I Luv Fiction ~ Ruchi Singh: Book Review:: ‘The Second Coming’ by Shubha Menon

This review is part 'The Book Club' blog tour.

Genre: Romance
Publisher: Harper Collins

Blurb:
A wedding planner who believes in fairytale weddings, Mini yearns for romance in her own marriage. The magic of the initial years has vanished, leaving behind a hunger that she assuages with chocolate. Mini would love to change her situation, but she is over the hill, overweight and under confident. The chances of having a hot affair with a happening man are dim, if not non-existent.

An erstwhile royal scion decides to wed a Bollywood starlet and Mini is sent to Mumbai to plan the celebrations. The manager of the Mumbai office is young Rustom, the answer to Mini’s secret dreams. Goaded by impending menopause, Mini decides it’s now or never. She simply has to take a second stab at romance.

Rustom is a ladies man. He is also married, and a skirt chaser. Mini decides to shape up and get into the kind of skirts Rustom would want to chase.

Working together closely, Rustom and Mini fall into each others’ arms. Meanwhile, her husband gets wind of the affair and tries to reclaim her. Now Mini must choose between heady romance and steady matrimony.

But soon, Mini discovers that her romantic idol has feet of clay. In a dramatic end, the trusty husband stages a timely rescue. And Mini learns that a rock solid husband is worth many a dream lover.

My Review:

Story of an over-the-hill woman thinking of re-igniting romance, and add to it a dash of humor and you have the unique recipe for a mind-blowing tale. And it was high time someone tackled the romance missing in lives of married, urban woman who have lost that spark or zing required to make a relationship majestic. Shubha Menon has done a superb job with the subject and with her subtle wit and humor injected at the right moments in the novel.

Mrinaliniji aka, Mini is a wedding planner who realizes that she needs to experience that last episode of heady romance which she, has dreamt throughout her life, and plans for her clients as a wedding planner. In the process she meets Rustom and to an extent realizes her dream, but as the new relationship progresses she also appreciates the affection, memories, and commonalities she shares with her husband.

Shubha Menon takes us through a, sometime hilarious and sometimes poignant, roller-coaster life of a plump, fortish woman, who could be your next door neighbor or a good friend. At times it seems that life is passing by and one has not done what one has always longed for. Well, the subject is a little dicey and invokes a lot of moral questions, but the author has done a commendable job of handling the relationship without making it the least bit vulgar.

Characters are so relatable. Mini, even at that age, is fresh, adorable and innocent. At times she is unsure about what she wants, whether it is that one-time affair or real love, on the other hand she is so in command about her work. Rustom’s initially comes across as scheming Casanova, but later he also shows some pardonable human failings and is believable. Shyam, of course, is the perfect husband for Mini, though at times I felt like bashing him up when he called her a ‘bag of cellulite’ and didn’t pursue her enough in Mumbai.

Apart from a couple of small oopsies in the beginning; Mini driving away someone else's car and going out all the way in her nightie and mud-pack, which I know can be attributed to creative license.

Shubha menon spins a naughty and quirky read, I highly recommend this book.

4.5 /5 Stars

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About the Author

This is her first book. She is currently working as a Senior Creative Director with Ogilvy Delhi. A practising Buddhist, she dreams of living in the hills where she can read, write and grow climbing roses. She lives in Delhi with her husband, daughter and two Dachshunds.

You can stalk her @