2 States: The Story of My Marriage

by Chetan Bhagat

Love marriages around the world are simple: Boy loves girl. Girl loves boy. They get married. In India, there are a few more steps: Boy loves Girl. Girl loves Boy. Girl's family has to love boy. Boy's family has to love girl. Girl's Family has to love Boy's Family. Boy's family has to love girl's family. Girl and Boy still love each other. They get married.

Welcome to 2 States, a story about Krish and Ananya. They are from two different states of India, deeply in love and want to get married. Of course, their parents don't agrees. To convert their love story into a love marriage, the couple have a tough battle in front of them. For it is easy to fight and rebel, but it is much harder to convince. Will they make it?

From the author of blockbusters Five Point Someone, One Night @ the Call Center and The 3 Mistakes of My Life, comes another witty tale about inter-community marriages in modern india.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Indian Literature, India, Novels, Contemporary, Drama

269 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 2009

About the author

Chetan Bhagat writes op-ed columns for English and Hindi newspapers, including Times of India and Dainik Bhaskar, focusing on youth and issues based on national development. Bhagat is also a motivational speaker and has given talks in leading MNCs and other institutions. He quit his international investment banking career in 2009, to devote his entire time to writing. In 2008, The New York Times called Bhagat "the biggest selling English language novelist in India’s history". Bhagat, a graduate of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and IIM Ahmedabad, is seen more as a youth icon than as an author.

Reviews

[Keerthy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Chetan Bhagat, in my opinion, might not have read any good book in his life, except Mills and Boons. Now, he might be India's bestselling author, but he can never be a best writer, if he goes on writing this stuff. I never see any substance in his writing, no standard. If there is any in 5 Point Someone, it has been on the wane since then!
Though I started reading this book just to know how not to write, I hate myself for reading this. Should read atleast 10 classics to exonerate myself from the guilt.

[Amit Mishra · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was a like a girl in IIT hostel and a boy in the IIT hostel... much much like two states! What else can you do, Chetan?

[Riku Sayuj · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book is bad, the movie is not any better. Don't watch the movie unless you crave some IIM A nostalgia, but honestly that is a pretty lame excuse too. The fancy campus you see in the movie is not the real one, which is much cooler just by not trying so hard.

I could write about the stereotypes that drive the weak story-line, but as Vigil Idiot says, it is too boring to even comment on. Instead take a peep here for more North-South action: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... We really need to stop laughing at these jokes.


Chetan Bhagat makes a statement in one of the dialogues about his writing ambitions: "to write stories about ordinary people, to not be preachy, and to let the stories be the heroes instead of the characters." He succeeds in one thing: the characters are zombies.

Here is a quick sample of the scintillating prose:



>>Click here for a better resolution picture>>

[daph pink ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Here comes yet another disaster from CB an ignominious IITian, a banker, regular columnist {oh lord! Why?} And a wanna be youth icon!

I am not going to tell again how much I dislike him or his thinking or the way he portrays his double standard characters.

So here comes the review
I could not finish reading the book because of the way the male protagonist portrays his lover. there are many indirectly derogatory remarks made towards her and other women including issues on weight, complexion and sexism. Although it is a fictions book,with comedic scenes and good laughs, written on the raw truth of what families of lovers may think of one another, such disrespect and old fashioned ways of thinking has led me to be quite disappointed and stunned at the author and his book and I,personally,would not recommend it.

[Neha Gupta · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is Fiction, then there is Drama and then there is Bollywood.. well 2 States is definitely not the former 2.. being Bollywood end to end. At time you think it is a script written for a movie & by chance printed as a book.

Long back when I read Chetan's 5 pt Someone, I liked it, as in it was a fresh perspective touching the educated youth of today - it wasn't movie stuff but definitely a piece of my life or those around me. Then came 'One Night at the Call Centre' - It was ok ok, not so real especially the GOD part..But then came 3 mistakes of my life and it was a complete disappointment - with shallow characters having no purpose in life except cricket - I understand the craze of cricket but I still dont treat it as a life & death matter and that is what Chetan was trying to capitalise on. Now the 4th Book - 2 States is actually so typical, there have been 100s of movies made already, the situations and characters are most predictable and shallow.

