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8 Hours
Aratrika Reddy, the charismatic CEO of ARYA Holdings Ltd., has just 8 Hours to save her company from certain bankruptcy.
The multi-billion dollar hotels to steel conglomerate, founded by her mercurial father, liquor baron Madhusudhan Reddy, has many suitors, all of them plotting a hostile takeover. Aratrika’s estranged husband, Siddhartha is one of them. His inside knowledge is the real ace up his sleeve. The Rathores, the Reddys’ arch-rivals are looking to buy ARYA too and thereby settle old scores.
Aratrika has to weave her way through a litany of lawyers, politicians, bankers, bureaucrats, investors, power brokers and her dreaded family. Behind the scenes, Jagannath Rao, her wily uncle, is playing a dangerous double game of manipulation. Her father Madhusudan is furiously pulling the strings from behind the scenes. To add to the confusion, overseeing the whole sale process is her old flame, Peter.
Over the course of a single night, 8 Hours to be precise, Aratrika must fight the demons at the gates of her company and those within. It’s a fight to the bitter end.
A fight that Aratrika does not want to lose…
290 pages, Paperback
Published October 21, 2017
16 people are currently reading
137 people want to read
About the author
Upendra Namburi
3 books24 followersUpendra Namburi is a sales and marketing professional who has contributed to leading newspapers and online publications.
He is on the passionate voyage of writing the numbers triumvirate of novels titled 31, 60 and 8.
His debut novel 31, was a bestseller and also on the long list for the Tata First Book award.
His second book titled '60 minutes' is a unique story that spans a pulsating 60 minutes.
He has contributed to Indian and International publications on a wide array of subjects.
He is an evolving blogger, ardent dreamer and passionate writer.
He resides in Gurgaon, India
He is on the passionate voyage of writing the numbers triumvirate of novels titled 31, 60 and 8.
His debut novel 31, was a bestseller and also on the long list for the Tata First Book award.
His second book titled '60 minutes' is a unique story that spans a pulsating 60 minutes.
He has contributed to Indian and International publications on a wide array of subjects.
He is an evolving blogger, ardent dreamer and passionate writer.
He resides in Gurgaon, India
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
February 28, 2018
I will strangle you with my bare hands if you let them into my company.
The synopsis gives out a lot and after reading it I was hoping the book stands on my high expectations which it sadly , didn't.
8 hours is a political thriller. The title 8 Hours is in regard to the time Aratrika Reddy has to save her company "Arya" from bankruptcy. Arya is a liquor company built by her father Madhusudhan and is eyed by many. Arya comes from a broken family , a father who used to beat her and her mother , Aryan, her twin brother who accidentally died , an uncle Jagannath who is manipulative and playing a double game. Amidst all she has an ex husband , Siddhartha and a blast from the past , Peter who are all gauging on the company and waiting for the 8 hours to end.
Aratrika's character is of a rebellious and hardworking woman. She is smart and wise. She has always hated her father for his abuses and the traumatic period her family had to go through because of him. She dislikes his dishonesty and his corrupted ways through which he built Arya. She tries not to be like him yet always acts like him.
The plot is strong and could have been an amazing read only if the author wrote it better. Lines are repetitive and after 80 pages the novel seems to go back to square one. The story refused to move any further. The conversations and the planning and plotting seemed to be the same throughout the book. There was no diversity in the way the author wrote.
Next up were the characters. They were honestly too many and frankly not required. No justice was done to the characters. They were only added to make the story go further which unfortunately didn't happen.
The book failed to work for me. It might work for you.
February 20, 2018
(Review Copy received from Writers Melon.)
Disclaimer: The views presented are only my own perspective of the book and should not discourage anyone from reading it. You may prefer apples, I may like oranges. Doesn't say much about the fruits, only about our choices.
8 Hours is officially my most difficult read of 2018 (yet). I could not, for the life of me, get through this book. Every chapter seemed repetitive, every hour felt like a lifetime. In fact, even though I was buddy-reading this with two of my other bookstagrammer buddies, none of us could motivate the other. Much contrary to that, I think we all just pulled each other down. This book, no matter how much I tried, just did not work for me.
The story explores the fate of a family-owned company, Arya, on the verge of its demise and the protagonist, a shareholder in the company and the daughter of the founder, Aratrika, is on a mission to save it anyhow. The book is titled 8 Hours, which is reflective of the last 8 hours of the company (from 1am to 9.22am, to be precise) before the said empire crumbles in its own mess, but it took me more than that to get through the book. While the first few chapters of the book are intriguing and did excite me initially, the boredom that overtook me subsequently enveloped me like nothing I have ever experienced.
I am not going over the storyline. You can read the same in the blurb.
I will just quickly go over what did not work for me.
1. Too many characters - It was, after a while, difficult to keep a tab on who was doing what, and related to which other character and how, and what they were up to and why. You get it? The entire book was as big a struggle as this sentence. I initially thought that once I got a hang of the characters and their relations, things would be easier (and maybe interesting?). No such thing happened.
2. Repetitive - If I had a penny for every call that each character made and received, I may be able to buy back my weekend that I spent on this book! Every chapter sounded the same, every 'plan' and 'trick' was same as the previous one and the plot just REFUSED to move forward. In short, nothing, absolutely nothing happened for the entire duration of 8 hours. (To be honest, I was only able to read till page 115; I mostly did not - could not - pay attention after that.)
3. The end was good only because it was the end. I had to suffer no more. (I would've apologised for being so harsh but I need to vent right now.)
Did not work for me, may or may not work for you.
The plus point is that the writing is decent and lucid. One of the very few error free books I have read in a while.
Disclaimer: The views presented are only my own perspective of the book and should not discourage anyone from reading it. You may prefer apples, I may like oranges. Doesn't say much about the fruits, only about our choices.
8 Hours is officially my most difficult read of 2018 (yet). I could not, for the life of me, get through this book. Every chapter seemed repetitive, every hour felt like a lifetime. In fact, even though I was buddy-reading this with two of my other bookstagrammer buddies, none of us could motivate the other. Much contrary to that, I think we all just pulled each other down. This book, no matter how much I tried, just did not work for me.
The story explores the fate of a family-owned company, Arya, on the verge of its demise and the protagonist, a shareholder in the company and the daughter of the founder, Aratrika, is on a mission to save it anyhow. The book is titled 8 Hours, which is reflective of the last 8 hours of the company (from 1am to 9.22am, to be precise) before the said empire crumbles in its own mess, but it took me more than that to get through the book. While the first few chapters of the book are intriguing and did excite me initially, the boredom that overtook me subsequently enveloped me like nothing I have ever experienced.
I am not going over the storyline. You can read the same in the blurb.
I will just quickly go over what did not work for me.
1. Too many characters - It was, after a while, difficult to keep a tab on who was doing what, and related to which other character and how, and what they were up to and why. You get it? The entire book was as big a struggle as this sentence. I initially thought that once I got a hang of the characters and their relations, things would be easier (and maybe interesting?). No such thing happened.
2. Repetitive - If I had a penny for every call that each character made and received, I may be able to buy back my weekend that I spent on this book! Every chapter sounded the same, every 'plan' and 'trick' was same as the previous one and the plot just REFUSED to move forward. In short, nothing, absolutely nothing happened for the entire duration of 8 hours. (To be honest, I was only able to read till page 115; I mostly did not - could not - pay attention after that.)
3. The end was good only because it was the end. I had to suffer no more. (I would've apologised for being so harsh but I need to vent right now.)
Did not work for me, may or may not work for you.
The plus point is that the writing is decent and lucid. One of the very few error free books I have read in a while.
May 8, 2021
8 Hours by Upendra Namburi is a thriller which comes under the Numbers series.
Where ever you go the competitions will follows you in the modern world, like races without knowing where to head? and why to run? 8 Hours is such a one novel representing the busy world of revenges, conflicts and individual personal lives. It also shows love, hate in relationships their agony which can go upto destroy individual life's.
As the blurb states Aratrika struggling to save her company from inner demons and other arch rivals. So from that I guessed how the story will moves to end but I looked forward how author would take them. As this is the first time I'm reading his work.
Author slowly started the pace with laiding characters and understanding them, even though author said about shades of people around Aratrika, its been still hard to judge characters. It made me curious and read further, when keep going I got admired by Aratrika's character and charisma she reflects.
The bankruptcy and other bank regarding economic details were given briefly which proves authors dedicated work and also connecting the past during narration then phone calls where logics failed but I keep wondering on most of phone calls as novel has many, in all those calls their lengthy conversations were took only few minutes but the suspense and thrill made me to move on still last. Also another one which troubled my read is the characters, when the novel keeps increasing the characters remembering them time to time has been little difficult for me even then all those characters are hard to judge and intresting in one way.
The lucid language is another plus to read in one go. The cover page has been awesome whenever turning page and looking across cover page where like sand clock keep reminding the time Aratrika have. So does blurb an equal good one. All together 8 Hours will be a good read for sure in terms of thrill and suspense causes through his word.
Where ever you go the competitions will follows you in the modern world, like races without knowing where to head? and why to run? 8 Hours is such a one novel representing the busy world of revenges, conflicts and individual personal lives. It also shows love, hate in relationships their agony which can go upto destroy individual life's.
As the blurb states Aratrika struggling to save her company from inner demons and other arch rivals. So from that I guessed how the story will moves to end but I looked forward how author would take them. As this is the first time I'm reading his work.
Author slowly started the pace with laiding characters and understanding them, even though author said about shades of people around Aratrika, its been still hard to judge characters. It made me curious and read further, when keep going I got admired by Aratrika's character and charisma she reflects.
The bankruptcy and other bank regarding economic details were given briefly which proves authors dedicated work and also connecting the past during narration then phone calls where logics failed but I keep wondering on most of phone calls as novel has many, in all those calls their lengthy conversations were took only few minutes but the suspense and thrill made me to move on still last. Also another one which troubled my read is the characters, when the novel keeps increasing the characters remembering them time to time has been little difficult for me even then all those characters are hard to judge and intresting in one way.
The lucid language is another plus to read in one go. The cover page has been awesome whenever turning page and looking across cover page where like sand clock keep reminding the time Aratrika have. So does blurb an equal good one. All together 8 Hours will be a good read for sure in terms of thrill and suspense causes through his word.
October 26, 2017
The book becomes gripping as you proceed towards the 3rd chapter. The characters described by the author comes alive while reading it. If you are a person who likes suspense, drama and spine-chilling stories, this is the book for you.
February 21, 2018
A very different corporate thriller. This book talks about reality of corporate world. A friend is always a enemy when it comes to business even your family counts into that. I liked the richness of the dialogues. It was captivating.
Aratrika ,the protagonist was strongly exhibited. The way she overcome her fear, the way she outrun her enemies was pretty much cool. The last 80 pages could be read for Aratrika alone,a real page turner it was.
I felt 8 hours had less thriller and had more of conflict drama. So many characters and all characters were seen pretty much in each chapter so it was difficult to remember and sense who is who. I had to go through twice of the character name as same type of scenes were there till half the book.
Author brilliantly handled “Power ” as a main character in this story. Every character seems to be a friend to each other and plays a enemy at the back of oneself ,only to gain the so called power. The ethics of business world was clearly put up in this book. A handshake and knife stab was done at the same time.
The psychological session of Aratrika was haunting. She become the person who she hated all her life. That part was intriguing. I would recommend this book to those who wants to know what corporate world would look like.
Aratrika ,the protagonist was strongly exhibited. The way she overcome her fear, the way she outrun her enemies was pretty much cool. The last 80 pages could be read for Aratrika alone,a real page turner it was.
I felt 8 hours had less thriller and had more of conflict drama. So many characters and all characters were seen pretty much in each chapter so it was difficult to remember and sense who is who. I had to go through twice of the character name as same type of scenes were there till half the book.
Author brilliantly handled “Power ” as a main character in this story. Every character seems to be a friend to each other and plays a enemy at the back of oneself ,only to gain the so called power. The ethics of business world was clearly put up in this book. A handshake and knife stab was done at the same time.
The psychological session of Aratrika was haunting. She become the person who she hated all her life. That part was intriguing. I would recommend this book to those who wants to know what corporate world would look like.
