"A murder on Malabar Hill" by Sujata Massey

"A murder on Malabar Hill"

By Sujata Massey

India in pre-independence era, where women barely get basic education is the setup of this story.  Story of a woman who leaves her husband and becomes the first woman lawyer of India.  Her fling, her trust, her faith, the cheating and her bravery is impressive.  Frankly I would call this a complete Bollywood masala story with all the elements - love, romance, treachery, Britishers, Religion and obviously murder.  The biggest plus for me in this book is the time in which it is set - the 1920's.  You get to read about the culture and practices followed in that time.  

When you read such books you actually realize how far the women of this country have come in terms of rights and freedom.  Today we have a right to chose whether it be education, travel or clothes.  It is indeed due to the hard work of women in those times, the ones who took bold steps and fought with the world to ensure today's women get rights in future.  The character of Parveen is my favorite character since some time.  The book also provides lot of information related to Parsi culture and practices around the time period in the country.  

"To the power of Women" - rightly said so by Parveen and Alice in the book.  It is because of women like her that today we enjoy equal rights in this country.  The cheating by her husband makes Parveen more strong and she moves forward and ahead to make her own life.  Such books must be read by all young girls and set as an example.  

Overall Rating: 3.5

Grip Factor        : 3.5

Writing Style     : 3.5

Engaging Plot    : 3.5

Characters          : 3.5

Satisfying End   : 3.5

Goodreads Review:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3009601267

  

"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak

"The Book Thief"

By Markus Zusak

The book is about a little girl, the one who loses her brother and mother but saves herself by stealing books and reading.  The book tells us about her foster parents, her brother, her friends and all events which help her live in the Nazi Germany. This is not only the story of the girl but so much more, it is about Nazi Germany, it is about the story of Jews and Germans during war.  So many stories are brought in together by the writer and told by the eyes of the little girl.  Those are the times where there is death everywhere and who better to narrate it but death itself. 

This book presents a different world to you - a world torn by war, a world where communist and Jews have their lives snatched from them.  This is a world where Germans are living in poverty, on rations.  So many families are eating less to allow the country to fund the war.  Fathers and sons are taken away to fight and no one knows when and if they will be back.  People are angry but cant say anything as there will be repercussions. All this while this little girl is finding the magic of words.  Her reading has brought comfort to a lot of people - her father who teaches her to read, her neighbor who opens up her window to allow her to steal from her library, her immediate neighbor who listens to her reading, the Jew who is hidden in her house and the whole street who listens to her readings at the time of air raids.

Words give her comfort specially when she is writing her story.  As she herself says - "I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right".  There are many places in the book where the author has given us a peek into the future as in what is coming up further in the book. That gives us something to look forward to all the time.  The way the narrator describes war here is so different.  It does not hold life for anyone, it is just there.  "War is like a new boss asking you to "Get it done", "Get it done".  You work hard and hard but never receive anything in the end.  It just keeps asking for more."

Unfortunately her hunger for words are what lead to the end of the world in her story.   

Overall Rating: 4.5

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

GoodReads review:   https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3139403049

"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)