Little Maryam by Hamid Baig

About The Author:

Hamid Baig loves storytelling and has been writing poems since childhood. Being an entrepreneur. Let him speak for himself – Hamid Baig

About The Book:

The Blurb Says:

During the course of an international flight, Saadiq Haider, a renowned gene therapist, is transported not only back to the country that he left behind 20 years ago, but also back to a past that has never ceased to haunt him. A past filled with pain and love lost. A past that refuses to be suppressed by alcohol and drugs; memories of lost love that can’t be forgotten by the charms of other women. Saadiq travels back in time—to the rice fields of northern India, to the boughs of an ancient banyan, to the cool and calming winds of the valley where he grew up—a time when he could trust people. A time where every second, every minute, every hour, was Maryam’s. Maryam Dawood, a little girl who was scared of monsters, a girl who asked too many questions, a girl Saadiq was born to protect. A girl with whom he shared his first kiss; Saadiq’s first and only love. The girl who was forcefully taken away from him. Now, decades later, Saadiq is going to see Maryam. One last time.

The Cover:

A girl enjoying her swing beneath huge tree does throw a tiny light on what’s inside. As the reader dives into the story, it becomes even more relatable. Respectable job done by the designer.

How I Felt About The Book:

When I started reading the book, I did not have much thought about the plot and had an intuition that it would be highly predictable. But then, Romance had always been my favorite among all genres. This little book about petty things about love exceeded my expectations.

Innocence, love, hatred, respect, violence, betrayal, surprise, mystery, desire, lust, cry, laughter, depression, delight - name an emotion and it’s there somewhere in the story. Honestly, I found the book more about the lead character – Saadiq instead of “Little Maryam”.

What I Liked:

1. Love - Undoubtedly, it was the matter of hearts which got me hooked.
2. Twists - The writer kept throwing tiny hints about the upcoming events giving the impression of strong predictions. At the same time, he has been quite successful in not proving the reader right along with an un-predictable turn in the story.

What I Did Not Like:

1. Limited one liners - being a love story, I found it hard to fill my notepad with some beautiful quotes. The few I could notice made a little bouquet.

At the end, I am happy that the book made an entry to my bookshelf.

Here are the links if this makes you feel like buying “Little Maryam”.

Amazon - Kindle edition                                                       Amazon - Paperback
                                                                         

Then the Doorbell Rang by Capri Jalota

About The Author:

Capri Jalota was born in Chandigarh – India and has worked in various organizations in India and Middle East after completing his management studies form IIM Ahmedabad.

Fun fact about the author: Mr Capri is a numismatist with a collection of over 1000 coins from 100+ countries

About the Book

The Blurb says:

One fine morning, Jane wakes up and stands upon the ledge of her 18th floor flat in Dubai Marina. Till a few years back, she was everything that would make anyone jealous – beautiful, rich and successful. But then the wheels of time turned. Today, she is miserable and lonely. Would she get over a deception? Can she forgive herself for deserting a friend? Would she ever find true love? Will karma get the better of her or will life give her another chance to correct the wrongs?

Then the Doorbell Rang is about Jane’s roller-coaster journey as she explores the mystical phenomenon called Life.

The Cover:

Rays of light peeping through the door does say something about life, but I think, the cover could have been little more detailed generating curiosity about the theme or the plot.

How I Felt About the Book:

I received a paperback copy of the book from it’s publishers. It’s not just the free copy, It’s actually the title of the book which attracted me more. The blurb was interesting enough to get me reading in in no time.

What I Liked:

       1. True picture of society – The book very thoughtfully shows actual society we have been living without pin pointing anything good or bad.

       2.      Smooth Transitions – When I began reading, I thought it’s a love story, the after few chapters, I found It a story of family. But as the story progressed, the over all plot and theme got me intrigued despite switching between India and Dubai, love, friendship and family.

What I Did Not Like:

1.    Too much effort to include Indian culture: At a few places, the effort to show Indian culture felt exaggerated. Although the instances author re-created do happen in India, but they could have been avoided easily.

The book contained a bonus point for me to like it – letters. Letters are my favorite part of any book. I loved all of them. I also loved the proposal to Rebecca.

Here it goes:

Then, there were few lines which made an entry into my notes

The quotes can be read at - QUOTES

All in all, I found it an interesting read and I might recommend it to my friends. It’s a complicated yet beautiful story of life.

Get the book from amazon;

  Kindle Edition                                                                             Paperback