ERAGON by CHRISTOPHER PAOLINI

AUTHOR- Christopher Paolini

PUBLISHED- 2003

ISBN – 0-552-55320-4

GENRE- Fantasy

SYNOPSIS- When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the empire itself.

       Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands…..

EXCERPT- Wind howled through the night, carrying a scent that would change the world. A tall Shade lifted his head and sniffed the air. He looked human except for his crimson hair and maroon eyes.

He blinked in surprise. The message had been correct; they were here. Or was it a trap? He weighed the odds, then said icily, "Spread out; hide behind trees and bushes. Stop whoever is coming . . . or die."

.

.

.

      Eragon slowly crept closer, keeping the bow ready. All his work of the past three days had led to this moment. He took a last steadying breath and—an explosion shattered the night.

The herd bolted. Eragon lunged forward, racing through the grass as a fiery wind surged past his cheek. He slid to a stop and loosed an arrow at the bounding doe.

                    

K'QUETZALCOATL' says- And thus the new saga begins, or rather has begun years before.

       Eragon is the first book of the Inheritance cycle, which was originally planned to be a trilogy. And it has definitely got its inspirations from many a fantasy novel, not the least from J.R.R Tolkein’s famed trilogy (I’m pretty sure you all know what I mean), created a fan following of its own, and even turned few heads as a competitor with Harry Potter. So for these very basic reasons I would suggest one to read the adventures of Eragon in the land of Alagaesia.

       It is the story of the rise of a farm boy from humble origins to resurface and hold the mantle of the famed ‘Dragon Riders’. Yes nothing new in the plot or even the actions to give one a bombardment of adrenaline rushes (maybe because one cannot relate to Eragon in this first part). But what Paolini masters in Eragon, and continues in the other books too, is the portrayal of the complexity of the characters; and even more so the twists in the tale is provided by the complexity of relations (and I don’t mean only the love angle). The final battle is wonderfully crafted though, which the movie hardly captures, and it is there that the full action reveals itself.

       Yes maybe it is quite late for me to write this review, the book been reviewed millions of times already, but why I do it now because only now that I have read it via a literary critical angle (damn that angle), and get to realize that Eragon also has much more than a typical movie flavor. It is a description of battle between the reining dictatorship and the struggle of freedom and democracy, with some elements from the American and Irish struggle clearly in mind. Also unlike Tolkein’s middle earth folks where the entire community or kingdom was important, Paolini presents a modern narrative via Alagaesia where family and relations often supercede the old English (and thus middle earth) notion of honor and duty.

     Also for the scrutinizing eyes the inheritance series gives much thought into the role of a modern woman. The Elf warrior Arya, the rebel princess Nasuada, and the great Dragon Saphira are an example of the modern woman as a warrior, diplomat and equal companion of the male. 

    But these maybe are all forced interpretations from my mind. For the FANTASY LOVERS, Eragon and its sequels also, are a one stop for all your fantasy dreams. Be it the journey, the magic learning or the battles and skirmishes all provide ample reading and some light comic relief too. So go ahead and read it if you haven’t done it yet.

       So keep reading Boys and Girls!!

P.S. - Yes it does get stretched up between the pages sometimes, but you have to bear with it for the real fun.

 

My Rating – 4 / 5 stars

PRICE – Rs. 266 (Flipkart Price)

The Winner Stands Alone By Paulo Coelho

  AUTHOR- Paulo Coelho

PUBLISHED- 2008

ISBN – 978-0-00-731868-1

GENRE- Crime Fiction/ Thriller

SYNOPSIS- “If you love someone, you must be prepared to set them free.”

Igor Malev has one thing on his mind - his ex-wife Ewa. He's handsome, rich, and effortlessly personable - but she left him for a successful fashion designer, a sting he's never recovered from.

So he travels to the glamorous Cannes International Film Festival where they'll be appearing, intent on winning back her love. But Igor is a man of rare intensity and cold intelligence - and this is to be no ordinary reconciliation. For Igor made a promise to destroy whole worlds to get to his beloved.

