Moonlit Matinee by Pulkit Gupta and Harshita Shrivastava: a review

“Moonlit Matinee- and love takes over”, the name itself seems very appealing to all the people who even have a look at the cover. An amalgamation of 14 stories by 13 handpicked authors makes this book a worth read.

On the back cover- Welcome this season of love with never before effort by thirteen resplendent writers to pen most fascinating love scripts. Cheer the feeling of love with “Moonlit Matinee” and love takes over. It is an unparalleled concept and the blend of Anecdotes, Sonnet, Lyric and Ballad. This curbs the tale of Lust, Hatred, Sacrifice and Revenge in Relationship but finally its Love which ultimately overshadows everything.

The anthology starts with Bon Voyage by Harshita Srivastava ensuring the readers a great journey throughout the book. The story of Khushi and Akash shows us a very interesting perspective on Long Distance Relationships, Flirting and finally love. The writing style being really good, the story leaves a smile on your face at the end.

Next, we move on to Emptiness by Pulkit Gupta. Rachit and Radhika, the story of two strangers, who meet and their destines collide in Manali. What happens next is something you are bound to look forward to. Well, written in a very tell-tale way, this story is bound to catch every reader’s hearts.

Rasgulla by Abhishek Atul is the story of Aniket and Rhea, their love, the sacrifices and what they are now after moving ahead in life. The peer pressure a girl has to face, the circumstances that arise when one thinks of a love marriage is what the story is all about.

Wish you were here by Ila Garg is next in line. Aakash Vaani is what the story is about. The way Akaash Vaani is written is enough for any person to understand the depth of their love and the relationship they share. The climax was unexpected though. The ending to the story is so well crafted that the reader is left with a smile on their lips and a tear in their eyes.

The Rosemary Letters by Ashish Sharma, a wonderful ballad written in a very unique way, it tells a story with every word that is written. The devotion of Meera to Lord Baanke Bihari is wonderfully described here giving the ballad a feeling of purity throughout.

Next up is All I want is you by Sonia Kundra Singh. Abhimanyu and Devyani being the main characters of the story that revolves around their lives and how destiny brings them together. A cute story of Love realization, family life is what brings them together. And finally love is what overpowers them.

The Love Story by Harpreet Makkar is the tale of two long lost lovers. Situation had forced them to go far away from each other and then again destiny reunites them after a long time. Why? What? When? How? Where? Are the questions, the answers to which are there in the story.

The Gift by Ishita Bhown is the next in the line. The love story of Jia and Raj is described here. The support Raj always gave to Jia is one of the plus points of the story. The true meaning of love s defined here which leaves the reader smiling at the end.

Ayaan Basu’s Bollywood Affairs is something whose name attracted me the most. Something apart from the regular love stories, something pretty much more than love stories. Yes, this is how I would describe Farzin and Nishant’s story. They were friends, yes they were. The reality is portrayed in a very different yet interesting way. It shows how situation is the catalyst behind what a person is in real life.

Flavoured Smoke by Pratham Devang is the story of Aisha and Aviral, how they collide with each other one random day in an unexpected place and complete their incomplete story. For knowing what happened in their past and why did the love birds depart one needs to read the story. The end of the story is very heart grabbing.

The beautiful ballad, Lyrics of Lavish Rain by Rachna Seth is next up. The feeling of rains is something we all look forward to, the touch of the rain drops, cherishing every drop of the rain is very well written in the ballad. This one is a recommended read for every rain loving person, a person who is in love.

Cupid’s Arrow, Bull’s eye by Siddhartha Yadav is the story of a triangle between Naman, Asmita and Mohit. The story of Sacrifice, love, revenge teamed in one, this one is a really good read. Love is one true form and it can overpower everything and this is what is written in the story.

Then there is Ehsaas- The Feeling by Pulkit Gupta. A wonderfully thought piece of story gives us so much to think about of the reality of life, Of Orphans, Of Old Age homes of everything. Of a parents love, of a child’s love. As written by the writer, yes, it’s all about ehsaas- the feeling.

An Ode to Relationship by Nandini Garg is how the voyage through different forms of love end. All the forms of love are very well put into one wonderful piece of poetry which leaves the reader smiley faced.

Apart from all these, the book had a few errors. Some of it could’ve been written in a more matured yet compact way, with which the effect would've

lasted longer than it did. All in all, the anthology gave me, as a reader a reason to smile and I would give the book a 3.5 out of 5.