A thoroughly enjoyable set of three stories by Uday Prakash set in contemporary India among the harsh realities of life in the country for the less foA thoroughly enjoyable set of three stories by Uday Prakash set in contemporary India among the harsh realities of life in the country for the less fortunate. When I started the book, I didn't realise it contained three distinct stories so that was a very pleasant surprise.
The intricacies of human life, behaviour, relationships, the dark side of humans, and the elusive characters who are the narrators, all added a nice flavour to the book. Not a light read, but something you can get through very quickly, it took me about 2.5 days....more
I enjoy Indian female authors in general and have read some others books by Anita Nair with enough enjoyment. This book was a bit.. confusing. Not so I enjoy Indian female authors in general and have read some others books by Anita Nair with enough enjoyment. This book was a bit.. confusing. Not so much in the storyline and narrative but in the reaction it elicited. I was confused whether I was actually enjoying it or not. I found myself skimming a few pages, a sure sign that a book is just not holding my interest but I didn't feel compelled to stop reading it.
Anyway, I finished the book. It's a simpler story than it needs to be. Lots of characters were left with no neat bow tied around them towards the end. The ending in general was highly unsatisfactory. I'd say, read it if you have some time in hand and find a copy lying around. ...more
**spoiler alert** The book captures many common Indian situations and nuances that only another Indian can probably write about in such detail. A very**spoiler alert** The book captures many common Indian situations and nuances that only another Indian can probably write about in such detail. A very simple read, I finished the book in two nights, so don't expect perfectly crafted sentences and quotes to start your blog posts with. However, there was an underlying honesty and innocence to the book which endeared me. It's meant to be a romance, it's meant to make you feel bad for the protagonist and it's meant to have a happy ending so enjoy over a cup or two of coffee and move on. ...more
I enjoy Jhumpa Lahiri's books but they are sometimes unnecessarily deep and dark and that makes me cringe. The characters are flawed, which is okay buI enjoy Jhumpa Lahiri's books but they are sometimes unnecessarily deep and dark and that makes me cringe. The characters are flawed, which is okay but the depth is often unsettling. Also, the pace at which the story moved felt like she pulled the carpet from beneath my feet, many times over. These are not complaints, just interesting observations on her writing style. I'd definitely read her next book but for some nagging reason I can't say 'this book was fab' although I went through it in 3 days and rarely put it down in a free moment. ...more
Highly disappointing, much like a badly made Bollywood movie. Way too many coincidences and randomness and even the tagline on the book cover makes noHighly disappointing, much like a badly made Bollywood movie. Way too many coincidences and randomness and even the tagline on the book cover makes no sense. "What would you do if your life changed in an instant" or something like that. But the point is, the main character's life doesn't change in an instant. It does over a painstaking 6 months she insists on dragging us through if we choose to read the book.
There's a lot happening, the writing is too simple (and I never thought I would ever say this about any book!) and there's also some bad editing work in the form of wrong grammar.
It was an impulsive buy at the airport and I finished the book in 3 days but I would love that 350 rupees back! ...more
I would have enjoyed this book much more if the author hadn't started off by saying how appalling he found The Palace of Illusions, which I thoroughlyI would have enjoyed this book much more if the author hadn't started off by saying how appalling he found The Palace of Illusions, which I thoroughly enjoyed. He has a right to his own opinion so I started reading the book anyway. But from the first page to the last, I failed to find that something which makes it better than the book he so despised. It's a good recount of the Mahabharata told through Bhima's POV and it was told well. But how is this book better than Chitra's I have no clue. In fact, I felt hers was more of an objective view where Draupadi's negatives were highlighted in addition to everything that makes her unique, where in Bhimsen, Yudhishtira and Arjuna were shown in pretty bad light so that he looks better in comparison (or so it felt like).
I haven't read Randamoozham രണ്ടാമൂഴ� which is highly popular and said to be the best work of MT. But if this is the closest adaptation to it, I'm afraid I may get disappointed with it.
I still give it 4 stars because, objectively, I enjoyed reading it. ...more
Long books like this tire me out. It takes immense patience and perseverance and I don't have either of those when it comes to reading. Having said thLong books like this tire me out. It takes immense patience and perseverance and I don't have either of those when it comes to reading. Having said that, I did enjoy this book. It was too long, yes. It could have been said in fewer words with similar impact, yes, but still, it's an enjoyable read.
The story goes through a lot of ups and downs. The downs are deeper for sure, but the simple joys of life surely make up for it. There are a lot of medical terms in there which I found especially enjoyable since I am watching Grey's Anatomy back episodes currently. There's the whole connection between twins, the pure goodness of a father's love, the messy mother's affection, and a whole bunch of related but not related people around one. All said beautifully, explained beautifully. There are elements of life-takes-a-full-turn moments which I found calming and karma winning - again and again and again.
The ending was deliberately morose and I predicted it. It's almost like if he doesn't end it this way, the book loses its entire effectiveness. I get it. But I still wish the author had been brave enough to attempt the mundane and give it a feel-good ending. That would've helped (mine, anyway) the reading experience a lot.