February 28, 2018
Title: 8 Hours
Author: Upendra Namburi
Publisher: Westland Ltd
Published on: 21 October 2017
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 290
ISBN: 9386850044
BLURB
Aratrika Reddy, the charismatic CEO of ARYA Holdings Ltd., has just 8 Hours to save her company from certain bankruptcy.The multi-billion dollar hotels to steel conglomerate, founded by her mercurial father, liquor baron Madhusudhan Reddy, has many suitors, all of them plotting a hostile takeover. Aratrika’s estranged husband, Siddhartha is one of them. His inside knowledge is the real ace up his sleeve. The Rathores, the Reddys’ arch-rivals are looking to buy ARYA too and thereby settle old scores. Aratrika has to weave her way through a litany of lawyers, politicians, bankers, bureaucrats, investors, power brokers and her dreaded family. Behind the scenes, Jagannath Rao, her wily uncle, is playing a dangerous double game of manipulation. Her father Madhusudan is furiously pulling the strings from behind the scenes. To add to the confusion, overseeing the whole sale process is her old flame, Peter.Over the course of a single night, 8 Hours to be precise, Aratrika must fight the demons at the gates of her company and those within. It’s a fight to the bitter end. A fight that Aratrika does not want to lose…
COVER PAGE
The cover page of the book 8 Hours is very simple in black, white and brown colours. It has an image of an hourglass which is to show the time and is very apt with the story. Overall, the cover page is very simple and decent.
REVIEW
8 Hours by Upendra Namburi is a corporate thriller which revolves around Aratrika Reddy who has just 8 hours to save her father's company from bankruptcy. The book is binded in a tight plot which is engaging and is written in small chapters according to the time intervals. The story moves at its own pace, it is not too pacy filled with many twists and turns. The book is written in a simple and an easy language. There were so many events that took place in the book which made it very engaging and gripping.
The story has quite a lot of characters which made it difficult to read and comprehend but as the story progressed it was fine and the characters seemed realistic. The characters were not so developed which made me curious to think and know mare about them but Aratrika's character was very well described.
The emotions in the story are penned marvelously especially the flashback scenes of Aratrika with her mother. Her relationship with her father, husband and son is quite well described and I really liked how she was showed as a strong figure,but deep down she was hurt beyond repair. The way her mental state is described amazing showing her emotions really well.
The narration of the story is very crisp and to the point. It was not too descriptive and author has managed to add the economic details also, making the readers aware of them. The book is a page turner and is very realistic which made me aware of the conditions of companies on the verge of bankruptcy which make them pass a sleepless night.
Overall, 8 Hours is a page turner book having a lot of twists and is filled with suspense and thrill. I really enjoyed reading this book and I highly recommend this book to those who are interested in corporate fiction.
*I received a free copy of the book from Writersmelon in exchange of an honest and an unbiased review.
Author: Upendra Namburi
Publisher: Westland Ltd
Published on: 21 October 2017
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 290
ISBN: 9386850044
BLURB
Aratrika Reddy, the charismatic CEO of ARYA Holdings Ltd., has just 8 Hours to save her company from certain bankruptcy.The multi-billion dollar hotels to steel conglomerate, founded by her mercurial father, liquor baron Madhusudhan Reddy, has many suitors, all of them plotting a hostile takeover. Aratrika’s estranged husband, Siddhartha is one of them. His inside knowledge is the real ace up his sleeve. The Rathores, the Reddys’ arch-rivals are looking to buy ARYA too and thereby settle old scores. Aratrika has to weave her way through a litany of lawyers, politicians, bankers, bureaucrats, investors, power brokers and her dreaded family. Behind the scenes, Jagannath Rao, her wily uncle, is playing a dangerous double game of manipulation. Her father Madhusudan is furiously pulling the strings from behind the scenes. To add to the confusion, overseeing the whole sale process is her old flame, Peter.Over the course of a single night, 8 Hours to be precise, Aratrika must fight the demons at the gates of her company and those within. It’s a fight to the bitter end. A fight that Aratrika does not want to lose…
COVER PAGE
The cover page of the book 8 Hours is very simple in black, white and brown colours. It has an image of an hourglass which is to show the time and is very apt with the story. Overall, the cover page is very simple and decent.
REVIEW
8 Hours by Upendra Namburi is a corporate thriller which revolves around Aratrika Reddy who has just 8 hours to save her father's company from bankruptcy. The book is binded in a tight plot which is engaging and is written in small chapters according to the time intervals. The story moves at its own pace, it is not too pacy filled with many twists and turns. The book is written in a simple and an easy language. There were so many events that took place in the book which made it very engaging and gripping.
The story has quite a lot of characters which made it difficult to read and comprehend but as the story progressed it was fine and the characters seemed realistic. The characters were not so developed which made me curious to think and know mare about them but Aratrika's character was very well described.
The emotions in the story are penned marvelously especially the flashback scenes of Aratrika with her mother. Her relationship with her father, husband and son is quite well described and I really liked how she was showed as a strong figure,but deep down she was hurt beyond repair. The way her mental state is described amazing showing her emotions really well.
The narration of the story is very crisp and to the point. It was not too descriptive and author has managed to add the economic details also, making the readers aware of them. The book is a page turner and is very realistic which made me aware of the conditions of companies on the verge of bankruptcy which make them pass a sleepless night.
Overall, 8 Hours is a page turner book having a lot of twists and is filled with suspense and thrill. I really enjoyed reading this book and I highly recommend this book to those who are interested in corporate fiction.
*I received a free copy of the book from Writersmelon in exchange of an honest and an unbiased review.
November 1, 2017
Captivating Corporate Thriller
Trust, as they say, is an expensive souvenir, you shouldn’t give it to everyone...
Going by the title ‘8 Hours’, and the blurb, one would think the book is a fast-paced thriller, well, I wouldn’t call it so. The story progresses at a relatively normal pace, educating the readers on the detailed background of the event and briefing on the past of the characters, well that’s much required, isn’t it?
The most prominent character in this book is an inevitable device – mobile phone. Yess! The author Upendra Namburi would have mentioned about 80,000 calls in the 8 hours (not literally, com ’on, I did try counting it, but lost the track :P)
This corporate thriller has left one question unanswered, how does the protagonist, Aratrika manage to drape a saree within 3-4 minutes, right from scratch???? (between 8:48 am & 8:52 am) Yes, I really wanna know that K and I wanna know if that’s possible and if I am missing something in life.
Nevertheless coming back to the review of the book, the story revolves around Aratrika Reddy, the CFO of a multi –billion business empire and her tryst to save it from the clutches of power-hungry, greedy, profit-oriented business tycoons, and overcome her fears that has been her shadow since childhood…. all of it in just 8 hours. The story explores the ever-changing dynamics of relationship in personal and professional lives. It puts the protagonist in situations when she doesn’t know who is trustworthy, who is against her. The story which is about a night, though the pace is normal, it is not boring.
Aratrika has to fight not just with the external demons to protect her baby – ARYA Holdings Ltd, but she is also pitted against her limitations, her fears, her relations - the men in her life – her father, brother and ex-husband. This is her story of how she overcomes her weakness and miseries, rises above her sorrows and pains and attains peace.
Often while reading a thriller, the reader knows what the conclusion will be - the protagonist will win or find the solution, and yet it is the journey to the end of the tunnel that keep the reader engaged. However, in 8 Hours, the author throws in so many twists and turns to even believe if Aratrika will be able to save her company from being sold off or overtaken. As a reader, you see her making all the possible attempts, pulling out all the strings, believing that things are working in her favour and then you see how fate mocks at her, not knowing if she will win at the end.
At a later stage the story felt a little dragged, as it does get a little tiring to read over the similar manipulations, and you would want the story to conclude. Once we are nearing the end, the story picks up speed. The narration is flawless and overall engaging. The cover does justice to the story.
My takeaway: Determination is what keeps you thinking to achieve your goals, even if you are tempted to give up.
My rating: 4 out of 5
I received a review copy of the book from Westland Books in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Trust, as they say, is an expensive souvenir, you shouldn’t give it to everyone...
Going by the title ‘8 Hours’, and the blurb, one would think the book is a fast-paced thriller, well, I wouldn’t call it so. The story progresses at a relatively normal pace, educating the readers on the detailed background of the event and briefing on the past of the characters, well that’s much required, isn’t it?
The most prominent character in this book is an inevitable device – mobile phone. Yess! The author Upendra Namburi would have mentioned about 80,000 calls in the 8 hours (not literally, com ’on, I did try counting it, but lost the track :P)
This corporate thriller has left one question unanswered, how does the protagonist, Aratrika manage to drape a saree within 3-4 minutes, right from scratch???? (between 8:48 am & 8:52 am) Yes, I really wanna know that K and I wanna know if that’s possible and if I am missing something in life.
Nevertheless coming back to the review of the book, the story revolves around Aratrika Reddy, the CFO of a multi –billion business empire and her tryst to save it from the clutches of power-hungry, greedy, profit-oriented business tycoons, and overcome her fears that has been her shadow since childhood…. all of it in just 8 hours. The story explores the ever-changing dynamics of relationship in personal and professional lives. It puts the protagonist in situations when she doesn’t know who is trustworthy, who is against her. The story which is about a night, though the pace is normal, it is not boring.
Aratrika has to fight not just with the external demons to protect her baby – ARYA Holdings Ltd, but she is also pitted against her limitations, her fears, her relations - the men in her life – her father, brother and ex-husband. This is her story of how she overcomes her weakness and miseries, rises above her sorrows and pains and attains peace.
Often while reading a thriller, the reader knows what the conclusion will be - the protagonist will win or find the solution, and yet it is the journey to the end of the tunnel that keep the reader engaged. However, in 8 Hours, the author throws in so many twists and turns to even believe if Aratrika will be able to save her company from being sold off or overtaken. As a reader, you see her making all the possible attempts, pulling out all the strings, believing that things are working in her favour and then you see how fate mocks at her, not knowing if she will win at the end.
At a later stage the story felt a little dragged, as it does get a little tiring to read over the similar manipulations, and you would want the story to conclude. Once we are nearing the end, the story picks up speed. The narration is flawless and overall engaging. The cover does justice to the story.
My takeaway: Determination is what keeps you thinking to achieve your goals, even if you are tempted to give up.
My rating: 4 out of 5
I received a review copy of the book from Westland Books in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
February 23, 2018
Writing fiction isn't that easy, it requires a lot of research, vivid imagination, hold on vocabulary and most importantly a good understanding of various characters. Fiction is mostly imagination, it becomes very crucial to give proper nourishment to that thinking. What the author, Upendra Namburi has done here, he has created a novel, based out of his imagination, amazing characterization and the art of conceptualization.
Aratrika Reddy, the charismatic CEO of ARYA Holdings Ltd., has just 8 Hours to save her company from certain bankruptcy. The multi-billion dollar hotels to steel conglomerate, founded by her mercurial father, liquor baron Madhusudhan Reddy, has many suitors, all of them plotting a hostile takeover. Aratrika’s estranged husband, Siddhartha is one of them. His inside knowledge is the real ace up his sleeve. The Rathores, the Reddys’ arch-rivals are looking to buy ARYA too and thereby settle old scores.
Aratrika has to weave her way through a litany of lawyers, politicians, bankers, bureaucrats, investors, power brokers and her dreaded family. Behind the scenes, Jagannath Rao, her wily uncle, is playing a dangerous double game of manipulation. Her father Madhusudan is furiously pulling the strings from behind the scenes. To add to the confusion, overseeing the wholesale process is her old flame, Peter. It’s a fight to the bitter end.
What I liked about this book was the characterization of Aratrika. She wasn't only portrayed as a strong person but also as a leader who has the wisdom of understanding the day to day journey of an individual. The fact that she loathes her father for her broken family, the abuses he hurled upon his own family, and the corrupted way in which her father has built the firm is shown in a very delicate manner. She rose from the ashes left behind by her father's cruelty on herself, her mother and her brothers. The need to be "not" like her father at the end backfires and she starts realizing that she is becoming like him only. The entire storyline is very gripping, keeping the suspense at the edge. The frustration of knowing what is going wrong basically make things all the worse.
Each individual mentioned in the book have been given its raw characterization which makes it all the more interesting for the readers. I am a person who loves anything and everything related to business politics, economic crisis and the rawness of the business world, this was the reason why this book attracted me. I loved the manipulation shown by Upendra Namburi in his book, I do understand it's the dark side, but I liked it.
The deal that takes place within 8 hours, that too from 1 AM in the night to 9 AM in the morning, keeps every character awake and up on their shoes. Also, this book, 8 Hours, gives a very realistic outlook of what exactly happens in the business and underground world.
Aratrika Reddy, the charismatic CEO of ARYA Holdings Ltd., has just 8 Hours to save her company from certain bankruptcy. The multi-billion dollar hotels to steel conglomerate, founded by her mercurial father, liquor baron Madhusudhan Reddy, has many suitors, all of them plotting a hostile takeover. Aratrika’s estranged husband, Siddhartha is one of them. His inside knowledge is the real ace up his sleeve. The Rathores, the Reddys’ arch-rivals are looking to buy ARYA too and thereby settle old scores.
