Books and Beard Review is the ultimate destination for Indian Book Review, Author Interviews and Book Recommendations. In this blog you will find book reviews of any book you want. It is a book recommendation blog that tells you about best Indian books to read and provides interview of famous Indian authors and Books Reviews of Indian authors. We also have an Indian book review YouTube channel named - Books and Beard Review.

Book Review: Wake up Life is Calling by Preeti Shenoy

Book Review # 11

Title- Wake up Life is Calling
Author-Preeti Shenoy
Publisher- Srishti Publisher
Genre- Fiction
Pages- 256
Rating- 4.2/5


"Face the Grief, Aknowledge it.Accept that it exists."


Blurb-

"Wake up Life is Calling" is a sequal to "Life is What you make it". It narrates the story of Ankita as she tells her readers how she learned to accept and face various difficulties in her life and won the battle against her mental illness.
One year has passed since that incident. Ankita has been discharged from the "National Mental Health Institute" where she was earlier diagnosed with Biopolar Disorder and went through a long treatment.Her parents have now shifted to a new apartment in Bandra.She has enrolled herself in a Creative Writing Course in Bombay.She is all set to start afresh.Her college life is running smoothly with the companionship of her two new best friends, Parul and Janki. Parul is the only child of a single mother, who works in Bollywood as an Assistant Director. Janki belongs to a very conservative joint family of jewellers. Both of them don't know anything about Ankita's past life.



Everything was going very well until one day Ankita recieves a letter from her childhood friend Vaibhab.Once, they used to love each other, but now Ankita don't want to keep any ties with her past.Vaibhab informs her that he has got a job offer in Bombay and soon coming to meet her.

Besides, while preparing for the Public Speaking Competition, Ankita comes across a peculiar book at the library named " The Best Way to Go: A Handbook on Suicide for the Dying". She collects the book from the library and it rekindles her previous longings for death.

Now with the gradual resurfacing of her past she is feeling utterly confused and vulnerable.The voices in her head constantly tormenting her with the thoughts of suicide.


Review-

The Story is set in the year 1993 and it has been meticulously followed and beautifully portrayed by the author through the dressing style, songs and mention of the events like 'the coming of Darzi and copying Juhi Chawla's dress in "Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman". The beauty of Bombay has been shown through the vivid description of Churchgate Khau Galli, The Gateway of India,Wellington Fountain, Flora Fountain etc.

We also find a contrast between the mentality of the two best friends of Ankita.On one hand, we see Parul, the sole child of an Independent single mother.She has a dream of becoming a content writer for magazines or newspaper.On the other hand, we find Parul, belongs to a family who does not advocate the idea of 'working woman'. The only goal in her life is to get married.

Preeti Shenoy is a master storyteller.The chapters are short and the langugae is simple and lucid.Near the end of the novel there is a discussion between Ankita and her teacher which will surely make you cry and bless you with a deeper level of understanding.

Favourite Quotes-

1." Sometimes,it is only when you lose what you had that you begin to value it."
2."Often it is the small things we overlook.I think that is what life is trying to teach us.That little things matter. That we have to be grateful for them.We have to notice them."



Happy Reading

No comments:

Post a Comment

If you have any doubts, let me know

Subscribe

About

A freelance blogger and Bookstagrammer,Animesh Das is a Gold Medalist alumnus of Guru Ghasidas Central University, Chhattisgarh. A large number of his Research articles, poems, book-reviews and short-stories have been published in various national and International Journals, Magazines and Anthologies. He has a penchant for music, photography and recitation. You can catch him on Instagram @booksandbeard

Comments

Contact Us

Name

Email *

Message *