Some things in life are so profound that they leave behind a permanent mark. When you are a bookworm, the same is true for some books. Over the years there have been many books that have left me speechless with wonder. Here, I’m listing down those books that have stayed with me for years, even if they’re not very popular. The common thing in all these books is the fact that I read them all in school, mostly during the Middle years. Since then, I have read them again and again, and even though the older and wiser me sometimes finds some things outright objectionable in them, I can never dislike these books. So here goes
I might have first read this book more then 30 years ago, but I have yet to come across a girl like Anne. She is my ideal of what a girl should be. She is strong, capable, opinionated, but not afraid to ask for help and stand up for her friends. If ever there was a love story to dream about, then it has to be Anne and Gilbert: partners and equals in everything. Of course, I love the whole series. Not only is Anne a strong girl, she proves that a woman can excel in any role. She can be a friend, a teacher, a wife and a mother. She needs to believe in herself, and surround herself with people who lift her up instead of bringing her down. Anne Shirley was, is, and always will be, a great role model for girls all over the world.
This has to be the most cliched book on my list! This is perhaps the only love story that I love unashamedly, no matter how many times I read it. I have been in love with Darcy for the longest time. To date, he remains the one hero who I can never look critically at. People would say that my age played an important role in making this one of my favourite books, but that wouldn’t be true. I have read it again and again, every year for almost three decades, and I have never gotten bored with this feel-good book. Of course, I am not a fan of Jane and Bingley, but when it comes to Elizabeth and Darcy, all else pales in comparison. All this gushing only goes to show how deeply I love this particular book!
This is the book that has divided critics in two opposite camps. Some people think that Heathcliff is the height of romanticism, a hero that every woman sighs after. Some people, on the other hand, believe that this book presents a warped idea of romance, cruel and sadistic. I lie somewhere in the middle of these two groups. As far as the book goes, I love it with all my heart, complete with the craziness and cruelty. However, I have never looked upon Wuthering Heights as a love story. To me, it has always been about ego and revenge, and about flawed humans who don’t know any better. Catherine is one of the most hateful characters that I have come across, manipulative yet confused. Heathcliff is hot headed and vengeful. They are at no point a couple made for each other.
There is nothing romantic about their relationship. For me, Wuthering Heights is a cautionary tale about two people who not only destroy themselves, but also wreck the lives of everyone around them.
I borrowed The Scarlet Pimpernel from the school library because I couldn’t find any good options that week during library class. I had no idea that it would become such a favourite with me. This book takes you on an adventure that you don’t want to end, the earliest version of a superhero tale. Set during the French Revolution, it is the story of a courageous and cunning man who risks his life to rescue French aristocrats and brings them to safety in England. The twist is that no one knows who this superhero is, who defies the French revolutionaries and makes them look foolish to boot.
The unexpected identity of the The Scarlet Pimpernel, and the unlikely love story that unfolds is only a part of this thoroughly enjoyable and hilarious tale. There are some laugh-out-loud moments as well as those that make you groan because of their ridiculousness. I like to read this book every time I feel like a laugh or two.
As far as settings go, A Tale of Two Cities is also set during the French Revolution, but there is nothing funny about this book. I have read many books by Charles Dickens, only because they were in my curriculum, and he is not one of my favorite authors. This book however, is an exception. Even Dickens himself thought of it as his finest work, and I have to agree. Sydney Carton is a superhero of a different kind. He is lazy and laid back, and has no ambition whatsoever. But in a story about a doctor, his daughter and her husband, Carton emerges as the savior of them all.
The book opens with some of the most well known lines in literature, yet it is the last monologue that makes my heart ache every single time that I read it. In a world full of handsome, upstanding and golden men like Charles Darnay, I’d rather have the flawed and very human Sydney Carton whose love is selfless and expects nothing in return.
Everyone knows by now how big a fan I am of thrillers of all types. Many people ask me to recommend some good thrillers, but there are so many that I can never make up my mind about which ones are the best. Sometimes it’s because I have forgotten a particular story, so I have to read it all over again, and in reading and rereading, never get the time to actually compile a list of my favourite thrillers. Even now, as I sit here trying to make a list, I find that I cannot make up my mind. I have tried to pick some of the books that I find exciting and would want others to read too. They are not in any particular order.
The Da Vinci Code
I became a Dan Brown fan after I read The Da Vinci Code when it was first published in 2003. Since then, I have read all his books, and even though I don’t like all of them, to me Dan Brown is one of the best writers of thrillers. I have never thought about leaving his books halfway even if they seem like a repetition of the old theme.
