This is the story of a depressingly gorgeous woman, Ruheen Oberoi. A fragile beauty brought up by her indulgent Nana in Shimla. A woman stalked by a violent, obsessive son of a powerful minister. A woman married to a junkie in London who spends his days on a Playstation. Her passionate lover, Aditya Sharma, a successful Brand Manager trying to strike the work-life balance, wants another chance with Ruheen in Amsterdam. So does her old flame and best friend Varun Shetty, a recovering alcoholic in Shimla, finding meaning in life. Malika, a seductress wronged by her cheating ex-husband, wants Ruheen’s Aditya instead. Who gets another chance? And with whom?
Ahmed Faiyaz grew up in Bangalore and now lives in Dubai.
He’s a strategist by profession, with a number of years in management consulting behind him. He’s a book and film addict, and a passionate writer. His first book, Love, Life & All That Jazz…, published in April 2010, remains a popular bestseller across major cities. His stories are also featured in the National Bestseller, Urban Shots
Grey Oak has recently released Another Chance, his second full-length novel, and is slated to release Down the Road, an anthology of 30 short stories he has co-edited, in April 2011. He is a founding member of Grey Oak Publishers and Grey Oak Foundation. More on www.ahmedfaiyaz.in and www.twitter.com/ahmedfaiyaz
Another Chance is a book about relationships. In fact instead of book or novel, I’d like to use the word ‘story.’ It’s the story of a free spirited girl who passes through various ups, downs and downs in her life. And it’s the story of a boy who loves the girl. And the best thing about the book is that the author has been successful in drawing a very real picture of this relationship that exists between the two main characters of the story. If and whatever negatives come in the book, are overcome only by this major success of the story.
The second good thing about the book is the interest it generates in you. Once you have started and got into the book a bit, it just keeps you going. There are hardly any dull parts in the book and story keeps you interested whether it’s going through the effervecent days of college or the sombre moods of a breaking relationship.
As for the negatives, there are a few. I could find printing and grammar errors in the book, and though very few, say not even ten in the entire book, they can break the flow of the book for a second. Another thing that is good but seems a bit uncalled for in some places is the use of Hindi words in the dialog. Also, a sudden increase in the usage of urban dictionary in a few places looks like a try-too-hard by the author.
Also, with all the ups and downs, the timeline is a bit difficult to follow, at least in absolute terms, but a positive thing there is that the relative order of things is simple to follow and you always know what is happening after what and before what, so no problems with the timeline really. As for the characters, as I said earlier, the main characters of the book, Ruheen and Aditya are really well defined and people can easily identify with them. Even Varun, and some more characters that are part of story from the start are quite true to themselves, but a few characters may not be that well understood and may be slightly confusing, though it doesn’t at any point create any problem for the main story.
Overall, Another Chance is a good novel that talks of problems that most of us face in different shapes and sizes in our lives today, and in its own subtle manner, it also tries to provide you a solution, without preaching at all. Above all, it’s a story we can relate to. If you’re interested in a story about love, relationships, and various realities of life it may have to pass through, read the book. You may like it, or maybe love it too, the way I did.
Another Chance is Ahmed Faiyaz’s second writing venture after his bestseller “Love Life and All that Jazz”. This book has come out pretty close on heels to his previous book.
From the prologue itself you realise that this book can be right away made into a Bollywood flick. And that point is affirmed as one gets engrossed in the book. The story moves forward from where Love, Life and All that Jazz ended with the friends just out of college. Here it’s about how the protagonists are able to maintain a consistent work – life balance as well as give time to their loved ones.
Love, relationships, care, anger – all the emotions have been moulded together to make an interesting impact. As they say the stories remain the same as you can use the different emotions or have a complex mixture of each of them. But what differentiates the best from the rest is the treatment the writer gives to the story. Ahmed has effectively managed to build his characters and the entire story in a fantastic manner. The narrative is fast paced and you are always waiting to know what happens next, be it when Ruheen wants to run away from Rohan or whether Ruheen and Varun would get hitched.
The extra explanation of Aditya’s stint in sales and distribution and the visit to Amsterdam may not be liked by a lot of people. But personally speaking, I felt that it gave the story another push forward and a sense of direction.
Ahmed’s writing has improved by notches from his previous attempt. He has moved beyond the typical girl meets guy story at college to relationships in real life. The complex web of relationships that he weaves would surely keep the writer engrossed till the end.
Ruheen and Aditya are the main characters. The others like Varun, Rohan, Ruheen’s Nanaji mostly make up the numbers. But Ruheen with her combination of beauty and innocence stands shoulders above the rest.
A simple, light, breezy read which makes you wonder – “Dude, didn’t this happen to me too?”
Another Chance is Ahmed Faiyaz’s second writing venture after his bestseller “Love Life and All that Jazz”. This book came out pretty close on the heels of his previous book.
