The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever (Bevelstoke, #1)

"Because someday you're going to grow into yourself, and you will be as beautiful as you are already smart. And then you will look back into your diary and realize just how silly, little girls like Fiona Bennet are. And you'll laugh when you remember that your mother said your legs started at your shoulders. And maybe you'll save a little smile for me when you remember the nice chat we had today."

...and with these words, insecure ten year old Miss Miranda Cheever fell completely and irrevocably in love with the worldly nineteen year old Viscount Turner. 

Almost a decade later, Miranda is a young woman ready for her first 'season' in London. And Turner is an embittered widower. He is mad at the world and predictably cynical. Miranda still has stars in her eyes. She has never forgotten the gentle Turner of her childhood memories. And Miranda still hopes for a fairy tale ending. 

  ---------------------------- 

This book was gobbled up in a day. It's a frothy, predictable romance set in the Regency Era and has a decidedly Mills & Boon-ish air to it what with the unrequited love, the simmering jealousy and the passion filled interludes. But Miranda has a lovely Lizzie Bennet vibe to her and Turner is a more laid-back and irreverent Mr. Darcy. That always works for me. The supporting cast is able and witty and prone to dry asides and witty comebacks. Turner does have a few douchebag moments and Miranda does have a tendency to veer into Mary Sue territory, but they redeem themselves towards the end of the book. The tale is no great sweeping saga but it is definitely nice to snuggle up with on a day when it's raining steadily outside. Oh yes, and a special mention for Miss Cheever's pugilistic butler who made a very brief but entertaining appearance:

'Look,' Turner said in a conciliatary tone. 'I need to speak with her immediately. It's of the utmost importance. The lady's honour is at stake.' Thwack! Turner reeled from the second blow. 'That, my lord, is for implying that Miss. Cheever is anything less than honorable.'

British butlers. Always a delight.
  ----------------------------

RED TURBAN WHITE HORSE (Nandini Bajpai)

Red Turban White Horse was a rather sweet and endearing piece of YA Lit.
If you like your teenage heroines to be savvy, street-smart, wise beyond their years, non-whiny, blessed with an artistic flair/ fashion sense/ Etsy shop, then Mini Kapoor ticks all the right boxes. Imagine a teen Sonam Kapoor, if you will. The fact that Mini appears to be a Harry Potter fan, (numerous references pepper the books) worked for me.

The story revolves around the run-up to the Great yet classy (and homespun) Indian Wedding and the intervening chaos, the hit-and-miss moments and the mellow warmth and support of loving/ non-judgemental relatives.

The love-track was pretty predictable but readable.

Interesting fashion mentions for those who know their Tory Burches from their Kate Spades. My personal favourite was the classic Dooney and Bourke Doctor Satchel. Coupled with ravings about Indian couture, the book will be quite entertaining for the ones who like their gladrags labelled and lovingly dunked in pretty paperbags with celebratory tissues.

An engaging angle for me was the mother-daughter relationship. It was explored with sensitivity, nostalgia and the firm convictions of a writer who has had a loving maternal influence.
I also enjoyed the entire support system surrounding Mini's frantic efforts. While it's cynically hard to imagine that most people can be genuinely nice and helpful, it was nevertheless, emotionally uplifting.

In all, a fairly decent read.

RATING: 3/5

THE RELUCTANT MATCHMAKER (Shobhan Bantwal)

The main conflict in this book was that the heroine was barely five feet tall and the hero was six feet-five inches tall. The hero is 'nobly' staying away from the heroine because he feels that his gargantuan body will crush her fragile and delicate beauty.

This ofcourse doesn't stop him from being a sadistic ( I refuse to accept that he's clueless) twerp who then proceeds to ask the heroine (who for the record, is wearing her heart on her sleeve like nobody's business) to find a six-feet tall prospective bride for him.

Oh, and he sneaks in a snog with his reluctant matchmaker while he's at it.

And then gives her a Dear John version of a shove-off.

Oh yes, he did.

And why, after all these mindless shenanigans, does the supposedly razor-sharp heroine proceed to peg him as a kind, loving and humourous man is COMPLETELY beyond me. What exactly did he do to deserve those attributes?

Dear *I-claim-to-be-non-mercernary-but-judge-the-hero-by-the-car-he-drives* Meena and *God-forgive-me-but-I-will-send-a-rogue-bludgeon-your-way* Prajay....you really want to know what a great love story between a midget and a giant should be like?

Please look up Drogo and Daenerys Targaryen.
Look at them: And also:



AND the love-story of Daeneryes and Drogo was a rich, vibrant tapestry that weaved in fear, belligerence, sexual attraction, mutual respect, courage and the slaying of a particularly vile and creepy brother-in-law.

THAT's a love story of epic proportions.
Not this.

RATING: 2/5

YOU HAD ME AT HELLO (Mhairi McFarlane)

 

Mhairi McFarlane, THANK YOU. And also:



You, with your stellar writing and biting wit and pitch-perfect characterizations, have infused new life into the world of chicklet/ rom-coms.

SYNOPSIS:

Ben and Rachel met in university and hit it off immediately. They were young and idealistic and sharp as a pair of new scissors. They were best friends and partners-in-crime. A steady boyfriend on Rachel's part and a slew of blonde bedmates on Ben's part never put their friendship in their jeopardy.
Until one day, when things went *Ka-Blooey* quite unexpectedly.
Ten years on, Rachel has just broken up with her long-standing/suffering fiancé and Ben is dutifully married to a Stepford-ish blonde. When they meet each other again, Rachel feels the friendship (and oh, so much more) come rushing back.

