Losing My Virginity and Other Dumb Ideas Review: A Light Read For The Bored Souls
If you’ve read my last book review, you will know that I was suffering from a terrible reading slump. Since Paper Princess helped me out of it, I decided to go for another light YA novel to pull me out completely from the slump. I have wanted to read ‘Losing My Virginity and Other Dumb Ideas’ for a very long time only because the title of the book seemed interesting to me. Sex and virginity are topics we don’t openly discuss and here is a book that has the word ‘Virginity’ written in bold letters across its cover with a storyline consisting of a female protagonist eagerly looking forward to losing ‘it’ to someone as soon as she can. The sample of the book was so interesting that I knew this book would be a total page-turner so I decided to buy it right away. Sadly, the book did not live up to my expectations and slipped downwards with each chapter. Why do I say so? Read on to know what about the book disappointed me the most.
Losing My Virginity and Other Dumb Ideas By Madhuri Banerjee
Kaveri is a 29-going-on-30 years old woman working as a freelance interpreter in Mumbai. All her life she has lived by the notion of finding the ‘One Great Love’ when the time comes right. However, on her 30th birthday, she realises that her prince charming is never coming her way so she decides to take matters into her own hand and ‘devirginise’ herself as soon as possible. In her attempt at finding her true love and losing her virgin status, she meets people who change her perspective on love, life, men, women, and herself. This one year of Kaveri’s life in a fascinating tale of how some hasty decisions can permanently alter the course of someone’s life.
Points I Liked About Losing My Virginity and Other Dumb Ideas
Writing: The story is fast-paced and the writing is good. I especially liked the first few chapters of the book where the protagonist Kaveri explains her dilemmas in life. The writer, Madhuri Banerjee perfectly captures the fears, aspirations, and expectations, of a thirty-year-old woman still waiting to find the right man for herself. She has given a clear background explaining why Kaveri waited so long looking for the perfect mate. The writing may not impress someone obsessed with literature but it is eloquent enough to be called a decent read.
Points I Did Not Like About Losing My Virginity and Other Dumb Ideas
Second Half Of The Book: The second half of the book is where I fail to under the protagonist Kaveri. In the starting of the story, she is an independent, intelligent girl looking for her ‘One Great Love’ but in the second half, she suddenly becomes this ‘older’ women desperate for some ‘action’. Given the fact that Kaveri is an Indian living in India, it is not uncommon to be a virgin even beyond the age of 30. I understand Kaveri lives alone and is lonely but what she does is not justified in any way. After losing her virginity and breaking up with her boyfriend, Kaveri feels ‘liberated’ and ‘emancipated’ and thereon starts her series of brief hookups. Her friend suggests Kaveri to get into another relationship just to get over her ex-boyfriend. This may be an effective way to get over your past but I did not see how it helped Kaveri in the story. All she does is have quickies with any man she finds remotely attractive. It does not help her get over her heartbreak in any way. In what way does she feel liberated then? What I feel here is that the writer probably wanted to kinda break the taboo around sex by showing a young woman indulging in some mindless sex without any inhibitions. I am not against this idea, but I not appreciative of how it was put forward in the story. The book only went downhill for me in the second half. I loved it so much in the beginning that I couldn’t put it down but later I found myself wanting to get rid of it as soon as possible.
Final View: This book is suitable only for those looking for a quick and light read. You can pick this book only if you have absolutely nothing to do. It is interesting, entertaining, but also slightly frustrating. So it is better to not have high (read any) expectations from this one.
You can check Amazon.in for a discount on this book.