"Pyar Aur Poetry" by Roopa Menon

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enshafer2
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"Pyar Aur Poetry" by Roopa Menon

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[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Pyar Aur Poetry" by Roopa Menon.]

Through "Pyar Aur Poetry" Roopa Menon crafts a story of compassion and romance in the hills of Mumbai. Whether this setting is strategic in establishing the overall dreamlike tone of the entire work is not apparent but appears to be a major strength in her writing. Menon manages to illustrate a mash up of Indian culture and the very best in Western literature. Her characters try to portray this trend throughout the work.

The plot is centered around Arundhati. She is priveledged as an upper class Indian girl. She studies English at the prestigious St. Paul's College. Arundhati is an intelligent devotee to literature who believes herself a cut above the competition at her university. She just happens to be the current three-time consecutive winner of the Ithaca Poetry Award. She's in line to win her fourth title when an unknown poet outwrites her. Now, blind-sided by matched masterful poetic technique, Arundhati is on a mission to discover who this culprit is.

The only information she has is that this is a student at the university. A man, by the name of D. G. Beckett. Arundhati is now tasked with restoring her former glory as the most superior poet. But she does not know that this D.G. Beckett is already so close to her.

Initially I found the heroine to be overly assertive and single minded but as the story progresses she becomes softened and more willing to embrace her Indian roots. The aspects of this Western world meeting with the Indian world are compelling but not sufficient to one's understanding of the novel. I would rate Pyar Aur Poetry a 2 out of 4 stars. There seemed to be some gaps in the foundation of the plot which stir the story itself in an entirely different direction. In my opinion this is a consequence of short lived planning on the part of Roopa Menon. Throughout I am left wanting more Indian culture and more expertise on Western Literature and Indian Literature as they come together. These factors are crucial to grounding the purported persona of the main characters. Pyar Aur Poetry is a miss in my book. One can suggest however, that Menon try a slightly different approach as her writing style is significantly unique and could otherwise be fruitful.
E. Shafer

"No Act of Kindness, No Matter How Small, Is Wasted."
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