EXCERPT- “The Beretta Px4 compact pistol is slightly larger than a mobile phone, weighs around 700 grams and can fire ten shots. Small, light, invisible when carried in a pocket, its small calibre has one enormous advantage: instead of passing through the victim’s body, the bullet hits bones and smashes everything in its path.”

       “Whenever someone dies, a part of the universe dies too. Everything a person felt, experience and saw dies with them, like tears in the rain.” 

       "People are never satisfied. If they have a little, they want more. If they have a lot, they want still more. Once they have more, they wish they could be happy with little, but are incapable of making the slightest effort in that direction.”

                    

KOUSTABH 'QUETZALCOATL' says- How much can you love someone and how far will you go for love?? Seems a cheesy enough question from the back alley of movies, doesn’t it? But this is exactly what Paulo Coelho takes up, and effectively turns topsy-turvy, with the backdrop of glamour and what one would call as the ‘elite’ super class. In the seemingly exciting but divided grounds (both of mind and character) of the Cannes Film Festival, it is a story of a Russian Millionaire Igor (who was formerly in the soviet army, and later built his fortune on cell phones) and his idea to kill random people as a sign for his love towards his ex-wife Ewa.

       This is not a typical crime thriller, because this is not your typical author. The thrill here is not about the killer or his motives (that is cleared in the first few pages), but about the victims and their connection with the world of the book. Paulo Coelho delves into the mind of all the characters and wrenches out a well of emotions, ideas, and past which are as various as the characters themselves. The characters are usually not ‘grey’ (exception of course is Igor), thus making them easier to understand. From the sweet street hawker girl who sold amulets, to a high end director, a struggling actress and a girl on the path of a successful modeling career all have dreams and ambitions. So have Igor, Ewa and her new husband (and fashion magnate) Hamid, though all in different directions. But it is when dreams, love and ambition turns sour and turn into obsession and greed that the reality of murder and sabotage comes out.

      As the name itself suggests The Winner does Stands Alone, because in the fervent desire to win one seems to loose all morality and starts building a perverted vision of the world and its happenings. In the murky waters of superiority and fascinating water of dreams, one often comes to realize that one is quite alone, not in body but in the soul!!

       What strikes me best is Igor, the anti-hero, is a cold blooded murderer with a heart (now that’s weird, eh??). He chats with his victims and understand their role in the wider world. As Coelho says each person is a world in himself/ herself and it is the worlds that Igor wants to destroy as a gift and reminder to his wife, who seems to either ignore them or be too afraid to do anything. Amongst the lanes of Cannes one is transported yet and again to different pasts which has culminated in the present scenario. And the ingenuity of the murders is also a testosterone boost for some readers (Muahahaha)!!

       Being such a complex book with an array of characters makes ‘The Winner Stands Alone’ quite long. Unlike Coelho’s short and philosophically shocking books, this goes on almost forever. And this is exactly what destroys its perfect charm. The thrills are few and discussions on morality and mortality way too much. By the end of the book one really gets desperate for it to end. But beware, it ends with a mind boggling conclusion that I, for one, never perceived.

       So yeah it’s enormous (in comparison to other Coelho books), but it presents forth a very different scheme of both Paulo Coelho style and thriller novel. A must read for Coelho fans, it also must be a part of readers who do serious reading.

       Keep Reading Boys and Girls!!

P.S. - This book review was requested by Smita, and I hope she likes it as do the others.        

My Rating – 4.3 / 5 stars

PRICE – Rs. 273 (Flipkart Price)

A WALK IN THE SUN BY HARRY BROWN

   AUTHOR- Harry Brown

FIRST PUBLISHED- 1944 (It's time to go back to the old classics)

ISBN – 978-0803261488

GENRE- Historical Fiction / War novella

SYNOPSIS- A Platoon of Allied army (Refer World War II) lands amidst a shore invasion in the Italian Peninsula. As they loose men and confidence, the remaining platoon searches to prove their worth in battle.

EXCERPT- “Cold,” Private Judson said.

“It can’t be cold. Its sunny Italy,” said Riviera.

