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Broken Bangles - A Literary Corpus

Vaidehi Sharma (Goodreads Author)

3.85 · Rating details · 54 ratings · 32 reviews

This book is not entirely a work of fiction as I have been a close witness of the incidents narrated in the book. It comprises of three stories which talk about women and how their bangles (read societal norms) have clipped their wings and have caged them in vivid cages. Broken Bangles is a journey of Meina, Nisha and Sudha as they carved their way out.

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ebook, First, 35 pages

Published December 26th 2018 by Amazon

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Jan 21, 2019 Tavleen Kaur rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2019

Broken Bangles is a collection of three thought-provoking short stories. The book starts with a heart-warming preface that tells us that the author based the stories on real-life people.

The first story ‘Literature Kotha’ showing an interview with a tawaif was nothing like I’ve read before. ‘Perfume’ was heart-wrenching, not only because of its events but also because it is the reality of many families. ‘The House of Widows’ was incredibly sad and beautiful.

The book is well-edited, and the writi ...more

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Jan 25, 2019 Teenu Vijayan rated it really liked it

This book has three short and impactful stories that throws a light into the misogyny and patriarchal norms of our society. The women here may be different but they all share the same turmoil and they have tried to break free from societal double standards.
Vaidehi, you can elaborate each of them into fill fleged stories too as they all let me wanting to read more.

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Apr 12, 2020 Bhaumik Sheth rated it it was amazing

Impressive!

An impactful, thought provoking collection of three woman centric short stories. These stories reflect varied themes but they are tied gracefully through a common thread -- Bangles!

A prostitute sharing her poignant life story, a wife facing an infidel, alcholoic husband, a strange love-hate relationship between a widow and her mother in law -- these stories reflect the truth of our society which is buried somewhere but needs to be unearthed. And the author does the work amazingly.

I' ...more

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Mar 08, 2019 DALIP rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-review-shelf

‘Broken Bangles’ Is A Collection Of Three Short Stories Each Interlinked With A Common Thread Of Pain & Sorrow That Is As Not Just An 👁 Opener But Also Reflects How The Bond Of Pain Is Far More Stronger Than The Bonding Of Joy.
‘Literature Kotha’ The Opening Story Is About A 70 Year Old Meina Jaan Who Was Tricked By Her Own College Friend Zeinat To Find Herself In A Brothel..Simply Because The Friend Betrayed Her So She Could Marry Her Boyfriend Knowing That Once She Landed In A Brothel Even Her ‘Broken Bangles’ Is A Collection Of Three Short Stories Each Interlinked With A Common Thread Of Pain & Sorrow That Is As Not Just An 👁 Opener But Also Reflects How The Bond Of Pain Is Far More Stronger Than The Bonding Of Joy.
‘Literature Kotha’ The Opening Story Is About A 70 Year Old Meina Jaan Who Was Tricked By Her Own College Friend Zeinat To Find Herself In A Brothel..Simply Because The Friend Betrayed Her So She Could Marry Her Boyfriend Knowing That Once She Landed In A Brothel Even Her Own Family Would Disown Her. Two Daughters & Three Sons Later She Is Still In The Brothel Because Several Years Later She Is Discarded By Her Sons This Time Who Prefer To Settle Abroad Rather Than Let The World Know Who Their Mother Is & What She Did To Bring Them Up Single Handedly As A Prostitute.
The Second Story ‘Perfume’ Is A Heartbreaking Tale Of Nisha Who’s Stuck In A Hopeless Marriage As Her Husband Sudesh Is A Violent Alcoholic Who Has Made Life Hell For Not Just His Hapless Wife Alone But Also His Children Too Who Live A Life That Is Nothing Short Of A Never Ending Nightmare That Has Engulfed The Family In Loop. The Climax Is Bound To Break Your Heart.
The Third Story ‘A House Of Widows May Be Nerve Shattering As The Painful Tale Unfolds When Sudha The Newly Bereaved Widow Is Mercilessly Taunted By Her Mother-In -Law Shailja Who Holds Her Responsible For The Death Of Her Only Son. What Follows May Seem Heartless To Some And Freedom Of Personal Choice To Other’s But Nonetheless It’s Bold And Not Quite Easily Digestive.
When Destiny Strikes Another Blow And Both The Women Find Themselves Bonded By A ‘Dard Ka Rishta When Shailja Finds Herself Totally Dependent On Her Daughter In Law Sudha. The Climax Is Something That Focuses On Building Bridges Even In The Darkest Hours When All Seems To Lost.
Without Absolutely Any Doubt VAIDEHI SHARMA Has Done A Truly Fine Job Bringing These Stories Alive..Some Of Which Are True In Part And That Is What Leaves The Readers Shaken.
The Fact That This Happens To Be Her First Independent Venture Is What Makes Her Maiden Attempt So Absolutely Laudable & Praiseworthy.
Be It Meina Jaan Of ‘Literature Kotha’ Or Nisha Of ‘Perfume’ Or Sudha & Shailja Of ‘House Of Widows’ Each One Is Living In A Personal Hell They Have Been Thrust Into By Circumstances That Are Gloomy With Not Even A Faint Light In Sight As Each Is Resigned To Her Fate.
Without Sugarcoating The Misery Of Her Characters VAIDEHI SHARMA Simply Mirrors Their Personal Grief & Sorrow That Is Disturbing But Nonetheless Reflective Of The Times We Live In!! ...more

