delicacies and the recipes. I am sure this book will not just leave a smile as you read, but make you thoughtful about food, life and your tummy will growl. Well, I am now craving for 'akkaravadisal' :)

[Ruchi Patel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a fictional work and it’s the unique most book I have read till now. I will briefly summarise the concept. It’s the combination of the story as well as recipes. Well it’s a combination of it and mostly collection of incidents. And to see how you need to pick it up. The incidents starts with recipes according to the chapter names. The chapter names are given the names of food items. Author listed the ingredients required and the method is woven around the story. There are many such incidents like that and what I feel is this is a tough task to do. The protagonist of the story is Radha or we can say Radhamma. Because you can have idea and implement it in one story. But to implement in entire book and these many stories is something near to impossible. Author has indeed done a great job in that area. The protagonist of the story is Radha or we can say Radhamma. I will discuss few of my favourite characters and incidents superficially here. First I liked is Baguette because baking bread is my favourite hobby and I liked the conversation of Ma and Matilda. I liked the Matilda characters especially at the end when he is sad and want to give Gurudakshina and in unique way. The next favourite is Tiramisu and Mysore pak. There are number if characters that makes the plot interesting such as Venkat Rishi, a friend cum business partner, Rajesh uncle, Gerry or Gerald, etc. I liked the character of Radha in it and author has narrated them too beautifully. Like that description of aroma made me hungry. I liked the writing style of the author. It’s captivating. The language of the book is lucid so that everyone can pick it up. The idea is very unique. Overall quite good and different read.

[Swapna Peri ( Book Reviews Cafe ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Title: This delicious life
Author: Lekshmi Gopinathan
Format: Kindle
Number of pages : 214
Sold By: Amazon Asia-Pacific Holdings Private Limited
Publishing Date: 11th Nov 2017
Printed Price: INR 49
ASIN: B0778WXHXR


Book Title:
The title of the book 'This delicious life' is very nice and it spreads positivity.

Book Cover :
The book cover is nice and interesting. The herbs in the cover image are interesting to look at.

Plot:
Not every book has a routine love story or an emotional story or some human drama. There will be some books that are a perfect blend of more than one subject in the story line. Such is the case with this book.

Usually people with great affinity towards art are inclined towards books, food and coffee. The author has managed the art of cooking with a perfect blend of unconditional love, human emotions and sequences of life in a very balanced manner.

In general, the readers find the plot interesting and new, but this book makes a reader think the plot is tasty and delicious!!

Characters:
All the characters are very nicely written.

Narration:
The narration is very good and newly crafted.

Language and Vocabulary:
A fine usage of fine grammar and wonderful vocabulary.

My Final Verdict—.
A salt and sweet combination of love, food and emotions!

Book title: 4/5
Book Cover: 3/5
Plot: 3.8/5
Characters: 4/5
Narration: 3.8/5
Language and Vocabulary: 4/5
I personally rate the book 3.8 out of 5

[Spandan Rout · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A Recipe has no soul you as the cook, must bring soul to the recipe " This book is a tale of food, love and life. Meet Radhamma, the brave young sarpanch, Matilda- an entrepreneur on her bike touring India, Vishal- a righteous District Collector, Gerald- a nomadic football coach and the beautiful fisher folk of the quaint coastal fishing village of Iraalpatinam as you ruffle through the pages. Listen to their tales hidden in the steaming, spluttering and simmering of the recipes. Scoop a generous helping of Jaffna Crab Curry, Tiramisu, Spinach Casserole, Adai Avial and so much more. There is sweet and savoury, sprinkled along the way. Feed your hearts and souls, because life can be delightfully scrumptious. The book is very engaging and captivating. The author has presented and developed the characters in the story very nicely. The cover and title of the story is very attractive which holds the attention of the readers towards it. The book has an amazing plot. The ending of the story will leave readers with watery eyes. This book has 136 pages and one can easily finish it in one or two sitting. This book will give you a roller coaster ride of Love, emotions and bravery. Overall it's a great book and I would recommend it to everyone..

[Prajna G.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice read...

[beautywithbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the people, whose life revolves around food and books, this is perfect read with a very lip smacking cozy feeling. The story of protagonists Radhamma and Matilda, who find a way to heal their soul through the love for food. An imaginary ideal fishing village name Iraalipatinam down south near Pondicherry, where people stay with mutual harmony and brotherhood, doing all tasks as a community under the supervision of Radhamma, the sarpanch of the village. Radhamma’s dreams of making the village a smart village in the region by facilitating all the basic amenities. For this reason, Radha meets Vishal, a District Collector, under whose wing, Iraalipatinam is one of the villages. Gerry is sent by Vishal to the village as a football coach, to hone the villages kids in the game and channel their talent. Matilda volunteers in the village.

I will suggest, not to read this book in empty stomach, as while reading you will not able to stop your foodie carvings. Every chapter is named with one delicious food item, with the list of ingredients of the recipe. It can leave you hungry. The story is not about food, but how the lives of people are connected by love for food. How strangers connect with each other for the common love for food.

The book does justice to the title. It a very simple, easy and warm read. This book can be read in one sitting. Reading Matilda’s adventure on bike, I feel like going myself for such an adventure. The description of Iraalipatinam without any flaws seems like a perfect vacation place. Pick this book up for a cheery easy read.