Aratrika has to weave her way through a litany of lawyers, politicians, bankers, bureaucrats, investors, power brokers and her dreaded family. Behind the scenes, Jagannath Rao, her wily uncle, is playing a dangerous double game of manipulation. Her father Madhusudan is furiously pulling the strings from behind the scenes. To add to the confusion, overseeing the wholesale process is her old flame, Peter. It’s a fight to the bitter end.
What I liked about this book was the characterization of Aratrika. She wasn't only portrayed as a strong person but also as a leader who has the wisdom of understanding the day to day journey of an individual. The fact that she loathes her father for her broken family, the abuses he hurled upon his own family, and the corrupted way in which her father has built the firm is shown in a very delicate manner. She rose from the ashes left behind by her father's cruelty on herself, her mother and her brothers. The need to be "not" like her father at the end backfires and she starts realizing that she is becoming like him only. The entire storyline is very gripping, keeping the suspense at the edge. The frustration of knowing what is going wrong basically make things all the worse.
Each individual mentioned in the book have been given its raw characterization which makes it all the more interesting for the readers. I am a person who loves anything and everything related to business politics, economic crisis and the rawness of the business world, this was the reason why this book attracted me. I loved the manipulation shown by Upendra Namburi in his book, I do understand it's the dark side, but I liked it.
The deal that takes place within 8 hours, that too from 1 AM in the night to 9 AM in the morning, keeps every character awake and up on their shoes. Also, this book, 8 Hours, gives a very realistic outlook of what exactly happens in the business and underground world.
February 26, 2018
I begin my review writing about the cover, the cover is very beautifully and aptly done which brings out the intrigue factor very nicely. The blurb adds to the curiosity factor and promises to be a very entertaining read and I must say that the actual work definitely did not disappoint me.
The premise and the plot is very different from the regular thrillers one reads. This is a financial and corporate thriller where Aratrika Reddy the CEO of ARYA holdings faces an imminent bankruptcy and she has only 8 hours to bring her company out of it. The fact that it is a corporate thriller doesn’t take away from the fact that it is written in a very simple and easy way for non finance people to understand as well.
The pace initially may seem a bit slow till we get to know the varied characters in the book and then it becomes a very pacy read. In the initial part of the story I did feel a bit judgemental about the main protagonist but then reading ahead in the story one realises that each and every character of the story are varying shades of grey. There are no evidently white or black characters. Aratrika definitely made a place in my heart for her grit, determination and the way she fights the devils of her past and faces the bankruptcy head on. Most of the characters in the story are fleshed out well. I liked how the author interspersed the past and the background stories in different chapters by using different fonts. In the end the whole story comes out as one whole. I would have loved to know the reason for Madhusudan Reddy’s behaviour.
On the whole it’s a story of human emotions, desperation, greed, deception, betrayal , greed for money and revenge. It also shows of how an individual can face and use the past as a tool to grow and also to gain the strength to affect revenge.
I would recommend this book to all those who enjoy thrillers with a corporate and financial backdrop. All those who enjoy unexpected twists in a story will thoroughly enjoy this one.
Thanks to writersmelon for the copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
The premise and the plot is very different from the regular thrillers one reads. This is a financial and corporate thriller where Aratrika Reddy the CEO of ARYA holdings faces an imminent bankruptcy and she has only 8 hours to bring her company out of it. The fact that it is a corporate thriller doesn’t take away from the fact that it is written in a very simple and easy way for non finance people to understand as well.
The pace initially may seem a bit slow till we get to know the varied characters in the book and then it becomes a very pacy read. In the initial part of the story I did feel a bit judgemental about the main protagonist but then reading ahead in the story one realises that each and every character of the story are varying shades of grey. There are no evidently white or black characters. Aratrika definitely made a place in my heart for her grit, determination and the way she fights the devils of her past and faces the bankruptcy head on. Most of the characters in the story are fleshed out well. I liked how the author interspersed the past and the background stories in different chapters by using different fonts. In the end the whole story comes out as one whole. I would have loved to know the reason for Madhusudan Reddy’s behaviour.
On the whole it’s a story of human emotions, desperation, greed, deception, betrayal , greed for money and revenge. It also shows of how an individual can face and use the past as a tool to grow and also to gain the strength to affect revenge.
I would recommend this book to all those who enjoy thrillers with a corporate and financial backdrop. All those who enjoy unexpected twists in a story will thoroughly enjoy this one.
Thanks to writersmelon for the copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
February 18, 2018
8 Hours is a corporate thriller which is about the multi-billion dollar conglomerate company ARYA. Its probable bankruptcy had triggered a series of discussion, meetings, manipulations, coalition, plotting, backstabbing to takeover the company.
All this was taking place within the time period of eight hours. There were a host of people who were in the acquisition race with their intentions clear like the snake in the thicket and there was lone resistance put up by the protagonist Aratrika Reddy, vice chairman of the company.
Such novels are expected to be racy and fast paced but the author has also managed to keep the narrative crisp and precise and the dialogues brief and to the point. Upander didn’t sacrifice the pace for unnecessary description and explanation which toned the story and helped to give a sense of urgency all throughout.
Since the author didn’t go much in explaining the corporate world and giving details and explanation much was left to the readers to figure it out. But once you get hold of the scenario, the book becomes unputdownable. The curiosity to know how Aratrika will tide over the situation to bring the ball back in her court from where she could dictate her terms and condition, will urge you to turn page after page.
If you are bored of regular novels and looking for some change, then 8 Hours could be the one. For thriller lovers this novel will be a treat.
All this was taking place within the time period of eight hours. There were a host of people who were in the acquisition race with their intentions clear like the snake in the thicket and there was lone resistance put up by the protagonist Aratrika Reddy, vice chairman of the company.
Such novels are expected to be racy and fast paced but the author has also managed to keep the narrative crisp and precise and the dialogues brief and to the point. Upander didn’t sacrifice the pace for unnecessary description and explanation which toned the story and helped to give a sense of urgency all throughout.
Since the author didn’t go much in explaining the corporate world and giving details and explanation much was left to the readers to figure it out. But once you get hold of the scenario, the book becomes unputdownable. The curiosity to know how Aratrika will tide over the situation to bring the ball back in her court from where she could dictate her terms and condition, will urge you to turn page after page.
If you are bored of regular novels and looking for some change, then 8 Hours could be the one. For thriller lovers this novel will be a treat.
February 27, 2018
This book is about Aratrika who have 8 hours in her hand to save her father business from getting bankrupt. In these 8 hours, there’s lots of suspense, Mystery and drama. True faces of people are revealed in front of her in these 8 hours.
First of all, I loved the cover and title of the story. It’s interesting and makes us think about the story. I went clueless when the story started. I was totally confused with what I was reading. It took me some time to connect to the story. There are too many characters in the story which makes it a confusing read. you need to have much patience while reading this book to understand it. The characters in the book were good. I loved Aratrika’s character in the book. A bold, wise leader. A fighter. The plot was good but again the whole story was repeated again and again. I had a curiosity to read this book, and when I started, it was a time consuming read, as it was a confusing read. With every page, the read was turning to a boring read adding confusion to the story. There was a mystery, plan, thriller and it could have been an interesting read, but what made it the worst read was repetition. The language used by the author is simple but grasping, The Narration of the story is again confusing as I said earlier as I was not able to connect with the story at all. The pace of the story was too slow. The tempo was good. yes, there was a mystery, suspense and a new Personality of character were revealed every time with some twist and turns. I had great expectations from the book when I read the blurb but the story turned into a tough read. I felt like there were some things missing in the story to make it a perfect read.
There was a stronghold on vocabulary, amazing characters, simple language makes it a good read if you have the patience to understand the story and read the repetitive plot. The climax of the story was good.
First of all, I loved the cover and title of the story. It’s interesting and makes us think about the story. I went clueless when the story started. I was totally confused with what I was reading. It took me some time to connect to the story. There are too many characters in the story which makes it a confusing read. you need to have much patience while reading this book to understand it. The characters in the book were good. I loved Aratrika’s character in the book. A bold, wise leader. A fighter. The plot was good but again the whole story was repeated again and again. I had a curiosity to read this book, and when I started, it was a time consuming read, as it was a confusing read. With every page, the read was turning to a boring read adding confusion to the story. There was a mystery, plan, thriller and it could have been an interesting read, but what made it the worst read was repetition. The language used by the author is simple but grasping, The Narration of the story is again confusing as I said earlier as I was not able to connect with the story at all. The pace of the story was too slow. The tempo was good. yes, there was a mystery, suspense and a new Personality of character were revealed every time with some twist and turns. I had great expectations from the book when I read the blurb but the story turned into a tough read. I felt like there were some things missing in the story to make it a perfect read.
There was a stronghold on vocabulary, amazing characters, simple language makes it a good read if you have the patience to understand the story and read the repetitive plot. The climax of the story was good.
February 18, 2018
8 hours is a story of Aratrika Reddy who is left with just 8 hours to save her company from some bankruptcy. She is 5'6'' with dusky complexion but she is the Managing Director and Vice chairman of ARYA holdings Ltd. Her father Madhusudhan Reddy is the owner of multi billion business empire.
The pace of the story is very normal, you need few pages to get into it. Aratrika had a bad childhood, bad marriage and she also has anxiety issues. She is in a constant battle with trust but she has to save ARYA anyhow from the enemies of ARYA.
We spend 8 hours sleeping whereas she is struggling strongly and alone in those 8 hours to save her company. 1am to 9am are the difficult 8 hours mentioned in this story. After you get into the story than you keep on wondering what next, so according to me if a story has that impact on a reader than its worth reading. I liked the concept of how every chapter is names to increase the curiosity of the reader.
The protagonist Aratrika is a strong lady who survives in this difficult phase of time.
Will she be able to save her company?
Does she win the battle in 8 hours?
" TIME IS IMPORTANT GUYS DON'T TAKE IT LIGHTLY"
I gave it a 3.5⛤
The pace of the story is very normal, you need few pages to get into it. Aratrika had a bad childhood, bad marriage and she also has anxiety issues. She is in a constant battle with trust but she has to save ARYA anyhow from the enemies of ARYA.
We spend 8 hours sleeping whereas she is struggling strongly and alone in those 8 hours to save her company. 1am to 9am are the difficult 8 hours mentioned in this story. After you get into the story than you keep on wondering what next, so according to me if a story has that impact on a reader than its worth reading. I liked the concept of how every chapter is names to increase the curiosity of the reader.
The protagonist Aratrika is a strong lady who survives in this difficult phase of time.
Will she be able to save her company?
Does she win the battle in 8 hours?
" TIME IS IMPORTANT GUYS DON'T TAKE IT LIGHTLY"
I gave it a 3.5⛤
February 15, 2018
The book was a great surprise, an extremely quick read and a page turner in true sense. It can be a great weekend escapade. There was but something off beat. The story started and finished. There was no spark. But all in all a good read. I can recommend it to those who are into suspense and thriller novels.
You can read the complete review here:
https://thesubtlebraiding.blogspot.in...
You can read the complete review here:
https://thesubtlebraiding.blogspot.in...
October 3, 2018
[Detailed review is available at: https://thinkerviews.com/books/englis...]
8 Hours is the third book by Upendra Naburi, but actually, it is the first one I (or for that many any of our team members) got a chance to read.
The cover page has a good mixture of dark colors and though it is not exceptionally great, it goes fine with the theme of the book.
The Plot:
Aratrika Reddy, the CEO of ARYA is a strong-willed woman. Unfortunately, it is neither the best nor the good time running for her company. It is well-known fact that the business owners had to deal with the local politicians and as the business spread across the country, often the big players of politics also come into the play. Here, the company is trying to spread its wings outside of India and at least in terms of funding, they have some foreign partners as well.
Will Aratrika be able to save the company? Who is playing the double game and why? Are there any personal demons of the prime characters playing their roles too? Well, you need to read the book to get the answer :).
Views and Reviews:
While I am trying to make this review as much spoiler-free as possible, I cannot reveal much about the content, even while analyzing it. I can say that the story itself is good and the pace is maintained throughout, with some bumps, of course. The climax could have been better.
The author, Upendra, tries remaining as much realistic as much possible by painting the characters of the good with shades of both black and white. So, you see strong characters throughout the book. And, as the story progresses, you can see different layers of their respective characters.
The author’s vocabulary is rich and he knows how to put sarcasm and punchlines effectively in such thrillers.
We have all hurt each other. We are family, after all.
—– —– —– —–
I would have had time and leverage if I had that money. You’ve taken that away from me and, hence, I am compelled to take something away from you as well. That’s the circle of life.
The book contains some wisdom lessons also:
Arrogance can shroud a man’s judgment. It can also blind someone.
