Book Review #114 : the sun and her flowers

The Sun and Her Flowers, by Rupi Kaur, is perfect for anyone who has recently broken up with someone who did not nurture your soul sufficiently to sprout. For all shattered spirits in search of a safe haven, this poetic collection is nectar to busy little injured bees. In a garden where precious buds are in dire need of water, The Sun and Her Flowers reflects souls who rise above the barriers that hinder their growth. It is a passage between decay, awakening, and healing. Rupi Kaur’s most recent anthology is “the recipe of life.”

Rupi Kaur vividly plays with paradoxical symbols. The book cover contained sunflowers, typically resembling joy and vitality, and its content depicts themes of woe and melancholy. It symbolises the process of regaining light after prolonged, somber nights of despair. Even vibrant and cheerful beings, like sunflowers, can wilt and suffer with scarce nurturing.

The Sun and Her Flowers encompasses an enticing table of contents, akin to a flower cycle: wilting, falling, rooting, rising, and blooming. Each category portrays poems with illustrations done by Kaur herself, relevant to their respective themes.

One of the many reasons to love this book  is its capacity to truly mend and heal broken hearts stuck in despair and darkness. This anthology provides light at the end of the readers’ tunnels, and give hope to souls who consider themselves unfortunate.

If you read her first book (Milk and Honey), it's still in Rupi's signature style, but she manages to cover similar topics from a different standpoint. It kind of feels as though her books are maturing with her, as this one handles the issues from Milk and Honey in a more mature, learned tone.

Even if some of the poems in the sun and her flowers seem like recycled oldies-but-goodies, there's no denying that Kaur is brilliant. She's not afraid to speak her mind and talk about taboo subjects, such as female infanticide, immigration, rape, abuse, mental illness and sexual empowerment. Her poems contain difficult subject matter and can be hard to read, but they all hold a unique power that can and will speak to many people around the world. This leaves readers feeling as though Kaur has gone deep into the depths of their personal lives and put all the heart-wrenching feelings they once felt down on paper.

Reading The Sun and Her Flowers will honestly change your life and your relationships with yourself and others. I am truly looking forward to reading her future publications. Definitely recommend that ALL young women read this, if for no other reason than to see that we are all sharing very similar struggles in love and life in general.

Ratings : 5/5 

Book Review #99 : A Cage of Desires

Title - A Cage of Desires
Author - Shuchi Singh Kalra
Genre – Fiction (Erotic)
Publisher - Penguin
ISBN – 978-0143441625

Finally, a book that talks about women, their desires and dreams! It is such a refreshing read. It focuses on an aspect of the Indian culture that so many people choose to ignore. Women are not puppets to be tossed around, but deserve to be treated with respect. The story is a manifestation of how the men use women for their own lust. It felt so real and not fictional, with a strong message that if women are taken for granted, they will not spare anyone and you can’t escape its consequences.

COVER- The cover of the book is lit!

TITLE - It suggests the book must be based on physical desires but it turns out to be a sensitive, riveting and engrossing story, elegantly presented.

THEME OF THE BOOK – It portrays the mundane, middle class life of the protagonist Renu, who, is reckoned as a liability on the society. She also has to deal with acute loneliness despite having a family with two beautiful children and a shrewd husband. Their marriage misses the spark of romance and she often feels the lack of emotional and physical understanding. To make her life more miserable and unnecssary, there is an old father-in-law, who keeps a sarcastic vigil on her and treats her like a machine. She craves for: love, freedom, companionship, and physical satisfaction.

REVIEW - It was really interesting to read each and every page with utmost care as it brought out untold emotions which was overflowing from Renu. But, she had another face. Despite being a mother of two, a typical housewife, she was never given the place or freedom she always had yearned for in her life by her spouse. Her journey from a lost homemaker to a liberated, strong, and independent woman is nothing short of inspiring. How she finds solace in fulfilling her physical desires in secrecy and in doing so she explores the hidden desires of her heart is satisfying to read.

The book is a heady mix of love, sex, lust, greed, betrayal, drama, revenge and secrets… a middle-aged Indian woman openly expressing her desires, needs, wants and dreams.

Story is perfectly paced, and speeds up as the story unfolds. The writing style is very beautiful, poignant. Though there are some intense intimate and erotic scenes, they are placed subtly. Shuchi has a strong grasp of her writing - there is no cheesiness in the erotic parts and the story flows flawlessly.

The raw emotions and the portrayal of Renu's inner turmoils have been beautifully depicted in the book. This book is empowering, while still touching upon the taboo subject of a woman’s sexuality in our Indian society. Renu's philosophies will clutch on to your heart. She shows us what a determined woman with unwavering spirit can really do in life by breaking the stereotypical norms.

