"The Guest List" by "Lucey Foley"

 The Guest List

By Lucey Foley

Overall Rating:    3

Grip Factor:         3 

Writing Style:      3

Engaging Plot:     3.5

Characters:           3

Satisfying End:    2.5 

You might think you are going ahead in life by bringing harm to people.  You can show love on your face and complete malice at the back and think that you can get away with it but life catches on and punishes you for it.  

Classic Mystery setup:  This is a classic nail biting page turner mystery setup where first we don't know who gets killed and then we don't know who kills.  A wedding party all full of rich, high profile, egoistic people go to a little island to celebrate and end up getting involved in a murder.  Everyone who is part of the guest list has one or the other agenda and is out to kill or let down someone.  

Wedding celebration turned into murder: Talk about an isolated island and a wedding and the first thing that comes to mind is romance.  That is what the initial section of the book is all about.  But when there is so much history behind people on the guest list, there are bound to be some surprises.  The book starts with a hearth throb getting hitched and finally tying the knot.  The story is first revolved around all the good things in a couples life and then slowly the darkness starts creeping in.  

The past always creeps up: The writer has brought up the issues of almost each and every member of the party.  The bunch of bullies who even though have grown up physically still live in the world with a view that they can go around and mess with people.  A section of people who consider themselves to be privileged enough to be able to do anything they fancy doing with even a slightest bit of remorse.  

Predictable: Good read but was predictable at many sections.  Did not understand the location of the wedding as to how come such a remote island where it is even tough to get to could be chosen as a high profile wedding location.  Then there was a huge discussion about a storm coming up which mysteriously went away at the end.  

"The Kitchen Boy" by "Robert Alexander"

 The Kitchen Boy

by

Robert Alexander

Overall Rating:   3.5

Grip Factor:        4

Writing Style:      4

Engaging Plot:    4

Characters:        4

Satisfying End:   3 

Fictional account of Russian Tzars: This book is an account of the last few days of Tzars in Russia, when they were held prisoners by the Red Army and their brutal execution.  This book took me a long time to read because while reading it, I had to constantly keep reading about the exact history of events that happened in Russia.  How the Tsars fell and how communism came in force.  The internet is full of events describing the brutality of the Tsars at the time.  This book is a work of fiction and shows an opposite view of their last few months from the angle of a little boy.  Never thought such a thing could be written for events happening in recent political history.   

Family held captive by the reds: All windows are covered, no one can look inside or outside.  Even a single breath of fresh air can not enter.  People who used to rule were submitted to meagre living and ration spaces.  Eyes of the red army are everywhere and everyone is scared.  How will a little boy overcome the scare and struggles and be brave enough to try and free up and save the family.  Full of constant struggles and scares, the book gives an insight into the difficulties faced by the royal family put in home isolation and then at the end killed.  

Mystery surrounding the actual events: The mystery surrounding the brutal murder of the last royals of Russia is talked about a lot.  This book gives the perspective of the events from the eyes of a kitchen boy.  The writer has humanizes the Royal family but still holds that had their actions been different, things would have been different.  The ending however, is very different from where the entire book was going.  The events which come forward at the end change the whole book completely.  

Some Excerpts

"Whatever you spill by buckets can not picked up by a dropper"

Elanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by "Gail Honeyman"

 Elanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

by Gail Honeyman

Overall Rating: 4

Grip Factor:      3.5

Writing Style:   4

Engaging Plot:  4

Characters:        4

Satisfying End: 4 

A mother is supposed to be the biggest backbone for her child,  be responsible for his/her behavior, attitude, manners, present and future.  What if a mother is hell bent on destroying her own child.  It leads to a child with severely broken relationships and broken outlook towards the world.  

This book actually makes me sad and my heart breaks from the simple thought of anyone suffering so much at the hands of their own parent.  It highlights certain important points and serious issues in the society and I would certainly like to applaud the writer on the same.  The character of Elanor Oliphant is strong given the situations.  She has a good hold on her life as far as office is concerned and is able to carry out her own tasks with ease.  She does lack social skills and is blunt but that is not necessarily a flaw.  Something happened in the life of Elanor which left a scar not only her face but also her internal self changing her whole perspective for things.  