--------------------------------------------

MY (gushing) VIEWS:

Dear Sweet Lord, I LOVED the book! I have a brand new copy of this book and it already looks like an old-timer because I have moved back and forth, folded up my favourite bits and generally made it a tad messy with greasy potato-chip fingers (only the best and most engaging books get stained with greasy potato- chip fingers).

Why did I love the book to literal bits 'n' pieces?

a) THE HEROINE: Rachel Woodford is plain out lovable. She is. There are no silly dramatics, no oh-Lordy-I'm-such-a-quirky-doofus moments, no histrionics....nothing. Sure, she is self-deprecating and a tad confused. But she's also mature, intelligent and burdened with a vulnerable streak . However, she is never going to fall into the pitfalls of the done-to-death chicklit clichés. Her daydreams are geekily adorable too:

"I think of Ben's mum's easy laughter when she met me, and for a split second imagine a parallel universe where I'm her daughter-in-law and Abi was my bridesmaid, and how well we'd get along. More of my fantasy fiction: I should throw in a few elves as ring-bearers."

b) The EX: Rhys. Rhys was etched wonderfully. A wannabe rock star, topped with the obligatory Byronic locks and the love 'em-leave-'em vibe, Rhys has wanker/ twat/ wazzok/ effin' sod written all over him. And yet, the author furnishes him with just enough likeable traits so that he doesn't get slot into the bad guy-category.

c) THE HERO: Ben....sweet, lovable, oh-puh-lease-he-has-the-looks-of-a-boy-band-member Ben. Ben is beautiful, inside and out. Ben is noble. Ben is all about the happily-ever-afters and the orange blossoms and the white picket fence. Ben is funny, blessed with wit and also, with loyalty. He may not have married his soulmate but he will never cheat on his wife. Ben is the man of our untouched-by-cynicism dreams. Ben is the perfect mate. And despite being so faultless on paper, he never grates on your nerves. Never, not once.

d) THE SUPPORT SYSTEM: Streamlined Caroline, Mad-as-a-hatter Mindy and Acerbic Ivor. Hail the slightly demented but ever-faithful trinity.

Their characters are effectively summed up by these descriptions:

~ There's something about Caroline's kindly no-nonsense that really sorts you out when you're in a spiral. She's sympathetic without being indulgent. The difference between seeing the school nurse instead of your mum when you're grazed your knee.
~ A trek up and down King Street fashion stores on a busy Saturday afternoon leaves me frazzled and near-tearful. I call Mindy. She listens to the problem and writes a brief prescription. 'You've lost perspective and are no longer in the good decision zone. Go somewhere upmarket. like Reiss, find a simple black cocktail dress. Buy one size up if that looks better, shelve your pride. Pay whatever it costs. Where with any heels you know you can walk in. Boom,done.'
~ Ivor: 'It's counter-intuitive. Why should a man surrounded by woman be homosexual? Hugh Hefner doesn't get this treatment. Obviously I should wear a dressing gown and slippers all day.

'I would kill for friends for Caroline, Mindy and Ivor. Okay, not kill, just maim or slightly injure (Hail Dobby!)

e) THE WRITING: McFarlane is flawless. Her writing flows like the proverbial butter melting on a hot knife. Her wit, her empathy for her heroine, her kangaroo-like ability to hop between the past and the present keeps you thoroughly engaged. If nothing else, I fell a little bit in love with her just for this wonderful way in which she summed up a single woman in her thirties:

"You have the hunted, wary look of the serial monogamist who's unexpectedly stumbled back into the singles jungle and forgotten she needs a machete."

f) THE STORYLINE: The story is nothing new. It's isn't earth-shattering in it's originality. But the author's knack for accuracy,escalates it to addictive heights. Falling in love with your best friend is the best (and seemingly secure) feeling in the world. Having that love reciprocated is like a fireworks show going *fizz-crackle-BOOM* in your system. Having that love unrequited makes you feeling pretty much buried under seven-layers-of-turd. McFarlane covers the whole spectrum of these emotions without ever getting maudlin or schmaltzy.

To conclude, it's a cozy, funny, spirited, funny, emotional, funny, romantic, BRIT funny read.
Did I mention that it's very very funny?!?

Pick the book up.You won't be disappointed.

RATING: 4/5

Those Pricey Thakur Girls (Anuja Chauhan)

 

Set in the eighties, Those Pricey Thakur Girls is the tale of the five beautiful (albeit chaotic) daughters of retd. Justice Laxmi Narayan Thakur as they flit in and out of their bungalow on Delhi’s prestigious Hailey Road. More precisely, the story revolves around the fourth daughter Debjani (Dabbu): the lover of losers, the messiah of stray dogs and the bearer of an Aruna Iraniesque mole on her chinny-chin chin.

Dabbu has just landed the much coveted job of newsreader at Desh Darpan (DD), the ONLY news channel in the country. Following her first, nervous newscast, the general opinion of her doting family and the odd chaat-wala is positive and brimming with praise. However, the scathing review by a columnist in the India Post newspaper rips Dabbu’s maiden venture to shreds.

Disheartened, dismayed and downcast, dear Debjani is alliteratively enough down in the dumps.

So what happens when the idealistic Debjani crosses swords with her father’s best friend’s son, the cynical investigative reporter, Dylan Singh Shekawat? And what happens when Debjani discovers that the brimming with wit and rippling with sinews Dylan is the pen behind the vitriolic piece that described her as “Miss Dolly dotted chin with a basilisk gaze?”
---------------------------------------------------------------------

 Anuja Chauhan pretty much rocks. This book is yet another gem from the lady who writes like a dream. 

She has the ability to push together a spunky heroine and a deliciously devilish hero and infuse their pairing with enough chemistry, wit, chutzpah and interfering busybodies to create a memorable love story.

