Gita’s Comments (group member since Dec 08, 2013)

Gita’s comments from the Classics Without All the Class group.

Happiness is a Collage
Release Date: August 04, 2018

This collection of fifteen stories leads the reader into a world that is at once Indian and universal. The stories explore love, life, loss, and relationships.

I'm sharing the first story. Given below is the opening paragraph and the google doc link to the complete story. Thank you for reading.

The Search

I was four when my father was lost to me. I saw him dragged away to the boat, away from the village, away from me. I never forgot the scene. Thick coir ropes, the ones we used to pull in the fishing boats, snaked around his arms and chest. There were many people on the riverbank; my mother was there too, and the summer afternoon was a haze of white heat.

Shouting and cursing filled the air. The noise was a living thing, thrumming, pulsating. Someone hurled a broken oar at my father. It struck him and a red patch spread on the white sleeve of his shirt. The crowd jeered. I flinched but my father did not even glance down at his arm. His eyes were fixed on me. Every time he strained against the biting thick ropes, he jerked towards me and the shout that left his lips and was lost in the coarse noise was my name.

When the silence came, I still heard him calling me.

I have no memories of my mother from before that day. I know I lived with both my parents but I don’t remember my mother at all. All my memories are of my father. I remember fishing with him in the middle of the river, and lying in a hammock from a tree twisted over the water. He would shimmy up tall coconut trees, using a harness looped around his shoulders and another around his ankles, gripping the bark with his bare feet. Nothing has ever tasted as good as the soft, sweet, milky coconut kernel he scooped out and fed me.

We made wooden toys. My father whittled them out of driftwood. Though I did nothing but lean against his shoulder and watch, he insisted I was of great help. “I wouldn’t have known what to do without you,” he would say. I remember the look of concentration on his face and the flash of his quick smile. I remember his hands, the fingers long and deft, but I don’t remember the toys. They are long gone, flung into the big fire my mother made out of my father’s things.

Read the rest of the story at
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1R...

Knife and Fork is free on all amazon stores from 6/29/2016 to 1/7/2016. Please read and review it.

Bholu, a monkey, comes to the city looking for adventure. In a short time he learns city ways and when he returns to the forest, he continues with them.
Knife and Fork is Bholu’s story and how he learns three important lessons:
“Monkey ways are right for monkeys just as human ways are right for human beings.”
“Food and fun are meant to be shared with friends.”
“Losing friends is easy, winning them back is not.”

https://www.amazon.com/Knife-Fork-Cha...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Knife-Fork-C...
https://www.amazon.in/Knife-Fork-Chap...
Also free on all other amazon stores.

Catherine Dickens: Outside the Magic Circle
By Heera Datta

Amazon.com rating: 4.5
SPECIAL WEEKEND PRICE Sept 19-21: $1.99 ( Regular Price: $6.49)

“Give these letters to the British Museum, that the world may know he loved me once." Poignant words spoken by Catherine Dickens from her deathbed to her daughter.

After twenty-one years of marriage and ten children, Charles Dickens forced a separation on his blameless wife and used his genius and his clout to malign her. He plotted her exit because of his interest in a young actress, whom he made his mistress. He lived a double life, used fictitious names, and took the moral high ground by insisting Catherine was an unfit wife and mother. He never met her after the separation, not even when their son died in far away India, and kept her away from the children. At the time of the separation, their youngest child was only six.

‘Outside the Magic Circle’ is Catherine’s story, told in her voice, sometimes reminiscing, at other times baffled, confused, hurt, angry. It has her tears, her love, and her quest for the meaning of her life, and marriage.

http://www.amazon.com/Catherine-Dicke...

Last day of Free Promotion

Download your copy of Cinderella's Escape now!

http://www.amazon.com/CINDERELLAS-ESC...

Cinderella's Escape by Gita V. Reddy is free on all amazon stores on 5th, 6th, 7th September, 2014.

http://www.amazon.com/CINDERELLAS-ESC...

This is what reviewers have to say about Cinderella's Escape

DD Gott on amazon.com (5 stars)
"I really liked the way she kept a positive attitude even when things looked so bad."
"the story brings you to the conclusion. a twist that you will NEVER see coming."

Ruma Chatterjee on amazon.com (5 stars)
" basic human emotions that tug at the heartstrings of not only children but adults as well."

June Finch amazon.co.uk (5 stars)
"What surprised me was I couldn't stop reading it. I actually believed all of it." "the story was so well written that it was like one of the true story tales."

Cinderella's Escape is FREE on 5th, 6th. 7th September, 2014. The book is free on amazon.com and all other amazon stores

Download NOW!
http://www.amazon.com/CINDERELLAS-ESC...



Please share http://www.pinterest.com/pin/48455924...
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/48455924...

