"Around India in 80 Trains" by Monisha Rajesh

"Around India in 80 Trains"

Monisha Rajesh

At first glance this book is funny and witty.  It is a journey of a girl travelling across India taking 80 trains.  To begin with I must say it is indeed a very brave attempt and she has actually done it beautifully, covering all corners of the country.  The best thing is after finishing the book you get that good positive feeling that all the problems in life can be dealt with determination and faith.  I like the book for lots of things - first the journey, secondly the detailed and in-depth look into India this book provides, thirdly her resolve to just keep moving ahead.

This book gives an extensive view of the Indian railway network.  Living in India since last 40 years, I did not know many of these places can be reached by our railways.  Loads of information around the places is being touched and shared.  The author has covered tourist places as well as famous religious places irrespective of religion.  Certain trains like Indian Maharaja and its Deccan counterpart were like news to me.  I did not have any idea that they existed.  

At the same time author has talked about the traveler's own personal challenges, fights and determinations.  I must say this whole journey was a very brave effort and I wish I could travel across India just like her.  I specifically like her style of writing; it feels easy to relate to.  Her idea of calling her companion 'Passepartout' is just cool.  This book could have been entirely different- it could have been just pointers and logs of her train travels; instead this book is more like her travel through life while she is doing all these train journeys.  This books talks about her journey as a person, meeting new people, fighting with old people, trusting random people, forgiving old friends.  I specially was surprised by her 10 day vipasanna course as not many people are brave enough to complete that.  That is something I myself want to do but cant take our 10 straight days from my life.  The end of her journeys not only mark the end of certain number of Indian trains but a lot more.  On a high level this book gives a good look into the very heart of India. 

Overall rating:  3.5 out of 5

Grip Factor        : 3
Language Style  : 3.5
Engaging Plot    : 3
Characters          : 3.5
Satisfying End   : 3.5

Goodreads Review:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3139409000

"The Night Circus" By Erin Morgenstern

"The Night Circus" 

By Erin Morgenstern

This is one  of the most magical books I have read... talking literally. It is a mystical and exceptional story built around two key people at the same time tying all other characters close in the story beautifully.  I wish they make a movie on this book so that I can actually watch all the wonders described here. This is one of those books which I have binge read.  In the beginning I thought there was too much of prose in the book.  However, once I completed around 10% of the book, interest started building up.  That is the point where you start getting hooked up.  

The book is about magic and two people who are supposed to compete with each other.  They have to figure out everything from the venue to the competitor to rules.  They have to excel at what they do at the same time doing better than the other.  While doing so they hopelessly fall in love with each other and their longing for true love is the biggest magic in the book.  "The circus arrives without warning" is the most lovable and sought after line in the book.  The world of illusions, surprises, tricks and magic; all has been covered exceptionally here. 

The circus in this book is one of the most dreamlike places in the world.  I wish there is such a circus which could take us away from the real world.  How the competitors make the system work and travel around the world is excellent.  The world thinks it is just illusion but the reality is so entirely different. that is what makes this book difficult to keep down.

 I am glad I joined this group on Goodreads - "Indian Readers".  They are currently reading this book and I started reading it post their recommendation.  There are many sections in this book which I love, I am listing below some of those.  These are the lines which I can keep saying out loud and refer to - again and again.

"Secrets have power and that power diminishes when they are shared, so they are best kept and kept well"

"The finest of pleasures are always the unexpected ones"

"I prefer to remain unenlightened, to better appreciate the dark" 

"Past stays on you the way powdered sugar stays on your hands"

"Stories are meant to be told.  You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul and it might move them and drive them".  

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3152821872

Overall Review: 5*

Grip Factor             : 5+
Language Style      : 5
Engaging Plot        : 5+
Characters             : 5+
Satisfying End       : 5

"Last Train to Instanbul " by Ayşe Kulin, John W. Baker (Translator)

"Last Train to Instanbul "

 by  Ayşe Kulin,  John W. Baker (Translator)

I don't know who but someone gave me a suggestion to read this book on Goodreads.  I just took the suggestion and bought it.  Honestly, it was one of the best decisions.  This is such a wonderful, informative, and captivating book.  Too many adjectives but nothing compares to what I felt while reading this and after finishing this book.  

People like me are very much engrossed and certainly well aware of political situations in our own countries.  We normally do not have any idea of what is going on half way across the world, leave alone what happened few decades ago.  The world is now well aware of how Jews were treated at the hand of Germany.  However, I did not have any idea of Turkey's role and respective handling of Turkish authorities in helping its own citizens in the situation.  

The book provides all the elements - Romance, War, sense of Mystery, a sense of longing to know what will happen next all throughout.  The book is spun around one family but is able to tie every other character around them easily at various events and phases in the book.  People living a normal life in Europe are jolted out of their daily routines and are subject to unimaginable, inhuman challenges and conditions.  One fails to imagine how could situations change and how could any government behave in such a way without any particular fault.  

How officials from Turkey step up and support their own citizens is commendable.  How they are able to bring their citizens back to their home ground right under the noses of Germans is amazing.  

Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17779550-last-train-to-istanbul?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=lbl0oyEAK4&rank=1

Overall Review: 5*

Grip Factor            : 5

Language Style      : 4.5 

Engaging Plot        : 4.5
Characters              : 4.5
Satisfying End        : 5

"Hinterland" by Caroline Brothers

"Hinterland" 

by Caroline Brothers

For the first time in my life, I saw the world from the eyes of someone we pass off as an illegal immigrant. Two brothers living life, having dreams & aspirations lose everything in a blink. They lose both their parents, their home, their country - everything they ever knew. Only thing they could dream of was a chance to live a better life, to be able to go to school. It is so sad to know that such a high percentage of such people are minors. They are the ones who never got a chance at anything. Life was basically snatched from their hands.  

