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Seduction by Truth
Shiva is handsome, an irresistible talker, well-off, lives in Delhi's poshest suburb, is a dutiful husband to the attractive Akriti and is a perfect father to their little son. So why is he the picture of disenchantment ? Is it that not-so-uncommon human condition - boredom that sometimes accompanies fidelity - that haunts him ? In Shiva's case, the discovery that Akriti has already found distraction with someone else frees him to look for excitement on his own - but with a mind conflicted between dharma and desire. Which is the path that he will choose to walk on ? Shiva embarks on a journey to empirically explore different options - the sexually vibrant Sana and Mary, to name a few - but at the end, winds up with more questions than he started out with. To confuse things further, Akriti continues to occupy a tender place in his heart - as a woman first and a wife later.
180 pages, Paperback
Published October 10, 2018
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December 11, 2018
Starting from the cover of the book is a picture of golden apple enclosed with barbwire and fire around it. The cover is alluring and awe-inspiring can make the reader pick up the book by just looking at the cover. The title of the book "Seduction By Truth" is apt according to the plot. The cover and the title complement each other well and also is according to the story, so it’s a perfect combination. It’s always great to read a book when it not only has an interesting cover or title but a great story as well.
This is the story of main protagonist Shiva who is in early forties successful businessman, married with Akriti and son Ankur. But after a certain age, Akriti had lost interest in having sexual pleasure-seeking with him. The lack of desire for sex in Shiva's life makes him questionable on marriage and doubts that his wife is having an affair with another man and realizes that must be the reason for his wife's lack of interest in him. Instead of asking or fighting about his wife affair, he decides to handle the situation in another way by taking a silent revenge to prove the sexual desire to other women. On Shiva's journey to find the reason behind lack of desire in married life. He encounters Sana- the personal secretary who is not happy with her husband, Zeba- who unhappy in her marriage and was mercilessly neglected by her husband a victim of polygamy and the last women Mary- unmarried Italian who doesn't believe in marriage and considers having sex a sin. Shiva with his knowledge about the historical and mythological character was able to convince about adultery. To know more read the book.
The author’s strongest point is a plot with a unique theme. Language is simple crisp and lucid and has the ability to bring live the events narrated in the book. The author’s mastery over the language is evident from the terms he has used and the vivid description of events that unfold in the pages of the book. He has portrayed each and every character with the utmost significance of their own and every one of them has done justice to their respective roles throughout the story. The only character that left me a bit confused was that of Akriti, maybe the author should have added one more chapter with her side of the story. The climax could have been much better with a clear conclusion. The storyline is gripping as well as intriguing and the author has been able to do full justice to it. The pace of the story was steady and smooth. The narration of the events is done brilliantly. The book is free from any grammatical errors and has been perfectly edited.
Looking forward to read more books by the author.
This is the story of main protagonist Shiva who is in early forties successful businessman, married with Akriti and son Ankur. But after a certain age, Akriti had lost interest in having sexual pleasure-seeking with him. The lack of desire for sex in Shiva's life makes him questionable on marriage and doubts that his wife is having an affair with another man and realizes that must be the reason for his wife's lack of interest in him. Instead of asking or fighting about his wife affair, he decides to handle the situation in another way by taking a silent revenge to prove the sexual desire to other women. On Shiva's journey to find the reason behind lack of desire in married life. He encounters Sana- the personal secretary who is not happy with her husband, Zeba- who unhappy in her marriage and was mercilessly neglected by her husband a victim of polygamy and the last women Mary- unmarried Italian who doesn't believe in marriage and considers having sex a sin. Shiva with his knowledge about the historical and mythological character was able to convince about adultery. To know more read the book.
The author’s strongest point is a plot with a unique theme. Language is simple crisp and lucid and has the ability to bring live the events narrated in the book. The author’s mastery over the language is evident from the terms he has used and the vivid description of events that unfold in the pages of the book. He has portrayed each and every character with the utmost significance of their own and every one of them has done justice to their respective roles throughout the story. The only character that left me a bit confused was that of Akriti, maybe the author should have added one more chapter with her side of the story. The climax could have been much better with a clear conclusion. The storyline is gripping as well as intriguing and the author has been able to do full justice to it. The pace of the story was steady and smooth. The narration of the events is done brilliantly. The book is free from any grammatical errors and has been perfectly edited.
Looking forward to read more books by the author.
December 3, 2018
Seduction by truth is a story about Adultery. The protagonist's name is Shiva who is a successful businessman but after a certain age his wife is not interested in having a sexual relationship with him but he is very much inclined towards it but never forces himself on his wife. Later he doubts that his wife is having an affair with another man and realizes that maybe that was the reason for his wife's lack of interest in him. He decides he also will try and have sexual relationships with other women (only married women) to fulfill his desires and also to understand how after a certain period of time marriages start lacking passion and partners seek that passion out of their wedlock. He wants to understand the institution of a marriage completely. His first test subject became his secretory Sana who was also unhappy in her marriage. His second subject was Zeba who again was unhappy in her marriage and was mercilessly neglected by her husband. His third subject was Mary, a beautiful Italian woman who was not married but was firm on her beliefs and considered having sex a sin.
This book is nothing like an erotica with lots of lovemaking scenes. This book is everything but that. Shiva twists and turns the mythological facts and present them in such a way that women find him an attractive and all-knowing hero.
Characterization was good and the author has described each character in detail except Shiva's wife Akriti and his son Ankur. The vocabulary used by the author was not simple and this book is also not a light read and can't be finished in one sitting as the author has used philosophical reasons to justify Shiva's actions which can be understood only if given time to read properly. The cover of the book is really beautiful and I loved it.
This book is nothing like an erotica with lots of lovemaking scenes. This book is everything but that. Shiva twists and turns the mythological facts and present them in such a way that women find him an attractive and all-knowing hero.
Characterization was good and the author has described each character in detail except Shiva's wife Akriti and his son Ankur. The vocabulary used by the author was not simple and this book is also not a light read and can't be finished in one sitting as the author has used philosophical reasons to justify Shiva's actions which can be understood only if given time to read properly. The cover of the book is really beautiful and I loved it.
November 13, 2018
The First impression you get on seeing the Book cover and the title is that it has some erotic content. But surprisingly the book is sans eroticism and has more of a philosophical approach to it.
The blurb on Book:
Shiva is handsome, an irresistible talker, well-off, lives in Delhi’s poshest suburb, is a
dutiful husband to the attractive Akriti and is a perfect father to their little son. So why is he the picture of disenchantment?
Is it that not-so-uncommon human condition-boredom that sometimes accompanies fidelity-that haunts him? In Shiva’s case, the discovery that Akriti has already found distraction with someone else frees him to look for excitement on his own but with a mind conflicted between dharma and desire. Which is the path that he will choose to walk on?
Shiva embarks on a journey to empirically explore different options-the sexually vibrant Sana and Mary, to name a few-but at the end, winds up with more questions than he started out with. To confuse things further, Akriti continues to occupy a tender place in his heart as a woman first and a wife later.
A slice-of-life tale, which is part reality and part legend, Seduction by Truth dare the modern reader to solve civilization’s oldest puzzle-marriage.
What I Liked about it
The book has a basic storyline yet the approach to the story is unique. The concept has more of a philosophical and mythological background to it. Moreover, the book gives readers fodder for thought, leaving the reader to mull over the story long after finishing the book. It is just 180 pages, quite a fast read.
Writing is crisp and narration smooth sans any grammatical mistake. The author didn’t hesitate to use his deep knowledge of Indian and Greek Mythology in his book, which in turn gave it a rather interesting perspective to it. And I must say that the cover of the book is apt to the storyline.
What I didn’t like about the Book
I kinda felt that the characters were weak and failed to leave any impact on me, especially Akriti and Ankur, they were there for the sake of being there. I felt like I was reading a drab script. There is nothing wrong with the story but the only thing missing in it were emotions, and unfortunately, that made all the difference. A little more emotions and this book could have been a 4-star read.
Recommendation
Seduction by Truth is a book that will appeal to people who prefer books with a unique concept. It’s a one time and short read.
I give it 3/5
The blurb on Book:
Shiva is handsome, an irresistible talker, well-off, lives in Delhi’s poshest suburb, is a
dutiful husband to the attractive Akriti and is a perfect father to their little son. So why is he the picture of disenchantment?
Is it that not-so-uncommon human condition-boredom that sometimes accompanies fidelity-that haunts him? In Shiva’s case, the discovery that Akriti has already found distraction with someone else frees him to look for excitement on his own but with a mind conflicted between dharma and desire. Which is the path that he will choose to walk on?
Shiva embarks on a journey to empirically explore different options-the sexually vibrant Sana and Mary, to name a few-but at the end, winds up with more questions than he started out with. To confuse things further, Akriti continues to occupy a tender place in his heart as a woman first and a wife later.
A slice-of-life tale, which is part reality and part legend, Seduction by Truth dare the modern reader to solve civilization’s oldest puzzle-marriage.
What I Liked about it
The book has a basic storyline yet the approach to the story is unique. The concept has more of a philosophical and mythological background to it. Moreover, the book gives readers fodder for thought, leaving the reader to mull over the story long after finishing the book. It is just 180 pages, quite a fast read.
Writing is crisp and narration smooth sans any grammatical mistake. The author didn’t hesitate to use his deep knowledge of Indian and Greek Mythology in his book, which in turn gave it a rather interesting perspective to it. And I must say that the cover of the book is apt to the storyline.
What I didn’t like about the Book
I kinda felt that the characters were weak and failed to leave any impact on me, especially Akriti and Ankur, they were there for the sake of being there. I felt like I was reading a drab script. There is nothing wrong with the story but the only thing missing in it were emotions, and unfortunately, that made all the difference. A little more emotions and this book could have been a 4-star read.
Recommendation
Seduction by Truth is a book that will appeal to people who prefer books with a unique concept. It’s a one time and short read.
I give it 3/5
November 25, 2020
Book Title: Seduction By Truth
Author: Mukul Kumar
Format: Paperback
Book Title:
The title of the book ‘ Seduction By Truth ‘ is bold, exciting and contemporary.
Book Cover:
The cover image of the book is a golden apple trapped in a closed barbwire enclosure depicting the pain and pleasure one often experiences.
Plot:
There were times where I often used to wonder why Indian Authors and especially the new age authors only write more about everyday things or love stories or something that really comforts them. Few authors resort themselves in writing the out of box stories or bold stories with dark content by releasing those books in non-Indian places. It also pops in my mind if the pre-programmed notions of marriage as a divine thing entwined with ethics, tradition, religion and societal values often restrict the people to explore the darkest of the dark realities. Topics like adultery, blasphemy, and infidelity are dealt on the superficial layers in modern Indian literature as they are directly linked with religion that creates an ill effect. But, often people tend to forget compartmental thinking and form general opinions and try to force them against into society.
In the story, Shiva, one of the main characters faces 40’s blues and is married to Akriti. Loss of passion into the wedlock after a certain time creates a rift between the couple and also puts their sexual life in a distress. Shiva who is looking for a connect happens to meet three women and the story is about his relationships with them.
The author has tried to address man issues that are faced by a couple in the society and the aftermath consequences for going against the norms set up in the institution of marriage. As the story is a piece of fiction, Shiva is shown as a man with many abilities and apparently succeeding in framing other women.
What I like:
1. The storyline
2. Various taboos that are explained in an exploring way.
3. Woman’s freedom that is usually ignored here is explained in an appreciable manner.
What I didn’t like:
1. At some places, I found the story predictable and dragging.
2. The break rules thing could have been glorified in a different way because hardcore feminists may feel the portrayal of the other women in the story offensive.
Characters:
All the main characters involved in the story are resembling though at places they are found to be unimaginable. The actions by some characters are very pinpointing and accentuating towards the dark side of a human thinking.