“You read the wrong handbook”.

“I read the soldiers handbook” said Riviera…..

They all felt better somehow. ….. It no longer mattered that they weren’t exactly sure where they were going or what they would find there.

KOUSTABH 'QUETZALCOATL' says- Yeah okay it’s a military book, starts with the description of a guy who is the lieutenant of a fictional platoon and is heading the platoon in a battle torn Italian peninsula. Guns fired, bombs drop. WOAH!! The leader (who seemed like the protagonist) is dead!!  Okay the team lands and a new leader arises, very practical and respecting the order of Army. Some pages later, he is reported DEAD!!

       And from the remaining places rises up the protagonists (yes this is a story that give equal thought and page space to many) and the story continues literally a walk in the sun. What is most amazing here is the realism in the novella. War is not always about bombs, guns and heroes who don’t die even after a whole barge of bullets are thrown at them. Here Harry Brown show even veterans give in to battle fatigue (or Shell Shock if you will), and people dying because a single bullet mistakenly found its mark. The enemy is non existent (until the last part of the novella), and injury is shown to be a vital but unavoidable part. From descriptions of helmets, to instant strategy (almost like insta-coffee) and real bang-bang in the last parts, this novella has it all, yet in ultra realistic way. The name ‘A Walk in the Sun’ itself sets up the tone. Everything happens in a single day and war is represented as a long and tiring walk, which it really is for most people until they face the bullets head on. Some walk on, while others stay back and not all of them are dead. Some are crippled and hope a purple star for bravery, others, well, just looses it!!

       So where does this ultra realistic novella having both sides of the war coin lack. It is in its pace. Realism is good, overt realism stretching through pages can be a tiring activity. Though it is seemingly interesting enough, yet I couldn’t read it in one go (maybe I am just lazy). But thinking back, maybe the stretching out makes you appreciate the witty parts and the final battle even more (I won’t say no more about the surprises).

       In the backdrop of bombs and shelling, Harry Brown brings forth some flesh and blood men in army uniforms. A new read (though it’s an old book) for those who want to see a new part of war and realistic literature.

P.S. - I’m so sorry for being out of touch for so long. Exams and other things have kept me apart. But I am back!! So Keep Reading guys and gals out there!! 

        

My Rating – 3 / 5 stars

PRICE – Rs. 876 (Flipkart price) 

The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho

                                                  

AUTHOR- Paulo Coelho

PUBLISHED- 2007

ISBN – 978-0-00725744-7

GENRE- Fiction / Philosophy

SYNOPSIS- How do we find the courage to be true to ourselves- even if we are unsure of who we are?

      That is the central question posed by Paulo Coelho’s riveting work, The Witch of Portobello. It is the story of Athena, a mysterious young woman born in Romania, raised in Beirut and living in London. Her life is told by the many who knew her well- or hardly at all.

EXCERPT- ‘No one places her dreams in the hands of those who might destroy them. No one, that is, but Athena.’ – Heron Ryan, Journalist

‘Whoever drinks this water once can never quench her thirst at other springs.’ –Deidre O’Neill, known as Edda

‘In my world, and in the world of those I lived with, this (note: Vampires) was absurd, nonsensical, unacceptable.’ – Heron Ryan, Journalist  

‘Because God the Father is associated with the rigour and discipline of worship, whereas the Mother Goddess shows the importance of love above and beyond all the usual prohibitions and taboos.’ – Antoine Locadour, historian, ICP, France

‘My child, I’ve been excluded too. It’s a very long time since they’ve allowed me in there (note: The Church).’- Father Giancarlo Fontana imagining what Jesus might have said to Athena

KOUSTABH 'QUETZALCOATL' says- I start with a very controversial doubt I have in my mind for a long time. Why isn’t Paulo Coelho getting nominated for Nobel Prize for literature??

