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Tejaswini Apte-Rahm

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The Secret of More A Novel Kindle Edition

by Tejaswini Apte-Rahm (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.5 27 ratings

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Into the beating heart of Bombay, a city that spins cotton into gold, a young man,Tatya, arrives to make a living. Ambitious and hard-working, he begins to make a name for himself in the city’s famed textile market. Meanwhile, his new bride, Radha, navigates the joys and the challenges of raising a family in a city that is a curious and often bewildering mix of the traditional and the rapidly modernizing.

Having tasted success in the world of textiles, Tatya chances upon an opportunity in an emerging industry—motion pictures—and is swept up in it despite his initial hesitation about this strange world of make-believe. His success seems unstoppable—the silent films he produces draw in the crowds and his new the atreis a marvel, but his friendship with and attraction to an actress, Kamal,threatens to shake his world and causes him to question his integrity.

Set against the backdrop of bustling colonial Bombay, The Secret of More is a journey of relentless ambition, steadfast love, and grim betrayal, as Tatya strives to unlock the secret of more—of having more and being more. In a story that travels from the clatter of textile mills to the glamour of the silent film industry, from the crowded chawls of Girgaon to the luxury of sea-facing mansions, one man and his family learn that in the city of Bombay you can fly—but if you fall, it is a long way down.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tejaswini Apte-Rahm is a writer from Mumbai. She is the author of the short story collection These Circuses That Sweep Through the Landscape, and co-author of The Poop Book!-an environmental education book for children. She worked as a journalist and environmental researcher. She studied in Singapore and the UK, and has lived in Serbia, Israel, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Fiji. She currently lives in Azerbaijan. The Secret of More is her first novel. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BB9R22L8
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Aleph Book Company (September 5, 2022)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 5, 2022
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 6126 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 455 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 9391047750

Best Sellers Rank: #2,408,157 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #10,969 in Historical Literary Fiction
- #64,832 in Historical Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #151,544 in Literary Fiction (Books)

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4.5 27 ratings

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Tejaswini Apte-Rahm

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Tejaswini Apte-Rahm is an award-winning writer from Mumbai, India. Her novel of historical fiction, The Secret of More, is the winner of the Tata Literature Live! - Book of the Year Award (Fiction) 2023. It is also shortlisted for the JCB Prize for Literature 2023 and the Atta Galatta-Bangalore Literature Festival Prize 2023.

Her short story collection, These Circuses That Sweep Through the Landscape (Aleph Book Company) was shortlisted for the Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize 2017, and the Tata-Nexon Literature Live! First Book Award 2017.

She has co-authored an environmental book for children, The Poop Book! (Kalpavriksh Environmental Action Group) which was a Parag Honour Book 2020 and nominated for the Jarul Book Award 2021-22. It was translated into Tibetan in 2022.

Tejaswini's fiction has appeared in Helter Skelter, Himal Southasian, BLink and Six Seasons Review.

She has lived in Serbia, Israel, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Fiji and Azerbaijan. She studied in Singapore and the UK. She worked as an environmental researcher and as a journalist and has written for Screen, Hindustan Times, the Times of India and Asian Age. She currently lives in Germany.

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Beautifully written, a gripping read.

Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2022

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This is a beautifully written story, set in early to mid 20th century Bombay, full of wonderful details about the textile business, the growth of "bioscopes" - silent movies - and the talkies, and the saga of one family living through it all. I learned so much about the textile trade and merchants of that era, and the dawn and growth of the movie industry were brilliantly covered. The ups and downs of the Tatya family in parallel with those of the world around them are so well written and make for an unputdownable read. Highly recommended.

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Mubi

A beautiful journey back in time

Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2023

Engrossing and beautiful my written. The characters and their lives journey become a part of you as its so well interwoven. Very interesting as the book describes an historical journey of movies in India.

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Top reviews from other countries

Anja Gargulla

Great read

Reviewed in Germany on March 14, 2023

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A moving and historical interesting story that left me with many thoughts after reading it. The family saga gives a vivid insight into the world of the Indian textile and film industries of the early 20th century, of which I knew little before, as well as into traditional family structures in India and the social position of women at that time - an exciting read, interspersed with a wealth of facts.

Juliet Dunn

A beautiful story of a family across decades which delights and educates.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 9, 2023

Verified Purchase

I absolutely loved this book, I got lost in the characters, felt truly educated about a time and place I knew little about, am intrigued by numerous names for things (food, clothing, customs) which I will have to look up. I knew little about the silent film industry less still about its inception in India. So illuminating.
I am sad to have reached the end, but excited to lend it to various friends and relatives. I’m just trying to decide who gets first dibs.

sunita

Historical fiction or fictionalised history ?

Reviewed in India on November 4, 2022

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This fascinating tale where history meets fiction is an enchanting tale that traces the history of a fledgling city, emerging industries and an adventurous young man. Interwoven with the tale of Tatya are stories of Radha his wife Radha, his daughter Durga and Kamal.
Raised in an orthodox Brahmin family from the Konkan, Tatya is brought to Mumbai to intern as a trader’s assistant in the textile market. Sheer guts and intuition help Tatya to rise to the position of a textile distributor, a film producer and finally one of the captains of industry.
From Khatryachi Chawl, a crowded residential building with common bathing facilities and shared verandahs situated in a working class neighbourhood to a large luxurious mansion sharing walls with the rich and famous, Tatya and his family rise to the occasion despite circumstances that are at times confusing and conflicting with deep rooted ideas.
A well researched book that introduces the reader to archaic customs and social mores of an era long past, ‘The Secret of More ‘ is a must read even if you read only one book in a year.

4 people found this helpful

SEROW

An Engaging & Well researched Historical Novel

Reviewed in India on October 23, 2022

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It is not often we are privy to lives and worlds from the past of the Indian sub continent. The Secret of More does that - draws you into the minutiae of individual people’s moorings against the canvas of a bygone time of Bombay’s textile mills and the silent film era. You become part of that city’s rich history, while simultaneously being involved at close quarters, in a family story as it unfolds. Almost like both the larger platform and the inner realms are the warp and weft weaving a fascinating tapestry for you. Finely crafted and well researched, this is a worthwhile book to read and keep, or gift to people who value good, deep writing and the endangered art of story telling. Thanks to Tejaswini Apte, the author.

3 people found this helpful

Anna Fisher

Masterful storytelling and highly recommended.

Reviewed in Germany on September 27, 2022

Verified Purchase

Masterful storytelling, exceptional doorway deep into a world of wonder.
A journey of love, dignity and determination filled with the tastes, sounds, sights and colours of Bombay and beyond. Brilliantly researched, completely captivating and inspiring. Thank you Tejaswini Apte Rahm for this exceptional gift. The Eloquence and wisdom with which you write leaves me waiting in anticipation for your next brilliant novel.
Highly recommended!