Well I was very excited to read it cos my marriage has the same elements if not the story - I am a Punjabi girl married to a Tamil Brahmin Boy, we also faced oppositions, threats, long distances, break ups, emotional blackmails and cultural gaps, etc. So when my husband read it he vouched that I should read it and I would find similarity between them & us. But when I started reading it - even though our life had its quota of dramatic situations & characters, especially with me the drama queen being a part of it - the book seemed so far from reality. The characters are so unlike what they stand for:

To read more of this review, visit my blog:
http://storywala.blogspot.in/2013/03/...

[Udits11 · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are two types of fiction books written by Indian authors - 1. the good ones, and 2. those written by Chetan Bhagat.

Chetan Bhagat is the best selling Indian author. I don't dispute his mass appeal. His books are local, easy to read and relatable. But are they good works of literature? No. Anyway, I don't want to spend this review discussing Bhagat's style, inspiration, appeal etc. I'll get straight to 2 States.

2 States is classic Bhagat. Drama drama drama. Abusive father, abused mother, haughty pretty girl and confused young boy. He calls it "the story of my marriage" but I'm not sure how much of the book is fact and what portions are fiction. Some exchanges are amusing (and very familiar) including comments on a girl's complexion ("white like milk") and the daily chai routine. These moments are few and not enough to save Bhagat from falling into the Bollywood screenplay trap, as he usually does. The final scene of the book plays out like a standard 1990s B grade Bollywood movie - pretty girl saves the day, everyone loves her. Blah blah blah. I'm not going to waste my breath describing it. After having recently watched Kai Po Che, I'd have to say Bhagat is probably better suited to screenplay than books.

Avoid it - there are better books to read.

PS - after I read this book, I happened to bump into Bhagat and his wife on holiday in South East Asia. They were a lovely couple, very gracious and friendly. I can see why he fell in love with her and chose to write this book about their marriage. I just wish he had done a better job.

[Julia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm about 30 pages in and I was having high expectataion on this book warmly recommended to me by some Indian friendes. Chetan Bhagat is one of the most-beloved Indian authors writing in English, but as everywhere, the best-loved isn't always the best literature.

The characters are unpleasant and boring, the dialogues flat and the situations seem contrived - I can't relate to the sense of humour at all and the writing sounds like some chit-chat of university students, the narrator being a nerdy little macho who somehow (miraculously to himself and unfortunately also to his readers) conquers the beauty of the campus by telling her he doesn't like her wearing shorts and then having sex with her after two weeks (the fact unromantically being referred as an unavoidable thing after a man and a woman spending so much time together in one room). Some of my problems with the narrator could stem from the different cultural background, but mostly I felt like "Oh wow, how can a person earn so much money by writing such everyday stuff without any new revelations at all?"

I'm not too sure I'll finish this at the moment as I don't even have the feeling to learn anything more about India and its people than from watching some Bollywood filmi, and they are at least good entertainment with their singing and dancing mummies, soldiers and beauty queens.

[Ramakrishnan M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a book for the (pseudo or otherwise) intellectual. This is not meant for the hyper-sensitive-I-am-hurt-by-your-comments individual. Above all, this is most certainly not meant for I-am-a-Punju-and-I-rock or the I-am-Tam-Brahm-and-we-are-the-best-there-can-be.

This is a book for those looking for some entertainment; those who can laugh at themselves; those who can derive amusement from minor observations made by the author; ones who can understand that the author is stretching the truth here and there….and enjoy the story, nevertheless.

(For those who came in late) This is the fourth novel by Chetan Bhagat, who has virtually created a new genre of novels and authors in the Indian scene.