Narration:
There is a huge scope of novelty in the narration. The author has impressed by creating a very dark plot with a good number of characters and sub-plots.
Language & Grammar:
When it comes to the point of language and grammar, the colloquial language with apt grammar is used for comfortable readability.
My Final Verdict: A perfect read for people who don’t roll eyes when raw reality emotions in relationships pop-up.
Book Title: 4/5
Book Cover: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Narration: 4/5
Language & Grammar: 4/5
Final Rating: 4/5
Author: Mukul Kumar
Format: Paperback
Book Title:
The title of the book ‘ Seduction By Truth ‘ is bold, exciting and contemporary.
Book Cover:
The cover image of the book is a golden apple trapped in a closed barbwire enclosure depicting the pain and pleasure one often experiences.
Plot:
There were times where I often used to wonder why Indian Authors and especially the new age authors only write more about everyday things or love stories or something that really comforts them. Few authors resort themselves in writing the out of box stories or bold stories with dark content by releasing those books in non-Indian places. It also pops in my mind if the pre-programmed notions of marriage as a divine thing entwined with ethics, tradition, religion and societal values often restrict the people to explore the darkest of the dark realities. Topics like adultery, blasphemy, and infidelity are dealt on the superficial layers in modern Indian literature as they are directly linked with religion that creates an ill effect. But, often people tend to forget compartmental thinking and form general opinions and try to force them against into society.
In the story, Shiva, one of the main characters faces 40’s blues and is married to Akriti. Loss of passion into the wedlock after a certain time creates a rift between the couple and also puts their sexual life in a distress. Shiva who is looking for a connect happens to meet three women and the story is about his relationships with them.
The author has tried to address man issues that are faced by a couple in the society and the aftermath consequences for going against the norms set up in the institution of marriage. As the story is a piece of fiction, Shiva is shown as a man with many abilities and apparently succeeding in framing other women.
What I like:
1. The storyline
2. Various taboos that are explained in an exploring way.
3. Woman’s freedom that is usually ignored here is explained in an appreciable manner.
What I didn’t like:
1. At some places, I found the story predictable and dragging.
2. The break rules thing could have been glorified in a different way because hardcore feminists may feel the portrayal of the other women in the story offensive.
Characters:
All the main characters involved in the story are resembling though at places they are found to be unimaginable. The actions by some characters are very pinpointing and accentuating towards the dark side of a human thinking.
Narration:
There is a huge scope of novelty in the narration. The author has impressed by creating a very dark plot with a good number of characters and sub-plots.
Language & Grammar:
When it comes to the point of language and grammar, the colloquial language with apt grammar is used for comfortable readability.
My Final Verdict: A perfect read for people who don’t roll eyes when raw reality emotions in relationships pop-up.
Book Title: 4/5
Book Cover: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Narration: 4/5
Language & Grammar: 4/5
Final Rating: 4/5
October 24, 2018
" Knowing truth is a pleasure, but living it can be such a pain!" So true and deep!! Seduction by Truth by Mukul Kumar is a story of Shiva and women in his life. Shiva in his early forties; a Smart, handsome, successful, well settled man with outstanding talking and convincing skills. His knowledge about the mythological characters and the way he connects them with today's realities really amazed me.
Shiva is in good terms with his wife and Son but still the emptyness of desire of sex in his wife makes his life questionable. And one day he found about the affair of his wife with someone and instead of fighting or questioning his wife he decided to look out for other options may be to take a silent revenge with his wife or to prove his desirability to other women. And on his journey he met 3 different women. Sana - his personal assistant, a beautiful intelligent lady who is not happy with his husband and his abuses. Zeba - A Smart independent corporate head but she is victim of polygamy; has no love, romance or affection in her married life. Mary - An unmarried independent italian lady who is against the idea of desire and sex. Shiva and his charm and his convincing talks attracted all these women and they became part of Shiva's journey to explore the reason behind lack of desire in married life.
Best part about the book is it's description and narration of the events with connection with God made by men. Few of the examples given like Lord Brihaspati and his wife Tara, Shiva and Parvati are described so well to give broader idea to the concept of the book. The interpretation of few paintings like creation of Adam and Original Sin are mind blowing. That shows the Author's deep study about the subject.
Adultery is not justified in married life but then where your desire takes over your ethics you try and explore your life with different options. As mentioned in book " If desire is a reality, so is the security and identity provided by marriage and that's why Shiva still had that feelings for his wife and he judged her as a woman first and then as a wife.
"Apprehension is vocal while acceptance is silent. But silence does not necessarily mean inaction" one more deep thought of this book caught my attention.
Book Cover so apt with the plot so does the title. concept of the book is quite bold for the Indian readers but the way it has been potrayed is quite convincing. So if you are looking for some different story with some historical and mythological touch, it's a must read.
Shiva is in good terms with his wife and Son but still the emptyness of desire of sex in his wife makes his life questionable. And one day he found about the affair of his wife with someone and instead of fighting or questioning his wife he decided to look out for other options may be to take a silent revenge with his wife or to prove his desirability to other women. And on his journey he met 3 different women. Sana - his personal assistant, a beautiful intelligent lady who is not happy with his husband and his abuses. Zeba - A Smart independent corporate head but she is victim of polygamy; has no love, romance or affection in her married life. Mary - An unmarried independent italian lady who is against the idea of desire and sex. Shiva and his charm and his convincing talks attracted all these women and they became part of Shiva's journey to explore the reason behind lack of desire in married life.
Best part about the book is it's description and narration of the events with connection with God made by men. Few of the examples given like Lord Brihaspati and his wife Tara, Shiva and Parvati are described so well to give broader idea to the concept of the book. The interpretation of few paintings like creation of Adam and Original Sin are mind blowing. That shows the Author's deep study about the subject.
Adultery is not justified in married life but then where your desire takes over your ethics you try and explore your life with different options. As mentioned in book " If desire is a reality, so is the security and identity provided by marriage and that's why Shiva still had that feelings for his wife and he judged her as a woman first and then as a wife.
"Apprehension is vocal while acceptance is silent. But silence does not necessarily mean inaction" one more deep thought of this book caught my attention.
Book Cover so apt with the plot so does the title. concept of the book is quite bold for the Indian readers but the way it has been potrayed is quite convincing. So if you are looking for some different story with some historical and mythological touch, it's a must read.
November 21, 2018
The cover of the book suggests the abstract and unattainable by the picture of a golden apple surrounded by barbed wires and fires all round it.
The story too revolves round the human philosophy and human psyche towards the institution of marriage.
The protagonist Shiva ,a man in his fourties who discovers the infidelity of his wife.The reason being the evaporated romance that brewed long back in the earlier phase.
The bitterness of the truth shattered the soul and male ego of the man in him.He wanted to let his wrath burst on her but he chose the same path as Akriti his wife did.
He chose to be adultrous as he could not leave Akriti ,his remanant feelings didn't alkow him to leave her.
He started exploring relationships by seducing women from their relations to be with him monentarily.He started winning them bu his looks,charm abd intellect. A welk read man and a believer in philosophies ,history and inspired by liberal logic of Socrates and other noteworthy persinalities,drawing women with looks and intellect came easily to him - which author truly describes as a "lethal cocktail".
Although forcing someone and making them equally sinful in the actvof betrayal is sin religiously and emitionally that created a void "black hole" in his mind.
Although the protagonist tried his belief with logic and liberal approach but the conflict in his mind settled with the tradition and conscience become dominant in him.
The story revolves around different places like Gurgaon,Delhi,Khajuraho,Baku different backdrops with shades of different culture and architectural splendours.
The creation of charecters like Sana,Zeba ,Mary from different religion brings in variation with their sufferings,emotions and belief and they too stand apart in the story.
However,we expected to see Akriti's emotional and psychological journey and growth too as she is the catalyst of Shiva's - the protagonist soul stirring experience.
The story indeed has bold,philosophical and liberal approach to modern readers.
A fast paced,crisp narration and a subject that it is dealing with is the burning issue within our society ,as we progress we feel a void and to complete or fill it we embark on a journey defying norms ,sometimes it is upsetting and sometimes rewarding ,however a liberal approach to relationship is necessary.
A recomended read for the liberal minds.
The story too revolves round the human philosophy and human psyche towards the institution of marriage.
The protagonist Shiva ,a man in his fourties who discovers the infidelity of his wife.The reason being the evaporated romance that brewed long back in the earlier phase.
The bitterness of the truth shattered the soul and male ego of the man in him.He wanted to let his wrath burst on her but he chose the same path as Akriti his wife did.
He chose to be adultrous as he could not leave Akriti ,his remanant feelings didn't alkow him to leave her.
He started exploring relationships by seducing women from their relations to be with him monentarily.He started winning them bu his looks,charm abd intellect. A welk read man and a believer in philosophies ,history and inspired by liberal logic of Socrates and other noteworthy persinalities,drawing women with looks and intellect came easily to him - which author truly describes as a "lethal cocktail".
Although forcing someone and making them equally sinful in the actvof betrayal is sin religiously and emitionally that created a void "black hole" in his mind.
Although the protagonist tried his belief with logic and liberal approach but the conflict in his mind settled with the tradition and conscience become dominant in him.
The story revolves around different places like Gurgaon,Delhi,Khajuraho,Baku different backdrops with shades of different culture and architectural splendours.
The creation of charecters like Sana,Zeba ,Mary from different religion brings in variation with their sufferings,emotions and belief and they too stand apart in the story.
However,we expected to see Akriti's emotional and psychological journey and growth too as she is the catalyst of Shiva's - the protagonist soul stirring experience.
The story indeed has bold,philosophical and liberal approach to modern readers.
A fast paced,crisp narration and a subject that it is dealing with is the burning issue within our society ,as we progress we feel a void and to complete or fill it we embark on a journey defying norms ,sometimes it is upsetting and sometimes rewarding ,however a liberal approach to relationship is necessary.
A recomended read for the liberal minds.
November 13, 2018
Seduction by truth by Mukul Kumar
"Adultery is always overwritten though accepted"
Because it doesn't have its own story to be heard which could be praised....
Sometimes loving truth is far from living it...the truth behind every illegitimate relationship is always tormented by confusion...hanged between wrong and right ..but in same way it is like beautiful truth...but it also has its unforgettable bitter side...."
The book is trio talking about 3 concepts
1.monogomy
2.polygamy
3.no monogamy
Background
The story flows with the 3 stage journey of shiva who is a male protagonist; who doubts that his wife is having a affair which makes him angry and sad...were shiva life is upside down due to non-sexual martial life with his wife and is puzzled on the whole concept of marriage and relationship in which he feels after a certain time a women only seeks stability.
Shiva decides to fetch guilty free desires....outside his marriage...were he meets this 3 different women Sana (monogamy) zeba (polygamy) and Mary(no monogamy)
But is der a thing called guilt free desires??
And each desire he has considered as milestone...
Review
💎the book is irrestible if u prefer the complexity of such topics
💎the book covers various interesting aspects regarding men and ego
Eg-1.usuaĺly men feel if a women draws to him quickly in his arms in no time den she can be drawn my anyone ie loose...
2.Or , is confused y he choosed him??ignoring and keeping the confidence that she has choosed him...
💎the 3 women has very different outline but dealing with Adultery just with different synonymous words
💎the book is 4/5 on writing, storyline and cover
💎the book also measure God and man in same scale and giving reasoning for Adultery being non offensive which is arresting to storyline
💎the book is not at all any triangle of love and confrontation or drama it's a book which faces truth behind desire...
"Adultery is always overwritten though accepted"
Because it doesn't have its own story to be heard which could be praised....