[Subhajit Das · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Name (with subtitle): This delicious life! (From a quaint fishing village. A tale of food, life and love)
Author Name: Lekshmi Gopinathan
Format: Kindle
No of Pages- 214
Publisher: Lekshmi Gopinathan
Blurb: Spluttering, simmering and steaming.
A brave young woman sarpanch.
An entrepreneur on her bike touring India.
An able District Collector.
A nomadic football coach and the beautiful fisher folk of the quaint little fishing village of Iraalpatinam add the tadka to 'This Delicious Life'.
Let your mouth water while you feed your soul. Meet Radha, Matilda, Vishal, Gerry, Venkat, Subbu, Ma and the people of Iraalpatinam.

From Jaffna Crab Curry to Mor Kuzhambu, Spinach Casseroles and Tiramisu, from the tiny fishing village of Iraalpatinam, comes a delicious and heartwarming tale. A yummy story of friendship, love and spices.
Cover: The cover of the book is not only unique but it is actually lovely to look at and it is depicting the theme of the aptly.
Title: Title (and sub title too) of the book is very deep and tempting I must say. As per the substance of the story, I am considering the title exactly appropriate for the book.
Language & narration: Language of the book is not only lucid but it’d be better saying the author has written the book in classic language. The more I allowed myself to dive in deep in the book; I was amazed to see the absolute rich and sophisticated words to ornament the book beautifully. Coming to the narration part, I can say that the charm of the narrating style of the authoress and the high class gripping narration is the top most strength of this book. The vivid description with inch details of each and every recipe, different phases of different emotions, all are crystal in the authentic narrating style of the authoress. I have never felt anywhere that the book has been stretched or exaggerated, ever.
Plot: Plot is strikingly captivating and crafted in a thoughtful way. To be very honest, after covering so many books of my collection, I have never ever come across any book previously which is based on the amalgamation of food with friendship and love. Especially, the way, here food and cooking has been connected to the soul of the person and the heart is connected with love, then mixing love and food together with different shades of emotions in life....oh my… this is the most unique and different conceptual book I have ever read, indeed.
Setting: The story has set in a rural, quaint fishing village named Iraalpatinam, but in overall look, the book has covered Mumbai, [Kerala – Tamilnadu], Andhra Pradesh, Pune, Pondicherry, Dhanushkodi etc.
Characterization: The characterization is quite well portrayed and specifically each and every character in the book is justified to the core to their respective roles. Authoress has painted the characters in such a way, that any reader will get connected with any of them instantly and feel their emotions to the core of the heart. The name of the characters (including the two *protagonists) mentioned in the book are- *Radha (Radhamma), Subramaniam aka Subbu, Kuttiamma, Chellamma, *Matilda aka May (and her Ma), Venkat, Chithappa, Ninni, Rishi, Shobha, Saina Aunty, Rajesh Uncle, Shivaswamy (Shivanna), Hari, Vishal, Rameshwar, Jeevan, Gerard aka Gerry, Suraj, Srinivasan, Henry, Vishwa, [Rekha – Sonam].
Theme: Food, art of cooking, friendship, love, emotional, inspirational, motivational, life.
Story in a nutshell & My Verdict: The story revolves around the lives of the two protagonists (Radhamma & May) and people around them. The entire story base on the compound of love for food and preciously art of cooking; this story intertwined the lives of some people with different backgrounds and extracted out a sweet aroma of love, emotions, friendship and relationship with innocence & their single similarity was their culinary love. Radha, who is a firm lady with strong personality and pleasant kind respected admirable genuine loving nature, was the Sarpanch (village head) of the rural quaint fishery village named Iraalpatinam. 5 years ago, she first entered the village as a part of a survey team from State Govt. and then gradually destiny landed herself there permanently. The innocent people of Iraalpatinam, their bonding of love and affection for each other and their kind nature and most importantly, the love of her life, Subbu, for all these reasons, she settled there and became an integral and the most important part of the village. After that, some things and that turned her life upside down but, she coped up with that with time and took the responsibility of the entire village. The people of the village give their soul and dedication, time, and energy to food, their love for cooking, eating and fishing. Radha was actually the magician of cooking in the village, she not only cooked the food, she breathed and lived the food. She was a lady with golden heart who always thinks and sacrifices for others. Iraalpatinam was a rural fishing village with no proper roads for communication, school for education, hospital for medical emergency Radha decided to improve these conditions and make the best out of the village and put this village into the front in a firm position. The passion of the 72 kids (especially, Venkat) for football was something that needed proper guidance and skill improvement program properly. Because of these reasons, Radha contacted Dist. Collector Vishal and he arranged the necessary approval to put things on the board. Vishal’s buddy and a talented brat Gerard was sent to the village as a stand in football coach and a lady (a food blogger and precisely a well known entrepreneur for her food start up) with a soft heart and eyes with big dreams, May finally arrived in the village to volunteer the project. These people had faced their fair share of struggles, pain, heartaches and personal losses had gone through different type of tough mental phases at their own time but deep love for food ultimately set their unconditional bonding into another level. How their lives settled in the best way towards the betterment of the village in future and how their personal pains and old scars vanished away with the magical aroma of love and food, is the rest of the story.
Authoress Lekshmi Gopinathan has done a tremendously outstanding job by writing this beautiful book with this concept and converted the book into a masterpiece. I was stunned to see the way authoress interconnected the lives of those different people at a single point and of course how their culinary love brought changes to their personal painful past and changed their lives completely. Here in the book, every emotion of each and every person touched my heart and I cried with them and smiled with them as well. The character of Radhamma is the most admirable and respectable personality I have ever come across. Lekshmi Ma’am created a magic in Radha’s presence that can be compared with Goddess Annapurna only. Her love for the villagers, strong personality, genuine heart, soft spoken helpful nature and behavior and ultimately while preparing food, everything she was the Ace at. It’s because her, that I finished the book without even putting down for even once, such a captivating personality she has. The book consists 18 chapters and each chapter contains a major unique and jaw dropping mouth watering recipe and the title of the chapters also the name of the recipe. With maximum possible description, Lekshmi Ma’am presented a new essence to cooking. Every ingredients, their way of cooking, how to touch the core of the food, even the proper way of having a particular food to have the best test of it described herein this book. The source of the ingredients, elements and their significance, everything is presented with each chapter and with every new recipe. Food is not just to satisfy the hunger, food is to feed the soul of the person, is depicted in the book. Ultimately the love is everything the puts the tadka into of our life and of course in food. Subbu was the base actually, the noble cause that Radhamma was working for, and last but not the least, how she changed the perception of life of May through her touching and inspiring words and her magical skills of cooking is definitely the key point of the story. The mental struggle of May that she fought with everyday was unimaginable and it was Henry, who was the indirect path changer for May, so Henry deserves the equal applause too. The way the book ended left a mixed note of emotions in my heart but I am happy to see everything on the right track accordingly. Kudo’s to the authoress Lekshmi Gopinathan and all the best for her future endeavors. Finally, I would like to say, the more delicious the joy of cooking foods for the soul the more it add taste into our life; thus we can cherish the aroma of……this delicious life!
Drawbacks: Just a few little & tiniest typo errors are there at two places, and as they are easily ignorable, so apart from them, there are nowhere any drawbacks can be found in the entire book I bet.
Recommendation: I would definitely love to recommend this book to all food lovers, cooking enthusiasts and each & everyone out there, every book love should go through this book I must say. Thank you.
Rating (Overall): 5/5 Stars.