The Da Vinci Code was a book that turned everything I knew on its head. I had to keep reminding myself that this is fiction and has little to do with reality. It is set in Paris and London with a timeframe of just one day. Robert Langdon, an imminent Professor of Symbology at Harvard, is visiting Paris when he gets embroiled in the murder of a prominent member of a secret society.
As he is on the run, aided by the murdered man’s granddaughter, he realizes that things are not what they seem, and he has to use all his knowledge and learning to figure out a centuries old mystery and save the day.
The strength of Dan Brown’s writing is that majority of artworks and places mentioned in his books are real. It is my dream to one day visit Paris and see all the things Robert Langdon talked about in this book.
This is one book I would recommend to all fans of mystery and puzzle solving.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
When I first read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, I was taken aback. I had never read anything like it before. Here was a heroine who was unlike any heroine that I had ever seen or heard of before. She was everything that a “good girl” shouldn’t be, yet she was the best kind of heroine. At the same time, the “hero”, Mikael Blomkvist was like any other hero, except that he was no saviour of the heroine. The heroine could not only save herself, she could also keep the hero safe from harm.
As Salander and Blomkvist are brought together in an unlikely pairing, to solve a forty-year old mystery, the challenges facing them are terrifying and seemingly insurmountable. No book review or discussion can do justice to the excitement or thrill of reading this book. It might not seem very shocking now, 10 years after it was first published in English, but at that time this book was the first of its kind. Even now, I find myself reading it again every time I hear about another sequel in this series.
There have been many similar books and characters in the decade since its publication, but nothing can surpass the brilliance and originality of this book. One of my most favourite books of this genre, recommended for all kickass females in the world!
Gone Girl
The one book that single-handedly changed the face of the genre of Thrillers and gave birth to the contemporary Psychological Thriller. This book is so terrifying that I have been unable to re-read it in one go after the first time. I can only read it in parts and that too takes its toll on me. Every. Single. Time.
Nick Dunne is shocked by the disappearance of his wife, Amy, on their fifth wedding anniversary. Police investigation shows Amy was scared of her husband, and there are some strange searches on his computer. Nick is bewildered because none of it is true. He cannot understand what is happening to him, and where his wife would disappear to. Then there is Amy’s diary that clearly shows how unhinged Nick is.
As a reader you realize that you cannot trust Nick’s narration of the events because of the diary entries, but as you start reading Amy’s side of the story, you realize there is something wrong with her narration too! As you read further, you start questioning the sanity of all characters, and eventually your own for continuing to read this book! Yet, you need to find out the truth. You need to know how it all ends, how something this crazy can ever make sense.
This book made me so crazy the first time I read it, that I was suspicious of my own husband for a week after reading it!
Big Little Lies
This book is what a good domestic thriller is all about. There are no over-the-top crazy characters, no out-of-this-world scary settings, yet it is gripping, mysterious, and full of secrets. It tells the story of a group of school moms and how something that happens in school has the potential to unravel into something much bigger, and lead to unthinkable circumstances, even a death.
When single mom, Jane, moves to the town of Pirriwee, she meets Madeline and Celeste who take her under their wings. All three of them have children in the same class, and the three of them seem to get on well together, so it makes sense for them to hang out. Then, on the first day of school, an incident causes friction between Jane and another school mum, Renata.
Things start spiralling out of control as adults start taking sides in what was essentially an altercation between two kids. As secrets start coming out, all the women involved can sense the impending catastrophe. It turns out that all three women have secrets of their own that they have worked hard to hide from everyone. The rumors start, and it becomes harder and harder to tell fact from fiction. It is only a matter of time before all this results in disaster.
The best thing about this book is the characters, who are so real and believable. As a mom with school going kids, I can vouch that I have met all the types of parents mentioned in the book. The incidents are all quite credible and you can see them happening to people in the real world. Though, I have to admit, there is a chance that women will like and understand this domestic thriller better than men.
The Good Daughter
The Good Daughter is one of the best thrillers from 2017. The narrative is quite graphic, and not for the faint of heart. It grips you from the first chapter and you find yourself wanting to know what happens next.
The story revolves around a family torn apart by a tragic attack twenty-eight years ago, which leaves all of them with scars, both physical and psychological. Charlotte thinks that she has come a long way from her nightmarish ordeal almost thirty years ago. She is a good lawyer, not like her notorious father who is willing to represent anyone regardless of their guilt.
