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My Rating - 4 out of 5 stars
Publisher - Notion Press
Genre - Fiction/Short Stories
Publishing year - 2019
Language - English
ISBN - 978-1-64587-723-3
Pages - 410



My Review - 

Living Pages by Shyam Sundar Bulusu is a collection of fifty-two short stories based on living, deep affection, trepidation, resentment, and societal norms. The cover page is beautifully designed, and the title serves its purpose; every story establishes a connection with the readers. 

The three stories are based on Shyam Sundar Bulusu's own experiences; others were pure fantasy. The stories reflect mixed feelings with a share of humor and playfulness. The author is a master tale-teller. 

He penned down seven novels. Few stories gave me goosebumps, while a few send me into profound thoughts. Let me give you an example of a story Till Death Do Us Unite. The protagonist Krishna, and his wife Pramila's dialogue are as follows - 

"We've discharged all our responsibilities, to the best of our ability; got him educated, took care of his health, trained him to take on the world. He is a professional now, earning a cool six-figure salary every month. We got him married. The girl is very good, educated, and not ambitious to be a career woman. She's taking care of him and their son very well. Now, our role is finished."

The red line shook me from inside. I don't know why people think like this. If a girl is ambitious and career-oriented, it will not make her bad. It's not only a girl's duty to take care of the house and children, and I am afraid that people will never understand this in a country like India. 

Shyam Sundar Bulusu uses simple language, but a few grammatical errors and spelling mistakes were found. The narration is commendable and hooked the reader from beginning to end. I enjoy the tales and read them at a slow-pace. If you're looking for a short escape, short stories are the best way. The book holds on to different impressions, faiths, and cultures. I recommend it to everyone. 

A line from the story, The Song I Came to Sing, touched my heart. "You must be prepared to make great sacrifices to fulfill your dream."

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10 comments:

  1. A very good book gives a good experience

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  2. Hi Ms Aakanksha,

    Thanks for the beautiful review and appreciation. I appreciate it from the innermost recesses of my heart, especially when you wrote, “The author is a master tale-teller.” I do not know if I deserve it, but thank you!

    Your critique is incisive and sensitive; I admire it. You are doing a great job in your chosen profession. Keep up the excellent work. I hope I can have you work on my other works also.

    Just one clarification with reference to the dialogue, “…The girl is very good; educated and not ambitious to be a career woman. …" The dialogues are character-specific and are not my personal views. In this case, the parents are speaking about their son. They are old-timers and hence their views. I agree with you, even in this millennium such mindsets exist.

    Blessings and best wishes.

    Sincerely,

    Shyam Sundar Bulusu

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  3. Liked your content dear. Thank you.

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  4. It really is a sad thing that we Indians still think of girls as someone who aren't going to pursue their career but take care of the households. I mean living in 21st century around people with such mindset makes me feel sick! Anyways, I really loved the review :)

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  5. This mindset disturbs me too. Even the educated ones will thinks the same when it comes to their son. I believe only a woman will stand against this, then we have a chance to a good future; otherwise we are domed.
    Thanks for liking the review and your time. Keep supporting! :)

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