Book Review:- Of Swans And Songs

Listen Here

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Author: Rohini Paranjpe Sathe

With Of Swans And Songs, author Rohini Sathe has made her debut as a fiction writer. Her first publication is a collection of 7 stories which are short yet powerful that leaves it’s trace in your head for a while. A trained economist and a passionate classical music lover, Rohini also loves writing where she have published a series of articles and stories (both short and long) on the internet.

Synopsis

Of Swans and Songs is a collection of seven short stories where the author has tried to highlight the difficulties of life that we usual tend to ignore. These stories are about ordinary people, their day-today life, struggles and their strength to overcome those. The stories are simple yet impressive.

Chapter 1
When The Girl Died is the story of the Mathur family and their encounter with a rape victim and their reaction to a rape case in the news. It talks about how the men and women of the same family react when they come to know that their maid Geeta has an unforgettable past. Will she be excused for being the victim or will she still bear the blame?? It all depends on the decisions made by the family she works for.

Chapter 2
The Messenger is a story of Aarti and her sudden hallucination about her late father. It all started when she spots her father at a traffic signal at first and then encounters with him became often. Is he actually there or is she imagining? Does his father wants to convey a message? Well you’ll have to find that out.

Chapter 3
Anuja Grows Up is the story of Anuja and her family. After growing up in Jamshedpur, Anuja moves into her grandparents’s house in Pune. An ailing grandfather and something else was what awaits the family in Pune. Does Anju grapples with the hidden skeletons in her Pune house? This amazing story is all about people’s control in their lives and their loved ones.

Chapter 4
Amma, a renowned and worshiped classical singer of all time is fondly called as ‘Amma’ by her loved ones. Her biographer Prabha, undergoes a roller-coaster of emotions revitalizing the precious memories spent with Amma after her demise. In this chapter, the author’s love for music is depicted in all ways and explained beautifully.

Chapter 5
Finding Shobha, is the story of a middle aged women who is an excellent tuition teacher, a loving wife, a doting mother to her son and a very caring neighbor. This story depicts all the woman around us who have strives to fill our lives with joy . We have seen our mothers, grand-mothers and aunts trying there level best to provide their kids and family with all that they desire. But how often have we thought of reciprocating it? This stories forces you to think on these lines.

Chapter 6:
Of Swans and Songs is a story of an extra marital affair that breaks an acclaimed surgeon’s family. Every member of the family face with emotions of their own. While the wife chooses to walk out of the marriage, feeling helpless and crumbled, the other woman Radha falls head over heels over in love with his kids. Will the kids accept her? Will the family live a normal life? the story is about the new age relationships and the fact that moving on has become so easy in today’s time. This story will stay in your mind for days as it resonates with the fast pace of today’s lives.

Chapter 7:
A Happy Diwali, is a story that talks about Manasi’s love for her grandparents who have raised her after her mother’s death. The bond that these 3 share is beyond imagination. Their love for each other know no boundaries. But will that love sustain if it doesn’t change with time? The love grandparents have their for children is selfless and the story is all about that and much more. The story being my personal favorite among the 7 in the book, i loved the way the story proceeds and matures.

Review

The book brings along with it a breeze of feelings, strength and emotions. The seven short stories depict different scenarios in an Indian household and the characters in each story are portrayed with conviction and ease that a reader can always relate. Each character in the book has been described wonderfully. You kind-off live the characters and the story as it proceeds. With the use of simple yet powerful language, the author has been successful in making this book an ideal read for all (even the new readers). While i felt the need of a little more suspense creation in the first story i.e. When the girl died; rest of the stories were an amazing read. All-in-all, the books is a must read for all those who loves emotional and strong reads.