Book:
Cherished
Author:
Lakshmi Menon
ISBN:
978-81-8253-441-4
Publisher:
Cyberwit.net
Blurb:
Grishma, accompanied
by her father and her four month old baby Jyothi, boards the train to Delhi to
join her husband, to surprise him with an unexpected visit. She dreams of a
happy family life with him. Little does she know that her journey will end in
havoc to her life. 19 years later, Grishma s daughter Jyothi, longing for her
father s love and a family reunion determines to search for her father, despite
her mother s strong protests. She succeeds in her mission, but will he accept
her as his daughter? This is the heartwarming story of Jyothi s pursuit of
parental love, which she considers her legitimate right.
Review:
“Cherished” by Lakshmi Menon is a book which portrays the
relationship between a daughter and father. Though a very simple story, the
message that it conveys is strong. The story begins with Mrs. Rao who helps
Jyothi with her accommodation. Jyothi, being very determined about finding her
unseen father, joins a college in Bangalore only for the purpose of regaining
her relation with her father Praveen. After knowing her Dad’s address from her
friend, she ends up writing a letter to him mentioning about her. When she
receives the reply letter from her dad, she comes to know that her dad still
loves her and her mother Grishma. Jyothi, who was brought up by her mother
Grishma saying that her dad had deceived them, learns that it was her mother
who was mistake and left her dad without giving him a chance to explain the
situation. Knowing the true story, Jyothi pities her dad and their relationship
grows stronger. She enjoys doing shopping with her dad and also he takes her to
his home where he lives with his second wife and children. Malini, his wife,
treats her well and makes her feel happy. Later when Mrs. Rao compels her to
let her mother know about the relationship with her dad, she refuses it in the
first place but then asks Mrs. Rao to tell her mom about her father herself.
When Grishma comes to know it, she scares that Jyothi might leave her and falls
sick. Praveen then sees her ex wife in hospital and soon he helps Grishma and
Jyothi with their living.
The author has tried to portray the feeling of a girl who
longs for her dad’s love. This simple short story could have been done within
75 pages. The whole story was dragged as if the author wanted to make her book
to reach 147 pages. The author could have worked more with the narration which
was again flat. On the language front, the author has kept it as simple that
even a fifth grade student can read this book. The cover page and the title are
good. Major drawback is its cost. I would rate 2.5 out of 5 for this book. All
the best Mrs. Lakshmi Menon.
About the Author:
Born and brought up
in Kerala, Lakshmi Menon, after her primary education, moved to Karnataka where
she did her graduation (BA in Sociology and History) and courses in Journalism
and Creative Writing. She has authored a novel The Second Choice and 4 children
s books. In addition, she has also written a novel (Veendum Yatra), a novella
(Akale Oru Dweepam) and few short stories in Malayalam. Travelled widely and
settled in Bangalore, Lakshmi is the Founder and Editor of the popular
eMagazine Induswomanwriting.com, showcasing the work of both the amateur and
published writers, from all over the world.
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