Alamut: Vladimir Bartol

Image Credit: quakerbooks

For the first time I have read an entire book that has given rise to one word in the English language. Reading Vladimir Bartol’s “Alamut” was easy and fascinating. Alamut is based on a legendary character named Hasan ibn-Sabbah who is purported to be the leader of the world’s first suicide killers. The story is set in the 11th century AD in the Middle East around Persia. Ibn-Sabbah, simply known as Sayyiduna to his followers rests within the strong walls of a towering castle, whose name is Alamut, meaning "eagle's nest." Hasan’s plan is to recruit a bunch of youngsters, convert them into faithful robots and use them in his ploy to become powerful and spread the Ismaili doctrine through the land.

But when the story begins I had no inkling of these machinations. In fact Bartol builds up anticipation by saying that nobody has seen Hassan but he is the most powerful man on earth because “Allah has given him the key that unlocks the gate to paradise.” This is the crucial message that is hammered into the head of his recruits and believers. As the book unravels I felt horrified at the extent of trouble that Hassan has gone to create a world of make-believe in order to prove his theories and realize his plans.

Bartol draws an extremely chilling portrait of this dictator who stops at nothing to get his plans into action. And yet it’s a complete, well rounded picture showing that even the cruelest dictator is nothing more than human. Hassan has his fears, flaws and yes even emotions.

"He had been hard and demanding toward himself. He had also been hard and demanding toward others.All just to realize his goal, to embody his dreams."

He is built up initially as a divine power but then it’s clear that he is very much human. And that makes it more chilling as we see the evil that we are capable of.

And now the word. Hassan’s exploits have given rise to the word “assassin” in English derived from the Arabic “hashshashin.” It is also derived from “hashish” a drug, which plays a prominent role in the novel. I cannot go more into that without giving out spoilers.

Bartol has painted a dramatic landscape filled with revenge and the thirst for power. Hassan’s strength is his capacity to ignite the passions in young men through his words. The power of his speech is admirable and at times even I found myself wavering between hating him and feeling pity for him.

One of the few things I can find fault with in the book is the way women are portrayed. They may be pawns in Hassan’s elaborate game, but they needn’t be over-emotional. Women are mostly shown as either empty headed giggling beings or teary eyed creatures, so delicate that they are unable to take romantic fervor and faint when they are in love! Such over-wrought emotions punctuate the otherwise steely atmosphere of the book. Also, long conversations on religion and its intricacies act as a drag on the book’s fast pace.

I was impressed by Bartol’s knowledge of the Middle East, despite being a Slovenian. The theme of the book is said to be taken from a chapter from Marco Polo’s travels but Bartol has made it into a towering, real life story that is not unimaginable in today’s world where terrorism strikes fear in every person. A book that is more relevant today than any other time.


Verdict: Fast paced adventurous read with a lot of insight into the origins of terrorism.

Rating: 4/5

The History of Love : Nicole Krauss

                                      Image Credit : Coverbrowsers.

Sunday morning here, and I just finished reading Nicole Krauss's The History of Love, which I started exactly the Sunday before. Published to wide acclaim, I had been waiting to read the History of Love. Friends were a bit amused when they heard what I was reading, I am more likely to read the History of Sarcasm, if there were such a book, than a book that promises romantic illusions and forays into love. Yet. Here I am. On a Sunday morning. Just after reading the History of Love. And to tell the truth, a bit confused at the end of it all. Most people say that confusion is one of the most common feelings in love, so perhaps Nicole Krauss knew what she was doing.

The story? Leopold Gursky once wrote a book called the History of Love, written for the love of his life, Alma Meriminski, and that's where it begins and ends. The book's most moving pages, were for me, right at the beginning when Krauss paints a vivid picture of an old, forgotten man aching with loneliness, who even models for a nude drawing class just so that he can have people looking at him, and thereby give him the attention he craves.

"I try to make a point of being seen. Sometimes when I'm out, I'll buy a juice even though I'm not thirsty. If a store is crowded I'll even go so far as dropping my change all over the floor, the nickels and dimes skidding in every direction."

