“A heart touching story that would make you feel like crying is good, but a story that actually makes you shed tears is awesome.”
It looks like I am on a secret agenda to undermine Indian authors but then there are some that seriously possess killer writing skills and weave heartwrenching stories that hit me hard. And I am glad that 2015 is a year in which I am lucky enough to find such a book.
I am talking about the recently released book Mistress of Honour by Bhaavna Arora. With the perfect timing, this book has hit the shelves just a couple of days ago and I was the one who made it to the pre orders.
The book – Mistress of Honour is a tale of love put forward in the most unusual and exciting way. First it grips you, makes you excited and then leaves you with unexpected realizations and uninvited pleasure.
The story revolves around a girl named Rihana who is the result of a beautiful mistake committed by an army officer Deepak Potnis and a strong amicable woman named Pansy. In fact, the book is in three parts (Don’t worry! No spoilers ahead).
The first part is mostly about how love bloomed between Potnis and Pansy. The second part is about what Rihana has to go through being a child of an army officer. And the third part talks of how history repeats itself with Rihana and Advik in the main roles and what happens then onwards.
The book Mistress of Honour provides a deep insight into what the life of an army man is like, how it is to be emotionally attached to a person whose life is filled with uncertainties and who is on constant radar of death.
The characters of the story deal with extremely tense moments in Indian history like Operation blue Star followed by assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Civil War in Sri Lanka followed by assassination of then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Attacks in Assam followed by their demand for a socialist government, terrorist attacks in Sri Nagar and the infamous Kargil War.
Sadly but truly, these are the things which make this love story way beyond beautiful. The emotions that you face, while you see the characters dealing with the outcomes of situations leading to death of hundreds of innocent civilians, army men and terrorists or people fighting for their cause, leave you restless.
At the same time, you would realize the gravity of such situations. You would understand how watching news and rising death toll on a T.V. screen keeps you away from the melancholic affect it must have on you or on any human being.
If the sole agenda of writing this story was developing respect towards the Indian Army that fights for the safety of normal people, then the author deserves a salute. I have personally envied for the privileges army personnel got and declared it unfair but this story made me realize that whatever privileges they’ve got are less as compared to the sacrifice they make.
Though the above mentioned part keeps you glued, the love stories and relationships that blossoms between all this are going to leave you in ecstacy for sure. Carefully built characters along with some beautifully expressed thoughts make this book way more than amazing. Seriously! There are some portions of the book that you would be compelled to read again.
After a long time, it didn’t feel like I was reading just another story. It was different. Another thing, I liked about the book Mistress of Honour is how female characters of the book have been portrayed as strong women who deal with even more pain than the people who die for this country do. I personally like to read books with strong female protagonists.
The plot is well built and very well narrated. Come on! You know I am saying these last few words to complete my task as a ‘book reviewer’. There is nothing much to say about this book except that it is one of the most beautiful pieces of art put together in the most heart touching way.
If you’re a person who prefers a strong plot effortlessly narrated while hitting every nail in the head, if you’re a person who wants to read something rare, Mistress of Honour is the awe-inspiring saga you need.
My ratings: 5/5
Important: I am giving away a copy of this book on my youtube channel. Check out this video to know about the details. Make sure you check the description carefully before you enter.
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