[Kavita Jhala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some words are roasted to perfection.

Some are grind to bring out the aroma of language….

and some are allowed to simmer on slow pot.

The book “This Delicious Life” by Lekshmi Gopinathan has all kinds of words infused to bring out the best in the story. What’s of importance here is that the language is simple. This ebook transports you to the land of culture and cooks up great food recipes for the taste buds.



Set up in the idyllic village of Iraalpatinam, the story is a great read. Not only is the novel woven with recipes to try out, the story builds up without too much dwelling on the characters’emotions for too long; for this would have ruined the charm of the story.

I would like to put up a note that there are few typos that need to be checked by the editor of the book. The ending was sort of misled and abrupt. Seemed to come out incomplete…. or is there a sequel to be expected?

Baring these limitations, the book is a good read. Do pick it up on Amazon Kindle and if you have Kindle Unlimited, you’re in for a free copy!

[Sonal Pokharna Nahar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover and title of book added to my curiosity of knowing the story. The story revolves around two ladies and their family which celebrates food. Story is unique and amazingly written. I liked the flow of story. Title and cover does justice with the plot. I misinterpreted it as a cook book, but it is far more than food and recipes. Just loved the blend of life stories, emotions and food. A great treat for readers and food lovers.

[Rasanpreet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one amazing read. Being a foodie I just loved the recipes shared by the author, But the story line was amazing I just fell in the love with all the characters be it May, Gerry or Radhamma. This is the second book by the author and I can't wait for her next...

[Anindita Banerjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Delicious Life by Lekshmi Gopinathan Book Review: Hunger is the best Sauce, my father said me this a millioneth a times. Though, he said me these words in a totally different context but still that matches with one particular conjecture in this book where our May, Matilda after a tiring bike ride gets famished and needs a simple delicious and equally stumptuous meal but she gets disheartened when found with meagre hope of no food but she feeds herself with Jolada Roti. After I finish reading a book, I am at lose of words what to write, I am at a moment of convoluted sacks of various divulging ideas, where things to are not really ready to come to me. Maybe, I am not that good a writer and for this book also it was no different. Okay, so now continuing my review for this book, this work is definitely not a manual cook book, be clear about it not don't get wrong here. This work is called This Delicious life and food in this book has made it 's debut those points and trajectories where life is at it's peak of somekind of a definite change. Like the Radhamma makes a dish when she sees a future growing up in front her eyes, a group of school children are to be feed and spoiled with a special sweet dish. Matilda gets the Jolada Roti on her food connoisseur journey becoming a symbol for change where she looks forward to a ride that is only to rejuvenate her. Vishal makes the scrambled eggs when he has thoughts as a district collector to change the fate of a village, a man with a determined aim where he has a lot to do for the benefit of humanity and live for others. Gerry is feed with the Moong Dal Chilla when he is also quite similarly like Matilda is on a journey to change, a football coach with an aim where he has to reconstruct his life reconsidering his past decisions. Also, how can one coach a group of students without his stomach fully filled? The Meen Kuzhambu is made as a celebration for the fishing community, of those fishermen who brighten a brim of hope and helps to light a community of down earth humans as the sun brightens the whole of the earth. They bring food for Radhamma to cook. Somewhere in these most important points these too important characters shredded some parts of their past life by their actions while reminiscing them in cooking diaries, in recipe manuals, in deep seethed memories and in photobooks. Radhamma shredded some parts of her Subbu though it was really very very difficult but she did that unconsciously. May goes around her bike reminiscing her ma on the way shredding some parts of her as well in her moments of chaos, eating the foods she taught her to make for this present day; within her moments of chaos. She keeps her ma but she losses slowly and gradually her haunting feelings, moments emotions and sentiments surrounding her ma leading to Matilda 's slow tormenting degradation when she embraces her new identity in finding Radhamma rediscovering a totally different side to food. Her ma was her past but she changed living most of the things behind in finding Radhamma, making her restaurant and finding her much needed love finally in Gerry. Vishal also becomes a harbinger of change to himself only through his foods that his past taught but he becomes the bridge between Matilda and Gerry and afterall a pivotal role maker amongst and within all the other characters. Yes, I will say that Radhamma is the soul of this book, a ma amma mother and what not, I felt she is the Durga who is the homemaker. She can change people 's lives with the magic wand of cooking art and her cullinary skills along with her intelligensia. But, somewhere I felt did she remained fullfilled? though she got sacrificed within nature as a symbol of her (mother nature) but still somewhere she maybe got reunited with her Subbu. Mothers usually leave everything to feed souls, stomach spoiling decades and generations of people with their magic hands. We forget to recognize them, validate them and here the author rightly brought out this fact by building two mother figures who may be polar opposites a past and a present but were creators of home, builders of small and large communities with the ability to feed a thousand of souls, Ma Annapurna. Radhamma a village serpanch but a maker of flavours and May 's Ma is a bike rider but another maker of flavours. Voila! Past, present and future transendents in every page, line, passage and paragraph of this novel. Radhamma is also a connector. I forgot to mention that. What Radhamma left behind, Matilda motif-ed that, their soul becomes one. This book is a God of Small Things with a tinge of nostalgic flavours that will set a motion of grumble in your stomach and waft your nose with deliciousness. The author I think penned down her ma indeed. What more should I say about this book? A one liner may be, read, read and read this book.