The idea behind sharing some interesting segments of the book is that you yourself can get the idea about the writing, and how much it suits your taste :).
Summary:
Overall a nice thriller. Some adult content is there and has to be read with that consent.
I would give it around 7.5 stars out of 10.
8 Hours is the third book by Upendra Naburi, but actually, it is the first one I (or for that many any of our team members) got a chance to read.
The cover page has a good mixture of dark colors and though it is not exceptionally great, it goes fine with the theme of the book.
The Plot:
Aratrika Reddy, the CEO of ARYA is a strong-willed woman. Unfortunately, it is neither the best nor the good time running for her company. It is well-known fact that the business owners had to deal with the local politicians and as the business spread across the country, often the big players of politics also come into the play. Here, the company is trying to spread its wings outside of India and at least in terms of funding, they have some foreign partners as well.
Will Aratrika be able to save the company? Who is playing the double game and why? Are there any personal demons of the prime characters playing their roles too? Well, you need to read the book to get the answer :).
Views and Reviews:
While I am trying to make this review as much spoiler-free as possible, I cannot reveal much about the content, even while analyzing it. I can say that the story itself is good and the pace is maintained throughout, with some bumps, of course. The climax could have been better.
The author, Upendra, tries remaining as much realistic as much possible by painting the characters of the good with shades of both black and white. So, you see strong characters throughout the book. And, as the story progresses, you can see different layers of their respective characters.
The author’s vocabulary is rich and he knows how to put sarcasm and punchlines effectively in such thrillers.
We have all hurt each other. We are family, after all.
—– —– —– —–
I would have had time and leverage if I had that money. You’ve taken that away from me and, hence, I am compelled to take something away from you as well. That’s the circle of life.
The book contains some wisdom lessons also:
Arrogance can shroud a man’s judgment. It can also blind someone.
The idea behind sharing some interesting segments of the book is that you yourself can get the idea about the writing, and how much it suits your taste :).
Summary:
Overall a nice thriller. Some adult content is there and has to be read with that consent.
I would give it around 7.5 stars out of 10.
August 27, 2018
Not much in the book.After 31 this was a let down.Too much of a corporate takeover cacophony!
February 21, 2018
Book Title: 8 Hours
Author: Upendra Namburi
Paperback: 290 pages
Publisher: Westland (21 October 2017)
ISBN-10: 9386850044
ISBN-13: 978-9386850041
Product Dimensions: 14 x 2.5 x 21 cm
Blurb:
Aratrika Reddy, the charismatic CEO of ARYA Holdings Ltd., has just 8 Hours to save her company from certain bankruptcy.
The multi-billion dollar hotels to steel conglomerate, founded by her mercurial father, liquor baron Madhusudhan Reddy, has many suitors, all of them plotting a hostile takeover. Aratrika’s estranged husband, Siddhartha is one of them. His inside knowledge is the real ace up his sleeve. The Rathores, the Reddys’ arch-rivals are looking to buy ARYA too and thereby settle old scores.
Aratrika has to weave her way through a litany of lawyers, politicians, bankers, bureaucrats, investors, power brokers and her dreaded family. Behind the scenes, Jagannath Rao, her wily uncle, is playing a dangerous double game of manipulation. Her father Madhusudan is furiously pulling the strings from behind the scenes. To add to the confusion, overseeing the whole sale process is her old flame, Peter.
Over the course of a single night, 8 Hours to be precise, Aratrika must fight the demons at the gates of her company and those within. It’s a fight to the bitter end.
A fight that Aratrika does not want to lose…
Intrigue:
This is the story of Aratrika who id daughter of liquor baron Madhusudhan Reddy who is left with 8 hours to save her company from bankruptcy, A telugu speaking family due to certain consequences their company ends to fall under evil hands , due to Aratrika's tactical and skillful moves it gets rid of the havoc
Entire plot woven around a girl who takes the only responsibility to retain back its glory, author was very keen in revolving the story with giving proper importance to every character involved. Within a short span of 8 hours, what life teaches to Aratrika involving the key aspects like love, relationship, power, position, business and evil people is something to look in this book.
The entire story is between 1 AM and 9 AM more onto the business jargon, corporate rules, suspense and unpredictable ending,
Did Aratrika make the company fall as prey to evil minds ?
Does Aratrika fulfil her father deed ?
Answer would be this book which turns out as a nail biting, page turner..!!
My Verdict:
Corporate thriller genres are always a satisfactory read, As the title and cover page brings in curiosity to the readers. This book co-relates with most of the acquisitions that has happen in recent times and every character is beautifully narrated with their respective good and bad motives. This completely revolves around Aratrika Reddy and her tactful decisions which prevents eventual bankruptcy, Story and plot mostly focuses the foul techniques that may be employed during the acquisition phase and morale and money bribery with ultimate motive is to own by the respective group.
This book can be used as reference material for all the upcoming startup's and business tycoons in their journey towards merger and ownership bid's. As this is focused much to business modelling, I took time to understand few terminology to get the actual picture. Few characters may need further improved introduction for better involvement in story line. Initial plot would have improved in such a way, readers will not stop reading this excellent book.
My Ratings:
Book Cover- 4/5 (Beautiful hourglass image reveals this is onto specific timeline)
Story: 3.5/5 (Slow page initially, turns up page turner once it proceeds)
Plot: 3.5/5 (Extra Care needed in character introduction part)
Language & Narration: 4/5 (Typical jargon and few corporate words usage)
As a whole I personally rate “8 Hours - #Upendra Namburi” as 3.5/5 which is one of the bests books in the corporate thriller and suspense genre, this story also proves the importance of TIME when it comes to critical decisions, ends with a beautiful message - "Good intention and Hard work are key to achieve anything in the life"
Regards
Kiran K Adharapuram
Author: Upendra Namburi
Paperback: 290 pages
Publisher: Westland (21 October 2017)
ISBN-10: 9386850044
ISBN-13: 978-9386850041
Product Dimensions: 14 x 2.5 x 21 cm
Blurb:
Aratrika Reddy, the charismatic CEO of ARYA Holdings Ltd., has just 8 Hours to save her company from certain bankruptcy.
The multi-billion dollar hotels to steel conglomerate, founded by her mercurial father, liquor baron Madhusudhan Reddy, has many suitors, all of them plotting a hostile takeover. Aratrika’s estranged husband, Siddhartha is one of them. His inside knowledge is the real ace up his sleeve. The Rathores, the Reddys’ arch-rivals are looking to buy ARYA too and thereby settle old scores.
Aratrika has to weave her way through a litany of lawyers, politicians, bankers, bureaucrats, investors, power brokers and her dreaded family. Behind the scenes, Jagannath Rao, her wily uncle, is playing a dangerous double game of manipulation. Her father Madhusudan is furiously pulling the strings from behind the scenes. To add to the confusion, overseeing the whole sale process is her old flame, Peter.
Over the course of a single night, 8 Hours to be precise, Aratrika must fight the demons at the gates of her company and those within. It’s a fight to the bitter end.
A fight that Aratrika does not want to lose…
Intrigue:
This is the story of Aratrika who id daughter of liquor baron Madhusudhan Reddy who is left with 8 hours to save her company from bankruptcy, A telugu speaking family due to certain consequences their company ends to fall under evil hands , due to Aratrika's tactical and skillful moves it gets rid of the havoc
Entire plot woven around a girl who takes the only responsibility to retain back its glory, author was very keen in revolving the story with giving proper importance to every character involved. Within a short span of 8 hours, what life teaches to Aratrika involving the key aspects like love, relationship, power, position, business and evil people is something to look in this book.
The entire story is between 1 AM and 9 AM more onto the business jargon, corporate rules, suspense and unpredictable ending,
Did Aratrika make the company fall as prey to evil minds ?
Does Aratrika fulfil her father deed ?
Answer would be this book which turns out as a nail biting, page turner..!!
My Verdict:
Corporate thriller genres are always a satisfactory read, As the title and cover page brings in curiosity to the readers. This book co-relates with most of the acquisitions that has happen in recent times and every character is beautifully narrated with their respective good and bad motives. This completely revolves around Aratrika Reddy and her tactful decisions which prevents eventual bankruptcy, Story and plot mostly focuses the foul techniques that may be employed during the acquisition phase and morale and money bribery with ultimate motive is to own by the respective group.
This book can be used as reference material for all the upcoming startup's and business tycoons in their journey towards merger and ownership bid's. As this is focused much to business modelling, I took time to understand few terminology to get the actual picture. Few characters may need further improved introduction for better involvement in story line. Initial plot would have improved in such a way, readers will not stop reading this excellent book.
My Ratings:
Book Cover- 4/5 (Beautiful hourglass image reveals this is onto specific timeline)
Story: 3.5/5 (Slow page initially, turns up page turner once it proceeds)
Plot: 3.5/5 (Extra Care needed in character introduction part)
Language & Narration: 4/5 (Typical jargon and few corporate words usage)
As a whole I personally rate “8 Hours - #Upendra Namburi” as 3.5/5 which is one of the bests books in the corporate thriller and suspense genre, this story also proves the importance of TIME when it comes to critical decisions, ends with a beautiful message - "Good intention and Hard work are key to achieve anything in the life"
Regards
Kiran K Adharapuram
February 24, 2018
Detailed rating:
Narration : 3.5/5
Characters : 3/5
Story : 4/5
Cover : 4/5
Language: 4.5/5
Plot :
A roller coaster ride with thrilling twists and turns and unexpected shifts revolving around a leading company and all the politics and challenges that come along with it . This is a story of a strong woman who has to save all that her family has built in many years. Her company ARYA is facing a severe downfall and she has 8 Hours to save everything that matters in her life . Will she be able to do that or will she accept her downfall and let go? Upendra Namburi has mixed Politics, Company takeovers, Corruption , Power and numbers to create a different kind of Thriller.
Review:
I was pretty excited to read this book because first of all the cover looked attractive and the author's description looked really promising for a good book. Also, i generally enjoy everything related to office politics, Hostile takeovers and this book was full of that. I would like to start with the positives first. The story line is amazing , it will surely give the readers a kick and they would be interested in knowing more of how the story progresses. It has drama , it has power , it has a really strong headed independent woman as the main character which just makes it so much better to imagine because we generally dont get to see or read about a woman's reaction or perception to the scenarios portrayed in the book. The story progresses at a normal pace. It is not too slow and it is not too fast. The language is easy to understand and even the complex company scenarios are explained in a way that all readers would be able to grasp them.
Coming to the thing that troubled me and this is probably the only reason why this book didn't make it to one of the best books i have read . The characters in this story are too many, which is not necessarily a bad thing but it surely made it tough to comprehend . Their are so many important characters who play an integral role in the story but their is no background given and it just starts with a name which made it difficult for me to remember all the characters . In most places i was left wondering who is the character i am reading about and sometimes i had to go back to check and sometimes i just moved on without the clarity on the scene i just read.
When i am reading a book , i want the characters to connect to me in a way that i remember them even when the story ends. Sadly , this did not happen for me here and apart from a few repeated ones i dont remember any. The author has given some background on some of the main characters and it just made them so much better. I wish this was either done for all the important ones or there were less people involved.
All in all , the book is a good read , just requires a lot more attention and its better if read in a short span of time so that if you pick the book after 2 days , you dont forget what you were reading about. I did like the fact that the author has done justice to the story from start till end and did not deviate from the story line. My interest piqued higher towards the end and i overall liked the way it turned out. Also this concept of so much happening in just 8 hours span is refreshing to imagine as i have never read anything of this sorts. You should give this book a try if you want to read a different kind of thriller. Not involving any crime, love story or hate story. It is all about power and i liked the theme.
P.S - I got a review copy of this book through Writersmelon in exchange of an honest review. I have tried to keep my review generic and free of spoilers so that everyone can benefit from it .
Narration : 3.5/5
Characters : 3/5
Story : 4/5
Cover : 4/5
Language: 4.5/5
Plot :
A roller coaster ride with thrilling twists and turns and unexpected shifts revolving around a leading company and all the politics and challenges that come along with it . This is a story of a strong woman who has to save all that her family has built in many years. Her company ARYA is facing a severe downfall and she has 8 Hours to save everything that matters in her life . Will she be able to do that or will she accept her downfall and let go? Upendra Namburi has mixed Politics, Company takeovers, Corruption , Power and numbers to create a different kind of Thriller.
Review:
I was pretty excited to read this book because first of all the cover looked attractive and the author's description looked really promising for a good book. Also, i generally enjoy everything related to office politics, Hostile takeovers and this book was full of that. I would like to start with the positives first. The story line is amazing , it will surely give the readers a kick and they would be interested in knowing more of how the story progresses. It has drama , it has power , it has a really strong headed independent woman as the main character which just makes it so much better to imagine because we generally dont get to see or read about a woman's reaction or perception to the scenarios portrayed in the book. The story progresses at a normal pace. It is not too slow and it is not too fast. The language is easy to understand and even the complex company scenarios are explained in a way that all readers would be able to grasp them.