This is one of the highest rated books I have come across in GoodReads so yes, definitely give it a go. But make sure you have the time, the energy, and a sense of loyalty before you start. The book demands all three equally. ...more
I wish I hadn't waited this long to read this book. It was good. In fact, it's just what I needed after 1Q84. Absolutely grounded in reality, honest, I wish I hadn't waited this long to read this book. It was good. In fact, it's just what I needed after 1Q84. Absolutely grounded in reality, honest, open, insane, and completely and totally Indian.
I was jogging through the book at a nice pace, often cringing at the scenery and the people I encountered but for the most part enjoying it and suddenly, towards the end of it, I felt like I skidded and fell through some slippery area. I stood up, straightened my clothes, dusted my bum, and looked around. The jog was brought to an abrupt end.
Wish more work was put into making the ending a bit more smooth. But nevertheless, an enjoyable read. ...more
My sis passed the book on to me and since it was available and free, I read it. Was very ho-hum, just another chick-lit. The Tam Brahm thing has been My sis passed the book on to me and since it was available and free, I read it. Was very ho-hum, just another chick-lit. The Tam Brahm thing has been overdone in blogs and it was funny for a while. The book doesn't add anything to the existing jokes and brahminisms. I dislike it when these books don't mention exactly how good-looking the main character is. I think that's because they want to eventually have her emerge as a pretty thing later and it kinda happened in this book too. I wanted to conjure up a mental image of Damayanthi but just could not, even with my overactive imagination.
The book is excessively long too. With nothing to say for it.
I was fine with how the book started. Until about page 20 that is. Then it went downhill. The main character had some problem, and for the life of me I was fine with how the book started. Until about page 20 that is. Then it went downhill. The main character had some problem, and for the life of me I couldn't figure out if she was pregnant or on her period or delusional! It was frustrating. The language was frustrating, the ambiguous narration was irritating and to top it all, the servants in the book were always talking long paragraphs of broken English and I felt like I had to endure these nails-screeching-on-blackboard portions to get through the book. After going through about 3/4ths of it, I gave up, skimmed it, and called it a day.
Use this time to read something else, take my word. ...more
Maybe a 3.5. It was not bad, and it did keep me wondering how it would all end. Glad it didn't go too much as predicted. A very emotional book and if Maybe a 3.5. It was not bad, and it did keep me wondering how it would all end. Glad it didn't go too much as predicted. A very emotional book and if you are anything like and get involved in your books/movies, it will tug your heartstrings at many places. I got really upset at some points and wanted to stop reading, it was that bad.
Overall, not bad though. If you enjoy reading about the "raw truths" about India and emotion, go for it!...more
While reading the book, I kept forming words in my head to review it. Now that I am done, all I have are the visions that keep coming and going from tWhile reading the book, I kept forming words in my head to review it. Now that I am done, all I have are the visions that keep coming and going from the different stories. All of them are set in India, mostly the South, and they are strong. It felt like drinking a double strong shot of espresso and then you realise that the espresso you have been drinking so far was just not strong enough. The author has mentioned in the afterword that most of the stories were inspired by true incidents, and that makes sense. No imagination can be this strong, the element of truth has to come from somewhere, not fiction.
Some of the stories are going to stay with me for a long time. ...more
I wasn't blown away by this book but it's not bad either. I had my expectations set low, since I saw a lot of "this book is hyped" type comments arounI wasn't blown away by this book but it's not bad either. I had my expectations set low, since I saw a lot of "this book is hyped" type comments around the web, and that helped. Since I like mythology-based books, it was an easy read and I was glad I picked up a copy and got done with it. I only wish there weren't more books that I have to buy now to read. Not very compelled to do so right away. ...more
While reading it, I kept oscillating between a 3 and a 4 star rating but the ending sealed it for me.
A group of 9 people are stuck at the basement ofWhile reading it, I kept oscillating between a 3 and a 4 star rating but the ending sealed it for me.
A group of 9 people are stuck at the basement of a building when an earthquake strikes and the book is about one amazing thing that happened in each of their lives, their stories. The stories themselves are interesting but there are a lot of rough edges through the book. Some of the characters are complicated and have thoughts and visions that are mostly left unexplained. Maybe that's by design but it left me frustrated when the book ended.
Ah yes, the ending. It was so abrupt that I checked the page numbers to see if any were missing. Although I predicted an abstract ending (which I don't like, btw), I didn't expect it to this sudden. Leaves one with a wanting feeling at the end.
I thought for a while whether I should give this book a 4 or a 5 and then decided to go with a 4, not because I didn't enjoy it thoroughly but becauseI thought for a while whether I should give this book a 4 or a 5 and then decided to go with a 4, not because I didn't enjoy it thoroughly but because it lacks that something which would have made it perfect.
But let's not talk about that. This is still a must-read for anyone who wants to go on a roller-coaster ride through the intricacies of the Mahabharata. Considering how large the epic is, this book only skims through it in a very superficial manner. But it still does touch your heart in many ways. It did mine anyway.
The story is narrated from Panchaali's point of view. This is probably the most interesting thing about the book. While I have read many different versions, they were never told from a woman's stand-point and that makes a world of a difference. Her temper, stubborn nature, vanity, desires, all come out superbly well during the narration. Her love for Karna and her connection with Krishna - ah, beautiful.
As you can tell, I am totally smitten by the book and would definitely recommend that you give it a shot. I would be particularly interested to hear how someone who has no clue about the story of Mahabharata found it. Is it confusing, or magical for you too?...more
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