Written by Deepali
As the month of November comes to an end, I am trying to read as many books as I can, as the theme for this month is ‘Romance’ and as a die-hard romantic, I always make the time to read a love story.
I picked up two books consecutively from the Shelf of the Month: ‘Ghazal in the Moonlight’ by Alessandra Shahbaz and ‘Doctor Sally’ by P.G.Wodehouse.
‘Ghazal in the Moonlight’ is a typical love story which has a heroine fall in love with the forbidden hero. Set in the era of the British Raj, with Lucknow and its magnificent Kothis and beautiful courtesans as a backdrop, the story moves along predictable lines. The soft feelings of love blossom into something uncontrollable and wild, with danger, betrayal and loyalty thrown in for good measure.
The story proceeds to a solid and predictable end, with the feeling of a good read.
What I must add here is that the author has described the characters and the settings with a lovely repertoire of words. It does make one wish to see the splendor of the by-gone era of Lucknow. One can actually vividly picture the scenes and the vibrant colors of the people, the architecture and the costumes from the book. All said and done, a good read to while away time if you are stuck waiting somewhere.
The next book that I read was ‘Doctor Sally’ by P.G.Wodehouse. He is an absolute God and I cannot think of any superlatives to describe him and his writing.
Wodehouse has that unique ability to bring a silly smile to one’s face right from page one. I have always enjoyed his writing and have laughed out loud to my heart’s content, much to the chagrin of my companions present.
A story set in the Wodehousian Era, ‘Doctor Sally’ is about a bachelor who has fallen head over heels in love with the amazingly pretty and fierce Doctor Sally. She does not take him seriously one bit as she feels he is no good.
The play of words always makes me wonder how P.G Wodehouse wrote it. The words always flow seamlessly and are so… perfect, that it turns out to be just that- a perfect Wodehouse Book. The story proceeds amidst a series of goof-ups, with help from a very helpful friend who has his own agenda. Does Mr. William get the love of his life or does the fiercely proud Doctor Sally show him the door? Maybe one should come to the library and check out the book to find out…