[Geeta Nair · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Main Course

Heavenly! Correct ingredients measured out in the right quantity and blended perfectly in just 214 pages to serve the perfect feast for the bibliophile in me; ‘This Delicious Life’ took me through a range of emotions and left me wanting more.

Refreshing and unique, the story starts with food and ends with food and in between we get to meet a range of people each with a story, a sorrow of their own, determined to live life on their own terms and make the best of it. What happens when their paths cross? Discover in ‘This Delicious Life.’

Each chapter in the book introduces a dish, its ingredients and its preparation but what strikes one is the way the same is seamlessly stitched into a story with two women poles apart in nature at its core, and the people they live among / come into contact. So in effect you have a story a fiction and a dish a reality. Is this symbolic? To me, yes after all don’t the stories that we weave sprout from life’s experiences. Sugared with imagination and spiced with tit-bits of gossip, rumors and our own observations these experiences are then dished out as fiction; the better the cook, the tastier the dish i.e. fiction.

An ‘allspice,’ the story is seasoned with a few twists and turns and has a dash of suspense that’s sure to tickle the brain while trying to satiate your stomach for a good read.

The characters are well developed, relatable and contribute to the story in their own humble way without standing out as the odd one, one who may force a raised brow or invite a sneer. While Radhamma comes across as a simple, down to earth, committed and determined lady, Matilda is a wild yet lovable character someone opposite to Radhamma but with the ability to complement her. Vishal, Gerry and Venkat the sub characters, act as lubricants that ensure that the story moves forward smoothly without a hitch.

The language is simple, crisp and lucid and the pace is perfect.


Dessert

Some truly wonderful quotes that left a lingering taste in the mouth :

“…..meditation is not sitting in a spot everyday and concentrating on a light in our head. It’s letting your senses feel every emotion, every instant, every moment in all their glory. Meditation is life, it’s not a compulsive routine.”

“…there is a lot of creativity, art and emotions behind every meal cooked. Cook like you would for the one you love the most and I believe it will taste better than the best.”


A tip that’s sure to spice up ‘The Delicious Life’ further?

Yes. Doing away with those typographical errors that stick out and taking a relook at the usage of ‘their’ at a few places.


VERDICT

A wholesome, mouth-watering meal dished out by a Super Chef

[Priya Saladi · Rating 5 out of 5]

FAB - BOOK REVIEW OF "This Delicious Life" by Lekshmi Gopinathan.

Genre: Ficition(contemporary)

Rating - 5/5

QOTD: What is food for you?
AOTD: Ah, I'd state it this way, a feeling that is full of joy and love.

"This Delicious Life" by Lekshmi Gopinathan. Ah, this is one of those very few books that I've read which touched my heart. Well, I can talk about this book for days but let's proceed with the review. This book takes us to a place, Iraalipatinam, where the Sarpanch is a woman whose name is of a goddess of love like she also spread love like that to all. Her name is Radhamma, such a beautiful name it is. Everyone loves her. Just like her husband, even she wants to help the villagers and develop the village. She, being a sarpanch, is trying her best to create the hamlet and make changes. Vishal, a district collector who visits Iraalipatinam to check the village, knows the problems of people living there. The town's roads are in terrible condition, and when it is monsoon time, it would be too bad for a passenger to walk on the road. The children in the village play football really well. Hence, she requests Vishal for a football academy or a coach to appoint to bring the children's caliber out. We will also get to know about Venky, who lost his parents a while back and was very fond of Radhamma. Well, not just that he is an outstanding football player.
On the other hand, we have Matilda, who lost her mother, and she has opened a restaurant as her mother loves cooking. However, she still misses her mother a lot, so she always thinks about her, but one day she thought she needed a break, so she handed over the business to Rishi until she came back. On the journey, she met Henry, an artist, and there Matilda learned the magic of cooking, which led her to Iraalipatinam. There she meets Radhamma, and she feels some strange connection with her. Before Matilda entered the village, Genarld, the best friend of Vishal and a football coach, entered the village. But when Matilda saw Gerry, she doesn't feel right. What is the relation between Gerry, Vishal, and Matilda? Well, for that, one should read the book. This book talks about food, emotions, and how the aroma of food has the magic to move human hearts. This book is delightful. I love the author's writing, and I can't wait to read her next book. Btw, the ending is heartwarming.

