Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan

The Life and Times of Layla the Ordinary

Confessions of a Listmaniac

Stories

Before, and Then After

March 2020: Thirty-six-year-old Mallika Rao is largely insulated from the struggles of the millions fighting for their existence all over India. Instead, her Delhi flat and her husband threaten to imprison her as she searches for the confidence that has always eluded her. A rescue dog in her care provides more fulfilment than her husband, who is consumed by work and self-obsession, and she must also confront the universal challenges of having a woman's body. Soft Animal unfolds in urgent present tense with illuminating flashbacks, whip-smart dialogue and conspiratorial footnotes. Bringing the deftness of deadpan humour and the precision of meticulous social observation to the self-delusions of India's privileged urban middle class, Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan's latest channels an uncomfortably-and sometimes heartbreakingly-intimate experience of millennial marriage that is seldom portrayed but all too real.

Soft Animal

The One who Had Two Lives

Cold feet

'The Indian epics gain strength and renewal with every telling and retelling. Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan's compelling and accomplished narration of the crucial story of Amba and Shikhandi is a timely reminder of the constant currency and relevance of the Mahabharata.' - Namita Gokhale. Book one, The One Who Swam with the Fishes, told the tale of Satyavati on the cusp of womanhood. She is now Queen of Hastinapur and the story moves forward to Kashi, where Princess Amba is growing up with her sisters, Ambika and Ambalika. A swayamvara is arranged for them, where Amba plans to wed Prince Salva, the love of her life. However, an unexpected figure walks into the ceremony and thwarts all plans of a happy ending. In another life, Shikhandi, has never been what he seems. With his close companion, Utsarg, he embarks on a journey to look for a yaksha who will give him what he wants - to be a Kshatriya prince in body and in mind. But along the way, he might have to lose some of himself, the part he calls Shikhandini. Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan draws out the lesser-known characters of the Mahabharata from the margins and tells their stories with compassion and grit.

The One Who Had Two Lives

Girls of the Mahabharata

Who needs love? It only leads to trouble. Noor is having the worst year of her life. First her mother decides to leave her father. Then her dad's mother, the Horrible Old Crone, moves in to look after Noor (who's sixteen and doesn't need looking after, thank you very much). And she just knows the HOC is going to be mean about her mother because she never wanted her son to marry a Muslim. And now Noor has to attend some children-of-divorce thing after school—and her gang canNOT find out. THEN she meets Ishaan. He’s funny and nerdy, and likes all the same things she likes. Except love is stupid, as she’s told everyone, and Ishaan isn’t her type anyway. He wears glasses, participates enthusiastically in the lame children-of-divorce thing, and would rather read than play football in the break like all the other boys. Could love happen with someone who is the complete opposite of everything you’ve ever stood for? Can forgiveness squirm its way in with love?

Split

At twenty-five, life's entanglements are getting to Arshi. Her American step-mom is trying too hard—welcoming guests with a traditional aarti—while the gorgeous guy who has Arshi all flushed and dreamy doesn't seem to be trying at all. Her best Friend Deeksha is getting married in a Few months, and her flatmate Topsy is becoming testier by the day because her conservative Family will never approve of her darling boyfriend. And then there's a cheating ex, a weepy neighbour and an evil boss—who all need to be told off. Her head spinning from the chaos, Arshi realizes that what she needs most right now (besides a barrelful of alcohol and some serious post-coital cuddling) is to figure out where she is and what she wants. Saucy, wise and audaciously candid, You Are Here is a spirited exploration of a young woman's life.

I'm sorry if this doesn't fit in with the ideas people have about romance and epics but it's a true story, and I'm going to tell the truth here, because no one ever will. Who is Satyavati? Truth-teller. Daughter of water. Child of apsara and king. Cursed from birth. Fish-smell girl. Growing up as a girl in the Vedic age is anything but easy - and even harder for the future Queen of Hastinapur, the kingdom of all kingdoms. She must contend with magic islands, difficult sages, calculating foster parents, sexual awakening and loneliness. Even when she is at the threshold of the capital, king Shantanu, smitten though he is with her, already has a crown prince from his wedlock with a goddess. Young Satyavati must walk on thorns to reach her destiny in a world ruled by men. One of young India's most feisty voices, Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan, coaxes the lesser-known girls of the Mahabharata out of the shadows. Now watch them flare up and take on their worlds.

The One Who Swam with the Fishes: Girls of the Mahabharata

Sometimes, you have to run away to find yourself. Sometimes, you find yourself where you aren’t looking. Sometimes, you find yourself only after you lose yourself. Amisha has found her perfect man and is going to marry him, but suddenly feels the need to push the boundaries of their relationship. Akshara is in love with her best friend, but while he will give her benefits, he won’t give her his love. Ladli has had her heart broken, so she runs away, only to find it waiting for her at the other side. Shayna knows what she wants in a man, but the man she wants is nothing like that. And finally, the girl who wants Shayna, actually just needs a friend. Cold Feet is the story of the strangely entwined lives of five women who live in Mumbai and deal differently with the same thing—love.

Cold Feet

‘I am Layla the Ordinary. Doesn’t have the same ring to it as Alexander the Great, but then, some of us do have to be ordinary to make the specials stand out even more. Right? Right.’ Sift through the journal of Layla, whose overnight transformation from pedestrian to popular sends her world spinning into a riot of endless lists that range from: . Platonic (or, Laylanic) love to first kisses . BFF trouble to BF confusion . Fashion faux pas to ideal coffee dates This rib-tickling and charming account of an average teenager’s life will have you hooked from the first page to the last.

Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan

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