The Naani Diaries by Riva Razdan – Book Review

I finished “The Naani Diaries” with a dreamy smile on my face…. and that in itself speaks so much about how I devoured this book. I loved the cover design and somehow that was an indication I was going to enjoy the book .

Romance has always been my favourite genre. Age and the need for wisdom more often pushes me to meaningful non fiction, but the feelings that generate with a beautiful romance are unmatchable.

The Naani Diaries is the story of Radhika Anand. She craves a romantic wedding and seeks companionship that she assumes would come along. Having read the old diaries of her grandmother, which is far from complete reality, she wants to live that same romance in her life.

When she breaks off with her steady two year boyfriend, to escape heartache she decides to move to Bombay, in search for the groom of her dreams. She feels she must somehow get married before she turns 30.

A complex beautiful weave of relationships, which simplify as the story progresses and comes to an end. The end was not a surprise but it was beautiful the way it came through.

In places it did get a tad bit long…. I think the book could have been cut short a little bit with a faster pace.

Radhika was a successful woman at work, on the top of her professional ladder and yet like most women she continued to take the banter just so she would not end up alone. Something I found close to reality that for a woman professional success did not equate to being respected at home as a wife and daughter in law, not in India.

Radhika’s efforts to impress her mother in law kept the book close to reality. Her professional success was not enough to be impressed with.

One of the most beautiful things about The Naani Diaries is the fact that she eventually realises that it is not about finding her knight in shining armour, but more about she finding herself and accepting the fact that alone need not be lonely.

I fell on the road and scraped my knee, bringing everything else for me to a standstill. And thanks to that I am so happy that I could get that extended free time to relax and enjoy this beautiful sort of romance…. or maybe it was more a search for romance. Being a die hard romantic at heart I absolutely loved the story of Radhika.

This could be a beautiful book for young girls in the marriageable age. It could help them look at marriage from a realistic point of view. Love may seem like a fairytale but when it comes to living your life with another there are lots of compromises and understanding involved. Though love happens, marriage must be more thought out.

The search of a perfect companion, making the best of your marriage, or hoping that it would shield you from living in loneliness is something every woman wants no matter how successful she is. But it is important not to get married for these reasons, and most of all not to get married in a haste, because it is a lifetime that your are putting at stake. Ending up with the wrong man can make the life miserable for yourself, for the children you have and for the man as well.

An absolutely amazing read for the valentine weekend. The way the Naani Diaries ended reinforced my idea of a perfect valentine…. expressing love and respect to oneself.

In Naani Diaries, Radhika seeks romance and companionship and then realises that it is not something you can chase and find, grab and acquire…. It happens when it happens. Absolutely recommend if you seek love, if you feel love has eluded you or like Radhika you feel you might end up alone.

You may buy the book here. Do check it out and read if it is something that compels you. I would love to hear what you thought of it!

This post is a part of the Blogchatter Review program.