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Out With Lanterns is a story about two wordsmith warriors who come together. Alisha Priti Kriplani's epistolary book makes for an entertaining read!
Out With Lanterns is a story about two wordsmith warriors who come together. Alisha Priti Kirpalani’s epistolary book makes for an entertaining read!
Karin, a wannabe writer, and Aksh, a celebrated author meet unexpectedly, and oblivious to what’s at stake begin to revel in their own cocoon of blissful existence. What follows next is an unforgettable book Out With Lanterns by Alisha Priti Kirpalani, published by Readomania.
If I were to list the one thing I loved about this book it would be the flow of the story and the unique epistolary style of narration.
The email exchanges between Karin and Aksh are my favourite bits of the novel. Full of insightful peeks into Karin and Aksh’s lives, they keep the narrative racing ahead. Interspersed with the actual story-telling, it makes for a very entertaining and engaging read.
The emails – a modern-day version of the traditional letters – act as the perfect medium of expression for Karin and Aksh to feed the initial flames of their growing romance. Their sweet and fiery exchanges, their individual relationship status notwithstanding, had the romantic in me all grinning and cheering for them.
The book also captures a writer’s life brilliantly. The struggles, the fears, and the constant battle for creative satisfaction as against earning riches and fame is portrayed accurately. While I strongly dislike sharing passages from a book, I cannot help but share from this book the writing-related lines that stuck with me.
For anyone who wants to be a writer, or anyone who idly wonders what it is to be a writer, this book is a must read! This is a writer’s bible as much as it is a delight for the reader.
For anyone who wants to be a writer, or anyone who idly wonders what it is to be a writer, this book is a must read! This is a writer’s bible as much as it is a delight for the reader.Never miss real stories from India's women.Register Now
The writing is sharp, witty, and evocative and keeps one wanting to read more. The editing is flawless and Indrani Ganguly deserves full marks for the plot does not slacken even for a moment. With just the right doses of romance and humour, accompanied by Kripalani’s brilliant prose, and a fast-paced narrative, this book, in my opinion, is a sureshot winner.
The many mentions of previous literary works were wonderfully woven in (Yay, book plugs to explore!) and added to the natural conversation between the two writers. My favourite bit is an email from Aksh where he tells Karin to ‘Gather ye rosebuds while ye may’ – a line from a poem by Robert Herrick. Apart from this, there are many other literary references that enrich the book and the reading experience even further.
The characterization is brilliant and Karin and Aksh are as distinct as they are similar. As an aspiring author in need of a mentor, Karin’s struggle is relatable, and Aksh, the celebrated author everyone is in awe of, is already my favourite (fictional) author. Karin’s impulsiveness is the perfect antithesis to Aksh’s laidback tendencies. Her self-doubts, overthinking, and self-critiquing reminded me of someone else – me!
Her interactions with Aksh as the author she admires and who she aspires to be like, are endearing and relatable. Their individual conflicts, their mutual need of each other to overcome the chasm that exists within their respective families, and the choices that threaten to change the course of their lives are brilliantly depicted. The story flows very naturally, and the events that unfold in Karin and Aksh’s lives leave them at the crossroads of many a difficult choices.
Which path will they choose? What is it that they want? And is that the right choice for them?
As the blurb rightly says, there are no heroes or villains. Shades of love and life aren’t black or white.
If you are looking for a story about discovering love, life and the delicate threads that bind human relationships, you should definitely pick Out With Lanterns as your next read.
If you’d like to pick up Out With Lanterns by Alisha Priti Kirpalani, use our affiliate links: at Amazon India, and at Amazon US.
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Top image via Pixabay and book cover via Amazon
Piyusha Vir is a writer, artist, a CELTA-certified English Language trainer, and a Creative Writing Coach. She was awarded the Top 5 position in the Orange Flower Awards 2018 for the category of Writing read more...
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As he stood in front of his door, Nishant prayed that his wife would be in a better mood. The baby thing was tearing them apart. When was the last time he had seen his wife smile?
Veena got into the lift. It was a festival day, and the space was crammed with little children dressed in bright yellow clothes, wearing fancy peacock feather crowns, and carrying flutes. Janmashtami gave her the jitters. She kept her face down, refusing to socialize with anyone.
They had moved to this new apartment three months ago. The whole point of shifting had been to get away from the ruthless questioning by ‘well-wishers’.
“You have been married for ten years! Why no child yet?”
I huffed, puffed and panted up the hill, taking many rest breaks along the way. My calf muscles pained, my heart protested, and my breathing became heavy at one stage.
“Let’s turn back,” my husband remarked. We stood at the foot of Shravanbelagola – one of the most revered Jain pilgrimage centres. “We will not climb the hill,” he continued.
My husband and I were vacationing in Karnataka. It was the month of May, and even at the early hour of 8 am in the morning, the sun scorched our backs. After visiting Bangalore and Mysore, we had made a planned stop at this holy site in the Southern part of the state en route to Hosur. Even while planning our vacation, my husband was very excited at the prospect of visiting this place and the 18 m high statue of Lord Gometeshwara, considered one of the world’s tallest free-standing monolithic statues.
What we hadn’t bargained for was there would be 1001 granite steps that needed to be climbed to have a close-up view of this colossal magic three thousand feet above sea level on a hilltop. It would be an understatement to term it as an arduous climb.
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