Title: Girl From Fathepur (ebook) (An Indireads Novella)

Grab a copy here: http://www.indireads.com/books/girl-from-fatehpur/

Author: Sarita Varma

Rating: 3/5

About the Author (From the novella)

A voracious reader of escapist literature, freelance writer Sarita Varma has contributed short
stories for the Chicken Soup series and has written numerous articles for magazines and
websites on history, travel, health and a host of diverse topics. A postgraduate in history,
Sarita loves the light-hearted romances of Georgette Heyer, historical detective fiction by Ellis
Peters and, at the other end of the spectrum, the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov. She
juggles her long and active association with the Multiple Sclerosis Society of India during the
day, with one-finger typing on the laptop in the quiet of the night. Writing for her is a means
of communion and self-expression. It is also escapism—transporting her instantly into a
different, magical world of make believe. Meet her on Facebook or contact her at
saritas56@gmail.com.

Publisher: 

Indireads was started with the aim to revolutionizing the popular fiction genre in South Asia. With edgy, contemporary and compelling fiction by new writers and its digital-only publishing model, Indireads is breaking new ground in terms of the reading experience and giving voice to new writing talent.

Now for my view:

What I like about Indireads novellas is that they are breezy and offer a swift escape from mundane rigmarole of life. Hence, I picked up ‘Girl form Fathepur‘ for a light afternoon read.

It is the tale of Sanjana and you guessed it right she is the girl from Fathepur. Working in Mumbai, she finds herself on the way home to attend her cousin’s wedding to escape being near Krish, her boss and colleague. And all this when he proposes to her out of the blue. Knowing about the relentless attitude of Krish and the fact that his constant presence wouldn’t let her think clearly she decides to take a few days off far away from Mumbai in Fathepur.

And it is during her journey to her ancestral home that she meets her childhood crush Ranjan. She finds herself falling for him again and gradually the urgency of the decision on Krish’s proposal takes a backseat. But like any romantic potboiler, Sanjana finds Krish at her doorstep as a guest from the groom’s side for her cousin’s wedding. All this leads to a romantic tussle, even a triangle. While her heart wants Ranjan, the fear of rejection stops her. But there is definite attraction between the two, Sanjana and Ranjan. She wants marriage but she knows Ranjan is averse to marriage. Could she make him rethink his decision? Meanwhile Krish’s constant presence makes it difficult for the two to be alone, to talk even. What happens next? A misunderstanding or everything ends smoothly in the backdrop of a big fat Indian wedding? Well you’ll have to read the book to find out.

Sarita Varma writes a romantic tale with all the right elements in it. It has a woman longing for love that would make her heart skip a beat. It has the man who is perfect in every sense but averse to marriage. And then there is the guy who loves the woman and even ends up at a wedding to impress upon her the fact that they are meant to be together. A wedding as the backdrop, characters that support the plot and a plot that makes you turn through the pages. That’s ‘Girl from Fathepur’ for you.

I quite enjoyed reading it. I loved the simplicity in it and the fact that it went on without dragging the narrative. So my two cents would be to give it a try. You won’t regret it. At-least I hope so for I didn’t!