Book Reviews - Contemporary Fiction

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Topic suggested by Gokul on Fri Aug 14 17:21:48 .


Reviews of contemporary fiction, contemporary being anytime after WWII. :-).

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Old responses (http://forumhub.com/elit/9997.32280.17.21.48.html)

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THE FLOWER BOY
by Karen Roberts
Review,
"Sunset in Ceylon: A Long Goodbye"
at
http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/style/columns/bookreport/A24097-2000Jun30.html (http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/style/columns/bookreport/A24097-2000Jun30.html
)

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Has anyone read the latest collection of short stories by Jeffry Archer?

How is it?

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>>>>>From: bb (@ inehou-pxy05.compaq.com) on: Tue Jul 6 18:49:28

mario puzo passed away. <<<<<<

The Last Don was not as good as his earlier books. It was rather disappointing.

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Udaya, The review of Love @ the time of Cholera was extremely interesting. I am reading through the novel just now. BTW anybody can post a review on Marquez's 'One Hundred Years of Solitude'?

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gunther grass: the call of the toad. if you have a taste for irony, outrageous plots and loads of i-am-not-going-to-write-this-because-this-is-going-to-make-me-sappy kind of sensibility, this is a great book to read. my suggestion: take it slow, one note at a time :-)

(oh! this is a real good book!)

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Review of "Sophie's World : A Novel About the History of Philosophy" -- by Jostein Gaarder

This novel is a slick sales job of a philosophy text disguised as a novel. Out of the blue a 14-year old girl receives a letter that spurs her curiosity about the world and philosophy. From hereon goes the outlandish story about the secret letters with each revealing a chapter of philosophical thought in Western philosophy covering everyone from Socrates to Sartre.

I don’t want to give away the parallel structure that the reader becomes aware of midway through the novel as it’s one of the few literary surprises in the novel. Gaarder’s strength is philosophy and it shows through with the philosophical discussions being the best part of the novel. The segue from philosopher to philosopher, along with the historical background of each and their times is done effortlessly. The rest of the novel though, its plot, dialogues and characterizations belong in a book found in the Young Adult section of a library.

For what it's worth, Gaarder does deserve credit for pulling off this philosophy-novel hybrid. I can easily recommend this for anyone who wants a primer in Western philosophy.

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Udhaya,
I read your review of Rushdie's Midnight's Children and I agree with all you say. But I dont know why you brought in Naipaul in the category of holier-than-thou expatriate writers. I have read 2 of Naipual's India travelogues. "An Area of darkness" and "India:A million..". In the first, Naipaul visits India for the first time and is confused more than anything else, by his experiences. He struggles to understand the country and his attempts for the most part take him only as far as the British rule. I didnt see much snickering in this, though you can argue that he did narrate the events, especially about some Indians he met and lived with, in a rather "snickery" fashion. In any case, I didnt see any malice or presumptousness. His second book was different. More mature, more insighful, more content.. and best of all, he found a lot to celebrate about the people he met and the country in large.

Vijay

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I agree with Udhaya on his views about Naipaul. True, his earlier books on India tend to give you the impression that he puts himself up on a pedastel and judges us. As udhaya said, It was probably a result of his exposure to the complexities of the Indian existence. Quite a few preconceptions he came with would have been torn to shreds (diasporic Indians tned to recreate a homogenous simpler version of India in their adopted countries...which tend to be far removed from real India). You grow up with one idea of India and come here to find something vastly different...something like the foreigner who comes looking for snake charmers in every street corner.

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Shard et al

>>You grow up with one idea of India and come here to find something vastly different... something like the foreigner who comes looking for snake charmers in every street corner<<

I have an australian born Indian niece whose first (when she was old enough)visit was when she was eighteen. She must have taken at least a dozen photos of me posing along with my office car driver and also of my wife with the old ayah woman. I was laughing for days afterward when she told me of how she would show off to her friends that her uncle back in India was a millionaire!!

Regarding her views about the lack of toilet paper habit in India the less said the better. I used to have tremendous if somewhat vicious fun arguing with my fuming child how paper could never, never, never, never work as well as water!!

Incidentally her parents (asian born) speak, according to her, "curry english".

There is more than mere geography separating my child and me, I guess.

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Review of Michael Ondaatje's, “Anil’s Ghost”
Returning to his Sri Lankan roots, Michael Ondaatje explores the fate of the Sri Lankan public caught in the crossfire between the Fascist government’s oppression and the retaliation by the revolutionary guerillas. Mass killings, kidnappings and disappearances seem rampant, yet nobody seems willing to acknowledge the victim or the enemy. Anil, appointed by an international peace force, is in Sri Lanka on a fact-finding mission. Returning to a country that has grown wildly different from her memories of it as a teenager, Anil is forced to face her precariousness as a woman, a visiting expatriate, a foreigner with international clout and an object of unanimous contempt. Her supposed ally is Sarath an archaeologist she teams while suspicious of his alliances.