[Amit Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The delicious life……

Book Title: This delicious life
Author: Lekshmi Gopinathan
Format: Kindle
Number of pages : 214
Sold By: Amazon Asia-Pacific Holdings Private Limited
Publishing Date: 11th Nov 2017
Printed Price: INR 49

Writer: I was fascinated by lekshmi Gopinathan way of portraying different characters and never let go hold of any of them. The proficiency by which the writer takes the story forward is remarkable. The chapter wise presentation of book based on 2 lead character makes reading easy and enjoyable. As we move forward with the story the manner in which the pasts of character unfold is intriguing and finally they converge in the end. The character and story are standalone genius but what makes it a marvel is the inception of food and recipe and becomes the backbone of the story.
Story: The protagonists radhamma and matilda who are heart broken and find a way to mend their soul by food and their sole love emvibed in cooking. Being an avid foodie, I was blown away by both conventional south indian delicacy and unconventional English dishes. At times I was so engulfed that I started smelling food. The men around radhamma and matilda just compliment them. Radhamma is on a quest to revive the life of the villagers of irralipatinam by social and economic reforms education and employment. While may is ridden by loss of her mother and she goes on a bike quest to rediscover her zeal of living and lost happiness. The men in may’s life just pave their way across her journey. The story is based at a fishing village with ideal villagers who are self-motivated to bring a change under Radhamma. The book is like a breath of fresh air a good story and some amazing recipe to offer. Worth reading and it will result in an empty stomach.
https://www.amazon.in/This-Delicious-...

[Debabrata Mishra · Rating 4 out of 5]

👉𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊:-
📚ⓉⒾⓉⓁⒺ:- This Delicious Life
🖋️ⒶⓊⓉⒽⓄⓇ:- Lekshmi Gopinathan
🗞️ⓅⓊⒷⓁⒾⓈⒽⒺⓇ:- Vishwakarma Publication
🔤ⓁⒶⓃⒼⓊⒶⒼⒺ:- English
📖ⒻⓄⓇⓂⒶⓉ:- Ebook
👉𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒:-
Radha, one of the main protagonist of the book is the Sarpanch of a remote village. She was basically came to the village for a survey & became a part of it. She has a dream in her eyes to give her village a recognization. She is dedicated herself to fulfil it.
.
Matilda, she is an entrepreneur & recovering from the grief of loosing her mother. To overcome all the pains she had in her heart , she decided to come to India in Bike .
.
Two different characters two different backdrops but connected to each other by one emotion one love.
.
How the food become the medium of conversation between them & an unconditional bond created within Matilda & Radhamma to know more about it grab the book & give it a try.
👉𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐒 :-
🙂 The cover of the book is beautifully designed with a spices theme. You can find all types of spices that is used in an Indian kitchen with a nice colour combination.
🙂The writing style of the book is delightful. You will find an invisible thread of connection between yourself & the protagonist which is the magic of the writing style of this book.
🙂 The language used in this book is also very simple crisp & enjoyable to read.
🙂 All the characters are developed wonderfully with equal importance that will make the book more precise to read.
🙂 The wide range of dishes covered in the book is just mouth watering. You can find traditional South Indian touch in the book with a village theme & the basic needs of villagers like school , roads , football club which are not fulfilled yet.
🙂 The love affection & responsibility showed by Radha to the villagers & Matilda's bonding with her Ma is heartwarming to read.
🙂The narration of the book is bang on. It's elegant it's connecting it's appetizing & somehow relatable to our day to day life too.
🙂 Well paced storyline.
𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑:-🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Aditi Gouda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: This Delicious Life
Author: Lekshmi Gopinathan
Format: ebook

Blurb: This Delicious Life' is a genre defying novel entwining a cookbook with fiction. A tale of food, love and life. Meet Radhamma, the brave young sarpanch, Matilda- an entrepreneur on her bike touring India, Vishal- a righteous District Collector, Gerald- a nomadic football coach and the beautiful fisher folk of the quaint coastal fishing village of Iraalpatinam as you ruffle through the pages. Listen to their tales hidden in the steaming, spluttering and simmering of the recipes. Scoop a generous helping of Jaffna Crab Curry, Tiramisu, Spinach Casserole, Adai Avial and so much more. There is sweet and savoury, sprinkled along the way. Feed your hearts and souls, because life can be delightfully scrumptious.


MY TAKE ON THIS:

General fiction us not exactly my favorite genre, and I had little to no hope for this book which supposedly revolved around food and cooking -- just from the looks of it though. Well, the book definitely exceeded my expectations-- in a good way of course.
Four different characters, four different lives, four different worlds. You wouldn't believe how they are beautifully tied together by something as simple as food.
Just read the book to find how Radhamma, Matilda, Vishal, Gerald's, stories come to life in this book.

This book definitely reminds me of the famous line from one of the Harry Potter movies/book -- 'eat, you'll feel better.

P.s. I'm definitely going to try out the recipe of paniyarams, as well as the baguette.


•The cover of the book is well designed, and brings out the essence of the book

•The plot of this book is well constructed.

•The narration is quiet crisp and clear.

• The characters are well developed and have various layers to them.

•The language used by the author is quite lucid.