This is the love story of Krish (a Punju from Delhi) and Ananya (a Tamil Iyer from Chennai). They meet in IIMA, fall in love, and struggle to convince their parents to accept their choice. It is a thoroughly hilarious narration. The highlight of the book is the really funny (and VERY close to the absolute truth) description of how people behave; be it the blatant lies and ego-massaging statements in an IIM interview, or the massive exhibition of wealth and splendor in a Punju wedding, or the way Tamil Moms and Aunts fall over each other praising an NRI Engineer working in the US…If you have lived in India, you can relate to many of the events described in the book. It is this uncanny ability to connect with the reader that has undoubtedly made Chetan Bhagat so popular among the masses. I happen to be a Tamilian, born and brought up in Delhi, and hence, I could relate to almost every detail of the book.

I suppose most of the material is politically incorrect, and some may even say “racist”. Surely, there would be some hyper-sensitive Tams and Punjus piling curses upon this book and its author. My response to all of them is “come on…take a chill pill; sit back and relax”.

There were very few instances in the book wherein I felt “this is a bit too filmy”; that apart, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and I strongly recommend it to anyone looking for a “fun read”.

PS: I expect this to be made a movie in Bollywood very soon. I hope the director does justice to the book.

[Jegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Things First.

The Moment i Finished reading the 269th page of the Book and closed it. All I wanted to do, Is to meet these 2 ppl - Krish and Ananya ( The 2 Characters in the Book ) to give them a Big salute.

All the course of the Book i was looking around to see whether the things said in the book are really happening or its Jus a Book tat im reading.

The events, the reactions , the acts are so so real tat at times you feel ur reading ur own Biography.

The book is was so grippin right from the word go. Thr is neva a dull moment in the Book.

Now for the other side of the Book. For ppl who are not aware of the Indian Marriage system it might be Informative but at the same time lil awkward since yo may not relate to Most of the things said in the Book.

And there are few things which cud have been given a Backspace - e.g The bad words used by the Auto wala. I see it was kinda Irrelevant or rather Unnecessary.

To sum it up - Its an alarm for all the Indians and for the rest of the world "Welcome to the world of Indian Marriage System".

[Mrinmayi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chetan Bhagat(the author) KNEW this and decided to exploit this SMH
And if you not Indian and are confused by the above meme
Let me explain why it's a big deal
Eg. When you think about marrying a person from a diff state it's not uncommon right???
Probably the only thing that will change is the accent
Y'ALL becomes You all and vice versa probably
In India the language, culture, food, and everything you can think of changes
Eg. You all means: Tumhi sagle(In Marathi aka my mother tongue)
But You all means: Aap Sab(In Hindi)
And there aren't many interstate marriages
Hence this book got so popular in India

And since I am in a reading slump...I hope that re-reading and ranting discussing this book with others will bring me out of my reading slump
Excuse me if you see waaaaay too many updates:)

[yamika · Rating 4 out of 5]

❝ 2 states ❞ is perhaps chetan bhagat's best novel.
I don't usually like his books but this one was heartwarming, relatable, and funny. I've read it twice, and I'll read it again. (Please don't judge me for liking CB's book :P )

Here's the full discussion, mostly spoiler-free (there's a spoiler alert in there, so I invite you to start watching even if you haven't read the book yet).


In this episode of booktalk, I've discussed the underlying themes in the book; marriage between different communities; the writing style and a possible reason why chetan bhagat is disliked so much; satire as a literary device and different types of satire; the characters and their relationships and how the book relates to chetan bhagat's real life; and the things I disliked about the book.

BOOKTALK: 2 States

[Prabhjot Kaur · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read most of Bhagat's books by now and mostly haven't liked them. This was no exception. His books start off really well but then the author takes it in a completely different turn. Sometimes I feel like Bhagat writes only to get Bollywood deals because his books feel like a bad Bollywood movie.

A very confusing story with stupid characters sums up this book. I couldn't bring myself to like even a single character in this book.