Those expecting the grand romance set against the war, as in “English Patient” will be disappointed by the relentless accounts of suffering, torture and doom. At one point in the story there’s an abandoned bungalow away from the war torn city with several disparate characters in it, but there ends all similarities to “English Patient.” Yet, the poetic Ondaatje touches are unmistakably there: the ease with which he traverses the intimate and the universal, his profound knowledge of the human psyche, and the personal mythology he invests in each character as they rummage through the rubble excavating their own existence in a place as pointless and hopeless as Sri Lanka in the 80s and 90s. Ondaatje’s purpose here isn’t to assign political blame by singling out anybody, he mourns ravaged souls and lost love as much as he mourns the loss of life.

Though the pacing is uneven and the narration occasionally episodic, I found “Anil’s Ghost” to be tremendously satisfying on a spiritual and aesthetic level.

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Review of Pankaj Misra’s “The Romantics”
Misra, though not as overwhelmingly literate or wise as some of my esteemed favorites, is definitely one who delivers emotional integrity in his characters. By exploring the intimate with egoless sincerity, he probes the universal dreams and dread.

Samar, the narrator is a bookish young man who moves to Benares in the late 80s to prepare for his Civil Service exams. Samar’s exposure to the outside world begins with an English neighbor, Miss West, who further paves the way for his first pangs of love. With confessional intimacy and an eye for detail, the narration won me over early. The narrator being a focused-yet-passive, intelligent-yet-naïve, young man works handily into the novel’s machinations. The psychological insights the Misra gets for each character’s actions and hang-ups are so real and touching. And the object of his love, Catherine, haven’t we all pined for someone like her at least once in our life?

Though the narrator is a romantic to the core, the novel doesn’t spare the reality of the classes, politics, students, terrorists, the desperation of youth, and the gulf between the east and west. The transition in Samar seems natural and gradual. Misra sensitively fills every page with youthful longing that a sense of bittersweet melancholy resonated in me long after the novel was over.

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Recently I read Disgrace by JM Coetzee. 1999's Booker Prize winner. The narration has an easy flow with a steady and single stream. Not much use of imagery or heavy allegory. Simple and straight in presentation. One cannot miss the contrast between the love life of Byron as sketched by the character David and the love life of the character himself.
It's a small piece of fiction and a very easy-to-read one at that.

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Review of David Baldacci’s, “The Simple Truth”
I have a habit of going to a thriller or crime novel after every 3 or 4 literary novels just to change things up. Usually I read the likes of Walter Mosley, Jim Thompson or Elmore Leonard as my genre breakers. I became interested in Baldacci after watching his speech/interview on Book TV several months ago. Though I saw and hated the movie, “Absolute Power” based on his book, I decided to give Baldacci’s novels a try because he had mentioned in the interview that the movie had skipped key plot points and characters. I would like to add that I’ve only read Scott Turow from the lawyer-turned-writer genre (if there is such a genre).

The Simple Truth was a curious read. The novel races from page to page true to its genre, but there’s also more remorse and regret in its characters than found in most such novels. I found the parallels between Mike and John Fiske as well as the contrasts between the brothers Harms and the brothers Fiske very interesting. A character such as John Fiske could’ve been the narrator of the story, his back story is that rich and promising, but Baldacci never explores this beyond the surface perhaps to stay true to the plot which is the driving force in these novels.

Baldacci displays his strength when covering the legal arena, the politics of the Supreme Court, the Military, etc. But this is not a novel steeped in the legal proceedings either, I mean, this is not a legal thriller in the true sense of the term, there are no courtroom battles. There are scenes where the judges wrestle, lobby each other on challenging precedents about the law that were insightful but seemed part of a different novel altogether. Atleast, the way Baldacci introduces a key judicial debate seems intrusive to the story’s flow since the reader is set up to expect the next step in John and Sara’s investigative trail.

As far as characterization goes, much of it is done through backstory fed through conversations and the ones that benefit the most are the Harms brothers. The Harms come of as live, breathing characters because they experience the extremes of sin/redemption, punishment/reprieve, condemnation/celebration. They are also the characters that noticeably go through a transformation. John does too, but his is more inferred than shown. Maybe some key scenes could have had more emotional undertones or sharply written dialogues, something poignant to underscore John’s jealousy, his stoic resolve. While the novel concerns itself with Sara and John’s romance, their affection for each other seems more a plot conceit than reality. The novel loses emotional integrity from the way someone like Sara throws herself at John. This is not a judgement call, it just doesn’t seem palatable or normal for Sara to act the way she does around John from the start. That their relationship takes the course it does also plays out like a different kind of story than the one I’m reading. The arguments between John and his father and some of the tiffs between John and Sara seem forced.

The plot itself is very well conceived and pays of well at the end. The two or three twists towards the end were worth the wait. Especially, the one involving an FBI agent was a total surprise. The dyslexia anglewas also a nice touch. I wish Justice Knight’s reaction wasn’t given away earlier in the game, it undercut the surprise in the revelation of one of the bad guys. If you are a reader who loves twists and enjoys a fast pace, then this novel won’t disappoint.

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Review of Jose Saramago’s, “All the Names”
Jose Saramago, a Portuguese writer, won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1998. After reading about his novels, I decided to try “All the Names” for it seemed the most peculiar of the lot. Let me start by saying that Saramago is probably an acquired taste for many; especially those who expect direction from their authors. Saramago must hate indentations and quotation marks and probably punctuations for the most part. He blends in dialogues, monologues, thoughts and narration together. Even though this seems ridiculous, when you read him you don’t notice the lack of said structure. Whether that is Saramago’s intention isn’t clear, but he succeeds with this aberration nonetheless.

