Book review – Tea for two and a piece of cake

Book – Tea for two and a piece of cake

Author – Preeti Shenoy

Publication – Random House India

Pages – 265

Price – Rs. 199

Genre – Romance

Plot–

“Our lives have intermingled so much like the colours on the face of this card. They merge, they blend and they create magic.”

Nisha, a twenty six year old plump-plain Jane (as she refers to herself) has a routine life altering between her work in a travel company and her home with a father indifferent to her existence. An unexpected date gone wrong leads to her chance encounter with the charming, handsome and royal Samir Sharma working as a senior partner in Magellan International. Soon after, she is fired from her company only to be offered a job at Samir’s company as his executive assistant. They make a perfect team leading from boardroom to bedroom and eventually seal the relationship as Mr. and Mrs. Sharma. Nisha quits her job and joins a cooking course to keep herself occupied. In a few years time, she has a satisfying life as a mother of a seven year old daughter, Tanya and a seven month old son, Rohit. Their life looks almost picture perfect until Samir decides to pull the plug and walk out of their marriage for a younger woman. While he offers to support Nisha and her kids financially, it is her self respect that guides Nisha to refuse any sort of association with Samir. Akash, an ex -colleague of Nisha in her first company had been one of the few friends that Nisha had stayed in touch with even during her years as Mrs. Samir Sharma when he dictated her circle. He, a good five years eight months younger than Nisha provides unconditional support to help her get back on track. He channelizes Nisha’s extra ordinary culinary skills into a profession. Whether it is just friendship or blooming of a new relationship is what unfolds in the later part of the book. Whether Nisha manages to establish her own identity and gives love and life a second chance or shuts her heart to her feelings is what the climax of the book reveals.

Analysis –

I read this book in 2012 first. Though this was the author’s third book then, this was the first one that I read. The cover of the book was so beautiful that it compelled me to pick  it up more than the story line. However, when I started reading it, I managed to finish it at one go. The book is written in simple language and is one of the rare books with very few characters in the story. There are just two to three characters surrounding the female protagonist. The reader is never lost in the plot because the writing is vivid and the characters are mostly interconnected. This is a book about hope, about never giving up and about things falling into place if one decides to hold on. Yet this is also a book that teaches the importance of letting go when need requires. Nisha had a life that could evoke envy in others but when turbulence set in , she decided to restart her life from the scratch instead of crying over split milk. The story comes across as honest and the protagonist comes across as sincere and convincing. It is also impressive the way the author smoothly shifts the story from urban Mumbai to the picturesque Pondicherry for the right reasons. When I re-read this book a couple of days ago, I realized that the one word to summarize this book aptly is ‘fascinating.’ – right from the cover to the story to the underlying message.

Assessment – 

Tea for two and a piece of  cake is a easy and light read. If one is feeling low or depressed or things have not been going the right way, this is the book that will surely cheer them up. After finishing the book, one ends up feeling optimistic, hopeful and ready to face life with a smile. To a certain extent, the plot also deals with the subject of women empowerment. From being a working woman to a homemaker to a professional holding her own ground and taking strong decisions about certain aspects of her life, Nisha’s journey easily resonates with the reader for being the story of any girl in this country. In my opinion, Preeti Shenoy is quite skillfully and aptly the Indian version of Danielle Steel in the genre of romance.

Rating –

My rating would be

4 out of 5

About the author –

Preeti Shenoy, among the top five highest selling authors in India, is also on the Forbes longlist of the most influential celebrities in India. She is the highest selling woman writer in India. Her books include It’s All In The Planets, Why We Love The Way We Do, The Secret Wish List, The One You Cannot Have and many others. She has been awarded the ‘Indian of the Year’ award for 2017 by Brands Academy for her contribution to Literature.

Source – http://www.preetishenoy.com/