2 stars

[Siddharth Bharath · Rating 1 out of 5]

It looks like I'm forced to give the book a rating to write a review for it. Usually I'd ignore the ratings and reviews but I feel obliged to save the world from the pain and agony of reading this book.
Why did I read it myself? Well I found I had a few hours to kill one day while at a relative's place and the only book there was this one so I went ahead and read it. After having read five point someone, my better sense warned me with vehemence to avoid this book like the plague. My time would have been better spent counting the second on a clock. I realize now that I'll never get back those hours of my life I spent reading this book. I'm not sure why fate saw fit to punish me so but I don't think another human deserves this torture and so I am here to convince you not to read this book and burn it if you ever happen to have the misfortune of coming across it.
If it were possible to give this book negative stars, I'd give it - 5. Simply put, Chetan Bhagat does not know how to write. I went into the book not expecting it to have a coherent storyline and even in this I was let down. His use of tense and grammar is so appalling that it offends every single one of my senses, including the ones that have nothing to do with reading. So poor is he at writing that it brings tears to my eyes that filth like this has been allowed to spread unchecked under the good name of English Fiction into the homes of thousands of innocent people in India. This is an unmitigated catastrophe on a national scale and immediate steps must be taken to neutralize this threat. I urge you as a fellow reader to join the battle against this abomination. Boycott Bhagat!

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apart from the obvious take on being really sexist and bringing up a typical male protagonist who loves to whine, I liked the book for the multicultural representation and making this book a better one with the story more towards bringing in the parents and make them as characters which stood out.
Out of the many Chetan's books (by that I read all his published books so far!) I have read so far, this one is more mature and realistic. Of course, the masala parts do make the book fun. But you're wondering about it or not, those parts are pretty convincing. Yes, my thoughts on this book more than a decade ago.

But as of now in 2020:

I am not going to read any of his upcoming books. Or reread any. I am done with this author. No hard feelings. It's just that my reading tastes have changed. And I am pretty happy with where I am heading. So I won't be looking back.

[Tamoghna Biswas · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Satisfactory

I read this after the two so-called best works of Indian YA literature(don't ask me the names), that for the time being just consider every YA a trash. I know I was kind of unpardonably wrong to assume that, though I still don't particularly love every YA I read. So I had set my expectations pretty low for this one. But, it did, to an extent, prove to be quite better.

The story is a bit "made-for-a-movie" type, to tell the truth. A Punjabi fellow, coming from a dysfunctional family, meets a Tamil girl at IIM Ahmedabad, and immediately falls for her beauty (typical, I know, once again Bhagat proved that his characters are got to be narcissistic). Quite soon they get involved in a relationship, until problems flood in in form of familiy relatives, and difference in culture and all. Meanwhile, our protagonist, Krish Malhotra, faces every sort of trouble in every sphere of life, to speak of one: he aspires to be an author while his family, quite stereotypically, is prejudiced against that profession. Typical.

The story is intended to give a social message. In India, when it comes to "love" (mind the quote) it doesn't depend on basically any social or cultural issues, but when it comes to marriage, every thing becomes over-complicated with many overthinking and many over-justifiable contexts. Well, now I come to think of it, what sort of a social message is that, anyway?

My problem is again with the relationship portrayal. It's true that people most of the times kid themselves when they say stuff like:"When it comes to love, looks, age, distance, culture and all that don't matter at all." For Everything matters. Every Single Thing. Some people just prioritize one aspect over the other, and that's the truth. But you can't simply love anyone by "looks"...that's practically impossible, isn't it? Ananya and Krish's relationship does at time feel like something carved out of snow, that will probably melt and get warm after the novel ends.

Quite obvious, really, the entire story, but still can be read. Better to be read when you're too stuffed up to do anything except scrolling through social media, or just procrastinating, but you go in without expecting anything, and you can't be disappointed, right?

[between the lines · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh, God. Where should I even start? Let me tell you how I came across this book.

Some of my classmates were reading a couple of Chetan's books and told me that they were great. Now, I'm not sure which ones they referred to, but I hope it isn't this. Anyway, I had this ebook for a couple of years and I always read around twenty pages before completely forgetting about it. In retrospect, I guess my body was trying to protect me like how sometimes trauma victims don't remember anything about the accident. Anyway, I finally decided to read it till the end.