Gursky survives the holocaust, and comes to the U.S. in search of Alma, only to find her married. But he does have a son by her : Isaac Moritz.What does Gursky do? He is a locksmith, letting people inside locked houses - a poignant symbol if there ever was one. He also loves Isaac, who of course, does not know that Gursky is his father. And then, the narrator changes - and we have the family of David Singer, and his daughter, Alma, who is named after the same Alma in Gursky's History of Love. Alma is on a search herself for love - to bring the light back to her mother's eyes after her father's death.

How all these various elements are fused together forms the crux of the book. This is what had me confused a little. Layered elements tend to do that to me. It's just my feeble mind that tends to walk away from complexities. And Krauss has really made a simple tale of love into an overwhelmingly complex one that jars two lives together - the young Alma and old Leopold, and fuses them them into that ending that really resolved little. Or perhaps, it was deliberately so, maybe Krauss never intends to offer a resolution. From the other reviews I have read about this book, there seem to be two sets of people : one set absolutely loves and adores the book and the other set is a bit confused, wondering if they have missed something. I fall into the second set.

Should you read it? I would recommend the book as I would recommend the toss of a coin. Hit or Miss. Heads or Tails.

Verdict : If words alone can make a book, then the History of Love takes the prize for eloquent and beautiful writing. But the story had me muddled in the middle, and after that I was just kind of waiting to get through to the end.

Rating: 3/5

Esther's Inheritance: Sandor Marai

Image Credit: Kimbofo

There is a certain satisfaction that washes over you when you finish reading a book in good time. But I was ecstatic after finishing a book in about 45 minutes! I had gone to a bookstore near my office when I noticed “Esther’s Inheritance” by Sandor Marai sitting on the shelf. I grabbed it and saw that it was terribly expensive for a book that was just 140 pages long. I was about to keep it back when I thought, why not read it right here right now? I had the time to spare.

And that is how I finished this enigmatic tale of love and resignation. Esther is a middle-aged spinster who leads a quiet life with Nunu, her relative. Her mechanical life is disrupted by the arrival of a telegram, announcing the return of the “only man I ever loved.” Lajos, her lover had professed undying love for her but ended up marrying her sister, Vilma. After Vilma’s death, Lajos leaves the place and is not heard of much. Until now.

Lajos had a reputation for being the most pathological liar and swindler back then and her first reaction at the news is to “hide the silver.” Once he arrives there is a bit of tension in the air. Marai places Lajos and Esther in a small space bound by their own individual wills. Esther is resigned to her life and her knowledge of him makes her initially determined not to let him get at her. Lajos is the charming deceiver he always was and his power of persuasion remains as strong as ever. He tells Esther he wants to set things right, but she knows that he has ulterior motives. In the end, Marai pares the story down to a battle of wills. I agree with this excellent review from the Guardian, in this aspect.

Although the story begins slowly, Marai maintains a steady tempo later on with Esther’s dialogues and narratives punctuated by Lajos’ low, sheepish voice, which makes it obvious even to the reader that he has other thoughts in his mind. Brilliantly sketched, these two characters shine just like the elderly soldiers in Embers. The end is ironic and even perhaps expected and yet perplexing.

In fact, there is a bit of a dramatic twist that struck me after I finished reading the book. I had thought Esther was a clear-cut individual and I could understand her. But it turns out that Lajos redeems himself by staying true to his picaresque ways. It is Esther who becomes enigmatic and leaves me wondering what was in her mind. As always Marai’s books have that tinge of enigma and irony that make them the classics that they are.

Verdict: There is a lot more dimension to this book and it is worth exploring

Rating: 4/5

A Lost Lady: Willa Cather

Image Credit: Timmer 82

After that heavy read previously, I wanted something light and easy. I chose “A Lost Lady” by Willa Cather. I actually didn’t know about this author at all until SoulMuser reviewed My Antonia. I wouldn’t say A Lost Lady is a story. What it has is a theme and a character. And that is about the railroad pioneers of the mid-west who once conquered greatness and lived a life of grandness. Cather pastes this theme into the small town of Sweet Waters, where the lives of Mrs. Forrester, Captain Forrester and Niel are enmeshed. With time, values change, the life of the town fades, the pioneers lose the shine on their spurs and romance and adventure give way to the lust for money.

