Reviews

Confessions of a Listmaniac - The Life and Times of Layla the Ordinary by Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan

em_beddedinbooks's review

3.0

A light, easy read. Funny and thought-provoking in parts. It gives the glimpses of the immediate environment of an'ordinary' 16 year old co-ed girl - so naturally it deals with girl friends, boy friends, crushes, first love, heart break, shopping, music and journal writing. One thing I found difficult to comprehend was that the book describes kissing between boyfriend-girl friend in the school corridors, with most students cheering them on, and the P E teacher doing nothing more than blowing his whistle at them. If this is the true scene going on in Indian co-ed schools nowadays, India has "progressed" beyond words. In my times (a couple of decades back), co-ed schools themselves were a rarity in India, and times and relationships were not that forward. Even the parents in the story don't mind their young kids bringing their "friends" home. But I am all for co-ed schools and healthy interaction between the sexes, which is much needed and appreciated. I am waiting for my son to grow up to see what the scene will be in his era :-)