Paperback version for the novel can be ordered at:
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In India:
1. By Ms Dhara Kothari
Rating: 4/5
Review: The story pace is similar to normal romantic novels, however, the typical Indian character setting makes it different from the other stories that you read. A female boss and a male employee is a new thing. Showing woman power, especially when the male protagonist is a weak minded fellow, who chooses family over true love, how very typical Indian male reality. This story is an attempt to show and teach a lesson or two, with the fact that true love wins at the end.
The author had given Avantika an option, to choose the man in her life and fortunately, Avantika makes the right choice. By doing so, the author has created a winner with this new revised edition. This book has perfect number of pages, or else it would have dragged.
A fresh take and a nice holiday book indeed, just curl up, this winter and read the book with a nice cup of hot cocoa.
The author had given Avantika an option, to choose the man in her life and fortunately, Avantika makes the right choice. By doing so, the author has created a winner with this new revised edition. This book has perfect number of pages, or else it would have dragged.
A fresh take and a nice holiday book indeed, just curl up, this winter and read the book with a nice cup of hot cocoa.
2. By: Biswanath Banerjee
In a scale of 5, she deserves 4 in storytelling, 4.2 in narration, 4.5 in cohesion and 4 in overall impression.
There is a big Pipal tree in front of our house-just facing my study window. It seems so near –it seems that if I take out my hand out of the window, I can touch the branches. It’s winter time now in India and every winter it sheds all its leaves. In the middle of December, if you look at the tree, it will look like a skeleton of a tree, with not a single leaf. As if the tree is dead. Then comes the spring and new lease of life is sprinkled to the tree. New leaves emerging, yellow giving way to a wonderful combination of red and green –as if it is a festival of life.
Sometimes when I am alone in the study, I think that the human life is like the tree. When winter comes-the life goes inside the cocoon. Then comes the spring again-and it is a new song of life. Human life always fights against all odds, against all fragility-towards a new ray of hope. The story of life is always this prayer of hope. Sometimes there are ups; sometimes there are downs, sometimes human life faces a crushing defeat-but it is that hope that keeps human alive. Literatures that speak of this hope are one of my favorite readings. That’s why ‘ A second spring-brings new hope’ by Sandhya Jane touches my heart.
Imagine it’s an afternoon of torrential rain. You are compelled to be confined within the four walls of your room. Neither your phone connection is working, nor your telephone connection. It’s an afternoon full of sadness! This is a type of book that can make your heart tweet in joy-in such a backdrop of……
A second spring…..is a straightforward story of romance. Now a days romance story plots are getting complex- triangular, quadrilateral, pentagonal, hexagonal love affairs are coming up. Sometimes mind gets too tired to cope up with the turn of events. The second spring’s main asset is its simplicity-the plot idea is wonderfully crafted around our two protagonists.
The curtain of the romance drama has been unveiled in the bedroom of Avantika-our protagonist of the story. She is a loving mother, caring relative and a strict boss, in the words of her subordinates ‘a bossy boss’ all combined into one. Another matter of concern for her-she is a single mother. She is a successful top brass in an investment banking company and getting attracted towards a member of her team, Rohan, our other protagonist of the story -handsome, dashing yet casual. When destiny took them near- he was struggling with his life, leaving one concern after another. He joined her concern and with sheer skill on his part, became an integral part of her business presentations and business tours. They fight against this ever increasing desire in their own way-he fought with his will to resist the ever growing attraction to the attractive and lovely lady and she fought with a zeal to resist the attraction with her own idea of love and ultimately loosing these battles ……….(please note that plural has been used).
From the viewpoint of the writer, this love is something deeper than the physical desire, something more intense than the emotional attachment-it’s not all platonic, and it’s not all passion but love arising out of connection with a soul to another soul. In her own words
Sometimes when I am alone in the study, I think that the human life is like the tree. When winter comes-the life goes inside the cocoon. Then comes the spring again-and it is a new song of life. Human life always fights against all odds, against all fragility-towards a new ray of hope. The story of life is always this prayer of hope. Sometimes there are ups; sometimes there are downs, sometimes human life faces a crushing defeat-but it is that hope that keeps human alive. Literatures that speak of this hope are one of my favorite readings. That’s why ‘ A second spring-brings new hope’ by Sandhya Jane touches my heart.