       Well leaving all that thoughts to the genius’ sitting in the Nobel selection committee, I would come back to the book. To be very frank this book isn’t the best work by Paulo Coelho. When you have read the Alchemist, Eleven Minutes or even Veronika Decides to die (an excellent review given on that by Pulkit), this story seems to pale in comparison. The reason, if you ask me, would be that the story line is too random (it getting sllllloooow somewhere and fast in other pages) and without much evolution. For those of you, who think that this is a book about magic and witch hunting, well its not!!

       It’s a story about an orphan girl Sherine Khalil who renames herself Athena (the Greek goddess of wisdom). One would ask WHY?? But answers are not provided in the mundane realm, you have to go beyond your everyday humdrum to understand this and the whole book, a process which Mr. Coelho masters in and makes him one of my favorite authors (though here it is dragged a bit more than what’s comfortable).

       The book starts after the death of Athena, and the author is trying to form an image of her out of recollections (reminds me of Márquez’s ‘Chronicle of a Death Foretold’, superbly reviewed by Arpita). But what raise it to a new pedestal are the innumerable characters pitching in their opinions, even those who barely knew her and even those who hated her. Her unending search for something (which one can interpret as desires, redemption, truth, and questions like who am I or anything else for that matter) is what fuels the storyline and makes her a memorable character. From wild dance and calligraphy to achieve peace, to her search for her true mother, to learning the religion of the Goddess and then teaching others to become one of the most controversial spiritual leader in London.

       A book for all those avid fans of Paulo Coelho, and also for those who wants to open their vista to anew horizon, this novel will pinch out a little bit of your time but in return, I can assure you, will provide many eye openers in this new era of questions and answers. As the editor wrote, “Like The Alchemist, this is a kind of story that will transform the way readers think about love, passion, joy and sacrifice.”

       Though it cannot be strictly compared to books like ‘The Alchemist’, yet it definitely deserves a chance to be read, if only for the sake of something diverse from regular fiction.

       I hope you all Keep reading and commenting!!  

           

My Rating – 3.3/ 5 stars

PRICE – INR 239 (Filpkart Price)

LORD BROCKTREE- Brian Jacques

 AUTHOR- Brian Jacques

PUBLISHED- Year 2000

ISBN – 0 09 941119 9

GENRE- Fantasy/ Sci-Fi

SYNOPSIS- Salamandastron, ancestral home of the Badger Lords, is under threat from the wildcat Ungatt Trunn, whose power seems absolute and whose evil knows no bounds. The mountains only hope is the badger, Lord Brocktree, who is drawn to the fortress by an undeniable sense of destiny.

EXCERPT-   “I am the teller of the Tales,

   Gaze into the fire with me.

   For I know of the Badger Lords,

   And their mountain, by the sea.

   ‘Tis of a fearsome warrior……..

….Outside the night wind keens and wails,

   Come listen to me, the Teller of Tales!”

Lord Stonepaw ruffled Stiffner’s ears fondly, as he had done many times when the old hare was young. ‘Not this time, old friend. You must get away to lead our warriors; I must hold the entrance to buy you the time to get them out. It is my Duty as their Lord.’

KOUSTABH 'QUETZALCOATL' says- For those of us who still don’t want to loose their innocent fable filled days and yet want to read books with a difference, then this is definitely for you. A story of chivalry, friendship, Honor and knightly battles, the protagonist and all characters are quite Anthropomorphic yet lovable animals. Yet it is not a cute little story from Aesop. Here the reader confronts the journey of the badger lord Brocktree in his journey to save his father’s kingdom along which he meets and journeys with the haremaid Dotti and others; and on the same hand reads the parallel story of his father old Lord Stonepaw and his compatriots to save his stronghold from the evil personified as Ungatt Trunn!!

       Binding through the story is the story of Fleetscut, the old hare in quest for the new young force to save his Lord Stonepaw’s kingdom and his sweet bitter relationship with the female squirrel chieftain, Jukka the Sling. With each a huge cast of animals (go and search it on Google and you will understand how huge it really is) yet each given equal importance, I can truly say that this is one of those rare books where the world doesn’t just revolve around the Protagonist (And I like it)!!

