As soon as I finished the book, I realized that I could not find any metaphors about real life or hidden political/social commentaries which I expect As soon as I finished the book, I realized that I could not find any metaphors about real life or hidden political/social commentaries which I expect to find from each and every classic Children鈥檚 book. And then I started asking myself- 鈥淲hy is this considered as a Classic, if it did not preach anything? Maybe I missed something鈥�. I couldn鈥檛 find an answer to that question but I realized that I liked it because of its simplicity. Maybe that鈥檚 the simple reason why it is considered as a classic. I heard that the movie adaptation of the book (which released nearly 40 years after the book is released) is highly acclaimed. That probably is the reason why it remained in public consciousness for such a long time. Anyway, though I couldn鈥檛 understand why it is so popular, I can confidently say two things. One- it is a thoroughly enjoyable children鈥檚 book. Two- The Wizard of Oz is wonderful. (no Pun intended)....more
I have been hearing the terms 鈥淩abbit Hole鈥�, 鈥渓ooking Glass鈥�, 鈥淗umpty Dumpty鈥� etc for many years but somehow did not read this book. When I heard thatI have been hearing the terms 鈥淩abbit Hole鈥�, 鈥渓ooking Glass鈥�, 鈥淗umpty Dumpty鈥� etc for many years but somehow did not read this book. When I heard that Tim Burton鈥檚 adapting this into a movie I decided that I could not put it aside any longer. Now I am glad that I did not read it when I was a kid because I couldn鈥檛 have appreciated this at that time. Before reading this one, by listening to people I formed an opinion that it would be similar to 鈥淲izard of Oz鈥� a simple story which would be a treat for people who like to imagine. I couldn鈥檛 have been more wrong. I found the book 鈥渃uriouser and curiouser鈥�. It鈥檚 hard to write about a book that doesn鈥檛 have any traditional structure and yet is full of logic and non-sense at the same time. The non-sense in the book might put off many people. But if any one else like me too realized the penultimate truth that the non-sense is the only sensible thing in this world, then they are going to love it. After all as Ayn Rand had put it "To demand 'sense' is the hallmark of nonsense. Nature does not make sense. Nothing makes sense". so if anyone agrees with that, they will love this one and moreover book says we are all mad in here and I am not sure what the author meant by 鈥� here鈥� but whoever is living 鈥渋n here鈥� may also like it. Coming to the plot, it is completely unimportant which makes it a very interesting read. Now coming to characters in this book there is the irritating-sweet and intelligently-naive Alice, a mad hatter, a murderous queen(yeah in a so called children鈥檚 book), a mock turtle, a pig-baby, grinning-vanishing-Cheshire cat and many others. I mean where else in the sensible World can we find better characters than these. One irritating thing which I initially found in the book is- the author sometimes uses poetry and rhymes. And I am one of those guys who are unable to appreciate poetry. I thought of skipping them, but they were a laugh-riot and I found myself reading them again and again. This I believed would never happen in my lifetime.