Cather wraps this setting around Mrs. Forrester, the belle of the town and the young wife of Captain Forrester. She is the central character and all others are present to provide a foil to her. She becomes the ideal woman for Niel, who falls in love with her in a way only a teenaged boy can – with complete possessiveness and innocence. Mrs. Forrester is enigmatic, aristocratic, graceful and wildly sensual. Cather has sketched her character in an outstanding manner, with just a touch of poignance to mark her otherwise smooth artifice.

Niel, who becomes a family friend of the Forresters, is the decent, protective young man who continues to hold Mrs. Forrester as a romantic ideal. Until one incident changes the whole picture. Niel realizes then, that Mrs. Forrester is not what he thought she was. He recognizes that he was in love with romance and it is painful when his illusion is shattered.

“It was a melancholy time for him. He was in a fever of impatience to be gone, and yet he felt that he was going away forever, and was making the final break with everything that had been dear to him in his boyhood. The people, the very country itself, were changing so fast that there would be nothing to come back to.”

Cather’s prose is sensitive and nostalgic. The writing is fluid and subdued. But what obviously stands out is Mrs. Forrester, as she is meant to. Selfish yet kind, intimate yet aloof, open yet opaque, Mrs. Forrester is full of contradictions and Cather has penned them with an unwavering hand.

Verdict: Mrs. Forrester is not to be missed

Rating: 4/5

For Matrimonial Purposes : Kavita Daswani

                                        Image Credit : Amazon
I am in the process of reducing my TBR shelf. Kavita Daswani's For Matrimonial Purposes was a book I had picked up at a sale two years ago for less than $2. There are some books that teach you, some books that reveal something new to you, some that touch you, and some, like For Matrimonial Purposes, just read every word of your own life back to you.

Many of this blog's readers are from the West, and they perhaps may not be able to empathize with the plight of poor Anju, who is that horrible blot on Indian society - an unmarried woman well into her twenties, scarcely attracting a "suitable boy." I know. I am one of those blots. I have friends who are also not serving the great Indian marriage system. Abominable we are. Anju is fairly independent, even living in New York on her own as a publicist, but is not spared of her mother's constant "so, any good news, beti?" each time she calls. Since she graduated, her life turns miserable when an astrologer gravely proclaims that she cannot get married till she passes the ripe old age of 26.

Anju is taken on a flurry of prayers and pilgrimages to holy places to get rid of this 'bad' astrological influence. She has to fast - Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Going to a wedding means being looked down pityingly by a mass of relatives, firmly ecsonsced on their marriage throne. All of this, no doubt, will strike a chord with today's Indian woman - no matter how posh, liberated or sophisticated her family is - marriage remains India's number one obsession, apart from cricket and religion, that is.

Kavita Daswani has packed humor, sarcasm and wit in her writing. I loved this line when Anju in exasperation asks her mother, " Don't you want me to be happy?" And her mother replies, " I don't want you to be happy. I want you to be married." Like much of pop lit, the ending is a bit contrived. You know that the 'feel-good' ending is coming up, and when it does, you feel a tad disappointed. I also wished that Anju would show a little more spine. Throughout the book, she never manages to raise her voice, but instead succumbs to that nakedly unabashed desire to find a husband, have a grand wedding, and wipe out the sadness in her parents' eyes. Yet, I wouldn't blame Anju too much for the simple reason I know, I have been through all that she goes through. Sometimes, even being rich and independent in New York does not count for much. You have to be rich and married and shallow. Which is what Anju turns out to be. 