       And what fascinated me even more are the issues raised and solved in this book. Through the animals the author raises issues like Equal Opportunity, Feminist leadership through Jukka (or maybe it’s my overdosed NSS mind searching), and reminds us in this lost world of today the true code of chivalry through Lord Brocktree, Friendship through Ruffgar Brookback (Ruff), Loyalty in the form of Stiffener Medick and his group of hares and true bravery & leadership through Lord Stonepaw.

     

       This is one of the few books where try as I might, I couldn’t find any fault. Maybe it’s the child in me speaking but this unique book has it all. Anyone from the age of 7 to 70 can read and enjoy, and try to interpret the story as they want while they move on. In this age of serious novels where even Fiction has to have lots of action and romance, this book conquers heart through sheer story line and dialogues (with each animal having a different enunciation).  

       Being the true good book, even the evil in it has its own flourish with treachery, corruption, and fears all playing their part. I really was impressed by the character of Ungatt Trunn, who though the supreme antagonist and considering everyone as lesser order has a grudging respect for his opposition and signs of a perfect leader. One loathes him to the end and isn’t that what a true villain created for??

       On the other hand the death of Lord Stonepaw, and later Fleetscut and Jukka (they die fighting together against an overwhelming force) wrenches tears from ones eyes and one cannot help but to salute these ‘fictional’ characters.

       Reminding us of old days where people like Robin Hood, King Arthur and Joan of Arc really existed with each creating their own legend, this book transports us to those times and gives us a reminder of what we have forgotten today. A must read for anyone and everyone (even if you are not a fiction reader), rarely has such an innocent book produced so much of enthusiasm in me.

       Keep Reading!!

My Rating – 4.7/ 5 stars

PRICE - INR 324 (Filpkart Price)

AIRMAN - Eoin Colfer

 

AUTHOR- Eoin Colfer

PUBLISHED- Year 2008

ISBN (Trade Paperback) – 978-0-141-38336-1

GENRE- Fantasy/ Sci-Fi

SYNOPSIS- Conor Broekhart was born to fly. Or more accurately he was born flying. Little wonder he became what he became. In an age of discovery and invention many dreamed of flying, but for Conor flight was more than just a dream, it was his destiny.

       In one dark night on the island of Great Saltee, a cruel and cunning betrayal destroyed his life and stole his future. Now Conor must win the race for flight, to save his family and to right a terrible wrong.

EXCERPT- “No more than ten minutes old and through some trick of the light or photographic mishap, it seems as though Conor’s eyes are focused. Impossible of course. But imagine if somehow they had been, then baby Conor’s first sight would have been a cloudless French sky flashing by.”

  “They turn the lights back on because they believe themselves safe.”

KOUSTABH 'QUETZALCOATL' says- When one speaks the name of Eoin Colfer the first thing that comes in mind is his mega selling series of ‘Artemis Fowl’. A master of fiction writer, Artemis remains for me one of the best anti-hero ever. The boy protégée’s fame is so huge that it has shadowed the other book of Mr. Colfer. So when I saw and bought the book I had a mixture of expectations. Knowing Eoin Colfer’s literary genius style of fiction I was supradupraexcited (if there is any such word), yet knew that this book is maybe nothing in front of the Artemis Fowl series. I was in for a rude shock!! Hell, even you guys would be if you judge a book by its cover (that’s the moral value lesson). :P

       At first look Conor Broekhart doesn’t seem no extraordinary genius in his own capacity to me, but like all good books you must read on. Born to Captain Declan Broekhart, the leader of the Great Saltee sharpshooters, and his lovely and knowledgeable wife Catherine, Conor was born in a balloon in flight (please don’t ask how) he grows to be a great friend of princess Isabella (no points for guessing the Disney style here). He trains swordsmanship and the secrets of flying from his French mentor ‘Victor Vigny’ (Did I mention that it is because of the French sky and French words that I originally bought the book. If u still don’t understand, J'adore français that is ‘I love French’)!!

