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All and Nothing
All and Nothing tells the tale of five individuals. Tina is a talented artist, desperately in love with the successful careerist Adity. But he cannot let go of his past. Their marriage sours and Tina teeters on the edge. Kriya is a fashon designer, chic and successful-but tormented; Poorvi, is a socialite and feminist –but discontented; Manas is a struggling copy writer, besotted with Gayatri-but plagued; Upasna is a willing victim of domestic violence. Then one day, Tina summons her friends to share their stories from the beginning.
236 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 4, 2011
When BlogAdda asked me to review Raksha Bharadia's new fiction book, I was quite excited, especially as the book was based in contemporary India and was written with the voice of modern India.
Take a look at the opening paragraph:
‘Tina stood on the balcony of Pragya’s apartment waiting for the phone to ring. The old-fashioned black instrument was at an arm’s distance from where she stood, just inside the small, sparingly furnished living room. The sky outside was dark…seagulls, crows, pigeons flying above were just fleeting shadows. The notorious never-sleeping city seemed, at this early hour, uncannily asleep. Silence ruled in this otherwise so-noisy metropolis. But Tina’s heart was somersaulting.’
I mostly base my decision for purchasing a book based on the first page, the idea being that if the first page, or the first 2-3 pages at the most, can hold my attention, I will like the book, and most often than not this has worked to my advantage. The first paragraph of Raksha Bharadia’s book caught my attention and I did not put it down then. I liked the way the author described her surroundings and gave the reader a visual image of her words – I feel that is really necessary in a good book, that you can see the story play in front of your eyes even as you are reading. And Raksha’s book did just that.
The story revolves around the main protagonist Tina, who is young and married to her lover and successful carrer guy Aditya. Tina, who is a talented artist herself, gives up her ambitions after her marriage and devotes herself completely to her husband, who forms her whole world. But Aditya has a past that constantly shows up in their present, and no matter how much loving and doting she is, the cracks appear in their marriage, and there comes a time when Tina comes dangerously close to the point of no-return.
While Tina remains the main protagonist, the story also gives us glimpses into the marriage and love-life of four other close friends of Tina’s – Kriya, who is a successful, yet tormented fashion designer, Poorvi, a discontented socialist, Manas, a struggling copywriter who can’t let go of his lover who has now left him, and Upasna, a well-educated yet willing victim of domestic violence.
The novel unfolds to let us in in the complex relationships that all these people are encountering in their lives. As Tina is on the brink and about to lose it all, she makes one last effort and gets all her friends together at a quaint cottage in Mahabaleshwar, where, even in her absence, each of these individuals will fight their personal demons and their past, to try and attempt a fresh start.
The author’s style is contemporary, something the reader of today will identify with easily. The chapters are short and descriptive, and the author uses the technique of flitting between the past and the present.
Book Details: Paperback
Publisher: Rupa & Co.
No. of pages: 223
Personal verdict: Okay read
Take a look at the opening paragraph:
‘Tina stood on the balcony of Pragya’s apartment waiting for the phone to ring. The old-fashioned black instrument was at an arm’s distance from where she stood, just inside the small, sparingly furnished living room. The sky outside was dark…seagulls, crows, pigeons flying above were just fleeting shadows. The notorious never-sleeping city seemed, at this early hour, uncannily asleep. Silence ruled in this otherwise so-noisy metropolis. But Tina’s heart was somersaulting.’
I mostly base my decision for purchasing a book based on the first page, the idea being that if the first page, or the first 2-3 pages at the most, can hold my attention, I will like the book, and most often than not this has worked to my advantage. The first paragraph of Raksha Bharadia’s book caught my attention and I did not put it down then. I liked the way the author described her surroundings and gave the reader a visual image of her words – I feel that is really necessary in a good book, that you can see the story play in front of your eyes even as you are reading. And Raksha’s book did just that.
The story revolves around the main protagonist Tina, who is young and married to her lover and successful carrer guy Aditya. Tina, who is a talented artist herself, gives up her ambitions after her marriage and devotes herself completely to her husband, who forms her whole world. But Aditya has a past that constantly shows up in their present, and no matter how much loving and doting she is, the cracks appear in their marriage, and there comes a time when Tina comes dangerously close to the point of no-return.
While Tina remains the main protagonist, the story also gives us glimpses into the marriage and love-life of four other close friends of Tina’s – Kriya, who is a successful, yet tormented fashion designer, Poorvi, a discontented socialist, Manas, a struggling copywriter who can’t let go of his lover who has now left him, and Upasna, a well-educated yet willing victim of domestic violence.
The novel unfolds to let us in in the complex relationships that all these people are encountering in their lives. As Tina is on the brink and about to lose it all, she makes one last effort and gets all her friends together at a quaint cottage in Mahabaleshwar, where, even in her absence, each of these individuals will fight their personal demons and their past, to try and attempt a fresh start.
The author’s style is contemporary, something the reader of today will identify with easily. The chapters are short and descriptive, and the author uses the technique of flitting between the past and the present.
