Interspersed with my busy work schedules (pun intended) and in between the swings to catch up the latest news, I finally (not for the quality but for the quantity of time I took) finished reading a good book. I have never written a book review before, this is my first attempt and I hope it comes out as wonderful as the book which I am going to talk about. Yes, there is a specific reason why only this book – I know the author personally and it indeed is a pleasure to write about someone whom you know so closely. I am rather confused what to start first – the book or the author, because I am so over enthused about having actually sat across (and at times besides – on different chairs, mind you) the author who has penned this book – “Three Shades of Green”. And who is the author? A nice beguile young lady, Manasa Rachapalli, the charm of whose reflects equally well in her book.
Three Shades of Green is a collection of three short stories, each diverse in its own way, none following same theme as the previous one. As the author rightly puts it, “Green symbolises life and the stories represent different perspectives in life”, absolutely perfect, I second this thought undoubtedly. I will not go into the slightest of detail regarding any of the stories. It would be more fun to read those narratives and experience the feeling than me giving you a glimpse of my perception about those chronicles.
To begin, let me assert that the content of this book, “Three Shades of Green” is prolific and Manasa is indeed an avid story-teller (pssst – remember, I told you I know her personally :-] ). Story telling is an art and she has adeptly mastered it. From handling issues related to emotions, relationships, feminine liberalisation, and mysterious thriller based on mythological backdrops, the book is no less than a seven course treat, in terms of the literature of the book that is so strongly well-built. The author’s capability to build up thoughts, detail out every visualisation, and pack up the endings powerfully is truly a natural skill – something that definitely cannot be learnt. The plot layouts are convincing and the characterisation interwoven within the plots is terrific. This magnetic novelist has that innate gift to keep you engaged in the characters and their stories – a quality must for fiction writing, and she has excelled at this, based on the fact that my dialogues with her over coffee, lunch, etc have been engaging beyond imagination.
One area where I feel the book dangles is a little loose literary edge in terms of the shaky language and the sentence construction – both could have been better. However, it would be unwise to slap these shortcomings at the author. The book probably hasn’t passed through a proper phase of editing and that is what lacks in the book. Manasa has done complete justice to her part of narrating fascinating stories and composing them to best of her facility.
Though I don’t want to reveal much, I simply can’t void away this temptation. Among the stories, one is “Sandy and Pearl” that impeccably echoes the need for empowerment of women, the other is “A Fine Line”, which tells you about the clear distinction between the feelings of loving and liking someone – a fine line certainly, very apt. The third story is a thriller, “Peetam”, aahhh! the amazing of all, most enjoyable – read it to find why and how.
I will not rate “Three Shades of Green” on any scale of 1 to 5 or poor-average-good (not yet qualified to do so) and build any prejudices, read it yourself to learn it, the book indeed is a bouquet of lilacs, lilies, and orchids.
Keep writing Manasa! Congratulations and All the best :-]
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