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Madam Prime Minister
Asha Devi is India's youngest ever Prime Minister. She is twenty-nine years old, charismatic and driven. Elevated to power after the assassination of her father she must prove that she is more than just a dynast.
But within days of her swearing-in, things begin to go wrong. Terrorists take hundreds of people hostage at Delhi's top mall. Her coalition partner turns on her. Her step-brothers resent her accession. And she is caught up in a ratings war between two of India's top TV channels and their self-obsessed anchors.
As Asha struggles to retain her hold on power, defeat the terrorists, keep her family together, win over coalition partners and tackle the beast of 24x7 news TV, she never loses sight of one She must track down the man who murdered her father.
Written in a cinematic, fast-moving style this book offers an insider's view of how things move at the top echelons of government and gives us a rare peek into the underbelly of the TV news business. It also brings back Asha Devi, the much-admired heroine of Seema Goswami's bestselling Race Course Road.
But within days of her swearing-in, things begin to go wrong. Terrorists take hundreds of people hostage at Delhi's top mall. Her coalition partner turns on her. Her step-brothers resent her accession. And she is caught up in a ratings war between two of India's top TV channels and their self-obsessed anchors.
As Asha struggles to retain her hold on power, defeat the terrorists, keep her family together, win over coalition partners and tackle the beast of 24x7 news TV, she never loses sight of one She must track down the man who murdered her father.
Written in a cinematic, fast-moving style this book offers an insider's view of how things move at the top echelons of government and gives us a rare peek into the underbelly of the TV news business. It also brings back Asha Devi, the much-admired heroine of Seema Goswami's bestselling Race Course Road.
305 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 27, 2021
4 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
About the author
Seema Goswami
6 books3 followersSeema Goswami is a journalist, columnist and author. She began her career with the Anandabazar Patrika Group, working for Sunday magazine before moving on to become editor of The Telegraph’s weekend features. She currently writes a weekly column, Spectator, for the Hindustan Times’ Sunday magazine, Brunch, which has a large and dedicated following. Her book, Woman on Top, written to help women in the workplace, has been translated into several Indian languages. Race Course Road is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 19, 2022
It’s a nice breezy read that I wanted to indulge. A book about contemporary politics with characters familiar and known. The character of Asha Devi is developed well and there is a room for another one in the series I feel.
If you read the first book then I can say this a fitting second book to follow.
Perfect book for a nice read on a holiday with a beer and sun or rain and hot cuppa .
If you read the first book then I can say this a fitting second book to follow.
Perfect book for a nice read on a holiday with a beer and sun or rain and hot cuppa .
December 23, 2022
In this befitting and equally thrilling sequel to Race Course Road, the author is at her feminist best. As you know from the title of the book, it is about India under a female Prime Minister. Asha Devi is the PM now, through a coalition government with Sukanya Sarkar. New challenges await her including external enemies, business, internal anti-national forces and some personal feuds. Is she appointed just as a mouthpiece to the men in her party? Or will she be a politician in her own right?
The female characters have exciting and challenging roles to play this time - Damayanti and Sukanya as two opposition leaders and strong contenders for a coalition. In this one too, many events seem to be inspired from India's politics in reality. I can't list out what they are but when you read the book, you'll surely know. I expected Asha Devi to be a namesake Prime Minister because that isn't uncommon for women in politics. But her growth from a dynasty heiress to a politician in her own right is impressive. The author doesn't make the mistake of creating a flawless, holy politician. Because they don't exist, do they?
The author's writing style, like in the prequel, is of a seasoned journalist. She has seen both politics and media closely enough to know what goes behind those smiles and pleasantries. Her portrayal of political journalists and TRP rivalry is funny to say the least. No wonder I finished both her books in continuity. Gaurav Agnihotri, the screeching anchor (you know who) never fails to make me laugh. It is a fast-paced book with the right amount of politics and emotions, drama and twists, showing each character's good and bad side.
I would recommend this duology to anyone interested in Indian politics or in a good thriller. You would understand this even if you didn't read the prequel. Because there is a briefing of important events from the prequel in this one. People who are into making webseries, just buy the rights already.
The female characters have exciting and challenging roles to play this time - Damayanti and Sukanya as two opposition leaders and strong contenders for a coalition. In this one too, many events seem to be inspired from India's politics in reality. I can't list out what they are but when you read the book, you'll surely know. I expected Asha Devi to be a namesake Prime Minister because that isn't uncommon for women in politics. But her growth from a dynasty heiress to a politician in her own right is impressive. The author doesn't make the mistake of creating a flawless, holy politician. Because they don't exist, do they?
The author's writing style, like in the prequel, is of a seasoned journalist. She has seen both politics and media closely enough to know what goes behind those smiles and pleasantries. Her portrayal of political journalists and TRP rivalry is funny to say the least. No wonder I finished both her books in continuity. Gaurav Agnihotri, the screeching anchor (you know who) never fails to make me laugh. It is a fast-paced book with the right amount of politics and emotions, drama and twists, showing each character's good and bad side.
I would recommend this duology to anyone interested in Indian politics or in a good thriller. You would understand this even if you didn't read the prequel. Because there is a briefing of important events from the prequel in this one. People who are into making webseries, just buy the rights already.
