Seventy . . . and to hell with it

The irrepressible Shobhaa De is back with a book that celebrates her upcoming seventieth year. She calls herself a 'Child of the Republic' as looks back on the terrain of her life. Especially at relationships-hers and those she has observed over the years-and at ever-present fears and grief.

Shobhaa De's writing exudes an empathy that has turned several of her books into life manuals for generations of Indians. Her keen wit spears and spares none, least of all herself. Her delicious irreverence makes this book a delight to read. It is the lessons in loving and living woven into the writing-intensely personal and deeply felt-that form the wise heart of Seventy.