The story follows a tremulous clerk who works at the Civil Registry, a bureaucratic monster, where he records the names of the newly born, the dead and updates the transitions of the living. As a hobby he secretly follows the lives of famous people of his own selection from the registry. One day he accidentally comes across the card for a normal citizen, an unknown lady. Inexplicably Jose’s drawn to the lady’s life and sets about gathering data about her whereabouts. His quest to find the lady’s identity is the novel’s story.

Senhor Jose, the main character, could easily be seen as a hybrid creation of Kafka and Borges. The same can be said about Saramago. The metaphysical imagery, tortured monologues, the wistful way chance and circumstance play with characters, the crushing machinery of life and the unforgiving exaction of the workplace are all part of the picture that Saramago paints with magnificent leaps in narration with concern for the absurdest feelings in man.

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Penguin India CEO David Davidar writes his first novel 'The House of Blue Mangoes'.

http://www.the-week.com/20dec24/life7.htm

http://www.newstodaynet.com/21jan/ss1.htm

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guys read the book 'the web of silk and gold'
penguin current best seller by south indian babe shakti niranjchana. acc to me fine novel by a young genius

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hey read that book. enjoyed it. By author shakti niranjchana . The style was fantastic. nice story frank book

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Jose Saramango's( Nobel for lit 1998) "Tale of the unknown island"

Written like a fable. It is so intriguing and mind boggling, I can only feel my reaction, can not articulate it. Remember Udhaya had reviewed his "All the names" recently?

It is a very small book and can be read within fortyfive minutes.

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I also recently read the book Web of Silk and Gold. Mukesh and Shaila, what did you like most about the book? It was has good flow and I think the author has handled a tough subject with ease.

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hi
read 'web of silk and gold" to me it was the feelings that were written which was good. i liked thta part. also very poetic. I wish it was longer though

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where can i buy 'the web of silk and gold?

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vipasa:

I picked it up from Higginbothams, Madras when I was last there, but you can buy it here http://www.indiaclub.com/shop/SearchResults.asp?ProdStock=8354

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dhruva:
Yes, the emotions of a young girl, married off young, coming from a protected family are written so well. It is a touching novel and I am sure many Indian women might see themselves or part of themselves in Aradhna.

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Hi I have read the book "web of silk and gold"Aradhana's plight early in her marriage brought tears in my eyes.

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well friends, does anyone know what Shakti Niranjchana's next book is about? I read somewhere that she is writing a book on arts and craft and there's also buzz that she may be writing a historic novel?

BTW Has anyone read David Davidar's new book?

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Review of Rohinton Mistry’s A Fine Balance
Mistry has been lauded as a master storyteller who belongs among the 19th century greats. The American media is completely enamored with his writing calling it Dic*kensian (the forum censor thought I was swearing when I typed the author's last name, ha). Mistry does create endearing characters that gain an intimate resonance from the careful details of their longings, motives, actions and the circumstances surrounding their everyday struggles. The intertwining stories of a middle-aged Parsi widow, a college youth who’s the widow’s paying guest, and two tailors who work for the widow form the core of the novel. There are plenty of secondary characters that aid and obstruct the lives of the four main characters. The Emergency period under Indhira Gandhi’s reign and the fascist power wielded by the MISA act are the real villains in this novel. Mistry is best when personalizing the political or social edicts through his characters. This was the remarkable beauty of his earlier novel, “Such a Long Journey”.

But in “A Fine Balance”, Mistry elaborates the catastrophic reach of injustice in every corner that the reader feels like a participant in an ill-fated, masochistic video game. While the political and social corruptions are endemic to any Indian novel’s concerns, Mistry’s agenda of contempt is so unforgiving and deep-seated that his characters risk incredulity in their epic suffering. Other than catching the plague or being stoned to death, almost every other calamity is accounted for by the characters: fatal accidents, gruesome suicides, castration, forced vasectomies, hanging, lynching, slave labor, starvation, broken limbs, not to mention the lighter fare of bribes, extortion and forced abeyance on the victims. The narration barely lets up before delivering the next heartbreak. Every lucky break afforded a character is a harbinger of a future calamity that the title’s balance becomes ironic. There is no balance of joy and pain here, only a relentless parade of misery.

The Emergency period was a dark era in India’s history when the authorities were empowered with a fascist law. Historically the lower castes, and poor have suffered unthinkable atrocities under the hands of power in India. But these realities still need to be rendered in a way that doesn’t lean on melodrama which ultimately sells short the real suffering endured by many.

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Tell me if any book can beat 'Silence of the Lamb' as the best contemporary psycological thriller. I doubt it.

But if you guys want comedy, violence rolled into one seamless mixture, then Cristopher Brookmyre should be your choice. I'll list some of his novels:
*Boling a frog;
*Not the end of the world;
*Quite ugly one morning
*One fine day in the middle of the night.

If any of you guys have read any of the above please feel free to contact me and comment on them.

