Skip to main content

Amba - The Question of Red by Lakshmi Pamuntjak (Book reviews: 3.5/5)



Lakshmi Pamuntjak's refreshingly beautiful Amba - The Question of Red is the story of Amba and Bhishma, with the Communist insurgencies of Indonesia post-independence in the background. The protagonists, named after the Hindu epic Mahabharata characters, are inspired from the actual characters of the epic themselves, and so is their love-fate. Amidst violence, riots, and death threats, the blooming of Amba and Bhishma's profound love story, layer by layer, emotion post emotion, is paced yet believable.  

The Mahabharata is widely read in the South Asian countries, and several folk tales have thus been told over the years. One of these folk tales quite popular in the Java islands is the forbidden love story of Amba, the princess of Kashi, and Bhishma, the celibate son of King Shantanu and Goddess Ganga.

According to the Mahabharata, Bhisma abducted Amba and her two younger sisters, Ambika and Ambalika to wed them to his step-brother Vichitravirya. After learning that Amba was in love with King Salva of Saubala, Bhishma apologizes to her and respectfully drives her to her betrothed. Salva though, embarrassed of being unable to protect Amba, humiliates and rejects her. Dejected, Amba pleads Bhisma to marry her since no Kshatriya King would marry her now. But having taken the oath of celibacy, Bhishma rejects her proposal as well, leaving Amba with a burning desire for revenge.

It is a popular folk-tale in Indonesia that during the entire chaos, Bhishma and Amba fell in love with each other, and given their situation, their love story remained incomplete and full of pain.

Lakshmi Pamuntjak's Amba Kinanti, Bhishma Rashad, and Salwani Munir's lives face the similar fates as of their mythological namesakes. The author has brilliantly put forward their emotions in the time of the violent tumult going on in their country. The war between love and duty, the sacrifices that have to be made, and the betrayal along the way have been given quite an emotional touch by the author.

Why you should read Amba: Despite a lot of riots happening in the framework, the story doesn't lose its touch. It is heartbreakingly soothing at times. Character development is the USP of the book. It is an intense read undoubtedly, but the theme and execution by the budding Indonesian female author is quite promising. And the cover is so temptingly beautiful, the book will definitely add gleam to your bookshelf.

I give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Title: Amba - The Question of Red
Author: Lakshmi Pamuntjak
Genre: Romance, Historic fiction
Publisher: Speaking Tiger

Find the book: Amazon |  Goodreads | Flipkart

  





Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Perks of being a Solo Traveler: What my amazing Solo Trips taught me

Today marks the first anniversary of my first ever solo-trip. I had picked Agra, Uttar Pradesh for I was always mesmerized by the breathtakingly beautiful Taj Mahal. After somehow convincing my parents to allow me to travel alone, I landed up in Agra for a three-day trip.              It's fun, it's slightly overwhelming, even weird at times, but the experience of being on your own in a new town taught me a lot. Here are some perks that the adventure of solo travel brings along with it:   1. You make all the rules: Wanna go lakeside at 5 am? Or feeling like taking a nap in the afternoon? You can do whatever you like, whenever you like. Evening walks by the sea shore or enjoying breeze in the balcony, it's totally your call. Taj Mahal, Agra, UttarPradesh 2. Staying at amazing hostels: Backpacker hostels are far safer and cheaper than hotel rooms. Moreover, sharing your dorm room with travelers from different nationalities is an...
5 comments
Read more

A Life of my Own by Rupangi Sharma (Book Reviews: 4/5)

'A Life of my Own' is a story that will take you on an emotional ride; sympathy, joy, anger, and pride, all wrapped up in this 168 page book. Shweta is pregnant for the first time post several years of her marriage, but her husband and in-laws force her to consult a doctor for the baby's gender reveal. Things go downhill after that and Shweta has no other choice but to protect her foetus from her torturing in-laws. Her journey is inspiring and written with honesty. The uniqueness of the plot was the conversation between the baby and God, where the inquisitive former would ask a variety of questions about it's mother and the people around her. Their brief chit-chats are pretty interesting as well. I appreciate the author's way of presenting her characters. As much I enjoyed reading the book, my heart sank down everytime there was a remark on female foeticide in India and the blind bias for a male child. We usually ignore this fact assuming it's a rural thing and ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Rule Breakers by Preeti Shenoy (Book Reviews: 4/5)

Preeti Shenoy's latest release is based in the small tourist town of Joshimath in the foothills of the Himalayas. The progatonist, Veda, a 20-year-old English Arts student has been raised in a house with a strict father, a meek mother and four siblings, Veda being the eldest of all. The story revolves around the dramatic lifestyle changes happening time to time in Veda's life once she moves to Pune post an expeditious wedding to live with her in-laws.   Veda has been an obedient, dutiful child of her parents quite in contrast to her immediately younger sister Vidya, the rebel of the house. Her parents were never interested in getting the women of the house educated and believed in preparing them for marriage as soon as the first proposal came towards their way. Shenoy's lead character gets married to an eight-year-older Bhuwan working in a multinational company. The plot moves forward with Veda's mother-in-law's torturous behaviour towards her, accompanied...
Post a Comment
Read more