The Extraordinary Life and Death of Sunanda Pushkar

by Sunanda Mehta

Nice Book

Genres: Nonfiction

344 pages, Hardcover

Published July 30, 2019

Reviews

[Murtaza Kuwarawala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title : The Extraordinary Life and Death of Sunanda Pushkar

Author : Sunanda Mishra

Genre : Non - Fiction

There are times when all you find a person being put up on a pedestal of celebrity status so suddenly that you always keep wondering where did this person came from. For me, Sunanda Pushkar was one such person who came into limelight mainly because she married the evergreen politician Mr. Shashi Tharoor. Her marriage was in news everyday and people flocked to internet to find out more about her. Her death became another sensation when she passed away amidst the huge controversy of fights between herself and her husband where she accused Shashi Tharoor of infidelity. But who exactly was Sunanda Pushkar? What was her life before the status of celebrity and how did she die? All the details are explored in this book written by one of her juniors in college which is quite interesting.

The book talks about Sunanda Pushkar and her life at every different stage. A Kashmiri girl who was not was pretty headstrong had numerous ups and downs in her life. From handling her three marriages, to taking care of her brothers and her son, to migrating to different countries, this book explores everything. The book even talks of her controversies amidst her buying of the IPL team and her relationships with various high profile celebrities that made her pretty interesting character. Her death which came as a shock to many has also been given due importance as the book reaches towards the final chapters.

To summarize the book, nothing can be more apt than the Epilogue from the book itself, which states "Sunanda died just as she had lived, Dramatically. Her life bewitched, her death baffled. Just like there are no answers to her death, there is no easy way to define the Sunanda that lived,other than to say that she was uncontainable."

The book did gave me a lot of details on who Sunanda was before she became Mrs. Tharoor and one could see that she was not just a trophy wife but an ambitious woman who could have achieved much more. The author had tried quoting as many sources as possible on every chapter which the readers can ofcourse refer to. The book has been presented in such a simple language that it can be read in a few sittings and shows how a person can achieve a lot even in the ripe age of 50.

My Ratings - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (5 out of 5)

Book in Few Words - Mystifying and Inspiring

[Juhi Bansal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been intrigued by Sunanda (Pushkar) ever since I first heard of her during the IPL controversy. I remember reading about her fairy tale wedding fondly and then marveling at her chutzpah during her public spat with Mehr Tarar and finally feeling confused at her sudden passing.

This (posthumous) biography gives a detailed insight into the woman that was Sunanda- her trials and tribulations as a strong woman both of will and character. Author Sunanda Mehta manages to capture her personality in an unbiased account. It's amazing how she was down so many times but never out. It takes sheer courage to pick yourself up so many times in a single lifetime. Pushkar was a quintessential woman next door but also stood apart even at a distance -she liked flashy things, believed in love, was not quick to trust and wore her heart on her sleeve unabashedly.
The book will not give you closure- her death remains a mystery but I am glad the lady became much more real!

[Manish Shetty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book delves into the one universal truth that, while we as humans enjoy seeing a successful woman fail, we as a society cannot forgive a woman's mistakes. We're skeptical of giving a woman another chance. I, as a man, am not proud of this fact, but I grew up in a society where a woman must ensure that she has no negative marks on her life and uphold the pure and sacred image of an Indian woman.

Some women marry the wrong man. This one married the wrong city – Shobhaa De. I am a Mumbaikar, so I am not very familiar with the Dehli lifestyle, but this book helped me understand what Sunanda went through. Shobhaa's line expresses it well.

In the end, I adored Sunanda. I enjoyed her journey, but I was disappointed that the book did not address her death. I believe the reason is that her death is still a mystery. This is an excellent book for learning about Indian women's struggles.