The powers in the world take decisions in their meeting rooms and lives of normal people get crushed and moved and changed.  The book gives a detailed account of not only their journey but looks inside them and allows the reader to bond with them. The aspects regarding borders, government, police are all described carefully. The kids are able to find not only cheaters but also angels who help them throughout their journey. They are faced with lots of hardships but are also able to find loopholes and supporters. In that aspect the book is balanced.  It does not take sides of any power in the world nor does it compare any of them with other in terms of provisions or supplies or facilities or any lack of the same.  

The two brothers in this book live a journey to make something of their lives.  It feels sad to know that the book is based on true facts. However, given the current political situations in some countries, this is a fact which the world has to live with and face.  The ending is surprising and I wished it could have been more promising.  

Grip Factor: 4.5
Language Style: 4
Engaging Plot: 4.5
Characters: 4.5
Satisfying End: 4

Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12159295-hinterland

"The Tree with a Thousand Apples" by Sanchit Gupta

"The Tree with a Thousand Apples" 

by Sanchit Gupta

To the outside world and to the newer generation; even in India, Kashmir is what books like this shout out and propagate.  It is full of tyrannies of the state/army and events of poor people getting punished.  To them I would just say what I have said in my Goodreads review - I am not sure.  I am not sure of the various twists and turns in the book.  There are areas and details which are missing completely from events.  The sequence of events is twisted to show one side of pain only. 

I feel the author is trying to give a biased view of the situation. I will not go into the political truth of the facts and situation here.  But the book certainly seems biased and gives a one-sided narrative.  There are situations which are glorified and other situations which are made horrific & gory unnecessarily.  It seems the writer is not possessing basic knowledge regarding the culture and religion of people in the area.  People in India take their culture seriously and the lose narrative around characters with no dependency on history or culture or family values is disturbing.  There are hundreds and thousands of people across the world who had some unfortunate event happened to someone in their family.  The way characters take up guns in this book seems to be so easy and normal.  They do not even seem to have  a guilt narrative built around them nor are they made to think of any consequences.  I feel bad even for t he characters who have picked up guns here.  

Such books which claim to be based on facts and claim that they represent the common people need to be more responsible, unless obviously confusing everyone and giving false picture is the aim.  Such cases whereby facts can be twisted by fiction are always tricky.  People might take this fiction and consider it as a fact for what is the current situation in Kashmir.  

In terms of taking this plainly as a literary artifact, plots here are kept incomplete and not getting closed or reaching anywhere except a hasty closure at the end.   

Overall Review: 2*

Grip Factor         :  3

Language Style   :  3

Engaging Plot     :  2.5

Characters           :  2

Satisfying End     : 2

Goodreads Review: 2* (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33119297-the-tree-with-a-thousand-apples)

"The Palace of Illusions" by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

"The Palace of Illusions" 

by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Mahabharat has always been a story for me with loads of questions.  Questions around the godlike events, around the whole fanfare around Dharma, around several characters specially Draupadi, Karna, Duryodhan, Bheeshma and the five Pandavas.  This book gives me a different perspective on the entire story.

It allows me to relate to things and events in the story.  We have always listened and seen the story as something happening on the outside in a different realm.  However, it allows me to put myself in Panchali's shoes.  The way the story is written by Chitra Banerjee is so easy and smooth.  She makes Draupadi look like a normal human being with dreams and wants which she strives for and feels strongly when she loses them.

The story almost makes me fall in love with Draupadi and Karna.  The feelings displayed between these two in the book are such that you want them to be together and leave the rest of the story.  You want the writer to switch directions away from Mahabharat and towards the love story of these two.  Even though Yudhistir is one of the Pandavas, he looks like a villian in the book.  I hate him more than even Duryodhan.  Bhim feels like a bully who is soft at heart and cares for people.  Arjun has been kept just like another character - no feeling, no longing, no relation as such.  Relation with Kunti is just like any modern-day mother in law and daughter in law saga.  The kingdom of Indraprashtha has been given the same magical, mystical effect as we have always heard.  I don't know how appropriate such things are when we are talking about a historical set of events.  I love the girl though.

Points out of 5.  We all know how the story of Mahabharat goes.  The points represent how the story has taken shape in this book.  

Grip Factor         :  4.5

Language Style   :  4

Engaging Plot     :  4.5

Characters           :  4

Satisfying End     : 4

Goodreads Review:  Gave a 4* (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1774836.The_Palace_of_Illusions)

"The woman in the window" by A.J. Finn

"The woman in the window" 

by A.J. Finn

Frankly speaking when I picked up this book, the first thought that came to my mind was - Is this like a sister to "A girl on the train", them having some similarity on titles.  I actually started reading it being very sure it will be a similar plot wherein someone sees something, then no one believes due to drinking or some other problem and later on everyone believes and truth prevails.  Well, is it the case?

Yes and No.  The plot might be similar but the narrative and writing are very different.  I picked up the book and could  not keep it down.  Specially after there is a twist in the plot, the reading goes on irrespective of the time.   

The book starts with regular scenario whereby things are going fine and the woman is noticing things in her regular life.  One keeps on wondering as to why is she in such a situation.  A connection to a lesser known medical condition makes one do a little side research.  The writer leaves lots to a healthy imagination as to the situation wherein this woman could be.  The twists are  what brought life  to the book.  The twists regarding her current situation and the twists regarding the protagonist.  Both are new and surprising - enough to hold the reader down and give a value for money. 

Points out of 5

Grip Factor         :  4.5

Language Style   :  4

Engaging Plot     :  5

Characters           :  4.5

Satisfying End     : 4.5

Goodreads Review:  Gave a 5*  (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40389527-the-woman-in-the-window)