I finally got around to reading The Only Story by Julian Barnes even though I had bought it soon after it was published last year. I thought it took me a long time to read The Sense of an Ending because I was travelling and didn’t get much time to read. After reading The Only Story, I realized that I was wrong.
Barnes’s writing is such that it needs to be read slowly, each sentence needing complete concentration. His books are not light reading by any stretch of imagination, they require your full attention. I don’t know what it is about his words, but I had to stop reading several times just to chew upon what I had read. Also, because some parts made my heart feel so heavy that I had no choice but to put the book down for a few hours.
Most of us have only one story to tell. I don’t mean that only one thing happens to us in our lives: there are countless events, which we turn into countless stories. But there’s only one that matters, only one finally worth telling.
Paul was nineteen when he fell in love for the very first time. This first love was what defined the rest of his life, and what was the only story he found worth telling. It might have been a regular love story, had Paul not fallen in love with a woman in her mid-forties, old enough to be his mother.
Paul was happy being the village scandal at that age, and thought, with the immaturity of youth, that love was enough for a couple. That they could live with their love for the rest of their lives without needing anyone or anything else. What followed, was something that Paul could never have imagined.
There are so many issues underlying what is essentially a love story, that it seems inevitable that things will spiral out of control. From domestic abuse to alcoholism, PTSD to depression, every character is flawed. And every character is all the more human because of these flaws.
What we are given is not actually an accurate account of the events or the characters, for it is coloured by Paul’s own prejudices and the diluting effect time has had on his memories. We are shown the story through his eyes as he looks back at his life after decades, and that makes you wary of believing what he says. After all, every man wants to be the hero in his own story.
In the end, it is easy to feel some sort of sympathy for the young boy and understanding for the young man, who had to make some tough decisions in life when all he wanted was to love unconditionally and not care about convention.
It may not be as powerful as Sense of an Ending, but this book comes quite close to it in my opinion.
The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan is a sweet book. It is a story of love and loss, and of lost things and people. As I write this, I realize that the simpler the story, the more difficult it is to write a review. Not because the story has nothing in it, but because it is a simple tale with no hidden meanings or life lessons.
Anthony Peardew collects lost things, not for himself, but in the hope that one day he can restore them to their real owners. So he goes about collecting objects he finds in different places; things like hair bobbles, jigsaw puzzle pieces, bracelets, and a biscuit tin containing some dead person’s ashes. All these things are kept safe in his study, duly labelled with the time and place of their discovery. But Anthony is growing old, and he needs to leave his collection with someone who will love it the same way he does, and who will work towards restoring the objects to their rightful owners.
Laura is Anthony’s assistant and as lost as one of Anthony’s things. When she finds out what Anthony has left her, she is overwhelmed by the task in front of her. With the help of a handsome gardener, a girl with Down Syndrome, a mangy dog, and a crazy ghost, Laura sets out to restore the lost things to their rightful owners, finding her own way in the process, and putting an end to the restlessness caused by a particular chain of events forty years ago.
The book is heartwarming and funny. It keeps going back and forth in time, with two different narratives that merge into one over a time period of forty years. Both stories are equally poignant with some laugh-out-loud and some heartbreaking moments. It took me a few days to read because I was on a break and busy with other things, but once I really got into it, I finished it in one night.
Read this book if you want a change of pace and some light hearted, sweet fun. This was a four star read for me.
A few days ago, I was talking to someone about The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand and how it was bound to be appealing to men even though it has been written by a woman. The book is widely considered groundbreaking and presents a new philosophy called Objectivism, which while panned by academic philosophers, is still followed by a faithful group.
The Fountainhead itself is a book that is more likely to be read by a younger audience, during college years, and early career, when it seems like the ideal text to follow. As they grow older and become more worldly, this idealism seems to fade from the minds of these readers. It is not so easy to read this book once you have left behind your student life. The text is too long and too slow, and the theories too idealist for the real world.
