Book Review: Chronicle of a Love Foretold by Monu Tamang

When I was done reading first few chapters, I was foolishly taken back to campus of the college I studied, Royal Thimphu College. What I have done and how I used to be there during those days, I could see many of them in this book –Chronicle of a Love Foretold. 

Once I was out of the college, in one way or other, I have almost forgotten them. They got buried by my desires to get employed, start earning and then to fulfill job responsibilities and family obligations.  But no sooner I flipped its pages than they started getting unearthed one by one. I was at times laughing hysterically remembering my follies and also feeling proud realizing how much memories I have made there that are worth to be cherished and are source of solaces when I am all alone in a swirling eddies of my mundane world. 

Read: Monu Tamang's Chronicle of a Love Foretold Coming Soon 

  

If you are also in similar shoes, read this book. Only then you’ll realize how rich indeed you’re having loads and loads of such wonderful college memories back at your cognitive store. You will be once again taken closer to your college days-where you have tried and learned maximum new things. 

Read: Book Review: 'The Full Moon Bride' by Shobhan Bantwal 

  

But this book isn’t all about college days. It doesn’t contain only about how narrator has proposed a girl, bunked classes, teased girls, boozed, went for walks, terrorized warden and tried unimaginable things from first page to last page. It’s a sensible journey of a college graduate narrated in two time dimensions – present and past. As you walk through his treads, you will be presented with various social problems that are prevalent in Bhutan as well as in other countries across the world. 

Read: Book Review: Kadrinche beyond Words by Kinley Wangchuk

  

There isn’t much difference between a mixing bowl of a lucky-dip game and this book. My curiosity started towering as I go on turning every page with my own presumed plots. But at the end, I was stabbed with a sudden change in the plot. When I turned its last page and did a re-conciliatory conjuring of the whole plot, I was in awe feeling apologetic instinctively for the time I have judged Dasho Lhakpa and Namsa. They were not as I have come assuming to be all along.

Read: Book Review: Dear John written by Nicholas Sparks

  

So Chronicle of a Love Foretold is a moving story that will come as a literature treat for you during closure of 2015 National Reading Year. Though there are some medical procedures and physiotherapy terms, the author has presented them in simple manner as to be chewed by any average reader like me. What more can we ask from such a young and budding writer Monu Tamang!    

Book Review: 'The Full Moon Bride' by Shobhan Bantwal

What makes Indian marriage system different from that of other countries? In other countries, if a boy loves a girl, the boy will propose the girl. If the girl accepts, they spend some times in understanding each other. Going for night-out parties, dating and introducing to each others’ parents are done here. If all goes well thereafter, they’ll get married. There is not much involvement of parents.

 

   
But in Indian marriage system, a boy cannot propose a girl and marry right away. Boy’s parents and grandparents should accept the girl. Girl’s parents and grandparents should accept the boy. Boy’s parents and grandparents should meet that of girl. Girl’s parents and grandparents should meet that of boy. The boy and girl can proceed if their parents get along well. 

In marriage system of other countries, love comes usually before marriage. But in Indian marriage system, love usually comes only after marriage. 

In classic Indian marriage system love didn’t have place. It was all about compatibility. But now love is getting pronounced in the system as Indians get more and more exposed to systems of other countries. 

In this book ‘The Full Moon Bride’ Shobhan Bantwal has brought ordeals and confusion when love comes in Indian marriage where actual societal demand is compatibility. The author being an Indian brought up in west, she has blended the positive sides of Indian marriage with that of west and crafted a good story out of it. 

  

Sometimes to prove what you’re presented by society and tradition isn’t what you want, you often have to lose from being yourself for some times. You can read how Siya becomes another person just to confront what she has to do and what not to do are being dictated by her parents, families and society. 

But at the end see what the weight of reconciliatory happiness is when what Siya desires to have is what her parents, culture and tradition want to happen in her. ‘The Full Moon Bride’ is a moving story that presents new evolving dimension to Indian marriage system.    

True Bhutanese story from the book 'The Circle of Karma'

‘The Circle of Karma’, a novel written by Ashi Kunzang Choden centres around the life of Tshomo, who is depicted as an illiterate girl from a typical rural Bhutanese family who grew among the busy schedules of farm works and household chores. 