Now, to tell you what is wrong with the book is very difficult because there are so many things that I would probably exceed the word limit of my review. I'll start with the basics. When I usually read books with bad grammar that would mostly likely be the low point of the book. But this book is an exception since the story totally took the prize. It took predictability to this whole new level that I didn't know existed. But the book's summary is totally spot on. In fact, the summary is as good as the story since they are pretty much the same thing. Boy and girl meet each other, fall in love, convince girl's parents, almost convince boy's mother when lots of drama ensues resulting in a break-up, drama increases due to boy's abusive father, depressed boy, blah blah, miracle occurs, aforementioned abusive father turns into world's best dad by getting boy and girl back together, some more drama on who is and isn't coming to the wedding, wedding, end. Think Romeo and Juliet with bad prose and trying-too-hard-to-be-funny jokes, set in modern day India, with protagonists from different states instead of clans and a happy ending.

The next has to be the writing style. I get that this book is written from a guy's POV and doesn't dwell much on feelings and stuff. But, please! If the author didn't describe anything at all, it wouldn't matter much but, no, he constantly described a) the girl's clothes b) food But, not a single line about feelings or facial expressions or surroundings whatsoever. However, the worst part of the book was this: I have no idea how they fell in love with each other. I don't know when they fell in love with each other. I don't know why they fell in love with each other. And that sucks.

I'm going to give you some advice regarding this book:

a)Don't read this book
b)If you decide to read this book, please don't judge India by it. Also, consider it as one of the three mistakes of your life. (Pun intended.)

[Nikhat Hetavkar · Rating 3 out of 5]

After hearing my friends all gushing over 3 mistakes of my life, I very apprehensively picked up the book and really didn't understand the whole deal about "Chetan Bhagat". Hence when I started reading 2 states, I had terribly low expectations but the book suprised me. It is sweet,witty and totally "filmy". It was like watching a Bollywood movie unravel itself right there on the pages. The one things I absolutely hate about Bhagat books are the female characters. They are way too cliched. He writes them as this complex,shy on the outside but bold under the layers and irresistible creature that ultimately leaves the guy heartbroken. But Ananya was a breath of fresh air, she's the kind of girl you root for, warm,pretty and with a lot of quirks; maybe it due to the fact that she is based on his real life partner and thus Ananya's character doesnt seem like a cardboard cutout. I have concluded that Mr. Bhagat cannot construct fictional characters even if his life depended upon it. My advice to him would be to write books drawing from his own experiences ( as five point someone also based on his real life and 2 states are his only decent books I have read so far. And yes please do join some literature classes and definitely get yourself a Thesaurus!

[Sapphire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many people will certainly think before reading a Chetan Bhagat novel for sure,but this book is definately a quick read & enjoyable too.

The plot is basically Punjbi-Tamilian warfront.

Bollywood masala is the flavour for the book but still enjoyable.Krish(Punjabi by birth) and Ananya (Tamilian) both fall fo each other while completing their MBA from IIM-A. After a no problem love story of two years ,a major problem is to be confronted-PARENTS.

As we all know for all north indians ,south indians are madrasi & for all south indians ,north indians are illiterates.:)

Anyways Krish attempts his best to get the marriage proposal accepted by ,not Ananya but her parents.Ananya on the other hand does all sort of things to get absorbed into Krish's family.

Ultimately what happens we all know.No marks for guessing.

But if you are a north-indian in south or a south-indian in north ,you will connect to the story and will certainly enjoy.Most of the situations are the one which can be found in real life.

This book actually tells you the thinking of Indians staying in India but still apart,still not accepting different cultures in the same country. Some moments can really leave you giggling and smiling for sure.

Do read atlest once.

Enjoy Reading:)

[Usman Hickmath · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mood and the situation we are in while reading certain novels could have a significant influence on how much we like them-especially on the ones we complete in one or two sittings. Just like how some average movies get stuck in our memory: the ones we watched with friends bunking classes or the first movie with the love.

