Beneath the Clouds and Coconut Leaves [Paperback]

Moncy Pothen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2006

Extremism, now more widley termed "terrorism," is on the lips of every human being and on the front pages of the world's newspapers every day. but we still long for love, and love still thrives. This poetic novel by Moncy Pothen plunges us directly inot the forests and paddy fields of India from the 1960s to the 1980s, describes the delicate and heartfelt awakening of love in two lives, and has roots in ancient Indian tradition. Can you forgive a terrorist if he has participated in the murder of your own father? Like the heroine, Ahalya, we live in compicated times, where black and white give way to shades of gray, and in "Beneath the Clouds and Coconut Leaves, we hold our breath to witness which will win the battle, love or hate

Like the hero, Arjunan, we are fighting to win that battle within ourselves.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...a gripping story in a realistic manner, threading through the warp and weft of Kerala during its most decisive phase. --Bridget Joseph. M.A.M. Phil. Retired Professor, Assumption College changanacherry, Kerlala and former faculty at the International Embassy School, Dammam, Saudi Arabia

...The kaleidoscope of exotic characters living side by side in peace and amity adds to the novel's overall warmth. --Safi Abdi, a writer from Somalia, has been living in Dubai for the past five years. she has published two books (A Mighty collision of Two Worlds" and "Offspring of Paradise"

About the Author

Moncy Pothen was raised in a village in Kerala. Born in 1959 as the youngest and only brother of four sisters, Pothen started writing poems at 18. Many of his poems in his mother tongue have been published and broadcast over local radio stations. Raised by his father, a schoolteacher who left to eternity on February 29, 2004 and mother, who survives. Pothen is a member of the Orthodox Christian Community in Kerala. After completing his education in Kerala, Pothen started a career as an accountant in UAE in 1985. Now he lives in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates and works as Chief Accountant at a private firm. He is one among the many millions of overseas Indians. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: American Book Publishing (March 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589822889
• ISBN-13: 978-1589822887
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,911,681 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review by a traditional Indian girl, March 28, 2006

By 

vamsy aparna "Aparna" (Bangalore, India) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beneath the Clouds and Coconut Leaves (Paperback)

First of all, as soon as I completed the last lines of the book, tears started rolling down my cheeks. I really wonder why it happened. I think the climax has such an effect on me because basically I am a traditional Indian girl and all Indian girls are same in their heart though some act as if they are not. Beneath the Clouds and Coconut Leaves is a realistic book which gives a good idea about the social and economic conditions of people in Kerala since independence and it wonderfully portraits the feelings of a female heart.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, March 25, 2006

By 

Prince Jacob "prince" (U A E) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beneath the Clouds and Coconut Leaves (Paperback)

Mr. Moncy Pothen in his Novel, `Beneath the Clouds and Coconut Leaves,' narrates, with ease, the rhythms of uncared, stranded lives in bitterness since the dawn of independence.

In his entire story, he spotted the starving world for love with its human touch in real life. Through out the tale, the panoramic expressions are the aerial outcome of the true nature with the living world and the ecosystem.

We can see the pompous days of feudalism are ending and a new age of scarcity or humbleness awakening and it is the hero, an unexpected source that was instrumental to the fall, comes for the aid with attempts to rescue. In the book, we experience the success of humanity above all the ideologies. It also portrays the political, social and cultural scenario in Kerala, the tiny South Indian State, in its true state.

I wish the domain made by the Author be a great success.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm sure the reader will be overwhelmed!, March 25, 2006

By 

Kurien Varughese - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beneath the Clouds and Coconut Leaves (Paperback)

Those who lived in Kerala in the Sixties/Seventies would know what it means to be a Naxal. How many young men/women have sacrificed their lives on the altar of this utopian cause! How many families have suffered, some violently and some in silence! All for a cause that just fizzled out within no time and vanished from people's memory without a trace.

It's not a hitherto unexplored theme, but to my knowledge past initiatives have been in Malayalam language. Here Moncy uniquely portrays the life in a typical Kerala village, its social structure, its pulses and the swings. I'm sure the reader will be overwhelmed by the sentiments Moncy has successfully depicted without losing its innocence and flavor.
Kurien V.
Saudi Arabia