The book traces the life of Howard Roark, architect extraordinaire, and an egoist to boot. He is reviled for his ideas and integrity, and the world in general seems to be baffled by his genius. From humble beginnings, he becomes an architect known for being forward looking, while at the same time he is persecuted by the society for being rigid and unyielding on his principles.
Roark is wired in such a way that he believes that in order to do the most good, a person needs to be the most selfish. This selfishness is the only way to achieve happiness and contentment in life. For him, selfishness is giving precedent to his happiness and not what others think of him. A person wants fame and money because of an unnatural need to be validated in front of the world. According to him, if he changes his work to make others happy, then he is not being true to himself, and if everyone tried to make themselves happy instead of listening to others, the world would be a better place for it.
The Fountainhead presents the ultimate hero, one who is not willing to compromise, even if it means paying hefty fines, going to jail, or losing the one true love of his life to his biggest enemy. We have seen many versions of this hero over the years, both in books and movies; the man who is not afraid to take on the world for the sake of his principles. The only difference is, that these other heroes are all eventually revealed to be altruistic and philanthropic, redeeming themselves in the eyes of society and mankind.
The Fountainhead puts forth the philosophy that an ideal heroic man is one whose purpose in life is to keep himself happy, and his nobility lies, not in doing good for others, but in being productive and useful to himself. It presupposes all humans as rational beings capable of sound reasoning.
On paper, this sounds like the perfect world, more so to the younger reader who immediately casts himself or herself in the role of Howard Roark, standing up for what is right and just in their eyes. What it doesn’t account for, and what these young men and women learn as they grow older, is that it is next to impossible to keep their emotions separate from their reason.
So, while Roark looks like the ultimate hero, who sacrifices his only love for the sake of his principles, it remains subjective which principles to uphold; because every individual has a different moral compass. What is sacred to one man may not be important for another.The drawback of going against collectivism is that it refutes all laws and regulations. By the same token, if everyone started standing up, and there was no compromise in the world, there would ultimately be chaos.
So, it could be that while Howard Roark has some principles that he will fight for till death, why should his principles be important for any other individual, who wants to succeed in his own field? In the real world, this philosophy seems too good to be true, for the simple reason that not all individuals are strong in character. In the book, however, Howard Roark remains the ideal man, a man willing to go to any lengths to uphold his beliefs and not surrendering his convictions in the face of adversity.
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!
The first book I really fell in love with and wanted to read again and again, was A Little Princess. I don’t remember when or how old I was, but I absolutely loved that book. Then came The Chronicles of Narnia and Anne of Green Gables. It’s not as if I grew up hating Enid Blyton or not reading her; I was reading too many of her books as it was, I just didn’t fall in love with them like I did these books.
It sounds strange now, but there were quite a few books in our school curriculum that I couldn’t get enough of, A Tale of Two Cities and Pride And Prejudice being two that I still re-read from time to time. That was the time that I found Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre and Rebecca. I do love a strong female protagonist in a book! Around the same time, I borrowed a library book called The Seven Dials Mystery written by one Agatha Christie, and thus began my obsession with mystery and crime thrillers. I still stop and buy Agatha Christie books when I see them in a bookshop.
As I look back, it is hard to believe that I found time to read so many books since, like any teenager at that time, I was also reading a lot of Sweet Valley High and Sweet Dreams. Romance novels have been a weakness of mine ever since I started reading them. I still have piles of Harlequin and Mills & Boon books stashed away in my closet where no one can see them! I also happen to have quite a lot of books by Julie Garwood, Sandra Brown and Julia Quinn. And of course, I have ALL the books written by Judith McNaught which I still read from time to time. So I’m not just a Crime Thriller and contemporary literature kind of girl. I love a good romance too. Though, I would rather read a happy ending than a sad one in romance novels. This is one of the reasons I have never managed to read The Fault in Our Stars or The Notebook. I do confess to loving A Walk to Remember beyond anything else, but that may be because that is the only book whose movie adaptation made me cry more than the book itself.
When you have read so many books in your life, it becomes impossible to say which books are your favourites. As I write, I can think of so many books that I want to read again and again. Maybe I will write about those books some time later. For now, these are some of my favourite books!