Two States is one such novel.

[suchi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I read some light and easy book after a very long stint of series of heavy and dense books. So, the change was welcome :). This was just another book from Chetan Bhagat in his own free-floating prose. Somehow, I could feel a connection with the book, owning to my Punjabi background. I could strongly and closely relate to routine incidents as in how the miss of ghee in a dal can cause fury, the lavish fat ceremonies, the expectations from children and last but not the least - the naming conventions used. The incidents have been truely narrated in an amusing manner.

This book revolves around Ananya and Krish, the two central characters. Ananya is a South Indian Tamilian Brahmin girl and Krish is a Delite Punjai guy. Both are the over-achieving kids who happen to deeply fall in love with each other. They are IIM-A Geeks, but had to jostle a lot in their efforts to convince each other's families. The story unfolds in the expected fashion as eventually both get consent and acceptance from their respective families.

It is not a book to embrace lessons from, neither it is an insightful read. But, surely it is a delightful and amusing read. It keeps you absorbed without letting you put it down without completing.

[Quirky Omega · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't have anything too good to say about Chetan Bhagat's writing. It often reads like someone is trying to be too cool and using English slang to appear hip and young.

But this book somehow, despite all the author's usual misgivings, appealed to me. I would quite honestly, read it again given a chance. It is that cute.

And the romance? I swear, I tingled sometimes. Can you imagine? Tingling! Huh. It was a novel experience 5 years back. It still is.

[Praj · Rating 1 out of 5]

Love is a temporary madness. However in case of Mr. Bhagat it leads to severe psychosis with sprinkles of idiocy. The man thinks he is a NOVELIST. HELP!!!! Where’s my fucking Prozac!!!

[Muddle head · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just completed this one and wanted to write out the review immediately before i start hating it more.

First impression, it's manageable, anyone who has been thru an inter-community marriage definitely gets to relate to this story. I only say 'relate' not actually 'like'. Here are some fine observations:

1) Chetan bhagat has this uncanny ability to show love stories with some post-processed attitude. I mean everyone knows that when in love we are actually all starry-eyed, but then when we contemplate it later, it all sounds so silly and funny. In Chetan's stories he always invariably describes the love stories in some lighter vein and he always ends up making them have sex (though in this book he started it with that). The physical intimacy between two ppl in love is more appreciated when described in the full context of their feelings/love for each other. Why can't he, for a minute, actually put on his 'youngster cap' and try describing the love exactly as he would have felt back then. A simple statement saying 'and then we had sex a week after that'. I mean they aren't prostitutes goddam it.

2) Again Chetan has come up with more of dialogue and less of substance. Writing in first person doesn't always have to end up in a one-sided story. Even when describing something in first person, you can actually put forth a lot of substance esp reg the first person's interpretation of each and every gesture of his/her loved ones. Writing in first person gives the freedom to bring forth numerous emotions, self-dialogue, day dreams and what not. I believe the advantage is not made use of fully!

3) It's more of a movie script than a novel or a good story. I felt like am reading an elongated version of the 'full synopsys' of a movie on IMDB. I don't mean to say he should write 'longer' novels, but more substance would definitely help. Again, i think its up to the author to decide his own target audience.

4) This time i feel Chetan has lost the plot completely, no not the story's plot. His last ventures were all targetted to youngsters who were waiting to fall in love or are already in love or one who had just had a break-up etc. This time he stepped up the maturity level a bit and is actually talking of ending the love in a marriage. But in the process, even the target audience's maturity level goes up too... the youngsters in love defintely won't relate to wat u were trying to say. The ones who can relate to, actually look for even a matured literary effort from your side. So either u stick to ur genre and continuing dishing out low-class stuff or up ur ante and write better stuff.

Overall the first 50 pages are something of a trash and i was wanting to put it aside, but after that initial phase i was able to tune in to the book. To be frank i read this book more because i wanted to just see how not to write a book. I was stopping at some places, looking at what could have been better there etc etc. I know am no CB, i know he doesn't write for me, nor can i write like him.