Ignore the book's obvious cliches. You will notice them, and just pass them over. But read the book for what I think is a fairly realistic portrayal of life in Indian society. Being a single woman is getting easier as India lurches painfully through this 21st century. But it still carries a stigma, no matter how much the Indian media tries to paint it otherwise. But I digress. This is turning out to be a rather rambling review, but let me be allowed that luxury. For it is not often that you find a book so close to truth like this.

Verdict : Writing never flags, and the book is interesting despite never being intriguing. 


Rating : 3/5

The Ascent of Man: Jacob Bronowski

Image Courtesy: Clive Barker

Did you know that humankind started off as a vegetarian? Did you know that the first evidence of humans was provided by a fossil of the Australopithecus? And biological evolution took two million years, but cultural evolution took just about 20,000 years? If you are a scientist or a student of science you probably would know these facts. But for me, these were astonishing facts learnt from Jacob Bronowski’s “The Ascent of Man.” I saw this dusty book on SoulMuser’s bookshelf. She said nobody had ever read it and since I have always been fascinated by evolution and archaeology and such, I thought I would give it a try.

The Ascent of Man begins with fossil finds that showed how humans as a race began. From there it traces how learning took place, going to different stages in our history. He talks of how something as simple as the domestication of the horse was a significant step in the expansion of kingdoms since wars were fought on horseback. Architecture, science, the arts, mathematics all came together in assuring that humans continued developing their race. And most importantly he points out what he thinks separated the advancements of the Old World, which was mostly the Middle East, parts of Europe and Asia from the backwardness of the New World, mostly the Americas.

Most of the time the book is not a dry, boring read, considering its subject. Bronowski liberally sprinkles anecdotes and tidbits from history that makes very interesting and sometimes humorous reading. I learnt that when Pythagoras succeeded in proving his theorem, he offered 100 oxen to the Muses for inspiring him. Benjamin Franklin was a rather lively and quirky character who “made the first pair of bifocal spectacles for himself, by sawing his lenses in half, because he could not follow French at Court unless he could watch the speaker’s expression.”

There were a few chapters, which went too much into science, especially chemistry and physics, for my liking. Some of the concepts were a bit too over the top for me to understand but many were fascinating. Since this is the intellectual evolution of man and not just the physical or the spiritual, I guess scientific progress had to be mapped.

The Ascent of Man was made into a 13 part BBC series, which became a rage along with the book. Here is part one from YouTube. I think I will watch all the 13 parts available, part one seems fascinating enough.


Verdict: Very fascinating read

Rating: 5/5

Aquariums of Pyongyang: Ten Years in the North Korean Gulag : Chol-hwan Kang, Pierre Rigoulot

                                           Image Credit : Justice Denied 

The Aquariums of Pyongyang is a shattering read. Chol-hwan Kang's memoir of his childhood in North Korea is riveting, heartbreaking, and one of those books that one must read in order to understand well the prisons that continue to chain this world of ours. All these great leaders in the world, from China to America to India to France or the U.K. cannot do anything to stop a despot like Kim il-Jong.

Chol-hwan Kang writes without sentiment. This is not meant to be a great literary memoir but written from a child's eyes, it is immediately effective. Chol-hwan Kang's parents left their privileged existence in Japan to return to their homeland - North Korea, and serve what they thought was the revolution. From being promised an idyllic existence, both Kang's parents and grandparents found that reality was harsher than propaganda - slowly, their life unraveled as the Party tightened its noose around them. His life comes to a halt when his grandfather is sent away to a labor camp, reasons for which are never clearly given, and Kang and his family are sent to the Yodok camp, a comparitively less harsher environment. His mother stays behind in Pyongyang after her family connections to the Party offer her protection, against her will. Yodok is no paradise. It is a brutal reminder of the extent to which human beings can punish each other.