One morning, she gets caught in a school shooting that threatens to expose everything she has worked so hard to keep inside her. As things get worse, Charlie’s life starts to unravel around her and there is only one person who can help her become whole again. But they haven’t seen or spoken to each other in a long, long time, and there are some wounds that just refuse to heal.
There are some sequences that are truly horrifying and leave the reader close to tears. However, the solid narrative and story make it very hard to put the book down. This book contains assault and abuse, and may not be everyone’s cup of tea. However, for true lovers of psychological thrillers, nothing can be a deterrent to them reading a good thriller.
Underlying the narrative is the theme of a father’s love for his daughters and how he believes, I think quite rightly, that everyone needs a different kind of love. Having lost my father soon after finishing this book, it hit me even harder how far a father can go to protect his children from pain and heartbreak.
One of the best thrillers that I have ever read. Definitely a must read for all lovers of this genre.
We Were Liars
I never thought I would include a Young Adult novel in any list of mine, unless it is a list of Young Adult novels! We Were Liars is the book that proved all my generalisations wrong. Young Adult suspense thrillers can be as addictive as any adult book in this genre.
Cadence comes from a rich and privileged family, who owns a private island in Massachusetts, USA, where they go to spend summers every year. Cadence, her cousins Johnny and Mirren, and their friend, Gat, are known as the Liars. They hang out together at the island every year and get into scrapes like normal teenagers.
Then, an accident changes everything. Cadence cannot remember what happened that night, and her family is not willing to remind her. She enlists the help of the other Liars who gradually help her piece together the events of that terrible night. We are taken on a journey through a summer where everything seems normal, but nothing is as it seems.
I even let my teenage son borrow this book to read, and he really enjoyed reading it too. A great book for ages thirteen and above.
The Silkworm
After Harry Potter, J. K Rowling found it hard to get out of her own shadow, and be taken seriously as a writer of adult books too. As a result, she decided to write another series under the pen name, Robert Galbraith. As it happened, her identity couldn’t remain hidden and by the time the first book came out, everyone knew who had written it. Still, it makes a difference seeing a new name on a new adult detective series, instead of a name known for writing Harry Potter.
I loved the first Cormoran Strike novel and was eager to read the second. In my opinion, the second, called The Silkworm, was even better than the first. We already knew the back story of Cormoran Strike, and had been introduced to his assistant, Robin Ellacott. This book not only cements their partnership, but also provides the requisite thrills in the form of their next case.
Owen Quine is a novelist who has gone off somewhere by himself, and his wife wants Cormoran Strike to find him and bring him back. However, as Strike probes into the disappearance, he realises that something is not right. The writer had recently finished a novel which revealed secrets about a lot of people. People who are influential, and who have a lot to lose if the book ever sees the light of the day.
And then Owen Quine turns up dead. The murder is brutal and just how Quine wrote it in his book. Strike is at a loss to understand the reasons or what the killer might do next, and it makes for a most exhilarating read. The whole book is like a roller coaster ride, and you never know what might happen next.
While it is better to have read the first book in order to understand the background of the two main characters, The Silkworm on its own is a stellar thriller. It shows the brilliance of J. K. Rowling, and her unique talent of creating unforgettable characters. A great book from one of the best authors of our time.
The Chalk Man
Another excellent book that is a recent addition to my favourites. The Chalk Man by C. J. Tudor is different in that it has a male protagonist and narrator. Here we have a middle-aged man, battling with his own demons, trying to appear as normal as possible, and failing to do so.
Eddie Adams is a British twelve-year-old in 1986, hanging out in his small town with his four friends, when their lives are changed irrevocably. Thirty years later, Eddie Adams, a middle aged, single, English teacher with a drinking problem, still living in his hometown, gets a letter with a piece of chalk. The letter has a stick figure drawn on it. Memories of that long ago summer have left their scars on everyone, and it all starts coming back to Eddie now. When an old friend’s drowned body is found, Eddie realizes that things did not end thirty years ago, and he has to find the truth before another body turns up.
The character of Eddie Adams is interesting. The way he narrates the book, you know you shouldn’t trust him along with anyone else in this book. That he is a kleptomaniac, is established early on in the book. On top of that, he is a sleepwalker who has trouble differentiating between his dreams and reality.
The book is fast paced and gripping. It makes you hold your breath and wait for what comes next. There are so many twists and turns that take you by surprise. Even if you’re able to predict some things, there is still a lot that makes you feel dizzy. For a fan of thrillers, this book is the perfect read.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is the first crime thriller that became my favourite. Believe it or not, it was included in our school curriculum in grade 9. I read as soon as I got my hands on the syllabus books! It was and still is one of the best books that Agatha Christie ever wrote. And she wrote quite a few, since she is still considered the Queen of Crime.
When Mrs. Ferrars commits suicide a few months after poisoning her abusive husband, Roger Ackroyd starts suspecting that she was being blackmailed. She was after all the woman he loved. And then he gets a letter that might confirm his suspicion, but before he could finish reading it, he has been murdered.
Hercule Poirot has retired from his work, and is busy growing marrows in the village, when Flora Ackroyd requests him to solve the mystery of her uncle’s murder. Tired of vegetables and the slow pace of village life, Poirot decides to investigate this strange murder which seems to have little or no motive.
With the help of Dr. Sheppard, Poirot goes about digging into facts and stories, and reaches the truth. The truth, however, is stranger than fiction in this case. With a finale that is equal parts shocking and unexpected, this is Agatha Christie at her finest. A great whodunnit for all ages.
I would also like to add some other books, which are also very high on my list of must-read thrillers:
A Time To Kill by John Grisham
If Tomorrow Comes by Sidney Sheldon
The Cuckoos Calling by Robert Galbraith
Deception Point by Dan Brown
SharpObjects by Gillian Flynn
The Breakdown by B. A. Paris
You Will Know Me by Meg Abbott
This list can go on and on, except that I cannot remember a lot of other books that I have read but don’t own. Maybe I can make a part two of this list when I remember more. Until then, add these books to your reading list and enjoy!
In honour of Valentines Day, this post is all about Romance novels and my love for a good romance. I have always been a closet romance freak. By that I mean that I have a closet full of trashy romance novels that I like to take out after every few months or so, and sigh about how bloody sexist they are! Yet, I cannot bring myself to throw them away.
Right now, however, I just want to talk about a few romances that have a special place in my heart. These include both classics and not-so-classic books that I think every romantic-at-heart should read.
Before I begin, let me tell you that my most favourite love story of all time is not a book. It is just one chapter in a series of books, and it leaves me heartbroken every time I read it. Yes, I’m talking about Snape and Lily’s story. If you have no idea who these people are, then you need to read Harry Potter, NOW! And if you have read and loved the books like I do, then you will know what I’m talking about. “Always.”
Disclaimer: I do not like sad endings, so don’t expect to find Gone With The Wind or The Notebook here. Also, for those who consider it a romance, Wuthering Heights is not a romantic novel, so I will write about my love for it in a different post.
Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen
I have been in love with Pride and Prejudice since grade 7. It was in our curriculum, and I have never enjoyed studying more than when we were reading this book. Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy have been my favourite couple forever. In the real world, I would probably slap the face of a man who talks to me so condescendingly, but Ms. Bennet definitely has better manners than I do! Even so, I love this maddeningly clueless man no matter what he does; and he does redeem himself at the end.
Over the years, I have owned several editions which have somehow managed to get lost with each of my moves. I love this book so much that I have all the sequels/ continuations/ retellings in e-book form! Of course, none of them come remotely close to the original.
I have never tried to find the literary merits of this book, nor have I ever tried to recount the social issues presented in it. I’m proud to say that I love it as a love story and will continue to do so. I don’t want to look into deeper meanings and motifs in the book. I still read it sometimes, and enjoy it for the all the happiness that it gives me. It is by far, the book that I have read the most number of times!
The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
One of the most read books on my shelf, The Time Traveler’s Wife is a poignant, sometimes funny tale of a Time Traveler and his wife. It looks like a lot to read, boasting almost 600 pages, but once you start reading you cannot put it down.
It is a great love story; Clare first meets Henry when she is six and Henry is thirty-six. Henry, however, first meets Clare when he’s twent-eight and she’s twenty! This is how it goes on all their lives and they have to accept it and move on with their lives.
I fell in love with this sometimes funny, sometimes sad story when I first read it many years back. It is told in different times with both Clare and Henry as narrators, and it takes a lot of concentration to get the timeline straight in your head. All the more reason to admire Audrey Niffenegger for managing to write in such a way as to convince the reader that all this is possible.
Some might argue that it has a sad ending, but for me the ending is perfect. This was the only logical way for the book to end. It is not easy to resolve matters in a book about time travel. There are always a lot of questions left unanswered.
A superlative book that is right up there on the list of my favourites!