[Shruti Chhabra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A high flying wife of a prominent and suave politician. Her death catching the interest of the entire nation. These were the two things I knew about Sunanda Pushkar Tharoor.
This book gives you an insight about who she really was, how her journey begun and why she was, how she was. Her life. Her failed marriages, her being a single mother, her ambition, this is how she comes across as a middle class woman. Just like any of us.
The writer has painstakingly and meticulously researched about the book, knowingly well that not many people will be comfortable in speaking on the same because the matter is sub judice and its high profile.
Last but not the least, she wrote the book unbiased without taking sides, which I feel is the most difficult task when you are writing a book in such a vivacious personality. Its definitely worth reading .

[SAMVEDNA · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book isn't purporting to detract from circumstances, situations, or facts, rather it's a compilation of all the above, perhaps in a sequential circuit, proportionate enough to be justifiable and legitimate.
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The author lends thoughts from her memory, and narrates with the ink of extensive research,
marking not the delimitation of Pushkar's actions, or the world's reaction, but delicately outlining what could've been superjacent to the evidential burden of the known, or perhaps the unknown.
The book's epicentre is the being of Sunanda Pushkar, and how and what crafted it, destroyed it, reconstructed it. The ripples though aim to brush upon her death, but indeed not drawing a closure.
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Author: @mehta_sunanda
Publishers: @panmacmillanindia
Language: English

My rating: 4/5

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I simply loved this book.
And it’s extremely well researched book.
What a personality Sunandha Puskar was !

Hats off to the author !
She has put so much efforts to find out intricate details of Sunanda’s life.

And the last few chapters are so interesting.

Just a brilliant read.

[Sunaina Kundapur Hebbal · Rating 5 out of 5]

The amazing life of Sunanda Pushkar.. Well written and gets you to feel the emotions she would have gone through with all the scandals and heartbreaks..
Loved this book

[SANCHITA MOI · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a tough read for me as it is a biography; characters are real here. After my first reading of the excerpt ,the one thing I do first is to search for Sunanda Pushkar. I really want to know who this woman is.. She is strong enough to build herself financially independent. A woman is not allowed to take a break from her daily household duties and responsibilities; even she is not allowed to take care of her mental and physical health. If a woman does so, she has to face a lot of criticism from her family and society. So a woman needs to have a very strong will power to follow her career and her dreams. Being an ambitious woman Sunanda Pushkar rightly proves it.
But she has to go through emotional trauma to choose herself above her family responsibilities. After all, she is a mother. Whatever she wants from her life, she can't deny her mother-nature above all. She can bear it until or unless it comes to her son’s life and death situation.
It is not just a simple read. There are layers of psychology beneath the story line. There are emotional traumas from both sides. Shiv was only three or four when he had gone through the traumatic burden of losing her both parents. It was really very crucial for him to adjust in different places. He was in search of emotional security. Similarly his mother alse needs the emotional space to get over her husband’s death. She also has to balance her professional career as well as her motherly responsibilities. She has to look over other stuff after her husband’s death. She herself needs that mental support.
Last but not the least, the author Sunanda Mehta efficiently portrays Shiv’s traumatic side just in one chapter. I can easily connect Shiv’s character with my childhood bestie who lost her father at a very early age she could hardly remember and her mother is a working woman who has to look over everything single handedly.
I want to know how to bring out the traumatic or psychological characteristics of a character when the character is going through so many things in his or her life?

[Anindita Sarkar · Rating 5 out of 5]

//She was the Queen of her own empire that she built with the stones which were once thrown at her// 👑🥀

Hey Bibliophiles!🦋

Here is a brief review of 'The Extraordinary life and death of Sunanda Pushkar' by @mehta_sunanda

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Genre- Biography

Sunanda Pushkar, as most of us knew her as the wife of a famous politician and her life was an all time boiling controversy but she was significantly more than that... She was a self made successful business woman, a loving mother, a wonderful daughter and so much more...🍁

She didn't sign in to those orthodox societal norms that would be a barricade between her and her dreams.

She was a misfit but she always knew how to kill it with her undaunted charm and evergreen glamour💫...
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This book is a essential read for all those girls who wish to spread their wings and achieve sky scrapping success, forgetting about the people and rules holding them back. 🌻

[Lipika · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting life and a very dramatic death of Sunanda Pushkar. The woman comes across as a strong one who knew what she wanted and how to get it. Mehta has written a fluid account of her life and death. Like the sensitivity in which Mehta has dealt with a profiling a life and death of a personality around whom there have been several controversies and the case of her death is still on.