Coming to the thing that troubled me and this is probably the only reason why this book didn't make it to one of the best books i have read . The characters in this story are too many, which is not necessarily a bad thing but it surely made it tough to comprehend . Their are so many important characters who play an integral role in the story but their is no background given and it just starts with a name which made it difficult for me to remember all the characters . In most places i was left wondering who is the character i am reading about and sometimes i had to go back to check and sometimes i just moved on without the clarity on the scene i just read.
When i am reading a book , i want the characters to connect to me in a way that i remember them even when the story ends. Sadly , this did not happen for me here and apart from a few repeated ones i dont remember any. The author has given some background on some of the main characters and it just made them so much better. I wish this was either done for all the important ones or there were less people involved.
All in all , the book is a good read , just requires a lot more attention and its better if read in a short span of time so that if you pick the book after 2 days , you dont forget what you were reading about. I did like the fact that the author has done justice to the story from start till end and did not deviate from the story line. My interest piqued higher towards the end and i overall liked the way it turned out. Also this concept of so much happening in just 8 hours span is refreshing to imagine as i have never read anything of this sorts. You should give this book a try if you want to read a different kind of thriller. Not involving any crime, love story or hate story. It is all about power and i liked the theme.
P.S - I got a review copy of this book through Writersmelon in exchange of an honest review. I have tried to keep my review generic and free of spoilers so that everyone can benefit from it .
March 7, 2018
‘Blood had been spilt, and yet it was a legacy that Aratrika had to honour.’ After reading this first line, you can hardly find a moment in this story where you would want to keep the book down. The story is about 8 thrilling, painful and life-changing hours in which ARYA Holdings Ltd. could either rise from ashes or it could be sold to vultures in form of other companies. A lot of secrets unearthed, tremendous power shifted from one person to another, many conspiracies formed and failed – you cannot predict who takes the baton in the end.
The author of ‘8 hours’, Upendra Namburi, has written other such novels with interesting titles like ’60 minutes’ and ‘31’. He is a marketing professional with over 20 years of experience in the industry. We surely look forward to more books from him!
Aratrika Reddy, the MD and Vice Chairman of ARYA Holdings Ltd., is the charming protagonist of the book. She is independent and determined, but has many skeletons in her closet related to her past. The multimillionaire conglomerate of steel and luxury hotels, ARYA, is bankrupt and pointed at for breaching laws. The Imperial bank has given them just 8 hours before they would take over the company!
Aratrika doesn’t know how long her company would stay afloat. They are in too much debt and everything around her was collapsing. But she is not the one who would lose so easily. In the time between 1 am to 9 am, she has to make a miracle for her company for which she has given her entire life, a family and her marriage.
But her path is not a bed of roses. Madhusudhan Reddy, Aratrika’s dreaded father and a liquor baron, is making it extremely tough for her by strategizing behind her back. He has hurt his wife and family to the extreme extent, yet Aratrika is the MD for his company while hating him all the time. Back from the past are the Rathores of Elixir group, who are the biggest enemies of ARYA and have placed a deal in the market to buy out the company. They have made professional ties with many companies to group against ARYA and bring it down.
Aratrika also has her estranged husband Siddhartha making strategies as he has too much knowledge about the Reddy family. To make it all more complicated, Peter, Aratrika’s lover, is seen plotting with the Rathores! Her wily uncle, Jagannath seems to be the most helpful and smart person around. But he has a deep secret due to which the dangerous Madhusudhan Reddy also fears him.
Aratrika has to weave her way through all these people in her life as well as a string of politicians, bankers, investors and ministers. It is not the time to be polite, ethical or kind. It is the time to be ruthless, strong and smart. Will ARYA be saved from the demons or will it fall into the hands of its enemies? Is Aratrika capable enough to do it in 8 hours only? Those hours of the night will take you on the most interesting business ride.
I was lost in the story most of the times. It is extremely interesting and inspires you from the strong and smart characters. I felt a little confused sometimes when the story got too technical in terms of market, investors, financials and company deals. The technicality could have reduced to some extent such that readers without such a background can follow the story with ease.
Overall, I loved the book and recommend it to everyone who likes thrillers with a business genre. Kudos to Upendra Namburi!
The author of ‘8 hours’, Upendra Namburi, has written other such novels with interesting titles like ’60 minutes’ and ‘31’. He is a marketing professional with over 20 years of experience in the industry. We surely look forward to more books from him!
Aratrika Reddy, the MD and Vice Chairman of ARYA Holdings Ltd., is the charming protagonist of the book. She is independent and determined, but has many skeletons in her closet related to her past. The multimillionaire conglomerate of steel and luxury hotels, ARYA, is bankrupt and pointed at for breaching laws. The Imperial bank has given them just 8 hours before they would take over the company!
Aratrika doesn’t know how long her company would stay afloat. They are in too much debt and everything around her was collapsing. But she is not the one who would lose so easily. In the time between 1 am to 9 am, she has to make a miracle for her company for which she has given her entire life, a family and her marriage.
But her path is not a bed of roses. Madhusudhan Reddy, Aratrika’s dreaded father and a liquor baron, is making it extremely tough for her by strategizing behind her back. He has hurt his wife and family to the extreme extent, yet Aratrika is the MD for his company while hating him all the time. Back from the past are the Rathores of Elixir group, who are the biggest enemies of ARYA and have placed a deal in the market to buy out the company. They have made professional ties with many companies to group against ARYA and bring it down.
Aratrika also has her estranged husband Siddhartha making strategies as he has too much knowledge about the Reddy family. To make it all more complicated, Peter, Aratrika’s lover, is seen plotting with the Rathores! Her wily uncle, Jagannath seems to be the most helpful and smart person around. But he has a deep secret due to which the dangerous Madhusudhan Reddy also fears him.
Aratrika has to weave her way through all these people in her life as well as a string of politicians, bankers, investors and ministers. It is not the time to be polite, ethical or kind. It is the time to be ruthless, strong and smart. Will ARYA be saved from the demons or will it fall into the hands of its enemies? Is Aratrika capable enough to do it in 8 hours only? Those hours of the night will take you on the most interesting business ride.
I was lost in the story most of the times. It is extremely interesting and inspires you from the strong and smart characters. I felt a little confused sometimes when the story got too technical in terms of market, investors, financials and company deals. The technicality could have reduced to some extent such that readers without such a background can follow the story with ease.
Overall, I loved the book and recommend it to everyone who likes thrillers with a business genre. Kudos to Upendra Namburi!
February 7, 2019
8 Hours by Upendra Namburi is a time-based corporate thriller. As the title of the book suggests the book tells us about the events that happen within a period of eight hours. The title and the blurb of the book create an atmosphere of excitement in your mind if you love reading time-based thriller. The cover is also awesome. However, sadly, those are the only things that are exciting in this book. While the author has worked hard and tried his best to make this book as interesting as possible, you will not be able to enjoy the book until you have a clear understanding of the technicalities related to the corporate world. I am not saying that the book is a tough read. You will be able to follow the events described in the book. However, you will not be able to appreciate this reading journey unless you understand the mechanics of the business world.
The book revolves around a huge deal related to an organisation called ARYA. This organisation is on the verge of bankruptcy and Aratrika, the charismatic executive director of this organisation and the central lead of this novel, is trying her best to save her company. However, it is not an easy job and she has only a few hours to save her company from bankruptcy. A number of people, including her husband and uncle, are plotting a hostile takeover. Peter, her old love, is also pulling the strings. Over a period of eight hours, Aratrika has to not only save her company but also fight the past demons of her life. This is a fight that Aratrika does not want to lose. Will she be successful? Read the book to know about that.
The book has a good number of characters. While some of these characters have been given enough space, some were not so lucky. These unlucky ones also deserved more space, I think. Overall, all of these characters are interesting and play a vital role in moving the story ahead. The character that impressed me most was of Aratrika and I really liked the way she has been portrayed in the book. Her inner conflicts have come out beautifully in the book. The pace of the plot is slow except in the last 60 pages where it moves really fast. The language is lucid and the book is rich in dialogues, and, in fact, some of the dialogues have been written really well.
I have no problem with corporate thrillers. However, the author needs to make sure that the book is thrilling in the real sense. No corporate thriller will survive if the author fails to inject the element of thrill in the novel. Readers do not want to read pages upon pages of economic statistics and financial charts. They simply want to enjoy a well-written thrilling story. On top of that, the author needs to write in such a way that the readers have a clear understanding of the world the author is taking them into. The book under review could have been a brilliantly written corporate thriller if the author would have taken these things into account. While the people who have a good understanding of the corporate world might enjoy this book, the other readers may find it mind-numbing.
I will recommend this book to only those people who know the technical know-how of the corporate world and love to read thrillers based on these subjects.
Notes:-
1. I received a free copy of this book from Writersmelon in exchange of an honest review.
2. The review was originally published on my blog:
https://pgalmora.wordpress.com/2019/0...
The book revolves around a huge deal related to an organisation called ARYA. This organisation is on the verge of bankruptcy and Aratrika, the charismatic executive director of this organisation and the central lead of this novel, is trying her best to save her company. However, it is not an easy job and she has only a few hours to save her company from bankruptcy. A number of people, including her husband and uncle, are plotting a hostile takeover. Peter, her old love, is also pulling the strings. Over a period of eight hours, Aratrika has to not only save her company but also fight the past demons of her life. This is a fight that Aratrika does not want to lose. Will she be successful? Read the book to know about that.
The book has a good number of characters. While some of these characters have been given enough space, some were not so lucky. These unlucky ones also deserved more space, I think. Overall, all of these characters are interesting and play a vital role in moving the story ahead. The character that impressed me most was of Aratrika and I really liked the way she has been portrayed in the book. Her inner conflicts have come out beautifully in the book. The pace of the plot is slow except in the last 60 pages where it moves really fast. The language is lucid and the book is rich in dialogues, and, in fact, some of the dialogues have been written really well.
I have no problem with corporate thrillers. However, the author needs to make sure that the book is thrilling in the real sense. No corporate thriller will survive if the author fails to inject the element of thrill in the novel. Readers do not want to read pages upon pages of economic statistics and financial charts. They simply want to enjoy a well-written thrilling story. On top of that, the author needs to write in such a way that the readers have a clear understanding of the world the author is taking them into. The book under review could have been a brilliantly written corporate thriller if the author would have taken these things into account. While the people who have a good understanding of the corporate world might enjoy this book, the other readers may find it mind-numbing.
I will recommend this book to only those people who know the technical know-how of the corporate world and love to read thrillers based on these subjects.
Notes:-
1. I received a free copy of this book from Writersmelon in exchange of an honest review.
2. The review was originally published on my blog:
https://pgalmora.wordpress.com/2019/0...
September 14, 2018
A slow race against time
Genre writing in India is still incredibly young. So the early thrillers written by an Indian and set in an Indian landscape still had the influences of classic international thrillers, from James Paterson, Robert Ludlum to Jeffery Archer. Soon, however, adventurous Indian authors made genre writing their own, gaining both popularity and acclaim. Among them, we have of our bestselling authors Ashwin Sanghi and Ravi Subramanian.
With his first novel, If God was a Banker, Subramanian created and perfected the sub-genre of corporate thrillers. With the country’s economy growing, time was ripe for stories set in glitzy boardrooms, with men in suits discussing multimillion dollar deals.
Now author Upendra Namburi, working on the broad template of corporate fiction, has brought his own twist, a real-time deadline. As the template of the plot goes, the protagonist must broker a deal else his entire world would come crumbling down. The stakes are unreasonably high.
In his three novels, Namburi also adds a deadline to an already nerve-wracking plotline. In his debut novel, 31, Namburi spreads the shenanigans of a bank in a span of a month. In his next novel, 60 Minutes, the action takes place within an hour.
It’s literally a race against time, and it is evident in Namburi’s new novel, 8 Hours. As the title suggests, we have only eight hours from 1 am to 9 pm. We follow Aratrika Reddy, scion of a mutlibillion dollar conglomerate, started by her father Madhusudhan Reddy, a powerful and enigmatic businessman with some equally powerful enemies. Now, the company is on the verge of bankruptcy, and Aratrika has just eight hours before their rival, the Rathores, takes over. Add to it an estranged husband and a long-lost lover, and some serious family secrets, we have a potent thriller.