The strength of her stories lies in the plethora of supporting characters who are so well-etched that you long for individual novellas of their very own.

Those Pricey Thakur Girls is a complete package. There are varying shade of humour ranging from droll wit to outright bawdy innuendos. The story effectively skirts the line between frothy chick-flick and gritty political gameplay. There are generous splashings of Hinglish that never sound pretentious or forced. Finally, the setting. Anuja Chauhan’s books are set in nostalgic patches of old Delhi that make you crave girly gossip nights atop terraces and hormonal neighbourhood boys who mature from puppy dog affection to wolfish admiration.

As always, I come away from a Chauhan romp with the replete sense of *paisa-vasool*. The book made me happy and at the end of the day, that’s a satisfying blessing indeed.

The Single Girl's To-Do List

Last week I read a book that sounded promising but turned out to be a damp squib which never seemed to end.

This week, I (with one eyebrow cocked disdainfully) picked up the dodgy sounding, loaded with smarmy self-help undertones The Single Girls To-Do List and.....ate a large slice of humble-pie as I breezed through this totally addictive, feel-good read.

It’s the story of make-up artist Rachel Lulu Summers. 28-year old Rachel has just been brutally ditched by her supposedly stable boyfriend of five years, Simon. While she can easily wallow in a pit of dire despair, her best friends Emelie and Matthew have a better (and slightly bizarre) plan.

Rachel has always been an obsessive list-maker. Her life revolves around them. So keeping this little obsession in mind, the high-on friendly and drunken fervour trio make *The Single Girls To-Do List*. Including some doable and mostly questionable tasks; the list is Rachel, Emilie and Matthew’s road trip on the highway of rip-roaring fun, bawdy humour and the thing that makes the world go nauseous : *LOVE*.

Seriously, this book was such a pleasant surprise. It was Four Weddings and a Funeral coupled with all those lovely, inappropriate , brimming with raucous laughter and drunken splurges Brit rom-coms that you wished would step out of the silver screen and just happen in real-life already!

The strength of these frivolous rom-coms lies in the support system that surrounds the heroine. I absolutely loved the gorgeous (and comfortable with it) Emelie and the great big splendidly gay Matthew. Call me optimistic, but I like it when a friend doesn’t disintegrate into a frenemy. Em and Matthew came across as supportive individuals who while burdened with bad decisions of their own, never once, not ever, ditched Rachel to her own devices.

You absolutely, most definitely need friends who, when you cut off your waist-length ponytail in a blind moment of panic and screech,

'I look like a boy. Oh God, I look like Justin Beiber.'

go, ever so supportively,

'He looks like a girl anyway' I loved that bit. I don’t know why. It just made me want to litter a bunch of mental smileys all over the page.

The love-interests are predictable and yet again, that’s a plus. The book is not a big suspenseful “who-WILL-she end up-with” drama. It’s a tale that’s been told a million times....a tale of a girl (clichéd as it is) who’s trying to find herself. And if along the way, you have a nice looking bloke thrown in to tie things up nicely, then, I , for one, have no complaints, whatsoever.

The language or the tone is not for those with delicate dispositions. It’s loud, littered with profanities and blotched up by many a drunken binge. And it works.

So pick up this book if you want a cute, quick, utterly girly, partly unladylike, marginally funny romantic read.

Battle for Bittora

Anuja Chauhan follows the success of ' The Zoya Factor' with yet another desi firecracker. Battle for Bittora is all good, tried-and-tested Bollywood clichés parcelled into one enticing masala-read.

Jinni Pandey is a happy-go-lucky animator drawing award-winning ‘kitaanus’ (germs/bacteria) for Harpic and other noteworthy brands. She’s young, spunky and has a carelessly-on purpose dishevelled half-rosebud haircut that she's mighty proud of.

But Jinni is also, infact Sarojini Pande, granddaughter of the fearsome political matriarch Pushpa Pande. The Pande clan is an illustrious (albeit with a dubious background) political dynasty. For a long time, they have contested the Lok Sabha elections through their hometown Bittora. Sometimes they have had resounding victories and at other times, embarrassing losses but it’s always been a full-on tamasha.

And now in true-blue unbendable grandmother/ conniving politician mode, the great Pushpa Pande has manoeuvered the clueless Jinni into contesting the upcoming elections from Bittora. Soon Jinni finds herself togged up in starched sarees and matronly blouses. She’s thrown headlong into a world of kleptomaniac Election agents; Crack teams who will “do anything” to help ‘didi’; hormonal pet dogs; frenemies; stalwart ladies who don’t visit parlours but bite off their underarm hair with their teeth (a very disturbing exaggeration, that); manipulators; back-stabbers; gropers and the entire rigmarole that is our grand Indian Politics.

Standing on the tip of this fast dissolving Gola, is Jinni's opponent : The idealistic (also, chiselled), intellectual (yes, his tan is honey colored) and universally loved (well, with that build-up....he obviously has to be lustworthy!) Zain Altaf Khan. Maruti Zain (as Jinni had mockingly nicknamed him) and Jinni share a rich past. They were childhood friends who were almost lovers before the great Pushpaji brought their raging "haarmoans" under control.

As the two youngest ever Lok Sabha candidates battle out the elections in grimy Bittora; kid gloves are shed, dirty politics lunge forth in full force and the trusty ol’ “haarmoans” make a predictable reappearance.

Anuja Chauhan strikes gold yet again. I am thoroughly chuffed to say that I have a favourite Indian author who doesn’t play the displaced NRI/ skanky urban cougar/ Indian travelogue card. Her dialogue is a delightful blend of propah English with a spicy tadka of local dialects. She captures the dusty contours of rural India, jazzes it up with a host of laugh-out-loud caricatures and gives you a stellar lead pair who make you root for them.

