The family’s hunting lodge in the beautiful village of Shaya is all the refuge that shy, introverted Rose, the Maharani of Manon, has ever needed. The craggy mountains, the deep forests, the clear streams – all give her a sense of peace. But when her husband passes away, leaving her the lodge and no money to maintain it, she must gather the will to sell it. Rose moves into the house of her neighbour Leela, an affectionate, whimsical woman, and finds the lodge a buyer: self-made billionaire Sandy Mehta.
Tall and charming, with a dimpled smile, Sandy turns out to be just the wrong sort of man for the place. His family is loud and inclined to party. And he’s building a helipad in her beloved Shaya. For Rose, it is hate at first sight – and for Sandy, instant attraction. An earthquake, a landslide and a magical night shake Rose’s certitude, but there is no writing away the beautiful friend with whom Sandy seems to share a special relationship.
Love and Learning Under the Magnolia Tree is a witty love story that captures the friction in a clash of cultures with surprising deftness and lightness of touch. Set in a part of India still unspoilt by urbanisation, painter and writer Bulbul Sharma weaves an entrancing tale of self-discovery.