Theena

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Pls do not post any personal messages to Ms. shakti niranjchana here. The author does not like personal messages and we have removed all such posts on her request.

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Dear S Niranjchana:
When will your next book be published?

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Madam:
Happy Birthday! Wish you the best life can offer!

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Urgent - Please contact me at roy*******@yahoo.com

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Dear, You can add this in Your next novel.
Orru thai Thettuvathupol Yen NESAR thettuvar, Marboddu cherthu annaipar, manna kavalai yavum theerppar.----Orru thai
A sincere well wisher.

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Please visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/roy*******family Replace ******* by my second name

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Came across this online:

IF ONLY I COULD SEE

My eyes are clouded
They do not let me see
The love that awaits me
If only I could see!

Pillars of strength
Await my embrace
To give me comfort
If only I could see!

Hearts laid bare
Ready with love
To give me strength
If only I could see!

Love from home
Love that is strong
Love unconditional
Awaits me far away
If only I could see!

Oh veil of darkness
Set me free
Oh cloud screen
Let me see!

[Oldposts]

Check this link out http://www.kevinhogan.com/Finding.htm

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don't forget april 16
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[Maloriejustine]

Vintage Jeffrey Archer, a web of plotting and subplotting, an eye for an eye, revenge is a dish best served cold.
While I have yet to find an unlikeable Archer tale, this one embodies his skills, his sense of humour, his development of even the minor characters, and his ability to force the reader to concentrate on every word, comma, and inflection.
Kane and Abel, and the two sequels, is, of course, a masterpiece in its own right, but too easy a choice for a favorite. As the Crow Flies was very human, detailed lives, and fun successes, but not so much intrique, and isn't that why we read the great Archer? To feel just that much more superior and intelligent for having spent that much more time in the 'Master's' mind?
The Sons of Fortune was not on par. It smacked of a Sidney Sheldon. Sheldon is a fun read, but rather like sitting down to an hour with Gone with the Wind, and finding you grabbed a Harlequin by mistake.

[mohan kumar]

I have read a poem by Edgar Lee Masters.It starts like this.


I have known the silence of the stars and of the sea
And the silence of the city when it pauses
And the silence of the man and a maid
And the silence for which music alone finds the word
And the silence of the woods before the winds of spring begin


After a few lines an intersting stanza,

A curious boy asks an old soldier
Sitting in front of the grocery store,
"How did you loose your leg?,
And the old soldier is struck with silence
Or his mind flies away
Because he cannot concentrate it on Gettysburg.
It comes back jocosely
And he says "a bear bit off"
And the boy wonders. While the old soldier
Dumbly feebly lives over
The flashes of guns ,the thunder of cannon
The shrieks of the slain
And himself lying on the ground
And the hospital surgeons,the knives
And the Long days in bed.
But if he could describe it all
He would be an artist
But if he were an artist there would be deeper wounds
Which he could not describe.

Any one has read it?

[gaddeswarup]

I do not read much fiction these days. Last year I read Jhumpa Lahiri's "The Namesake" and liked it very much. Equally impressive is the review of the book by Pankaj Ghosh in the New York Review of Books, December 2003. The same Pankaj Ghosh wrote a wonderful story "Reading Edmund Wilson in Benares". None of these are very recent but I liked all the above.
Swarup

[malligai]

Hii Friends!!

Just wondering of anyone here has read Nicholas Evan's "The Divide" or the "Horse Whisperer"...

If anyone has, can u post a short review of these books for me.. :)

Thanks in advance..

[malligai]

I have started "The Divide"...i will post a review once i finish [if i finish.. :lol:]

[VENKIRAJA]

can anyone suggest contemporary science fiction writers?(in simple style)

[chevy]

[tscii:38b7b8bd98]REVIEW OF "MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA" - already posted in the memoirs of a geisha thread. . bt i thot id rather post in the book reviews thread as well .. so here it is -

i wanted to start a thead on this book after i read it .. but then .. i jus wrote in " latest reads" and left. . .book is too good ..



A SYNOPSIS OF THE STORY ..
i read the book ..just after my 12th boards .... so i too was recollecting the "school life" phase that had just concluded in my life.. Speaking of recollections .. this book is perfectly written..
Arthur Golden has recollected the memoirs of a Japanese Geisha. .in the most chronological manner.

An interesting tale portraying the life of a geisha, a life that is atypical, complicated and satiated with formalism. Golden completes seduces the reader with his meticulous and graceful description of a geisha’s life. Aptly titled as “memoirs of a geisha”, this book gives the reader the feeling of having spent hours or days with the most gifted geisha of Japan. The book begins with
“Chiyo” a young and poor child who is mercilessly separated from her family. It describes a child’s perception of deception, perplexity and separation. Then, the cruelty she undergoes whilst toiling to become a geisha and finally the beautiful, elegant and detailed description of the making of the classic heroine, the Kyoto geisha, Sayuri. Today, fiction rarely comes as archetypal as this novel.

it's a bit controversial.. my cousin read it and disapproved it's subject matter..
she's feels..there is no difference between a geisha and a prostitute. .... however in the book .. golden points out the difference between a geisha and slut in the japanese society..
however in our country . if a woman dances, or basically performs in front of men ... to make a living.. she's a slut. but in their society .. geishas are dancers ..in face they hold a great place of respect in the society ..
like mameha in the novel ..



my opinion
My opinion is that. The novel has been narrated is a distinct style. I always thought authors write in their own distinct styles which are influenced by their vicinity and lifestyle but Golden through his novel has proved me wrong. He has shown a feat of cross cultural masquerade. I still can’t believe it that a non-Japanese and that too, a male writer who has produced such an intricate novel.