What stood out was how Pushkar fell and stood up and fell again to stand up yet again since very early on. Its a quick engaging read. Heartbreaking in parts and yet for some reason one never feels sorry for the woman.

[Archana Asok Nair · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like reading biographies because it's closer to reality (spare the biased writing) and for its relatability. Sunanda's life story is highly relatable and real. Struggles of a single mother, the eldest daughter who takes care of her 2 brothers, 3 failed marriages, and a chase for fame. This book is the life of an attention-seeking ordinary woman who made bad choices in life.

[Diwakar Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the book few times and experienced the mood swings of "Pushkar" through Ms. Mehta's texts. It must be challenging for Pushkar to remain calm and let life take its course. Not sure if we will ever get to know what happened in the end. Will justice be served questionable. Free birds of the world are often dominated, dictated and threatened by those who have something to hide.

[SUNDAR]

Well written.Captures the details of Sundanda Pushkar's life well.Good reading

[Mukta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good analysis of a tragic saga. Amazing people, sharp writing.

[Rakhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book , despite being written by Sunanda's friend is not biased towards her. In every point, author points out the flaws in her character. While writing the book, the author interviewed Sunanda's family and group of friends and still she hasn't mincing the words while laying bare the reality of Sunanda. At several points, the book will leave you wondering if it's indeed her friends whom the author talked to because, Sunanda's drawbacks are unveiled without any inhibition wherein my opinion no close friends would do that to a dead friend. Author herself was Sunanda's friend but the book doesn't have any chapter where the author's interaction with  Sunanda could be seen.


This definitive biography is the account of her phenomenal life and its turbulent end.


Author has carefully maneuvered the death of the most talked about woman in country without inviting any controversies. Will she conclude the reason behind her death is something that has to be seen from the book.


The narrative of the author is the highlight of the book. Author's portrayal is so flamboyant that the thin line between reality and fiction could not be seen. As it is Sunanda's life was stranger than fiction.


If you are someone who is intrigued about who the real Sunanda Pushkar was, this book would give you the answer.

[Saurabh Kumar · Rating 3 out of 5]

My actual rating is ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 but Goodreads doesn’t have a half star system.

Oh, well.

Coming to the book, the author - who shares a first name with our protagonist - should be given a pat on the back for the research carried out. Though the book is a life portrait, it reads like a thriller.

Sunanda Mehta’s words are brimming with a sense of admiration and concern for her namesake, albeit the two hadn’t touched base since long.

A striking picture of Sunanda Pushkar adorns the cover of the book, however the design and title lettering (not clearly visible) could’ve been better.

So what’s my biggest takeaway post reading this account? Think long and hard before tying the knot. Both Shashi Tharoor and Sunanda Pushkar married three times sans any marital bliss (which seems to exist solely as a proverb nowadays) whatsoever.

It is a dying institution, isn’t it? Or is it already dead?

[Vandana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Price for fame

It is ironical to say that you have enjoyed reading a book about the death of a person however as the title suggests it’s a larger than life personality that Sunanda had as portrayed by the author .
The book is a detailed version of the events before and after and the author has portrayed in my opinion a logical argument regarding the case .
It’s a difficult task to write a book about people with political affiliations in India as the author stated .
Hope this book is read by many people and Sunanda is not forgotten and there is closure to the case especially for the family members .
The book highlights the usual dodgy methods adopted by the influential to shut people up who have an opinion and want to expose the truth .
I would highly recommend this book as I also learnt a lot of legal terms that I was not familiar with .
Well done Sunanda for writing ✍️ this and having the guts to get it printed 💪🏼

[Jane E · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written book about a fascinating woman. She will always be known for the final days but her lesser known earlier life as a self-promoter and survivor is just as interesting. A very easy read. (Purchased at Kitab Khana in Mumbai.)