Feb 03, 2014 07:12 AM
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(Updated Feb 04, 2014 07:21 PM)
Do you remember that time when you saw this attractive cake dipped in caramel and sugar pecans and you could not resist it? Do you remember how you took that small bite and thought, “Yeah this is good” and then how by the third bite it became so sickeningly sweet that you wanted to throw up? Well, ‘Those Pricey Thakur Girls’ by Anuja Chauhan to me is exactly the caramel cake.
Whenever I think of reviewing a book. I make sure that I do justice to two kind of readers. The breezy read fans and then those who are used to the real literature. Everyone needs a breezy book once in a while – those books that are affectionately called Metro reads. Anuja Chauhan’s ‘Those Pricey Thakur girls is one of them.’
The description on the book said ‘Spot on funny and toe curlingly sexy’. Now, I am not saying she was not or anything.Her funny instincts did shine bright at places.It was the one thing that attracted me about her writing. When saying sexy and romantic, me as a reader expected it to give belly butterflies. But all I got was me being told again and again in Anuja’s monotonous voice(lent to Dylan, her lead character) that his tummy was doing ballet every time he saw Debjani.
PLOT
Well, the story(as you might have guessed by now) tells you about the love affair of Dylan, a shining professional according to the book description(although some of his actions make me doubt as to how a so called ethical heroic responsible journalist publishes something without verifying the source) and Debjani, a news reader who reads on DD.
The story drags in other characters(that I don’t even remember now), probably to make the book bulkier. Although, Dylan’s investigation on the Sikh riots and the Motla political controversies seems to promise you an interesting read, it fails and falls flat, making it look as if Anuja had used it only to make Dylan look heroic and to bring in the twist. The love story which should have been the subplot to the Dylan’s investigation and story becomes the major plot which somehow makes it less interesting and doesn’t really offer anything.
This is Anuja’s perfect world with perfect people.(Read Bold and beautiful and yes, they all have brains). There is not even a single person in this novel who is not dashing or handsome or sexy or pretty or beautiful.
After a while, you will be bored of Dabbu’s beauty spot, pears eyes, fair skin, ankles and beautiful hair. And so will you be tired of Dylan’s(the so called investigative journalist who actually has all the time in the world) biceps, toffee muscles(what kind of simile is that?) sexy smile, sexy voice and his tummy ballets.
You will see vanity practically printed across all the pages of this book. The characters are not deep and there is nothing that you will notice beyond their looks or pretty dresses and biceps.
This is a typical Bollywood style story where you can guess everything from the beginning to the end.
There are several things I do not understand:
1) How can Dettol mixed with water be yellow in colour?
2) How can a man who sleeps around with several women and don’t trust anyone fall in a ‘love at first sight.’(In fact someone needs to tell Anuja that the playboy – good girl plot is cliched now)
3) When they haven’t talked or even known each other, what makes them fall in deep love. Reality alert - you call that lust
4) Are journalists so stupid?(referring to Dylan’s profession)
5) Why do the synopsis writers make the book look really interesting than it is?
6) Why is it called ‘Those pricey Thakur girls’ when Anuja narrows it down to Debjani? It should have been called DD for Debjani and Dylan .
7) Why do I promise myself never to buy metro reads again and then disillusioned by the synopsis buy it again?
8) Why did I read it till the end?
9) Why did I waste my 350 bucks?
If you are a metro reader and read those breezy reads then 3/5.
This is not exactly Chetan Bhagat. I haven’t read anything except five point someone. But his characters in that book have depth and the plot makes an impression on our mind. Makes us feel. This book does nothing of that sort. It’s a good teen book may be, with a lot of mushy stuff. The stuff that gave us butterflies when we were 16. It’s not worth for 350. If you can get it for a discount and if you have nothing else to do, well, go for it.
If you are a serious reader and believe in spending money for books that leave a mark, then don’t bother. This is not worth it.