It is just a story. One doesn’t have to approve it’s contents. Certainly even I never considered the “Geisha” life much dissimilar to that of a prostitute. Yet after reading this immensely believable book, I suppose there is a wee difference. However, this view is from an Indian eye. It may be different to people of other nations. We just can’t set aside this novel on grounds of such petite controversies. This book , for all intents and purposes, doesn’t try to convince the reader to show any difference. It just describes the life of a geisha. I feel any Indian or anyone for that matter, who bets to differ from my opinion, should still keep this book back their shelves. Arthur Golden does deserve an applause.

cheers
chevy
[/tscii:38b7b8bd98]

[Death Note]

can anyone suggest contemporary science fiction writers?(in simple style)
Joe Haldeman. I would really recommend The Forever War and The Forever Free.

[shalushalu]

Bought "I too had a love story" by Ravinder Singh - while I was in Chennai. A simple, poignant love story. If you are an avid reader, and have three hours or so to spare, this would be a good bet. The book starts with this phrase, "Dedicated to - The loving memory of the girl whom I loved, yet could not marry". Curiosity kills the cat. That is what it did to me.....

[baroque]

SOB with CONNIE WILLIS DOOMSDAY BOOK.

moving story of DOOMSDAY BY CONNIE WILLS - MEDIEVAL PERIOD - big book keep your attention, travels back and forth between future & the past

A history student got the permission to travel back in time and dropped in the English countryside to observe the early 14th century.
Though she was prepared, learned the languages & customs, immunized , vaccinated etc... she got fever, found herself in the middle of bubonic plague epidemic and was in the street as soon as she was dropped. Medieval people cared for her.
she recovered little but still she is weak and couldn't find the spot from which she can go home.
Now she is stuck in 14th century, the days are depressing and dangerous....emotionally affecting.

Now at present, the tech and the others in charge of the history student have fell ill due to unknown virus infection. The virus spread everywhere. The lab is closed. They couldn't support the history student back at 14th century. By the time they get back to normal, nobody knows what happened to the student back at 14th century.
They need to find a way to get the student back home...
tense moments.

your heart will bleed in sadness with this book but you still love it.
engaging, emotional, thrilling and sad
Vinatha.

[baroque]

330

Every 'outsider'(Earth folks) who loves to read/bookworms/knows to read,not read often but wants to read/casual readers... ALL, yeah.... everyone must get to know the PEOPLE. They are fascinating, mystical, loving, all about friendship, community and using their gifts for good.
Every chapter is a gem, words can't describe the Classic.

Related stories of "PEOPLE" is PILGRIMAGE by ZENNA HENDERSON.
It is about Children who feel misunderstood,isolated , feeling terribly lonely, different and find
others who are like them slowly. They have special powers, can float above the ground,read people's mind, sensitive, council troubled minds, snarled emotions etc..
In each story lost members find their way to the group.
The book starts with depressed Lea wanting to do suicide. Karen rescued her and convinced her to embrace hope & life.
Karen takes Lea to her place and her PEOPLE. Exciting story of PEOPLE, their problems and how they want to live as they are as a community.
Who are these PEOPLE?
Aliens fled from their home planet and were separated and scattered on Earth when their ship crashed. PEOPLE are nice, they touch your heart.
Mystical beauty set in American west/south west/canyons, fantastic imagery of rural settings,writings on the land and residents.


Vinatha.

[baroque]

328THE LAST KASHMIRI ROSE

Serial murder mystery in colonial India. Indian setting but not much elaboration on the Indians, ordinary folks and their life of that period. It is about the Anglo Indian life styles, officers and their military routines, their lavish life with servants, ayyahs in rural areas of Panikhat.

Scotland Yard detective Joe Sandilands decides to go home after working in Colonial India.

That time he gets a request from Bengal asking for help regarding a murder.

A wife of British officer is dead, initially they thought it is a suicide but after investigation , they realize that several wives have died over the time period that there are coincidences between the deaths....they are all dying at the month of March.

Nancy Drummond, a friend of the last victim Peggy Somersham who found dead in her bath with her wrists cut is the lady accompanied Joe Sandilands to Panikhat for investigation.

She is attractive, intelligent and was elaborating on the previous deaths, incidents of Alicia who was drowned in the river crossing on a ferry, the death of Sheila Forbes and the woman bitten by cobra Joan Carmichael to the latest death of her friend. Nancy totally believes that it is a murder, she wanted to investigate all these deaths and the connections.

Thus starts our investigation of the deaths of Dolly, Joan,Sheila,Alicia and the latest Peggy at Panikhat.

Our detective Joe is attracted to Nancy, he admires her looks, the way she speaks, sits etc... she is his love interest and she is married, Naurung is his help (Indian policeman) who is very loyal.
Characters are pleasant.