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Jan 10, 2019 Sanchari Das rated it it was amazing

"The twinkling sound that her bangles made seemed as necessary as breathing."

Short, interesting and heart-rending, "Broken Bangles" by Vaidehi Sharma tells the tale of three different women and their struggles with their cruel fate that led to their broken bangles.

"Literature Kotha" records the interview of a tawaif who opens up about the heart-wrenching realities she had faced. 'Perfume' is the story of the mother who didn't allow the wife in her to revolt against her husband but had to pay hea "The twinkling sound that her bangles made seemed as necessary as breathing."

Short, interesting and heart-rending, "Broken Bangles" by Vaidehi Sharma tells the tale of three different women and their struggles with their cruel fate that led to their broken bangles.

"Literature Kotha" records the interview of a tawaif who opens up about the heart-wrenching realities she had faced. 'Perfume' is the story of the mother who didn't allow the wife in her to revolt against her husband but had to pay heavily for her silence. "The House of the Widows" is a tale of two widows who struggles to set themselves free from the guilt and although the free bird meets with resistance and mockery, a sudden turn of events brings a dramatic flip that changes the entire scenario.

The similes used in all the stories are absolutely brilliant and quite a pleasure to the mental visibility of the readers. The metaphor of 'bifocals that one wears despite their eye-sight' is simply splendid.

Every story beginning with a short description as a preview of the upcoming story serves as the perfect teaser that heightens the curiosity of the readers and urges them to go on reading until the end.

The title is attractive as well as perfect. "Broken Bangles" symbolises the devastation of a woman's life. It is the symbol of their lost battle, which they had desperately tried to win and had struggled hard but in vain.

The fascinating cover portrays two hands-- one with bangles and the other without them, vivifying the sharp contrast between the two. It signifies the desire of the women to wear bangles to beautify their wrists as against their helplessness to silently accept their devastation.

Character sketch is no doubt perfect. Author Vaidehi Sharma has really worked hard to make all her characters come alive in front of the eyes. Her sincere effort is quite praiseworthy as she efficiently succeeds in doing justice to the characters.

Deep, sensational and real, these stories that leave a lot of things unsaid and stir up hidden emotions demand to be heard. And one can fearless venture on to read the book "Broken Bangles" as author Vaidehi Sharma promises not to disclose to anyone that the readers had indeed come to couch upon some deeply hidden secrets.

