With a coffee, you get addicted. With a cola, you mix it with an addiction. One you’d like to have by your side when you begin a relationship, while the other serves as a shoulder to lean on when you end one. The Coffee and The Cola comes from the author’s belief that there is a correlation between traits in women and the properties of these two beverages.
This book traverses through an ordinary narrative built around an extraordinary premise.
Men could devour him. And as the story progresses, female readers could end up relating to one of the two molds or simply loathe!
I give 6/10 stars to “The Coffee and the Cola” a novella by Kapil Muzumdar published by Notion press.
This is a simple love triangle. The author claims that it is “AN ORDINARY NARRATIVE BUILT AROUND AN EXTRAORDINARY PREMISE”. We will come to the premise later.
The story starts with Kapil’s musings about a coffee and a café. He is mentor of his friends’ (Umakant and Rama) son Rahul. Umakant and Rama have separated. Kapil has special love for Rahul and he treats him as his own. Rahul meets Radha at the same café and insists on Kapil to be present. Rahul and Radha becomes friendly and soon fall in love. Radha is a traditional girl who wants to save his virginity till her wedding night. This drives them apart and Rahul meets Nora. Nora is exact opposite of Radha. She is bindaas and believe in free sex. She consorts Rahul and help him tide over his depression of breakup. What will happen next? Who will he end up with? Who all will feel heart ache?
Kapil Muzumdar classify girls into two categories: coffee and cola. Coffee girl are traditional, organized, upright, somewhat prudish and old-fashioned. Radha is a coffee girl. Cola girls are free, promiscuous, bindaas, disorganized, live in the moment, don’t want to be tied down. Nora is a cola girl. Kapil has no other classification for girls. Even Linda Goodman have 12 sun signs. In the margins you can see some random thoughts about coffee or cola personality. By the end it becomes very convoluted and confused. Coffee becomes cola and vice versa. Kapil has no such categories for boys. It could have been whiskey and vodka. Anyway I guess this is the extraordinary premise Kapil was referring to in the title.
There is nothing new in the story and it is any other love triangle. There is some spark between Kapil and Rama which is not developed. And the narrative is contradictory most of the times. At one place author says this story is not about Rahul. Then there is Meera, Radha’s twin sister. What is her role in the story? Kapil makes a case but does not follow through.
This is an ok read. But the story is jerky and not smooth. A one time read.
Story in a nutshell: The Coffee and The Cola is a story about Kapil, the narrator and the protagonist, Rahul. Rahul comes from a broken family. His parents are divorced. He is well settled in his job and believes that it's time he gets married. He registers himself on a matrimonial site. He finds Radha through the site and they click instantly. Rahul dreams of his future with Radha only to find that Radha has taken up an assignment overseas. Rahul is heart broken. He meets Nora during this time and finds solace in her company. What does Rahul do when Radha returns back to India abandoning her job? This story is about Rahul - a guy confused between The Coffee- Radha and The Cola- Nora. Review: The Coffee and The Cola - just as the name suggests is a hatke kind of a novella. It is said that everyone remembers the first person to do a certain thing. Noone remembers the second. In similar way, the author will be remembered for his debut book. The Coffee and The Cola is a kind of story that can happen to anyone of us. Having a liking for two person at a time often confuses us. The author has narrated to us a story of a guy who has been in similar situation. The author uses coffee and cola to help distinguish the behaviour of women. He feels that a woman is either a coffee or a cola. Confused about what I am saying? You must read this book.The story primarily revolves around Rahul, the protagonist and his interests - Radha and Nora. The narrator, Kapil is Rahul's acquaintance. The story doesn't have many characters. Their role is limited. I believe that their part could have been made more engaging. The most appealing feature of this book is the character that of Radha and Nora. They both are simply amazing. The narration has been done in first person and has been done exceptionally well. That personal touch in the narration makes reading an awesome experience. There isn't use if fancy words and idioms. The book is written straight from heart. The quotations about the coffee and the cola are cherries on the cake. They are very much relatable. If you're a girl, you'll wonder to which category you belong - the coffee or the cola. And if you're a guy, you'll think to which category your girl belongs to. These thoughts will come to your mind when reading the quotations. The story will make you ponder over the behavior of women. I loved the author's way of attributing women to the two drinks. The book is truly an ordinary story built around extraordinary premise. A must read! Likes: The extraordinary premise - the coffee and cola. The simple and realistic narration. The quotations from the story. Note to the author: I thought over both the types - the coffee and the cola and have reached to a conclusion that I don't belong to either of them. I exhibit both the traits. What should I call myself? Cola-fee? I rate: Cover- 3.5/5 Characters- 4/5 Story- 4/5 Overall I rate 'The Coffee and The Cola' with 4/5 stars.
