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The Girls in Green
Set in the Officers' Training Academy, this is the story -
Of Bijli Bijarnia aka Billi, the girl with feline grace and lightning-fast ref lexes, determined to tear through the
social taboos of Haryana hinterland from where she hails.
Of Lakmenlang Zyiem aka Lakme from Shillong, the optimistic law graduate who is the first Khasi girl to join the academy.
Of Shiny Joseph from Kottayam, who only joins the academy to be near her boyfriend but finds herself pitted against him more often than not.
Of Nutan Patil aka Nutty from Jalna, the mimic, the incurable romantic, the effervescent drama queen.
The Girls in Green is a story not only about soaring ambition and punishing military regimens, but also about gratifying rewards and the joys of friendship.
Of Bijli Bijarnia aka Billi, the girl with feline grace and lightning-fast ref lexes, determined to tear through the
social taboos of Haryana hinterland from where she hails.
Of Lakmenlang Zyiem aka Lakme from Shillong, the optimistic law graduate who is the first Khasi girl to join the academy.
Of Shiny Joseph from Kottayam, who only joins the academy to be near her boyfriend but finds herself pitted against him more often than not.
Of Nutan Patil aka Nutty from Jalna, the mimic, the incurable romantic, the effervescent drama queen.
The Girls in Green is a story not only about soaring ambition and punishing military regimens, but also about gratifying rewards and the joys of friendship.
376 pages, Paperback
Published August 18, 2021
8 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Tanushree Podder
63 books58 followersA BRIEF BIO
Born at New Delhi, she worked in the corporate sector for eight long years before Tanushree quit the rat race to wield her pen and found her calling.
A well know travel writer and novelist, she is also known for the hundreds of ‘Middles’ that entertained readers of almost all English dailies in the country for over a decade. Tanushree is passionate about travelling and writing. If the lady is not packing her bags to zip around the world, she is sure to be found tapping the keys of her computer.
Among her bestselling books in non- fiction genre are Death of a Dictator - The Story of
Saddam Hussein, Secrets of Happiness, The Ultimate Food for Body, Mind and Soul, The
Power of Relaxation. The book Smart Memory has also been translated into Tamil and Spanish.
She has published 15 novels till date. Nurjahan’s Daughter, Boots Belts Berets, Escape from Harem, On the Double, Solo in Singapore, I fell in love with a soldier, Cakewalk Murder, No Margin for Error, A Closetful of Skeletons, The Breath of Death, Decoding the Feronia Files, The Teenage Diary of Rani Laxmibai, The Girls in Green, Spooky Stories, An Invitation to Die, are a few novels written by her.
Boots Belts Berets and On the Double - are soon to be adapted into web series.
She lives with her husband in Pune.
Tanushree can be contacted by email via her website at http://www.tanushreepodder.com. on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/tpodder
Instagram
@poddertanushree
Twitter
@tanushreepodder
Her travel stories can be found at http://tanushreez.wordpress.com
Born at New Delhi, she worked in the corporate sector for eight long years before Tanushree quit the rat race to wield her pen and found her calling.
A well know travel writer and novelist, she is also known for the hundreds of ‘Middles’ that entertained readers of almost all English dailies in the country for over a decade. Tanushree is passionate about travelling and writing. If the lady is not packing her bags to zip around the world, she is sure to be found tapping the keys of her computer.
Among her bestselling books in non- fiction genre are Death of a Dictator - The Story of
Saddam Hussein, Secrets of Happiness, The Ultimate Food for Body, Mind and Soul, The
Power of Relaxation. The book Smart Memory has also been translated into Tamil and Spanish.
She has published 15 novels till date. Nurjahan’s Daughter, Boots Belts Berets, Escape from Harem, On the Double, Solo in Singapore, I fell in love with a soldier, Cakewalk Murder, No Margin for Error, A Closetful of Skeletons, The Breath of Death, Decoding the Feronia Files, The Teenage Diary of Rani Laxmibai, The Girls in Green, Spooky Stories, An Invitation to Die, are a few novels written by her.
Boots Belts Berets and On the Double - are soon to be adapted into web series.
She lives with her husband in Pune.
