Book Review: Urban Love by Akshay Chitre

URBAN LOVE
Author: AkshayChitre
Publisher: notionpress
Rating: 3.5/5

About the Author
Akshay Chitre is a management expert. He is from the prestigious Bombay Scottish School. Unlike the other management enthusiasts, he preferred to indulge in his own venture and not go into the corporate. He started his own restaurant at the age of 23. He has been on TV shows like Network 18 and CNBC. He writes to make people think. “Urban love” is his debut novella that hit the stores in 2015.

Summary
Life is a bitch! Yes, this is true. When everything is going on pretty well and things seem to fall into place, the sudden change of events will, altogether, turn the tables. “Urban Love” is a tale revolving around three girls (in their late twenties) and their lives (personal, professional, social, love and whatnot). The protagonist is a strong and determined girl, Priya, who never refrains herself from calling a spade a spade. The story is about her friendship with two other girls, Anusha and Meghna, both from different walks of life, having a completely varied outlook on life. Where on one hand Meghna is jovial and ebullient, Anusha is one ideal daughter who is brought to heels by her overpowering and dominant father. The book details the kind of life “Mumbaikars” prefer to live and the aftereffects of such lifestyle. These three girls become soulmates (what they call themselves) and try to be there for each other. They fall in love, get out from it, suffer in the hands of abhorrent societal norms and strive to survive all of it. But life often throws you down in the dumps. The three friends separate. Not only do they start hating each other but they also can’t withstand each other’s sight. The wheels of the story move further and the plot describes how these “soulmates” try and bury the hatchet, coming out stronger on the life front.

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My opinion
“When God pushes you to the edge of difficulty there are two things that can happen- either he will catch you or he will give you wings to fly”. It solely depends on us how we mould our actions and behaviour and make life worth living. This novella has been set up in the city of dreams- Mumbai. The most striking feature of this book is that it is all about women but has been written and crafted by a male author. The characters have been concocted very well. There is a perfect balance between all of them. The cover of the book ideal and apt. However, the title does not quite blend with the plot. The narration is good. The emotions have been expressed clearly and the language used by the author is simple yet very effective. The storyline moves sequentially, answering all the questions and doubts, at the right time. Last but not the least, this is a story with an intriguing climax.

Overall, a good read!

Drawbacks
The plot is not so refreshing. There are several grammatical and proofreading errors. Also, the character of Jai could have been described a little more.

Buying Link: Amazon(kindle)      Rockstand      NotionPress