The flow of the book however could have been better.  We could easily put the pieces together in the very beginning.  Towards the end when we actually start knowing the truth around what happened, it does not come as a surprise as that is something which one can infer from the various events in story.  The thing that I liked the most in the book is it contained all emotions - Shock of events in her life, sadness that is brought in her life, humor that is brought with her attitude towards life.  Had I been narrating this story, I would be in no way able to bring any humor at any point.  While you are reading you will cry as well as laugh during Elanor's journey.  

There are certain characters which actually stay with you and Elanor is such a character.  I finished this book some time back and still think about her even though the next one I am reading is a love story.  

A Gentleman in Moscow by "Amar Towles"

 A Gentleman in Moscow 

by "Amar Towles"

Overall Review: 4 

Grip Factor: 4

Writing Style: 4

Engaging Plot: 4

Characters: 4.5

Satisfying end: 4

This book is one of the most emotionally and linguistically challenging books that I have read in some time.  You do need a dictionary continuously while reading it.  Sometimes you get lost in between when it comes to historical references or discussion on great poets or literature.  You need to read and re-read certain passages to be able to grasp the exact reference.  It is tough in the beginning and you need to push yourself till you complete around 40% of the book.  A little girl comes in the life of the count and things become interesting.  That is when it becomes difficult to keep the book down.  

Being stuck, jailed at a hotel for his entire adult life; the count has made a routine and a life for himself.  He moves from being a count to a common man to a father during the course of his stay.  Even being in such a grim situation, he tries to make the best of the life.  His affair with an actress, his discovery of a secret room, his relationship with Nina and his friend Mishka, his camaraderie with the people he worked with, even his regular meeting with Osip; all reflect his attitude towards life.  

The author has taken one location and written an entire book on it with limited characters.  The story and life of the count is tightly built around the life of the Hotel and everyone working in it.  There is certainly a lot of research done by the author while writing the book however, the writing could have been made little more simple.  

Few things which I referenced while reading this book - 

1. Dictionary definitely - This book has all the difficult words possible

2. Map of Russia to get a hang of where everyone is during the story

3. Links to history of Russia specially around the Renaissance 

3. Links to various wines and their composition to understand which would suit which food item

Needless to say I learned a lot while reading this book and also I have always been a vodka fan. 

"Who would have imagined - when you were sentenced to a life in the Metropol all those years ago, that you had just become the luckiest man in all of Russia"

"What matters in life is not whether we receive a round of applause; what matters is whether we have the courage to venture forth despite the uncertainty of acclaim"

"The Dressmaker of Khair Khana" by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

 The Dressmaker of Khair Khana

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

Overall Review: 3.5 *

Grip Factor:       3.5

Writing Style:    3

Engaging Plot:   3

Characters:         4

Satisfying End:  3.5

Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3019794464

Never die attitude for women in a war torn country

For the rest of the world war torn Afghanistan is a place which needs to be talked about and managed.  For the people living there since ages it is a shock and matter of life and death.  This book is all about how the fairly modern lives of women living in Kabul get rudely shaken and turned upside down to a closed, repressive lifestyle.  But still there are some who do not leave hope, do not bow down and find out options to make their mark in the world.  The never say die attitude of one girl in a family ensures not only survival but betterment of lives of this and other families who came in contact with them.  

The book is simple to read and flows easily from event to event.   It talks about the changes that were brought into the lives of people living in Afganistan when Taliban took over.  Going round only wearing the chador and only with a male member of their family was mandatory.  With no way to get themselves educated, the women not only stitch clothes to earn a living but end up setting up a tailoring school for the betterment of other women in the society.  

Simple narration but changed directions

The lives of the family and the women surrounding them is observed by the author and the book seems to start as a journalistic set of events.  However, the narrative changes in between where things are seen from the eyes of Kamila.  It could have been better if the author could have stuck to one style of narration.  

The lives turn for the better not only for one family but for a community

I admired Kamila from the Siddiqi sisters for her bravery and determination to continue working for the betterment of her family and women in her country.  All women who get associated with her and her group are brave women who refuse to bow down to Taliban and are willing to learn new skills to put food in front of their families.  The risks these women took during the toughest times shows a lot about the women of Afganistan.  

All Power to strong willed women.  