April 11, 2022
Although my peers in the literature course would always scoff at my ardent love for mystery and thriller novels, there was nothing that could dare deter me from pursuing this ever-elusive genre. Despite my deep devotion, however, I always steered away from political thrillers. It was with extreme scepticism, therefore, that I picked up my copy of 'Madam Prime Minister' from a local bookseller.
What started out as a desire to rekindle my love for thrillers quickly morphed into the identification of my fatal flaw within the span of the first five pages – I had not yet read a political thriller based on the intricate Indian political domain and, in turn, had failed to grasp the depth of the narratives. And my, oh my! What a revelation this book has been!
Seema Goswami's fast-paced narrative drew me in and kept me hooked from the first word till the thrilling end. To give credit where credit's due, it was extremely refreshing to see a flawed heroine at the forefront of the narrative – her vanity and pride make her seem formidable even as her rich emotional landscape renders her humane and relatable.
Arguably, my favourite scenes were the ones where the auteur contrasts the ambition of the protagonist to wage war with the quiet disdain of a journalist in the context of a formal ball, albeit through the simple device of showcasing each woman's individualistic use of makeup and fashion (the infamous "viles of womanhood").
Highly recommend 'Madam Prime Minister' if you wish to indulge in a homegrown political thriller that truly lives up to all the praise and acclaim that have been directed its deserving way.
What started out as a desire to rekindle my love for thrillers quickly morphed into the identification of my fatal flaw within the span of the first five pages – I had not yet read a political thriller based on the intricate Indian political domain and, in turn, had failed to grasp the depth of the narratives. And my, oh my! What a revelation this book has been!
Seema Goswami's fast-paced narrative drew me in and kept me hooked from the first word till the thrilling end. To give credit where credit's due, it was extremely refreshing to see a flawed heroine at the forefront of the narrative – her vanity and pride make her seem formidable even as her rich emotional landscape renders her humane and relatable.
Arguably, my favourite scenes were the ones where the auteur contrasts the ambition of the protagonist to wage war with the quiet disdain of a journalist in the context of a formal ball, albeit through the simple device of showcasing each woman's individualistic use of makeup and fashion (the infamous "viles of womanhood").
Highly recommend 'Madam Prime Minister' if you wish to indulge in a homegrown political thriller that truly lives up to all the praise and acclaim that have been directed its deserving way.
August 3, 2023
The book is fast paced and has a well thought out plot. Ending is unexpected and something I loved.
But overall it focused far less on governance and politics and more on Asha's quest.
The author was restricted by the number of pages.
The versions of real life individuals were well portrayed.
I went in expecting something different more in the line of Christopher Buckley's novels, the hit HBO series Veep or Yes Minister, I got a version of that. But it was one where the writer had to cut as much as possible so the story had to be squeezed into the book.
So I liked it but I didn't get a chance to stay with the characters and watch them work together or against each other. Her siblings were totally sidelined and I don't mean politically but storywise.
The focus swung to new characters which was well executed yet I wanted the old ones as well.
TL;DR Good but fell short of my expectations
But overall it focused far less on governance and politics and more on Asha's quest.
The author was restricted by the number of pages.
The versions of real life individuals were well portrayed.
I went in expecting something different more in the line of Christopher Buckley's novels, the hit HBO series Veep or Yes Minister, I got a version of that. But it was one where the writer had to cut as much as possible so the story had to be squeezed into the book.
So I liked it but I didn't get a chance to stay with the characters and watch them work together or against each other. Her siblings were totally sidelined and I don't mean politically but storywise.
The focus swung to new characters which was well executed yet I wanted the old ones as well.
TL;DR Good but fell short of my expectations
March 18, 2022
A breezy interesting read overall!....the funniest bits were when Seema writes about the news reporters, Manisha Patel and Gaurav...immediately mind conjures up images of Barkha Dutt and Arnab Goswami...Sukanya didi reminds one of Mamta Banerjee quite a bit too!..however, one expected the book to have greater nuances, like two allies finalise a coalition and number of seats to be shared between them in a single meeting in under two hours..as a seasoned reporter married to an editor like Vir Sanghvi, one expects Seems to know how these things work out in real life...the book is rather superficial in the politics it depicts...Seema is best in the humorous bits...
August 14, 2022
The novel is political based story where the lady asha got to to run the country as a prime minister of India after her father's assassination. Amidst the political chaos that ensued and her turbulent personal life to professional one to keep balance between various other coalition parties and journalists & media, she finally brought her father's killer to justice in India from the country he was absconding. The novel is penned by the journalist author, Seema goswami, wife of another veteran journalist Vir Sanghvi. 3 stars to this story.
January 7, 2026
Passable read. Benefits from a more streamlined story than the previous book (Race Course Road), but suffers from poorly sketched characters outside of the Prime Minister. The writing is also lazy, with historical plot point repeated way too many times in the course of the story.
March 14, 2022
Absurd at times, plot feels like a story weaved out by stringing news reports together. Not as good as it’s prequel. Ending turned out to be much better than expected though.
November 5, 2022
Reads like a thriller.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews