Rafflesia The Banished Princess by Gautam- Book review
I received this book for review about a month ago. But my reading of it got delayed mainly because of my travel and partly because the book was very long, 396 pages at it. Finally managed to finish reading it, below is a quick review:
The story spans over 2 decades. Beginning in 1982, Guwahati, describing Appu (name of the lead character)'s childhood. Next chapter jumps to Leeuwarden, a locality in Netherlands. From the first few chapters, it was not possible to figure out what kind of story it is- love/romance? some suspense thriller? corporate fiction? The cover gave a feel of fairy tale and the blurb on the back cover was not helping either. As I read through next few chapters I still couldn't feel the core plot kicking in. I continued reading. Regular introduction of new characters and names was not helping as well. Had to constantly remember who is who and what are their relationships and importance. Even receptionist's name is called out.
But then, on the good side, story takes you around the world- Guwahati, Shillong, Amsterdam, Austria, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and so on. In most stories, hero is often portrayed as romantic, successful, highly sought after and talkative person. But Appu's character feels lot closer to reality- he speaks less, his colleagues don't bother about his preference to join for an outing, only few close friends know and understand him better and he silently battles few struggles of his life on his own. With extreme detailing and narration, the book feels lot different as you progress through.
Summary:
Title: Rafflesia, The Banished Princess
Author: Gautam
Publisher: Frog Books
ISBN:978-83-52017-16-4
Genre: Fiction
Price: Rs 395 (Buy on Amazon, Kindle edition available for Rs 49)
No. of Pages: 396
About the author: Gautham Choudury works for a leading IT company as Business Analyst and is based in Chennai. This is his first book.
Final words: Read Rafflesia- The Banished Princess with leisure, when you have a few days free time. Only then you will be able to really get into the book, soak in the plot and enjoy the story telling/reading experience. If you're expecting a 200 page rapid fiction then this book is not for you.
The story spans over 2 decades. Beginning in 1982, Guwahati, describing Appu (name of the lead character)'s childhood. Next chapter jumps to Leeuwarden, a locality in Netherlands. From the first few chapters, it was not possible to figure out what kind of story it is- love/romance? some suspense thriller? corporate fiction? The cover gave a feel of fairy tale and the blurb on the back cover was not helping either. As I read through next few chapters I still couldn't feel the core plot kicking in. I continued reading. Regular introduction of new characters and names was not helping as well. Had to constantly remember who is who and what are their relationships and importance. Even receptionist's name is called out.
But then, on the good side, story takes you around the world- Guwahati, Shillong, Amsterdam, Austria, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and so on. In most stories, hero is often portrayed as romantic, successful, highly sought after and talkative person. But Appu's character feels lot closer to reality- he speaks less, his colleagues don't bother about his preference to join for an outing, only few close friends know and understand him better and he silently battles few struggles of his life on his own. With extreme detailing and narration, the book feels lot different as you progress through.
Title: Rafflesia, The Banished Princess
Author: Gautam
Publisher: Frog Books
ISBN:978-83-52017-16-4
Genre: Fiction
Price: Rs 395 (Buy on Amazon, Kindle edition available for Rs 49)
No. of Pages: 396
About the author: Gautham Choudury works for a leading IT company as Business Analyst and is based in Chennai. This is his first book.
Final words: Read Rafflesia- The Banished Princess with leisure, when you have a few days free time. Only then you will be able to really get into the book, soak in the plot and enjoy the story telling/reading experience. If you're expecting a 200 page rapid fiction then this book is not for you.
Buy Raffles- the Banished Princess on Amazon
Other book reviews here
Leave a Comment