Good plot with twists.

Comfortable read.

vinatha.

[baroque]

The Lost Gate...Orson Scott Card

Westilians are from the planet Westil.

they were very powerful Gods of ( multiple deities ) polytheistic society(Greeks, Hindus, etc...).

Few families of them live in Earth (Mittlegard) now.

Loki, was the last gatemage from North family.

Gatemage can create tunnels, gates between the two worlds. The mightiest of powers , magic gathered from other place could only be sustained by frequent passages back and forth though this GREAT GATES.

But Loki closed all the Great Gates.

Now without access to the gates, Westilians of Earth are diminishing in their power.

The Great Gates had been what turned the mages of Westil into Gods when they came to the Mittlegard(Earth).

Now, these families live like ordinary folks, and isolate themselves because of the inexplicable act of Loki.

They don't want another gatemage like Loki in North family.
They have an agreement to kill if there is a new Gatemage 'new loki' born to them.

Our Danny North's story..

Danny North's family was one of the Gods, live in the isolated area of western Virginia far from schools, other regular community.

He, his cousins, uncles and aunts lived under his dad's leadership.


When Danny grows up, all his cousins, uncles, aunts can do magic, they all have some special talents.

But Danny did not have any.

All he can do is learn from books and run fast.

Yeah... Danny can sure run fast.

In fact Danny runs fast outside their North compound to the areas of drowthers(ordinary Earth folks- have no magic powers) to get away from his bully cousins.

Soon Danny realized how he is able to go past the compound.. yeah, our weak Danny is a GATEMAGE. He is not just a North family kid without special gifts.

He is not a poor pathetic Danny anymore. He is not a drekka.

He is POWERFUL mage of rarest kind.

All these years his cousins bullied him, the time he finds out he rather powerful mage of rarest kind, he is not jumping with triumph, instead he is afraid.
He can't go home.

If they find out he is Gatemage, 'new Loki' emerged from North family, they will kill him.

So what will our Danny do?

Danny decided to flee his compound and self teach and learn to know and control his powers in drowther's part of the world among drowthers.(us..magic less folks of earth)
How does Danny do now?
Does he learn to master his gifts, learn to control them?

His trips to library, school at a regular American society and his tricks, snobbish attitudes ,learning and understanding of our regular folks lives are very enjoyable.

Above all, does he learn to create THE GREAT GATE between the worlds?


There is a second story, fantasy on the planet Westil.
A mysterious boy born out of the tree.
He showed up into the palace kitchen of kingdom Iceway.
He showed up at a time kingdom is going through turmoil, resentment and distrust.


Wise guy comments, petty thefts , his life out on the streets of America, I have fun with Danny.

Wad's part is full of love, hardships , deception, murder , loyalty, heartbreak in the other planet.


I enjoyed reading both the stories.
At the very end both the plots come together.

THE LOST GATE BY ORSON SCOTT CARD....fun and enjoyable read.

[baroque]

UNPUTDOWNABLE .....31 bond street by ELLEN HORAN

SPELLBINDING WORK with gorgeous black and white images.

31 bond street - Historical crime drama includes murder, greed, corruption, politics, court investigation set in 1859 New York.

338

339

340


A famous dentist Dr.Harvey Burdell murdered in 1857, New York City.

Emma Cunningham is a widow, lived with her two daughters in his residence.

One morning, 11 yrs old errand boy found his master Dr.Harvey Burdell's body brutally murdered in his bedroom.

Thus the novel starts about the trial of Emma Cunningham accused for the murder.

Hendry Clinton is a prominent advocate represents Emma Cunningham.

In spite of his wife’s displeasure against him taking the case and his senior partner James Armstrong threatening to cut his partnership in his law firm, Hendry Clinton represented Emma Cunningham.

The 11 yrs old John becomes his only ally, gathering info for Hendry Clinton from the house.

Descriptions are beautiful in this novel. Vivid descriptions added more enjoyment for me. I literally lived in 1857 New York City. Spellbinding.

Two narrations move back and forth keeping our interest intact.

One about Emma and Harvey first meet, Emma's desire to get a husband, Harvey's empty promises to Emma about marriage and home, their relationship, his secret life are all by Emma.

The legal investigation and trials are all done by the advocate Hendry Clinton.

Hendry Clinton has a cozy, happy marriage.

(Chapter 3 tells the wonderful marriage of Hendry Clinton and his wife Elisabeth, their life, her trips to deliver him lunch, her longing & fondness for the calm life, that's away from Clinton’s legal work loads.

Chapter 8, the day Hendry was fired by his senior partner from his law firm, he came home exhausted, told Elisabeth about his conversation with James and his decision to go on his own and defend Emma, is a beautiful chapter to read. Very intimate.)

His wife Elizabeth is loving ,intelligent and a trusted ally for him.

The descriptions of busy New York City-1859 streets, its real-estate growth, upper class living areas, trades, Dr.Burdell and Emma relationship{ even the house staff doesn’t like taking orders from her ( house mistress - society didn’t respect)}, his secrets, his relationship with his dentist elder brother, his interests in real estate business, descriptions of the murder and investigation scenes ( they ran preliminary investigations by keeping the people under house arrest), legal process and its flaws, media, district attorney with high political ambitions, abuse of power, racial society, slavery during that time all are very detailed and interesting.