Thrust into this camp, one of the most heartbreaking scenes for me is when the young Chol-hwan Kang drags his aquarium all the way to the camp, and then watches in horror as one by one his fish die in the brutal conditions at Yodok. It moved me, this passage, and I could almost imagine this child sitting there, hugging his glass aquarium, and wondering how the leaders who he had been taught to regard as God, could let him down so. From then on, Kang learns the art of survival. He proves to be resourceful even as he is bewildered by the constant cruelty at the camp, and even mentions how he might miss the place if they are released. Isn't it strange that we can also miss what we hate? The family are inexplicably released in the 1980s, although this is probably due to the death of their grandfather. The rest of the novel describes Chol-hwan Kang's attempt to integrate himself into North Korean society - yet, he is never free, he is aware that he will always be watched, and eventually along with a good friend, plots his escape to China and then South Korea, where he now works as a journalist.

There is no doubt that Kang's account is destined to be a classic. There are not many accounts of life in North Korea, and he offers an insightful, clear look at the horrors of the regime. Chol-hwan Kang remains honest at all times, assesses himself and his actions critically and dispassionately, and I, as the reader, would readily classify this along with Elie Wiesel's Night as one of the all-time '1000 Books to Read Before You Die.'

Verdict : No question about it. This is a must-read. 


Rating : 5/5

Reading Lolita in Teheran : Azar Nafisi

                                                   Image Credit : Amazon
I deserve a prize. I deserve a medal. Drum roll, please! I finished Azar Nafisi's Reading Lolita in Teheran! This was one of the most difficult books I have struggled through! First picked up, then abandoned, I returned to Reading Lolita again this year. Aaargh. Torture! This is not to say that this New York Times bestseller is not good. Far from it. It is a fantastically well written book but it is just not readable. No sir, no ma'am, no!

Reading Lolita requires first of all a certain knowledge of literature. Now, I have done my Masters in Literature, but even that proved inadequate for the level of knowledge that Nafisi expects the reader to have built up. From Nabokov to Henry James to Fitzgerald to Saul Bellow, Nafisi shows us her erudition and destroys in the process any semblance of readability to the memoir. What frustrates me the most in this book is that Nafisi skims through the turmoils that shape her life in Iran. They are almost in the background, and it is really the books that gain prominence. Even Nafisi's students are sketched randomly, never enough to make you feel for each one of them. Their stories are just on the surface, like pebbles in the river of literature that Nafisi makes us wade through. And for a memoir, Nafisi remains surprisingly closed about her own life.

Having said that, if you have read your classics, then it is worth it to read this memoir for the dramatic and passionate forays it offers into well-loved novels alone. I have no doubt that Nafisi is a wonderfully eloquent writer. My gripe is that as a memoir, it stuttered almost like Iran's Paykan. We were taken back and forth through abrupt recollections, memories are just packed on to the senses without giving any sense of past or present, and the narrative as a whole loses fluidity as a result. It left me a bit cold, frankly saying. And that is saying a lot considering that Nafisi writes from that repressive furnace called Iran. I wish I liked this. But this is just so hard to like.

Verdict: Unsatisfying. 


Rating: 1/5

Brooklyn: Colm Toibin

Image Courtesy: The Independent

There is something mildly sad about a Sunday night. It’s the knowledge that Monday morning would descend with its bluesy veil and wrap me up in it for a time. Until the end of the day when it would just disintegrate like early morning mist disappearing with an increasingly warming sun. Well, I guess the end of a three day weekend inspires me to write something akin to poetry. And I think it's also the effect of just finishing Colm Toibin’s moving book “Brooklyn.”

I don’t think I need to give much of an introduction to this very popular book, which has received A+ ratings from most of the stalwarts among newspapers and book blogs. I would say I am slightly biased towards books that have received positive reviews from the New York Times. So the moment I saw the NY Times’ opinion I wanted to read Brooklyn and I am glad I did.

Brooklyn traces a couple of chapters in the life of Eilis, who lives in a small county in Ireland, with her mother and older sister, Rose. It is a known fact that there are no jobs left in Enniscorthy, which is why Eilis decides to accept Father Flood’s offer to go to Brooklyn in the US to work. Her sister Rose, a successful working woman, engineers Eilis’ passage to the US through Father Flood and soon Eilis finds herself in Brooklyn. Initially, she finds it extremely difficult to adjust to her new way of life as everything overwhelms her in the big city. But she manages to slip into a rhythm and soon falls in love. She is about to settle back in her new life when news from home forces her to go to Enniscorthy for a few weeks where she finds that her life is slipping out of her control.