[Neharika Bhatia · Rating 5 out of 5]

🍁Title : This Delicious Life
🍁Author : Lekshmi Gopinathan
🍁Published By : Vishwakarma Publications
🍁 Reading Time : 135 pages | 1 sit | 80 minutes

🍁Short Introduction about the book : This book is divided into 14 beautiful chapters named after the food dishes. No - No do not judge this book by it's content page, it is not a receipe book, it is the book that gives you an insightful journey about Radha and Maltida ~ two women who have shared it incredibly that how importance does the role of food in our life is - it is just a receipe of life.

🍁 While going through the book, many thoughts did come up in my mind, this book kept my eyes glued and honestly i did complete reading this book within 1 hour 20 minutes. It felt so heart touching from the very first chapter as soon as I read the about 'Ninni' a five year old. ( you really need to read the book to know about this tiny girl 🍁).

🍁The chapter 'Venn Pongal' was the another time when I felt that I was actually in the scene and everything that was happening in between the administrator namely Vishal and Radha amma.

🍁 I really liked the characters from this book, they sketched perfectly and were potrayrd really well. Every profile had a beautiful and amazing built narration.

🍁 Cover is another beautiful thing I want to appreciate about. No doubt the choice of black background with Indian Spices blends so well that it is beautiful to see.

🍁 I like the way Author had grabbed readers attention through the content page and emotions attatched in each chapter is just as a mini surprise.

🍁 I would really like to try some of those tasty receipe that were coming straight from the in between's of the short story.

[Madhura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Food, this has always been a survival requirement (for me) but I never thought it can be an emotional ingredient of life. This book explained the charm of food and how to delish it with life. 

Matilda aka May is a young and beautiful food blogger and entrepreneur placed in Mumbai. May is a founder of best breakfast start-ups in Mumbai. Her mom's death has emotionally disturbed her, Rishi (her best friend and co-founder) advices her to take a break and freshen herself. May begins a road trip without any particular destination. 

Vishal is the handsome DC of coastal Tamil Nadu. He is matured in life and dedicated in work. He looks perfect everywhere but he also has a blind spot, a wound of past. Gerry a young age vagabond, an output of dysfunctional family and a brilliant footballer. Gerry turns up to the coastal village (as directed by his best friend Vishal) to train there kids in football.

Radha fondly called Radhamma is a young fisherwoman and sarpanch of Iraalpatinam. She is a brilliant planner and strong leader and above all an artist in kitchen. The story take shape with the life and journey with an these characters when they travel and stay in an ideal village Iraalpatinam. 

The aroma of emotions and fragrance of life has been delightful shared by the author in this book. Just like my mom's cooking (flavorous and yummy) I found this story the best delight, before writing my review I have read this story thrice just to enjoy Iraalpatinam and its lifestyle. I loved everything about this book - Radha's love, Venkat and May's innocence, Gerry silent pain, Vishal's hesitance,  Iraalpatinam's lifestyle and Henry's charm. Henry and May's departure was romantically beautiful.

[Kalyani Yadav · Rating 5 out of 5]

How many times did you feel that food makes everything better, for it does, I have resorted to cooking at midnight also just because I was feeling anxious and I wanted to get away with feeling the same, food has a different charm to it.

When I picked this book I didn't know what I was anticipating, because its title was there and the cover was, whether it was a metaphor or whether it had recipes was a question to me, but when I started reading it, I knew I am in for a treat, this is a story, it's not just a story of Radha, Matilda, Gerry or Vishal. , it is the story of Subbu, it is this story of Ma, it is the story of Venkat.
there are little things that make you happy, Hugging the notebook or recipe book is a different kind of love, I resonated with Radha at that moment and yes, its totally different from saving the recipe downloads and screenshots .there are little things right from the starting of the book which is love, love for jasmine only because you partner loves them, women empowerment at its most practical being, memories of cooking and the little stories attached with it, be it happy or sad, there was no over-exaggeration of female features just a little description . I felt the peace May and Gerry would have felt when they savoured Radha amma's cooking, I felt the emotions Vishal would have felt. I don't know but this story is beautiful just give it a read please, it everything you have been looking for, it's beautiful, its something anyone can peak, it is age-appropriate for everyone, and it is that kind of story which will bond you with reading, cooking and love for people around you, this book for sure has all the magic it can spread.

[Sourav Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

BOOK NAME :- This Delicious Life
WRITTEN By :- Lekshmi Gopinathan

this story filled with love, emotions, bravery, generosity and life. The characters; Radhamma, Matilda, Vishal and Gerald, Radhamma, the brave young sarpanch,of a place called Iraalpatinam
and Matilda, an entrepreneur who is travelling India on bike, who lost her mother, and she has opened a restaurant as her mother loves cooking. However, she still misses her, but one day she thought she needed a break, so she handed over the business to Rishi until she came back, On the journey, There she meets Radhamma, and she feels some strange connection with her. Before Matilda entered the village, Genarld, the best friend of Vishal and a football coach, entered the village. But when Matilda saw Gerry, she doesn't feel right ,Vishal, a district collector who visits Iraalipatinam to check the village, knows the problems of people living there. The town's roads are in terrible condition, and when it is monsoon, it would be so bad for the people's to walk on the road. Venky, who lost his parents a while back and was very fond of Radhamma,You Have to Taste this delicious book.
All the characters that you come across the book are extremely relatable and make you fall in love with them instantly.
It is very engaging and one with a great writing style. In this story, there is a kind of uniqueness and which makes this novel a great read.
The book is just not the recipe book of food but it is the recipe book of life. The contrast between both the characters are beautifully crafted. I really appreciate the author's effort. The writing style is simple and lucid.