Sometimes loving truth is far from living it...the truth behind every illegitimate relationship is always tormented by confusion...hanged between wrong and right ..but in same way it is like beautiful truth...but it also has its unforgettable bitter side...."
The book is trio talking about 3 concepts
1.monogomy
2.polygamy
3.no monogamy
Background
The story flows with the 3 stage journey of shiva who is a male protagonist; who doubts that his wife is having a affair which makes him angry and sad...were shiva life is upside down due to non-sexual martial life with his wife and is puzzled on the whole concept of marriage and relationship in which he feels after a certain time a women only seeks stability.
Shiva decides to fetch guilty free desires....outside his marriage...were he meets this 3 different women Sana (monogamy) zeba (polygamy) and Mary(no monogamy)
But is der a thing called guilt free desires??
And each desire he has considered as milestone...
Review
💎the book is irrestible if u prefer the complexity of such topics
💎the book covers various interesting aspects regarding men and ego
Eg-1.usuaĺly men feel if a women draws to him quickly in his arms in no time den she can be drawn my anyone ie loose...
2.Or , is confused y he choosed him??ignoring and keeping the confidence that she has choosed him...
💎the 3 women has very different outline but dealing with Adultery just with different synonymous words
💎the book is 4/5 on writing, storyline and cover
💎the book also measure God and man in same scale and giving reasoning for Adultery being non offensive which is arresting to storyline
💎the book is not at all any triangle of love and confrontation or drama it's a book which faces truth behind desire...
April 6, 2019
Extra marital affairs.. Physical relationships.. Difficult marriages..
These are some things which aren't much talked about in our society and every person has his/her own perspectives and ideas about these aspects of a human life and this subjectivity about them intrigues people and makes them keen to know more. "Seduction by truth" is a book talking about these things
Shiva, the protagnist is a handsome man who is doing well in his corporate job and has his beautiful wife Aakriti and his son Ankur, to come home to. But Shiva feels that his marriage has lost its sheen and his relationship with Aakriti is having a downfall. This leads him to other women he meets in anticipation of the fulfillment of his physical needs and the quest for a satisfactory answer to intricacies of marriage, adultery and a man's need for a better half..
The plot of the book is quite smooth and the content is of good quality. The protagonist develops and evolves a lot through out the book and this makes the character a really strong one. The thoughts, ideologies, concepts and beliefs about the various things, which every person deals with in his/her normal day to day life, have been discussed with elegance and the details have been emphasized on. The knowledge and information from the scriptures, which the author gives in support to his beliefs and ideas, shows the hard work and dedication put into the book and actually impacts the reader's mind.
The vocabulary used in the book is quite advanced at certain points and understanding the concepts and logics was quite a task.
But, overall the book is a great work of fiction and I would definitely recommend this to readers looking for something different and something which would affect their thought process greatly.
These are some things which aren't much talked about in our society and every person has his/her own perspectives and ideas about these aspects of a human life and this subjectivity about them intrigues people and makes them keen to know more. "Seduction by truth" is a book talking about these things
Shiva, the protagnist is a handsome man who is doing well in his corporate job and has his beautiful wife Aakriti and his son Ankur, to come home to. But Shiva feels that his marriage has lost its sheen and his relationship with Aakriti is having a downfall. This leads him to other women he meets in anticipation of the fulfillment of his physical needs and the quest for a satisfactory answer to intricacies of marriage, adultery and a man's need for a better half..
The plot of the book is quite smooth and the content is of good quality. The protagonist develops and evolves a lot through out the book and this makes the character a really strong one. The thoughts, ideologies, concepts and beliefs about the various things, which every person deals with in his/her normal day to day life, have been discussed with elegance and the details have been emphasized on. The knowledge and information from the scriptures, which the author gives in support to his beliefs and ideas, shows the hard work and dedication put into the book and actually impacts the reader's mind.
The vocabulary used in the book is quite advanced at certain points and understanding the concepts and logics was quite a task.
But, overall the book is a great work of fiction and I would definitely recommend this to readers looking for something different and something which would affect their thought process greatly.
December 10, 2018
Cover looks delightful.
Title is unique & interesting.
The book talks abt adultery, religion, communalism, love, sex, seduction & many other factors which make it quite interesting to read.
The portrayal of Hindu marriage along with other religions, with an indepth research have been successfully done.
Marriage, adultery, infidelity are some of the aspects which people perceive in a totally wrong way.
One's conscience, liberty, liberality makes it quite difficult for people to accept these facts in an open-minded fashion, irrespective of whether people like are literate or not.
There're many characters involved in the book. Shiva is a charming and successful corporate man in his early forties, a project leader in a corporate company.
Akriti is Shiva’s wife. She's beautiful.
Sana is Shiva's personal secretary, a devout Hindu woman.
Zeba is a corporate woman, project leader as well. Shiva and Zeba work together in a project. They're staunch follower of Islamic traditions respectively.
Mary is a young Christian girl from Florence, Italy, who has chosen chastity over marriage. She believes different things which goes way beyond common minds. Her beliefs are staunch.
Deven is Shiva’s college friend.
Language is good. Narration is good as well. A wellbalanced, researched book.
Title is unique & interesting.
The book talks abt adultery, religion, communalism, love, sex, seduction & many other factors which make it quite interesting to read.
The portrayal of Hindu marriage along with other religions, with an indepth research have been successfully done.
Marriage, adultery, infidelity are some of the aspects which people perceive in a totally wrong way.
One's conscience, liberty, liberality makes it quite difficult for people to accept these facts in an open-minded fashion, irrespective of whether people like are literate or not.
There're many characters involved in the book. Shiva is a charming and successful corporate man in his early forties, a project leader in a corporate company.
Akriti is Shiva’s wife. She's beautiful.
Sana is Shiva's personal secretary, a devout Hindu woman.
Zeba is a corporate woman, project leader as well. Shiva and Zeba work together in a project. They're staunch follower of Islamic traditions respectively.
Mary is a young Christian girl from Florence, Italy, who has chosen chastity over marriage. She believes different things which goes way beyond common minds. Her beliefs are staunch.
Deven is Shiva’s college friend.
Language is good. Narration is good as well. A wellbalanced, researched book.
November 1, 2018
The story basically deals with the themes of seduction and adultery which is based on a mythological background. The main character Shiva being rejected by his wife Akriti turns to women in harassed relationships in a way to prove his masculinity and desirability. However, there is a lacuna due to the absence of his wife’s love that he strongly longs for. Soon, his actions puts him onto a different path altogether that forms the major part of the book.
With a good writing style and simple narration, “Seduction by Truth” provides an interesting plotline which is accurately portrayed by the beautiful cover art of the Forbidden Apple. Although, I find loopholes like the lack of a proper character background for Akriti and her reasons behind her actions, there is not much faults one can point out. The scenes of intercourses were sensitively handled while trying to reflect on deeper insights into this journey that is often overshadowed by the show of skin. Overall, it was a genuinely intriguing read that discussed many questions one may ask oneself and find no answer to.
With a good writing style and simple narration, “Seduction by Truth” provides an interesting plotline which is accurately portrayed by the beautiful cover art of the Forbidden Apple. Although, I find loopholes like the lack of a proper character background for Akriti and her reasons behind her actions, there is not much faults one can point out. The scenes of intercourses were sensitively handled while trying to reflect on deeper insights into this journey that is often overshadowed by the show of skin. Overall, it was a genuinely intriguing read that discussed many questions one may ask oneself and find no answer to.
December 2, 2018
A story of the interplay of sex, trust and love in a marriage, and what happens when attraction dies and a man stands at the crossroads of dharma and desire.
The book has an intriguing plot and the emotions are presented very raw and deep.
By the title of the book I thought the book would be an erotic read, but I am glad that the author has backed up his thoughts with more of philosophy and mythology than unnecessary sexual descriptions.
Shiva is suffering from mid-life crisis and he finds out that his wife is cheating on him. So, he turns to adultery and prefers dating women in harassed relationship to feel desirable.
This sensitive topic of adultery dealt amazingly by the author. The narrations has a very deep and profound meaning.
Best thing about the book is that the authors take on the subject of adultery is more of intellectual than sexual.
The cover and title are thoughtfully chosen and apt.
The book has an intriguing plot and the emotions are presented very raw and deep.
By the title of the book I thought the book would be an erotic read, but I am glad that the author has backed up his thoughts with more of philosophy and mythology than unnecessary sexual descriptions.
Shiva is suffering from mid-life crisis and he finds out that his wife is cheating on him. So, he turns to adultery and prefers dating women in harassed relationship to feel desirable.
This sensitive topic of adultery dealt amazingly by the author. The narrations has a very deep and profound meaning.
Best thing about the book is that the authors take on the subject of adultery is more of intellectual than sexual.
The cover and title are thoughtfully chosen and apt.
October 31, 2018
A story about adultery or a man's foray into adultery. The book Seduction by Truth could be explained such in simple terms. The title itself suggests seducing someone and hence forces the readers to think that some erotic content is coming up. Surprisingly and comfortingly the book doesn't have unwanted graphic love making sequences and hence makes it a quality book. Author has proved that it is not mandatory to squeeze in love making sequences to make a boom an interesting read and the fact that he proves this in a book which is based on adultery makes it an anxiety inducing fact. The book could not be tagged as a book on adultery, even though the basic story is a man exploring different women.
The plot revolves around Shiva who is continuing in an unhappy unsatisfied marital bond. On discovering that his wife Akriti is having an affair, Shiva decides to have one himself. It starts off as a revenge towards his wife as well as an attempt to prove that he can charm women. But later he gets involved in the relationships. How he handles the tug of war inside his heart makes the rest of the plot.
Like the first book, Mukul Kumar has left a lot of philosophical discussions for the readers to think about. His take on Gandhiji, Sree Krishna, Rama and Jesus Christ is one of the most unique interpretation of the mythological and real life Gods. Once Shiva sets out for his official trip readers get to have a short international trip with the history of the places they visit.
The books is indeed a deep read and hence could not be approached lightly. The morality mongers might not digest the plot but the unique presentation defies all chances of protesting the book. The characters are all complete except Shiva's son Ankur. He is there all along but doesn't come out as a real character. At some point the monotony of am reading the similar sub plots sets in but author manages to bring it back on track.
The plot revolves around Shiva who is continuing in an unhappy unsatisfied marital bond. On discovering that his wife Akriti is having an affair, Shiva decides to have one himself. It starts off as a revenge towards his wife as well as an attempt to prove that he can charm women. But later he gets involved in the relationships. How he handles the tug of war inside his heart makes the rest of the plot.
Like the first book, Mukul Kumar has left a lot of philosophical discussions for the readers to think about. His take on Gandhiji, Sree Krishna, Rama and Jesus Christ is one of the most unique interpretation of the mythological and real life Gods. Once Shiva sets out for his official trip readers get to have a short international trip with the history of the places they visit.
The books is indeed a deep read and hence could not be approached lightly. The morality mongers might not digest the plot but the unique presentation defies all chances of protesting the book. The characters are all complete except Shiva's son Ankur. He is there all along but doesn't come out as a real character. At some point the monotony of am reading the similar sub plots sets in but author manages to bring it back on track.
July 10, 2019
Book : Seduction by Truth
Publisher : Bloomsbury
Author -Mukul Kumar
Main Characters : Shiva, Akriti, Ankur, Deven, Sana, Zeba and Mary.
Review :
Marriage is a commitment between a woman and a Man, which is strongly held with Love, Support, Tolerance, Harmony and Forgiveness. When it comes to marriage, all we think is about long lasting relationship, choosing to spend our whole life with one person. However what if the sacred marriage is intruded by an outsider, replacing either of the spouse emotionally or physically or may be both?
This is a novel on adultery and not on adultery at once; it is the exploration of the interplay of sex, trust and love in marriage, trying to bring out what may necessitate adultery.