I am happy that Burton is adapting it, because I believe he alone can capture the quirkiness of the book, but I am not sure how I would feel seeing Mr. Carroll鈥檚 logical non-sense on the screen because I prefer reading this one again and again rather than watching. I just could not wait till I lay my hands on the book鈥檚 sequel. ...more
It鈥檚 not that I鈥檓 not spiritual, but to be honest I don鈥檛 find Paul Coelho鈥檚 works enchanting. I only read his books because they are full of teachingIt鈥檚 not that I鈥檓 not spiritual, but to be honest I don鈥檛 find Paul Coelho鈥檚 works enchanting. I only read his books because they are full of teachings of many great thinkers about life, religion, Spirituality, love etc presented in a simple way and I must say that I love using his words (well.. not exactly his but those of great thinkers) in conversations to appear as a pseudo-intellectual. Other than that I really don鈥檛 care much about his books even though they are quick reads. Coming to this book, even though it has witches, pagans, Mother Goddess, characters criticizing Catholic Church etc etc, lack of characterization and plot made it boring. ...more
I really liked 鈥淚nterpreter of Maladies鈥� when I read it for the first time and then after reading 鈥淣amesake鈥� I thought that I had enough of the authorI really liked 鈥淚nterpreter of Maladies鈥� when I read it for the first time and then after reading 鈥淣amesake鈥� I thought that I had enough of the author鈥檚 simple and repetitive themes and style. But I was mistaken. I really liked 鈥淯naccustomed Earth鈥�. Though all the characters depicted in it are recycled from the author鈥檚 previous works, what鈥檚 really amazing about her is that she can still create characters which I/we care. I was always filled with a sense of loss and nostalgia when reading her works. And again after reading this book, I am not sure whether I got tired of her style. So I am waiting for her next book to find out exactly that....more
Well the stories of murderers and psychopaths are generally like cakes to most of us(and i am no exception). I either love such protagonists or hate tWell the stories of murderers and psychopaths are generally like cakes to most of us(and i am no exception). I either love such protagonists or hate them whole-heartedly. Coming to Balaram, the situation is different. I had never felt anything for him even after reading 300 pages. I didn鈥檛 even hate him and I was completely indifferent towards him mainly because I felt that his character is artificial and inconsistent. Every time I read a cynical work or a satire I feel that I have become a bit more intelligent. But coming to White Tiger, the situation is again different. I don鈥檛 think I have become intelligent by reading the book鈥檚 take on corruption and class inequalities in India. Though I didn鈥檛 like the book much, the one thing I really liked about it is the author鈥檚 keen observations and it is the only thing which kept me going. In my view I don鈥檛 think his social commentary on Contemporary India comes as surprising to any Indian. Maybe Westerners may find it interesting reading about the so called 鈥渞eal India鈥� or 鈥淭he Other Side of India鈥�.
P.s:- Why is it that the authors who overplay the negatives of India are so popular? Maybe because they write books about India for foreign senses and maybe it鈥檚 because they are doing a social service by bringing the 鈥渞eal unknown India鈥� into limelight. Then why is Satyajit Ray accused of 鈥渆xporting poverty鈥� by the Indians for his lively and real Indian works
It's nowhere near Kane and Abel. The story isn't new. Have read many books wih similar plots. Having said that i say it's another quick read from Arc It's nowhere near Kane and Abel. The story isn't new. Have read many books wih similar plots. Having said that i say it's another quick read from Archer....more
In this book, the author has put everything, which sells it in India-Cricket, religion,Communal riots,politics,love, aspirations, misery, sacrifice(s)In this book, the author has put everything, which sells it in India-Cricket, religion,Communal riots,politics,love, aspirations, misery, sacrifice(s),the Earthquake in Gujarat etc etc but it is a poor mix of all these potentially winning ingredients. There's too much of unnecessary emotion, unrealistic action and what's more we are supposed to believe that the book is based on a real story. The book is so contrived, melodramatic, unoriginal and boring that it reminded me of the bollywood flicks. And i don't think there is any point talking about characterization. There is hardly any. As of good things his grammar which is very poor made me feel better about my grammar and the mention of the names ML Khanna and Resnick & Halliday made me a bit nostalgic.
This book is supposed to inspire the youngistan's of Hindustan. If ever a day comes when i have to draw inspiration from Mr.Bhagat's books,then God save me. I won't recommend this book to anyone unless he/she is a a huge bollywood fan and who wants to read the books which are unintelligent. Ok. Got it. Not all the books are meant to be intelligent and original.Some(like this one)are just meant to be page turners. But do i find it a quick read? Yes, but still it is not a goodread but a painful one. So what are The 3 Mistakes of My Life? 1. Against my better Judgement, borrowing a Chetan Bhagat's book from my friend on his insistence. 2. Reading the book. 3. Bothering to write a review about this book.
