BOOK TITLE: Revolution
2020
ISBN: 978-8129118806
AUTHOR: Chetan
Bhagat
GENRE: Fiction/
Based on events.
NUMBER OF PAGES: 296
FORMAT: Paperback
SERIES / STANDALONE: Standalone
REVIEW BY: Dhivya
Balaji
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/20539669-dhivya-balaji
HOW I GOT THIS BOOK: On
loan from a very friendly neighbour.
REVIEW:
Chetan has always been an author who
knew the pulse of India’s youth. Like his previous offerings, this book too
does not include any elements of fantasy, over the top action or unbelievable
scenarios. Again, the protagonists are youth. And again, the author offers
realistic story setting.
This story follows young Gopal (the
narrator) who is brilliant but does not fare well in education, living with his
widower father, who soon leaves him due to multiple disappointments, Raghav, a
brilliant, righteous young man who has ambitions in politics, and Aarthi, who
has a long lasting love on the way ward Gopal instead of the good guy.
Being friends since kids, Gopal finds
himself forced to the bad path due to a combination of circumstances. When he
tries to be righteous, the world mocks him, and when he turns way ward, the
world shuns him. But Gopal survives the hardships and becomes the young
director of a college and university.
He befriends all sorts of people but
still nurses his love of Aarthi. Across all his troubles he still yearns for
her. Meanwhile, brilliant boy Raghav gets into a good position, and a reputable
job. While he too, is a good candidate to get the hand of the leading lady.
What follows is a story of success,
betrayal, politics, and ultimately, love. There is also sacrifice, belief,
trust, intense emotions in a typical Indian youth drama. But individual details
of the story should not be analysed. It should be seen as a whole. And any
typical judge of character would quickly jump to conclusions over the
characters from page 1.
But the author’s beauty lies in the weaving
of the tale, developing a small spark into a readable 300 pages. An acceptable
tale of love, and the feel of loss is fine in a story for light read. But if
people look to gather something or expect some miracle, the book only gives a
sour aftertaste. The good guy is bad, bad is the new good. Remove sensibilities
from the bit of the story to read it without a sigh.
After all, there is only so much that
can be expanded to a 300 page novel. This is the sort of book that you get
tired in about the first fifty pages but still plough on in the hopes of
finding something and understand the plot somehow. So read away, enjoy. But go
for it one time, expecting a movie that gains a 43% in rotten tomatoes rating.
WHAT I LIKED: The
realistic story line. The author only says what is really happening.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER: Predictable
story line, self sympathising narrator who tries to justify actions.
VERDICT: Go
for it if you like the author.
RATING: 3/5
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Chetan
Bhagat (born 22 April 1974), is an Indian author, columnist, and speaker.
Bhagat is the author of bestselling novels, Five Point Someone (2004), One
Night @ the Call Center (2005), The 3 Mistakes of My Life (2008), 2 States
(2009), Revolution 2020 (2011), and What Young India Wants (2012). All the
books have remained bestsellers since their release and three have inspired
Bollywood films (including the hit films 3 Idiots and Kai Po Che!). In 2008,
The New York Times called Bhagat "the biggest selling English language
novelist in India's history". Bhagat, an alumnus of Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT) Delhi and Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, is seen
more as a youth icon than as an author. Time magazine named him as one of the
100 Most Influential People in the World. Bhagat writes op-ed columns for
popular English and Hindi newspapers, including the The Times of India and
Dainik Bhaskar, focusing on youth, career and issues based on national
development. Bhagat voices his opinion frequently at leading events. He quit
his investment banking career in 2009, to focus on writing.
EDITIONS AVAILABLE: Paperback
PRICE: 140
BOOK LINKS: http://www.amazon.com/Revolution-2020-Chetan-Bhagat/dp/8129118807
No comments:
Post a Comment
Not a SPAM comment! :)