The Sleepless Beauty — by Rajesh Talwar
Pages: 90
Price: Rs. 70 INR(Kindle edition)
ASIN: B07PFVYLT6
Buy here: https://amzn.to/32uBRau
THE WEST GAVE THE WORLD ‘THE SLEEPING BEAUTY’.
NOW, FROM THE EAST, COMES ANOTHER CHARMING AND EXCITING FAIRY TALE — ‘THE SLEEPLESS BEAUTY’!!
In a small kingdom somewhere in the Himalayas, the beautiful young Princess Ramya cannot sleep. It all started soon after her mother, the queen, passed away, when the princess was only twelve. Her father, the king, tries everything to make his little princess sleep, but nothing works. The princess develops such an inability to sleep that she becomes known in her kingdom and far beyond as the Sleepless Beauty.
The king wishes Princess Ramya to marry and take over the reins of government, but the princess is determined not to marry till such time as her sleep is restored. Eventually, the king announces a competition whereby whichever prince succeeds in getting Princess Ramya to sleep will win her hand. Meanwhile deadly foes of the kingdom wait and watch in the wings, planning to launch a surprise attack. This exciting, romantic tale, with comic interludes, will appeal to readers of all ages.
My take on the book:
Princess Ramya of Bangra Kingdom suffers from sleeplessness and this trouble started after her mother, Queen Mohini passed away when Ramya was only twelve. The King Bhoj tries multiple ways to put Ramya to sleep but all in vain. The princess grows up with this trouble, and when the King wants to get her married, she has a condition that she wants to marry the Prince who can help get rid of her sleeplessness.
Ramya is well aware that her sleeplessness is now causing lack of concentration and at times even making her fall unconscious and that she cannot marry unless she can come out of this condition. The King is also concerned about his growing age and enemy scare and hence sends out note to all kingdoms about his daughter’s problem, inviting Princes who can cure Ramya. After much scrutiny, the King and the princess select few eligible suitors to further meet and cure this condition. The rest of the story is about if Ramya will finally find a solution for her condition that was almost assumed to be incurable. What will finally help solve the problem which was beyond the reach of medicines and herbs?
Fairy tales and folklore in Indian fiction have majorly explored known mythological characters and stories and hardly attempt to go beyond the popular stories. The Sleepless beauty is one such heart warming feel-good story of how a very beautiful, smart and intelligent princess suffers from a weird problem, and how she ultimately chooses the right partner who can cure her disease once and for all.
At only 90 pages, this makes for a short read and stays true to the story without any unwanted content or dragging. However, writer should have taken more care towards few details to make it sound more authentic and true to the timelines of the story, like avoiding references like Papa by the princess. Also, some sequences with the Doctor Prince are unintentionally amusing. If these minor flaws can be ignored, this is one story which is thoroughly entertaining and engaging from start to end which is a must read sweet fairy tale.
My rating:
4/5.