Imagine it’s an afternoon of torrential rain. You are compelled to be confined within the four walls of your room. Neither your phone connection is working, nor your telephone connection. It’s an afternoon full of sadness! This is a type of book that can make your heart tweet in joy-in such a backdrop of……
A second spring…..is a straightforward story of romance. Now a days romance story plots are getting complex- triangular, quadrilateral, pentagonal, hexagonal love affairs are coming up. Sometimes mind gets too tired to cope up with the turn of events. The second spring’s main asset is its simplicity-the plot idea is wonderfully crafted around our two protagonists.
The curtain of the romance drama has been unveiled in the bedroom of Avantika-our protagonist of the story. She is a loving mother, caring relative and a strict boss, in the words of her subordinates ‘a bossy boss’ all combined into one. Another matter of concern for her-she is a single mother. She is a successful top brass in an investment banking company and getting attracted towards a member of her team, Rohan, our other protagonist of the story -handsome, dashing yet casual. When destiny took them near- he was struggling with his life, leaving one concern after another. He joined her concern and with sheer skill on his part, became an integral part of her business presentations and business tours. They fight against this ever increasing desire in their own way-he fought with his will to resist the ever growing attraction to the attractive and lovely lady and she fought with a zeal to resist the attraction with her own idea of love and ultimately loosing these battles ……….(please note that plural has been used).
From the viewpoint of the writer, this love is something deeper than the physical desire, something more intense than the emotional attachment-it’s not all platonic, and it’s not all passion but love arising out of connection with a soul to another soul. In her own words
“It was at this very moment that I realized my unconditional love for him. The physical attraction was melting away-just the feeling of watching out for him made me happy. The spark of Rohan, remained unchanged. But the silly thought of constant watching him around or possessing him just giving way to the new feelings of love. The love I could realize was more profound, much deeper than the physical attraction. It just meant to see him happy. In this process I could sense that his need, his feeling, his comfort were overshadowing my feeling. May be letting go my own feelings and sacrificing my happiness over his need. This is again the old school thought of-His priority over my need.”
I hope that the cautious reader has already understood the inherent simplicity in the language and narration. Sometimes a simply dressed lady seems hundred times attractive than a well ornamented lady! Artificial articulation doesn’t glorify a character or a storyline!
Destiny took them together, destiny again separated them! Rohan placed his family responsibility over love and ‘she distanced herself from everything that was associated with their love’.
Again circumstances compelled our hero to come closer to our lovely lady. Then what happened? Will she accept him again, forgetting and forgiving everything? Or will she be lonely for the rest of her life?
To discover, you have to read the book. it will be a worthy reading for you ,no doubt.
The book is a mirror reflection of the corporate environment of the banking industry. It’s not surprising as the writer has over two decades of financial industry exposure, in a global environment.
The book gives an immaculate description of the Mumbai and its hubbubs. If you are in love with the city or a seasoned Mumbaikar, you are somehow feeling attached to this book. Take this example, for instance-
“Andheri is one of the largest suburbs of western Mumbai and much of this area is busier than the rest of the city. In Mumbai (Bombay) the suburbs grew along the local rail tracks in the direction from south towards north and east. Municipal Corporation has divided suburb on these rail tracks into east or west part of the station such as E& Andheri W, Bandra E& Bandra W,Kandivali E & Kandivali W-each of them is the size of a town”.
However there are some words of critique towards the end. All the formulae of a classical romantic work have been strictly adhered to, so much so that at times the reader may found it too much predictable. A small punch of salt and spice should have added up to the taste.
We sincerely hope to see more of this ‘investment banker turned writer’s ‘work in the near future.
I hope that the cautious reader has already understood the inherent simplicity in the language and narration. Sometimes a simply dressed lady seems hundred times attractive than a well ornamented lady! Artificial articulation doesn’t glorify a character or a storyline!
Destiny took them together, destiny again separated them! Rohan placed his family responsibility over love and ‘she distanced herself from everything that was associated with their love’.
Again circumstances compelled our hero to come closer to our lovely lady. Then what happened? Will she accept him again, forgetting and forgiving everything? Or will she be lonely for the rest of her life?
To discover, you have to read the book. it will be a worthy reading for you ,no doubt.
The book is a mirror reflection of the corporate environment of the banking industry. It’s not surprising as the writer has over two decades of financial industry exposure, in a global environment.
The book gives an immaculate description of the Mumbai and its hubbubs. If you are in love with the city or a seasoned Mumbaikar, you are somehow feeling attached to this book. Take this example, for instance-
“Andheri is one of the largest suburbs of western Mumbai and much of this area is busier than the rest of the city. In Mumbai (Bombay) the suburbs grew along the local rail tracks in the direction from south towards north and east. Municipal Corporation has divided suburb on these rail tracks into east or west part of the station such as E& Andheri W, Bandra E& Bandra W,Kandivali E & Kandivali W-each of them is the size of a town”.
However there are some words of critique towards the end. All the formulae of a classical romantic work have been strictly adhered to, so much so that at times the reader may found it too much predictable. A small punch of salt and spice should have added up to the taste.
We sincerely hope to see more of this ‘investment banker turned writer’s ‘work in the near future.
Binding, get up and printing of the book is really extraordinary
3. By Yvette
Rating: 5/5
Review: I wasn't sure about purchasing this novel at first, but after reading it, I am truly happy I did. The book is touching and teaches a lot about life. I definitely learned a lot from it - especially about the value of true love. I heartily recommend this novel to everyone who loves reading love stories.
This novel is a perfect summer read! The author tells a charming tale about the perils of love and how love can maim and revitalize the human soul.
The author excels in developing strong, dignified, and authentic characters. Avantika was the strongest of these characters and quickly became my favorite character. She is the typical “monster boss,” yet there is a sophisticated strict aura around her that renders this monstrous perfectionist into a boss that is highly-driven, respected, and has a admired work ethic. It is because of this work ethic that she is able to pull herself out of her humble roots and become the managing director of the Castell and Kendall bank. This woman is independent and excels in life, excluding her romantic life. The father of her child is no longer in their lives and she has gone through the rest of her life hardly meeting anybody whom she felt a real connection with. It is only until she meets Rohan is she able to experience a spark with a man. Rohan is the complete opposite of Avantika. He marches to the beat of his own drum, while Avantika functions on order, punctuality, and perfection. This was an extraordinary story to read about how these polar opposites are able to still make a real connection with each other despite these fundamental differences.
I also quite enjoyed the setting of this novel. The big bustling city of Mumbai fully completes the story and the characters. India’s financial capital, with its high profile housing, depicts a rich and interesting scenery.
About how it is in most middle-class families in India where people still don’t rebel against their parents’ choices and sacrifice their love when it comes to duty.
About how destiny plays a major role in who you end up with and if something is meant to be, it happens anyway, now or eventually.
How they get closer and how wrecked their lives become when they are drifted apart and how difficult it gets to cope up with the break up is also nicely portrayed.
About how it is in most middle-class families in India where people still don’t rebel against their parents’ choices and sacrifice their love when it comes to duty.
About how destiny plays a major role in who you end up with and if something is meant to be, it happens anyway, now or eventually.
How they get closer and how wrecked their lives become when they are drifted apart and how difficult it gets to cope up with the break up is also nicely portrayed.
4. By David M
Rating: 5/5
Review: I wasn't sure about purchasing this novel at first, but after reading it, I am truly happy I did. The book is touching and teaches a lot about life. I definitely learned a lot from it - especially about the value of true love. I heartily recommend this novel to everyone who loves reading love stories.
Review by MS Gibson
Rating: 4/5
Review:
A beautiful story of life, love, and growth....and most of all, second chances. I loved the story of Avi and Rohan, the sweetness of their relationship and the ups and downs, passion and disappointments, challenges and triumphs they have together. I don't want to give too much away plot wise other than to say this is a very nice first effort by this author and I look forward to more books from her.
5. By Rohina Thomas:
Rating: 5/5
Review: I like to read stories related to love, so I am glad I found this book.
The author did a great job in describing scenes and characters and kept me involved during the whole read.
I strongly recommend this book to everyone, who likes stories related to unconditional love and emotions.
6. By Neil from Texas
Rating: 5/5
Review: I need to first point out that I am not a big fan of non-fiction, but I really enjoyed this book. A Second Spring is extremely well written and I love the way the author wrote the story from the viewpoint of the characters. The story is based in India and I was engrossed by both the main characters. It was really enjoyable and I will recommend this book to my friends. I hope the author writes another...soon
7. By Amazon Customer
Rating: 5/5
Review: Second Spring is seems to be a real story of a corporate who manages the life in all constraints and with full adaptability. It is really a nice novel.!!
8. By Avid-RomanceReader
Rating: 5/5
I read the entire book in one sitting. I loved the story.
The best part is the complex character Avantika (Avi) and her high profile life with dash of care-a-damn attitude. Avantika's modern lifestyle and value based upbringing is refreshing. Little surprised when she fell in love with Rohan and his character should have been stronger to convince her choice.
Otherwise it is an excellent read for vacation / weekend.
Link: http://www.amazon.in/Second-Spring-Brings-New-Hope/dp/0692259325
The best part is the complex character Avantika (Avi) and her high profile life with dash of care-a-damn attitude. Avantika's modern lifestyle and value based upbringing is refreshing. Little surprised when she fell in love with Rohan and his character should have been stronger to convince her choice.
Otherwise it is an excellent read for vacation / weekend.
Link: http://www.amazon.in/Second-Spring-Brings-New-Hope/dp/0692259325
9. By Jigar Doshi
A Second Spring…brings new hope is the debut work of Sandhya Jane, who has been associated with the corporate world for about two decades, working for leading investment banks across continents.
Avantika, lovingly called Avi, is a single mom and a workaholic who’s often referred to as Monster boss by her sub-ordinates. She is successful, intelligent, witty, ferocious, passionate about work and a control freak. She socializes only for work and post that, rushes home to be with her young son.
She takes Rohan, a new employee with the bank she works in, under her wing as she sees potential in him and wants to give him a chance. Rohan is exact opposite of her and isn’t as passionate about work. He is careless, likes to enjoy life and take it easy instead of being absorbed in work all the time. Although Avi is irritated with his erratic behavior in the beginning, she doesn’t torment him because he manages to meet his deadlines and finish his work in time.
They spend a lot of time together at work, planning and preparing presentations, meeting new and prospective clients, finishing business and having fun. Slowly Rohan manages to tear down the facade of aloofness that Avantika carried around herself to ‘protect’ herself from pain and gets closer to her. Eventually they fall in love.
One fine day, Rohan vanishes from her life, leaving a note that his marriage was fixed by his parents and he couldn’t rebel against them. She immediately moves to States as she is surrounded by the memories of her love in Mumbai and she needed to get away. She finds solace in spiritualism and meditation. Eventually Rohan comes back to her.
What happened to Rohan’s marriage? Doesn’t Avantika find anybody in States? Does she forgive and accept Rohan back in her life? Read on to find out the answers to these questions.
The characterization is perfect and matters of love and life are ably dealt with in the novel. Control-freak facade and that aloofness to keep people away, so as to protect oneself against the pain experienced in the past and not wanting to going through it again. But that soft and caring demeanor and vulnerability beneath the facade that allows anyone who’s a little persistent to get closer and gives them the power to hurt.
Both know that what they are getting into is trouble and their struggles to stay away in the beginning are nicely portrayed. And how eventually love overcomes their resistance and brings them together only to be fallen apart by the curse of destiny.
How most loveless marriages turn out to be after a few years is also aptly shown and while many continue to stay in it for the sake of society and children, more and more people are getting divorced today in modern India.
The writing is good but the author and the editor need to rework on the novel as it is filled with printing and grammatical errors.
1. By Madhuri Maitra
Rating: 4/5
Review: A Second Spring, as the name suggests, is about grabbing at the second chance that life offers you. It is a good book for those who love romances with melodramatic twists and turns.
Avantika, ‘corporate czarina’, is a single parent. She falls in love with a younger man, a colleague. After a protracted yes-no game, they have one tempestuous night after which Rohan leaves – for an unhappy marriage to a girl of his conservative Rajasthani community, selected by his parents. Six torturous years later, they divorce. Meanwhile Avantika has moved to the USA. She and her son seem to have settled in. Rohan starts looking for her again. How the life-scarred souls meet and get together is what takes up the latter half of the novel.
The author, Sandhya Jane, paints an interesting picture of corporate life in India, albeit in a rather distant voice. She gives her readers a cross-section of life in India and abroad. I especially enjoyed reading about the workings of a multinational bank.
A strong female tone finds its way into the thoughts and the speech of all the characters, including the men. That is the unconvincing note in the whole picture. Yet, for those who live the fast –paced, often artificial corporate life and can identify with the life events of Avantika and Rohan, reading it would be a moving experience.
A Second Spring is light fiction, something you can carry with you on a journey. It is a new age Hindi film in a book.
11. By Priyanka Batra Harjai
Spring is the time of the year when the nature is at it’s best spreading beauty and you can sense the fragrance of love all around. Whether in context of flora or fauna or for-that-matter of fact the human species, all get blessed with the mesmerizing beauty. Literary speaking, spring is used synonymously to represent the onset of love life or say welcoming the love blossoms in life. This story by Sandhya Jane is about being blessed with love for the second time in her life!
Yes, she gets blessed with love of her life for the second time but does the second recurrence bear the similar attraction as the first appearance itself? Well, may be or maybe not. Not many people get a second chance to do what they wish or to relish what they wish to possess, in their life so leave aside getting a second chance in love life. Things do change and people do change as time changes and so has the protagonist of the story – Meet Avantika.
She is a strong-headed lady who is strong enough to recognize her real self and makes the world witness her mettle. She is a single mom – divorced and shoulders responsibility of tending her son. She is not a dependent individual and is a working mom. As expected, she has all the charm and brains to impress and hence attract her peers. No, she is not a lousy person delving into some cheap tricks to work away her solitary. She has brains over her heels – a calm, composed female with all the poise.
A fellow team-member from her team – Rohan, gets infected with her charisma and admits his love towards her. He is well informed about her present and past-life as well. Just when, he succumbs to her tresses he gets notified about a big development in his personal life; he gets a call from his family updating him about his engagement been fixed! What will he do now? Will he commit to his love of life or exhibit his commitment towards family over love?
The author Sandhya depicts maturity in her style of writing and the treatment she has given to the story. At times, I felt as if she has portrayed the Rohan’s character as a weak individual but then I tried to give it a second thought. This time, not as a reader or a female but as a male mind that wished to follow love but was pulled away by life. Then, I could empathize with what Sandhya wanted out of him.
I always admire strong females who choose to live life their way without compromising on their duties and responsibilities. She is the one, who has won my heart. This time she is in fix; she has experienced her life, her son is a teenager who is very much attached to one of the cousins and has tasted the spiritual waters as well. Sandhya has carefully chosen the words to express the feelings and emotions to precision such that readers will feel like as if they are enjoying a breezy walk in park.
The dilemma and guilt of a male lover is expressed in a balanced manner. How he finds himself in a pot-hole and feels his life becoming burdensome and finally how he admits to his love, giving it a chance one more time – all the actions are well crafted. Though, a high emotional quotient prevails all through the script the reality of their love life is much more emotional. It is heart-warming to learn what binds both of them together after separating and before considering reuniting. You need to give it a read to find out how winds change direction and love finds its way to be freed from the binding shackles.
This comes as a recommended read for female readers especially the ones who feel devastating storm in their love life and are still waiting for making some choice. You will also get to know the sort of questions and turmoil that prevails in male psyche in such conditions. Go ahead and let the love blossom coming spring!
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