When BB hears these inspiring words from his sexy lady boss, his staid life as a successful analyst in an MNC goes into a tailspin.
Bitten by the ego bug and smitten by her, BB sets off on his quest to write a book that’s better than India’s greatest writer Dr.Bhagath’s blockbusters. Nothing unusual about this for BB, who likes a good fight. Except that he and Bhagath had been classmates and friends at college.
What follows is a roller-coaster voyage of the debutant author and his book, with all its twists and cul-de-sacs. Brushes with publishers, celebrities, retailers, book chains, and competition with the alliances among giants, mark the challenger’s journey, upping the stakes at every stage.
Will BB catch up with his famous friend?
What will their encounter be like?
Written from inside the ring, ‘Beaten by Bhagath’ is a gripping tale ...the first-ever about the unseen side of the wonderland of Indian fiction.
Oh! The title is a catchy one…
BB, our protagonist, and KB have a history. They have been classmates and roommates and have lived a colourful couple of years together. KB has gone on to become a famous author whose books sell like hot cakes while BB is comfortably settled in his career with an MNC. BB knows that he too has a flair for writing but it is only a comment from his hot lady boss that ignites a spark in him. He decides to give it a shot and try and beat his friend while at it! There on starts a rollercoaster journey for BB. From writing to getting published to readers’ feedback – this is one hell of a journey to take!
As a plot, this novel outlines the struggles and path of a first time author pretty well. It portrays the emotions and tussle with hurdles in a manner that paints a vivid picture in a readers’ mind. When we pick up a book, we can only guess the amount of input that has gone into it and this book helps us understand the amount of creativity, hard work, time and patience that is needed to get a simple paperback into our hands. We do get a complete look into the publishing industry and then into the distribution of books as a puzzle..
The author has taken a humourous approach and while we chuckled at the ingenious ‘name game’ he has played, the rest of the book too has generous doses laughter. The characters were mostly under developed and though I could have done without a particular few, I guess they were necessary for the story to take shape. I have one complaint though – I am not very happy with how the book started. It felt a bit drag and a bit difficult to get into. Granted that once it finds its pace there’s no turning back – still it was bit difficult to stick out till it picked up.
I cannot help but wonder now that while working on the names in this novel, if the author knew about Ketan Bhagat (Chetan Bhagat’s brother) and his book? Anyway, like I said the catchy title and the simple yet funny cover is a great combination to catch a readers’ eye.
Overall, it is light read that will not take up much of time.
Buy this Book
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