Well, till I read his latest, my personal favorite was his first book, 5 Point Someone. I was still a post-grad student when I read it, and I guess the way he depicted college life (though mine wasn’t as exciting by far!) did manage to strike a chord somewhere deep down. His next book, One Night @ Call Center, was a reasonably good read too, though I didn’t really identify with it. Besides, I’ve never really approved of the “call-center culture" anyway; and going by the experiences of a few friends who’ve been through it all, I don't think much of it. His 3 Mistakes of My Life reached a totally different level though, and in my opinion, he came of age writing it. The way he managed to entwine cricket, religion based politics and a love story without losing his flare for humor and satire is ample proof of it.
True to his earlier books, this one is loaded with wit & humor too, with plenty of comic situations, funny anecdotes and comic one-liners, as also the expected satirical jabs on the way the present Indian society thinks and works. One just can’t help but feel the agony and frustration of his protagonists as they go through the ups-&-downs of a seemingly thankless task that gaining acceptance from each other’s families proves to be. Spiced up with the problems created by endless cultural differences between north and south India and the usual professional hazards that typify today’s high paying yet demanding MNC culture – what you get is an engrossing yarn that twists and turns around the struggle of a deeply motivated couple trying to make sense of their ostensibly disastrous love life…
The humor begins from the acknowledgment page itself – with the author dedicating the book to his in-laws, don't wanna guess what his own parents would’ve thought at the omission!! And yes, the plot may seem a tad too corny at times, and occasionally some of the situations depicted do appear too extreme, but then the author proclaims that it’s his own true story right in the foreword, so there’s no other option left but to believe him. Anyway, one reads past those parts fast, enjoying them all the while too, coz he manages to always keep the reader guessing about what would happen next… another outstanding trait of any of his books, methinks!
To end the review, here’s one of his many witty one liners from the book, one that I have become particularly fond of:
“The world's most sensible person and the biggest idiot, both stay within us. And the worst part is, you can't even tell who is who!!”
heh heh heh … enjoy!!
6 comments:
First things first, I termed this piece interesting because I had no idea you were a fan of Chetan Bhagat. I really cannot comment on this piece without looking biased, so I better say as little as possible.
The first, and only book I read penned by this author was Five Point Someone. Have to say I found it so-so, based on the fact that I deem a book to be good only if I feel the inclination to read it a second, or third time. I read a few pages of One Night @... and found it extremely boring, to say the least.
I know I'm being pig-headed Doc, but, notwithstanding your positive review, I'm going to let this one pass. Nice review, though... As usual :o)
hmmm... for a voracious reader, u DO seem too opinionated! i wont defend what i feel about this author, i wrote right right at the start itself that his books are too refreshingly ORDINARY to review them! still, i liked this book the most, and that's it! give it a shot sometime, maybe when u've nothin better to do... ;-)
hi, so it is a 'review' ths tm- thou I've not bn able to read ths one myself, so far, inspite of d fact tht I bought it whn I was in Gurgaon bt forgot it at tht frnd's place whr I was staying. I do intend to read it thou whn I buy anothr copy.
Anyway, I hv read the earlier 3,n thou I cant say I'm a Chetan's fan bt he's ok- language is simple, flows easily, doesnt tk long to complete, etc. Certain things I do like or can connect wth bt wht I dont appreciate is whn he tries to make it saucy, spicy sorts-
n outta those 3, my fav is "3 mistakes" surely, thou high on religious fanaticism n emotional drama n much of blood n violence-stuff; still his best till thn.
n I'm sure ths "2 states" is going to b a gud read bcos its concept of 'arranging thr luv marriage' interested me since d tm chetan hd started talking abt ths autobiographical book of his.
'5 pt sumone' also gives u sum fun moments, just as '1 nt @ call centre' bcos the protagonists n d othr characters seem to b picked frm ppl among us- no "Heroes", no high-action-packed sequences, no mysteries to unravel, no larger-thn-life plotters n agencies, etc,etc... just plain simple day-to-day fare, interestingly narrated !!!
hey sir i completely agree with ur views especially about 2 states, as u know i cud actually identify with the plot at times . as far as chetan bhagat is concerned , i just love his description , that makes even simple things quite interesting and hilarious.
dude you write well but boss such a long review ? You seem to have lots of free time ..
@ anonymous
buddy, i'd be more inclined to respond to ur query if i knew who u were...
u didnt give any name.....
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