"She was inclined to break those faux walls of guilt which she was a prisoner in."
...more

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Jan 18, 2019 AANVI WRITES rated it really liked it

All of it should be heard cos I’m the one who exists to keep all this alive and it will all die with me…..
Life is very cruel and unpredictable at times. But the desire to live beyond all challenges, and emerge as a winner is what makes it worthwhile.
Broken Bangles as the title reads gets a string of emotions into our mind. The pain and the struggle women go through is beyond any words could describe. This short Novella depicts the harsh reality of life 3 women face in life in 3 beautifully writt ...more

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Jan 16, 2019 Aditi Roy rated it really liked it

This book is the collection of three different short stories that are based on the harsh truths of our society. Author has penned down this kind of sensitive issues so beautifully that you will feel that all are real-life incidents happening in front of your eyes.

1. Literature Kotha-
the first story about Meina Jaan who was a literature student but unfortunately she had to come in prostitution just because of her friend's treachery. Her story was so heart touching and the way she expressed her pa ...more

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Jan 05, 2019 Honey & Anjali rated it really liked it

The title does full justice to the book. Bangles symbolizes feminity and beauty but here they are nothing more or less than iron chains keeping the women prisoner of the social norms.

The book consists of intriguing and though provoking stories of three different woman and their struggles.

1) Literature Kotha

This story is about Miena who was forced into prostitution. Prior to her dismay she used to be a literature student and even though life put her on a different path, she made sure to strive fo ...more

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Jan 19, 2019 Anuja rated it really liked it

☀Broken Bangles☀
Author :Vadehi

🔴Background
The book is collection of three heart-touching beautiful short stories...
🌵The first story is a story of a prostitution who is in her 70s and her retelling during an interview about her life and how society bifocals lead to no come out...the story is heart pouring and takes time to absorb
🍁the second story of a wife and mother who sense betrayal from her husband which got a unturning end
🍀the third story is of daughter in law who was also a wife who had lost ...more

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Jan 19, 2019 Simran Gandhi rated it it was amazing

Woman have always been fighters and continue to be yet they listen the immature words from the patriarchal and male chauvinist society. This is the harsh truth of our society as they are caught up between the society and ruthless nature of male wolves and due to this there is an increment in the hatred .
The author Vaidehi Sharma has sculpted the beauty of woman in all her three stories and the issues of misfortune, pain, grief, and devoid faced by them. Especially, the cover has been created wi ...more

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Jan 23, 2019 Abrar rated it it was amazing

The book has three stories which are clad with emotions and has good narration. This book is must read for everyone. I felt really good after reading this.

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Jan 12, 2019 Kirti Changlani rated it really liked it

The book is a cluster of three short stories
I.e literature kotha, perfume and house of widows.

In the first story , the narrative is of a interview of a lady who runs a brothel but there is a library and children learning there, those are babies of the workers there. The Interview is spellbound and leaves you thinking after a walk across the intellectual mind of the lady and it says a lot about what pain the sex workers go through, it's a very poignant and deep and impactful read.

Second is about ...more

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Jan 15, 2019 Palvi Sharma rated it liked it

The title of the book is well suited to the book. The book is a short story collection of three stories. The book consists of stories of woman struggle and hardships.
Author focuses on bringing the side of woman's life which is often ignored. The literature of Kotha is my favourite story among all three. The story is very heartbreaking and painful to read.
I would value the efforts of the author for writing about such sensitive issues. The writing is very bold and provoking. I like the narration ...more

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Jan 06, 2019 Gourab Mitra rated it really liked it

Broken Bangles by Vaidehi Sharma is not a book of short stories. It is about three dimensional story. Meina Jaan, Nisha and Sudha. The world of these characters seems normal until the blossoms. It is direct from heart, a story written by a woman about women. But nowhere you would feel her indulgence. The first story starts a with first person point of view which very intellectual writing as it helps the reader to feel the same thing as the narrator. The second story shifts to first person charac ...more

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Jan 09, 2019 Anubha Garg rated it really liked it

The writing style was impressive with a simple and straightforward language. It was a quick and short read. The content expressed has been handled aptly and with such sincerity that the stories are bound to strike a chord in each and every reader's heart and mind. I would strongly recommend to every reader, this book which gives the story of every woman's life, words and a voice..