Tanushree can be contacted by email via her website at http://www.tanushreepodder.com. on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/tpodder
@poddertanushree
@tanushreepodder
Her travel stories can be found at http://tanushreez.wordpress.com
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 10, 2021
// The Girls in Green by Tanushree Podder
Book Tour & Review
The Girls in Green is a fast paced novel about four girls whose lives take a great turn when they all arrive at the Officer Training Academy. Although there are many a good books about men officers being trained, I never witnessed a book that addressed Lady Cadets in general. In this sense, The Girls in Green was somewhat a refreshing read. As one dives into the story, the transformation of these young women from knowing nothing about the defence to becoming the best version of themselves to serve the country is a treat to witness. Tanushree Podder has cleverly added little quirks to the story, to maintain the right balance of seriousness for the book to work.
Bijli, Lakmenlang, Shiny and Nutan instantly form a solid friendship when they arrive at the OTA in Chennai, each belonging from a different background and carrying varied motives to be a part of the Indian Military. Their rigorous training is nothing short of awe-inspiring, making them shed blood and sweat so as to prepare them for an adventurous and a patriotic future. Few of the girls who joined the training for petty reasons find themselves respecting the defence, further pushing themselves to do their best. Amidst the back-breaking training and regime, the girls seek comfort and support from each other through all the ups and downs.
Although I did enjoy reading parts of this book, I was bothered by the amount of body shaming that Nutan was made to receive. The taunts were endless, making me feel very uncomfortable. I have heard praises of the author's previous works, especially of Boots, Belts, Berets but this particular book somehow fell short of my expectations. Albeit The Girls in Green had incredible potential to be extraordinary, the story was certainly lacking something. Nevertheless, it does make for a good one time read.
Book Tour & Review
The Girls in Green is a fast paced novel about four girls whose lives take a great turn when they all arrive at the Officer Training Academy. Although there are many a good books about men officers being trained, I never witnessed a book that addressed Lady Cadets in general. In this sense, The Girls in Green was somewhat a refreshing read. As one dives into the story, the transformation of these young women from knowing nothing about the defence to becoming the best version of themselves to serve the country is a treat to witness. Tanushree Podder has cleverly added little quirks to the story, to maintain the right balance of seriousness for the book to work.
Bijli, Lakmenlang, Shiny and Nutan instantly form a solid friendship when they arrive at the OTA in Chennai, each belonging from a different background and carrying varied motives to be a part of the Indian Military. Their rigorous training is nothing short of awe-inspiring, making them shed blood and sweat so as to prepare them for an adventurous and a patriotic future. Few of the girls who joined the training for petty reasons find themselves respecting the defence, further pushing themselves to do their best. Amidst the back-breaking training and regime, the girls seek comfort and support from each other through all the ups and downs.
Although I did enjoy reading parts of this book, I was bothered by the amount of body shaming that Nutan was made to receive. The taunts were endless, making me feel very uncomfortable. I have heard praises of the author's previous works, especially of Boots, Belts, Berets but this particular book somehow fell short of my expectations. Albeit The Girls in Green had incredible potential to be extraordinary, the story was certainly lacking something. Nevertheless, it does make for a good one time read.
June 28, 2023
I did not finish this one.
I bought the book because the premise - a story about four female army officers - was enticing. However the style of writing was so offputting that I just couldn't read it. I don't know whether this is originally written in English or a translation but it was dull reading. Part of the problem may be the very "Indian" syntax and style which I am unused to. Either way - So disappointing.
I bought the book because the premise - a story about four female army officers - was enticing. However the style of writing was so offputting that I just couldn't read it. I don't know whether this is originally written in English or a translation but it was dull reading. Part of the problem may be the very "Indian" syntax and style which I am unused to. Either way - So disappointing.
March 27, 2022
High on the feel-good factor but sorely lacking in substance – reads like an Enid Blyton story.
The author missed an opportunity to convey the real struggles of ladies in the Indian Army, the chauvinism, patriarchy, bureaucratic hurdles that they have to face. Another factor is the reluctance of the ordinary jawan to be commanded by a lady officer – although the police do not seem to have this attitude. Finally, the senior brass of the army, comfortable in their ‘boys only club’, are the biggest obstacle.
The author shamelessly plugs her other books about the NDA and IMA.
