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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
I read this in a day and it's quite breezy and light, relatable if you are a fan of city fiction/Bombay in general.
It was a pretty easy read but I could not sympathize with the the protagonist at all. Everything just seemed to be really convenient, opportunities falling into her lap, and her biggest problem seemed to be choosing between several good things happening all at once. Also she is difficult to relate with because her life is dripping in privilege and I didn't see the point of trying to turn those things into struggles.
While I don't demean anybody's personal trauma or lived experience, I personally thought that the story could have used some real conflict rather than just being one conveniently solved first-world problem after another. The romance angles seemed really filmy and unrealistic and after a point the story stops being about books altogether, we are just in Fiza's mildly messy fairytale of a life.
I recommend this if you're looking for a fun, feel-good read to pass the time but I don't think you can expect any character development or layered plotline.
It was a pretty easy read but I could not sympathize with the the protagonist at all. Everything just seemed to be really convenient, opportunities falling into her lap, and her biggest problem seemed to be choosing between several good things happening all at once. Also she is difficult to relate with because her life is dripping in privilege and I didn't see the point of trying to turn those things into struggles.
While I don't demean anybody's personal trauma or lived experience, I personally thought that the story could have used some real conflict rather than just being one conveniently solved first-world problem after another. The romance angles seemed really filmy and unrealistic and after a point the story stops being about books altogether, we are just in Fiza's mildly messy fairytale of a life.
I recommend this if you're looking for a fun, feel-good read to pass the time but I don't think you can expect any character development or layered plotline.
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
You know how a lot of us just seem to breeze through life, with just a nod to the internal or external issues at hand, rather than delving deeper into anything really? How some of us are privileged enough to be handed our dreams on a platter and sometimes never meet any bad people at all? Well, that's this book for me.
I enjoyed reading the book, because the lead character Fiza, reminded me a lot of myself. Someone who comes from a place of privilege, has some good intentions, loves books, deals with deeper issues in life by running away from them or not really acknowledging them, and finds romantic problems to be the biggest of her issues than anything else. Yep - if it rings a bell to you too, then maybe a lot of us are like that. So in that aspect, I liked reading about Fiza's story - how she gets to open up a bookstore and realises it was her dream in the end. This was a cultural potpourri of a story with a lot of nod given to places in Bombay/Mumbai, London, and Scotland. In this story, hindus and muslims and parsis and married and single people, and divorced people are all just part of one big family, who have their ups and downs, but nothing that would bring about any lasting animosity. Everything is forgiven eventually and everyone lives happily ever after.
So read this book, if you're looking to read about books or want to read a simple and feel good story written by an Indian female author. But do leave all your practical and righteous feelings aside.
I enjoyed reading the book, because the lead character Fiza, reminded me a lot of myself. Someone who comes from a place of privilege, has some good intentions, loves books, deals with deeper issues in life by running away from them or not really acknowledging them, and finds romantic problems to be the biggest of her issues than anything else. Yep - if it rings a bell to you too, then maybe a lot of us are like that. So in that aspect, I liked reading about Fiza's story - how she gets to open up a bookstore and realises it was her dream in the end. This was a cultural potpourri of a story with a lot of nod given to places in Bombay/Mumbai, London, and Scotland. In this story, hindus and muslims and parsis and married and single people, and divorced people are all just part of one big family, who have their ups and downs, but nothing that would bring about any lasting animosity. Everything is forgiven eventually and everyone lives happily ever after.
So read this book, if you're looking to read about books or want to read a simple and feel good story written by an Indian female author. But do leave all your practical and righteous feelings aside.
Paper Moon is a beautifully crafted story about books, love, wandering into unexpected things and the nooks and crannies of families that are often unspoken about. I read this one on the recommendation of a dear friend's blog 'Words and Worlds' during a really strange and uncertain time and I'm so grateful as it pulled me out of a reading slump. Words flow into each other when Rehana Munir takes you through Fiza's life and soon enough, you're invested in everything that's happening to and around her.
