Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Blog Tour: SPOTLIGHT, REVIEW & INTERVIEW of SUMEETHA MANIKANDAN & her THE PERFECT GROOM


My Review

I started reading in the night and could not stop reading till I finished Sumeetha Manikandan’s book at 1.30 am. All I can say is The Perfect Groom is a perfect novel with all the right ingredients.

Nithya is the elder daughter of a widow and they are dependent on an uncle and aunt who are quite nasty. When Nithya gets married to Ashok in the USA, everyone insists that she is the luckiest woman on earth as all expenses are taken care of by the groom’s family. But is that the truth?

There is Vasu who has also been ill-treated by the same uncle-aunt duo. His is a rags-to-riches story. He goes to California to receive an award. That’s where he meets Nithya after a ten-year gap. Nithya is excited, but feels that she has no right to be. Will she ever find happiness?

From Chennai to California to Mumbai, Sumeetha Manikandan has woven a lovely story about Nithya’s life in the first person. Having lived in Chennai myself and also having undergone immense interference from a number of relatives, I could so relate to the circumstances surrounding the widow and her young daughters. There is an excellent twist in the tale and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The best part was that the author has not shown any of the main characters as bad, just different. Beautifully penned! Congratulations Sumeetha!

And why would Ashok get married if he is not interested in his wife? You will have to read the novel to find out.

Rating: 



The Perfect Groom by Sumeetha Manikandan



The Blurb

Very little has gone right in Nithya’s young life. So, when a proposal from a young, handsome NRI comes along, her mother jumps at the opportunity and packs her daughter off to the US with her perfect groom.

Nithya seems to have settled in with Ashok, ostensibly happy, if as yet childless, in her new life. When an old flame comes back into her life, however, the cracks in her perfect marriage begin to show…

Meet the Creator of THE PERFECT GROOM

Meet Sumeetha Manikandan, the creator of The Perfect Groom published by Indireads. This is her debut novella and I must say that I found the story very interesting. It’s also very well written for a first time author. 

Sundari Venkatraman: Hi Sumeetha Manikandan, welcome to Flaming Sun. Give a description of your novel THE PERFECT GROOM ‘twitter’ style, in 140 characters. 

Sumeetha Manikandan: Meet Nithya, the bride of #ThePerfectGroom, a woman who rises above her #socialmileau to reclaim life on her own terms @Indireads #romance

SV: They say that debut novels generally verge on a lot of incidents from the author’s life, at least the characteristics of the protagonists. How much of The Perfect Groom follows yours? 

SM: Very true. Though The Perfect Groom is based on a true incident, I found it comfortable to set it within a background which I am familiar with. And many of my own characteristics are mirrored in Nithya’s.

SV: Where do you see yourself 5 years from now? A full time author or...? 

SM: I would love to be a full time author. 

SV: The Perfect Groom is your debut novella. I read that you got the idea from something a friend said. For myself, I loved the Tamil setting in Mylapore that I could so relate to. What about your next book? I saw the title “These Lines of Mehendi”. Does that mean it is set in North India? Can you share something about this new venture?

SM: These lines of Mehendi is not set in the north. It is a story about a mehendi artist who lives in Mylapore. It is a typical romance. I will reveal more about it soon :)

SV: The Perfect Groom is a romance. Do you plan to continue writing in the same genre or…?

SM: I would be writing more romance novels in future. I am also toying with a plot idea for a historical fiction, which is in the research stage. 

SV: Any pitfalls that you would like to warn new writers about? 

SM: Have an open mind for bad reviews and rejection slips. I have always believed that we just need to keep doing what we really love to do and we will get our due, one day. Write, write and write more. 

Thank you very much Sumeetha for that interesting view into a writer’s life. I hope you enjoyed answering as much as I enjoyed asking the questions. Wish you all the best in your writing ventures. Looking forward to your new romance novel, These Lines of Mehendi

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Meet the author




The Author's Thoughts

An author and a freelance writer, Sumeetha Manikandan has been writing for many years now. After working in dotcom companies, like Sulekha for over a decade, she started freelancing from home. 

Her debut novella, 'The Perfect Groom' was initially written in a script format, which was later converted into a novella for Indireads. The Perfect Groom touches a taboo subject that is most often shrouded in secret whispers and exclamations in the tambrahm community. Inspired by a real anecdote, 'The Perfect Groom' is in parts the true story of a girl who rose above myriad challenges to make her own way in life.
     
  
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