The author missed an opportunity to convey the real struggles of ladies in the Indian Army, the chauvinism, patriarchy, bureaucratic hurdles that they have to face. Another factor is the reluctance of the ordinary jawan to be commanded by a lady officer – although the police do not seem to have this attitude. Finally, the senior brass of the army, comfortable in their ‘boys only club’, are the biggest obstacle.
The author shamelessly plugs her other books about the NDA and IMA.
September 13, 2021
Discarding the book after a few chapters. Terrible writing.
August 16, 2021
Jam-packed with humour and life, the girls of 'The Girls in Green' are: Bijli aka Billi, from Haryana who has lightening fast reflexes; Lakmenlang aka Lakme, a Khasi girl from Shillong amd a law graduate; Shiny aka Shiny, from Kottayam, joined the army to be near her boyfriend but finds herself at odds with him everytime; and the incurable romantic and the drama queen of the group, Nutan Patil aka Nutty from Jalna.
The humour filled frolics and shenanigans of Billi, Lakme, Shiny and Nutty set in the Officers' Training Academy for the Indian military make up for a beautiful story of friendship, love and patriotism of four women stranded amid patriarchal ethos. It was a lady officer's question: why haven't you written about us? that stuck with the author and sowed the seeds of The Girls in Green. The story encompasses the journey of four girls hailing from different parts of the country, diverse backgrounds and entirely different cultures, who first arrive at OTA Chennai in a state of goggle eyed wonderment. Eleven months later, the four of them graduate as army officers.
Tanushree Poddar remarks in the epilogue of The Girls in Green, "The army is a conservative and male-dominated organization, in which the acceptance of women as army officers is is difficult to come by." Will eleven months be enough to harden the mettle of these young women or will they succumb to the rigorous mental and physical exertion? More often than not we come across male protagonists who exercise power, women are rarely a part of the narrative let alone be a person of power, Poddar breaks this stereotype while presenting to us a seamless and riveting narrative that touches the strings of our heart yet is light and funny.
I am quite excited for the series adaption after reading the novel!!!
The humour filled frolics and shenanigans of Billi, Lakme, Shiny and Nutty set in the Officers' Training Academy for the Indian military make up for a beautiful story of friendship, love and patriotism of four women stranded amid patriarchal ethos. It was a lady officer's question: why haven't you written about us? that stuck with the author and sowed the seeds of The Girls in Green. The story encompasses the journey of four girls hailing from different parts of the country, diverse backgrounds and entirely different cultures, who first arrive at OTA Chennai in a state of goggle eyed wonderment. Eleven months later, the four of them graduate as army officers.
Tanushree Poddar remarks in the epilogue of The Girls in Green, "The army is a conservative and male-dominated organization, in which the acceptance of women as army officers is is difficult to come by." Will eleven months be enough to harden the mettle of these young women or will they succumb to the rigorous mental and physical exertion? More often than not we come across male protagonists who exercise power, women are rarely a part of the narrative let alone be a person of power, Poddar breaks this stereotype while presenting to us a seamless and riveting narrative that touches the strings of our heart yet is light and funny.
I am quite excited for the series adaption after reading the novel!!!
August 17, 2021
A fantastic story that depicts friendship, courage and patriotic sentiment. This is an engaging story about four girls belonging to different regions and having different personalities unify by one common motive of serving the country. I loved that prologue section of the book which gives us a brief idea about what motivated these girls to join OTA. Follow along as our protagonist Bijli with her other friends Shiny, Nutan and Lakme adjust themselves into the strict routine and training of Officers Training Academy.
Their stories are the ones that would inspire others to achieve something great in their life that would that encourage others. It was no surprise that this amazing book has already been optioned for a major web series (Super excited to watch it, btw). It was a whirlwind read of fun, inspiration and memorable moments of beautiful friendships.
Their stories are the ones that would inspire others to achieve something great in their life that would that encourage others. It was no surprise that this amazing book has already been optioned for a major web series (Super excited to watch it, btw). It was a whirlwind read of fun, inspiration and memorable moments of beautiful friendships.
September 2, 2021
Thrilling …how girls survive training and how their bond become stronger and turns into officers…! Love it and enjoy it!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews