I first came to know about this novel from the movie, "Mujhse Dosti Karoge " and it was made into notice so many times throughout that I thought of purchasing one and reading it. First of all, it was difficult for me to get it in Lucknow back then, but I must say, the wait was indeed worth.
It is, as the heading says, about a couple, journeying from friendship to love to marriage. So, whats unique about it which makes it so different from others? Well, there lies the theme. Its a romantic, yet emotional, tragic story. Different from those happy ending types. A story which if read with heart, leaves you in tears.
I appreciated this novel first of all because the simplicity of the writer, I am not an avid reader of novels, but I did not find it boring, difficult or unnecessarily lengthy to stay months.
This story makes one fall in the frames and start living it for real, why? Because all the narrations are kept so true to the reality, they makes one feel, "Oh, thats how my partner also says or behaves" and thats what makes one glued to reading it.
The eternal love between the characters and the pain they go through leaves you sad, crying and sighing . A movie was also based on this novel and released in 1970 casting Ali MacGraw, Ryan O’Neal, John Marley, which tells the popularity of this novel.
A must read as a novel for every person in love or believing in love and those who cant bear reading, can watch the movie itself.