As far as corporate thrillers go, 8 Hours is adequate, if not great. Ironically, however, it’s the race against time element that gives the novel its real zing and ultimately takes away its sting. Each chapter begins with specific time title, and as the novel progresses, we meet different stakeholders doing their respective plotting, and you begin to feel time moving really, really slow, at the convenience of the author. You are expected to suspend your disbelief in such scenarios and you do it to a certain extend. However, as the morning dawns, all of it, the phone calls, the random meetings between different characters become too much. It also doesn’t help that at intervals, the novel lapses into a flashback mode, breaking its own contrived construction of eight hours.
To his credit, however, Namburi manages to create in Aratrika a portrayed of a real woman in the midst of the high-stake world of men, money and power. Her zeal of prove herself, her doubts and concerns for family brings in much-needed emotional strength to this tale corporate politics. This, I believe, what makes 8 Hours a great read!
{The Review first appeared in Sakal Times, Pune.}
Genre writing in India is still incredibly young. So the early thrillers written by an Indian and set in an Indian landscape still had the influences of classic international thrillers, from James Paterson, Robert Ludlum to Jeffery Archer. Soon, however, adventurous Indian authors made genre writing their own, gaining both popularity and acclaim. Among them, we have of our bestselling authors Ashwin Sanghi and Ravi Subramanian.
With his first novel, If God was a Banker, Subramanian created and perfected the sub-genre of corporate thrillers. With the country’s economy growing, time was ripe for stories set in glitzy boardrooms, with men in suits discussing multimillion dollar deals.
Now author Upendra Namburi, working on the broad template of corporate fiction, has brought his own twist, a real-time deadline. As the template of the plot goes, the protagonist must broker a deal else his entire world would come crumbling down. The stakes are unreasonably high.
In his three novels, Namburi also adds a deadline to an already nerve-wracking plotline. In his debut novel, 31, Namburi spreads the shenanigans of a bank in a span of a month. In his next novel, 60 Minutes, the action takes place within an hour.
It’s literally a race against time, and it is evident in Namburi’s new novel, 8 Hours. As the title suggests, we have only eight hours from 1 am to 9 pm. We follow Aratrika Reddy, scion of a mutlibillion dollar conglomerate, started by her father Madhusudhan Reddy, a powerful and enigmatic businessman with some equally powerful enemies. Now, the company is on the verge of bankruptcy, and Aratrika has just eight hours before their rival, the Rathores, takes over. Add to it an estranged husband and a long-lost lover, and some serious family secrets, we have a potent thriller.
As far as corporate thrillers go, 8 Hours is adequate, if not great. Ironically, however, it’s the race against time element that gives the novel its real zing and ultimately takes away its sting. Each chapter begins with specific time title, and as the novel progresses, we meet different stakeholders doing their respective plotting, and you begin to feel time moving really, really slow, at the convenience of the author. You are expected to suspend your disbelief in such scenarios and you do it to a certain extend. However, as the morning dawns, all of it, the phone calls, the random meetings between different characters become too much. It also doesn’t help that at intervals, the novel lapses into a flashback mode, breaking its own contrived construction of eight hours.
To his credit, however, Namburi manages to create in Aratrika a portrayed of a real woman in the midst of the high-stake world of men, money and power. Her zeal of prove herself, her doubts and concerns for family brings in much-needed emotional strength to this tale corporate politics. This, I believe, what makes 8 Hours a great read!
{The Review first appeared in Sakal Times, Pune.}
February 14, 2018
8 Hours is the story of 8 Hours time span of Aratrika Reddy s battle, battle to save her empire in one night. The story revolves around Aratrika Reddy, the CEO of a multi –billion business empire and her tryst to save it from the clutches of power-hungry, greedy, profit-oriented business tycoons, and overcome her fears that has been her shadow since childhood…. all of it in just 8 hours. The story explores the ever-changing dynamics of relationship in personal and professional lives. It puts the protagonist in situations when she doesn’t know who is trustworthy, who is against her. The story which is about a night, though the pace is normal, it is not boring.
Aratrika is not only fighting the battle with demons who are external but also she s fighting a battle with self ( anxiety, fear, weakness, her blood relations). Her life was never being easy on her, difficult childhood, her brothers dead, estranged husband. With all this The Rathores - The Reddy's Rivalry is not helping. How much dirtier can it get and can she survive all? She being a tough women fights to win back her company.
Who all are with her and who is against her, will she ever be able to know?
Is it only she s fighting a battle to win back her company or their is more to it?
What does Jagannath Rao holds against Madhusudhan Reddy ?
Will Aratrika ever be able to save her empire?
The Author has narrated the story on time span, it shows the importance of time, and even explained the past and related characters v well. And suspense is set till end with all the necessary twist and turns. To know answer of all this read 8 Hours.
What I loved in this book?
Theme: Time based ( importance and proper usage of time)
Quotes:
" I cant be honest with myself. Maybe I can be so with you"
Story: I love the suspense till the end, twists and turns.
Characters: Abhimanyu the true support and a great friend. Raghav s dedication.
What I did not like?
I felt it bit too dragged in between.
Verdict: For me to connect, it took some chapters and i loved the climax with so many suspense. What I learn is," If you want to achieve something with good intentions and try hard you will win it" and "importance of time". Recommend to thriller lovers and corporate politics lovers.
My Rating:
Title- 5/5
Cover- 5/5
Blurb- 5/5
Characters- 5/5
Plot-4.5/5
Presentation-4.5/5
Overall Rating- 4/5
Psst: Thank you so much Writers Melon for giving me such wonderful book for Review, And Upendra Namburi for writing it.
Aratrika is not only fighting the battle with demons who are external but also she s fighting a battle with self ( anxiety, fear, weakness, her blood relations). Her life was never being easy on her, difficult childhood, her brothers dead, estranged husband. With all this The Rathores - The Reddy's Rivalry is not helping. How much dirtier can it get and can she survive all? She being a tough women fights to win back her company.
Who all are with her and who is against her, will she ever be able to know?
Is it only she s fighting a battle to win back her company or their is more to it?
What does Jagannath Rao holds against Madhusudhan Reddy ?
Will Aratrika ever be able to save her empire?
The Author has narrated the story on time span, it shows the importance of time, and even explained the past and related characters v well. And suspense is set till end with all the necessary twist and turns. To know answer of all this read 8 Hours.
What I loved in this book?
Theme: Time based ( importance and proper usage of time)
Quotes:
" I cant be honest with myself. Maybe I can be so with you"
Story: I love the suspense till the end, twists and turns.
Characters: Abhimanyu the true support and a great friend. Raghav s dedication.
What I did not like?
I felt it bit too dragged in between.
Verdict: For me to connect, it took some chapters and i loved the climax with so many suspense. What I learn is," If you want to achieve something with good intentions and try hard you will win it" and "importance of time". Recommend to thriller lovers and corporate politics lovers.
My Rating:
Title- 5/5
Cover- 5/5
Blurb- 5/5
Characters- 5/5
Plot-4.5/5
Presentation-4.5/5
Overall Rating- 4/5
Psst: Thank you so much Writers Melon for giving me such wonderful book for Review, And Upendra Namburi for writing it.
February 11, 2018
Nice title. The image of hourglass on the cover with dark background indicate the story that runs for 8 hours.
There are many charecters , they are intelligent smart and shrewd at the same time some are villainous. The main plot is rare one. . The subplots are awesome. . The strength of the novel lies on the fast pace and once you start to read means you won’t leave it until you reach the end. The climax is a fitting one The story moves through dialogue and past events are told in flash back .
The characters are so meaty , the dialogue so intriguing , and the happenings are so realistic.
There are suspense and spine-chilling events to hook you. The icing of the cake is that the story is told in conversations alone . The storyteller in the author reveals in keeping the tempo till the end.
The book discusses the following points thru the social drama
The nexus between prehensile heads of big corporate companies and corrupt politicians.
The methodology adopted to settle the scores
The magic of pulling the strings to achieve the desired ends.
The blurb calls the protagonist a charismatic VIP of Arya but she is also blessed with photogenic memory which helps her a lot . She is aggressive acting with prudence and sharp intelligence
The gory tale deals with the fraudulent indulgence and gruesome crimes .Eerie intense and well crafted novel transports readers to the corporate realm with all its ugliness and true colour albeit it flaunts a rosy picture with the extravagance show.
My verdict.
The thriller is an amazing read for crime fiction lovers. The language is so good, you would enjoy the twists and turns which accelerate your reading .Especially this book is meant for class audience and others also can enjoy the tale.
Readers would be drawn into this novel which explores the grey areas of cheating, vices and criminal activities
The author who is fond of numbers has given a thriller with all the masala enough to be made into a script for a movie.
The Editing is good. The font is small and paper quality is medium. . The cover and design by Gloworm Creations and the cover photograph Konsantin Kirillow/ Alamy stock photo are fantastic.
A dazzling novel from the author of weird and inimitable riveting crime thriller . it evokes a spell binding concoction of crime , history , horror and adventure.
for full review please visit the following link
https://talesandreviews.blogspot.in/?m=1
There are many charecters , they are intelligent smart and shrewd at the same time some are villainous. The main plot is rare one. . The subplots are awesome. . The strength of the novel lies on the fast pace and once you start to read means you won’t leave it until you reach the end. The climax is a fitting one The story moves through dialogue and past events are told in flash back .
The characters are so meaty , the dialogue so intriguing , and the happenings are so realistic.
There are suspense and spine-chilling events to hook you. The icing of the cake is that the story is told in conversations alone . The storyteller in the author reveals in keeping the tempo till the end.
The book discusses the following points thru the social drama
The nexus between prehensile heads of big corporate companies and corrupt politicians.
The methodology adopted to settle the scores
The magic of pulling the strings to achieve the desired ends.
The blurb calls the protagonist a charismatic VIP of Arya but she is also blessed with photogenic memory which helps her a lot . She is aggressive acting with prudence and sharp intelligence
The gory tale deals with the fraudulent indulgence and gruesome crimes .Eerie intense and well crafted novel transports readers to the corporate realm with all its ugliness and true colour albeit it flaunts a rosy picture with the extravagance show.
My verdict.
The thriller is an amazing read for crime fiction lovers. The language is so good, you would enjoy the twists and turns which accelerate your reading .Especially this book is meant for class audience and others also can enjoy the tale.
Readers would be drawn into this novel which explores the grey areas of cheating, vices and criminal activities
The author who is fond of numbers has given a thriller with all the masala enough to be made into a script for a movie.
The Editing is good. The font is small and paper quality is medium. . The cover and design by Gloworm Creations and the cover photograph Konsantin Kirillow/ Alamy stock photo are fantastic.
A dazzling novel from the author of weird and inimitable riveting crime thriller . it evokes a spell binding concoction of crime , history , horror and adventure.
for full review please visit the following link
https://talesandreviews.blogspot.in/?m=1
February 13, 2018
You can also read my review on www.booksandmuggles.com
Aratrika Reddy, the charismatic CEO of ARYA Holdings Ltd., has just 8 Hours to save her company from certain bankruptcy. Aratrika has to weave her way through a litany of lawyers, politicians, bankers, bureaucrats, investors, power brokers and her dreaded family. Behind the scenes, Jagannath Rao, her wily uncle, is playing a dangerous double game of manipulation. Her father Madhusudan is furiously pulling the strings from behind the scenes. To add to the confusion, overseeing the whole sale process is her old flame, Peter.
Over the course of a single night, 8 Hours to be precise, Aratrika must fight the demons at the gates of her company and those within. It’s a fight to the bitter end.
A fight that Aratrika does not want to lose…
My review:
8 Hours! 8 very long and happening hours that we mostly spend sleeping. But for Aratrika, these 8 hours will redefine her life and everyone and everything she holds dear in her life. The story opens with Aratrika fighting a lone battle to save her company ARYA from her foes and family. She can trust no one and yet she is determined to save ARYA and herself from the impending doom. There are other forces in play, like her childhood friend and ex-lover, Peter; her husband Siddhartha; her father and her uncle; Rajyavardhan, her father’s enemy; and other companies looking at the take over as a very profitable deal. The events take place between 1a.m. and 9a.m. and all the battles are fought ruthlessly.
The author, Upendra Namburi’s 8 Hours is quite an intriguing tale of lies and betrayals. He has created a world where all lines between emotions and business are blurred and the situation gets murkier with each passing minute. With the turn of each page, you will be left wondering who is on which side. The story is good and moves at a good pace. Though, I have to admit that for me, the first 15-30 pages were a little tough. But once I crossed that mark, I had to finish this book in one go.
Aratrika is a tough lady, a protagonist that I like. A woman holding her own in the corporate world and fighting a lone battle to save her company, she makes for a perfect super woman. The characters are good, some men like Siddhartha, Aratrika’s husband and Madhusudan Reddy, her father, are loathsome. A lot can happen in 8 hours and this book shows that.
