I am in a book rut. Well and truly into it. Mired in it. And buried in it. Nothing I pick seems to hold my interest. Nothing is making want to read through the night, not wanting to eat because there is a book to read! After the last disastrous reading of Say You're One of Them, I turned to Tahmima Anam's A Golden Age
.Set in Bangladesh, we follow Rehana through the tumultous times when Bangladesh as a country was born - torn from its identity as East Pakistan. Anam writes in an easy, conversational style - and that is precisely the reason I could finish the book because the story really doesn't go anywhere. There is a certain laziness in describing action and I almost had to force myself to visualize gunshots and bombs in Dhaka. When the reader has to force herself to imagine, the writer will be in trouble. Rehana is a single mother, having lost her husband to a heart attack. Her two kids are taken away from her by her brother, who cites her financial constraints as the reason. Rehana fights, builds a new house called Shona, gets her kids back only to watch them get embroiled in the freedom struggle in Bangladesh.
So, what's the problem? Interesting enough story, ain't it? The plot is fine, but what about the rendering? Boring. Rehana is forever pained - she seems to have no deep understanding or connection with her kids, and the action as I said earlier, seems forced. And I have a problem with the title : 1971 was a calamitious time for Bangladesh. It was a time of genocide. Pray, how does it become the Golden Age? I mean, no one calls 1939 as Poland's Golden Age, do they? I will leave this review now. Somehow, I don't feel like even devoting time to tell you not to read it. Can anyone suggest a good book for me, please? :-(.
Review : Boring.
Verdict : 1/5
Awwww, sorry you had to read yet another bad book. So THAT is why you asked Birdy and me to get a book for you today, eh? I have a shelf full of to-be-read books, some of which I would have happily lent to you naa :(. Next weekend?
ReplyDeleteOuch. I am sorry you read something that you didn't like....what sort of books are you looking for...you could try The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - that might certainly get you out of the rut. I have been recommending this book to virtually everyone and haven't gotten back a bad review response till now!
ReplyDelete@ Thoughts : Please next weekend :-)
ReplyDelete@ Vaishnavi : I love your recommendations! I have already read the Potato Peel though! Such a cute novel, ain't it?
Thank God I won't be picking up that one :)Sorry your stuck in such a bad book reading phase. I would suggest something by P G Woodhouse if you haven't read them all already :) I re read them all the time.
ReplyDeleteAlso I would have suggested some but my favs are in YA genre which I am not sure if u want to read :)
@Shweta : Blush blush, I haven't read a PG Wodehouse. Yet. In my adult life. Sigh. I really should. Hehe, you are right - I don't read much of YA although Thoughts here does.
ReplyDeleteSoul - Shweta is right, your should read P.G Wodehouse. You will like his subtle sarcasm's and witty humor.
ReplyDeleteShweta - You can recommend some good YA to me -:) Thank you!
@ Thoughts- I would suggest Looking For Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta. I think it's a very well written YA novel.
ReplyDeleteThen there's my fav Elizabeth Scott who writes everything from fluff to stark reality and does it right each
time:)
If you are in to historical fiction then Michelle Moran.All 3 of her books are awesome.
Then if you like fantasy YA I think u can read Shannon Hale.
I think I have listed too many :)Hope it helps
@SoulMuser- I think u should read Woodhouse. Better late then never:)