Product details
Product description
About the Author
Sunanda Mehta is a journalist with over twenty-five years of experience. She began her career at Femina and soon moved on to Magna Publishing, where she became the founding editor of the Pune magazine Citadel at the age of twenty-five. After this, she worked for the Indian Express for two decades, breaking many stories throughout her tenure. From 2010 to 2017, she was Resident Editor of the newspaper’s Pune edition, which made her the first woman editor of a national English daily in the city.
A graduate of Lady Shri Ram College for Women where she studied History, Sunanda also has degrees in Education and Journalism. A former Chevening fellow, she has been a visiting lecturer at the University of Pune. Sunanda divides her time between Pune and Mumbai.
Sanjana Sharma –
Absolutely loved reading this book! Sunanda Pushkar was a self made lady, glad this book covered every aspect of her life! Full marks to the author 🙂
Jaimy Shaiju –
A very beautifully written book. It’s amazing how the author could catch and express so many shades of so many different emotions. I love the underlying message of the whole book, and so agree that the society always wants to label women or fit us in a box.
Dr N Nagesh –
Good Buy
Saurabh Kumar –
My actual rating is ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 out of 5 but Amazon doesn’t have the half star rating system.Oh, well.The author – who shares a first name with our protagonist – should be given a pat on the back for the research carried out. Though the book is a life portrait, it reads like a thriller.Sunanda Mehta’s words are brimming with a sense of admiration and concern for her namesake, albeit the two hadn’t touched base since long.A striking picture of Sunanda Pushkar adorns the cover of the book, however the design and title lettering (not clearly visible) could’ve been better.So what’s my biggest takeaway post reading this account? Think long and hard before tying the knot. Both Shashi Tharoor and Sunanda Pushkar married three times sans any marital bliss (which seems to exist solely as a proverb nowadays) whatsoever.It is a dying institution, isn’t it? Or is it already dead?
Mrinalini –
This book arrived the day before and the 270 odd pages took just about a day to read. For many like me who became aware of Sunanda Pushkar’s glamorous existence, and mystifying death through the media, this book put both in perspective. Sunanda Mehta’s lucid, un-obstructive style, empathetic and yet objective approach doesit full justice. The pace of writing matches Pushkar’s life, and the later chapters are racy as Pushkar’s life and fortunes rise in Dubai, and then in India, when she moves to Delhi, and events all around take over her life.For me the book worked at multiple levels. At one, its the life of a quiet girl from a middle class family, intelligent, beautiful, and family-loving and yet fiercely independent and ambitious. It is the story that tells of a struggle so many women in India are familiar with…women who started out as intelligent and educated girls and have had to grapple with careers, success, demands and responsibilities of raising sometimes, their siblings, and later, children, as single parents, and being responsible of parents in their later years, and through it all, seeking that elusive thing called love. That story rarely told, the author does well to bring forth. Beneath all the glamor and the parties, Pushkar’s years of struggle after losing her second husband, Sujith, the hardships, toil, discipline, and never-say-die attitude, despite anguishing over her son, come through as the bedrock of her success, and eventual rise to the attention-drenched life of glamour she appears to have sought.Another narrative lesser told is of marital discord and the emotional storms of an insecure wife. Pushkar’s public outbursts speak of her sense of losing control. All credit to Sunanda Mehta for telling it like it is, yet sensitively.The third level is one that brought Pushkar into our lives. the IPL controversy and its shadow over her death. This part of the book came across as the best researched and the author has deftly woven together the many dimensions to the continuing chain of events.And then there is the persona of Pushkar herself, full of contradictions, full of life, packed with punch, and never silent even after she is gone. I closed the book and the effervescence of a warm and caring mother, friend, sister, lover, wife, a woman of her own making.. lingers. Sunanda Mehta, as friend and seasoned journalist, was perhaps the best one to tell the story of a life stranger than fiction.
Suchita kohli –
Unputdownable! That’s the word that immediately springs to mind with this book . The author. Sunanda Mehta takes the reader on a riveting journey through the life of an amazing personality – that starts from the laid back life in small town India and moves to the glitz & glitter of Dubai , the lure of Canada and finally back to the high powered lifestyle of the rich & famous in Delhi. What is commendable is the absolutely unbiased nature of the writing – the author neither idolises nor vilifies Sunanda Pushkar. Instead she presents an extremely well researched account of Sunanda Pushkar ‘s life and leaves the reader to draw his or her own conclusions. Sunanda Mehta has made her namesake Sunanda Pushkar come alive in the pages of this book and to my mind that is what makes this book a winner. It gives the readers a sense of almost “seeing” Sunanda Pushkar ‘s life unfold before their very eyes. Most important of all, it’s a book that stays with you. I have finished reading it some days ago, but I often find myself thinking about this extraordinary woman and her equally extraordinary life.
tanya –
This was a wonderful, scintillating read. Great author
Mruga Kirloskar –
Finished!! @mehta_sunanda , you have done such a brilliant work. I can’t begin to imagine how much hard work has gone into writing this. The extensive research, verifying details and collecting data from friends and persons close to #SunandaPushkar. And when some of them chose not to share any information, the task must have become even more so challenging. But @mehta_sunanda , you overcame all that and given us readers a true , unbiased and completely non judgmental viewpoint of this mystery women called Sunanda Pushkar. The book lives up to its title. Great job @mehta_sunanda ! So proud of you 😊#sunandapushkar #sunandapushkarbook #goodbookstoread #rainydayreads #sunandapushkarlifeanddeath
Vandana –
Price for fameIt is ironical to say that you have enjoyed reading a book about the death of a person however as the title suggests it’s a larger than life personality that Sunanda had as portrayed by the author .The book is a detailed version of the events before and after and the author has portrayed in my opinion a logical argument regarding the case .It’s a difficult task to write a book about people with political affiliations in India as the author stated .Hope this book is read by many people and Sunanda is not forgotten and there is closure to the case especially for the family members .The book highlights the usual dodgy methods adopted by the influential to shut people up who have an opinion and want to expose the truth .I would highly recommend this book as I also learnt a lot of legal terms that I was not familiar with .Well done Sunanda for writing ✍️ this and having the guts to get it printed 💪🏼