Aratrika Reddy, the charismatic CEO of ARYA Holdings Ltd., has just 8 Hours to save her company from certain bankruptcy. Aratrika has to weave her way through a litany of lawyers, politicians, bankers, bureaucrats, investors, power brokers and her dreaded family. Behind the scenes, Jagannath Rao, her wily uncle, is playing a dangerous double game of manipulation. Her father Madhusudan is furiously pulling the strings from behind the scenes. To add to the confusion, overseeing the whole sale process is her old flame, Peter.
Over the course of a single night, 8 Hours to be precise, Aratrika must fight the demons at the gates of her company and those within. It’s a fight to the bitter end.
A fight that Aratrika does not want to lose…
My review:
8 Hours! 8 very long and happening hours that we mostly spend sleeping. But for Aratrika, these 8 hours will redefine her life and everyone and everything she holds dear in her life. The story opens with Aratrika fighting a lone battle to save her company ARYA from her foes and family. She can trust no one and yet she is determined to save ARYA and herself from the impending doom. There are other forces in play, like her childhood friend and ex-lover, Peter; her husband Siddhartha; her father and her uncle; Rajyavardhan, her father’s enemy; and other companies looking at the take over as a very profitable deal. The events take place between 1a.m. and 9a.m. and all the battles are fought ruthlessly.
The author, Upendra Namburi’s 8 Hours is quite an intriguing tale of lies and betrayals. He has created a world where all lines between emotions and business are blurred and the situation gets murkier with each passing minute. With the turn of each page, you will be left wondering who is on which side. The story is good and moves at a good pace. Though, I have to admit that for me, the first 15-30 pages were a little tough. But once I crossed that mark, I had to finish this book in one go.
Aratrika is a tough lady, a protagonist that I like. A woman holding her own in the corporate world and fighting a lone battle to save her company, she makes for a perfect super woman. The characters are good, some men like Siddhartha, Aratrika’s husband and Madhusudan Reddy, her father, are loathsome. A lot can happen in 8 hours and this book shows that.
February 15, 2018
8 Hours by Upendra Namburi is a story about Aratrika Reddy, the Charismatic CEO of ARYA Holdings Ltd., who has just 8 Hours to save her company from certain bankruptcy and a takeover. She doesn’t have to save her company from the banks, politicians, bureaucrats, investors, power brokers but also from her dreaded family who have their own plans about the company. Aratrika has to fight the demons not only out of her company but also within the company. Will she be able to save her company under these known and unknown circumstances? Only time will tell if Aratrika manages to change the fate of ARYA Holdings Ltd., to be precise only 8 Hours to change the game and save the company.
Aratrika Reddy is a strong woman and a wise leader as well. She has risen from the ashes left behind by her father’s cruelty on herself and her mother & brothers. She hates her father for her broken family, the abuses he has hurled upon them and the corrupted way in which he has built ARYA. She wants to become everything that her father couldn’t be and yet unknowingly in the process of achieving her goals she becomes like her father and hates herself for that.
Then there’s Aratrika Reddy’s husband ‘Siddhartha’ who also wants to make ARYA Holdings Ltd. his own. We also get to meet some other characters such as ‘Madhusudhan Reddy’ (Aratrika’s father) who is pulling the strings from behind and Jagannath Reddy (Aratrika’s Uncle) who is planning a dangerous game of manipulation.
My Opinion: It is a page turner and kept me on the edge throughout the book. We get to see all the events taking place during these 8 Hours starting from 1:00 am to 9:22 am and the decisions that are taken by Aratrika in these stressful hours to save her company. We get to see what may be a real scenario in a company during such instances, the sleepless night of all the people in the company to save their company. We also get to see how things work with the help of money and bribery inside the corporate world. But, I felt the ending was a little rushed and a little more details could have done wonders. Overall, it was an amazing book and someone who loves reading about businesses and takeovers would surely enjoy this book as every page as some twists and turn.
Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher for my honest review.
Rating: 4/5
Aratrika Reddy is a strong woman and a wise leader as well. She has risen from the ashes left behind by her father’s cruelty on herself and her mother & brothers. She hates her father for her broken family, the abuses he has hurled upon them and the corrupted way in which he has built ARYA. She wants to become everything that her father couldn’t be and yet unknowingly in the process of achieving her goals she becomes like her father and hates herself for that.
Then there’s Aratrika Reddy’s husband ‘Siddhartha’ who also wants to make ARYA Holdings Ltd. his own. We also get to meet some other characters such as ‘Madhusudhan Reddy’ (Aratrika’s father) who is pulling the strings from behind and Jagannath Reddy (Aratrika’s Uncle) who is planning a dangerous game of manipulation.
My Opinion: It is a page turner and kept me on the edge throughout the book. We get to see all the events taking place during these 8 Hours starting from 1:00 am to 9:22 am and the decisions that are taken by Aratrika in these stressful hours to save her company. We get to see what may be a real scenario in a company during such instances, the sleepless night of all the people in the company to save their company. We also get to see how things work with the help of money and bribery inside the corporate world. But, I felt the ending was a little rushed and a little more details could have done wonders. Overall, it was an amazing book and someone who loves reading about businesses and takeovers would surely enjoy this book as every page as some twists and turn.
Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher for my honest review.
Rating: 4/5
February 16, 2018
Rating : 3.8 stars
Full review on my blog Poesy In Chrysalis : https://poesyinchrysalis.wordpress.co...
In corporate business, it’s always hard to trust anyone. The close ones can back stab you and the people who are far away will wish you bad luck. Some will envy you and some will keep you close, try to gain your trust and then take advantage of your trust. It happens, we have all seen such incidences in movies, daily soaps, newspapers and probably have even read in fiction.
The plot is relatively simple and straightforward than I thought it would be because as far as I have seen, thrillers have a tendency to twist everything and make it sound more complicated than it actually is. The blurb is pretty straightforward and one could easily garner what the book is going to be about. The cover is also quite simple comparing to that of other mystery and thriller books; no dead bodies lying around, no blood, no people holding guns nor someone staring back in fear. The cover has got a sand time which implies time, which indeed is the main component of the book. So, at first glance, everything about this book is straightforward, no beating around the bush.
This book is not only about Aratrika trying to save the business empire, but it’s also a test of the relationships. She’s on a battle where she has to strive against all her personal ties and also fight off her inner demons all in the span of 8 hours. Whatever happens in these 8 hours teaches her to be believe in her own self and that it’s better not to depend on anyone else except yourself.
The language was lucid. The narration started off on a slow pace, gained speed in-between, slowed again and then picked up pace when it neared the end. So, I didn’t really find the flow of the narrative to be smooth. There aren’t many descriptions about the surroundings and situations, it’s mostly dialogues. But when there are descriptions about the scenes, there are almost no dialogues there. So, this irked me a bit since I prefer to have a balance between descriptions and dialogues. But, I didn’t really pay attention to it while reading.
RATINGS :
Book Cover : ⭐⭐⭐
Book Title: ⭐⭐⭐
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Narration: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Language and Vocabulary: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Grammar and Punctuation: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Full review on my blog Poesy In Chrysalis : https://poesyinchrysalis.wordpress.co...
In corporate business, it’s always hard to trust anyone. The close ones can back stab you and the people who are far away will wish you bad luck. Some will envy you and some will keep you close, try to gain your trust and then take advantage of your trust. It happens, we have all seen such incidences in movies, daily soaps, newspapers and probably have even read in fiction.
The plot is relatively simple and straightforward than I thought it would be because as far as I have seen, thrillers have a tendency to twist everything and make it sound more complicated than it actually is. The blurb is pretty straightforward and one could easily garner what the book is going to be about. The cover is also quite simple comparing to that of other mystery and thriller books; no dead bodies lying around, no blood, no people holding guns nor someone staring back in fear. The cover has got a sand time which implies time, which indeed is the main component of the book. So, at first glance, everything about this book is straightforward, no beating around the bush.
This book is not only about Aratrika trying to save the business empire, but it’s also a test of the relationships. She’s on a battle where she has to strive against all her personal ties and also fight off her inner demons all in the span of 8 hours. Whatever happens in these 8 hours teaches her to be believe in her own self and that it’s better not to depend on anyone else except yourself.
The language was lucid. The narration started off on a slow pace, gained speed in-between, slowed again and then picked up pace when it neared the end. So, I didn’t really find the flow of the narrative to be smooth. There aren’t many descriptions about the surroundings and situations, it’s mostly dialogues. But when there are descriptions about the scenes, there are almost no dialogues there. So, this irked me a bit since I prefer to have a balance between descriptions and dialogues. But, I didn’t really pay attention to it while reading.
RATINGS :
Book Cover : ⭐⭐⭐
Book Title: ⭐⭐⭐
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Narration: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Language and Vocabulary: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Grammar and Punctuation: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
March 13, 2018
Upendra Namburi’s 8 Hours is a fast-paced thriller with high voltage episodes unfurling within a span of 8 hours. It revolves around a take-over deal of one of the highly reputed, influential and controversial company ARYA INDUSTRIES- that is unfortunately on the verge of bankruptcy. The CEO, Aratrika Reddy, has only 8 Hours to make or mar the future of the company that she took over from her father and shaped up on her own.
The 8 Hours of anticipation is filled with negotiations, betrayals, flashbacks, memories, hypocrisy, strategies and selfish motives. The deals and revised interests seem nothing short of a gripping game of chess. More the players, more the personal rivalries come into play. Aratrika’s father, Madhusudhan Reddy while establishing ARYA had made enough enemies in the field who were passed on to Aratrika when she took over. All these industrial magnets, as well as her own estranged relations with her ex-lover and husband, leave no stones unturned in trying to acquire the company. It is not so much for the share value of the company as it is for emotionally crushing the patriarch and Aratrika that their rivals throw enviable deals for the takeover.
Further, in just a matter of 8 Hours, some of the best-kept secrets of the industry are revealed. Whether it be money laundering from within the company or forgery audits by the owners of the company itself. Aratrika is portrayed as the true iron woman of the times, whose focus is only on saving the company whether it is from the rivals or the power-hungry sharks within the internal ranks.
Namburi beautifully portrays the dark internal side of a company where money and power are the driving forces of work and activities. It is often said that there is no place for emotions in business, and Aratrika and the other industrial magnets in this novel surely glorifies the saying. Whether it be her own father, brother or uncle, she spares none when it comes to saving her dream. Even her husband who has been previously accused of infidelity and her ex-lovers are in the circuit to defeat her. It is indeed interesting to see how Aratrika fights all odds and most importantly against her own family apart from the rivals to decide the future of the ARYA INDUSTRIES which she has so meticulously reigned over for years.
The 8 Hours of anticipation is filled with negotiations, betrayals, flashbacks, memories, hypocrisy, strategies and selfish motives. The deals and revised interests seem nothing short of a gripping game of chess. More the players, more the personal rivalries come into play. Aratrika’s father, Madhusudhan Reddy while establishing ARYA had made enough enemies in the field who were passed on to Aratrika when she took over. All these industrial magnets, as well as her own estranged relations with her ex-lover and husband, leave no stones unturned in trying to acquire the company. It is not so much for the share value of the company as it is for emotionally crushing the patriarch and Aratrika that their rivals throw enviable deals for the takeover.
Further, in just a matter of 8 Hours, some of the best-kept secrets of the industry are revealed. Whether it be money laundering from within the company or forgery audits by the owners of the company itself. Aratrika is portrayed as the true iron woman of the times, whose focus is only on saving the company whether it is from the rivals or the power-hungry sharks within the internal ranks.
Namburi beautifully portrays the dark internal side of a company where money and power are the driving forces of work and activities. It is often said that there is no place for emotions in business, and Aratrika and the other industrial magnets in this novel surely glorifies the saying. Whether it be her own father, brother or uncle, she spares none when it comes to saving her dream. Even her husband who has been previously accused of infidelity and her ex-lovers are in the circuit to defeat her. It is indeed interesting to see how Aratrika fights all odds and most importantly against her own family apart from the rivals to decide the future of the ARYA INDUSTRIES which she has so meticulously reigned over for years.
February 22, 2018
The title of the novel itself indicates that the book has something to do with the time limit and that has to be done within this time frame. The title and blurb of the book are captivating enough to fascinate the readers to pick up this book.
I always loved business fiction and this is the book I was longing to read.
Aratrika Reddy, CEO of Arya Holdings Ltd., has just 8 Hours to save her company from bankruptcy. She has to take swift decisions in a single night within the course of 8 Hours. She is portrayed as a fighter who is determined to save her company even if it means to take stiff actions against her own family members. She has to work her way out from unavoidable insolvency at the doorsteps of her company.