Habit saps life out of living. And tradition is a matter of habit; Sex has faded away from the marital life of Shiva. But fettered by guilt a conscientious Shiva is not able to overstep his marriage for sex. How should a man like Shiva react when he discovers his wife, Akriti, to be adulterous? Let his wrath loose upon her or maybe, get separated from her as well. But Shiva, the protagonist of the novel, titled, ‘Seduction by Truth’ does nothing like this.
He takes recourse to reason rather than tradition, heart rather than mind, and adopts what he calls ‘intellectual masculinity’, in spite of his angry sadness; he vengefully sets himself upon the path of adultery while remaining within his marriage with the twin objectives of understanding marriage and discovering his desire as his wife has done; to accomplish these objectives he decides to take the help of only married women, confident of befriending them with the weapons of his good looks and sophistication- his spellbinding oratory in particular.
During this journey of discovery, his reflections upon the Hindu, Islamic and Christian traditions and mythologies with regard to marriage and sex successfully charm three women out of their beliefs in their respective traditions; Sana, a married Hindu woman who is his personal secretary, Zeba, a married Muslim woman who is the Project Head of his partner- company, and Mary from Italy, who is not married.
This book arises few questions in readers
⏩Why few marriages fail?
⏩Is it sin to follow your desire outside the marriage?
⏩To what extent the traditions have given women to choose what they want?
⏩Are we following tradition blindly without knowing the reason behind their formation?
What makes this novel exciting and unique are the weave of mythology and philosophy into the plot through Shiva’s encounters with the three women of different religions, making it multilayered.
I recommend it to everyone.
This book has a story, part reality, part legend, that dares the modern reader to solve mankind's oldest puzzle : Marriage.The struggle of a husband to accept the adultery of his wife, plunging him into the poignant battle between his intellect and superego, reveals the feministic streak in the plot. The scientific phenomena of Time dilation and black hole have been used to denote certain human emotions quite remarkably. The theme of the novel is universal and the appeal global.
Language is simple and easily understood.
The philosophy on sensitive issues is explained quite lucidly
Book cover is attractive.
Story is crispy & Unputdownable.
My rating 5/5.
Publisher : Bloomsbury
Author -Mukul Kumar
Main Characters : Shiva, Akriti, Ankur, Deven, Sana, Zeba and Mary.
Review :
Marriage is a commitment between a woman and a Man, which is strongly held with Love, Support, Tolerance, Harmony and Forgiveness. When it comes to marriage, all we think is about long lasting relationship, choosing to spend our whole life with one person. However what if the sacred marriage is intruded by an outsider, replacing either of the spouse emotionally or physically or may be both?
This is a novel on adultery and not on adultery at once; it is the exploration of the interplay of sex, trust and love in marriage, trying to bring out what may necessitate adultery.
Habit saps life out of living. And tradition is a matter of habit; Sex has faded away from the marital life of Shiva. But fettered by guilt a conscientious Shiva is not able to overstep his marriage for sex. How should a man like Shiva react when he discovers his wife, Akriti, to be adulterous? Let his wrath loose upon her or maybe, get separated from her as well. But Shiva, the protagonist of the novel, titled, ‘Seduction by Truth’ does nothing like this.
He takes recourse to reason rather than tradition, heart rather than mind, and adopts what he calls ‘intellectual masculinity’, in spite of his angry sadness; he vengefully sets himself upon the path of adultery while remaining within his marriage with the twin objectives of understanding marriage and discovering his desire as his wife has done; to accomplish these objectives he decides to take the help of only married women, confident of befriending them with the weapons of his good looks and sophistication- his spellbinding oratory in particular.
During this journey of discovery, his reflections upon the Hindu, Islamic and Christian traditions and mythologies with regard to marriage and sex successfully charm three women out of their beliefs in their respective traditions; Sana, a married Hindu woman who is his personal secretary, Zeba, a married Muslim woman who is the Project Head of his partner- company, and Mary from Italy, who is not married.
This book arises few questions in readers
⏩Why few marriages fail?
⏩Is it sin to follow your desire outside the marriage?
⏩To what extent the traditions have given women to choose what they want?
⏩Are we following tradition blindly without knowing the reason behind their formation?
What makes this novel exciting and unique are the weave of mythology and philosophy into the plot through Shiva’s encounters with the three women of different religions, making it multilayered.
I recommend it to everyone.
This book has a story, part reality, part legend, that dares the modern reader to solve mankind's oldest puzzle : Marriage.The struggle of a husband to accept the adultery of his wife, plunging him into the poignant battle between his intellect and superego, reveals the feministic streak in the plot. The scientific phenomena of Time dilation and black hole have been used to denote certain human emotions quite remarkably. The theme of the novel is universal and the appeal global.
Language is simple and easily understood.
The philosophy on sensitive issues is explained quite lucidly
Book cover is attractive.
Story is crispy & Unputdownable.
My rating 5/5.
October 31, 2018
Book Name : Seduction By Truth
Author : Mukul Kumar
Genre : Fiction
Format : Paperback
Pages : 187
Price : ₹350/-
Publisher : Bloomsbury India
Publication Date : 18 October, 2018
ISBN : 988-93-87457-62-1
My Rating : 3.5/5
Blurb :
Shiva is handsome, an irresistible talker, well-off, lives in Delhi's poshest suburb, is a dutiful husband to the attractive Akriti and is a perfect father to their little son. So why is he the picture of disenchantment? Is it that not-so-uncommon human condition-boredom that sometimes accompanies fidelity-that haunts him? In Shiva's case, the discovery that Akriti has already found distraction with someone else frees him to look for excitement on his own-but with a mind conflicted between dharma and desire. Which is the path that he will choose to walk on? Shiva embarks on a journey to empirically explore different options-the sexually vibrant Sana and Mary, to name a few-but at the end, winds up with more questions than he started out with. To confuse things further, Akriti continues to occupy a tender place in his heart-as a woman first and a wife later. A slice-of-life tale, which is part reality and part legend, Seduction by Truth dares the modern reader to solve civilization's oldest puzzle-marriage.
Plot :
Shiva is married to Akriti and they have a son named Ankur. Shiva is well settled and has very strong opinions about his areas of interest. He starts feeling that their marriage is void of desire. Also, he suspects his wife having an affair. Enraged by that, he gets attracted to his secretary, Sana. Later on, he gets interested in another women, Zeba and they connect via their area of interest. When he's in Rome, he meets Mary, who is just like Shiva in certain matters. Mary and Shiva both help each other in their respective explorations. Basically, this is a story of marriage, desire, trust and dharma.
Review :
The book is mainly based on the answers that Shiva is trying to get. The way the author has entwined philosophy, kaama and dharma is fabulous. The writing style of the first half of the book is captivating. The book does get very slightly slow in the second half because of the change in the flow and genre alltogether. The in depth knowledge that Shiva has of philosophy and religion is quite interesting. So Kudos to the author for developing his character that well. At the same time, the character of Akriti could've been developed in a better way and more. Also, the reader in me was very interested on the topic the author chose to write : marriage and desire. The only thing that disappointed me was the ending. The reader is unable to get the conclusion. What answer did Shiva get finally? The cover is beautiful and apt to the plot. The narration was smooth and hence kept me hooked to the book. The language did get slightly complicated at times but that's entirely okay.
Quotes I liked :
- Kaleidoscope is the new colour of his thoughts.
- Apprehension is vocal whole acceptance is silent. But silence does not necessarily mean inaction.
- Trouble may be helped by sharing, but tragedy can be tackled only in solitude.
- The heart is the most precious organ in the body but ironically, the most neglected as well. Aren't we compelled to live by our minds mostly?
- Philosophy is a luxury only a few can afford.
Thanks to the author for sending me the review copy in exchange of an honest review.
Author : Mukul Kumar
Genre : Fiction
Format : Paperback
Pages : 187
Price : ₹350/-
Publisher : Bloomsbury India
Publication Date : 18 October, 2018
ISBN : 988-93-87457-62-1
My Rating : 3.5/5
Blurb :
Shiva is handsome, an irresistible talker, well-off, lives in Delhi's poshest suburb, is a dutiful husband to the attractive Akriti and is a perfect father to their little son. So why is he the picture of disenchantment? Is it that not-so-uncommon human condition-boredom that sometimes accompanies fidelity-that haunts him? In Shiva's case, the discovery that Akriti has already found distraction with someone else frees him to look for excitement on his own-but with a mind conflicted between dharma and desire. Which is the path that he will choose to walk on? Shiva embarks on a journey to empirically explore different options-the sexually vibrant Sana and Mary, to name a few-but at the end, winds up with more questions than he started out with. To confuse things further, Akriti continues to occupy a tender place in his heart-as a woman first and a wife later. A slice-of-life tale, which is part reality and part legend, Seduction by Truth dares the modern reader to solve civilization's oldest puzzle-marriage.
Plot :
Shiva is married to Akriti and they have a son named Ankur. Shiva is well settled and has very strong opinions about his areas of interest. He starts feeling that their marriage is void of desire. Also, he suspects his wife having an affair. Enraged by that, he gets attracted to his secretary, Sana. Later on, he gets interested in another women, Zeba and they connect via their area of interest. When he's in Rome, he meets Mary, who is just like Shiva in certain matters. Mary and Shiva both help each other in their respective explorations. Basically, this is a story of marriage, desire, trust and dharma.
Review :
The book is mainly based on the answers that Shiva is trying to get. The way the author has entwined philosophy, kaama and dharma is fabulous. The writing style of the first half of the book is captivating. The book does get very slightly slow in the second half because of the change in the flow and genre alltogether. The in depth knowledge that Shiva has of philosophy and religion is quite interesting. So Kudos to the author for developing his character that well. At the same time, the character of Akriti could've been developed in a better way and more. Also, the reader in me was very interested on the topic the author chose to write : marriage and desire. The only thing that disappointed me was the ending. The reader is unable to get the conclusion. What answer did Shiva get finally? The cover is beautiful and apt to the plot. The narration was smooth and hence kept me hooked to the book. The language did get slightly complicated at times but that's entirely okay.
Quotes I liked :
- Kaleidoscope is the new colour of his thoughts.
- Apprehension is vocal whole acceptance is silent. But silence does not necessarily mean inaction.
- Trouble may be helped by sharing, but tragedy can be tackled only in solitude.
- The heart is the most precious organ in the body but ironically, the most neglected as well. Aren't we compelled to live by our minds mostly?
- Philosophy is a luxury only a few can afford.
Thanks to the author for sending me the review copy in exchange of an honest review.
March 11, 2019
Full review on my blog:
https://medium.com/kiranmayi-g/book-r...
Shiva seems to have the perfect life, a beautiful wife Akriti, son Ankur who made their family complete and a job most others would envy about. While his life might seem more than perfect from outside, Shiva is upset with the fact that his wife Akriti had been maintaining a physical and emotional distance from him. Akriti brushes this off as common in any marriage as they have grown used to each other, Shiva gets the biggest shock one day when he realizes Akriti had been cheating on him for sometime and attributes her indifference to Akriti moving on to someone else.
Thus begins Shiva’s internal turmoil which makes him start chasing other woman,especially married woman, in an attempt to understand their reasons for cheating their respective partners. Shiva’s anger towards Akriti makes him look at other woman as accomplishments and a sense of self-worth, but does he achieve his goal and does this give him the thrill and satisfaction he expected, forms the rest of the story.
The cover of the book gives the initial hint on what to expect from the book, a golden apple surrounded by a wire with thorns — an analogy of trying to reach a golden apple, as in pleasure outside a married relationship, is alluring but finally attaining it means going through a thorny path. The disclaimer for this book is — it can be enjoyed if the reader does not judge the actions of the characters in the book or the author, as it involves extra marital affairs. Also the book is not a collection of just some steamy stuff due to the backdrop of the story, it is more complicated, in trying to understand the circumstances which make people look for relationships outside marriage.
