Wise Enough To Be Foolish- A Book Review
Name of the book: Wise Enough To Be Foolish
Author: Gauri Jayaram
Publisher: Jaico Publishing House
Price: INR 225
ISBN: 978-81-8495-456-2
About the author:
Gauri Jayaram is the mother of two girls, an amateur athlete with the aspiration of running 42.2 km one day, management school drop out, traveler, entrepreneur, a part time writer, a little bit of everything but still unsatisfied. Wise Enough To Be Foolish is her first book.
About the cover and back cover:
The cover of the book is absolutely fantastic. The half portrait of a girl holding a well worn travelling suitcase with the book's title on top is cheerful and attractive- you instantly feel like hearing the girl's story, wanting her to unfold whatever she holds in that bag.
The back cover is equally interesting. The preview is crisp and short (the way I feel it should be) and you feel like sitting down to read (and finish) the book as soon as you get your hands on it.
Gist:
Wise Enough To Be Foolish is not a story you can summarize in a few words. It is something that demands to be read, to be felt. But since my review needs a gist, I will do my best.
Wise Enough To Be Foolish is the story of Gauri as she makes her journey from childhood to teenage to adulthood. Gauri is a second born fauji kid in a Punjabi family with an elder brother to set a path she was supposed to look up to and a younger sister who was in every way, the daughter her parents wanted. Rebellious and impulsive, Gauri puts her toe out of the so called 'line' more than once and true to her zodiac sign achieves whatever she wants once she figures the way out.
As she passes from the phase of an insecure child to a strong and competent individual, Gauri brings many people under her wing- her childhood friend Nicky, her roommates in college life, her work mates, guys she had a relationship with.
The story is about her struggle for independence with all the joy and heartache the adventure of it brings. It is a story about finding love, about making a place in the world, about discovering what life meant and what role we wanted in it. It is a patchwork of everything in the life of an Indian girl who is constantly in the wait and want of doing something more.
My views on the story:
Words would fall short if I start to express what I felt after reading this book. Wise Enough To Be Foolish is amazingly real, startlingly honest and brilliantly witty. From the very first page you are on the edge of your seat, hooked right and proper with the seamless narration of the story.
The writing style is exceptionally good; it is simple yet elegant with a finesse that makes you read late into the night. Gauri Jayaram's writing is incredibly personal; it felt as if I was reading a blog post written by a close friend. The humor in it made me laugh out more than a few times and the part where the protagonist was going through a particularly hard phase, it felt like my own heart was rolling in the troubled waters.
The story is bold, endearing and funny- you connect with it instantly and it stays with you long after you have turned the last page.
It is also inspirational; the story of a girl as she breaks rules to make some of her own, as she brings her dreams to life and courses through everything that comes in her way with courage and determination.
The pace of the story remains constant throughout due to the great narration which has all the emotions balanced really well. It has many great lines worth remembering, but then, the story is one that will remain etched in your memory forever.
The characters in Gauri's story are brought to life by her narration and you can picture them perfectly in your mind's eye. I was absolutely awed by the brutally honest way in which every little instance or character was penned down; it takes a lot of courage to say exactly what you feel.
I loved everything about the book- Gauri's search for the love in her life, the skirmishes, the heartache, the thrill, the insight, the adventure, the humor. It made me laugh, it made me cry and it definitely made into the rack of my favorite books.
Wise Enough To Be Foolish is a fantastic read, a book I would recommend to everyone.
I rate it a whole hearted 9/10 while I carry the story in my heart with the hope that my life makes me wise enough to be foolish too.
according to your review,it seems to be i am in high spirits to read it. now i think jaico publications is going have a good profit from your this review. hope they pay you.....
ReplyDeleteIt is a good book, you should grab it!
DeleteAnd it is not a paid review.
Thank you for the visit :)