“There are no accidental meetings between souls.” — Sheila Burke
Hello All, welcome to the first review of the third part of my novel “9 to 5 Cubicle Tales – Twin Flames.” Today we have meet up with Mr. Rajesh Manuja.
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General Feedback
Q. What was your overall impression of the book?
It was a fast and pacy read after the first few chapters, which set the context. Overall, it was a soft love story embedded in Hridaan’s journey and continued to be as exciting as the first two books.
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Q. Which part of the book did you find most engaging or memorable?
Overall, the coincidences that led Hridaan and Minoli to keep meeting frequently – The roll number matching for the joint project, his dream that she was in trouble, and many more such incidences made me believe that the two flames were destined to be together.
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Q. What did you think of the book’s writing style and content structure?
A very Lucid style with much effort to narrate the scene, including voices, noises and the funny PJs, made me get into the actual event/scene described in the story.
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Q. Please describe the book using 5 words/adjectives.
- Love
- Destiny
- Fun
- Challenges
- Journey
Characters/Relationships
Q. Did you connect with Hridaan Rajdev’s journey as a corporate professional?
Surely. IT continued where the other two books had left off. Hridaan continued his quest for knowledge and used his analytical skills to solve problems while being helpful to his team members.
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Q. How did you perceive Minoli’s character and her role in shaping Hridaan’s story?
Minoli comes in as a breath of fresh air (literally) in Hridaan’s life and brings the much-needed break from the corporate and learning life, which would have made Hridaan live a more Nerdy life!
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Q. Were there any supporting characters you found particularly interesting or relatable?
As in the earlier two books, Hridaan’s sister played a key part in his life. Minoli’s sister, too, brought in the quirkiness, which is well-placed in the story.
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Q. Who was your favorite character, and why?
Minoli as she could understand and relate to Hridaan’s Character in such a short time.
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Q. If you could ask Hridaan or Minoli one question, what would it be?
Why don’t you Open up and say “ILU” to each other openly – and take the relationship to the next stage – rather than those soft hints you drop to each other?
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Themes
Q. What did you think about the theme of Twin Flames as two halves of one soul? Did it feel authentic or inspiring?
Yes – H and M were soul mates, and destiny ensured they kept meeting – It was Serendipity!
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Q. How did the “Twin Flames” concept influence your understanding of Hridaan and Minoli’s connection?
It made me find the serious Love element that was missing in Hridaan’s life in the previous two books; though there were some “flirtations” in the earlier books, there was serious love at play here.
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Q. Were there any lessons or insights you took away from the story?
How Hridaan balanced his family, work, learning/studies, and love was excellent; he found time to do all that. Additionally, he should have been more Vocal about his Love for Minoli.
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Q. Could you compare any part of the story with your own experiences? If yes, please share any relevance.
Corporate life was very relatable; production issues were what I and maybe a lot of IT professionals went through in their early lives.
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Scenes and Setting
Q. Were there any scenes or settings that felt particularly vivid or immersive?
His depiction of the College Canteen took me back to my College days and the atmosphere there!
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Q. Were there any moments that made you laugh, cry, or feel inspired?
How Hridaan balanced his family, work, learning/studies, and love was inspiring.
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Q. How did the story’s ending make you feel?
Ending was as suspenseful as the previous 2 Books.
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Narration
Q. How did you feel about the narrator’s voice and perspective? Did it draw you into Hridaan’s world effectively?
Yes, the writing/narration was pretty impressive and brought you right into the physical and emotional environment of Hridaan.
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Q. Did a favorite quote, line, or passage stay with you?
“Twin Flames”
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Feedback and Suggestions
Q. Is there anything you wished the story had explored more deeply?
Maybe the author should have also focused a bit more on the love from Minoli’s side. Her reciprocation was even more subtle than Hriddan’s.
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Q. What kind of music or soundtrack would fit the story’s tone?
It would be a romantic love story kind of soundtrack.
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Book Cover and Design
Q. What was your first impression of the book cover?
Impressive like the first two books, Gave a College Library kind of environment.
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Q. How did the cover’s color scheme make you feel about the book’s tone before reading it?
The purple plus pink combination hinted at the love story to follow.
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Q. Do you think the cover represents the “Twin Flames” concept?
Yes, it aptly represents the environment, and the smiles give a softer hint – the eyes not as much.
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Q. Did the cover design influence your decision to read the book? If so, how?
I have read Harish’s previous books, so the design didn’t influence it as much. I would have probably read it anyway, having read his first two books.
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Q. Was there a moment while reading when you looked back at the cover and noticed new details or connections?
Maybe the Canteen scenes.
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About yourself
Q. Tell us more about yourself
Rajesh Manuja is a Technology professional with 30+ years of experience in the IT Industries in domains such as Banking and Financial Services, Manufacturing, and Healthcare. Views are entirely Personal.
Grab a copy of the Kindle/Print version via Amazon. The print version in India can also be ordered from the Pothi (the publisher).