This is the story of a depressingly gorgeous woman, Ruheen Oberoi. A fragile beauty brought up by her indulgent Nana in Shimla. A woman stalked by a violent, obsessive son of a powerful minister. A woman married to a junkie in London who spends his days on a Playstation. Her passionate lover, Aditya Sharma, a successful Brand Manager trying to strike the work-life balance, wants another chance with Ruheen in Amsterdam. So does her old flame and best friend Varun Shetty, a recovering alcoholic in Shimla, finding meaning in life. Malika, a seductress wronged by her cheating ex-husband, wants Ruheen’s Aditya instead. Who gets another chance? And with whom?
From the prologue itself you realise that this book can be right away made into a Bollywood flick. And that point is affirmed as one gets engrossed in the book. The story moves forward from where Love, Life and All that Jazz ended with the friends just out of college. Here it’s about how the protagonists are able to maintain a consistent work – balance life as well as give time to their loved ones.
Love, relationships, care, anger – all the emotions have been moulded together to make an interesting impact. As they say, the stories remain the same as you can use the different emotions or have a complex mixture of each of them. But what differentiates the best from the rest is the treatment the writer gives to the story. Ahmed has effectively managed to build his characters and the entire story in a fantastic manner. The narrative is fast paced and you are always waiting to know what happens next, be it when Ruheen wants to run away from Rohan or whether Ruheen and Varun would get hitched or not.
The extra explanation of Aditya’s stint in sales and distribution and the visit to Amsterdam may not be liked by a lot of people. However, personally speaking, I felt that it gave the story another push forward and a sense of direction.
Ahmed’s writing has improved by notches from his previous attempt. He has moved beyond the typical girl-meets-guy-story-at-college to relationships in real life. The complex web of relationships that he weaves would surely keep the writer engrossed till the end.
Ruheen and Aditya are the main characters. The others like Varun, Rohan, Ruheen’s Nanaji mostly make up the numbers. But Ruheen with her combination of beauty and innocence stands shoulders above the rest.
A simple, light, breezy read which makes you wonder – “Dude, didn’t this happen to me too?”
A well written story about relationships that keeps you intrigued as to what the ending will be. As a result it keeps the reader engrossed throughout. The descriptions about Amsterdam are really well written and bring the scenes to life. This is a book about today's generation which is ready to take on responsibility for all its actions. Ruheen's character is very interesting. Her story is a classic example of people ending up being shaped by experiences people go through...As someone said "Experience is not what happens to you, but what you do with what happens to you".....I quite like Aditya's character too....Strong in his beliefs....Positive in his thoughts...And always hoping for the best.......The book is certainly a must read as it relates to the generation of today and is written well too!
It's a novel you can randomly pick (I picked it for the cover page ;) )..read a few pages, till you realize the author 'll take liberties and use Hindi words in between, and pledge to let go off that...
And then in between shifting time frames, the regular they are in love, they r out of love...they r the miserable souls who really get the worst of situation to face, one can't help but wonder...is it really making any sense...did either of the two really had any depths...
Because all said n done, the guy really is absorbed with work (though till end I couldn't really understand or appreciate his brilliance, for I saw none)...and the gal was supposedly the most b'ful gal anyone could know (who no matter how miserable she felt, looked awesome, and dressed to kill)...
Just read along, for you wish to reach the end n not leave a book in between....
I was really intrigued by the synopsis and not having read a romantic novel since sometime, this looked like a good read. The first half was really good. It was like a bollywood setup and the guy saves the girl from all the miseries. They stay together and then things start going downhill. But later on as the story proceeded it seemed like the author was merely trying to finish the book and the characters went by in a blur. Things happened way too fast and some characters quite vanished without an explanation. I had read this while I was travelling and it gave me a good company but I wouldn't really read it again in the comfort of my house for a leisure read. I'd still recommend it if you want a break from heavy reading you might be doing.
My first book of Ahmed Faiyaz. First things first....I loved the cover page.
The book is pretty much a masala love story...Boy likes girl, girl likes boy...enters a villain...they separate. Girl gets married to another guy but the marriage doesn't work. Boy pursues the girl and then re-start their journey of love, which gets abrupted by yet again a situation...and then the final question...can another chance give them both a happy ending?
One time read...I am glad I took it from my library and not buy it.
Another chance is a very nicely written romantic novel by Ahmed Faiyaz.
This is the story of stunningly beautifully “Ruheen Oberoi” who is a miserable soul always ends up in trouble. Aditya a smart, loving & caring guy came into her life and changed the whole things. He was madly in love with her & took care of her every-time when she fall apart into pieces.
After overcoming many ups & down in their relationship they end up being together.
This is my second novel by Ahmed Faiyaz & I love his writing very easy going & breeze.