I am obsessed with Rushdie's obsession of history. This is another historical fiction novel(or i should say a historical fantasy).The book touches sevI am obsessed with Rushdie's obsession of history. This is another historical fiction novel(or i should say a historical fantasy).The book touches several different themes like politics,love,sex,religion,meaning of life and most importantly enchantments, but doesn't really dive into many of them in detail unlike Moor's last sigh and Satanic Verses which run very deep. Despite an abundance of parallel story lines, the narrative is easily followed and i was never bored. I was enchanted by it. Though as usual the author is again wordy(as usual i kept my dictionary in my lap) but that was all part of his enchantment. I was lost in his magic world. I was very much fascinated by his mughal world but i cannot say the same about his European world probably because i don't know much about their history. I don't think that this is his best book but that did not stop me from enjoying the book. If one enjoys reading books like Arabian nights, I think one should go go this one....more
I always wanted to read the works of the great Indian trio. But it is very difficult to find their works(R.K.Narayan is an exception yaar).I should saI always wanted to read the works of the great Indian trio. But it is very difficult to find their works(R.K.Narayan is an exception yaar).I should say i was lucky to find this book. I have always wondered how Gandhi had become a household name among our ancestors and this book gives some insight in that direction. The story is narrated in the form of great Indian oral tradition which makes it interesting. Though not a great book by any standards, it is a decent one....more
The first problem i have with Atlas Shrugged is its unrelenting length. Any story in my view with a 1000 pages is seriously stretched. The same story The first problem i have with Atlas Shrugged is its unrelenting length. Any story in my view with a 1000 pages is seriously stretched. The same story could have been presented in maybe half the pages. One of the characters makes a speech in the later part of the book. That speech alone took around 60 pages, with no interruptions from any other character. If you stop the action and address the reader with sixty pages of philosophy, you're no longer writing a novel, you're preaching philosophy. Maybe "Atlas Shrugged" is a book of philosophy disguised as a novel. The speech was a repetition of everything already said in the novel(or a book of philosophy). Well I know that the purpose of repetition is to make one think about what is being said. But still repetitive hammering of a particular philosophical stance is highly intolerable. Another problem I found was all the characters seemed too fanatical to be real. All the good fellows are just verbal clowns of one another with no flaws and all the bad fellows are incompetent with no merits. According to Ayn Rand the book is not about the real man but about the ideal man but still such caricatures of characters seldom appeal to me. I am not sure Whether the book is about the "ideal man". I feel that it is more about "superiority of Capitalism over communalism". I also felt that her objectivism seems to be a desperate attempt to justify her fear of communalism (I know i am speculating too much and i may be woefully wrong).This philosophy is not surprising since she grow up in Russia. But i did not grew up in a communist country, so i can never truly understand her. But i could understand the fundamental issues (like human liberty) which are universal.
Whether or not one agrees with her philosophy, Ayn Rand does make some good points in favour of her argument. I always admired her rationality and logic and will continue to read and enjoy her other "philosophically challenging books".
p.s If you know a bit about thermodynamics you would agree with me that the book is sci-fi. ha ha
It is hard to write what i have learned from this book because there is so much i would have to right and i am unable to put them in words. I used to It is hard to write what i have learned from this book because there is so much i would have to right and i am unable to put them in words. I used to read a little and then i used to comprehend my own self through the different perspectives(provided in the book) and i was always left baffled. And i loved philip, his emotions can be as complex as mine can get. There are many characters in the book and most of the lesser characters are also memorable. I was a bit disappointed with the ending and even more so because this is one book which i never wanted to end. I wish that i had read this book a bit earlier. ...more
The book was written in an uninteresting fashion, the characters are very filmy and the depictions of racism were crude. The unnecessary drag and incoThe book was written in an uninteresting fashion, the characters are very filmy and the depictions of racism were crude. The unnecessary drag and inconsistency in Gopal's character makes it a bit tiresome. I agree the book was written quite some time ago when perhaps it was more relevant & plausible. One has to keep in mind that it doesnt aim to provide nostalgic saga of Indian immigrants and it was not meant to be a literary classic. Keeping in this mind it is an entertaining read for those who dont take it too seriously.The book is very funny and sometimes downright hilarious. I say its a quick read....more
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