Review: I Keep Falling in Love with Her Again and Again by Mayuri Debnath (3.5/5)

Title: I Keep Falling in Love with Her Again and Again

Author: Mayuri Debnath

ISBN: 9352066634

Blurb:

"This is a heartfelt story of the journey of two people, who find love on their way to stardom and beyond. Any heart that has known love, felt love and is in love will find themselves reliving the best moments of their life while taking a stroll with the story. 

Love, friendship, hitches, magical moments, heartaches and marriages, I Keep Falling in Love with Her Again and Again is much more than that."

My Take:

Rivaz and Janvee, two bollywood superstars, have married each other thrice. The novel begins with the 50th anniversary since their first wedding, and then goes back in time. Rivaz recapitulaes their story since the first time they meet on the sets of their debut movie as co-stars. Each chapter is a step ahead in the journey of their life - meeting as strangers, becoming friends, falling in love, getting married and so on, till the end. The author has beautifully portrayed their dilemma in the beginning while they are suspicious of each other's feeling, and afterwards, the love and respect they have for each other. Even after being independent in their lives, they are not spared what an 'normal' couple in love goes through, given the social and cultural bindings that form a part of lives here. However, they conquer every hurdle, and live together till their last breath. The story is somewhat better and different than the usual stuff flooding the market, however there are some negative points - a lot of editing mistakes here and there take away its sheen.

Rating: 3.5/5 

Review: Kama Dahana by Venkatesh Prabhu (2/5)

Title: Kama Dahana

Author: Venkatesh Prabhu

ISBN: 9385440152

Blurb:

1900 AD. Paramashiva Gowda, the head of Suraveerapura, a village under the Rulers of Mysore Kingdom. He used to haunt young maidens of the village and ruin their chastity. Many of the victims commit suicide. Several quit the village. Many of them cried helplessly. He was not only a brave man, handsome and courageous enough to fight alone against twenty persons at a time but also a human of noble qualities. Besides had beautiful wife & cute children. The Ruler of Mysore Kingdom had bequeathed him a horse, who turns out to be his best servant and a pistol in appreciation of his kindness towards animals and helping nature. What made such a noble man to become a lecher and victimise several innocent families of the village? Who instigate him to become so cruel and licentious? Whether his cruelty comes to an end? Whether the villagers come out of the trouble? Kama Dahana answers these.

My Take:

This story is based on a legend about a person who is believed to have lived almost a century ago. Paramashiva Gowda is the rich and powerful head of a village who lives a life notorious for his injustices against the maidens of the area. 

Gowda lives a normal life like everyone else before a drunkard tempts him to become a villain of a person. He lures him towards young maidens of his village folk, whom he exploits by offering money to their parents in need. Initially, everything goes smoothly as per his whims, but soon enough they begin to resist his advances, which forces Gowda to become a serial rapist. He believes in vanity till one day he reaps the fruit of his bad deeds, and he killed by the same people whom he had ruled with an iron fist. 

The plot is interesting. Given the fact that Kama Dahana is a translation of the author's own Kannada book, the book is less charming in English. Most of it seems to be lost in translation. I'm a big fan of historical fiction, so I read it with particular interest. However, I was disappointed by the total lack of editing and proofreading. There are a lot of spelling mistakes, and a few setbacks as far as grammar is concerned. Many sentences and ideas have been repeated, or repeatedly rephrased, and that comes out as a negative point. A good editor would have done away with many of these pitfalls. The translation of many a proverb is quite literal, and the impact is lost. Once again, mediocrity is evident on part of the editor. The 206-page book would have been concise, and more readable if attention were paid to all these points. 

Rating: 2/5