So Recently I came across this second book by Twinkle Khanna. I Dedicatedly follow her columns in Times of India and have become a fan of her Wit and Humor. Her first novel Mrs. Funnybones was an exceptional piece of writing, so decision of buying her second novel didn’t even took a second. It’s really intriguing how she finds humor in daily chores and such simple things so beautifully but then again that’s what writing is all about and that’s what separates her from other writers.
The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad by Twinkle Khanna Review
Genre : Fiction Drama
This is a simple yet well written feel good compilation of 4 unique stories by Twinkle Khanna. While the stories have nothing in common, they still manage to resonate with the reader compelling him to face the ugly truth about our rigid society and how it is wired.
The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad weaves its way through a village that, contrary to the age-old belief of condemning the birth of a girl child, celebrates the latter instead. The protagonist of the story is a spirited 17 year old teenager, who provides a simple yet effective solution to battle this malice and in the long run reinforces the fact that women can be their own heroes. She proposes that each time her villagers bear a girl child, 10 mango trees be planted in the latter’s name. As the child grows, so will the trees, the latter’s yield thus securing the child’s future, making her self-sufficient in terms of paying for her education or marriage.
Salaam, Noni Appa is the story of a 68 year old lonely widow who falls for her relatively young yoga instructor. Both are looking for an escapade, the former from a mundane and monotonous lifestyle and the latter from a tumultuous marriage. In the process, their relationship gradually blossoms from one of camaraderie to eventually discerning their importance in each other’s lives. Breaking every possible societal barrier and stereotype, they finally decide to be with each other, thus making the reader take a hard look at how he views love.
If The Weather Permits revolves around Elisa Thomas, a girl who is married off by her family the moment she comes of age. Throughout her continuous quest for finding life’s meaning amidst her multiple marriages, she finally hits self-actualization. She makes peace with the fact that marriage and marital bliss aren’t her cup of tea and she’d rather belong to herself than any man.
The Sanitary Man from a Sacred Land is based on the story of social entrepreneur Padma Shri Arunachalam Muruganathan from Tamil Nadu. We follow fictitious Bablu Kewat, who in his pursuit of aiding his wife in having a hygienic period and making her happy becomes a social pariah. Regardless of this, through sheer will power and perseverance, he achieves his dream of providing low-cost hygienic sanitary pads to millions of women throughout the country.
The Book does not have wit and humour like her last Novel, Mrs. Funnybones, But then that’s not the intention of the book. The writing is ordinary and story telling is average with few phases of loosing interest too.
All in all, with a refreshing take on women empowerment and feminism, this book is a delightful one-go read and reiterates the fact that not all heroes wear capes. With beautifully crafted characters , each story will tug at your heart strings and take you on a roller coaster of emotions.
Recommended For :
This is for readers who are new to the hobby. Those who enjoy quick reads, short fiction with some wit are going to love this.
About the Author :
Twinkle Khanna is an Indian interior designer, newspaper columnist, film producer, author, and former film actress.
After her Bollywood career she ventured into interior designing by co-founding the company The White Window.
Luckily for us she dodged the Bollywood acting career not because she is not good at acting, but because she found a writer in her, and we get to enjoy her wit and humor. Funnily enough I think that maybe she found her humor by being in Bollywood. Whatever the reason is, it is great for the readers that her career has funnelled to this niche.
She has written two Novels till date. First one was Mrs Funnybones which was a best seller and the second one The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad which is also a best seller. She is an active columnist in Times of India. Her third novel is on its way and we can’t wait to see more of her writings.
Pros
- > Simplicity
- > Compelling Stories
- > Breaks the societal norms
Cons
- > Average Storytelling
