FIRST IMPRESSIONS
SUCHITRA BEHAL
The Devil Wears Prada; Lauren Weisberger; Harper Collins; £5.99.
ANDREA, fresh out of grad school, decides to go job hunting. Little does she realise the implications of accepting a post as assistant to the powerful editor of a famous fashion magazine. As she trips into her final interview, dressed in mismatched clothes — sacrilege in the hallowed portals of Runway — Andrea decides to make the most of her first fulltime job. Though initially she is a complete nerd at the intricacies of the fashion world and more so of running the Bible of haute couture, Andrea soon finds herself running odd jobs for a demonic editor who makes Cruella de Ville look like an angel in disguise.
As she negotiates from running several trips to the local Starbucks, supplying the perfect lunch to her boss, or picking up her car from the garage and making sure the latest Harry Potter is flown transatlantic for the boss' kids, she finds herself losing all connection with reality. The final straw comes inevitably late after her friend becomes an alcoholic and her boyfriend dumps her. But Andrea continues to put up with the irascible demands of her editor, Miranda Priestly, in the hope that this will finally launch her career into big time.
Written in a chick-lit style, this book is perhaps the first to rip apart the polished world of hi-fashion. The book has its funny moments and many a fresher in the job market may identify with some of the more corny situations.
Passion India; Javier Moro; Full Circle; Rs. 295
ALOT has been written about the Indian Maharajas — not just their fabulous wealth but also their opulent and degenerate lives. Able to support more than one wife and huge harems, if they fell for the charms of a white woman nothing could stop them. When Anita Delgado, a young Spanish dancer, married the Maharaja of Kapurthala, her journey into an exotic land had begun. While the king remained besotted by her, she lived in a separate palace and accompanied him to all functions except those held by the state regent. But the maharaja gradually lost interest in her and Delgado sought refuge with Kamal, the king's son from an earlier wife. Discovering this, the king divorced her and sent her back to Europe where she lived the rest of her life.
A painstakingly researched book on the maharaja of Kapurthala's life and times. It describes the court intrigues and lives in a vivid manner. Unfortunately, the focus often shifts from Delgado and the maharaja to the many idiosyncrasies of his contemporaries, thus slackening the pace.
Loving Women; Maya Sharma, Yoda Press, Rs. 245.
THOUGH urban India has become more tolerant and less homophobic about same-sex relationships, lesbianism is still a social taboo. Maya Sharma has, in her book, decided to challenge this stand. Through various case histories, which she has documented over the years, she argues that the issue of same sex relationships between women in India is not necessarily an urban phenomenon.
Sharma has documented many cases where women who have not been desirous of marrying or have broken away to try and live with the women of their choice. Chapter after chapter drives home the point that the non-acceptance of their choice by their families and society leaves many of them embittered. Sharma makes out a strong case where she feels that the women's movement ought to do more than just empathise with such women.
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