The book starts with the time frame at 1 a.m. and the thrill ends at 8:57 a.m., and this narrates the settlements, deals, negotiations, dialogues, threatening moves, plotting and planning between all the potential rivals of Arya Holding Ltd.
Meanwhile, the book goes back to earlier periods to recount happenings and conversations that lead to the current situation of Arya.
What raises Aratrika difficulties more that the persons she trusted i.e. her uncle Jagannath Rao, her friend peter were playing double games with her and cheated on her. And this list includes her ex husband Siddhartha and her elder brother Aditya.
The main reason I was hooked till the end was the curiosity of how Aratrika would save her company from the clutches of bankruptcy.
What was Good
The dialogue narration is exemplary.
Characters in the book are well developed.
The writing style is meticulous and precise.
The thrill set till the end of the book where reader gets no idea how Aratrika would save her company from the hostile takeover.
What wasn’t Good
Too many Characters induced confusion.
People with less corporate understanding may find it arduous to connect with the few terms and slangs used in the book.
Why to read this book
This book is a corporate thriller and will not disappoint you in this genre. It will keep you engaged till the end.
I loved the thrill and pace of the book and will recommend to those who love business thrillers.
I always loved business fiction and this is the book I was longing to read.
Aratrika Reddy, CEO of Arya Holdings Ltd., has just 8 Hours to save her company from bankruptcy. She has to take swift decisions in a single night within the course of 8 Hours. She is portrayed as a fighter who is determined to save her company even if it means to take stiff actions against her own family members. She has to work her way out from unavoidable insolvency at the doorsteps of her company.
The book starts with the time frame at 1 a.m. and the thrill ends at 8:57 a.m., and this narrates the settlements, deals, negotiations, dialogues, threatening moves, plotting and planning between all the potential rivals of Arya Holding Ltd.
Meanwhile, the book goes back to earlier periods to recount happenings and conversations that lead to the current situation of Arya.
What raises Aratrika difficulties more that the persons she trusted i.e. her uncle Jagannath Rao, her friend peter were playing double games with her and cheated on her. And this list includes her ex husband Siddhartha and her elder brother Aditya.
The main reason I was hooked till the end was the curiosity of how Aratrika would save her company from the clutches of bankruptcy.
What was Good
The dialogue narration is exemplary.
Characters in the book are well developed.
The writing style is meticulous and precise.
The thrill set till the end of the book where reader gets no idea how Aratrika would save her company from the hostile takeover.
What wasn’t Good
Too many Characters induced confusion.
People with less corporate understanding may find it arduous to connect with the few terms and slangs used in the book.
Why to read this book
This book is a corporate thriller and will not disappoint you in this genre. It will keep you engaged till the end.
I loved the thrill and pace of the book and will recommend to those who love business thrillers.
February 16, 2018
8 hours.
Upendra Namburi.
Wedtland Books.
2017. Pp-282.
8 hours is the story of Aratrika, a young, smart woman. Also the CEO of ARYA. And this is her journey of correcting the wrongs, or trying to. This is her fight, a fight to save her company and all she's got is 8 hours.
ARYA is everything a multi-billionaire company should be. Packed with drama, power, stature, corruption, manipulations, and money (loads of it). Given the traumatic and unfriendly history of the family, find out how Aratrika takes up the challenge and survives the plot, and all the suitors who want to buy the company out- among which are the Reddy's arch-rivals, the Rathores, and her own husband, Siddhartha. To make it even more interesting (or difficult :p) is her old flame, Peter, who's part of the game too.
Every chapter is titled after the hour or the minute that passes by and THAT keeps you and your adrenaline up and about, turning page after page. On the same lines, the chapters are short, which is a BLESSING for any avid reader. You can get away with 'one-more-chapter' and no harms done.
One little loop here, however, is that it might take you a while to know the characters better, their names, how they're related and what importance their hold up, in the story. But once you're familiar, it's an easy read.
Apart from all that, 8 hours gives you a genuine and even more so, an authentic narrative of the corporate world.
The book is well versed with the technicalities of the business world. While I lost the flow at times, struggling to understand these technicalities, I was amused and impressed by the preciseness of it. So much so that I had to do a background check on the author, who turns out to be an MBA lad himself. Hence, explained :p
This is Upendra Namburi's 3rd novel. And after reading this one, I'm more than keen on reading the other two- 31 and 60 minutes. He is passionate for titling his books by numbers- which I find interesting.
I give it a good 3.5 on 5.
Thank you #writersmelon for the #reviewcopy .
Reviews also available on WordPress, Amazon, Goodreads and Twitter. #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #8hours #upendranamburi #BookReview #westlandbooks
Upendra Namburi.
Wedtland Books.
2017. Pp-282.
8 hours is the story of Aratrika, a young, smart woman. Also the CEO of ARYA. And this is her journey of correcting the wrongs, or trying to. This is her fight, a fight to save her company and all she's got is 8 hours.
ARYA is everything a multi-billionaire company should be. Packed with drama, power, stature, corruption, manipulations, and money (loads of it). Given the traumatic and unfriendly history of the family, find out how Aratrika takes up the challenge and survives the plot, and all the suitors who want to buy the company out- among which are the Reddy's arch-rivals, the Rathores, and her own husband, Siddhartha. To make it even more interesting (or difficult :p) is her old flame, Peter, who's part of the game too.
Every chapter is titled after the hour or the minute that passes by and THAT keeps you and your adrenaline up and about, turning page after page. On the same lines, the chapters are short, which is a BLESSING for any avid reader. You can get away with 'one-more-chapter' and no harms done.
One little loop here, however, is that it might take you a while to know the characters better, their names, how they're related and what importance their hold up, in the story. But once you're familiar, it's an easy read.
Apart from all that, 8 hours gives you a genuine and even more so, an authentic narrative of the corporate world.
The book is well versed with the technicalities of the business world. While I lost the flow at times, struggling to understand these technicalities, I was amused and impressed by the preciseness of it. So much so that I had to do a background check on the author, who turns out to be an MBA lad himself. Hence, explained :p
This is Upendra Namburi's 3rd novel. And after reading this one, I'm more than keen on reading the other two- 31 and 60 minutes. He is passionate for titling his books by numbers- which I find interesting.
I give it a good 3.5 on 5.
Thank you #writersmelon for the #reviewcopy .
Reviews also available on WordPress, Amazon, Goodreads and Twitter. #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #8hours #upendranamburi #BookReview #westlandbooks
February 26, 2018
The clock ticks by, heart beats increase, emotions run high, brains are put to test and then finally the time comes when……. Read the book to know. 🙂
‘8 Hours’ is a test of relationships, management skills and the will to achieve the ‘impossible.’ It is in fact a sneak- peek into the corporate business world, a world where money, management, muscle power and intelligence rule the roost, a world where the one caught napping eventually pays a price be it in terms of health or wealth or both. Here friends and foes are but temporary and blood turns out to be thinner than water. The shrewd survive while the dumb wit collapse and leave.
Racy and engaging, ‘8 Hours’ is weaved on a strong frame (read plot) which does not cave in easily to the reader’s sleuthing abilities. It takes the reader along till the end, peeling off the layers of suspense slowly one- by-one by way of surprising twists and turns.
Replete with a maze of emotions like love, hate, deceit, disgust, despair, determination, fear and surprise, the book is interesting and intriguing.
The characters are well fleshed out with their virtues and vices unraveled via subtle moves. Strong headed and determined, the protagonist Aratrika is seen to be fighting her inner demons several times within those eight hours only to emerge stronger after each bout. Her passion, her determination and her gut feeling spur her on to cross each hurdle with the fire of a war horse and the moves of a Chess Master.
While I could easily relate to the Aratrika’s stress, Rajvardhan’s cunning moves, Siddharth’s greed and Jagannath’s manipulating ways, it was Madhusudhan’s hatred for his daughter that left me befuddled.
Language is lucid and the pace is racy. Yes, I must admit that the in the initial stages the pace appeared slow, but then once it picked up speed there was no looking back.
I missed –
1) A better understanding of Aratrika’s mother. A bit more on her and her peculiar relationship with the Reddy brothers would have helped.
2) The trigger for Madhusudhan’s anger and the motive behind the crime he committed.
‘8 Hours’ is a test of relationships, management skills and the will to achieve the ‘impossible.’ It is in fact a sneak- peek into the corporate business world, a world where money, management, muscle power and intelligence rule the roost, a world where the one caught napping eventually pays a price be it in terms of health or wealth or both. Here friends and foes are but temporary and blood turns out to be thinner than water. The shrewd survive while the dumb wit collapse and leave.
Racy and engaging, ‘8 Hours’ is weaved on a strong frame (read plot) which does not cave in easily to the reader’s sleuthing abilities. It takes the reader along till the end, peeling off the layers of suspense slowly one- by-one by way of surprising twists and turns.
Replete with a maze of emotions like love, hate, deceit, disgust, despair, determination, fear and surprise, the book is interesting and intriguing.
The characters are well fleshed out with their virtues and vices unraveled via subtle moves. Strong headed and determined, the protagonist Aratrika is seen to be fighting her inner demons several times within those eight hours only to emerge stronger after each bout. Her passion, her determination and her gut feeling spur her on to cross each hurdle with the fire of a war horse and the moves of a Chess Master.
While I could easily relate to the Aratrika’s stress, Rajvardhan’s cunning moves, Siddharth’s greed and Jagannath’s manipulating ways, it was Madhusudhan’s hatred for his daughter that left me befuddled.
Language is lucid and the pace is racy. Yes, I must admit that the in the initial stages the pace appeared slow, but then once it picked up speed there was no looking back.
I missed –
1) A better understanding of Aratrika’s mother. A bit more on her and her peculiar relationship with the Reddy brothers would have helped.
2) The trigger for Madhusudhan’s anger and the motive behind the crime he committed.
February 5, 2018
Aratrika Reddy, CEO of Arya Holdings Ltd, has only eight hours to save her company from bankruptcy and a hostile takeover.. In this book, Author talks about the hurdles faced by her to save her company from disaster in a very limited time..This fight by Aratrika makes this story an interesting and a thrilling read..
Aratrika had a very difficult childhood and she despises her father liquor baron Madhusudhan Reddy, founder of Arya Holdings…She couldn’t forget her traumatic past and the way her father had badly treated her mother and her brothers..She starts working at ARYA due to some unavoidable circumstances..She expands her father’s business and is happy when good results started showing up due to her hard work..But all of a sudden, things start to fell apart and the company faces many hurdles..Her father’s rival Harshavardhan Rathore and his son Rajyavardhan starts destroying her company to settle their own old scores..Further Aratrika also has to handle her estranged husband Siddhartha who also tries to take over the company..
Author had described the events that happen in a timeline in this book…Aratrika finds out that some persons who she had believed fully, also had cheated her..She tries hard to cope up with mental stress and tries hard to achieve her dream..Her childhood pains and dark secrets makes the reader to sympathize with her..Her innocence is killed due to her past and she is forced to do many things that she doesn’t really wish to do…She is portrayed as a person who tries hard to fight against uncertainties..
Though the story revolves around Aratrika, the author depicts the other characters’ also in a very detailed manner..Her relationship with her mother, brothers, her uncle Jagannath and her old friend Peter is explained well by the Author..
Overall, I feel that this book is good, thrilling, fast-paced, interesting and engaging to read!!!
My rating for this book is 4/5.
Aratrika had a very difficult childhood and she despises her father liquor baron Madhusudhan Reddy, founder of Arya Holdings…She couldn’t forget her traumatic past and the way her father had badly treated her mother and her brothers..She starts working at ARYA due to some unavoidable circumstances..She expands her father’s business and is happy when good results started showing up due to her hard work..But all of a sudden, things start to fell apart and the company faces many hurdles..Her father’s rival Harshavardhan Rathore and his son Rajyavardhan starts destroying her company to settle their own old scores..Further Aratrika also has to handle her estranged husband Siddhartha who also tries to take over the company..
Author had described the events that happen in a timeline in this book…Aratrika finds out that some persons who she had believed fully, also had cheated her..She tries hard to cope up with mental stress and tries hard to achieve her dream..Her childhood pains and dark secrets makes the reader to sympathize with her..Her innocence is killed due to her past and she is forced to do many things that she doesn’t really wish to do…She is portrayed as a person who tries hard to fight against uncertainties..
Though the story revolves around Aratrika, the author depicts the other characters’ also in a very detailed manner..Her relationship with her mother, brothers, her uncle Jagannath and her old friend Peter is explained well by the Author..
Overall, I feel that this book is good, thrilling, fast-paced, interesting and engaging to read!!!
My rating for this book is 4/5.
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