The novel includes news clippings of the newspaper about the original murder based on which the novel has been written.

In fact THE NEW YORK TIMES donated their service to city proceedings and in exchange, the news paper got the permission to print the reports verbatim(அப்படியே...WORD BY WORD), thus THE NEW YORK TIMES is 'THE PAPER OF RECORD'


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Vinatha.

[baroque]

Two novels of ELLY GRIFFITHS........RUTH GALLOWAY MYSTERY

1st of the series...THE CROSSING PLACES.

2nd of the series....THE JANUS STONE.


THE CROSSING PLACES....A RUTH GALLOWAY MYSTERY BY ELLY GRIFFITHS...

351


Salt marsh areas of NORFOLK, lush English country

Descriptions on the surroundings are awesome.

She has captured the uncanny , eerie, desolated, cloudy, wet , moody surroundings amazingly well.

Very mysterious Norfolk, English country's beaches and marshes.

Detective Harry Nelson found a child's bones at that area.

He contacted Dr.Ruth Galloway, Forensic Archaeologist for help.

Ruth lives in that remote areas of English country.

A decade ago, there was a child, Lucy Downey was missing.

Detective Harry Nelson was handling the case. He used to get creepy letters while he was doing his investigation.

He could not find out the fate of the little girl.

Nelson remembered the haunting letters, he used to get regarding the little girl's mystery during that time.

Detective Harry Nelson was thinking may be the bones are of this little girl Lucy's.... kind of a closure for their grieving parents who continue

to have contacts with the Detective.

But When Dr.Ruth went to the site to study the bones along with the detective, she declared, the bones must be from the Iron Age body, during the time ritual slaughter were common.

Kind of disappointment for Harry Nelson.

Later one fine morning, Harry called Ruth again. There is a another little girl missing-Scarlet Henderson- from her home front yard while she was playing outside.

Scarlet Henderson's case is at Spenwell, which is a tiny village closer to Ruth's place.

Again Detective Harry Nelson is getting the creepy letters.

Letters contain religious superstitions, some literary quotes, proverbs and archaeological stuff.

Ruth also noticed a homoerotic subtext to the letters.

Ruth is helping Harry Nelson understands some of the contents in this letter which has archaeological terms and biblical stuff.

To scare her, someone mutilated her cat and left the body in her door step.

Is that the killer(killed those two little girls) , the creepy fellow write letters..pretty sick & dangerous.

wonderful plot.

Ruth and Harry are nice characters.

Ruth is smart, outspoken, educated, intelligent woman lives alone in a desolated place. loner

She has some issues regarding her weight, looks etc..but most of the times She doesn't care about it.

I really enjoyed her interactions with Harry Nelson. (according to her brother, Ruth is 'a tasteless 16 yr old boy' regarding her music tastes)

Her relationship with her mom is kind of rough.

Harry is a married man , kind of intrigued by Ruth.

Intelligent man with odd attitudes.

I like them together....(mmm......... he is not in a great marriage...he is a pussy cat at home with his wife and 2 daughters)

Definite attraction between them.

Even Ruth wonders why is Nelson still in love with his wife-Michelle, although they have nothing in common?

Eric, works at the Saltmarsh with her , her ex boy friend Peter, stunning Shona, Cathbad/Michael Malone, little girls parents...very well crafted characters in this compelling mystery with interesting subplots.

Novel ended with a twist that makes a huge impact on the relationship of Ruth and Nelson.

The second of the series THE JANUS STONE starts with....

352

Ruth is happy in her desolated place with her job, friends and about herself...She is pregnant (Shhhh....Nelson is not aware of the baby. I am happy for Ruth's joy. )

The Janus stone is again packed with forensic and historical details.

Already her relationship with her mom is troublesome, now she needs to get their approval about her pregnancy. They are religious people.

How about our detective Nelson?

Nelson is not aware of the baby.

Well, this guy is neither certain about his relationship with Ruth nor with his beautiful, demanding wife Micheal. He has an emotional connection with Ruth, just sighting of her, he is feeling the excitement but not admitting it. (Of course there is that one night stand) That's for sure...

Surprisingly Ruth and Nelson's wife like each other, get along fine whenever they run into each other.

What will he do when Ruth tells him about the baby? Is he going to involve with the baby's affairs?

In The Janus Stone, as an expert on bones and death, forensic archaeologist Ruth's involvement in another case in her present condition is frightening and her personal affairs in this story are enjoyable.

THE RUTH GALLOWAY MYSTERY .......ELLY GRIFFITHS is my favorite series.

vinatha.

[baroque]

I am reading a slow progressing, very atmospheric novel (Not action packed novel)

IN THE SHADOW OF THE CYPRESS by THOMAS STEINBECK.

very interesting facts on rich Chinese culture, historical back ground, novel set in
Monterey Bay, California.


451

[P_R]

Just finished reading Shehan Karunatilake's Chinaman- the legend of Pradeep Matthew.

One of the best novels I have read in a loooong time.


