Life teaches you a lesson one way or the other. It can leave a long lasting mark on a person's memory. Some things just never fade out of mind. Their after effects are far more severe than some other important issues in life. Author Shomprakash Sinha Roy in his book "The Pink Smoke" has tried to put up a book in form of various life lessons for the readers. So does this book really teaches us something? Let's find out.
First look at the title and the cover and the book has an element of difference to it. Though the tagline has love and nicotine involved in it, love being the more common formula and nicotine gives a new angle to the reader's thought process. The blurb talks about a boy's journey from a small town to a big city and the things he learn during that entire lifespan. The blurb could have been more thought provoking as the title and tagline are.
The story covers the entire journey of Siddhant Roy and his exploits in his college PESIT, Bangalore and life with friends Saahil & Ashish. Gradually his love story too comes in the picture when he meets Nikita Sen and both of them start off a very passionate and intense relationship where all the boundaries of physical intimacy and mental comfort is crossed. But problems galore for Siddhant on both college & love front as he struggles to maintain & sustain the momentum. So will he able to survive his college? Will Nikita be his side in tough times? What will happen to Siddhant in the end? That's what the story is all about.
The book has a fluidity in narration and the story has a feel of freshness in it when it is being narrated from Siddhant's point of view. His life, his problems, friendship & love it all is an eye opener and a lesson for the readers. His will to stand tall among all the problems is a commendable part in the story. The emotional exchange between characters in the story is one thing to watch out for in the book.
The downside of the book is lack of a fresh story line. Same old college problems & troubled romance doesn't adds up anything new in the book. The story from Nikita's point of view feels incomplete at times. The excitement and the serious conversations could have been handled much better in the book. The physical intimacy could have been cut down a lot. The end could have been handled much better in the book. The story is too predictable.
The book is good for hopeless romantics and few life lessons can be picked up too. The story has nothing new and fresh to offer apart from a good narration. The book could have been a much better prospect . It was less intriguing and convincing in the end.
RATINGS:
2 OUT OF 5
The Pink Smoke is a story set in the backdrop of Bangalore, India. It traces Siddhant Roy's journey as he tries to adapt himself into an alien world of love, lust, addictions and unnerving degrees of friendship. He gets guided by two contrasting elements Saahil, the perpetually high philosopher and Ashish, the sane and balanced advisor. His ambitions and desires duel it out inside his head and his love for Nikita fireball Sen drives him over the edge as he begins experimenting with every social norm, until his world comes crashing down. Will he survive? Will he make it through college or end up picking up the broken pieces of his soul in the sunbathed streets of Bangalore? Read the book, to find out. The story has been placed a midst varying shades of emotions, questions the authenticity of every feeling akin to love.
First look at the title and the cover and the book has an element of difference to it. Though the tagline has love and nicotine involved in it, love being the more common formula and nicotine gives a new angle to the reader's thought process. The blurb talks about a boy's journey from a small town to a big city and the things he learn during that entire lifespan. The blurb could have been more thought provoking as the title and tagline are.
The story covers the entire journey of Siddhant Roy and his exploits in his college PESIT, Bangalore and life with friends Saahil & Ashish. Gradually his love story too comes in the picture when he meets Nikita Sen and both of them start off a very passionate and intense relationship where all the boundaries of physical intimacy and mental comfort is crossed. But problems galore for Siddhant on both college & love front as he struggles to maintain & sustain the momentum. So will he able to survive his college? Will Nikita be his side in tough times? What will happen to Siddhant in the end? That's what the story is all about.
The book has a fluidity in narration and the story has a feel of freshness in it when it is being narrated from Siddhant's point of view. His life, his problems, friendship & love it all is an eye opener and a lesson for the readers. His will to stand tall among all the problems is a commendable part in the story. The emotional exchange between characters in the story is one thing to watch out for in the book.
The downside of the book is lack of a fresh story line. Same old college problems & troubled romance doesn't adds up anything new in the book. The story from Nikita's point of view feels incomplete at times. The excitement and the serious conversations could have been handled much better in the book. The physical intimacy could have been cut down a lot. The end could have been handled much better in the book. The story is too predictable.
The book is good for hopeless romantics and few life lessons can be picked up too. The story has nothing new and fresh to offer apart from a good narration. The book could have been a much better prospect . It was less intriguing and convincing in the end.
RATINGS:
2 OUT OF 5
I've lost all hopes from Grapevine after they started publishing Back-benchers series, one after the other! -_- was looking forward for 'The Pink Smoke's' review. Thanks man! Your blog is always handy when it comes to books-shopping ;)
ReplyDeleteYour welcome Mehek. :).. I too had a lot of expectations from this one but alas it didn't go as I thought.
ReplyDeleteWith due respect to the reviewer. .I think you missed out few pints here. First of all, I think as a novice its a good start by the writer. Other than that I don't think that the book focuses on romance only because the story revolves around siddhant's life. Nikita's part in the story is very limited. And the romance part was required because of the current demand of readers. The book is inspiring and the writer himself is a wonderful example for those who lose all hopes after a few failures in life. I find this book interesting. :)
ReplyDeleteThe start is good Meghna. I never criticized it but the fact that some important aspects went missing such as a fresh story line made the book a weak prospect. It's good that you liked the book. :).. Romance was required but it could have been limited expanding Nikita's character..
ReplyDeleteI hope you have got inspired and I wish the author luck in his future endeavors. :)..