There is a lot of conversation that happens between Shiva and the woman he tries to pursue and each time he uses a different thought process and examples, deriving them from the religious/cultural background the woman is from. Shiva is a smart man who tries to win these women over by understanding their current state of mind, their backgrounds and then using the mythology and cultural norms he knows to convince them for a relationship with him. The book looks at circumstances and reasons for infidelity and how people might justify their point of view.
The book holds the reader’s interest for major part, however gets a bit boring towards the end as the happenings get repetitive. Also, the book is intended for someone who wouldn’t judge the characters and also wouldn’t be offended by the religious and cultural references used majorly in the second half. I would have personally liked to see Akriti’s side of story and views on why she started looking for love beyond Shiva.
Pick this book if you are looking for a change from the chick-lit-love stories and would be interested in stories of people in their middle age.
https://medium.com/kiranmayi-g/book-r...
Shiva seems to have the perfect life, a beautiful wife Akriti, son Ankur who made their family complete and a job most others would envy about. While his life might seem more than perfect from outside, Shiva is upset with the fact that his wife Akriti had been maintaining a physical and emotional distance from him. Akriti brushes this off as common in any marriage as they have grown used to each other, Shiva gets the biggest shock one day when he realizes Akriti had been cheating on him for sometime and attributes her indifference to Akriti moving on to someone else.
Thus begins Shiva’s internal turmoil which makes him start chasing other woman,especially married woman, in an attempt to understand their reasons for cheating their respective partners. Shiva’s anger towards Akriti makes him look at other woman as accomplishments and a sense of self-worth, but does he achieve his goal and does this give him the thrill and satisfaction he expected, forms the rest of the story.
The cover of the book gives the initial hint on what to expect from the book, a golden apple surrounded by a wire with thorns — an analogy of trying to reach a golden apple, as in pleasure outside a married relationship, is alluring but finally attaining it means going through a thorny path. The disclaimer for this book is — it can be enjoyed if the reader does not judge the actions of the characters in the book or the author, as it involves extra marital affairs. Also the book is not a collection of just some steamy stuff due to the backdrop of the story, it is more complicated, in trying to understand the circumstances which make people look for relationships outside marriage.
There is a lot of conversation that happens between Shiva and the woman he tries to pursue and each time he uses a different thought process and examples, deriving them from the religious/cultural background the woman is from. Shiva is a smart man who tries to win these women over by understanding their current state of mind, their backgrounds and then using the mythology and cultural norms he knows to convince them for a relationship with him. The book looks at circumstances and reasons for infidelity and how people might justify their point of view.
The book holds the reader’s interest for major part, however gets a bit boring towards the end as the happenings get repetitive. Also, the book is intended for someone who wouldn’t judge the characters and also wouldn’t be offended by the religious and cultural references used majorly in the second half. I would have personally liked to see Akriti’s side of story and views on why she started looking for love beyond Shiva.
Pick this book if you are looking for a change from the chick-lit-love stories and would be interested in stories of people in their middle age.
November 28, 2018
Seduction of truth
Sometimes in life we're often faced with situations which force us to astray from our normal lives or makes one question their moral values, moral obligations, truth, inner conscience, ethics, morality, etc. We're unaware of the very definitive approach towards infidelity & often term it as illicit relationships.
We all know the value of sex, importance of it; how & what role it plays in as one of the greatest pleasures of life, also enhancing our health, mind & our lives as a whole. But our upbringing accompanied with hypothesis of hypocritical analysis of mind makes us think that what we're doing is morally & ethically incorrect.
The rigid structure, process as well as the definition of sex, art of seduction, pleasure varies with conflicting factors like legal, moral & ethical values.
One doesn't cheat their partners if he/she does involve in sex with multiple people. In this lopsided male-dominant society of ours, a man can indulge in blatant polygamous sexual relationships with multiple women, where he's often regarded with good esteem or machoness. Whereas if the same is done by a female, she'll be regarded as a person with low character or perhaps a slut/prostitute.
These so-called man-made rules which bind society actually put a leash around the necks of women & act as an oppression; by making it a sexist idealism by not letting them breathe freely. These are basically unjust, unethical, biased, wrong & dishonest. Because enjoying & giving pleasure to one's body isn't a crime. But rather a dynamic approach towards happiness to self.
Our society is still orthodox, unfair, unjust & resist change. Rules are transcendental & should change with them for the benefit of mankind as a whole & not as a means of despotism!
People should understand sex is a means of life, part of our lifestyle, basic need, natural instinct, necessity & natural urge of release/relieve oneself.
Cover is beautiful, designed well, looks attractive.
Title is catchy, it's unique, sounds pleasing & interesting.
Theme talks about adultery, religion, culture, traditional mindset, women, feminism, rudimentary beliefs, orthodox society, infidelity, history, mythology, predujice, stereotypes, research, marriage, sex, erotic, drama, bond, family, society, human tendency & many other aspects embedded together into a wide range of activities infused in a book.
Certain drawbacks found are lack of characterisation, in-depth detail & lack of explanation at certain intervals, research at various stages. Also the ending could have been a bit better.
I won't talk much about the story nor the plot described here. Language is simple, good enough, easy to read, use & understand.
Narration is easy & good.
Sometimes in life we're often faced with situations which force us to astray from our normal lives or makes one question their moral values, moral obligations, truth, inner conscience, ethics, morality, etc. We're unaware of the very definitive approach towards infidelity & often term it as illicit relationships.
We all know the value of sex, importance of it; how & what role it plays in as one of the greatest pleasures of life, also enhancing our health, mind & our lives as a whole. But our upbringing accompanied with hypothesis of hypocritical analysis of mind makes us think that what we're doing is morally & ethically incorrect.
The rigid structure, process as well as the definition of sex, art of seduction, pleasure varies with conflicting factors like legal, moral & ethical values.
One doesn't cheat their partners if he/she does involve in sex with multiple people. In this lopsided male-dominant society of ours, a man can indulge in blatant polygamous sexual relationships with multiple women, where he's often regarded with good esteem or machoness. Whereas if the same is done by a female, she'll be regarded as a person with low character or perhaps a slut/prostitute.
These so-called man-made rules which bind society actually put a leash around the necks of women & act as an oppression; by making it a sexist idealism by not letting them breathe freely. These are basically unjust, unethical, biased, wrong & dishonest. Because enjoying & giving pleasure to one's body isn't a crime. But rather a dynamic approach towards happiness to self.
Our society is still orthodox, unfair, unjust & resist change. Rules are transcendental & should change with them for the benefit of mankind as a whole & not as a means of despotism!
People should understand sex is a means of life, part of our lifestyle, basic need, natural instinct, necessity & natural urge of release/relieve oneself.
Cover is beautiful, designed well, looks attractive.
Title is catchy, it's unique, sounds pleasing & interesting.
Theme talks about adultery, religion, culture, traditional mindset, women, feminism, rudimentary beliefs, orthodox society, infidelity, history, mythology, predujice, stereotypes, research, marriage, sex, erotic, drama, bond, family, society, human tendency & many other aspects embedded together into a wide range of activities infused in a book.
Certain drawbacks found are lack of characterisation, in-depth detail & lack of explanation at certain intervals, research at various stages. Also the ending could have been a bit better.
I won't talk much about the story nor the plot described here. Language is simple, good enough, easy to read, use & understand.
Narration is easy & good.
December 19, 2018
The plot revolves around shiva, a rich businessman living in a posh apartment with his wife akriti and son ankur. Though life has given him everything right from a succesful career, a posh house in delhi, a beautiful wife and a son he is unhappy and discontent.. reason??.. his wife’s infidelity. His own bad temper at the slightest provocation and his being busy always are the reasons behind his wife’s affair but instead of trying to make things right he decides to stray just like her, to take revenge and in order to prove himself his worthiness or his desirability, he takes on his secretary sana first, he seduces her with his intellectual talks since she’s already going through a turbulent marriage herself she decides to play along with him inspite of her having a college going daughter, even with sana he goes for another colleague of his who is again in an unhappy marriage, next women he seduces is a foreigner Mary.
The story is Part real, Part legend as the author puts it.
Maybe this book was not my cup of tea. The book was gripping initially but i started losing interest afterwards.
Though Shiva went through pangs of guilt he still went pursuing other women though he remained a good husband and a great father which was the one thing i liked.
Yes there were many intellectual debates and dialogues in the book, they happen between shiva and the many women when he was trying to shake their beliefs on adultery, which all three thought was a sin. With his immense knowledge on mythology and other topics he breaks the women’s beliefs that they can pursue relationship outside marriage especially when they are unhappy in their marriage. now this ‘the breaking the belief then seduce them’ is something that didn’t go down well with me.
I liked the debate stuff, few like the polygamy part where the author throws light at the time when polygamy actually started and the reason behind it and how people are misusing it now.
Akriti’s character was decent and dignified but her character timeline seemed incomplete, Shiva as a person was beyond my understanding.
I would rate the language and writing style be 3.5/5. This is entirely my opinion maybe others would like it. This is just my perspective of the book and not of the author. My opinion on the story comes from deep rooted beliefs and values in me, Having said that this book is courageous and brave in many ways.
The author’s take and knowledge on varied topics was very enlightening. It is always a privilege to read a fresh perspective.
“I got the book as a part of the review program in Outset“
The story is Part real, Part legend as the author puts it.
Maybe this book was not my cup of tea. The book was gripping initially but i started losing interest afterwards.
Though Shiva went through pangs of guilt he still went pursuing other women though he remained a good husband and a great father which was the one thing i liked.
Yes there were many intellectual debates and dialogues in the book, they happen between shiva and the many women when he was trying to shake their beliefs on adultery, which all three thought was a sin. With his immense knowledge on mythology and other topics he breaks the women’s beliefs that they can pursue relationship outside marriage especially when they are unhappy in their marriage. now this ‘the breaking the belief then seduce them’ is something that didn’t go down well with me.
I liked the debate stuff, few like the polygamy part where the author throws light at the time when polygamy actually started and the reason behind it and how people are misusing it now.
Akriti’s character was decent and dignified but her character timeline seemed incomplete, Shiva as a person was beyond my understanding.
I would rate the language and writing style be 3.5/5. This is entirely my opinion maybe others would like it. This is just my perspective of the book and not of the author. My opinion on the story comes from deep rooted beliefs and values in me, Having said that this book is courageous and brave in many ways.
The author’s take and knowledge on varied topics was very enlightening. It is always a privilege to read a fresh perspective.
“I got the book as a part of the review program in Outset“
November 13, 2018
Seduction by Truth - By Mukul Kumar
Seduction By Truth is story of Shiva, our protagonist. He is smart, handsome, successful and well settled. He has everything in life but realizes that the passion and spark in his life has died down. While he makes all sorts of efforts to bring that back, same isn’t reciprocated from his wife, Akriti. In between all his efforts to get his married life back on track, Shiva is shocked to find out that Akriti has an affair. He feels angry, cheated, betrayed and rejected but instead of confronting his wife, he decides to seek secret revenge. To settle the score, he goes on to have multiple affairs.
So basically this book is about adultery but has a totally different take on it where protagonist tries to justify everything he is doing with his knowledge of history and mythology. Three women become part of his infidelity. All three from different religion, different walks of life and different mindset. By way of wooing these women, Shiva tries to prove his worthiness and desirability.
While the main theme of this book is adultery, author hasn’t forced any love-making scenes. There is some detailing here and there but it gels well with the story and doesn’t look unnecessary. I think more work was needed on character building. I would have definitely wanted to know more about Akriti. What I loved about her character was that she was vocal about her opinions and wasn’t a submissive wife. But I would have wanted to understand what made her move towards adultery. The character of protagonist, Shiva is pretty bold and a little too ambitious where he is shown as a man who has everything, knows everything and can convince anyone for his desires. The ending is kind of vague and leaves a lot of unanswered questions.