[Vaibhavi Sharma · Rating 3 out of 5]

one up for chetan bhagat because humourous books are rare to find.
the books lacks an interesting story, thought some of the phrases and facts are so true they make you laugh out loud and look like a wierdo who is in the middle of laughing fits.
Krish(our hero :P) is such a sweetheart and that's why he is not even close to how boys are in the real world.
my favourite character was krish's mother and ofcourse Pammi aunty. the way she has been described makes you rewind and think about people you know who can go to any limits to show that they are just too 'hi - fi'( thats what pammi aunty and her daughters say all the time ) for you.
being a delhite, i could relate to Krish's situation when he is in Chennai.;)
"something something illa illa something " ..:D
(no offence to any south indian.love you all.)
and there are some dialogues that were just so hilarious.

"he said...wait let me remember.he said, are you pure or something." Ananya giggled.
"what a loser.what is he looking for - ghee?" Krish said.

read it because it is worth all the 100 bucks you will spend on it.

[Siddhi Harishchandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading this book was such a waste of time!!!!.
I feel Chetan Bhagat should be a producer at Dhrama productions because he is such a dramaaa king himself!!!!.

Well I must say people are as jealous of him as they were of Karan Johar's success in "Bombay Velvet". (SARCASM).

Karan Johar after reading this review:

[Devanshi Gupta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has been on my mind for so long. This is one of the most popular authors of India and this is his most popular book. I'm surprised I haven't read it earlier.
This was better than I had expected. Nowadays his writing has deteriorated too much, but this is a book Chetan Bhagat wrote in his golden days.
I liked certain aspects of this book. The stuff he said about inter-caste marriages in India is absolutely true. They're frowned upon; they're extremely rare. And someone who tries to speak out against this inherent belief in Indian families is brave. Many people have done it and all of them deserve applause, including Chetan Bhagat. This book tried to break stereotypes: inter-caste marriage, feminism, etc.
But for every stereotype this book tries to break, it ends up reinforcing two more:
Sex is all men live for.
Punjabis are sexist and extravagant.
Tamilians are boring and educated.
Women are emotional. Bla bla bla . . .
Though at times Chetan Bhagat scored with the humour, sometimes the humour was just redundant and trite. For e.g. Krish looking at the house of the girl his mother wants to set him up with and almost thinking that he should marry her for the money.
Apart from this, the book read like a Bollywood script at times. Especially, the ending. Of course, everyone is merry and the girl's father gives away a speech about how stupid it is to stop inter-caste marriage. And then the happily ever after. It's too Bollywood. Not that I'm complaining.
And the Swamiji: that was so unnecessary and cliche.
In conclusion, I liked it. I'm impressed, but gods, India needs more authors!

[Harish Challapalli · Rating 5 out of 5]

The three mistakes of my life:
1. Reading Two states very lately.
2. Reading it in a public place. (I couldn't control my giggling & the people around me looked me as if i was mad.)
3. For not reading it second time.

This is the best romantic book I have read til date. Its a feel good story. One can find a breeze of romance through out the book. It also included a slight humor, which might be offensive to some one.

I have an opinion on Chetan Bhagat(after reading his earlier works) that his books starts slowly, gathers pace in the middle and fails miserably at the end. But this one is an exception. It goes with a steady pace and ends well too. I fell in love with Ananya. She became my favorit female fictional character. The way she was described exactly matched with the way I pictured a perfect naughty girl in my mind.

May be because the story is his true story, the author was successful in carrying the feel through out the book.

[Rosie Nguyễn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg I hate love stories. But I couldn't put this book down until I finished it, and I did just some hours after someone gave me as a gift. A novel about Indian contemporary love and marriage. Based on the author's true stories. What I found intriguing is that the book reveals a lot about Indian current context of society, culture, young generation, with the conflict between regions. Written in a witty voice that made me crack up. Brilliant.