Almost every book lover has fantasised about creating a bookstore, a space where lovers of words sit in their own nooks, yet are bonded by the fragrance of pages - old and new alike. So it's an understatement to say that Rehana Munir left me wondering what it would be like to walk into Fiza's world. However, what I also loved, apart from all the book magic and wandering dreams was the way intricacies and complications of families were dealt with. It was refreshing to see the writer navigated it while creating spaces for newer definitions of families in the process, ones that may have become a lot more familiar to many of us over the last decade. Another favourite is the way the story creates spaces for greys to exist amidst all the black and whites of our daily lives. In books it's often easier to lean towards definites and certainties so it was pleasantly surprising to see the way Rehana Munir not only created a space for the grey, but also crafted characters that found ways to navigate it.
If you're a book lover, you'll love this one. If not, you'll probably still love it because it's wonderfully written and imagined.
Almost every book lover has fantasised about creating a bookstore, a space where lovers of words sit in their own nooks, yet are bonded by the fragrance of pages - old and new alike. So it's an understatement to say that Rehana Munir left me wondering what it would be like to walk into Fiza's world. However, what I also loved, apart from all the book magic and wandering dreams was the way intricacies and complications of families were dealt with. It was refreshing to see the writer navigated it while creating spaces for newer definitions of families in the process, ones that may have become a lot more familiar to many of us over the last decade. Another favourite is the way the story creates spaces for greys to exist amidst all the black and whites of our daily lives. In books it's often easier to lean towards definites and certainties so it was pleasantly surprising to see the way Rehana Munir not only created a space for the grey, but also crafted characters that found ways to navigate it.
If you're a book lover, you'll love this one. If not, you'll probably still love it because it's wonderfully written and imagined.
A lovely story about young lit student Fiza who thanks to some unexpected money - and expectations that come with it - starts a book store.
I loved the book - I am a voracious reader and the story revolves around books, readers and the bookstore, what is not to like??? Additionally, it took me back to the days I just moved to Mumbai and started discovering the lanes and life of Bandra. Many places mentioned in the book are very familiar and I read the book with a sense of nostalgia.
What put me off, in the end, was that there were so many side plots and some of them needed more closing. Yes, the main characters were the book store and Fiza and the two together got as solid an ending as you can expect. But at least 2 of the other minor plots needed closure which I found was lacking. Reader's pet peeve...
However, if you love reading - and/or know Bandra - you will like this book.
I loved the book - I am a voracious reader and the story revolves around books, readers and the bookstore, what is not to like??? Additionally, it took me back to the days I just moved to Mumbai and started discovering the lanes and life of Bandra. Many places mentioned in the book are very familiar and I read the book with a sense of nostalgia.
What put me off, in the end, was that there were so many side plots and some of them needed more closing. Yes, the main characters were the book store and Fiza and the two together got as solid an ending as you can expect. But at least 2 of the other minor plots needed closure which I found was lacking. Reader's pet peeve...
However, if you love reading - and/or know Bandra - you will like this book.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
I had to dnf this book after dragging somehow till the 70% mark on my Kindle. I had opened this hoping to find a book about books and bookstore. Instead, this was a too much like bollywood romance where the bookshop was just a prop. I mean, the bookshop could have been easily swapped with the florist next to it and not much would have changes. It is all too filmy and i don't care two hoots for any character. The plot was like a film and honestly, i would have preferred to watch a romcom than read this. Perhaps it also didn't help that i am not into romance books and this book was a cause of mistaken expectations as i had hoped a book about a bookstore and its people. My best novel about books remains The Librarian by Kavitha Rao.
3.5 Stars
This was a sweet story of a young woman trying to find herself and coming into her own through running her own business. I like how the ending was made to be open-ended, as I wasn't really so keen on either of the love interests in the love triangle. It was also nice to see how the author depicted Mumbai and I really felt like I was transported there while reading. I appreciated that the author introduced many characters from so many diverse backgrounds - the intersection of such diverse communities in Mumbai was heartening to see and represented a hopeful vision for harmony in India.
This was a sweet story of a young woman trying to find herself and coming into her own through running her own business. I like how the ending was made to be open-ended, as I wasn't really so keen on either of the love interests in the love triangle. It was also nice to see how the author depicted Mumbai and I really felt like I was transported there while reading. I appreciated that the author introduced many characters from so many diverse backgrounds - the intersection of such diverse communities in Mumbai was heartening to see and represented a hopeful vision for harmony in India.