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Night Circus is one of the most vividly written books that I have ever read. It brings to life a world that is black and white, yet feels so full of life that you want to keep on reading. The circus is not an ordinary circus, and the word “magic” feels inadequate to describe the wonders contained within its boundaries. It is a story that doesn’t feel like a love story, yet it is one of the most poignant ones that I have read.
It is the story of a contest where the contestants are not aware of what the contest is. It is the story of two powerful men pitting their best against each other but coming out empty handed. It is the story of completely different individuals coming together to mount a spectacle that the world has never seen. In the end, it is the story of love, hope, perseverance, commitment and the constant vagaries of time.
What stands out in all of this, is the strong love that Celia and Marco feel for each other. Their love transcends the boundaries of magic, time and even space. They sacrifice everything to be with each other and to them, it doesn’t matter which world they exist in, as long as that world allows them to be together.
Paradise by Judith McNaught
Ah, here is the truly romantic book, written by the best writer of Romance Fiction. But, hey, this isn’t the book that she’s most famous for! That’s right. Every romance reader is aware that Whitney, My Love is the book that is the most beloved my Ms. McNaught’s die hard fans. I am a huge fan. I have all her books, and I love all of them in varying degrees. It is impossible for me to pick a favourite among Double Standards, Perfect, Almost Heaven or any of the other wonderful books; but if I absolutely have to, I will always pick Paradise.
The story of Meredith Bancroft and Matthew Farrell is full of misunderstandings and cliches. It is impossible to believe that I have read these 800 plus pages so many times that the books is falling apart at the seams! It is the oft-written-about story of star-crossed lovers who fall in love, get married and then get separated because of the villianous father of the girl.
Fast forward to a decade later, and Meredith is engaged to her childhood friend, Matt is a hotshot businessman, and Meredith’s business is in trouble. Oh, and there is the small matter of her still being married to Matt because of a fraudulent lawyer. What follows is a story as old as a typical romance novel. Why I love it, is because Meredith makes every stupid mistake on her own.
While there is some emotional blackmail involved, eventually it is she who decides whether to be an idiot or not. And the secret feminist in me rejoices that at least in this book I will not have to go through the torture of the heroine forgiving the hero even if he has been the cruelest to her. To me, when a hero is vile, he needs to grovel proportionately, and no woman should forgive him without proper compensation! So, yes, I love this book unashamedly and its poor condition vouches for my love.
The Man in The Brown Suit by Agatha Christie
I know what you’re thinking. A love story by Agatha Christie? Are You crazy? Maybe I am, because I have loved this book ever since I read it more than 25 years ago. And no, Christie never wrote a romance novel. This is eactly what she always wrote, a mystery. I must have bought at least 5 copies of this book since I keep losing it somehow.
This is the story of Anne Beddingfeld and how she fell for a man wanted for murder, a man in a brown suit. There is a lot of mystery and intrigue in this story; and even more drama and action. And while the story is essentially a romance, there is not much romantic about it.
The mystery of the murder of a Russian dancer, Nadine, and the disappearance of some diamonds is what this whole book is about. The narrator however, falls in love with a man whose name she doesn’t know, and who is by all accounts a murderer. What follows is a tale full of deception, high speed chases and crazy characters.
I absolutely love this gem from the Queen of Crime.
I know it’s a bit late to talk about what was hot last year, but I thought I would give it a go. I had been going through a reading slump for the last six years or so. In September 2017, I decided to end this slump and get back to my old habits. Hence, my list of the best books of 2017 is not that long. I have read some really amazing books that have made me very happy to be back with my most beloved possessions. The following books are not in any particular order, just random ranking as they came into my head.
I have always loved History as a subject, but books based on the two World Wars leave me feeling depressed. So, as a rule, I avoid reading about these wars. The Alice Network proved to be a surprise in that regard.
It is a very sad story based on very real people who sacrificed their lives during the World Wars. Yet, it is a completely immersive tale. Women spies have been a source of fascination and wonder since time immemorial. Everyone has definite ideas about female spies; they’re either pious angels, or promiscuous devils; either black, or white; no greys.
The Alice Network forces you to look at female spies as courageous women who served their countries. They took risks and endangered their own lives. Their ground realities were starkly different from everyone else. They operated in a reality that we cannot even fathom.
Written in the voices of two different women, in two different eras, this book tells us about how spy networks were the backbone of the two sides during both the wars. I found it hard to put the book down as it took me through two wars simultaneously, and merged two stories together seamlessly. The wit and intelligence presented are based on truth. This makes me more in awe of the great women of the Alice Network.
