Book Review - Great Expectations

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Blurb:

This exquisitely designed leather-bound edition of one of Dickens’ greatest works comes with a gold-foiled cover, a ribbon bookmark, gilded edges and beautiful endpapers. Ideal to be read and treasured, it makes for a perfect addition to any library.

Taken to the Satis House by his Uncle Pumblechook one day, Pip, a young orphan, meets a wealthy, eccentric spinster, Miss Havisham and her beautiful, cold-hearted ward, Estella. Pip instantly falls in love with her. But in the days to come, he is constantly reminded that Estella is heartless.

“You must know,” said Estella, condescending to me as a brilliant and beautiful woman might, “that I have no heart . . .”

Apprenticed as a blacksmith with his brother-in-law, Pip yearns to become a wealthy gentleman in order to be worthy of her. And when he learns of the expectations from a secret benefactor for him to be trained in the gentlemanly arts, he goes to London.

As a series of events follow, including Estella’s marriage to the brutal nobleman, Bentley Drummle, will Pip and Estella ever unite?

Review

"Really didn’t appreciate this book when I read it in syllabus. But now when I read it, I understood the deeper meaning.

Story of Pip and Estelle and their love (or should I say weird relationship)

It is beautifully written, with such passion that you can feel it.

A classic of the literary world, it is one book you should read if you wish to feel the depths of life.

A must-must read"

Hope you enjoy reading it.

Lots of Love

Meet Madhu - Who Finds Blessings in Everyday Tasks

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• Hello, please tell us something about yourself.

A traveller and seeker, appreciate the daily miracles happeing around like the day and night, than waiting for some. Trying to follow an effortless lifestyle and find happiness in gardening and farming.

Meet Kusum - Journalist turned Writer

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• Hello, please tell us something about yourself.

I’m Kusum Choppra, long time journalist, turned writer, with interests from environment, alternate
medicine to numerology.   In the last decade, Altitudinis is my five book out, this time with company. Novel experience.  BTW voracious reader of material to do with real people n history, total genre gypsy, from hard core history to nostalgia to feminism to senior romance to a thriller! 
You guessed it, crazy as a cookie, headlined the collaborative novel with a chapter written years ago and the oldest in the group at 70.  Love creating stories, tiny grains of truth surrounded by verbal embroidery; twists in the tale are my forte, with verbal emoting rather than yarns of descriptions. 
My literary joy & pride: after over two decades of digging, the only book with two endings: MASTANI that has earned me the prestige of Mastani’s biographer in some circles.

Meet Kalpana - A Content Writer and A Dreamer

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• Hello, please tell us something about yourself.

I am a content writer by profession and a dreamer by hobby. I often need to be dragged from the classrooms at Hogwarts and the gardens at Manderley by my boss, to focus on work. When not earning my dues, I can be found creating little worlds for other dreamers to walk in one day. A non-conformist by nature, I am frequently found scrutinizing social norms and dissecting human nature. My philosophy in life is to create a balance between speech and action. My love for good food and good life is well known, and I believe that when one laughs, it should truly be a loud one. With Altitudinis, I got a chance to channel my wild imagination. I am now hoping to publish my solo novel in the years to come.

Meet Indira - Be the Change, You want to See!

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• Hello, please tell us something about yourself.

As a voracious reader and in the teaching profession for 45 years, I believe in combining the home and workplace to perfection! An avid traveller, I enjoy every moment of life ensuring that when I work I do the best and when I play I enjoy it to the hilt. 

BookReview - Altitudinis - A unique book by 10 authors

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Title:  Altitudinis: Seekers, Sinners and Secrets

Author: 10 Authors

Publisher: MultiPen Publishers

Pages: 364

Price: Rs. 249

My Rating: 4.5/5

Blurb:

Two scientists are inching towards formulation of a serum to enhance oxygenation for high altitude troops posted at the merciless Siachen Glacier.

Meanwhile, MI agent Nirali arrives to investigate an unidentified corpse at MHOW, the hometown of her first love Nikhil, a much married adventure camp entrepreneur. Even as Nirali struggles to keep her emotions in check, a kidnapping drama involving Nikhil’s family and the appearance of a suave NRI stranger in their midst throws everyone in a tizzy.

But when one of the scientists is found dead in his laboratory, the ex-lovers set aside their personal demons and rise to the task of securing the USB that holds the formula, despite a string of disasters.

From the snow-clad peaks of Hanuman Tibba to the sleepy cantonment town of MHOW, Altitudinis is a tale of international intrigue, underworlds dons and romance of intimate couples and disgruntled ones, that intertwines ordinary people in extra ordinary situations.

Review:

To start with the type of book: when I was approached to review this amazing book, I was actually shocked. Writing a book between 2 authors is a complicated task, however, this one book is written by 10 different authors. Kudos to all of them for managing this feat.

Meet Priya Narayanan - Author who hates to be stereotyped

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• Hello, please tell us something about yourself.

You’ve heard of variety being the spice of life, haven’t you? Well, I’m that person for whom the maxim most certainly holds true. So while I run my own design practice under the twin banners Tatva and Soma, I am also a poet, writer, traveller and teacher. Brought up amidst the hustle and bustle of various cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Pune and Ahmedabad, a part of me always yearns for the quite solitude of the countryside at my ancestral village in Kerala. Consequently, I fall back upon writing for that sense of contentment and at times, closure. 

In a way, you could say I hate being stereotyped for you’ll find variety seeping into everything I do, be it in the kind of professional projects I undertake or the kind of books I read or write. I love both surprising and being surprised :) So while I have three children’s books under my belt with two forthcoming titles, my poems and short stories have appeared in various online and print anthologies and literary magazines and as you know, my latest book - Altitudinis: seekers, sinners & secrets, is a one-of-its-kind collaborative effort with ten authors contributing to create a single novel.