From the ebook

Grab a copy here: http://www.indireads.com/books/loves-labor/

Author: Andy Paula

Rating: 3/5

About the Author (From the novella)

Andy Paula is a corporate trainer, an avid reader, a passionate blogger, and now, a writer. While editing school magazines in her academic role, Andy dreamt of getting published someday. When she met her editor during the writing of Love’s Labor, she realized how ruthless she may have appeared to all the enthusiasts who nurtured creative dreams. “Never again,” she thought, “am I going to correct another article.” And she proceeded to make corrections in her own manuscript.

She confesses to never having made a kaleidoscope with broken bangles or taken apart a clock
and put it back together, in her childhood. Two things that she did cherish were reading and
falling in love. To the question, “What prompted you to write?” Andy gives a tongue-in-cheek
reply, “They say there’s a book in each of us. Just wanted to check if they were right.”
Andy lets you peek into her kitchen, read her mind and travel with her at:

http://www.blogger.com/profile/09537166356065289350

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:

So last week has been really good for my reading and I have none other than Indireads to thank for that. Love’s Labor by Andy Paula is the third Indireads novella that I managed to finish within a week. So yay for me!

Coming to the book well it’s essentially a love story between a Bengali girl named Piali Roy and  a Malyalam boy, Sathya Nair. Set in the steel city of India, Jamshedpur, it is takes you through the emotions of falling in love and the desire of the couple to spend their lives together. But before they can do that the differences in their families becomes an impediment. Piali finds herself torn between the love for Sathya and that for her family. Her father remains unmoved after numerous attempts while her mother chooses silence over supporting her daughter. Sathya, however, finds it easier to have his way at home since he is a boy, hence like in many Indian families privileged. But Pilai feels all the more helpless with each passing day, stretched between the pull towards Sathya and the love for her father. And then she disappears, alone. What happens then? Does love find it’s way? Does her father relent? That’s what the book is all about.

Now about what I liked in the book. Well I found the story believable because I know how hard it is to marry outside one’s caste in India. As a country we have these quirks that sometimes makes my head bow in shame but then we still never learn. Anyways, moving on. The characters were well sketched out, another good aspect. What I found most interesting was that the story began in a manner that actually made me think that it would end another way. I wish I could tell you what I thought but that would give away the story. So one you read this we can discuss.

The only one thing that I would have liked to have been better are the conversations between Piali and Satya on occasions, for I found them a little too romantically stretched. And of-course the doses of Hindi in an English novella. But I’m no stickler for all that.

In the end, Love’s Labor was a worthwhile read. So you can definitely give it a try. Let me know if you do.