The book is about a spent-force, alcoholic, bitter, cynical cricket journalist W.G.Karunasena trying to write about the man who he thinks is his country's greatest cricketer - one incredibly inventive spinner Pradeep Maththew. Details about him seem hard to find because he seems to have been at odds with the authorities. WG suffering from liver cirrosis, realization that life is slipping through his fingers, purpose, drink, his friendship with fellow cricket-lover Ariyaratne Byrd, his love for his wife are what the book is about. This is not to mention characters like midgets who secretly wire mics into dressing rooms, sour-grapers who run for BCCSL presidency, corrupt politicians, pompous cricketers, insecure commentators, underground betting dens, a match-fixing Tiger liaison-guy, estranged rock-musician son and many such.

It is fully peppered with part-imaginary inside stories about the the mystical Maththew - who allegedly got the softspoken Ranatunga to sledge back, insisted Sanath play his natural game and not listen to foreign coaches, and blast people who try to mend the action of a certain up-and-coming boy from Kandy. We get a portrait of SL cricket before and around the glory of '96, the ethnic conflict and related politics in the background.

The sense of humour is just fantastic. It is unrelenting even in the darkest of places, subtle in many places and enjoyably loud in others. And many a poignant moment wrapped in lovely prose.

Strongly recommended it.

Plum, methinks you will like this one. Do read and let us know.

Roshan, you may be able to appreciate more of the local nuances in the book.

[Plum]

Feeyaar, yes I marked this one after reading a Guardian review. Right now, my book budget has been frozen by the Fin. Min on account of not having dusted the latest Amitav Ghosh epic(whose first part, sea of poppies, I had fervently recommended earlier in Kamal threads to you) 3 months after buying it. This review tips it. Konjam doubt irundhudhu - next purchase I'll buy this

[Plum]

Btw, I believe the troubled genius in real life whose life has been used in part by the writer, I believe, is KT Sadasivam, a tamil Cricketer - genius I believe before Lanka got Test status though. Philanderer(not Vernon) and Alcoholic details apparently match. Atleast, that's what the review said.

[P_R]

Not Sathasivam.
Sathasivam find mention as himself quite extensively in this book. And he was a batsman.
This is a Tamil left arm spinner who played sparingly. I google-guessed Sridharan jeganathan. But then they mention him too in the book :-)

This guy is just anti-authority. He disrespects captains, cuts Yorkshire commentators down to size and defends Murali's action. I guess that should sell the book to you rightaway :-)

[P_R]

Matthew is anything but a philanderer. The narrator is the alcoholic. padinga, pEsuvOm.

Ghosh, mind-la vachurukkEn. Nesst meet paNREn.

[19thmay]

Prabhu - After reading your review I bought this book yesterday. But I am not going to read it now, lot of books are in queue. Right now reading God of small things, long pending actually.

[19thmay]

Just finished reading Shehan Karunatilake's Chinaman- the legend of Pradeep Matthew.

One of the best novels I have read in a loooong time.


The book is about a spent-force, alcoholic, bitter, cynical cricket journalist W.G.Karunasena trying to write about the man who he thinks is his country's greatest cricketer - one incredibly inventive spinner Pradeep Maththew. Details about him seem hard to find because he seems to have been at odds with the authorities. WG suffering from liver cirrosis, realization that life is slipping through his fingers, purpose, drink, his friendship with fellow cricket-lover Ariyaratne Byrd, his love for his wife are what the book is about. This is not to mention characters like midgets who secretly wire mics into dressing rooms, sour-grapers who run for BCCSL presidency, corrupt politicians, pompous cricketers, insecure commentators, underground betting dens, a match-fixing Tiger liaison-guy, estranged rock-musician son and many such.

It is fully peppered with part-imaginary inside stories about the the mystical Maththew - who allegedly got the softspoken Ranatunga to sledge back, insisted Sanath play his natural game and not listen to foreign coaches, and blast people who try to mend the action of a certain up-and-coming boy from Kandy. We get a portrait of SL cricket before and around the glory of '96, the ethnic conflict and related politics in the background.

The sense of humour is just fantastic. It is unrelenting even in the darkest of places, subtle in many places and enjoyably loud in others. And many a poignant moment wrapped in lovely prose.

Strongly recommended it.

Plum, methinks you will like this one. Do read and let us know.

Roshan, you may be able to appreciate more of the local nuances in the book.

Completed... As I was reading I was googling a lot about Pradeep Sivanathan Mathew. Is it a real character? am not sure but this is a splendid work by Shehan Karunatilaka. I miss W.G, Ari a lot now... Need to revisit later. The two writing styles [ W.G and Shehan's ] were well differentiated. Probably Garfield's long search @ NZ could have been reduced. W.G's final moments were well captured. Many incidents, Many legends..A must read. :clap:

Ken Rutherford incident was real or just his imagination?

[P_R]

I miss W.G, Ari a lot now.
Glad you liked Sridhar.
Extremely well written book.
uNmai-kaRpanai kalandhu kattu adichchirukkAr.

Roshan,Flau, padichchAchchA?

[raagadevan]

Best fiction books of the decade

Books that break out of the rut, books that are heavy with promise of things to come — our list of the best fiction of the decade

-The Hindu: December 28, 2019

https://www.thehindu.com/books/best-fiction-books-of-the-decade/article30410721.ece