Book: The Mother I Never Knew
Author: Sudha Murthy
Pages: 202
How Long It Took Me To Read: 1 day
Read On: Paperback
Plot Summary: What secrets lurk in a family’s past—and how important are they in the here and now?
Sudha Murty’s new book comprises two novellas that explore two quests by two different men—both for mothers they never knew they had.
Venkatesh, a bank manager, stumbles upon his lookalike one fine day. When he probes further, he discovers his father’s hidden past, which includes an abandoned wife and child. Ventakesh is determined to make amends to his impoverished stepmother—but how can he repay his father’s debt?
Mukesh, a young man, is shocked to realize after his father’s death that he was actually adopted. He sets out to find his biological mother, but the deeper he delves, the more confused he is about where his loyalties should lie: with the mother who gave birth to him, or with the mother who brought him up.
General Thoughts: I have discovered Sudha Murthy this year and I really enjoy her works. Her writing is simple and soothing and full of nice people and life lessons. They are incredibly easy reads and I fly through her books and really enjoy her stories.
Review: This book comprises of 2 novellas dealing with two very different men and family secrets.
The first novella, deals with Venkatesh, a middle-aged man with a wife and two grown-up kids who discovers a decades old family secret and his dilemma about righting the wrongs of his dead father.
I really enjoyed this story, Venkatesh was such a nice man, with old fashioned values and morals. A total dad like character. The way in which this old mystery/secret comes out and the way in which he goes about piecing the truth was all very interesting and compelling. Along with Venkatesh's investigation into the past and the myriad characters we meet through his journey, we also see Venkatesh's family- money and status obsessed wife and son. His daughter who is more like him and is his confidant when it comes to his on-going struggles. It was nice reading about this family and how even in the same family people can be so significantly different from each other.
I liked this novella, even though the ending felt a bit abrupt and sudden, it was still enjoyable.
The second novella, features Mahesh who finds out he is adopted after the death of his beloved father and then goes on a journey to find his birth-mother. While this was nice, very fast paced story, bits of it were a little far-fetched and slightly didn't ring true. There were several things that didn't feel real and I had a hard time believing. But this story went by really quickly and I didn't really mind it.
Rating: 4/5
Mukesh, a young man, is shocked to realize after his father’s death that he was actually adopted. He sets out to find his biological mother, but the deeper he delves, the more confused he is about where his loyalties should lie: with the mother who gave birth to him, or with the mother who brought him up.
General Thoughts: I have discovered Sudha Murthy this year and I really enjoy her works. Her writing is simple and soothing and full of nice people and life lessons. They are incredibly easy reads and I fly through her books and really enjoy her stories.
Review: This book comprises of 2 novellas dealing with two very different men and family secrets.
The first novella, deals with Venkatesh, a middle-aged man with a wife and two grown-up kids who discovers a decades old family secret and his dilemma about righting the wrongs of his dead father.
I really enjoyed this story, Venkatesh was such a nice man, with old fashioned values and morals. A total dad like character. The way in which this old mystery/secret comes out and the way in which he goes about piecing the truth was all very interesting and compelling. Along with Venkatesh's investigation into the past and the myriad characters we meet through his journey, we also see Venkatesh's family- money and status obsessed wife and son. His daughter who is more like him and is his confidant when it comes to his on-going struggles. It was nice reading about this family and how even in the same family people can be so significantly different from each other.
I liked this novella, even though the ending felt a bit abrupt and sudden, it was still enjoyable.
The second novella, features Mahesh who finds out he is adopted after the death of his beloved father and then goes on a journey to find his birth-mother. While this was nice, very fast paced story, bits of it were a little far-fetched and slightly didn't ring true. There were several things that didn't feel real and I had a hard time believing. But this story went by really quickly and I didn't really mind it.
Rating: 4/5
2 comments:
In quick seconds of search... I landed on your this post and trust me... I pick this book from crossword and reading it... enjoying it... Thank you pooja.. for helping me to make my weekend great... :)
I am glad to be of help Jenny. I loved this book too and several others of Sudha Murthy's. Happy to know you enjoyed this book! :)
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