VERDICT - Shuchi Singh Kalra writes on bold subjects, that raise a lot of questions on our society. This book too does. Totally recommended! 
 

The book has certain expressions which seriously made me screenshot them & share on my social media! Check my Instagram and Twitter!

Rating – 5/5 
 

AUTHOR - Shuchi Singh Kalra is the Amazon bestselling author of two novels - Done with Men and I'm Big. So What!? Her short stories have appeared in Love across Borders, Stories for Your Valentine and NAW Anthology 2013. In her freelancing career of over a decade, Shuchi has written for major print and online publications such asFemina, Good Housekeeping, Hotelier International, Huffington Post, and Home Review, among others. She has also been listed among the top women authors to follow on Twitter.

You can purchase A Cage of Desires by Shuchi Singh Kalra here.

Pricking Questions Women Are Asked

People are pressuring left and right for marriage?

Being asked of “when are you giving us the good news” constantly?

Nosy Aunties around??

Our societies have a lot to change. It is slowly changing, which is good. A lot of cultures have this problem but women are taking more of a stand. I love bringing up topics like these, as women can be traditional yet still take a stand on their lives. Some people refuse to change their mentality and instead are so tunneled visioned.

No matter what, it is painful to be asked this question, especially by strangers. Women need to be more empathetic towards each other and need to support when such things happen. I just wish that all women had the freedom to choose who and what they want in life rather than it being forced up on them. Give women the space and freedom to decide what's best for them.

We as women can do and be anything. But if you are not married and then have kids shortly after society looks at you as a failure. Why can’t a married woman get blessings like may you travel the world OR get successful OR stay healthy OR stuff life that? It is just plain rude, insensitive and also very sexist to ask women these questions. We as women can do and be anything. Maybe it's not just an Indian thing.

Magazines are always circling bumps around Jennifer Aniston's stomach and wondering if she is preggers. This is a worldwide madness, I suppose. Mainly because everyone is always looking at other people and wondering about their lives and curious about their private lives, that's just how most people are. Unfortunately we cannot control the way people think or what they say. We can control the way we react to this. It is going to happen WHEN and IF I want! Simple! Don't bog someone down for a piece of gossip! Just let HER be.

Do not take your own for granted and most definitely mind your own business! My thoughts are unless the woman makes a formal statement that she is pregnant you shouldn’t assume or start congratulating someone. I know a lot of women suffer from fertility issues and being hounded about having a child adds to an already stressful situation. People are more worried than you as to why you aren't married even when you are 26/27../30?!

And women need to unlearn the art of looking down upon other women. Let's make the world a better place. It's time to change the nosy mentality. If I spoke your mind, please be generous and share the post and comment your views on this, so that my and your voice reaches to maximum people and they should know that they must stop bothering about other's private affairs.

Lots of love from me!

Body Shaming #YouAreEnough #SayNoToBodyShaming #TabooTalk

The action or practice of humiliating someone by making mocking or critical comments about their body shape or size or complexion is ‘body shaming’. 

Did you ever stop and think about how often we are told to change our appearance? Magazines constantly offer tips about how to lose weight “in days,” appear slimmer “instantly,” and hide our “imperfections”… without actually knowing anything about us, much less our appearance. This is one example of body-shaming, and it is everywhere. 

Sitcoms so frequently use overweight characters’ bodies as the basis of many of the show’s jokes. It has become the norm to criticize aspects of our bodies as some type of bonding experience with friends. Body-shaming (criticizing yourself or others because of some aspect of physical appearance) can lead to a vicious cycle of judgment and criticism. It is said that it is desirable to look slimmer, smaller, and tanner. And if we don’t, we worry that we are at risk of being the target of someone else’s body-shaming comments. 

Body-shaming manifests in many ways: 

1) Criticizing your own appearance, through a judgment or comparison to another person. (i.e.: “I’m so ugly compared to her.” “Look at how broad my shoulders are.”) 

2) Criticizing another’s appearance in front of them, (i.e.: “With those thighs, you’re never going to find a date.”) 

3) Criticizing another’s appearance without their knowledge. (i.e.: “Did you see what she’s wearing today? Not flattering.” “At least you don’t look like her!”). 

No matter how this manifests, it often leads to comparison and shame, and perpetuates the idea that people should be judged mainly for their physical features. Learn to accept yourself and boost your self esteem and lift others up. 

I would love to know your thoughts and experiences about it, comment below how you dealt with it. Is body shaming an issue you have encounter? Let’s make it interactive, please! Hopefully, the trend will begin to shift from body-shaming to celebrating women of all sizes, shapes & colors.