2 States: The Story Of My Marriage Paperback – January 1, 2014

I liked the book because I consider it a love story and, as I normally would reject reading "romances", I got a surprise. I like the story for its portrayal of the transformation in thinking and behavior of people who normally would hide behind their prejudices to keep themselves from accepting those who are different than they are and stepping outside of their personal, cultural cocoon too realize that their way is not the only acceptable way. I liked the story also because I learned new things about India, which before I tended too think about as one, unified country.The book is a great read, very engaging and terribly funny yet dramatic and sincere.

Very early into the book, the following two sentences occurred on consecutive pages:"'Give mine to her', I said and regretted it immediately. She'll never date you. It's a rasgulla down the drain, I scolded myself.""Four hundred eyes followed us as I walked out of the mess with Ms. Ananya Swaminathan, rated the best girl by popular vote in IIMA."And I immediately surmised my expectations about the book. Being a Chetan Bhagat novel, I was expecting a breezy read filled with genuine laughs, cheesy situations, subtle advises, and bare-minimum melodrama. Glad to say, I was correct!For the uninitiated, this book tells the story of two lovers from geographically opposite ends (Delhi and Chennai) who take great efforts (and plan weird schemes) to convince each others' parents to bind them in holy matrimony. Set in 3 different cities with a plethora of well-written characters, Bhagat convincingly describes the differences in thinking, values, and ambitions of individuals and cultures.Besides the light-hearted nature of the book, I also liked the story's flow which at no point wavered from the core subject/aim of the book. Definitely recommend reading it, possibly on a long train journey.

Remarked to a friend from India that I had read many authors, but none from her homeland. I’m so glad she recommended Bhagat as I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It brought both smiles and tears and a HUGE grin at the end.

I liked the book overall, however some of the characters looked phony. Without giving too much about the book, the heroine of the book acted in a way that was not expected of the girl raised in a certain way by her strict parents and the fact that she was a very brilliant person. A great majority of educated Indian women of her caliber would not have act that way. This theme was repeated throughout the book.The dialouges in the book were superb and the dipiction of the social life in different parts of India were described in immaculate details, which is possible only by a person with very deep observation skills.Keep up the good work Chetan.

It sure is a must read for all those people in love from different communities. The book keeps you close to the character as it is written in first person. Their are the major truths of life in this book especially for the Indian. I watched the movie too. The book obviously is expounding and feels more realistic than the movie.

This is an utterly charming read!Funny and sweet, albeit slightly implausible (mind you, what do I know?!), this comes across as a very modern tale of India today. However its themes are universal and if you're interested in stories of how to manage love and relationships as they move through the first flush and to where 'real life' intrudes, this is the book for you. It touches on domestic violence which I found to be quite interesting in a 'romantic comedy' novel.The characters are well rounded and the deftness of the author just avoids them descending into too much cliche.I hear they're making a movie of it, starring Shah Rukh Khan as the romantic hero. I adore SRK but he's too old to play the hero. He should play the father. It's the meatiest part and the most interesting character in the book.Highly recommended.

Saw the movie first and it is Bollywood and there's singing and dancing... and frankly the story shines through the whole brilliantly... though the Punjabi wedding scene is one my favorite dance scenes outside of Om Shanti Om. Reading the book afterward was startling to how close the movie stayed in the story. Interesting read and if you haven't read Mr. Bhagat, well it's great start.

It was ok. It was entertaining and flowed interestingly. The author has creative stories that connects culturally with 'being Indian'.