I appreciate the courageous and brave narrative put forth by author but I couldn’t agree for most part of it. No matter how many philosophical debates and explanations have been given in support of the actions of these characters, it’s not something I will be okay with. Call it my rudimentary beliefs, old school thoughts or orthodox opinion, but infidelity can’t be justified, at least for such modern-age characters where you can speak up for yourself and untie the knot if it there’s no hope.
Having said that, author’s effort and knowledge on certain topics was commendable and he has done a fantastic job in narration.
My Rating 3.5/5
-
Seduction By Truth is story of Shiva, our protagonist. He is smart, handsome, successful and well settled. He has everything in life but realizes that the passion and spark in his life has died down. While he makes all sorts of efforts to bring that back, same isn’t reciprocated from his wife, Akriti. In between all his efforts to get his married life back on track, Shiva is shocked to find out that Akriti has an affair. He feels angry, cheated, betrayed and rejected but instead of confronting his wife, he decides to seek secret revenge. To settle the score, he goes on to have multiple affairs.
So basically this book is about adultery but has a totally different take on it where protagonist tries to justify everything he is doing with his knowledge of history and mythology. Three women become part of his infidelity. All three from different religion, different walks of life and different mindset. By way of wooing these women, Shiva tries to prove his worthiness and desirability.
While the main theme of this book is adultery, author hasn’t forced any love-making scenes. There is some detailing here and there but it gels well with the story and doesn’t look unnecessary. I think more work was needed on character building. I would have definitely wanted to know more about Akriti. What I loved about her character was that she was vocal about her opinions and wasn’t a submissive wife. But I would have wanted to understand what made her move towards adultery. The character of protagonist, Shiva is pretty bold and a little too ambitious where he is shown as a man who has everything, knows everything and can convince anyone for his desires. The ending is kind of vague and leaves a lot of unanswered questions.
I appreciate the courageous and brave narrative put forth by author but I couldn’t agree for most part of it. No matter how many philosophical debates and explanations have been given in support of the actions of these characters, it’s not something I will be okay with. Call it my rudimentary beliefs, old school thoughts or orthodox opinion, but infidelity can’t be justified, at least for such modern-age characters where you can speak up for yourself and untie the knot if it there’s no hope.
Having said that, author’s effort and knowledge on certain topics was commendable and he has done a fantastic job in narration.
My Rating 3.5/5
-
October 29, 2018
Seduction by Truth,
By Mukul Kumar.
The gist of Seduction by Truth can be summed up as “A story of the interplay of sex, trust and love in a marriage, and what happens when attraction dies and a man stands at the crossroads of dharma and desire.”
Seduction of Truth is the story of Shiva who has achieved huge and enviable success professionally and isn’t yet done rejoicing the same when he is hit with a sudden epiphany that the fizz has run out of his marriage. He is still trying to come terms with it when, much to his shock, he discovers that his wife Akriti is having an affair. Shiva is engulfed with rage and is extremely hurt at the rejection he faces from his wife. The rage and hurt consumes Shiva and to avenge the same he sets on a path of numerous affairs. His revenge is by way of manipulating women who are in an abusive marriage, using his knowledge of mythology and intellectual skills, to walk into his arms. Despite the affairs the gnawing emptiness within him persists for a part of him still loves and misses Akriti. What must he do to find redemption, to get over the hurt and rejection?
What I liked about the book:-
It’s an interesting take on adultery and marriage through mythology. The language is easy and it’s a quick read at 180 pages. I could not point to any editing or grammatical errors. The author displays his deep study of the mythology and history be it Indian or Roman. The cover of the book with an encaged apple symbolizing the ‘Forbidden Apple’ is beautiful and apt to the central theme of adultery.
What I think the author could work on:-
Characterization is something that I think the author could have worked on. I wish the author had developed Akriti’s character a bit more as she is portrayed in a gray shade from the beginning. I wish we could get to know her reasons of finding pleasures outside her marriage. The end leaves you with a lot of questions as when does Shiva’s quest seeking sexual redemption transform into a quest seeking intellectual redemption.
Seduction by Truth is a different take on marriage and adultery through mythology. Mythology enthusiasts would find the parallels drawn from mythology interesting.
I would rate the book a ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars on 5.
I received this book from the author for an honest review. Thank you author Mukul Kumar.
By Mukul Kumar.
The gist of Seduction by Truth can be summed up as “A story of the interplay of sex, trust and love in a marriage, and what happens when attraction dies and a man stands at the crossroads of dharma and desire.”
Seduction of Truth is the story of Shiva who has achieved huge and enviable success professionally and isn’t yet done rejoicing the same when he is hit with a sudden epiphany that the fizz has run out of his marriage. He is still trying to come terms with it when, much to his shock, he discovers that his wife Akriti is having an affair. Shiva is engulfed with rage and is extremely hurt at the rejection he faces from his wife. The rage and hurt consumes Shiva and to avenge the same he sets on a path of numerous affairs. His revenge is by way of manipulating women who are in an abusive marriage, using his knowledge of mythology and intellectual skills, to walk into his arms. Despite the affairs the gnawing emptiness within him persists for a part of him still loves and misses Akriti. What must he do to find redemption, to get over the hurt and rejection?
What I liked about the book:-
It’s an interesting take on adultery and marriage through mythology. The language is easy and it’s a quick read at 180 pages. I could not point to any editing or grammatical errors. The author displays his deep study of the mythology and history be it Indian or Roman. The cover of the book with an encaged apple symbolizing the ‘Forbidden Apple’ is beautiful and apt to the central theme of adultery.
What I think the author could work on:-
Characterization is something that I think the author could have worked on. I wish the author had developed Akriti’s character a bit more as she is portrayed in a gray shade from the beginning. I wish we could get to know her reasons of finding pleasures outside her marriage. The end leaves you with a lot of questions as when does Shiva’s quest seeking sexual redemption transform into a quest seeking intellectual redemption.
Seduction by Truth is a different take on marriage and adultery through mythology. Mythology enthusiasts would find the parallels drawn from mythology interesting.
I would rate the book a ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars on 5.
I received this book from the author for an honest review. Thank you author Mukul Kumar.
March 8, 2019
Book Name: Seduction By Truth
Author: Mukul Kumar
Genre : Fiction
Format : Paperback
Seduction by Truth written by Mukul Kumar which is pointing out the authenticity about marriage and relationships. Shiva is married to Akriti and they are having a Son named Ankur. Shiva is well settled in his job and the family lives in a posh house at Delhi. The couples are having everything in life, but the steam and contentment of marriage has lost, and they are living an strained life. Shiva suspects Akriti is having an affair and decides to lure girls with his charm and witty discourse. It starts with his secretary Sana and then Zeba , Mary an Italian who do not believe in marriage. In total Shiva is kind of smart, sexy, and funny.
But here the question is can he save his marriage, or whether he will continue with the same path? Rest is the story.
Relationships and marriages are built on trust and love. I didn’t admire Shiva’s stand because his demand is about Akriti to continue loving him without offering his love in return. Ugh, the injustice of it all. His way of thinking is very simple "Never grumble. Never explain. But for me, I must admit that the ending did soothe whatever distaste I had for him. In my opinion, he couldn’t fully justify himself, but in retrospect, he did manage to understand where he went wrong, and I believe he did try his best to make amends. I loved the characters, the situations, and the way they worked through everything.
But anyone who thinks that human beings are basically ‘good’, that ‘caring’ cannot become unutterably boring and intrusive or who thinks that most relationships can last forever. Most importantly, this book is so romantic. The writing is superb, and flow is nice and clean.
In total this book is fun, smart, and sexy... what more could you want? overall it had the favorite mix of everything i love in a contemporary romance. It was love-able, plain hilarious, the characters were just awesome. I did not get circumvent or annoyed with the direction of the story line, i understood all their possibility and i rooted for them in every situation.
Author: Mukul Kumar
Genre : Fiction
Format : Paperback
Seduction by Truth written by Mukul Kumar which is pointing out the authenticity about marriage and relationships. Shiva is married to Akriti and they are having a Son named Ankur. Shiva is well settled in his job and the family lives in a posh house at Delhi. The couples are having everything in life, but the steam and contentment of marriage has lost, and they are living an strained life. Shiva suspects Akriti is having an affair and decides to lure girls with his charm and witty discourse. It starts with his secretary Sana and then Zeba , Mary an Italian who do not believe in marriage. In total Shiva is kind of smart, sexy, and funny.
But here the question is can he save his marriage, or whether he will continue with the same path? Rest is the story.
Relationships and marriages are built on trust and love. I didn’t admire Shiva’s stand because his demand is about Akriti to continue loving him without offering his love in return. Ugh, the injustice of it all. His way of thinking is very simple "Never grumble. Never explain. But for me, I must admit that the ending did soothe whatever distaste I had for him. In my opinion, he couldn’t fully justify himself, but in retrospect, he did manage to understand where he went wrong, and I believe he did try his best to make amends. I loved the characters, the situations, and the way they worked through everything.
But anyone who thinks that human beings are basically ‘good’, that ‘caring’ cannot become unutterably boring and intrusive or who thinks that most relationships can last forever. Most importantly, this book is so romantic. The writing is superb, and flow is nice and clean.
In total this book is fun, smart, and sexy... what more could you want? overall it had the favorite mix of everything i love in a contemporary romance. It was love-able, plain hilarious, the characters were just awesome. I did not get circumvent or annoyed with the direction of the story line, i understood all their possibility and i rooted for them in every situation.
Read
December 16, 2018The story revolves around the life of Shiva, a well settled man of forties, is a good husband and father. He is missing sparks in his marriage life. The reason of this missing is he gave most of his time to his work rather than to family or saying more appropriately to wife. Now, he wants to reestablish the missing bond between him and his wife, Akriti.
On the other hand, Akriti has lost interest in him and also gets irritated with his habits of being angry on small things. In the process of reestablishing their bond, Shiva finds that Akriti is indulged in adultery. In spite of asking her, getting her a chance to put her side, he decides to take revenge from her.
This decision takes him to the path of adultery. On his path, he not only makes relation with one woman but with three women : Sana, his secretary, victim of her husband's adultery; Zeba, an independent woman, victim of polygamy of his husband; Mary, an Italian who do not believe in marriage.
The most interesting thing about their seduction is that they not seduce by his physical appearance but by his way of putting his opinions about adultery. All in all, he supports adultery by giving various historical and mythological examples.
Despite of enjoying adultery, Akriti does not leave his mind, which leads to a black hole in his thinking. The black hole which keeps increasing in size as he makes relation with different women. The twist is when he is thinking that this black hole can't decrease in size and he has to undergo in this stress always, his black hole turns into a star.
To know how his words, his opinions change the mindset of three women regarding adultery, and to know how his black hole turns into a star, you have to read the book.
Good points :
* Narration style is good.
* Character of Shiva is well build.
Bad points :
* Character of Akriti is not well built.
Recommendation : People who can bear the opinions proving adultery as not a crime. Those people also who want to see some mythological and historical facts in a new way.
On the other hand, Akriti has lost interest in him and also gets irritated with his habits of being angry on small things. In the process of reestablishing their bond, Shiva finds that Akriti is indulged in adultery. In spite of asking her, getting her a chance to put her side, he decides to take revenge from her.
This decision takes him to the path of adultery. On his path, he not only makes relation with one woman but with three women : Sana, his secretary, victim of her husband's adultery; Zeba, an independent woman, victim of polygamy of his husband; Mary, an Italian who do not believe in marriage.
