Saturday, May 4, 2013

Past lives forever

Book :          The Pink Scarecrow
Author:         Ankita Srivastava
Genre :         Fiction/Romantic suspense
Publication:   Leadstartpublishing/ Frog books
Pages :         173
X-FACTOR:    Usage of ornamental words 
My rating:     3.85 out of 5
 
THE STORY: I would like to make it clear that this story has nothing to with war, fight, soldiers or even a gun-shot. This story is simple but yet touches your heart on many occasions. The protagonist is in Army and this story swings between his present and past. A very few characters make the story easy-going. Interesting description of a typical Indian girl is eye-catching and realistic. Some nice poems and songs are included in the book which can be easily dedicated to one you love. Congrats to the writer for choosing ornamental words to describe the characters. The whole book appears like a assembly of pearls.
On the other hand the story is a bit slow and almost stops on a few occasions. The descriptions of the characters are too long (though outstanding in the literature point of view) and not all modern readers would be able to connect well. Including songs and poems was a nice idea but a poem or song after every (or few) incident makes the story even slower. In the party scene I was quite amazed by the capacity of the protagonist to drink that much alcohol and still be normal. Overall, this book is a classic example of romanticism (छायावाद) and to admire and understand the instrumental work of words and emotions, a casual reader is not enough.

THE WRITING: As I mentioned that this book has been written under the influence of ‘romanticism’ (छायावाद) and there are not many places which can be mentioned as a writing lapse. It is outstanding piece of work. The taste of the modern readers has change and people need more spice in a romantic book but still it is the most beautifully written book. The hard work of writer is quite visible in the form of artistic words and exceptional style.
There is nothing negative about the writing but it is the ability/understanding of reader which may become a challenge for the writer. May be if the style of writing could be tailored to match the frequency of Indian readers (most) then it can be remarkably well and enriching.

THE CONCLUSION: The story is very simple and becomes predictable after a few chapters. In fact, I felt that the story has been taken over by the writing style of the author. The story was suppressed somewhere, and writing elegance was prominent. Having said that, if you are a true lover of English literature and romanticism then this book is for you. Read it to venerate the words, descriptions, explanations and positioning of sentences.

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