Take me with you,
to this very land
filled with magic,
having its own charm,
where I promise to 
be a silent observer,
sitting quietly in a corner,
soaking in the lyrical seasons adorned with glory !

The above poem shows my feelings and is a little tribute to this more than beautiful book titled And all the seasons in between which completely teleported me to a different land filled with fragrance of innocence, where winds of pure love touched my heart and there was a melody dipped in sweetness of honey that soothed my soul. I wanted to be part of this mystical land and may be merge in the environs as described by the poetess with her beautiful words.

Book Review 

Title of the Book: And all the seasons in between  

Author's Name: Arti Jain

Illustration By: Arshia Jain

Format: PDF

 

About the Author: Arti Jain is passion personified who describes herself as a summation of her ordinary moments and now she weaves poetry that are extra ordinary in nature and has the capacity to entice the readers. If you want to feel the magic yourself please click the below links and experience yourself the aura that Arti unfurls through her writing style and her enchanting narration.

• Mohini on Mirchi Scribbled
• The Kali Project
• Yesterday is not Alive on Mirchi Scribbled
• Hindi Poetry by Arti Jain on YouTube

She is someone who goes on to announce that “My idea of heaven has three main components: sipping chai (made with ginger or cardamom or tulsi or saffron or a mixture of all), sitting under our neem tree and reading poetry. ” And how lovely is the thought! Isn’t it ?

She pours out her heart on her blog : https://artismoments.blogspot.com/

Narration: The book combines storytelling and poetical verses and is unique in its own sense . While reading it I wondered about the amount of passion and dedication that would have gone into writing those lines ! It will surely touch your heart and may be leave you with indelible images of a fantasyland ! The narration has a rustic aroma to it . What is most interesting is the infusion of local dialect that gives the whole narration an earthy feel .

Book Cover & Title: I had fallen in love with the book cover the moment this book was published . It is colorful and aptly suits the title “And all the Seasons in between” and the illustration inside the book are something to watch out for as they elevate the very level of artistic beauty of the book.

Content: This is a book that blends in imagination tinted with colors of nostalgia and is a tribute to the author’s grandparents, her Papaji & Beeji.

The unique pattern of describing emotions and storytelling can only be felt when one goes from one page to another. One gets immersed in the poetical landscape created by the poetess that makes you visualize not only the little details of the flora & fauna that play a central role in the book but you can also feel the sentiments behind each line . The book merges a fantasyland , a valley named Doon with that of the real world where the author craft fully plants her childhood memories and takes the readers along with her swiftly.

“Surrounded by High Mountains of Himalayas in the north and Shivalik Hills in the south, lay a valley called Doon. The green valley gurgled with gushing waters of River Ganga in the east and River Yamuna in the west.”

This is how the book begins and talks about a little girl named Artemis, who has a friend , the Dragonfly. She dreams of becoming “the most Green Gardner of all times”. Her inspiration is Papadash, the perfect who is a kind old man and is known to possess magical powers ! Artemis wants to be the apprentice and learn all the nuances from the legend, Papadash, with much attention to every detail.

Mostly all the chapters tell a story and introduce the readers with the plot and the lines just flow like a river, sometimes they take one beyond the galaxies talking about celestial bodies and lets one wonder in amusement behind the very thought process .

Artemis grew up in a field of Wildflowers where her mother and father lived. They were the Beekeepers of the Valley. “Half for us and half for the bees.” Her father sang an old valley song whenever they went collecting honey.

The author perfects the art of characterization of each core member effortlessly with such lines as above where her unique writing style compels the readers to time travel into the land of the Doon and become a part of the imaginary world that seems so real.

Artemis has eventful childhood days where she is a part of the joint family and narrates how she was adored by everyone around her. Even when her own mother who sometimes did not showcase her best shelf as a mother, the family took Artemis and her little sister Seema. under its arms. This aspect showcases how love of a family can conquer all odds and a close knit family can tide across all the difficult situations. The grand parents are like the epitome of love always protecting and guiding their grandchildren and other family members. .

“Bejis’ cool hands on my forehead when I ran a high fever and Papaji’s dhudh
jalebi that cured our sore throats were Mary Poppins’ spoonful of sugar to me.”

Every hardcore nature lover is bound to fall in love with this book that narrates about the guava tree that doesn’t grow so tall, the grapes that wore little pajamas, the beloved Mulberry tree, the excitement of climbing a tree, the Blue bird and the Dragonfly as important elements of the story. There are many more such vivid descriptions of nature and its essence .

This book is not only a collection of childhood memories, but portrays the emotions that has shaped the very belief pattern of the narrator. From stories to sharing recipes , from songs to sharing traditions, the readers can travel different realms of sentiments and this book leaves a lingering effect even after one turns the last page . This personal memoir is weaved with love, compassion, human values and has a base of morality & longingness as its foundation rock upon which the entire characters perform beautifully as per the musical tunes of the poetess.

“Love has a way to nourish without side effects. ” says the poetess who herself is filled with love towards life and shares her experience while narrating every single incident.

“What do people who look at you with human eyes know?
Bare is beautiful.
It’s pure
like Love.”

The above lines also are very deep and compels one to pause and ponder about many aspects in our own life. ” He carried dirt under his fingernails” is my favorite poem but I would urge the readers to read it themselves to understand and immerse yourself in the depth of emotions.

Few other lines that deeply touched my heart are as below:

I like to indulge in time travel, I do.
And I do it as often as it pleases me.
You could say, I'm a pro
at the art of getting lost,
disappearing into lines and words and the spaces left blank on pages of poetry

This creation is a craft par excellence which has a soul in it and the author gracefully evokes a sense of belongingness to the roots , to the very origin without which one is identity less. The relationships that molds the human character has been showcased in a lyrical pattern and the magic is when you yourself travel into this land of fantasy.

This book should not be missed at any cost .

The book is available for free download on

the Blogchatter website:  and all the Seasons in between

The book blurb is as below:

PS. This book is part of #BlogChatterEbook carnival in which my book, Heartfelt Symphonies was also launched and is available for free download as of now.

Love,

Chinmayee