Soldier & Spice

by Aditi Mathur Kumar

For Pia, regular life is a thing of the past. She is now an army wife. From 'just Pia' to an aunty, a memsaab . . . and, her favourite words in the whole wide world, Mrs Pia Arjun Mehra.

Pia finds herself having to suddenly be more 'lady-like', focus on themed ladies' meets, high teas and welfare functions, and deal with long (unexpected) spells of separation from her husband. She faces extraordinary challenges, a little heartache and, well, army-life lessons. In the mysterious and grand world of army wives, Pia learns that walking in high heels is okay as long as you don't trip on combat boots. She learns that 'civil' is also a noun, that JCO and GOC are (very) different from each other, that snacks are 'shown' and 'WTF' is better explained as Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Yes, it really is a new world.

This quirky, hilarious story of the first year of Pia's life as an army wife will show you that the spice to a soldier's life is most definitely his better, very strong, extremely elegant, never-cussing, witty, warm and passionate half-his army wife.

272 pages, Paperback

Published May 31, 2023

About the author

Aditi Mathur Kumar is an author, a writer, and an obsessive reader. Outside of reading and writing books, she works full-time at an advertising agency with some of the most exciting brands. She is an Army Wife, a mother, TEDx Speaker, and overall curious. Her first book, "Soldier & Spice: An Army Wife's Life", is a hilarious story of a civilian girl married to an Indian Army Officer. The book deals with the grand and mysterious lives of the stunning Army Wives and will make you laugh and cry. Her second book "Love, Whatever That Means" is a romance read that will delight you with its relatable protagonist and the swoon-worthy Army Officer love interest.

Aditi's third book is a poetry collection titled "This Heartbreak" which she self-published in the middle of the pandemic, in May 2020.

Her latest book "Operation Payback" is a thrilling and action-packed story about a War Widow who joins the Army herself. Published by Penguin in Aug 2023, the book will make you smile, cry, grieve, and feel immense pride.

You can find Aditi on Twitter & Instagram: @adicrazy

Her Blog: aditimathurkumar.in

Happy reading!

Reviews

[Richa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is real and funny to the core. The best part about this book is any new army wife will relate to Pia's character. The author manages to bring humor to the otherwise difficult situations as well. I loved the description of the etiquette class. :)

[Sidharth Gowda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful summer read

Aditi Mathur shares a wonderful insight into the mind & life of a young army bride. The book presents a different side of army life; it's a total page turner and ended really well for me. Now I want to know what's the next next chapter in Pia's life.

[Archana shetty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny initially . Gives some insight into army wives and their life.. but after a point it’s a drag .. the story could have been crisper ...

[Anandh Sundar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Army wife's experiences

Good book to understand the life of army wives and how it can get boring yet interesting. Fictionalized read of many experiences

[Aditi Jha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth it

If you are interested in reading army wife's life than this book is best.
It had cover whole journey of civilian becoming an army wife.

[Bobin · Rating 1 out of 5]

She can write.. but the book lacks vocabulary and plot and grip.. nothing compelled me to go through this book other than to complete and post the review.. this book is surely an over exaggeration.

[Vinod · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adventures of a normal working class girl who marries an Army man