Kudos to Chauhan for plumbing her political lineage (her mother-in-law is Margaret Alva) and employing it with insouciance. I loved the book and would strongly recommend it for all who are still searching for that elusive "must-read Indian Author".

The Learning Curve

The Learning Curve is late author Melissa Nathan’s final book. And being maudlin wasn’t her style. The book is vibrant, deals with a contemporary issue, has a teensy-tiny feminist touch, is choc-a-bloc with colourful characters and leaves you with a smile on your face.

Nicky Hobbs is a thirty-year old, much-loved school teacher in a primary school. Her gang of friends include fellow teachers : Rob (who she shares a romantic history with), Ally (the big-build best-friend with quips galore) and Pete (the tiny teacher with an elfish appearance). Nicky is a dedicated member of the staff and when she finds herself being made co-deputy head with Rob, she’s thrilled at the challenge. That’s when she’s not dealing with the hot and cold responses emitted by Rob.

Adding fun to the proceedings is the truly eccentric head of the school : Miss.James. She is most definitely a Quentin Blake illustration to the tee and has enough oddities and strength of character to make her a memorable cast-member.

One of Nicky’s favourite students is Oscar. Oscar is intelligent, moody and comes equipped with an absent widowed father. Mark Samuels (Oscar’s father) is the classic workaholic, earning big bucks and working all hours of the day to provide Oscar with an affluent lifestyle. Sadly, the only thing Oscar needs is his father’s presence and free time.

When the disapproving Nicky and the world-weary Mark finally meet, the proverbial sparks fly. Angry (yet hour-glassed figured) teacher V/s Bitter (yet broad-shouldered) single father...the outcome is inevitable.

And then out of the blue, Nicky gets offered the chance to apply for the position of School Head. And so does Rob. Suddenly the blow-cold Rob is sounding out waves of pure heat to Nicky.....talking marriage, babies and white picket-fences. A confused Nicky is now faced with three alternatives:
a) Whole-heartedly pursue the shining climb up the career ladder and most probably say goodbye to dreams of a family-life.
b) Give in to Rob’s oily paintings of a happily-ever-after and agree to play second-fiddle to his ambitions
c) See if there’s something more to the sizzling chemistry between her and Mark Samuels.

A whole lot of soul-searching, a bit of hearty venting and loads of misunderstandings happily scamper along Nathan’s final work. The story was predictable. I found her earlier books (The Nanny ; Persuading Annie) to be loads better. But I guess I have kind of developed an emotional bond with the author and got a bit teary-eyed when I read the Acknowledgements.

Melissa Nathan was in the poignant position of knowing that her book would most probably be published posthumously. Her consequent messages to her dear ones left me with a a sizeable knot in my throat, especially the one written to her three-year old son Sammy.

The last lines go:

“Go into the world knowing that while you were everything to your mother, you won’t have to deal with an annoying woman who can’t stop kissing you when you’re fifteen. I will be in the sky kissing you from afar”

.

The Waitress

Katie Simmonds is an ambitious young lady. This week she wants to be an educational psychologist. The one before that, she wanted to be a teacher. And the week before that, a film director. She’s earned her degree from Oxford and believes that the world is her oyster. Sadly the oyster is yet to be shucked and she’s living out her life as a waitress in a dead-beat cafe. It may not be the best job in the world but it pays the bills and provides a stop-gap while she imagines herself in one glamorous career after the other.

Her love-life isn’t much to write home about. The latest debacle occurs when she runs out on the very endearing, very eligible Dan in the middle of a date.

Dead-End job, Dead-End love-life. Katie’s life is set.

But then things take an ugly turn when the cafe is taken over by new owners. New owners that include the aforementioned Dan. Dan Crichton. The last man she ever wants to run into is now not only running the cafe but playing hoity-toity big bossy to her snarky, sarcastic waitress.

Other interesting characters are
a) Jon: Katie’s waiting-to-be discovered author roommate. Much of his practice writing includes penning down glorified resumes to bolster Katie’s ever changing career options.
b) Sukie : Katie’s waiting-be-discovered actor best-friend. She’s gorgeous and talented and true to her art. Sadly she’s yet to get her big-break and continues to try out for a series of go-nowhere auditions. She also ekes out a living as fellow waitress with Katie
c) Matt : The teenage dishwasher at the cafe. Morose, bludgeoned by pimples and the fear that he will die a virgin makes him a real charmer.

Melissa Nathan’s books are like addictive sitcoms complete with punchy dialogue and unexpected cliffhangers. Her characters try to take the less-travelled path, trip over many pitfalls and emerge victorious.

Another winner from the Nathan stable.

Persuading Annie

Once upon a time....the beautiful, auburn headed, vivacious teenager Annie Markham had an awful scare. She thought that she was pregnant. And when she shared this bit of news with her teen boyfriend, Jake...he turned an unbecoming shade of puce, yelled out a panicky speech and promptly fainted. Vivacious Annie should have seen this as a prologue for things to come. But when she discovered that she wasn’t really pregnant, she told Jake again. The gallant Jake promptly turned a slimy shade of green, yelled out another heart-ripping speech and promptly disappeared. Annie should have listened to her wise Godmother Susannah’s advice. Men weren’t to be trusted.

The End.

Once upon a more recent time, Annie Markham is a beautiful young lady. She has a heart of gold, works at a local art gallery, moonlights as a phone Samaritan and seems to be the only sensible duckling in an eccentric self-absorbed family of pretentious swans. But the bouncing curls and witty facade hide an embittered soul. Annie has never really got over Jake’s abrupt departure from her life and he continues to colour all her interactions with the opposite sex.

