Motherhood – The Ultimate Reviewer

Title: Have you stopped loving?

Author: Cauveri

Paperback: 209 pages

Publisher: Blue Rose Publishers

Language: English

Blurb

One of the greatest titles in the world is to be called a ‘parent’ and one of the biggest blessings in the world is to have parents whom we call ‘MOM ’and DAD’. It gives me immense bliss to present you an entirely personal, emotional, heart melting and successful journey of Sharda. As the name suggests she is neither a master’s degree holder nor a Ph.D. holder but again as the name suggests she has reached out as a Doctorate holder for her tremendous achievements throughout her life. She gives an urgent message of her eternal strength to raise her voice against the provocation women face. But the way she was betrayed, deceived, cheated emotionally by her own kids is actually the pulse of this book. Lady of letters, Cauveri gauges the substandard and unacceptable state of affairs and circumstances which leads our society towards anguish and dejection of the holy and immortal souls called parents in her debut novel. She tried to hold tight the missing link between parents and their progeny.

My review

Have you stopped loving? is an emotional journey of the protagonist Sharda from an ambitious small-town girl to a strong-willed woman who diminishes her obstacles with her hard work. The story gives the limelight to a not-so-discussed issue among the parents and their children. Here Sharda is a self-made woman who is highly respected in the society because of her commendable hard work. Despite her professional success, her children questions her ways, owing to the luring of some others.

I always think that the relationship and emotional connection between every mother and their children are immortal and beyond the description. Being a mother is the most challenging job because this status never lost even after you die. This unexplainable connection between every mother and her child is built upon trust and unconditional love. Woman are lucky because they can experience this state from their mother and also can set an example to their children by becoming a mother herself. With all these responsibilities, being a working woman is not easy.

Here in this story, we can see a woman who is the mother of three children and after their birth, she actually started chasing her dreams. Just like everyone, she also has a dream to be an educated and successful woman and obviously, she is disappointed when they are denied. But when she got a small chance she woke up and worked for it. She has done everything possible to balance her job and motherhood and even became successful in both.

But even though upbringing has certain effects on one’s mentality, it never is enough to predict a person completely. Time to time, people became puppets, in the hands of some other cunning people because of their delusions of love towards them. This is the true evil and this makes everyone forget their past and forcing them to live in the present and future. But the total dismissal of one’s past will eventually lead them to ultimate failure.

This story is a light-hearted family drama. It is not a story revolves around a single challenge but around numerous small problems facing by a family. This gives a touch of reality to this plot. The plot is snitched through numerous daily-life problems faced by Sharda and her family over the years.

The number of characters is low which is perfect for a small family drama. The author focused on these limited characters and their development.

I liked the way the author incorporated her view on woman-empowerment and education from the first page to the last. Often the work-place became the hide-out of Sharda from her personal problems. The way, the author encourages girl child to take their education seriously is worth mentioning.

The author has also given space to discuss dowry, low-income and practically all other problems faced by a woman. This is a good initiative.

I always love black and white covers and this cover also never disappoints me. From the title, it is evident that it is a woman-drama.

I liked the character of Abha and how she turns thing around at the climax. Her self-made personality is a good example. She made mistakes and she paid them. But with her confidence, she rectifies her life.

The language is simple and easily complete the reading within two sitting.

Overall, this is a good weekend read with a powerful message.

Rating: 4/5

Title: Amma and I
Author: Trishna Damodar
Pages: 204
Genre: Family Drama
Publisher: Leadstart Publishing

Blurb: You are unique in your own existence Kripa and Maya live in a small town in Kerala. Surrounded by greenery, streams, a vast rubber estate and a palatial home, they had it all. Maya enjoys listening to the radio and reading books and magazines as it offers her a chance to connect to the world outside. She wanted to do so much more in her life, but a sudden marriage proposal from a man based in France gets her anxious at the possibility of her dreams fading away like smoke.

Kripa has been the dutiful daughter, wife and mother. All she knew was her life and family in Kuttiadi. But she wants more for her daughter, Maya. So, when a proposal from someone in France came along, she jumped at the opportunity, hoping that this would give her
daughter a chance at a bigger and better life.

Maya, so lost in her own world, was unaware of certain shadows that lurked in her own backyard. What hides behind the constant smile on Kripa’s face? Read the journey of Kripa and Maya, set in the 1970’s, as they struggle to be heard in a society that is fixed in its norms.

My review

Amma and I is a heartfelt story of beautiful love and affection between a mother and daughter. I cannot begin this review without saying a few words about the beautiful and yet adorable cover of this book. It is one of the best covers I have ever seen. The adorable representation of mother and child with the touch of the iconic boat race of Kerala gives me goosebumps at the very first site. Also, the representation of the boat race gives a hint of the background of the story.

Like the title suggests, this is a story of a mother, Kripa and her daughter Maya set in the ’70s at a small town in Kerala. Maya is an ambitious girl in her 20’s and she wants to live her life in her own terms. Her parents start finding a suitable groom for her as they think she is at the marriageable age. The story goes very smooth until this stage with a perfect detailing of the dreamy life of Maya. The author introduces only one side of every main character until this stage. A clever introduction of twist at this point changes the lives of Maya and Kripa drastically from here onwards. This is where the story picks up pace and intensity.

The characters are gradually developed from the beginning to the end. The character of Maya was evolved from a small town girl with ambitious dreams to a stronger, confident, career-oriented woman at the end. Also, the character of Kripa was developed over time. The author never loosed the lovable nature of Kripa when she was developing this character throughout the story.

Basically, I always liked the story revolving around the strong female characters. Also being someone from Kerala, I felt the emotional attachment at the very first moment when I started the reading.

I will always think that the most emotionally bound relationship in every person’s life is with their own mothers. The care and selflessness of every mother are surely unreplaceable. We all got the first sight of true love from our own mothers. Because of this delicate nature, I think the portrayal emotions related to motherhood will be so difficult. Throughout the story, I felt the true emotion of the affectionate love between a mother and daughter. This is because of the immense command of the author on her storytelling skill.

The language used is simple, yet it is powerful to express all emotions of characters. This is a well-constructed plot from that point of view. This is a must read for everyone who loves a family drama.

Rating: 4/5