Some books have the ability to convey a lot more than just the plot or story and they do that in a rather implicit manner. As you read along, the story not only involves you but your mind also begins making comparisons between the characters and people you know in real life. The Coffee and the Cola is one such rare book.
The story is that of Rahul and is journey of finding a companion. He meets Radha, a young ambitious girl with a head as well as a few responsibilities on her shoulder, through a matrimonial website. Finding each other compatible, the two begin meeting regularly and gradually decide to marry each other. However, their engagement is delayed for quite a few reasons which creates a rift between them. And in comes Nora, a fun and jovial person, who brings in the colors and vivacity that were missing in Rahul's life. Just as the two are getting along comfortably with each other, Radha makes a comeback and Rahul finds himself in a fix. While not wanting to hurt either, he ends up doing exactly that.
The plot of this novel might sound that of a regular romantic triangle, it is the storytelling that is compelling and the indepth character analysis that pulls you in. Radha portrays the strong and addictive coffee that grown on you with every sip, while Nora is a cola, with its quirk and effervescence that leaves you thrilled and chilled. The way the characters are revealed, layer by layer, you, as the reader, can relate more to them and would even begin drawing inferences from real life people around you. You would even begin categorizing the women around as coffee or cola, depending on your perception and experience with them.
I'd not say that the story is exceptional, but the way of story telling is truly different and not another run-of-the-mill type. It engrosses you from the word go and keeps you hooked till the very end. I read this book in one go within 3 hours and still am connecting dots in the story. For, you see, not every detail is told there, there are plenty that the reader would connect for themselves.
A fun and light read with an amazing narration, it's hard to believe that this is the author's first novel. A perfect debut, it has something for every age group.
A word about the author first,Kapil Muzumdar comes from the world of advertising and branding having been in the trade for over twenty five years crafting stories for brands,celebrities and corporate icons.He loves studying human behaviour and profiling people,mostly along psychographic outlines. Presently he works as a creative philosopher and is often invited to speak at educational institutions and corporates. He is deeply fascinated by women and the complexity of their nature. The Coffee and The Cola is his first book.
The author relates to two kind of women whose traits he compares to Coffee and Cola. Two very different types of women.
The story revolves around the main protagonist Rahul and his tryst with these two women with diametrically opposite traits, The Coffee and The Cola as the author sees them.
It is the journey of love which Rahul goes through first with Radha and in a small detour with Nora. Two women of diverse personalities which leave Rahul confused with the reality check; Who should he choose between the two for a life partner. The way author has characterised his leads is commendable. You can easily relate to Rahul who faces a confusion of choosing the one over second as we lot of times see in real life as well. The women leads are both portrayed very interestingly. The book has a dose of romance with reality thrown in beautifully. Some twists and turns keep you engrossed and curious all through
Will Rahul be able to decide? Will he really get what he wants or Will he lose it all? Grab a copy now and find out for yourself. As the author puts it: An Ordinary Narrative Built Around an Extraordinary Premise.
The characters are equally intriguing and binds the interest of the readers. The way the narrator talks about Rahul and his life story is impeccable. Rahul’s character is complex as he seems confused while deciding like what he wants in life. Radha or Nora? Both seems perfect. If Radha believes in eternal love then Nora believes in intimacy, physical love. Rahul is seen juggling between the two types of love. Whom he choose is the rest of the story and you better grab this book to know about it.
Radha is categorised as Coffee and Nora is categorised as Cola. Both serve as a foil to each other. THey both have their set of stories with Rahul and Rahul is the lead which links them to each other somewhere. Radha is ambitious and career oriented while the latter believes in enjoying life, partying and making love. These contrasting characters makes the plot construction strong.