Toibin writes in gentle prose that chronicles the wave of emotions Eilis experiences as she arrives in an alien city and learns to adapt. He is at his best in the last section of the book when Eilis battles conflicting feelings, once she returns home for a few weeks. Toibin's writing is sedate, but observant just like life in Enniscorthy. He sketches perfectly the transformation from Eilis the shy and diffident country girl to the more confident and poised American emigrant. Eilis, in her confusions, her hesitations and her apprehensions, is very much human and I warmed to her as the book progressed.

Brooklyn is also a two-sided painting with one side depicting life in the Irish town of Enniscorthy where everyone knows everyone and life in the big city of Brooklyn that is harsher and comprised of more colorful characters.

There was a gentle poignancy, humor and sadness in Brooklyn that was very palpable and a certain something that I could not put my finger on; something that few books have. I would say this is a book not to be missed.

Verdict: Brilliant writing that must be read

Rating: 4.3/5

A Garden of Eden in Hell: Melissa Muller

Image Courtesy: Book cover from PanMacMillan and below left- Alice today, from Sueddeutsche

It is often misconstrued that books that are little known are not exactly good to read. But I can say with conviction that it is not necessarily so. Take Melissa Muller’s “A Garden of Eden in Hell” for instance. Co-written with Reinhard Piechocki, it tells the story of Alice Herz, an accomplished pianist, who held concerts for the inmates of Theresienstadt, a concentration camp during World War II. Beginning with her birth in Prague, the book details her childhood, the discovery of her passion for the piano, her adulthood and marriage, her years at the concentration camp with her son and freedom. Based on a true story, Alice provided inspiration and strength to many during her stay in the camp and managed to survive to tell her story.

Alice’s story is simultaneously a musical odyssey as we get to know of various composers, especially Chopin. He is Alice’s favorite and I actually searched out his “Etudes,” purported to be a set of the most difficult compositions for a pianist, and heard them online. I love the piano myself though I have not had a chance to learn it yet and this book was a delight with an atmosphere that was constantly filled with musical notes. At times it went a bit too deep into musical explanations but that only stands as testimony to Alice’s passion. Each of the 24 Etudes has a mood and character of its own and the book takes pains to tell how each of them influenced inmates in different ways through their stories.

Alice outlived her husband and her son and continues to live in North London even today at the very young age of 105. Here she tells her thoughts and The Times chronicles a day in her life today.


Verdict: A World War book with a different take

Rating: 3.5/5

Almost Single : Advaita Kala

                                                  Image Credit : Harper Collins India
I am stuck reading Lolita in Teheran. It's not  a bad book but it just doesn't move. Ever got that feeling that you are reading a really good book, but that somehow it feels it is stuck in a morass? Well, I am there. And so to break away, I picked up Almost Single by Advaita Kala.

This book was a surprise hit. And a surprise pick from my side. I don't normally read too much of 'chick lit,' derogatory as that term sounds. Maybe I should call it 'pop lit,' eh? Better than naming the entire female population of this world as some fluttering wingless birds. Almost Single is a breezy read. Thankfully, it is no Chetan Bhagat. Advaita Kala's debut novel traces Aisha Bhatia, 29 years old, single and desperately looking as she moves through to a predictable love interest with handsome, drop-dead gorgeous Karan Verma. Aisha has a variety of friends who are also in alternating stages of a relationship - Misha, always on the lookout for that next big thing (pun intended) in a man, and Anushka who is going through a traumatic divorce. Added to her list are two gay friends, Ric and Nic. And adding trouble to Aisha's life is her boss, her manager at the Orchid Hotel where she works, and her mom who is nagging her on the big M.