 

     
But she wasn’t an illiterate by her own choice instead by social convictions. ‘We are woman. We are different. We must be less ambitious and more subdued. We aren’t like men’ were stereotypical limitations known through her mother. Moreover, her father though was who taught religious scriptures to the village boys, she was left out saying that a woman can’t measure up to as a good religious practitioner. 

So life for Tshomo was just back-breaking work in fields and endless chores in the house. The family was large. Her father was for having more number of children. She had to help her mother in both works; field works and household chores. No sooner had she attained fourteen, her mother was pregnant with thirteenth child.

The life of Tshomo was in a new chapter when much complications and labour pain claimed her mother’s life; the baby was born without birth breath. Yet Tshomo didn’t have time to mourn as whole of family affairs and field works fell on her. 

It was later on 1stDeath Anniversary of her mother, Tshomo was sent to Trongsa to light butter lamps. She was to go all alone. On the way, she met a nun accompanied by her brother Wangchen which she knew later. They traveled together. As time proceeded, Wangchen proposed Tshomo which she accepted without much reluctance. Wangchen then accompanied her to Trongsa to light butter lamps. She stayed there for quite some time though she was to return exactly after a week. Thinking about her family back at home, she went home though it was completely against the will of Wangchen who didn’t accept to go with her.  

On reaching home, Tshomo was taken aback to see her father being married once more though he was more than sixty. However, load for Tshomo reduced with her younger sister Kesang becoming able-bodied to work and support her. 

Tshomo was pregnant. She was at constant mental turmoil to face customary actions of bearing a fatherless child if Wangchen won’t there. Her delivery was nearing yet she didn’t have time to rest. She was more than worried how her step-mother would do for her younger sisters and brothers. 

When the delivery was almost due, Tshomo was struck with much complication and pain like her mother. Her baby when delivered was breathless. She was emotionally broken and bed ridden. The miscarriage left her with a swollen belly.

Then her husband started showing interest more to her younger sister Kesang than her. When this became more known, she felt old and discarded. Tshomo then left home without a set destination in search of place; where she could hide herself from Kesang and Wangchen at peace.

She then later thought of going Kalimpong to meet her elder brother. In the course she got herself recruited as a labourer in making of Thimphu-phuentsholing high way. She also met a friend called Choki who was somewhere from the east. Then later they went Kalimpong together. Tshomo met her brother. He being a serious religious practitioner had no much time to be with them. So he left for mediation after few days of together. 

Tshomo and Choki continued to live there. Choki later married a landlord’s son and went away. Now Tshomo was all alone by herself. 

Tshomo then thought of going for pilgrimage at Dorjidhen. But she had no money. So she had to sell her old kira for one American. On her pilgrimage she met many Bhutanese. Among them was Lhatu, who later became her second husband. 

Tshomo then returned Kalimpong with Lhatu. Being with Lhatu who was a good calligrapher known to many, Tshomo could gain access and then blessings from many Rinpoches in the region. She could also receive treatment for her swollen belly. But Lhatu showed his true self later as being a liar and gambler. Tshomo with no choice had to leave him. She then under a guidance of one Tibetan Lama, she became a nun.  

Tshomo then again returned Thimphu after many years. She then could meet her nieces, nephews, her sister Kesang with Wangchen; Tshomo’s former husband. She stayed there for quite some time and again went away to find spiritual solaces. So at last Tshomo is depicted as a nun-a serious religious practitioner who successfully broke the stereotypes placed upon her once upon a time when she was a girl back at home though she had never learnt to read and write religious scriptures.   

My Review of a Novel 'Dear John' written by Nicholas Sparks

If Nicholas Sparks is popular in the world of literature, it can be accredited to his peculiar way of writing – usually eloquent and less complex. The stories he narrates in his books are not only good love stories but also generally don’t come with so many characters, unpredictable plots and unrealistic resolutions. He is being loved by people who like easy reads.  
 

     
So far I have read his The Rescue and A Bend in the Road. I love both of them. But enough with them, now let me talk about his another great creation, Dear John.
 

Dear John is a lovely story. It starts at present in Germany and takes us to the past in North Carolina where John first meets his lover Savannah. John is a soldier. And Savannah is a college student.
 