I chose this book because of its cover page....but after a few pages it got boring and irritating..the author has a good writing style,but i think the story line was not good enough to keep me involved. The heroine is depicted as a breathtakingly gorgeous girl. But after a few pages, you start doubting if she really deserves the love and care that the hero gives her. Go for it if you have nothing else to do. For me, it was disappointing :(
Nightmare it was ... for starter it never felt like i was reading a book ..pretty ordinary english with hindi in between ... dude that kills the whole novel ... moreover its too predictable ...nothing is there pretty much bollywood like ..
i was just thinking to get over with this one ...and this is all ghisi piti story ...please dont waste ur time reading this one ...as i already did so !
Another Chance is the tale of modern love; it is the story of Ruheen Oberoi, a beautiful & very liberated girl. Unfortunately she has never been lucky in love but she has no one but herself to blame for it. Not a good judge of people she falls for wrong guys, loses the only genuine relationship she had to an obsessive ex-boyfriend, marries a junkie who turns out to be a wife beater. But luck smiles her way when she meets Aditya the only guy with whom she had a genuine relationship. They start their life together but as always her bad luck follows her.
Is it her estranged husband who causes trouble?
Or was it the ambitions of Aditya to excel in professional world that causes a rift in their relationship?
Will Aditya let the relationship sour? Will he let go of the only girl that he has ever loved? Or will he try for Another Chance from her?
Well you need to read the book to know that.
As is evident by the storyline, this book is a contemporary love story and very modern take on it. It is a fast paced book which grips you from the word Go. The characters are all well etched and contemporary. The part of the book where Aditya looses himself in the web of work is something which is very identifiable. Too busy in coping with work pressure, work related travelling leaving the relationships very vulnerable.
I liked the book for its pace & the light manner in which it has been written. But there were things with which I couldn’t relate, specially the way Ruheen moved out of one relationship into the other, the fact that she only had a grandparent (who pampered her) was too convenient a situation for me because that became the ticket which allowed her to do anything she wanted. I couldn’t relate with ease with which she moved into a live in relationship and the pregnancy out of marriage, maybe I am too conventional but I couldn’t adjust to the idea as the book is based in India. But hey, who am I to question the author’s perspective because at the end of the day it is his story and he has all the rights to keep it the way he wants. And all is well if the story is well told and entertaining which the case with this book is for sure!
Here I must add that I had reviewed Ahmed’s first book and I must say that in this book he shows a leap of growth as a writer. Kudos for that :)
All in all a good time pass read, there will be parts with which one can relate to.
“I love you darling!..... I can’t live without you…. You are the reason my heart beats for you.” Well we all are sick and tired of hearing such cliché and boring filmy lines, aren’t we? Well who would want to read the same old romantic stories which have a predictable ending. But sometime or the other we would always indulge in a light sweet romantic read which would just take you to a world where you can live and flow with it. Another Chance written by Ahmed Faiyaz took me to that world. It revolves around two main characters who fall in love but due to numerous reasons, they fall in and out of a relationship. If seen in comparison with others, it’s yet another romantic story but is a light read that compels a reader to know what happens next. And that’s what’s important for a story, isn’t it? The story revolves around Ruheen Oberoi and Aditya Sharma who fall in true love. Ruheen Oberoi is the grand-daughter of a rich and protective Nana-ji . She is a person with modern views and always happens to make wrong choices regarding her soul-mate. Whereas Aditya is a strong career oriented person who would want to go to any extent to have a stable life for himself and his love. Both of them meet each other in college but destiny had separated them to reunite again after a gap when Ruheen tries to escape from her abusive and immature husband. Now that’s a movie story, isn’t it? I can hear someone say HUM TUM though obviously there the husband dies. But then the stylish narrative is what makes it different. It’s a story about two people who could go mad in love. Ahmed takes the readers to the land where his characters are, and one can feel as if they are in the situation and imagine themselves there. Ahmed has succeeded in keeping the story simple and sweet, projecting every character with an individual identity and strong presence. It stands true to its word of taking the reader to a romantic world. There are very few writers who could bring an international touch to their writing. But Ahmed takes his readers on a journey across various countries in Europe and India. And this is what brings a truly international feel to the book. It’s a blend of interesting style with a touch of emotions that would surely make one cry or rejoice. A good read having interesting characters with a maze of relationships! Recommended!!! My rating – 3.5/5
Another Chance is the second novel by Ahmed, I have read first one Love, Life and All that Jazz (read review here). Like Love Life and All that Jazz this book is about relationships too. Like Love, Life and All that Jazz is about love, friendship, losing and gaining… Like Love, Life and All that Jazz its a book about our generation… the current youngsters (can I still call myself that?) but yet the two books are very different.
Another Chance is a primarily a story of Ruheen who is drop dead gorgeous but doesn’t know how to handle life particularly her love life… right from school time she is running from one relation to other and the book is all about the choices she makes and how her life takes her through as a result of these choices.