Book Review: I've Got Your Number

Author: Sophie Kinsella
Genre: Chick-lit, Romance
Rating: 3.5/5
Verdict: A light-hearted, warm and fun read with a few dragged parts. Go for it for some mindless chick-lit fun!

Ok, I have to admit it - This is my first of Sophie Kinsella's books! I've never read her famous Shopaholic series which everyone's always raved about. I must admit that off late I have been totally sucked me into the world of headstrong women, romance, humor and the "happily ever-after" stories with twists and turns and a perfect happy ending. This book was sent to me by my Secret Santa for the holidays. The book cover is so appealing in itself and given Sophie Kinsella's popularity,  I couldn't wait to read this book.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead!

The story begins with Poppy Wyatt, a physiotherapist living in London. Up until now, Poppy's had the perfect life, which is anybody's envy - A good job, a genius fiancé, Magnus with whom she will walking down the aisle in a few days and the wedding preparations in full swing. Poppy's dreams come crashing down when she loses "the" heirloom engagement ring in a hotel fire drill one day. As Murphy's law would have it, her mobile phone gets stolen on the same day, rendering anybody's attempts to contact her regarding the ring useless. After all the trauma, lady luck begins to smile at her when she finds an abandoned phone in a trash bin and begins to use it as her cell phone until she finds the engagement ring. 

Poppy finds out that the phone belongs to a business consultant Sam Roxton's PA who's disposed the phone in the bin after quitting her job. Sam and Poppy begin talking, while Sam learns that she's using the phone and isn't quite pleased with it. Poppy manages to convince Sam that she will return the phone as soon as she finds her ring and promises to forward all the texts/messages and emails to Sam until then. Having access to someone's phone, messages and inbox could be very personal and soon Poppy begins to know and learn all about Sam's daily life and begins to form an opinion about him. This is when things get very interesting and the book holds you captive. What follows is a series of interesting text exchanges between the two, some twists when Poppy fills in the role of Sam's personal assistant and how technology brings two strangers closer and even get them married ;)

What I liked...

I absolutely loved Sam Roxton and his personality. He was my favorite of all the characters in the book. Sam's intelligence, tight-lipped nature, his stoic, calm demeanor and sense of humor was quite a turn-on and leaves you with a "my kinda guy" feel. It was quite contrasting Poppy's - who is a nervous wreck, people pleaser and a chatterbox. The text exchanges between the two was fun to read and made me smile a lot of times. I loved how Sophie developed the intimacy between the two - the slow progression from strangers to acquaintances to friends to something more - All this without spending much time together, in physical proximity. The chemistry between Poppy and Sam was electric and I was so rooting for them towards the end. And the moment I read:

“Lover? I don't know. I don't know if she loves me. I don't know if I love her. All I can say is, she's the one I think about. All the time. She's the voice I want to hear. She's the face I hope to see.” 

I was floored right then and couldn't wait for the two of them to get together.

What I didn't like quite very much...

A few parts of the book felt very unrealistic when Poppy responds to Sam's emails signing up for a trip to Alaska, a charity run among the others. I mean, who in their right mind would do that?! Some parts also felt dragged towards the end and I was beginning to get a tad bored. The whole thing about Magnus cheating on Poppy and Sam's undefined relationship with Willow felt like a justification for Poppy-Sam's romance. Not that I am complaining about the romance, but those two incidents definitely made it feel like they were forced to make the plot work out.

Barring the lengthiness of the novel and a few unrealistic parts, I quite enjoyed this book. The romance was adorable and the text exchanges was so funny and very entertaining and kept me hooked till the end. A perfect indulgence for a cozy afternoon with a hot cup of tea! Pick it up and you will not regret it! I've become a fan of Kinsella and I sure am going to pick up the Shopaholic series very soon!

Book Review: If today be sweet

Author: Thrity Umrigar
Genre: Multi-Cultural, Fiction
Rating: 2.5/5
Verdict: A slow-moving and predictable read.

Goodreads blurb:

"Tehmina Sethna's beloved husband has died this past year and she is visiting her son, Sorab, in his suburban Ohio home. Now Tehmina is being asked to choose between her old, familiar life in India and a new one in Ohio with her son, his American wife, and their child. She must decide whether to leave the comforting landscape of her native India for the strange rituals of life in a new country...."

The blurb was enough for me to pick up this book at the library, the reason being the dilemma that the main character, Tehmina in this story is faced with is the one question that has been haunting me for years now - To choose between living in the US or to go back to India for good. Where do I belong? Where should I raise my kid(s)? Will I be happy whichever path I choose? What if I don't?
I am sure anyone who is an immigrant in the United States or any foreign land have been haunted by these very set of questions at least once in their life. As of today, I have been unable to choose between the two. But, I just know that I have to make that decision before its too late. So, I was quite intrigued to find out what path Tehmina chose and her reasons for doing it in the hope that someday it will help me make my decision when I arrive at the crossroads. I also loved Thrity's "The Space between us" - It was a perfect portrayal of the divide between the rich and the poor and it was dangerously close to reality. I was held captive by the book right from page 1.

I started reading this book with high expectations for the above mentioned reasons. The book is about an elderly Parsi woman, Tehmina who has recently lost her husband, Rustom and is visiting her son Sohrab, daughter-in-law, Suzanne and grandson, Cavas aka Cookie living in Ohio.  Sohrab is the only child to Tehmina and Rustom and he has asked her to relocate to the United States and live with them. Tehmina is in a quandary. The story revolves around the challenges, dilemmas and the struggles of an old widow who has lived all her life in India and is faced with so many changes to accept and compromise upon if she were to move to the United States. We get to see the life in the US through the eyes of a sixty five year old woman and the cultural differences faced by older people whose children live in the US. This part of the book, I felt was very well captured. I see it often in my own life whenever my parents visit US, they are unable to come to terms with certain things being done the way they are here even if it has been their tenth visit. They have learnt to accept it and live by it when they are here, but, nevertheless, will never be completely happy with it. Its hard for me to understand that sometimes, given how easily me and my husband have adapted and adjusted to the life here. But, I suppose it gets harder as you age. There is constant comparison on life here versus life in India throughout the book and how things are done in a better way in India. Crossing the roads without fear, not having to wear seat-belts to name a few. I felt this part was a bit judgmental and cliched, but again, well portrayed and is very much the reality.

I also really liked the portrayal of the relationship between Tehmina and Suzanne. There is friction, unpleasantness and a few bitter incidents between the two, but how they get past beyond all of that and still manage to co-exist in the same house without any major disruptions was very well written. Tehmina is not the typically portrayed Indian mother-in-law who is possessive of her son, constantly complains about her daughter-in-law, nor feels the need to be dominating. She is an independent, courageous and resilient woman who loves and adores her son and grand-son and cannot imagine a life without being near her loved ones.  When we get to the incident which is a turning point in helping Tehmina decide, it feels too dramatic, unrealistic and forced. It never made an impact on me and I could never understand the reasoning of introducing the incident about the two boys and the depth of it. So was the part about Rustom talking to her and the book/poems he reads to her. This was very disappointing and I would have rather enjoyed reading more about Tehmina's relationship with some of her friends/family back in India.

As I moved towards the end of the book, it became predictable. Tehmina decides to choose to live with Sohrab in the US. But why? Wasn't that what the book was supposed to be about? I felt that question was never answered or even if it was it wasn't quite impactful. May be, it goes to say - live with your loved ones, the place doesn't matter? - I don't know. I expected this book to be an emotional roller coster, all about love, relationships, heartfelt conversations and much more. But, it fell far short of my expectations. I would give it a miss.