Book Details: Paperback
Publisher: Rupa & Co.
No. of pages: 223
Personal verdict: Okay read
June 29, 2011
I just finished All and Nothing by Rakha Bharadia and in one word it was “liberating”. I am thankful to BlogAdda for sending it my way.
I don’t read Indian authors much, they tend to overdo things a tad too much, or present an Indian in an unfamiliar light, or belong to the same old clichéd IIT-IIM club. It is good to read something original and different for a change.
Set in Urban India, All and Nothing is a perfect example of a well written and perfectly narrated story. Raksha’s writing is fluid, crisp, to the point, and simple. Short chapters and well-paced story with strong character development, is a page turner.
As the back cover reads, All and Nothing tells the tale of five individuals. Tina is a talented artist, desperately in love with the successful careerist Aditya. But he cannot let go of his past. Their marriage sours and Tina teeters on the edge. Kriya is a fashion designer, chic and successful- but tormented; Poorvi, is a socialite and feminist- but discontented; Manas is a struggling copy writer, besotted with Gayatri- but plagued; Upasana is a willing victim of domestic violence.
Then one day, Tina summons her friends to share their stories from the beginning.
This slim, 223 page, book narrates stories of the above mentioned five individuals in six parts (including Prologue and Epilogue,) from fall of ’95 to summer of ’07.
All five protagonists in the story are moderate to very successful people. In a normal walk of life, they are just like anyone else, going about their business and doing their dues in the society. But deep down there is a wake that renders them incomplete and this inner daemon of theirs never lets them free. As the cover of the book portrays, this is a journey of individuals from the fetters of barbed wired to the free flight of seagull.
Though this book has a strong feminist voice, it is more about relationship, life and the social structure that we, as a society, have molded into.
Major portion of the book deals with the turbulent relationship of Tina and Aditya. After a belief courtship the two decided to get married. For Tina, Aditya is everything she hoped for in a prince, but Aditya is still hung up on her ex-wife and even after years of marriage, two kids, Tina and Aditya cannot form a stable relationship. Tina is still in love with Aditya and do not know how to let go.
Then there is Kriya, daughter to a celebrity father, struggling to live up to expectations. Manas, who has a strained relationship withGayatri, who do not know how to let go or get her back. Poorvi, from a well to do family- a socialite- a feminist and yet discontented on not being able to produce a male heir for the family. Then there is Upasana, who has accepted domestic violence as a way of life.
The characters are well sketched, giving each a distinct and unique personality that leave a lasting impression on reader; an honest take on urban society.
Narration is something I loved most in this novel. It takes quick leap between past, present and future, but without jarring the reader.
The book reads through at a medium pace. However the book comes to a standstill in the last part before it takes off again, which I felt was the only low point in the novel.
That being said, I love the novel, a must read.
About the Author
Raksha Bharadia is the author of Me: A Handbook for Life and Roots and Wings: A Handbook for Parents. Raksha has also co-authored Chicken Soup for the Indian Soul series.
I don’t read Indian authors much, they tend to overdo things a tad too much, or present an Indian in an unfamiliar light, or belong to the same old clichéd IIT-IIM club. It is good to read something original and different for a change.
Set in Urban India, All and Nothing is a perfect example of a well written and perfectly narrated story. Raksha’s writing is fluid, crisp, to the point, and simple. Short chapters and well-paced story with strong character development, is a page turner.
As the back cover reads, All and Nothing tells the tale of five individuals. Tina is a talented artist, desperately in love with the successful careerist Aditya. But he cannot let go of his past. Their marriage sours and Tina teeters on the edge. Kriya is a fashion designer, chic and successful- but tormented; Poorvi, is a socialite and feminist- but discontented; Manas is a struggling copy writer, besotted with Gayatri- but plagued; Upasana is a willing victim of domestic violence.
Then one day, Tina summons her friends to share their stories from the beginning.
This slim, 223 page, book narrates stories of the above mentioned five individuals in six parts (including Prologue and Epilogue,) from fall of ’95 to summer of ’07.
All five protagonists in the story are moderate to very successful people. In a normal walk of life, they are just like anyone else, going about their business and doing their dues in the society. But deep down there is a wake that renders them incomplete and this inner daemon of theirs never lets them free. As the cover of the book portrays, this is a journey of individuals from the fetters of barbed wired to the free flight of seagull.
Though this book has a strong feminist voice, it is more about relationship, life and the social structure that we, as a society, have molded into.
Major portion of the book deals with the turbulent relationship of Tina and Aditya. After a belief courtship the two decided to get married. For Tina, Aditya is everything she hoped for in a prince, but Aditya is still hung up on her ex-wife and even after years of marriage, two kids, Tina and Aditya cannot form a stable relationship. Tina is still in love with Aditya and do not know how to let go.
Then there is Kriya, daughter to a celebrity father, struggling to live up to expectations. Manas, who has a strained relationship withGayatri, who do not know how to let go or get her back. Poorvi, from a well to do family- a socialite- a feminist and yet discontented on not being able to produce a male heir for the family. Then there is Upasana, who has accepted domestic violence as a way of life.