This book is definitely worthy of heading the list of the best books of 2017.
This is by far my favourite book from last year. It is so far removed from my usual favourites that even I was taken by surprise.“Fall in love whenever you can.” The last rule of magic is the enemy of the Owens family. They are cursed in matters of love, yet they are destined to be followed by love all their lives.
The Rules of Magic is a magical book. It pulls you in and refuses to let you go. It is about the lives of the three children of Susanna Owens. She wants to keep them away from the cursed legacy of their family. But it is a great folly to hide your true self. Truth has a way of coming out. It is better to accept who you are than keep lying for the rest of your life.
The story may be about witches and magic, but what it embodies is true for all human beings. Life is full of good and bad, so accept everything that life throws at you and draw strength from these experiences. Loving and losing is all part of life, and avoiding love does not mean avoiding pain. The only way to live is to be true to yourself.
After a long time, a book has touched me so much that I could feel the pain of the characters. As I look back on the book, I can find nothing out of the ordinary that makes it special, but it is true that I cried with the characters. It has touched my heart somehow and I see myself picking up this book to read again and again. It reaffirms my belief that in order to live well we must “Love more, not less.” Another one of the best books of 2017.
I had never read anything by Celeste Ng before. Little Fires Everywhere was my introduction to the author. And what an introduction!
The book starts with actual little fires everywhere in the Richardson house in Shaker Heights. From there, we’re taken back in time to around a year ago and how the events from that time culminated in the house being burned to ground. It is a good lesson in how there are always two sides to every issue. Everyone looks at things according to their own experiences.
Sometimes there is no right or wrong way of doing things, you just have to make the best of what you have. Reading the book left me feeling quite emotional. I really hate it when things are not tied up neatly and everyone doesn’t get their just deserves. But I also love such climaxes because they leave a lot to your imagination. And that way the book experience is never the same for two people. It is not a thriller. There are no murders, no crazy psychopaths, no robberies, no mysteries. This is just the story of how a few months impacted so many lives; a small glimpse into a community during the 90s. A good read and a worthy contender for the list of best books of 2017.
What an intense thriller! I had never read any books by Karin Slaughter and this was a great introduction to the author. The narrative is quite graphic, and not for the faint of heart. It grips you from the first chapter and you find yourself wanting to know what happens next.
The story revolves around a family torn apart by a tragic attack twenty eight years ago, which leaves all of them with scars, both physical and psychological. Charlotte thinks that she has come a long way from her nightmarish ordeal almost thirty years ago. She is a good lawyer, not like her notorious father who is willing to represent anyone regardless of their guilt.
One morning, she is caught in a school shooting. It threatens to expose everything she has worked so hard to keep inside her. As things get worse, Charlie’s life starts to unravel around her and there is only one person who can help her become whole again. But they haven’t seen or spoken to each other in a long, long time, and there are some wounds that just refuse to heal.
There are some sequences that are truly horrifying and leave the reader close to tears. However, the solid narrative and story make it very hard to put the book down. Underlying the narrative is the theme of a father’s love for his daughters and how he believes, I think quite rightly, that everyone needs a different kind of love. One of the best thrillers that I have ever read. Definitely a must read for all lovers of this genre and definitely one of the best books of 2017.
When I picked up this book, I absolutely expected to get bored with it and have trouble finishing it. After all, I have never had patience with long, rambling narratives about people’s lives. So, it was a surprise when I it took me one day to finish it because I couldn’t put it down!
This is the story of Evelyn Hugo, a Hollywood mega star, and her equally famous and ill-fated marriages. Evelyn wants to tell her real story to the world, but only if Monique Grant writes it. Intrigued by why a Hollywood movie icon would want a little-known journalist, Monique agrees to write the biography, little knowing the effect it will have on her.
The character of Evelyn is such that you dislike her, yet root for her at the same time. She is ambitious and ruthless, but there are some aspects to her life that are very painful. Like her One True Love, and her best friend, who is ready to do anything for her.
As far as the book itself goes, while captivating, it feels like some parts of the story are just glossed over without any details. I don’t like lengthy narrative, but there are a couple of things that required more detail. Still, it does not take anything away from the story itself. It sort of reminded me of A Woman of Substance and Master of the Game, but only because of the strong female protagonist who will go to any lengths to get what she wants. It sure does deserve a place on the list of the best books of 2017!