Read: How is Paulo Coelho's novel 'Eleven Minutes' different from his novel 'The Alchemist'? 
    

The love between John and Savannah is initially like how any other teenage love can be – quick and carefree. However with the passage of time, love between them becomes serious and realistic. It gets tested by various circumstances where both have to make selfless decisions not only for their lives but also for the people whom they love in order to understand what love really meant. Dear John presents different levels of love and of course different parameters of defining true love.
 

Nicholas has actually given characters that are realistic. In the course of reading, we can easily make out connections with not only between the main characters and other minor characters but also among minor characters themselves. We can easily make out how Savannah’s presence in his life helps John in actually knowing his father well. Alan - Tim's brother, helps John in knowing Tim well. 

Dear John can be a realistic story. Not because such story has never happened to you and me but appears very likely to have happened to someone even within our sights. John going off to war and wondering if his lover Savannah will wait there until he returns is interesting. Some love doesn’t last long so much they are intense and true. 

Read: My review of the Indian-English Novel 'Half Girlfriend' written by Chetan Bhagat

When you turn the last page of Dear John, you’ll be surprised to know how Savannah really turns out. It may break your heart but you will say it’s realistic. True love sometimes means a compromise - letting go off what your heart wants the most. You may be more surprised to realize that at one point of time you too have experienced at least some portions of ‘Dear John’ story in your life.
 

But now in moving with recommendation part, do I recommend Dear John to you? I can’t recommend to all. If you like easy read and wants to feel romantic, sappy and ride emotional roller coaster, you may read it. But if you don’t like stories that have sad endings, you better pick other books. Dear John doesn’t have that. 

I think I have given quite a long review. So I don’t want to spoil it before being tasted by you. Go ahead and feel yourself. I heard it’s also being adapted into motion picture. You actually have got choices. Happy Reading!

Bhutanese Novel 'Kadrinche' written by Kinley Wangchuk

The book circles around the life of a high school graduate who first gets employed as a credit officer in a bank and then travels all the way to becoming a successful executive level private employee. He had loyalty and dedication as much as his wife loved and cared him.
  

                 
But things don’t remain same. Karma, the wife, on reaching town starts hearing various calls of so called modern life. She gradually doesn’t have much time for her children and husband as she is seen busy with another man. Her absence from home even at night becomes frequent. All get disturbed; children cannot go to school on time and Wangchuk cannot perform well in his professional life.

Karma, later as expected leaves Wangchuk and children, and goes with that man who claims to have money and cars, and loves her. Wangchuk gets reduced to the lowest level of life. Children keep on asking whereabouts of their mother. And he even gets terminated from the company. 

The Kadrinche, brings various domestic problems in Bhutan which are either not known or addressed by victims just to maintain pride and dignity as humans. Most importantly, it brings the correlation between success in professional life and productivity of students at school with the quality of their domestic lives.  

We know that life won’t be fair for all times. This book teaches us to remain humans especially at such times because all things have end and it’s often when we are being reduced to the lowest, we can discover the gold in us.

The story is lucidly written with predictably realistic plots. The only thing I don’t like about it is the disclaimer statement. Because it isn’t a fictional story and such story can never be fiction in Bhutan. I can also give hundred and one proofs. 

When you turn its last page and conjure the whole story, you’ll be surprised to see that you too or someone with whom you are very close to have gone through either whole or at least some phases of Wangchuk’s life. Read the book and see yourself. I can assure it will provide you a good read.

Monu Tamang's Chronicle of a Love Foretold Coming Soon

Monu Tamang, author of The Joy of Beautiful Dreams will be bringing yet another book titled Chronicle of a Love Foretold. If you’re a blogger and follower of his blog, by now you must have waited for quite a while to see his book in the market. He had shared quite a number of posts about writing his second book. 

                
He was at Damphu High School when he wrote the first book. But when he wrote the second one, he was at Navodaya College of Physiotherapy, India. If you have read the first book and then made up your mind not to leave even his second book unread, then by the time you turn the last page of the second book, you can tell many differences between the two. Just a hint, look at their titles. 
           