But Annie has more pressing problems. The once-flourishing family business is in danger of folding. Her figure-head (in every sense of the word) of a father is too busy chasing everything in a short-skirt to do anything useful. Her eldest sister, Katherine is single and too busy playing coiffed socialite to contribute anything meaningful. Her middle sister Victoria is too busy being stuck in a dead-end marriage to the lovable yet golf-crazed Charles and lives out the daily drama of playing hapless mother to two energetic tots.

Susannah, who now works for Markhams decides to bring in the best Managment-Consultant team to save the company from bankruptcy. Said Management Company is headed by the dynamic Jake Mead. Yep, the very same: turn into the colours of a rainbow ->faint -> run Jake from Annie’s past. Jake, despite being hugely successful and handsome to boot, has never really recovered from what he believes to be Annie’s duplicity. When he learns that Annie is the youngest member of the Markham family, he sees this as a perfect opportunity to seek some long-overdue revenge (or "closure", as his psychiatrist would like to stress). Annie too, is determined to be stoic/sarcastic/condescending when she encounters the big howling ghost from her past.

But the best-laid plans of management gurus and curly-topped viragoes can always hit a roadblock. Soon the two find themselves thrown into improbable situations that result in unexpected results.

The witty Melissa Nathan strikes yet again. Her writing is cheeky, loaded with quips and generously peppered with realistic insights into the minds of different personalities. The characters may seem like caricatures, but they revel in their predictabilities. Annie is an endearing heroine, Jake has the requisite charm to make you overlook his pigheadedness and the rest of the supporting cast have enough eccentricities to keep you hooked till the last page.

The Nanny (by Melissa Nathan)

In recent months, I have waded through some fairly mediocre chick-lit. I have left books halfway, groaned at the plot-predictability and mentally castigated the dull-as-ditchwater heroines and their pompous heroes.

So now when I come across an author who took a much-mauled genre and perfectly bound all the essential elements together; I want to genuflect before the Lord and send up a fervent "Thank You!"

The Nanny is another brilliant offering by the late Melissa Nathan. It's a tale of 23 year-old Jo Green. She’s a young lady who’s increasingly feeling the pangs of a life that’s going nowhere. She’s stuck tight in bucolic Niblet-Upon-Avon, lived with her parents, has a boyfriend (Shaun) who she’s known since kindergarten and is trying to eke out a living as an underpaid Nanny.

Taking a leap of faith (and desperation), she decides to take up the job of live-in Nanny in London with an affluent family. The perks are humungous. She will have her own suite with a massive TV, her own car, new friends and the golden opportunity to pull herself out of stagnation.

But every silver cloud has a demented lining.

Her new boss Vanessa Fitzgerald is a hard-wired, smart-talking corporate biggie. Evenings at home take the form of nasty digs and articulate squabbles with her easy-going husband Dick who runs a record store. They are the proud and terribly exhausted parents of bloodthirsty Zak, warrior-pixie Cassandra and the well-mannered little Tallulah. Adding to the family dynamics are Dick’s two sons from his previous marriage : obnoxious (since he has a chip on shoulder) teen Toby and charming but prone-to-bouts of obnoxiousness (since he has enough chips to form a mini-skyscraper on his shoulders) 25-year old Josh.

Just when Jo is getting the hang of things, she suddenly has to deal with the fact that Josh will be her new roommate. Simmering attraction, blow-hot blow-cold responses from Josh and the ever-intrusive presence of boyfriend Shaun do not make for peaceful living. And then there are the constant parallel dramas of the Fitzgerald clan. Everyone seems to be harbouring some deep dark secret....everyone’s ticked off but not always in unison....and everyone needs their lives to be set right.

Jo Green has a lot of growing-up and decision-making to do. All this while finding true-love and keeping her hair attached to their follicles.

The book justifies it’s massive size. Nathan’s style is chatty and witty and loaded with punch and righteous indignation. The characters are not clichéd and even their most confounding personality disorders are beautifully unravelled. I strongly recommend this book to all disillusioned chick-lit lovers who are sniffing out for something fresh, humorous and utterly engaging.

Acting Up ( by Melissa Nathan)

I have just discovered the magic of late author Melissa Nathan. After a rea-ealllly long time, it’s nice to finally sink my teeth into a chick-lit read that incorporates all the key elements, is loaded with peppy dialogue and is refreshing within a mould that rarely gets broken.

What first attracted me to this book was the funky almost art-deco cover-art. Secondly, I read the first line of the blurb which went

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a large ego must be in want of a woman to cut him down to size”

and was instantly enchanted. Jane Austen (and especially Pride and Prejudice) adaptations have always been my weakness. While many a time, the Darcy-Elizabeth equation has been mauled and marauded,‘Acting Up’ got it just right.

Jasmin Field (a.k.a. Jazz) is an outspoken journalist who lands the role of Elizabeth Bennet in a fund-raising adaptation of Austen’s most popular work. Directing the venture is Hollywood’s golden-child, Harry Noble. He’s handsome, popular, acerbic and opinionated. In fact, he’s Mr.Darcy come to life! The leading lady and the arrogant director rub each other up the wrong (and sometimes right) way. The proverbial sparks fly and the story flows without a hiccup. Supporting characters bring their own woes and parallel storylines to make the book a page-turner.

You would think that the story would be predictable since we all know how Austen’s classic ended. What makes this retelling worthwhile is that Melissa Nathan’s characters are addictive. They are bright, can mouth crackling dialogue, are proud but equally humble in facing their shortcomings.