The most interesting thing about their seduction is that they not seduce by his physical appearance but by his way of putting his opinions about adultery. All in all, he supports adultery by giving various historical and mythological examples.
Despite of enjoying adultery, Akriti does not leave his mind, which leads to a black hole in his thinking. The black hole which keeps increasing in size as he makes relation with different women. The twist is when he is thinking that this black hole can't decrease in size and he has to undergo in this stress always, his black hole turns into a star.
To know how his words, his opinions change the mindset of three women regarding adultery, and to know how his black hole turns into a star, you have to read the book.
Good points :
* Narration style is good.
* Character of Shiva is well build.
Bad points :
* Character of Akriti is not well built.
Recommendation : People who can bear the opinions proving adultery as not a crime. Those people also who want to see some mythological and historical facts in a new way.
March 24, 2020
BOOK-- Seduction By Truth
AUTHOR-- Mukul Kumar
GENRE-- Adult Fiction
PAGES-- 187
PRICE-- 350/-
FORMAT-- Paperback
MY REVIEW:-⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The cover of book is deep and look like an abstract as it looks unattainable by the picture of gold apple covered under barbed wires and fires all around it. Title is unique and interesting. Language is simple. The story is about adultery. The protagonist shiva is famous businessman but after a certain age his wife is not interested in having a sexual relationship with him but he is very much inclined towards it but never forces himself on his wife. Then he doubts about his wife having an affair or lost interest in him due to it. But later he finds out that his wife is having an affair. So then he decided to try and have sexual relationships with other women to fulfill his desires and also to understand how after a certain period of time marraiges start lacking passion and partners seek that passion out of their wedlock. Then he have three subjects..sana, zeba and mary. Saba his first secretary then zeba and lastly, mary a beautiful italian woman. This book is nothing like an erotica with lots of love making scenes. Its mix of everything like mythological, philosophical, sexual myth , etc. The protagonist of story is very smart and charming who twists and turns the mythological facts and present them in such a waythat women find him an attaractive and all-knowing hero. The characterization is very well done by the author. Heused different vocabulary in storyline so this book is definitely not a light read as he hasused philosophical reasons to justify shiva's actions. My most favourite character is shiva i like his character because how beautifully he is able to convince women and how he always have a different perspective on each topic to explain.
So to sum up, i really enjoyed this journey of reading and learned new things while love the way story ends❤
💯 recommended, must read it !
Thank you🌻
AUTHOR-- Mukul Kumar
GENRE-- Adult Fiction
PAGES-- 187
PRICE-- 350/-
FORMAT-- Paperback
MY REVIEW:-⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The cover of book is deep and look like an abstract as it looks unattainable by the picture of gold apple covered under barbed wires and fires all around it. Title is unique and interesting. Language is simple. The story is about adultery. The protagonist shiva is famous businessman but after a certain age his wife is not interested in having a sexual relationship with him but he is very much inclined towards it but never forces himself on his wife. Then he doubts about his wife having an affair or lost interest in him due to it. But later he finds out that his wife is having an affair. So then he decided to try and have sexual relationships with other women to fulfill his desires and also to understand how after a certain period of time marraiges start lacking passion and partners seek that passion out of their wedlock. Then he have three subjects..sana, zeba and mary. Saba his first secretary then zeba and lastly, mary a beautiful italian woman. This book is nothing like an erotica with lots of love making scenes. Its mix of everything like mythological, philosophical, sexual myth , etc. The protagonist of story is very smart and charming who twists and turns the mythological facts and present them in such a waythat women find him an attaractive and all-knowing hero. The characterization is very well done by the author. Heused different vocabulary in storyline so this book is definitely not a light read as he hasused philosophical reasons to justify shiva's actions. My most favourite character is shiva i like his character because how beautifully he is able to convince women and how he always have a different perspective on each topic to explain.
So to sum up, i really enjoyed this journey of reading and learned new things while love the way story ends❤
💯 recommended, must read it !
Thank you🌻
November 11, 2018
"The rain of gloomy thoughts gives rise to the rainbow of happiness."
Filled with thrilling mythology and surprising truths, "Seduction by Truth" by Mukul Kumar promises to entertain its readers throughout the entire journey.
When Shiva finds out that his wife Akriti has found her solace in someone else's arms, he is dejected at first. But as the realisation draws upon him, he discovers that it actually freed him to look for his own excitement. So, he draws out a way to use dharma to justify his desire.
As suggested by its name, "Truth" plays a great role in the story, along with mythology, history, art and architecture who are also the stars of the show.
But inspite of the pleasure that Shiva enjoys, he also feels the presence of a strange black hole in his mind that stays put no matter what he does.
The conflict that Shiva's mind goes through is portrayed with great brilliance, scattered evenly throughout the entire episode.
The book takes its readers on a trip to the dreamy land of Rome and the romantic abode of the Taj Mahal.
The title is perfect for the story, as Shiva seduces each woman by telling them the truths of life. The cover too is very attractive and quite at par with the theme of the story.
All the characters are sketched with perfect excellence, especially that of Shiva. The characters of Sana, Zeba and Mary are also splendidly painted.
The plot is incredibly well constructed, that makes it interesting, along with a brilliant style of narration.
The unexpected ending leaves the readers aghast and at their wit's end. Mystic, thrilling and humorous, "Seduction by Truth" by Mukul Kumar invites all its readers to have a peep into it, gluing their eyes onto its pages until the unpredictable end finally arrives.
"Our most intense thoughts often proves to be the dictates of destiny."
Filled with thrilling mythology and surprising truths, "Seduction by Truth" by Mukul Kumar promises to entertain its readers throughout the entire journey.
When Shiva finds out that his wife Akriti has found her solace in someone else's arms, he is dejected at first. But as the realisation draws upon him, he discovers that it actually freed him to look for his own excitement. So, he draws out a way to use dharma to justify his desire.
As suggested by its name, "Truth" plays a great role in the story, along with mythology, history, art and architecture who are also the stars of the show.
But inspite of the pleasure that Shiva enjoys, he also feels the presence of a strange black hole in his mind that stays put no matter what he does.
The conflict that Shiva's mind goes through is portrayed with great brilliance, scattered evenly throughout the entire episode.
The book takes its readers on a trip to the dreamy land of Rome and the romantic abode of the Taj Mahal.
The title is perfect for the story, as Shiva seduces each woman by telling them the truths of life. The cover too is very attractive and quite at par with the theme of the story.
All the characters are sketched with perfect excellence, especially that of Shiva. The characters of Sana, Zeba and Mary are also splendidly painted.
The plot is incredibly well constructed, that makes it interesting, along with a brilliant style of narration.
The unexpected ending leaves the readers aghast and at their wit's end. Mystic, thrilling and humorous, "Seduction by Truth" by Mukul Kumar invites all its readers to have a peep into it, gluing their eyes onto its pages until the unpredictable end finally arrives.
"Our most intense thoughts often proves to be the dictates of destiny."
November 21, 2018
Seduction by Truth by Mukul Kumar is the story of Shiva and the women in his life. Armed with good looks, money and the gift of the gab, Shiva is in his early 40s with a haunting feeling that there is something missing in his marriage. The lack of sex, the revelation that his wife might be having an affair with another guy, all messes with his mind and sends him off on a questioning spree where he reevaluates life as he knows it, and plans for revenge.
As a character, Shiva is well sketched out and his knowledge about mythological characters, the manner in which he connects the tales with current realities is impressive.
He meets interesting women on his revengeful quest, whether it is his secretary Sana who is tolerating an abusive husband or his business acquaintance Zeba who is in a polygamous relationship and unhappy or even Mary for whom marriage, love and sex are out of question.
The three women he meets and his relationship or the equation with these women form the remainder of the book.
These women make him think differently about love, marriage, relationships, pleasure and set him off on various journeys of the mind and the body alike, some portions of which make for an interesting dialogue between the characters. My only qualm is that the author was so focused on bringing out Shiva’s character, he forgot Akriti – Shiva’s wife whose characterization I found to be quite weak and unclear.
The book cover is pretty decent, so is the title. The central theme around the book is quite interesting and makes for a good reading for anyone who is interested in this genre. Overall it was a good read and can be picked up as a one-time read because I do not see myself revisiting the book anytime soon.
I got the book as a part of the review program in Outset
As a character, Shiva is well sketched out and his knowledge about mythological characters, the manner in which he connects the tales with current realities is impressive.
He meets interesting women on his revengeful quest, whether it is his secretary Sana who is tolerating an abusive husband or his business acquaintance Zeba who is in a polygamous relationship and unhappy or even Mary for whom marriage, love and sex are out of question.
The three women he meets and his relationship or the equation with these women form the remainder of the book.
These women make him think differently about love, marriage, relationships, pleasure and set him off on various journeys of the mind and the body alike, some portions of which make for an interesting dialogue between the characters. My only qualm is that the author was so focused on bringing out Shiva’s character, he forgot Akriti – Shiva’s wife whose characterization I found to be quite weak and unclear.
The book cover is pretty decent, so is the title. The central theme around the book is quite interesting and makes for a good reading for anyone who is interested in this genre. Overall it was a good read and can be picked up as a one-time read because I do not see myself revisiting the book anytime soon.
I got the book as a part of the review program in Outset
November 25, 2018
A Book cover which shows an image of a golden bault which is cover with barbed wire , which given a person who hasn't read the book impression of something which is valuable but it is difficult to get it as it is covered with a symbolic barbed wire. The Title of the book "Seduction by Truth" a non reader might think how can someone get seduced in the name of Truth ? Its an interesting title all together.
The plot revolves around a middle aged man Shiva who is successful in his life, he works in a cooperate MNC , his bold and beautiful wife Akriti. As in perfect marriages Akriti is not the only woman is Shiva's life . There is Sana who is a Personal Secretary to Shiva who ends up in having extra marital affairs. Then there is Zeba who has her own problems with her husband who makes polygamy , just because their religion accepts this concept.. There is Mary a young christian girl from Italy who has a different view towards marriages and their bondage Finally Deven who is Shiva's friends who he shares all his feelings to in the name of revenge towards his wife. So Shiva has something with all these women.
Is these relationship justifiable ,each will have their own view , but I should say the author has done something worth thinking while writing this story line as it usually happens indistinct of everyone , but not every one understands these.
The language used in the book is simple and the narration too I felt is something which the author has taken some sort of pain . There is narration which gives the male point of view giving example of God like Shiva and Parvati and Lord Brihaspati and his wife Tara
What I liked
The characterization is commendable.
The way in which human behavior varies is written nicely
The plot revolves around a middle aged man Shiva who is successful in his life, he works in a cooperate MNC , his bold and beautiful wife Akriti. As in perfect marriages Akriti is not the only woman is Shiva's life . There is Sana who is a Personal Secretary to Shiva who ends up in having extra marital affairs. Then there is Zeba who has her own problems with her husband who makes polygamy , just because their religion accepts this concept.. There is Mary a young christian girl from Italy who has a different view towards marriages and their bondage Finally Deven who is Shiva's friends who he shares all his feelings to in the name of revenge towards his wife. So Shiva has something with all these women.
Is these relationship justifiable ,each will have their own view , but I should say the author has done something worth thinking while writing this story line as it usually happens indistinct of everyone , but not every one understands these.
The language used in the book is simple and the narration too I felt is something which the author has taken some sort of pain . There is narration which gives the male point of view giving example of God like Shiva and Parvati and Lord Brihaspati and his wife Tara
What I liked
The characterization is commendable.
The way in which human behavior varies is written nicely
February 13, 2019
Summary:
Shiva is handsome, an irresistible talker, well-off, lives in Delhi's poshest suburb, is a
dutiful husband to the attractive Akriti and is a perfect father to their little son. So why is he the picture of disenchantment?