Advaita has a flair for humor, and Aisha as the self-deprecating, wine-loving, perpetually-stumbling, forever-worrying 29-year old, makes for an easy narrator to read along with. Yet, I feel that this book could have done without the cliches. The love interest between Aisha and Karan is almost set in the background amidst a lot of partying, drinking, boss-baiting and bashing, and dates with astrologers, cousins and ex-boyfriends. I don't want to criticize this book too much because the author has clearly had a clear idea what she wants to do here - and she has achieved that. It's not a book that can cause a headache. It is just a gentle peek into some inane tomfoolery, a little romance, and some digs at contemporary Indian society. Did I like it? No, I didn't. But then, I think I am not the target audience for a book of this sort. The target audience who dig 'pop lit' will find this an enjoyable read. Fair enough.

Verdict : Read only if you are especially looking for a mindless flick. 

Rating : 2/5

Brideshead Revisited: Evelyn Waugh

Image courtesy: Fancy and Folly

It's refreshing to return to review writing after a break. Especially after that break included a holiday to Laos! But books never leave me and I finished reading both The Pilot’s Wife and Brideshead Revisited. The latter, a true classic written by Evelyn Waugh, captured my attention.

Brideshead Revisited begins with its protagonist Charles Ryder describing a life in the army in the prologue. This was the boring bit as he goes into much detail. But then, his regiment arrives at Brideshead, triggering off a set of memories and that is where the book begins. Ryder starts off describing his close friendship with Sebastian; a relationship imbued in homosexual tones, interspersed with delightful passages recounting his life at Oxford University. But their lives separate after college and Sebastian disappears. Although the rest of the book is Ryder’s journey, he is never far from Sebastian’s family and his friends.

What struck me the most in this book was the language. It had such lush, delicious prose that I re-read some of the passages again and again. This is one of my favorites -

The fortnight at Venice passed quickly and sweetly - perhaps too sweetly; I was drowning in honey, stingless. On some days life kept pace with the gondola, as we nosed through the sidecanals and the boatman uttered his plaintive musical bird-cry of warning; on other days with the speed-boat bouncing over the lagoon in a stream of sun-lit foam; it left a confused memory of fierce sunlight on the sands and cool, marble interiors; of water everywhere, lapping on smooth stone, reflected in a dapple of light on painted ceilings; of a night at the Corombona palace such as Byron might have known, and another Byronic night fishing for scampi in the shallows of Chioggia, the phosphorescent wake of the little ship, the lantern swinging in the prow, and the net coming up full of weed and sand and floundering fishes; of melon and prosciutto on the balcony in the cool of the morning; of hot cheese sandwiches and champagne cocktails at Harry's bar.

But there were passages that I did not grasp as much too. Most of them were Ryder’s or Sebastian’s arguments on religion. I skimmed through many of them because they tested my patience but ultimately those arguments are the core of the book and become one of the reasons for the book’s ending.

The character of Sebastian particularly stands out as being enigmatic and luminescent. His full name, Sebastian Flyte, is reminiscent of his flighty personality. He is the perfect spoilt rich kid, albeit with a lot more depth and charm, who becomes a drunkard. Most characters are fleshed out well and we see their many moods and personages. A smooth transition to the harsher realities of life and adulthood is made later on, which is equally enjoyable.

Waugh does a splendid job of describing the indolent life of the rich alongside the unhurried existence of youth. We also get a wonderful view of the British landscape in the early 1900s.

Brideshead Revisited is a classic but a very readable one. It is a must read at least for the rich prose if not for anything else.

Verdict: Yes, read

Rating: 4/5

The Pilot's Wife : Anita Shreve

                                        Image Credit : Amazon
I would probably, by myself, never pick up a book with a title like the Pilot's Wife, but pitiful circumstances in Laos when I was stranded with Evelyn Waugh's classic Brideshead Revisited, forced me to turn to Anita Shreve. Recommended by Oprah's Book Club, no less, I thought. Well, clearly Oprah and I are not on the same book footing then.