Chick-lit at it’s superlative best.

Nina Jones and The Temple of Gloom

First of all…Brilliant Title. I love stuff that does a smack-dab job of wordplay. You got to get itchy fingers to pick up a chick-lit titled “Nina Jones and the Temple of Gloom”. Ol’Indy would be right proud.

Nina Jones is a tall, blonde PA to one of the hottest chefs in London: Edmund Jett. Efficient, hardworking and devoted to a lifestyle of making Edmund’s fast-paced life easier, Nina is content. And she’s also in love with her handsome, charismatic boss. But said handsome, charismatic is boss is married…no, make that….HAPPILY MARRIED. And we have…

~ Roadblock #1~
Leading a life of unrequited love is fast growing old for Nina. So, when a handsome (and slightly cheesy) Spaniard chef called Juan starts dishing out a lot of attention, Nina decides to allow herself to be swept away on a wave of cloying romanticism. In an uncharacteristic move; she sells her flat, gathers up her savings, gives up her high-flying job (and a suddenly interested Edmund) and moves to Spain with Juan. She decides to plunge herself into the Spanish way of life while helping Juan renovate a derelict restaurant called El Flor Anaranjado. But true-blue Lothario, Juan does a runner with Nina’s cash, leaving her literally and emotionally bankrupt.

~Roadblock #2~
Ashamed to return as a failure to her old life, Nina decides to take up in residence in her deceased uncle; Arval’s flat. The flat is located in a dark mausoleum which she scornfully refers to as “The Temple of Gloom”. As she battles with her depression, Nina has to deal with sinister gargoyles, inquisitive (and yet kindly neighbours) and a possible (and extremely hot- looking) vampire called Viktor. Is she destined to end up as Hors d’oeuvres for the grim-looking vampire or does she pull through and find her*HAPPILY-EVER AFTER*?

The book was loads of fun. Nina is a typical chick-lit heroine with her obsession for material things like the clichéd Jimmy Choos. She’s also burdened by a family history that is bound to leave her cautious and dissatisfied. However she displays sparks of cheekiness and resilience that makes her wholly likeable.

Viktor the (possible)vampire is…in one word…*scrumptious*. He’s the kind of male-lead that makes you happy that knights-in-shining-armours (or dark capes as the case may be) do exist.

The host of supporting characters are endearing, with Evangeline (Nina’s next door neighbour) deserving special mention. She’s batty, wears crazy wigs, has a latent mother-hen instinct and makes you hope that if you ever end up in a mess (God Forbid!!!) like Nina….you do get the delightful Evangeline as your bolster.

I would highly recommend this book to all chick-lit fans. It’s fun, with tinges of darkness and generous splashings of witty dialogue.

The Cinderella Deal

This romantic comedy is recommended for those days when you have encountered one too many frogs who failed turn into loyal, charming princes…the days when everything seems to go wrong and all you want is a *Happy Ending*, however predictable and seasoned with clichés it is. The Cinderella Deal serves as good comfort food for those ‘I-want-to-stay-in-bed’ days.

Meet boho-chick artist, Daisy Flattery who believes in clash and contrast. She wears clothes in eye-watering colours, takes home stray dogs and bruised furniture and is facing a money-crunch thanks to the absence of a steady income.

And now meet her buttoned-up neighbour, Linc Blaise. He’s a history professor who leads a sedate lifestyle right down to his tastefully-furnished apartment. But Linc has reached a roadblock. To get the job of his dreams, he needs to satisfy the one condition which the appointing authorities insist on: a fiancée.

(You know where this is heading). Daisy agrees to play the fawning fiancée for a sum of thousand dollars which will tide her over till her financial situation improves. As the two play house, they find that an emotionless professor and a zany artist can coexist with companionship, simmering passion and genuine fondness for each other. Whether they do anything to change their false situation is what the chick-lit is all about.

The Cinderella Deal is sweet read, peppered with a host of typical characters ranging from the sarcastic best friend to the lecherous boss to the unexpected love-interests. Finish the book in an hour, feel good for a while and then get geared to fight the real-life dragons again.

Queen of Babble In the Big City

A massive improvement on it’s prequel. Just when you begin to doubt the chick-lit prowess of the mighty Cabot, she thwacks you in your snarky face with ‘Queen of Babble in the Big City’ .

Scatterbrained, babble-prone Lizzie Nichols is back. She’s living with her boyfriend - Luke in a plush 5th Avenue Flat in the city of her dreams, New York. The expert on vintage clothes is bursting with enthusiasm and has that special-sheen which only a happily-ever-after scenario brings.

But just when you start wondering whether you are going to read a long-drawn out account of Lizzie’s many, many accomplishments…up pop the road-blocks!
a) The turn-green-with-envy flat that she shares with Luke actually belongs to his mother.
b) Said mother has just got back with her estranged husband but appears to be receiving calls from a hot ‘n’ heavy boyfriend.
c) Her best friend - Shari seems to have found the job of her dreams while Lizzie is finding few takers for a wedding-gown specialist.
d) And then…she lands two jobs: One, a non-paying gig at a temperamental French couple’s Wedding-Gown restorer store and Two, a brain-numbing job as a part-time receptionist in a plush law firm.

And thus begins the unravelling of The Babble Queen. Richoting between her personal and professional life; Lizzie has several goof-ups, a couple of ‘why-didn’t-someone-sue-my-mouth-shut’ moments and even the odd nervous breakdown.

The book begs to be converted into a summer flick (ideally starring Isla Fisher as the harried yet stylish Lizzie). I especially liked the little ‘Lizzie Nichols’ Wedding Guides’ that preceded each chapter.

A Sweet, light read that’s perfect for a lazy-day on a park bench.