"The Snow Child" by Eowyn Ivey

 The Snow Child 

By Eowyn Ivey

Overall Review: 4 *

Grip Factor:       4.5

Writing Style:    4.5

Engaging Plot:   4

Characters:         4

Satisfying End:  3.5

Goodreads Review:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13590366-the-snow-child

Lovely book full of magical movements.  

What happens when a couple longing for a child of their own start seeing glimpses of a little girl running in the forest.  What happens when a boy falls in love with a fairly running around in the snow.  Magic happens when people devoid of love just find someone in the woods to whom they can shower love.   Two people who moved to Atlanta hoping to make a living are able to make a life when they happen to chance upon an abandoned girl running around.  When they made a girl from snow, they never knew she would come back to them as a real child.  

A story to fall in love with

One could fall in love with the book only by reading about the portrayal of the woods, animals and life in Alaska by the author.  They story first focusses on two main characters who have moved to Alaska to make a living for themselves.  Slowly and gradually people come together and become a family.  This couple has lost all hope in their lives and are living a mundane living but, life takes a turn from them when they find a girl in the woods.   I really fell in love with Jack and Mabel, the relationship they have.  They have faced lot of disappointments  and challenges in life, but despite everything they still have faith and love for each other.

It takes a village to build a story

The supporting characters in the story actually carve out the story to what it becomes just like it is in all our lives.  The letters from Mabel's sister give her comfort and strength.  The neighbors in the book who become a family to Jack and Mabel and help them when they needed them the most.  They end up having a special relationship with the youngest son making up for their own lack of children in their life.  

Could have been better with different ending

The ending however could have been a lot better.  I am cutting down the ratings only because of the missing parts in the ending.  The ending is sudden and happens without any closure or clarity.  The book ends just like that without any closure to anyone neither to the mother, father, husband, child or to the reader.  

Some Excerpts

"He drifted into a kind of sleep that wasn’t much different than wakefulness, a mystifying, restless sleep where dreams fell and melted like snowflakes, where children ran soft-footed through the trees and scarves flapped between black raven beaks."

‘We are allowed to do that, are we not…? To invent our own endings and choose joy over sorrow?’

"The Sialkot Saga" by Ashwin Sanghi

"The Sialkot Saga"

by Ashwin Sanghi

Overall Review:  3.5 

Grip Factor:         4

Writing Style:      4

Engaging Plot:     4

Characters:           3

Satisfying End:    3

Goodreads Review at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3712754712 

 

We can call this book as falling in historical fiction or politics genre both.  It has covered entire spectrum of Indian history from just after independence till the year 2000.  It has also covered old Indian history running thousands of year old relating to Ashoka's 9 men and also covered secret organizations ensuring ancient history carries on.  

Two stories running in parallel

Two stories run in parallel here - one which is few thousand years old and one which runs from 1947 till 2001.  They both do sit well however, personally I feel there was no need to put the older story in the midst to make the modern main story good.  They have been written in a manner which relates them but that did not seem necessary.  The modern story seem more like a hindi movie where two kids separate from their mother at the time of partition and end up becoming rivals. 

All events in story are linked to historical facts of the nation

I liked the linking of the story to the historical facts and I also liked the part where they were explained and described more.  People tend to forget even the most recent events and soon things as far back as 5 years old just become some historical fact to be ignored and moved on from.  Reading about the death of S. P. Mukherjee, emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi, forceful works of Sanjay Gandhi, 1984 Massacre by Congress, Gujarat riots, election and non election of Vajpayee ji, 9/11 attack, Mumbai attack... all certainly give you goose bumps.  There are all the events you have lived through and it feels surreal to read them all together in a book.  The linking of the love/hate story around all these events is flawless in the book.  At many points it is difficult to put the book down since I have wanted to know more and more about these events.  

Main story is a love/hate story

Two kids who are separated from their mother at the time of partition end up becoming business rivals.  Their kids end up falling in love and getting married.  At the end it is identified that they were from the same village in Pakistan and got separated when they were forced to move to India at the time of partition.  The ex of one end up marrying the other in an all so obvious twist.  Not to forget that these kids were saviors of some long forgotten sect tasked with protecting a long lost secret from Ancient times.  I can only call it a love/hate story but certainly feels it comes straight out of a movie.