[Harini Bharati. · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Find the ones who ignite spark in you" (Quoted from the text). Whomever sees the cover page will surely think it as a cooking recipes because that's what I thought but the way author had embraced cooking is fabulous. Form the beginning tille the end my mouth was watering whenever I read any recipies mentioned inside the story. Radhamma and Matilda are the two main female characters. The story holds a controversial two characters where radhamma is fond of cooking and Matilda, who is on her way of bike touring India.

Things I loved with the book,

1. Karupatti mittai and paniyaram.
2. Character sketchings and scene descriptions.
3. A lot of Indianess is seen that too south indian habits, dress codes and most importantly cooking depiction is top notch

Regarding the Narration and vocabulary. The narration is good, there is no need of flipping pages when you plunge into something isn't? Even i experienced the same in this book. Title is catchy but I felt something even more better can be replaced when we have a delicious story in it. Seriously I learned a lot of new words like rendezvous, banquette... in general and words like marshmallow, shrimps... related to cooking as well. The word "mallipoo" in the beginning startled me because of the feeling of oneness and connectivity of my mother land since I am also from the same background. When it comes to a story climax plays a major role. Whether Radhamma builds her restaurant or not ? What's the part of Matilda? Where is this beautiful coastal Iraalpatinam? To get answers for all these questions, you must read this delicious story.

[Smitha M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Food , Love & Books – the three things that make life worth living. And then , when someone combines beautifully the first two to give you an awesome read, it can be nothing short of brilliant.

“ This Delicious Life “ is one awesome lip-smacking read. The story revolves around the lives of the central protagonists Radhamma and May and their journey of healing their souls through food. The author has used simple language which makes it an easy read for everybody. The brilliance of the author is in how effortlessly she has portrayed varied human emotions. Each one of us would have found ourselves in similar situations at some point of our lives. I for one have lived every moment of this book, along with the protagonists and their beautiful Iralpattinam, and their awesome food. I just didn’t want it to end.

In like we are all Seekers , trying to find that one place, or one person where we could end this soul searching and find the answers that could heal us. “ This Delicious Life “ is the story of people who found this. The beautiful imagery created by the Author of the characters, their emotions, their Food – will make you want to set out on such a search . I wish that I could find my Iralpattinam, and my Radhamma, who will heal me and help me find the answers !

I strongly recommend this read. It’s a story which shows that very often the answers to life’s questions are very simple.
I for one, am currently in Love ! In love with Iralpattinam, with Radhamma, with May, and yes with their Food.

[Aditya Kedia · Rating 5 out of 5]

While scrolling through many books when you get one piece that has collection of your hobbies then you get an inside feeling of excitement, that's what this book did. 'The delecious life' justifies it's tittle by the diversity of characters integrated within. A delecious dish is more beautifull by it's diversity and that is fullfilled here by Radhamma, Matilda, Vishal and Gerald. The characters along with their background are deadly combination of someone's dream i.e. Fisher, footballer, sarpanch, traveller and an enterpreneur. I won't reveal amd will suggest you to go through the plot by yourself, but I'll feature it down here. What the book doesn't have is a genre and this is the most beautifull concept of the whole plot. Everyone is in search of life, a happy one to live. Passion is something that excites you from inside that makes your life delecious while enjoying the journey. The book is all about the same. Personally, I found the book motivating with an exceptionally clarified narration. The way author has choosen their past and destiny and connected the links critically is really praiseworthy. The pages had a magic, this was not something fast pace rather was calming to the senses. I am literally amazed to the flavour it added with the story line. A piece of diamond is nothing more than a crystall but it seems attractive like a black magic, the same effect was with the book. With the cover that seems even tastier topped with a cherishing tittle makes this book a must read.

[Shilpa Kulkarni · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘May, it’s not about food. It is never about food.’ Radha moved her hand across May’s hair. Matilda sniffled and tried to frame a sentence, ‘What’s it about then?’ ‘It’s always about love, about your heart and soul.’ Radha answered.

These are my favorite quotes from this lovely book called This Delicious Life. As someone who loves cooking as much as reading it was a pleasure to read this book.

The focus of the book is of course on the food but it also takes us through the interesting lives of Radha, Vishal, Matilda and Gerry and at the end I was reminded of something that I always knew...food is more than just sustenance.

The writing is poetic and transports you to an idyllic fishing village. The description about the food especially can leave you really hungry! I in fact voraciously consumed this book without even taking a break.

With chapter titles like Venn Pongal, Kuzhi Paniyaram and Spinach Casserole, and loads of food recipes and description, the book justifies it's title. It's not philosophical or about food adventures, it's just a lovely story about people whose lives are connected by food.

I Iove books that easy to read and take me on an emotional roller coaster ride. This book has all of it and more! It's a quick and breezy read and you better have food by your side. It's a perfect read for the weekend. Foodies and people who love to cook don't miss out on this book!

[Aparajita Majumdar · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Food is for the soul and not for the stomach". Perfect words spoken by Lekshmi Gopinathan, the author of 'The Delicious Life'.

The title fits the book so well. Food is a necessity to live but when food becomes one's love life tastes more delicious. This is a very very unique book according to me because this book is not a complete fiction, it's not a complete recipe book either, it's a mixture of the both.
People seek for happiness throughout their entire lifelines, how many of them actually get it? Here, Gopinathan has so beautifully projected the happiness of people's lives through food, you will be in an awe. Each chapter tells us a recipe of an amazing dish. And each chapter tells us how food can be the savior of our bitter life.
The characters; Radhamma, Matilda, Vishal and Gerald, in my opinion hold a very special place in the author's heart. It's visible from the storytelling. An entrepreneur, a football coach, a sarpanch and a district collector. They all are established in their respective fields but want to explore life, happiness, peace.
Just like a slight touch of different spices in a recipe, the author has poured a slight amount of fiction in this wonderful book which has made the book truly delicious, doing justice to the cover and title of the book.