Is it that not-so-uncommon human condition-boredom that sometimes accompanies fidelity-that haunts him? In Shiva's case, the discovery that Akriti has already found distraction with someone else frees him to look for excitement on his own-but with a mind conflicted between dharma and desire. Which is the path that he will choose to walk on?
Shiva embarks on a journey to empirically explore different options-the sexually vibrant Sana and Mary, to name a few-but at the end, winds up with more questions
than he started out with. To confuse things further, Akriti continues to occupy a tender place in his heart-as a woman first and a wife later.
A slice-of-life tale, which is part reality and part legend, Seduction by Truth dares the modern reader to solve civilization's oldest puzzle-marriage.
My Verdict:
Shiva, the protagonist is a handsome and charming corporate man in his early forties. He has 4 women in his life namely, Akriti (his wife), Sana (his personal secretary), Zeba (a corporate woman), and Mary (a young Christian girl from Florence). The story is circled around how the lead character makes various journeys through all the 4 women in his life. Various and serious issues in society has been raised in the book and I must say that the author has narrated it very beautifully and with all dignity. The cover is excellent and goes with the title. The mythical references given are very interesting and apt. I would like to congratulate author for picking up such a sensitive topic and doing justice with it. Recommended to all.
Shiva is handsome, an irresistible talker, well-off, lives in Delhi's poshest suburb, is a
dutiful husband to the attractive Akriti and is a perfect father to their little son. So why is he the picture of disenchantment?
Is it that not-so-uncommon human condition-boredom that sometimes accompanies fidelity-that haunts him? In Shiva's case, the discovery that Akriti has already found distraction with someone else frees him to look for excitement on his own-but with a mind conflicted between dharma and desire. Which is the path that he will choose to walk on?
Shiva embarks on a journey to empirically explore different options-the sexually vibrant Sana and Mary, to name a few-but at the end, winds up with more questions
than he started out with. To confuse things further, Akriti continues to occupy a tender place in his heart-as a woman first and a wife later.
A slice-of-life tale, which is part reality and part legend, Seduction by Truth dares the modern reader to solve civilization's oldest puzzle-marriage.
My Verdict:
Shiva, the protagonist is a handsome and charming corporate man in his early forties. He has 4 women in his life namely, Akriti (his wife), Sana (his personal secretary), Zeba (a corporate woman), and Mary (a young Christian girl from Florence). The story is circled around how the lead character makes various journeys through all the 4 women in his life. Various and serious issues in society has been raised in the book and I must say that the author has narrated it very beautifully and with all dignity. The cover is excellent and goes with the title. The mythical references given are very interesting and apt. I would like to congratulate author for picking up such a sensitive topic and doing justice with it. Recommended to all.
March 9, 2019
Shiva is handsome, an irresistible talker, well-off, lives in Delhi's poshest suburb, is a
dutiful husband to the attractive Akriti and is a perfect father to their little son. So why is he the picture of disenchantment?
Is it that not-so-uncommon human condition-boredom that sometimes accompanies fidelity-that haunts him? In Shiva's case, the discovery that Akriti has already found distraction with someone else frees him to look for excitement on his own-but with a mind conflicted between dharma and desire. Which is the path that he will choose to walk on?
Shiva embarks on a journey to empirically explore different options-the sexually vibrant Sana and Mary, to name a few-but at the end, winds up with more questions
than he started out with. To confuse things further, Akriti continues to occupy a tender place in his heart-as a woman first and a wife later.
A slice-of-life tale, which is part reality and part legend, Seduction by Truth dares the modern reader to solve civilization's oldest puzzle-marriage.
Review: This book is really different from the ones that are being published in today’s age. The book speaks about very serious and sensitive topics in a very beautiful manner. I was not very much attracted by the cover but the blurb aroused the much required curiosity. Seduction by truth, depicts the reality of our day to day lives to some extent and the author has beautifully weaved the plot around the handsome and rich protagonist, Shiva. Shiva is strong and emotional at the same time. When he comes to know about his wife’s affair, he goes on to take revenge rather than talking things out, which I feel is wrong. Narration is good. Use of simple language without compromising with the need of good vocabulary is a plus point. All in all, good read.
dutiful husband to the attractive Akriti and is a perfect father to their little son. So why is he the picture of disenchantment?
Is it that not-so-uncommon human condition-boredom that sometimes accompanies fidelity-that haunts him? In Shiva's case, the discovery that Akriti has already found distraction with someone else frees him to look for excitement on his own-but with a mind conflicted between dharma and desire. Which is the path that he will choose to walk on?
Shiva embarks on a journey to empirically explore different options-the sexually vibrant Sana and Mary, to name a few-but at the end, winds up with more questions
than he started out with. To confuse things further, Akriti continues to occupy a tender place in his heart-as a woman first and a wife later.
A slice-of-life tale, which is part reality and part legend, Seduction by Truth dares the modern reader to solve civilization's oldest puzzle-marriage.
Review: This book is really different from the ones that are being published in today’s age. The book speaks about very serious and sensitive topics in a very beautiful manner. I was not very much attracted by the cover but the blurb aroused the much required curiosity. Seduction by truth, depicts the reality of our day to day lives to some extent and the author has beautifully weaved the plot around the handsome and rich protagonist, Shiva. Shiva is strong and emotional at the same time. When he comes to know about his wife’s affair, he goes on to take revenge rather than talking things out, which I feel is wrong. Narration is good. Use of simple language without compromising with the need of good vocabulary is a plus point. All in all, good read.
November 23, 2018
The premise of the book spoke a lot to me and thus the expectations went further high up. To begin with, I somehow felt that this particular book doesn't cater to a wide range of an audience per se. It's about the couples who are married, separated or to be married. The whole backbone of this book is spread on as the author puts it, “mankind's oldest puzzle: marriage”. The clean and simple way of writing and narration made it simple for me to read the book in one sitting without any break.
Now that is something I like in books. Which keep you hooked to the end. The way the whole concept is dealt with is really good and everyone should read it. Shiva as a character have been portrayed very cleverly with typical traits. This makes sure that you feel, as a human being, that Shiva is someone right beside you. There are legends mentioned in the book which can be used to draw comparisons and that's something that is very well thought of. I also liked how all the women in Shiva's life has been crafted in the book.
For the cons, I would like to mention that I believe the book had one too many facts which the urban reader might not prefer reading much. Also, the book could've been written with much more vibrancy in it than there is. There were a few parts which I felt could've been ignored while some needed a bit more explanation. Grammatical errors there weren't any and that's a good sign for me as a reader. All in all the book had a good flow to it and is surely an one time read for the audience. For me, it's 3.25 out of 5 looking forward to reading more of the author's works.
Now that is something I like in books. Which keep you hooked to the end. The way the whole concept is dealt with is really good and everyone should read it. Shiva as a character have been portrayed very cleverly with typical traits. This makes sure that you feel, as a human being, that Shiva is someone right beside you. There are legends mentioned in the book which can be used to draw comparisons and that's something that is very well thought of. I also liked how all the women in Shiva's life has been crafted in the book.
For the cons, I would like to mention that I believe the book had one too many facts which the urban reader might not prefer reading much. Also, the book could've been written with much more vibrancy in it than there is. There were a few parts which I felt could've been ignored while some needed a bit more explanation. Grammatical errors there weren't any and that's a good sign for me as a reader. All in all the book had a good flow to it and is surely an one time read for the audience. For me, it's 3.25 out of 5 looking forward to reading more of the author's works.
March 15, 2019
I picked this book because I loved the cover, the embossed image of a golden apple entwined in a barbed wire. The blurb also intrigued me which focused on the topic of infidelity.
The book follows the story of Shiva, who was on a journey to find the real and true meaning of marriage. Shiva was a successful businessman and had a small family to look after. Though he was happy on the professional front but his personal life was depressing. Shiva's bond with his wife was broken and they both didn't even communicate like a husband wife. Both were together just for the sake of their child.
One day Shiva got to know about his wife Akriti's affair and he thought of experiencing the same feeling of having sex with other women. In order to take revenge on Akriti, he resort to infidelity. He first impressed his secretary, Sana who was neglected by her husband and had unfulfilled desires. Then he had sex with Zeba, who was also neglected by her husband. In the end he wanted to have sex with Mary, an Italian tourist who was unmarried.Through his philosophy and logic he impressed all the three women and lured them to have a relationship with him.
This book is a short read with a unique storyline. The author has explained his knowledge of mythology which I liked the most. The thing I didn't like was the role of Akriti and Ankur. The author could have described a little bit more about them. The language used by the author is not easy and one has to read it slowly in order to decipher the meaning of the story . The narration is smooth and the book is well paced. Overall I liked the book and recommend to readers who prefer unique concept.
The book follows the story of Shiva, who was on a journey to find the real and true meaning of marriage. Shiva was a successful businessman and had a small family to look after. Though he was happy on the professional front but his personal life was depressing. Shiva's bond with his wife was broken and they both didn't even communicate like a husband wife. Both were together just for the sake of their child.
One day Shiva got to know about his wife Akriti's affair and he thought of experiencing the same feeling of having sex with other women. In order to take revenge on Akriti, he resort to infidelity. He first impressed his secretary, Sana who was neglected by her husband and had unfulfilled desires. Then he had sex with Zeba, who was also neglected by her husband. In the end he wanted to have sex with Mary, an Italian tourist who was unmarried.Through his philosophy and logic he impressed all the three women and lured them to have a relationship with him.
This book is a short read with a unique storyline. The author has explained his knowledge of mythology which I liked the most. The thing I didn't like was the role of Akriti and Ankur. The author could have described a little bit more about them. The language used by the author is not easy and one has to read it slowly in order to decipher the meaning of the story . The narration is smooth and the book is well paced. Overall I liked the book and recommend to readers who prefer unique concept.
November 15, 2018
The title of book is half true. It is about seduction -yes, but truth is a grey area here. It is true that adultery has become common in this day and age. Or maybe it was common since time immemorial. However, the easy access of opposite sex has made it more prevalent. Reasons of this are manifold. Is it right or wrong or somewhere in between? What is the mythological and historical perspective on this? Do the people who are adulterous have no conscience? Do they feel remorse? This book tries to answer these questions.
Shiva and Aakriti are a upper middle class couple. He is handsome and she is beautiful but the fizz is missing in their marriage. It has become a sexless marriage and there is no romance left. Shiva has doubt that she is having an affair. So, he decides to start one of his own. Her beautiful assistant Sana is right in front of his eyes. She married early and have a young daughter. One thing leads to another and they fall for each other. He doesn’t stop here. What happens next?
The book shows the process of an affair. How they start from causal meetings in restaurant and then move forward. Shiva rationalize the affair by telling stories from mythology. How Budh had affair with Tara. Sana also wants to clear her conscience and move ahead. Zeba and Mary have their own reasons.
The language is simple and pace is good. The book keep you engrossed and the interests is there to find out what happens next. This is for mature adult audience and they will like it. 3.5/ 5 stars.
Shiva and Aakriti are a upper middle class couple. He is handsome and she is beautiful but the fizz is missing in their marriage. It has become a sexless marriage and there is no romance left. Shiva has doubt that she is having an affair. So, he decides to start one of his own. Her beautiful assistant Sana is right in front of his eyes. She married early and have a young daughter. One thing leads to another and they fall for each other. He doesn’t stop here. What happens next?
The book shows the process of an affair. How they start from causal meetings in restaurant and then move forward. Shiva rationalize the affair by telling stories from mythology. How Budh had affair with Tara. Sana also wants to clear her conscience and move ahead. Zeba and Mary have their own reasons.
The language is simple and pace is good. The book keep you engrossed and the interests is there to find out what happens next. This is for mature adult audience and they will like it. 3.5/ 5 stars.
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