Love Letters

Love Letters is the chick lit version of a long, rambling walk in the countryside. Accompany twenty-six year old Laura Horsley, as she moves from being a behind-the-scenes bookshop assistant to a hands-on organizer of a fledgling literary festival that is set in a quaint pocket of the English countryside. One of the biggest tasks entrusted to her is to pull in the Irish best-selling author, Dermot Flynn. The tempestuous wordsmith is suffering from a raging case of Writer’s Block and has become a recluse in his Irish hometown of Ballyfitzpatrick. Shock-and-Awe Dermot could prove be the turning point of Laura’s cloistered existence. She’s in danger of losing not only her inhibitions but also her heart.

Laura is a lovely heroine. She is shy, talented, soft-hearted and with an ability to laugh at herself without being maudlin or Bridget Jones-y. Dermot Flynn reminded me of Gerard Butler in P.S.I Love You . If you liked the rakishly handsome, Irish brogue talking Gerry, you’ll be quite enchanted by Dermot. In fact, if they make a summer rom-com based on this movie, I am pretty sure that the casting director will be imagining Butler stomping around the Irish countryside…playing the temperamental, womanising writer to the hilt.

The book appealed to me for it’s whole ‘book-lovers’ angle. I understood Laura’s love for the written word. I also enjoyed the peek into the coming together of a literary fest with it’s entourage of harried organizers, demanding sponsors, frightening agents and nervous first-timers.

Katie Fforde’s books are light, the epitome of breezy and ideal for those times when you just want to read a love story without making your brain go into overdrive.

Twenties Girl

My reading of this book was interspersed with regular visits to Google. I looked up all things twenties. From crooning saxophones to flighty flappers to shingled hair to the Charleston to Cloche hats to Broadway (nicknamed Satan’s Circus)…all things insane and outrageous caught my fancy. The Roaring Twenties was the stop-gap between two World Wars and the ladies of the day were rebellious and spirited. World War I had decimated a generation of young men and in it’s aftermath, the young girls refused to sit around, waiting for the existing gentlemen to make a formal indication of their intentions. Instead, the Flappers (as they were called) slipped into shimmery frocks, stuck jaunty feathers in their headbands, stepped out of their cloistered existences and had a swingin’ time!

Say hello to Sadie Lancaster, one such Flapper from 1929. Only now, the year is 2009 and Sadie is a ghost…a ghost who has decided to haunt her frazzled grand-niece, Lara Lington. Lara’s plate of woes is overflowing. She is a corporate head-hunter of a sinking firm and has a business partner who is cooling her heels in Goa. Lara has also been dumped by her boyfriend, Josh. And to top it all, she’s seems to be a constant source of disappointment to her parents. So, when a screechy, pushy and temperamental ghost starts telling her to find an antique dragonfly necklace, Lara is convinced that she’s finally gone round the bend.

But co-existing with a ghost from the 1920s can be quite nifty. Suddenly, she’s dressing up in drop-waists and cloche hats and indelible makeup and dancing with sullen but rakishly handsome men. She is getting a chance to make up with her old boyfriend and find out what made him run scared. She’s caught up in the mystery of a missing necklace and is playing amateur detective with a vengeance. And amidst it all, she’s having a rip-roaring time.

Twenties Girl is one of Sophie Kinsella’s better offerings. Lara Lington is a heroine who runs true to Kinsella form. She’s a bit batty and frivolous, has an interesting fashion-sense, an almost non-existent business sense and the tendency to whine and whinge and land herself into embarrassing situations at the drop of a hat. But also true to the author’s style, she develops a backbone, business acumen, the ability to “get-her-man” and set things right by the time you hit the last few pages. Sadie was an odd character. I oscillated between immense irritation at her self-absorbed shrill fits and a sense of sympathy for her disappointment at never having accounted for much in her 105 years. And although the book was a tad on the long drawn out side, the only thing that kept me hooked was the interesting premise of getting a glimpse into the glorious twenties. I enjoyed scouring the net for tiny peeks into an era which was glorious, uninhibited and most definitely “the bees-knees”!

Millie's Fling

I love the Brits’ dry turn of phrase, tongue-in-cheek humour and ability to be self-deprecating. Jill Mansell has straddled all the above ingredients in her refreshing collection of chick-lit. Her books are fun reads; devoid of random smut and brimming with memorable characters, quick-silver dialogue and believable story-lines.

Millie’s Fling is one such fine example. The best way to review this l’il gem would be to give a little heads-up on some of the characters.
So here goes:------------------------------------------------------------------

Orla Hart : Best-Selling Author of grandiose, passionate fiction. She gets the story started on a promising note by planning to fling herself off a clifftop. Reason for foiled suicide attempt? –> Husband Giles is a philandering no-gooder who is having a flaming affair with some tart. Foiled, I say? –> Saved by main character, Millie (ref. Millie Brady). Orla, later fuelled by a truly scathing review, decides to write a realistic novel based on the daily life of aforementioned Millie.

Hester: Millie’s roommate and long-time friend. In possession of the best boyfriend a girl could ever dream of –> Nat (ref. Nat). Unfortunately, in the true tradition of scatty girls who don’t know when they have a good thing going, Hester is constantly tempted by the need to get-it-on with love ‘em and leave ‘em Lucas (ref. Lucas Kemp). With Nat toiling away in another town and Lucas very much working in this town, Hester cannot resist exploring the ‘what-ifs’ of a chance encounter with Lucas.

Nat: Hester’s chef-boyfriend. All around Good Guy and trusty mate. Separated by job pressures and distance, he is in danger of losing Hester.