         
I think Chronicle of a Love Foretold will be mostly about love; a love that has fatedly travelled through moments of both successes and failures. I can relate this with a post Monu Tamang himself has written on Happy Valentine’s Day dedicating to his then girlfriend Tshering Choden.

It is a second Valentine’s Day we are celebrating. The ride through the road of relationship was rough and smooth, high and low with blend of happiness and sadness, shades of tears and smiles. But it was a marvellous journey…

The plots of his story can be traced from above statement. He must have written few chapters on how he first met Tshering Choden, how he felt for her and then how he proposed her. In second part, readers may be taken to some eastern Bhutan via Bumthang as they tour the country and celebrate their togetherness. I remember Tashi Gyem (on Monu Tamang’s request) writing a post about geographical beauty of Bumthang valley as would be seen by a person visiting the place for the first time. We can expect snippet of her post embedded in the book too.

The climax of the story may be just around the message Monu Tamang has left in his blog post Gone Girl when their love reached to a stage where it became unsuccessful and Tshering Choden has decided to move away.

I was always afraid of your speed. I was always reluctant to take those fast steps but I didn’t back up when you said, you are my choice. I love you and it is forever. That wasn’t said a century ago. But as much as I never argued with your decision, here too, I respect your decision – strongly...

and

There used to be a time when only death departs two souls. But I wasn’t aware that faithlessness and lack of commitment also departs…..

We felt the aloofness of his emotions while reading his blog. We can expect the similar thing in the climax of the story Chronicle of a Love Foretold.         

But we can never say that Monu Tamang’s gone girl has returned to his life or not like in English Movie that shares somewhat same title. If Tshering hasn’t returned, we can assume Monu Tamang has gone through what he said in the same post and end the story Chronicle of a Love Foretold.

And honestly, I am happy because I got this never known freedom from insecurity, captivation and guilt. It may be difficult for a while to walk ahead but don’t worry, I can walk because my path is still clear and bright….

This is just a predication about Chronicle of a Love Foretold based on some posts author himself had shared in the blog – it may or may not turn out to be true. What I think may be entirely different. 

However, we can expect a good story because we are talking about a book written by him in college days who even didn’t let many readers down in his first book that was written during high school days.

   

So remain ready to grab a copy. We were already told that it will be soon in the market. But for now, since it has not yet come, let us wish him all the luck…

I didn't withhold the name of his then girlfriend. It was already being shared by him in his various blog posts.  

Chetan Bhagat's Half Girlfriend & Bollywood Movie Scripts

Madhav, a boy from Bihar, goes for an interview to try for an admission at St. Stephen College in Delhi through sports quota. When he waits for the start of his sports trail after an interview, he sees a group of college girls playing basketball. One girl among them, with a letter R on her shirt gets his attention.

How is the Eleven Minutes different from the Alchemist?

The Eleven Minutes is a story of Maria, a young Brazilian girl who was made to believe love being just a source of sadness and frustrations with her unsuccessful first love that leaves her mentally bruised and heart-broken. Let us see how Maria differs from Santiago of The Alchemist.
  

She meets a man from Switzerland who claims to be one of the foreign employee agents. she leaves Rio just to become a prostitute. In Geneva, a prostitute though is given 45 minutes to serve a customer; she was told that it will be just for eleven minutes she will be actually serving a customer.

She becomes one of the sought-after professional prostitutes who not only serves ordinary customers but also special customers. She makes good money. 

Maria’s attitude towards love is being put to test when she meets a young painter. But she wants to return home. She faces two faces of life; one as a prostitute seeking pleasure just for its sake. And other one in finding her inner self through seeking pleasure through sacred sex. 

Paulo Coelho is internationally acclaimed to be a great philosophical novelist. One can relate this with the life of Santiago – a boy in his book The Alchemist. Just like Santiago, a boy from The Alchemist who leaves his homeland in discovering treasures instead discovering treasures within him at last, does Maria from Eleven Minutes also discovers the treasures within her at last? 

But on my part, I have loved Eleven Minutes as much I did The Alchemist. Paulo Coelho, in former has used pseudo-diary which helps readers to know life’s outlook from the view of Maria. But I am of the view that author has given so much emotions to Maria making us to sympathize her and psychologically forcing us to love Maria beyond she deserves.