THE Peshwa (English, Paperback, RAM Sivasankaran)

If history fascinates you then this novel "The Peshwa: The Lion and the Stallion" by Ram Sivasankaran takes you a few centuries back in Mughal - Maratha period. In the 18th century, when Mughals were loosing their grip over Indian sub-continent and Maratha empire was gradually taking control over Indian states, under the guidance of Chhathrapathi Shahu (son of late Chhathrapathi Sambhaji) and the leadership of Balaji Vishwanath Bhat (Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy), the empire was rising a...

Truth be told, I am not a big fan of mythological / historical fiction. But then, this book attracted me since Ram was my classmate at Indian School Muscat and I was keen to read his work considering all the good reviews it was getting. Is this a debut to remember for Ram? Let’s check it out.

The blurb goes like this –

It is the 18th century and despite the dominant Mughal rule, the Maratha Confederacy has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the Indian Subcontinent. The fra...

The best part about "THE PESHWA" is that debutante author Ram Sivasankaran gives you an indepth glimpse into what happened before Mastani appeared.

The book shows that tremendous amount of research has been done. Ram’s writing and command over language is brilliant. His English is flawless. The language is not as simple as the one we find in those romcom Indian novels of today, and that is such a welcome change. It only enhances the seriousness of the plot.
It was a lovely experience knowing...

Honest Confession – I rarely read ‘historical’ books – but, I am glad I read this one!
What attracted me? - The Book Cover (that piercing warrior’s gaze!) & the urge to read something new & different!

It’s the kind of book which flows like poetry and you can see the characters moving in your mind’s eye (may I mention – I LOVED the writing style). I’d be at work, and wish I could sneak in a page or four!
Demonetisation came to the rescue! Those long queues were the PERFECT reason for readin...

The Peshwa is a book that takes the readers on Bajirao Peshwa's journey from his birth to the first battle he wins against the Mughals. I started reading the book with a blank canvas because my knowledge about this great hero is restricted to the information I gathered from the movie “Bajirao Mastani”. However, I must say the author has done an excellent job in portraying the life journey of this great hero. The characters are well established and the storyline realistic.The description and n...

I absolutely loved the story from the very beginning and I am in love with the author’s style of narration. He has painted the 18th century with his words for the reader to get lost into and live a life of court politics and warfare.

In between, he brings the joys of life and gives each and every character the freedom to develop into actual people. The emotions that are portrayed are so good that even a person who does not know history will fall in love with the characters.

The strength of ...

A historical fiction, the book deals not only with the coming of age of Peshwa Bajirao Bhat of the Maratha Confederacy but also gives an insight into the character and statesmanship of his father Peshwa Balaji Vishvanath Bhat. The story-line is engaging. It gives us an insight into a tumultuous period in Indian history in an interesting manner with all elements of human emotion served in appropriate measure. There is romance, there is hate. There is loyalty, there is deceit. There is empathy,...