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Jan 06, 2019 BookRavager rated it really liked it

3 stories. One Word : Fantastic. Stories dealing with emotions as raw as the world itself. Great read! 👏

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Mar 15, 2019 A. rated it it was amazing

Broken bangles is a collection of three short yet powerful stories. Stories, which are heart touching and breaks your heart into hundreds of pieces.

Each story tells a tale which really leaves an impact on the reader. The narration of each story is so powerful that you actually visualize each scene and you feel the pain, the heartbreak in each story.

Each story has so much to reveal that I feel each story can be transformed into a full-fledged novel as after you finish reading each story you feel ...more

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Jan 23, 2019 John Trident rated it liked it

The broken bangles

The book is a mourning of all the women our there. They sing a lullaby of pain which sings from their very existence. It seeps through their veins & the feelings scorch through the plaintiffs, also unravel the very dark side of our society.

Cover is beautiful, aptly chosen. Title is apt. Theme is good.

The book talks about the pain of women as they undergo through various atrocities & are subjugated to various crimes which occur to them from time to time.
Often life pushes us The broken bangles

The book is a mourning of all the women our there. They sing a lullaby of pain which sings from their very existence. It seeps through their veins & the feelings scorch through the plaintiffs, also unravel the very dark side of our society.

Cover is beautiful, aptly chosen. Title is apt. Theme is good.

The book talks about the pain of women as they undergo through various atrocities & are subjugated to various crimes which occur to them from time to time.
Often life pushes us in situations where we lose everything & circumstances are so severe that we lost the only person whom we love or care the most. It clouds one's conscience & devastates it completely. The amount of pain incorporated in the book is worth commenting upon. It has been balanced throughout the book.

I truly the concept of virginity comes to an end. Where a woman is subjugated to shame just because she isn't virgin before her marriage. People label them as impure, not pious or not worthy enough to live among us. I hate this biased & inclined behaviour of our male dominant & patriarchal society which often subjects a section of people towards unjust & atrocities! It's not the women who lost their virginity are impure, it's the mentality of the society & it's people that are truly sick.

People are strange. The like to give names to everything. If you ask me, a kotha is a place where all names come to an end.

Bifocals! We wear bifocals irrespective of our eyesight. It's irrelevant what we look at, no matter whom we look at, we just label them good or bad, because that's what society has taught us. And that's precisely why our system is visually impaired - blind!

I couldn't stand the sight of all the naked men around me, they were ugly - they scorned my body & lustfully scarred my soul every night. They crushed by bangles, left my wrists bleeding after enforcing themselves on my fragile body.

We're given names. Some call us 'whores', others 'Tawaifs'. We aren't the worst of creatures. We sell our flesh & skin to earn a living. We've paid peace with it. Just like how ordinary men & women sell their talents & skills to make their living for their survival.

I don't know if there's a god or not. If there's one I wish it would be a woman. So that I can undress in front of her & ask her how she chose the men who have given me these scars on my body. The scars formed by the broken bangles with ran all over her wrists weaving a web-like pattern.

Language is simple, good & easy to understand. Narration is good. But it needs considerable amount of work. The book has some grammatical errors, also the topic chosen are limited. It needs consistency. I wish it could have been more than this, versatile to be precise. I felt there're many more topics which are left out to be discussed & talked about. ...more

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Jan 01, 2019 Sidharth Bansal rated it really liked it

Living in a patriarchal society is not an easy task for females. Every now and then they have to listen shit about themselves coz they are considered to bring bad omens. They are being raped and molested and still have to stay silent. They are actually tied by all these societeal norms and thoughts. Though "Broken bangles" is a short book but discusses some of the very sensitive topics.