The Pilot's Wife begins promisingly enough. Poor Kathryn is awakened in the middle of the night with the news that her husband, a pilot, is dead in a plane crash in Ireland. Anita Shreve does not unduly dramatize Kathryn and her daughter, Mattie's grief - this part was handled with deft care without undue pathos, and showed a certain tact. The book moves at a fast pace from here on as Kathryn slowly begins to unravel the real person behind the pilot. Essentially, who was the man she married? Do we ever really know the ones we think we know? That is the premise of the book, the premise of Kathryn's life, and the premise that the reader of this book must also make.

Suffice to say that by the 20th page, I think I had guessed all I could about Jack's (the pilot) little life. There is supposed to be a slow thrilling element to this book, but nothing so mysterious that anyone who has read a little bit of Sidney Sheldon in their life would not be quick to point out. There is a story here - but I think Anita Shreve missed the 'real' story. If only they find out later that Jack never died, he survived, and he comes back to find his secret life exposed - whoa! That makes it interesting! Instead, we know that Jack is dead, emotions are alive, and that is pretty much it. I know that there are some who would point to the deep emotional impact of the book, at how well the author manages to convey the maelstrom of grief, but these kind of books don't go down well with me, sorry. This is not to say that the book is unreadable - it is a pleasant read, a bit of a lazy-lose-your-mind read, but a tad disappointing all the same. Thwarted promise always frustrates me so. And this book showed promise!

Verdict : Readable. 


Rating: 2/5

The 3 Mistakes of My Life : Chetan Bhagat

                                    Image Credit : Shelfari
I had unabashedly praised Chetan Bhagat's latest offering 2 States in a previous review. I had proclaimed to be pleasantly surprised at having actually enjoyed that particular book. And now I am back to reality with a bang. What do you do when you have a flight to catch? If you are a bookie, you would read. That's what I did while waiting for an Air Asia flight to Kuala Lumpur in the steamy muggy city of Cochin or Kochi. I had a few hours to kill, and thrusting aside all old fears about Chetan Bhagat's books, I picked up the 3 Mistakes of My Life. Ah! My mistake!!

Writers take pride in drawing the reader in. But more than that, they ought to take pride in enriching the world of reading. It doesn't matter if your books are read by millions or just thousands - but it matters if they were good. Here in 3 Mistakes, Chetan Bhagat fails miserably. He has created a Bollywood script, not a novel. What are the standard ingredients for a great Bollywood movie? Love, friendship, dreams, a little bit of patriotism, lots of cricket, religion, and some soppy sentimentality. We have that here! In our book! All of it!

We follow Chetan Bhagat through a ludicrous beginning when he rushes to India after reading a suicidal fan mail. That fan in question is Govind. And it is at his bedside that dear Bhagat learns the story of poor Govind's three mistakes. Govind then becomes the narrator and through trite prose educates us on his friendship with Ishaan and Omi. Govind is ambitious - he aspires to be a businessman, Ishaan is an Army dropout, and I kind of forget what Omi was meant for anyway. The three of them open a cricket shop in a temple. Please let me not suffer again by repeating the story - suffice to say that their shop is successful, Govind ends up sleeping with Ishaan's sister, and blissfully conceals that fact from his best friend till the climax, and Bhagat chooses to wrap all of them against the backdrop of the Godhra riots. There is also little Ali, a cricket genius who can hit 6 sixers and then sits down with a migraine! Boy needs training apparently, he has some super fast brain that tires easily!

The Godhra riots and Ali form the climax, and here is where it becomes too trashy even for Bollywood. (Their standards have improved!). The Godhra riots were a stain upon India's humanity - but Chetan Bhagat makes them sound like the pot boiler stuff of a Rajanikant movie. He struggles to lend poignancy and only makes you aware how excruciating he can be when he tries to mix pathos and drama in his writing.

The ending was a migraine. I kid you not. People may say this is "time pass" in the way we Indians do. But come on, doesn't everyone say time is precious? Why waste it on this? Readers deserve more.

Verdict : Just watch a movie, forget this book. 


Rating: 0/5