XANADU BY HARSHITA NANDA - BOOK REVIEW

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‘Xanadu’ by Harshita Nanda does not feel like a first-time novella, so well has the author created a story line that engrosses the readers and keeps them intrigued. 

The characters are well etched out. Right at the centre is Miss Alice, the beautiful and lively daughter of an Englishman and an Indian lady, who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. However, as life goes on, her luck turns as her father is bedridden, and after his passing, she is “unable to pick up the strings of her old life”. Love enters her life for a short period, and then is lost to her, not once, but twice. Yet, she is no Miss Havisham from 'Great Expectations'.

The other central character is Bhoomi, a little girl who is born to Ram Singh and Shalini, a couple who had been ostracized for marrying out of caste. When tragedy strikes and tears the family asunder, Shalini is forced to retrace her steps and go back into her past, to her parents and her old family, who accept them grudgingly.

Bhoomi finds solace in the company of her first-grade teacher, Miss Anita, “the lady with the kind smile” and Harish, the boisterous son of her gardener, Makhan Lal. She spends the happiest time of her life with them. Then, yet again, her life turns around, as she is forced to leave her loved ones behind and move to America with her mother and her new stepfather.

Do Shalini and Bhoomi find happiness in their new life? How does Makhan turn his life around? What happens to his son, Harish? Does Miss Anita salvage her life  and find love finally?

These and many other questions are answered beautifully, as the story dovetails into a finale that warms the cockles of the heart. Bhoomi needs closure, and she does get it as she goes back to her old home which has been rebuilt, as a result of a promise to her mother.

The story moves along with the changing situations in the lives of the protagonists. Harshita Nanda has the ability to make the reader feel for her characters. When Xanadu finally beckons to Bhoomi, the reader is carried along, hoping against hope that there is a happy ending for her.

A book truly worth savouring!

 This post is part of #BlogchatterHalfMarathon.


Comments

  1. Brinda7/03/2021 01:32:00 AM

    Hmmm, something to look forward to reading! Nice review!

    ReplyDelete
  2. deepti menon7/07/2021 12:22:00 AM

    Thank you, Brinda! It is a wonderful book. Do read it.

    ReplyDelete

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