I was surprised to see so many negative reviews about this book recently on Goodreads. Never mind. Perhaps I was just amazed at the author's talent when reading his work for the first time. Perhaps after reading other books of him I wouldn't feel as good as this. But it's undeniable that this author has something, he is the most favorite author in India. And among Top 100 the most influential people in the world. Omg. I never thought a writer could have this much power.

[Nusrat Mahmood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it. Can't wait to watch the movie. It's simple yet interesting. And hats off to Mr. Chetan Bhagat for his wonderful ability to pull many things through a great sarcastic writing style.This is probably my most favorite book written by him :)

[VaultOfBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

By Chetan Bhagat; Grade B+

I wouldn't have picked up a Chetan Bhagat book had there not been a renovation going on at my home, and 2 States the only book available. Helpless, and famished to read something for more than two weeks, I squeezed out 2 States from my shelf, where it was as prominent as a pickle in a glass jar, and for some weird reason, seemed easier to take out compared to all the other books lying there.

Love marriages around the world are simple:
Boy loves girl. Girl loves boy.
They get married.
In India, there are a few more steps:
Boy loves Girl. Girl loves Boy.
Girl's family has to love boy. Boy's family has to love girl.
Girl's Family has to love Boy's Family. Boy's family has to love girl's family.
Girl and Boy still love each other. They get married.

Welcome to 2 States, a story about Krish and Ananya. They are from two different states of India, deeply in love and want to get married. Of course, their parents don’t agree. To convert their love story into a love marriage, the couple have a tough battle in front of them. For it is easy to fight and rebel, but it is much harder to convince. Will they make it? From the author of blockbusters Five Point Someone, One Night @ the Call Center and The 3 Mistakes of My Life, comes another witty tale about inter-community marriages in modern India.

I am not the greatest fan of Chetan Bhagat. When I read Five Point Someone, I found him okay. And if talk in comparative terms, he was far, far better than any other contemporary Indian Author. But when after FPS, I decided to try One Night @ a Call Centre, I wanted to puke. I decided never to buy another book written by him. Unfortunately, or fortunately, 2 States was already on my bookshelf at that time.

Krish is a former IITian, who has a back story somewhat similar to Hari (was that the name?) from Five Point Someone. Now, doing an MBA at IIMA, he has fallen in love with the most beautiful fresher of IIMA- Ananya. After having had all the intimacy possible in the two years, when the two are placed for a job in Citibank and HLL respectively, they have a bigger problem to deal with. How would they get married? Since every love story has to have a twist, of course we have one here too. Krish is a Punjabi and Ananya is a Tamilian. This conflict, perhaps valid only in India, makes the story work.

Yes, having been a Chetan Bhagat hater for almost a year and a half now, I must hate myself for saying that I liked this book a lot. 2 States was an entirely different attempt by CB as compared to FPS and ON@CC. While ON@CC is the one I won’t like to discuss here as it makes me want to throw up every time I think of it, FPS is the novel that I would remember CB for all times to come as it was the first book I read by him.

FPS did suck a little in the middle at some parts, but 2 States definitely has a nice flow and grips you until the end. I didn’t hate the book at any point. After reading these books, I feel Chetan Bhagat is at his best in 2 States.

The best thing that made me like the book is its humor. The sarcasm used almost never fails. There were some parts of the book, where I couldn’t stop giggling like an idiot. It had me guffawing in a lot of places.

There are not many instances in the book that seem unreal. Even though I still hate him, I’d say that he is one of the few authors who clearly show the real picture of what actually goes around in the India around us. And ofcourse, he touches realistic and sensitive topics. (Unless you remind me of ON@CC!)

You can’t categorise this book out of the typical CB books, though. This too is tailor made for a movie. Probably CB, like Nicholas Sparks now I reckon, writes books only to sell out the rights to movie producers.

Even if you loathe Chetan Bhagat, I’d say you should try this one out. I think it won’t disappoint you much. Mind you, I think is the key word.


Originally reviewed at http://the-vault.co.cc/