The characters are well sketched, giving each a distinct and unique personality that leave a lasting impression on reader; an honest take on urban society.
Narration is something I loved most in this novel. It takes quick leap between past, present and future, but without jarring the reader.
The book reads through at a medium pace. However the book comes to a standstill in the last part before it takes off again, which I felt was the only low point in the novel.
That being said, I love the novel, a must read.
About the Author
Raksha Bharadia is the author of Me: A Handbook for Life and Roots and Wings: A Handbook for Parents. Raksha has also co-authored Chicken Soup for the Indian Soul series.
June 17, 2015
All and nothing tells the tale of five individuals. Tina is a talented artist, desperately in love with the successful careerist Aditya. But he cannot let go of his past. Their marriage sours and Tina teeters on the edge. Kriya is a fashion designer, chic and successful- but tormented; Poorvi, is a socialite and feminist - but discontented; Manas is a struggling copyrighter, besotted with Gayatri - but plagued; Upasna is a willing victim of domestic violence. Then one day, Tina summons her friends to share their stories from the beginning.
All and nothing is a story about relationships - how they grow, how they nurture, how they break up and how they can be saved. The style and the tone of the book is contemporary, with short and crisp chapters the narrative is almost never stagnated. Flitting between the past and the present, the author exposes us to the various intricacies of the protagonist lives. Aditya and Tina's relationship take the most space and all other stories happen to be in the background. Others provide almost a voyeuristic description of their lives, spilling out their dirty secrets in the public....making you feel their pain and the dilemmas.
Aditya's relationship with Antara is explored to the T and their sexual flirtations are well captured. Both these grey characters hold your attention because you know they are doing wrong, yet you never feel sympathetic towards them. Some may feel Aditya got off easily in the end, but then redemption of his love life is something what fascinated me the most. In fact, even all other loose ends are tied up pretty well in the climax. There is no closure for couple of characters, which personally i found intriguing.
On the downside, there is an over-usage of vernacular language in Bengali. The situations mostly remains grim and serious, which may irk a few readers. There are certain portions, told in flashback, which stays on for a little too long and does not provide enough justification for the protagonist readers. The plot is not unique, but by crisp editing and refreshing approach....the book works, almost.
I am going with 3/5 for Raksha Bharadia's 'All and Nothing'.It is a quick read, one you can finish in 2 hours or so and will leave you with a goody-good feeling. Read it with an open mind, it is not extraordinary but a story told with simplicity. Sometimes, even that is a big task for writers.
All and nothing is a story about relationships - how they grow, how they nurture, how they break up and how they can be saved. The style and the tone of the book is contemporary, with short and crisp chapters the narrative is almost never stagnated. Flitting between the past and the present, the author exposes us to the various intricacies of the protagonist lives. Aditya and Tina's relationship take the most space and all other stories happen to be in the background. Others provide almost a voyeuristic description of their lives, spilling out their dirty secrets in the public....making you feel their pain and the dilemmas.
Aditya's relationship with Antara is explored to the T and their sexual flirtations are well captured. Both these grey characters hold your attention because you know they are doing wrong, yet you never feel sympathetic towards them. Some may feel Aditya got off easily in the end, but then redemption of his love life is something what fascinated me the most. In fact, even all other loose ends are tied up pretty well in the climax. There is no closure for couple of characters, which personally i found intriguing.
On the downside, there is an over-usage of vernacular language in Bengali. The situations mostly remains grim and serious, which may irk a few readers. There are certain portions, told in flashback, which stays on for a little too long and does not provide enough justification for the protagonist readers. The plot is not unique, but by crisp editing and refreshing approach....the book works, almost.
I am going with 3/5 for Raksha Bharadia's 'All and Nothing'.It is a quick read, one you can finish in 2 hours or so and will leave you with a goody-good feeling. Read it with an open mind, it is not extraordinary but a story told with simplicity. Sometimes, even that is a big task for writers.
May 11, 2011
It all started with one character waiting for the dawn, waiting for her love of life and by and by other characters joined the canvas of her existence. Skipping the urgency to refer to the end, I shall go on remarking on how, subtle are the ways of narrating urban tales. The moment I flipped through a couple of pages, I felt like telling my self, nothing like this was there in Anita Nair’s “ladies coupe”- for men do have they say in Raksha’s “All and Nothing”. Whether we are talking about Tina- a Kolkatan loving and marrying a Mumbaite, or Aditya- a Mumbaite failing to forget his sensualist, Matter of Fact airhostess wife Antara- the central characters live their lives in higher forms of poisoned luxury called Urban chaos.
April 26, 2011
About 5 friends..all of them going through a rough patch and how they manage to deal with it...what i liked about the book is the realism and the ease of writing. A nice easy read - finished in a sitting of 3 hours :)
August 13, 2012
Oh God.. What a stupid start and what a stupid plot. Boring and horrible, I stopped reading this
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews