≡ [PDF] Free Tell A Thousand Lies Rasana Atreya 9781466340374 Books

Tell A Thousand Lies Rasana Atreya 9781466340374 Books

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Tell A Thousand Lies Rasana Atreya 9781466340374 Books

This novel is a colorful, beautifully written journey through the land and lives of characters who become so real, that most of us will not only read avidly, but will return to many times in our thoughts.

As I read this impressive book, I had trouble believing it was independently published, and not the month's choice for the book club. The constant plot twists, which I hope could only take place in a novel, but many of which I suspect might be quite possible for a girl in India, keep the reader gasping and turning pages. The politician, who decided to use the helpless girl for his own ambitious purposes, doesn't care about the cost to others, even when they are closely related to him. Pullyamma, our heroine, is brave and intelligent, but truly has no power in a society that sees her in ways that Western eyes will need more than one book to be opened to.

At times her most desperate problems seem nearly trivial to an American: whether to expose her arms, whether to remove a mole from her nose or leave the beauty-enhancing embellishment, constant anguish over the darkness of her skin, the unattractiveness of being educated, but as Ms. Atreya guides us more and more deeply into the ways of everyday life in India, we breathe the air along with Pullyamma and her family. We can watch, perhaps in horror and shock as beloved friends are stoned to death without protest, but with understanding of the culture that is capable of turning on a dime to such an act, and where there is no fear of reprisal. We believe, along with the guests at a celebration, as a baby laid at Pullyamma's feet, gasps its way back to life. We can even grasp the motivation of a desperate sister, whose dreams have all come true for someone else. (Remember your own frustration the last time you were thwarted over some trivial matter? Imagine that happening to every desire you ever had, while your own yearning was dismissed as silly fancy. Then imagine every gift bestowed on your sister, who never prized anything serious in her life, and you'll get an idea.)

I won't describe the events that drive the story. To experience those, you must read the book - and this is one you truly should read.


Tags : Tell A Thousand Lies [Rasana Atreya] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <b> Shortlisted for the 2012 Tibor Jones South Asia prize</b> <div> One of our five favourite tales from India</i> -- Glam Magazine,Rasana Atreya,Tell A Thousand Lies,CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,1466340371,Coming of Age,FICTION General,Fiction,Fiction - General,Fiction Coming of Age,Fiction : Coming of Age,FictionComing of Age,General,Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)

Tell A Thousand Lies Rasana Atreya 9781466340374 Books Reviews

Three girls, Malli and her twin sisters Lata and Pullamma are orphaned and brought up by their grandmother, Ammamma, with meager means until they reach the marriageable age when alliances must be made, paying dowry, bride price. This is Mallepalli Village, June 1995.
When a suitable boy is found for Lata, her twin Pullamma, taller and of darker skin is all helpful to ensure that the boys family does like Lata and takes her for their daughter-in-law, even though, Lata, the smartest of all the three sisters, actually wants to study to be a doctor. Malli has been sent away, in order to ensure that she is not seen by the boy’s family, while Pullamma, serves to make them happy. Alas, the dowry asked for is too high and while the possible alliance comes to naught, Lata, does the dreadful, in the hope of escaping her lot and the village, by having the unmentionable, sex and pregnancy thereafter, with a petty worker from the city who promises to marry her, but escapes.
In the meantime, central to the story is the politician, Kondal Rao, who holds the lives of the girls, their grandmother and twists and turns around these lives to help him achieve his end, that being winning the elections and a seat in the state government. Using Pullamma for his political benefit, he turns her life from a simple dark faces girl to a goddess, who becomes, even to her own refusal to enact the part, the local goddess, who is believed to create miracles. The fantastic turn of events is intersected often and again, by Pullamma attempts to return to a normal life and escape the village to do so. This comes true when Kondal Rao’s nephew marries her and takes her away to Hyderabad, where she is far from the milieu of her ‘abnormal’ life as a goddess. But not for long; the evil hands of Kondal Rao are too long and soon she is discovered and brought back to the village to feed the indeed, blind faith of the human crowd surrounding her, who most certainly will vote for Kondal Rao, because, he supports their mass obedience to Pullamma. By now, pregnant, Pullamma, finds her life managed once again by the powerful politician when he casts her away in a remand home for women, where Pullamma is to come across a doctor, with a broken life just like hers and who then helps her to escape once again to Bangalore. It has come with a tremendous price though, as Pullamma is told that she has given birth to a still born baby girl, when actually her boy child, born, healthy has been taken away and given off to a couple, who is dearest to Pullamma’s heart, closer than her own shadow, but she is not aware of it. Full of twists and turns, surprises, betrayal, benevolence and life changing events, Rasana Atreya has managed to weave a tale that keeps you hooked to the book, till the end. It plays out common daily happenings, which go as normal in our daily lives, but can be termed as sibling jealousy, and the surprising length it can go to, to destroy lives, especially when there is an unscrupulous politician who is ready to use every opportunity to his end.
Fear not reader, the expert story teller, whose book became the nominee for The Tibor Jones 2012, Award, does not leave her readers high and dry. At the end, having waded through much mucky water that life lays out, the reader finds that the author has tied up the book nicely when all question marks are erased and the heart forgives the characters who wronged each other. Except Kondal Roa, who is now a Member of Parliament (MP) for his state. And if Pullamma had lost a lot, she has also received a lot more in life and finally, she does come around to be the winner, despite the colour of her skin, which is dark.
Turn every fourth page for a twist and turn you least expected! A wonderful read!
This is certainly not my usual genre. I lean towards total escapism - humor, sci-fi, horror, and whodunits. I skipped the book summary and read the most helpful review on with the subject line "Great Heartwarming Humorous Read!" After reading the sample about a young, dark skinned girl in India, who, although her life was not ideal, managed to find happiness with her family and friends and even managed to find humor in the absurd reactions of her fellow villagers when a bizarre turn of events turned her life upside down, I downloaded the book and prepared for a fun read.

But, slowly and steadily, the situation turned dangerously serious and there was no longer much humor and very little happiness in Pullamma's life. By this point, however, I was totally immersed in Pullamma's life and, due to Rasana Atreya's masterful story-telling and remarkable character development, I cared too much for Pullamma and her family and friends to stop reading just because things were starting to get difficult. I HAD to know what happened to all of them.

This was a very compelling narrative! I couldn't bring myself to put it down and found myself reading much later into the night than I usually do. I was drawn in by Pullamma's determination to overcome many obstacles and her ability to find a spark of light in the darkest situation.

Although "Tell a Thousand Lies" is NOT a "humorous story" as several other reviewers claimed, there is humor in the beginning, but it is mostly tragedy with many uplifting moments. It is certainly a thought-provoking story. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a well-told story with interesting characters.
This novel is a colorful, beautifully written journey through the land and lives of characters who become so real, that most of us will not only read avidly, but will return to many times in our thoughts.

As I read this impressive book, I had trouble believing it was independently published, and not the month's choice for the book club. The constant plot twists, which I hope could only take place in a novel, but many of which I suspect might be quite possible for a girl in India, keep the reader gasping and turning pages. The politician, who decided to use the helpless girl for his own ambitious purposes, doesn't care about the cost to others, even when they are closely related to him. Pullyamma, our heroine, is brave and intelligent, but truly has no power in a society that sees her in ways that Western eyes will need more than one book to be opened to.

At times her most desperate problems seem nearly trivial to an American whether to expose her arms, whether to remove a mole from her nose or leave the beauty-enhancing embellishment, constant anguish over the darkness of her skin, the unattractiveness of being educated, but as Ms. Atreya guides us more and more deeply into the ways of everyday life in India, we breathe the air along with Pullyamma and her family. We can watch, perhaps in horror and shock as beloved friends are stoned to death without protest, but with understanding of the culture that is capable of turning on a dime to such an act, and where there is no fear of reprisal. We believe, along with the guests at a celebration, as a baby laid at Pullyamma's feet, gasps its way back to life. We can even grasp the motivation of a desperate sister, whose dreams have all come true for someone else. (Remember your own frustration the last time you were thwarted over some trivial matter? Imagine that happening to every desire you ever had, while your own yearning was dismissed as silly fancy. Then imagine every gift bestowed on your sister, who never prized anything serious in her life, and you'll get an idea.)

I won't describe the events that drive the story. To experience those, you must read the book - and this is one you truly should read.