Cinderella's Escape will be available as a FREE DOWNLOAD on amazon from 5th to 7th September, 2013.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/48455924...

Cinderella's Escape will be available as a FREE DOWNLOAD on amazon from 5th to 7th September, 2014

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/48455924...

Cinderella's Escape will be available as a FREE DOWNLOAD on amazon from 5th to 7th September, 2014.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/48455924...

My chapter book for ages 8-12, Daksha the Medicine Girl is free on amazon, smashwords, apple, barnes & noble and other e stores.

Daksha, the Medicine Girl, is about a young girl living in a hamlet in the Himalayas. Having lost her family in flash floods, she spends a lot of time with a vaidya (the doctor practicing native medicine) and learns the use of herbs and roots. A chance encounter puts her skill to test and changes her life, everyone says, for the better. But she likes her life as it is.....

This is a short chapter book and can be read by Reluctant Readers also.

Please read the book and leave a review so that the book reaches more children.

Thank you

Links:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

http://www.amazon.com/Daksha-Medicine...

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/daks...

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/daksh...

Finished the book. Colleen mentioned Stevenson wrote the book for his stepson; I can well image how the boy must have waited for the story to unfold! Pirates! Danger! Cutlasses! Treasure! There's always something exciting happening.
I wonder why Stevenson let Long John Silver join the doctor's party and then escape. I think he must have initially thought to add another twist, and later changed his mind.
I was expecting Silver to do something, stab someone one in the back, get back to his comrades, or die trying, but he just steals a little gold and escapes. That was rather anti climatic.

Reading chapter 20. I'm liking it as much as I did when I was a child.

Love the way the characters are introduced.

Started reading. Loved the lure thrown out to the Hesitating Purchaser. Chapter 1 reminds me of Great Expectations.

I'm looking forward to joining the discussions.

My children's books are on a discount from June 29 to July 13.

Novels at $2.99


Chapter Books at $ 0.99


Short Story Collections at $0.99


Available on all amazon stores,smashwords,apple ibooks, barnes & noble, flipkart

The books are for children in the age group of 8-12 and 9-14.
They do not have vampires, zombies, or dark matter
They are squeaky clean :)
They have interesting story lines, plots, twists and turns, captivating characters and humor.

Cheetaka, Queen of Giants

Fantasy, Middle Grade.



Read the opening chapters online at
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

Releasing on June 10th on smashwords, amazon, barnes and noble, apple i store.

Five Read-for-Review copies available. Please message for copies. Available in mobi, epub, pdf formats.

The Forbidden Forest is available as a FREE DOWNLOAD on amazon, on 24 March, 2014 and 31 March, 2014 instead of 23 March, 2014. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Link to amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/The-Forbidden-F...

The Forbidden Forest is available as a FREE DOWNLOAD on amazon, on 23 March, 2014
Link to amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/The-Forbidden-F...

Daksha the Medicine Girl is PERMANENTLY FREE on smashwords.
Link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

Thank you for your patience in following my weekly posts since January. Thank you for the downloads. There haven't been many ratings / reviews, which was the original purpose of this marathon 'hawking'.

I had wanted reviews but I was also apprehensive because the reviews would be by adults while the books are for children, mainly in the age group 8-12.

Please share the books with children; all books are enabled for lending. The books are almost violence free, are closer to the real world, and are not preachy at all.

Once again, thank you.

The Unicycle and Other Stories is available as a FREE DOWNLOAD on 15th and 16th March, 2014, on all amazon stores as per US time.
Link to amazon.com : http://www.amazon.com/Unicycle-Other-...

Story Outlines

The Clever Princess: Princess Chandralekha is a beautiful and accomplished princess. She is also the innocent reason of a likely war. The three kingdoms surrounding her tiny kingdom have sent marriage proposals. Refusing any or all of them will lead to war and bloodshed. What is to be done? The clever princess finds a solution.

Green Earth: Devi has no home. She and her parents lead a nomadic life. But Devi wants to plant trees. How can she when they never stay long enough in one place?

Project Chinna: Sushant and Hemant have an unusual school project. They must find a child deprived of school and teach him to read, write and do simple sums, all within six months!

The Unicycle: Amir is eight, much younger than his older brothers, Imran and Irfan. He wants to join them in their games but they treat him like a little kid. Amir makes a grand gesture to prove they are wrong and enjoys himself in the process.

The Dream: Sucharita, unhappy after her mother’s death, skips school and spends the day among old tombs. She falls asleep and has a dream; a dream that changes her life.

Mr.Ben’s Treasures: Mr.Ben has been collecting antiques and curios for fifty years. He has also been collecting hearts; everyone loves him and his wonderful stories. When Mr. Ben is forced to sell his house, he is worried about his precious articles, until the children find a way to help.