It is a compilation of 3 short stories which discusses 3 different topics and each one of them is very sensitiv ...more

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Apr 23, 2019 Payal Saha rated it really liked it

This book is a compilation of 3 stories revolving around 3 women facing different kinds of turmoil in their respective lives. Each of these stories is disparate, yet the common link these women shared was their lives being shackled up by societal norms signified by their broken bangles. The thing that touched and disturbed me most was the fact all 3 of these stories in the book are inspired/based on real-life incidents. And while reading the book something inside me was telling the same, these s ...more

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Jan 29, 2019 Audriza Banerjee rated it it was amazing

I feel honored to review such a beautiful piece of art by a fellow bookstagrammer and friend Vaidehi. All the best to her and congratulations for such a great success with her book.

Review

Title is catchy; though the subtitle steals the show for me

Three stories which made me cry

All the titles of the stories were mesmerizing ( for example Literature Kotha; others you've to read and find out)

Shows the scars beneath the ornamentation of Bangles

Society's indifference is shown in the best manner

I compl ...more

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Feb 22, 2019 PriyaM rated it really liked it

Bangles are considered the most auspicious accessory in Indian culture and yet the same accessory becomes inauspicious during those anguish period of a woman’s life. How ironical?

A novella featuring 3 women who go through hardships in life.

A brilliant write up by Ms. Vaidehi. Her stories were very strong in bringing out the pain woman has to endure in all walks of her life. Meina Jaan, the protagonist of the first story got me captivated with her traumatic life yet she had an intellectual way of ...more

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Jan 10, 2020 Rahill rated it really liked it

So this book contains three short stories:⁣
.⁣
• 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐊𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐚 is the first story and is about a protective mother and a prostitute Meina Jaan who was interviewed and told her story, how she ended up there. And how she wanted her daughter to be treated like a normal person.⁣
.⁣
• 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐦𝐞 is the second story of the book, the story begins with a family which was about to be shattered because Nisha's husband was cheating on her. ⁣
.⁣
• 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝗪𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬 is third and the last story of the book which ...more

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Mar 05, 2019 Sourav Chatterjee rated it liked it

Broken Bangles is basically a book of short stories. All the stories are written on a social context, basically issues related women. The struggles and void they gone through. The concept is good but the stories could have been more well narrated. The plot construction could have been more better. The language is clear. And the title is okay.
The cover cover is beautiful.
Overall a short but good read.

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Feb 16, 2019 Meera rated it did not like it

I would like to give zero stars for this book.

The author is a review exchanger. Let me explain. She does favors to other writers by writing a review and asks them to return the same. And this how she gets reviews and claims to be a bestselling author 😂😂😂

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Mar 04, 2019 Carlos Luis rated it really liked it

Vaidehi Sharma carves strong woman stories the characters of which do not want to leave you free. They still remain to haunt you or to put it optimistically they churn the reality that exists and will remain to.

for more click the link::
http://www.unbeatablecombi.com/blog.a... ...more

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Jan 23, 2019 Chander Gupta rated it really liked it

I really liked the Literature kotha and House of widows in this book as they have pictured women in a very different manner. I really loved the way the characters are penned down. A must read!

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Aug 15, 2019 Surekha rated it really liked it

Three small stories. But have a big impact and huge respect for the female lead characters in the stories. And the author Vaidehi felt the emotions went through by these characters.

Feeling so heavy after reading the first and second story. But relieved after reading about the women in the last story had a practical ending. Matured women are portrayed in the book.

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Oct 16, 2019 Anupama C K(b0rn_2_read) rated it really liked it

Shelves: kindle-unlimited

It has 3 short stories. Stories based on real life incidents. I just wish it was longer

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Mar 17, 2020 Rajeev Upadhyay rated it liked it

It is small story book consisting three stories namely ‘Literature Kotha’, ‘Perfume’ and ‘The House of Widows’. The first story ‘Literature Kotha’ is about a prostitute who loves to read English literature. This story has a very large canvas but the story ends perhaps earlier. However it is able reflect the mental trauma that protagonist ‘Meina Jaan’ had to undergo when she was forced in the business of prostitution by her friend ‘Zeinat’.

The second story ‘Perfume’ is story of family which is ab ...more

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