Lucas Kemp: The Don Juan DeMarco…The Casanova…the what-have-you of all womanly dreams. Legendary Lover and Charmer- Extraordinaire. After a stint as a successful DJ in glitzy London, he is back in Cornwall to run a Kissogram Service. He also happens to be Millie’s (ref.Millie Brady) new boss. Despite the obviously black shades that Lucas is destined to be painted in, he proves to have scruples and tosses many a pleasant surprise throughout the book.

Llyod and Judy…oh, and also Adele: Llyod is Millie’s father. Adele is Millie’s estranged mother. They are divorced, primarily due to Adele’s need for a better, spicier and fraught-with-passion life. Adele is now prone to search around for Husband Number Two. Her improbable bait takes the form of an intellectual book tucked under her arm….Sylvia Plath’s poems being a perennial favourite. And Llyod? Llyod is not heart-broken. He has found the perfect mate in Judy…..down-to-earth Judy who cooks wholesome meals like Shepherd’s Pie and is known on occasion to have entertaining tricks up her sleeve like juggling a bunch of mandarins. Together, Llyod and Judy provide a loving escape for Millie, whenever she needs it. Adele being Adele does drop in to blot the copybook and aggravate Millie’s already frazzled nerves.

Hugh Emerson : The hero of the book.He is handsome,witty and ever-so-yum. Hugh is also a fairly recent widower. A fact that is unknown to Millie ( ref. Millie Brady), when she finds his missing wallet and decides to pull a phone-prank on him. A prank which goes excruciatingly wrong. There are plenty of opportunities for a relationsip to blossom between Millie and Hugh…but does Hugh want that? Still loyal to his wife’s memory, is he destined to remain Millie’s Fling?

And finally….

Millie Brady: A perfect chick-lit heroine…pretty…funny…in fact she’s pretty funny what with her ability to exchange entertaining banter with the rest of the cast. She deals with all the lemons that life flings at her with wit and the occasional introspective/ drunken conversation in her head. Saving Orla (ref. Orla Hart) from certain-death proves her innate niceness. It also proves that good deeds can come back to bite you in the backside. When she becomes the reluctant heroine of Orla’s next great blockbuster, she finds herself having to deal with prospective boyfriends who kiss like Aquavacs, boyfriends who would prefer to be kissing other boyfriends, bosses who like to play God (and the Devil, more-often-than-not), heartbroken roommates who make Lady McBeth look positively cheerful and potential soulmates who don’t really want to part with their souls or hearts, thank you very much!!!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Millie’s Fling is an example of truly entertaining British chick-lit. No vindictive, retail-therapy obsessed heroines and no devastatingly-perfect heroes. What you get instead is a fairly realistic take on what finding love is all about. And when it’s generously peppered with loads of humour, you know that you have a sure-fire winner on your hands.

Rumour Has It

What do you do when you are stuck in the boondocks and have been flicked one too many times by a cow’s tail? You nudge Bessy (or one of her many cousins) aside, dig out a (hopefully) decent chick-lit and settle down for some good ol’fashioned reading.

And Jill Mansell’s Rumour Has It proved to be a surprisingly good entertainer. I use the term ‘surprising’ because I had expected it to be a run-of-the-mill smut-fest peppered with loads of gratuitous sex. I am happy to report that it was in fact a small-town tale about friendship, romance, gossip, slander and verbal slug-fests handled with refreshing candour.

Tilly Cole is twenty-eight years old and freshly dumped by her lacklustre boyfriend. She plans to leave behind the hustle and hassle of bright-lights London for the quiet charms of small-town Roxborough. She follows this up with an impulsive decision to take up the post of Girl-Friday and general dogsbody to handsome (and divorced) interior-designer Max Dineen. And no, she isn’t launching into a predictable relationship with him. She gets along splendidly with Max, bonds with his teenage daughter and provides a welcome ear to his surprisingly pleasant ex-wife; Kaye.

So who does Tilly blow hot-and-cold with? The charming, lady-slayer Jack Lucas. Jack hits all the right buttons but he’s also apparently alley-catted his way through all the ladies of Roxborough. Commitment-phobe Tilly doesn’t want to be another notch on his bedpost but he’s proving to be singularly hard to resist.

Other story-arcs include Tilly’s best friend Erin who has launched into a hush-hush affair with almost-divorced Fergus. Almost-divorced Fergus is still trying to escape the clutches of his scary wife, Stella. Max’s ex-wife Kaye also has an interesting number of pages devoted to her, what with being a prominent soap-opera star and facing the nasty side of Hollywood when a vindictive producer-wife decides to have her blacklisted. Kaye’s subsequent escape to Roxborough and the escapades that unravel thereafter provide for quite a few chuckles.

After being sorely disappointed by some seriously seedy chicklit, 'Rumour Has It' turned out to be refreshing and the proverbial breath-of-fresh-air. It had all the twists and turns of an afternoon slot soap-opera but minus the air-brushed actors hamming it up.

Wedding Season ~ Katie Fforde

Frothy/Gauzy/Summery…any of these three adjectives would apply to this book. It doesn’t claim to answer the big questions of life but does promise to be a perfect holiday read.

Sarah, the cynical yet super-efficient wedding planner; Elsa, the hides-her-light-under-a-bushel dressmaker and the multi-talented hairdresser, Bron make an engaging trio. As the team tries to pull off two essential weddings on the same day in a limited time span, they hurtle through the usual vortex of panic, chaos and last-minute goof-ups. Adding spice to the proceedings are their respective love-stories that are entertaining and non-smutty.

So, if you have been doing some brain-jogging reads of late and need a respite…this is just what the doctor ordered. Also recommended for those who love the Brit's whimsical turn of phrase.