A beautiful combination of food & fiction couldn't be better than this.

[Divya Malhotra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life has different lessons and so does food has plenty of various flavours
I loved the whole concept and it is relevant and relatable with food sometimes spicy sometime sour

Just as life sometimes good and on the other hand with tough challenges.

We see plenty of characters which has their own uniqueness.


This book is not only for all the reader's but all the foody too.
As it gives us not only the names of the dishes but also how effective it can be like "
Sambhar contains dal and that means proteins. children need nutrition along with their studies.’

Karupatti Mittai is also mentioned as a dish which was served.

Character names like
Chithappa, Radhamma, Venkat and Subbu etc we can clearly see that the book has a touch of South Indian

Chapters like Baguette in the beginning of the chapter only we see some ingredients for the recipe also the lines which says "
carelessly flipped the recipe book"
Also ,Chicken pie and each chapter has one ingredient

Just as life we have certain choices to make so does food and where we see many glimpes of South Indian touch too especially when the author compares life with that south Indian chutney sometimes chilly with the added up spices and sometimes different to taste.

The love for food and culture is highlighted which is an amazing concept.
The author has an effective knowledge of some unique ingredients along with recipes

[Mannat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am always fascinated about south region. Their culture, language, food ,the aroma, the nature always fascinates me. They are so different from east region.
While reading this book I can feel the aroma of the foods they make. It's so satisfying. Kuddos to lekshmi mam for putting these spices in this book.It feels like I am living a life in Iraalpatnam.

While Radhamma cooks holding the book whenever she cooks though she has remembered everything but for the sake of old times I can feel the love for book and the food she has.
Radhamma the sarpanch of Iraalpatnam. The strong lady who developed so many things.
Matilda, a food blogger and a entrepreneur in search different food and for the love of food landed in Iraalpatnam and feel connected there.
Vishal the Assistant collector devotee for his work came to the small fishing village but never loved metro cities more than this village feeling butterflies in his stomach for Radhamma.
Venkat a small bky taken care by Radhamma from childhood.
Gerry , the boy ,Matilda feels something weird with him at the first meeting only.
Rishi, sivaanna and there are so many spices which is perfectly sprinkled by Radhamma in her dishes. She just hold all of them in a string.

This book is beautiful. I don't have anything to say about this. Just grab it.

[Shreya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Delicious Life
by Lekshmi Gopinathan

This was a good book, I liked it a lot. The overall experience is a great way to convey not only the value of the book but also what experience one can expect when reading it.
A refreshing and unique story that starts with eating and ends with eating. In the middle we will meet different people.
Everyone has their own story, has their own sorrows, and is determined to live and enjoy their own lives. maximum. As an avid gourmet, I am surprised by traditional South Indian cuisine and unconventional British dishes. Sometimes I am so focused that I start to smell the food.
The people around Radhamma and Matilda just congratulate them. Let me tell you, she traveled from Mumbai to Pondicherry, and finally reached Iraripatinan after braving heavy rains and terrible roads.
I highly recommend reading this article. This story shows that the answers to life questions are often very simple. I like books that are easy to read.
They can give me an emotional roller coaster ride. This book has it all, and more! It's fast to read, it's fun, and you'd better eat by your side.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to change their work and life.
Highly recommended ,
Happy reading😌✌️

[Surbhi Chhapolia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title fits the book so well. Food is a need to live however when food turns into one's adoration life tastes more flavorful. This is an incredibly one of a kind book as indicated by me since this book is definitely not a total fiction, it's anything but a total formula book either, it's a combination of the both. Individuals look for satisfaction all through their whole life savers, what number of them really get it? Here, Gopinathan has so delightfully extended the satisfaction of individuals' lives through food, you will be in an amazement. Every part reveals to us a formula of a stunning dish. Furthermore, every section discloses to us how food can be the deliverer of our severe life. The characters; Radhamma, Matilda, Vishal and Gerald, as I would like to think hold an extremely extraordinary spot in the creator's heart. It's noticeable from the narrating. A business visionary, a football trainer, a sarpanch and an area authority. They all are set up in their individual fields yet need to investigate life, satisfaction, harmony. Very much like a slight hint of various flavors in a formula, the writer has poured a slight measure of fiction in this superb book which has made the book genuinely scrumptious, doing equity to the cover and title of the book.

[Ananya Dey · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Delicious life*
This was a whole different kind of book than I usually come across, and it has won my heart. Not sure which genre to put into but the concept to me seemed unbelievably good.

The story is set in the village of Iraalipatinam, where the Sarpanch is a woman. Her name is Radhamma, most of the villagers are fond of her. She tries her best to make the best of the village within her capabilities. A district collector named Vishal once comes to the village to check the whereabouts. Radhamma informs him about the problems faced by every villagers and also requests for a football coach, knowing the knack of the village boys in football. Matilda, who is an entrepreneur runs a restaurant in the village, in the memory of her mother. Deciding to take a break she goes on a tour with her bike, handing her business to Rishi. On her way she meets Harry and learns the power of cooking and immediately returns to Iraalipatinam. Upon returning she meets Gerry, the football coach and Vishal's friend. From the moment she meets him she feels something off and different. What is it? Make sure to grab a copy and read.

Coming to the language, it was quite good and easy to understand. The title and the cover too were up to the mark and did justice to the plot.