       Well then comes along the villain with a name to boot- "Bonvilain". Set in the progressive 19^th century, this novel progresses through gut-wrenching pages where the teenage Conor is falsely arrested and kept in a jail. From there he makes some new friends and some enemies and escapes with the use of his brilliant mind (not literally) and balloons. Living and researching from an abandoned manor of Ireland, Conor makes a workable model of an airplane/glider and becomes the ghost of the skies (a romantic/gothic figure). From there the plot takes quite a usual twist with Bonvilain trying to kill the now Queen Issabella and Conor saving her (yeah I know that’s so predictable). And they try to live happily ever after.

       So where does the fun lie in this somewhat predictable plot. Compare it to any hindi movies and you would find the answer (no, not dancing and music and item-songs), it’s the finely crafted action sequences which takes the applause. I am not a hardcore, blood-gore, action junkie (though I have my moments!! ‘Grrrr’), but here the actions are suave and clever. Even the antagonist isn’t a bloodthirsty monster but a sophisticated mind. Be it Conor’s escape or the final battle, Mr.Colfer never goes overboard and presents us an ideal utopian society suddenly gone hotchpotch only to return back again. The violence though more adult than the Artemis Fowl series “remains ethical throughout”.

       Also the heavy research done before the book on aerodynamics and Da-Vinci’s models of glider comes out perfectly in the book. A trait I love the best is what makes Sci-Fi books more attractive. Kudos to Mr. Colfer for that!! Not only that even the humor in the book is in perfect proportion.   

       Where ‘Airman’ the book suffers is the caricature usage of the female characters (that’s the Feminism in me speaking). Though fascinating ladies, they are never made to come out. I for one would have loved to have a conversation with Conor’s mother who is referred to as a brilliant scientist. Maybe because it’s Conor’s tale yet intelligent ladies are always fascinating. What say you guys??

       A classic in itself so as to say, ‘Airman’ is a must read for those who have read the Artemis Fowl series (even if you are not a fan). As for those who haven’t followed it, it matters little. My suggestion: Go try it out!! You wouldn’t be disappointed. Read it for the thrills or as a hero’s journey, which is like a wave, but read it you must. Go Fly your Dreams!!!

And don’t forget: Keep reading.

My Rating – 4.47 / 5 stars

PRICE - INR 337/- (Flipkart price)

Unaccustomed Earth - Jhumpa Lahiri

AUTHOR- JhumpaLahiri was born in London, the daughter of Bengali Indian immigrants, andraised in Rhode Island. Herdebut collection of stories, Interpreterof Maladies, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the PEN/Hemingway Award andThe New Yorker Debut of the Year. Her novel TheNamesake was a New York Times Notable Book, a Los Angeles Times Book Prizefinalist and was turned into a movie by the same name by Mira Nair. She livesin Brooklyn, New York.

PUBLISHED- Year2008

ISBN- 978 818400 020 7

GENRE- ShortStory Collection/ Fiction

EXCERPT- “Thesight of her father’s rental car, a compact maroon sedan, upset her, freshlyconfirming the fact that she lived on a separate coast thousands of miles fromwhere she grew up, a place where her parents knew no one………”  [From the 1^st chapter- UnaccustomedEarth]

                    “There were countlessimages, terrible things she’d read about in the newspaper and never had tothink about again. Buses blasted apart by bombs, bodies on stretchers, youngboys throwing stones. He had witnessed these things, unseen and uninvolved, yetwith an immediacy she had never felt.” [From Part Two: Hema and Kaushik]

KOUSTABH 'QUETZALCOATL' says- This book is much like and unlike JhumpaLahiri’s earlier two books. It is an enigmatic yet heart touching collection oftales of Indian (Bengali) immigrants and that of their children and evengrandchildren. The Book itself is in two parts, part 1 containing five shortstories of different people all across America facing the same troubles of homesickness and agedisparity.

Unaccustomed Earth (chpt.1) deals with three generations of Bengali-Americanscoping with their own problems. When her widowed father comes visiting Ruma’sAmerican life is torn asunder. Between her father and her son Akash she triesto balance out, yet again to be tormented when she learns of her father’saffair.

Hell- Heavendeals with two themes, that of the Americanization and return to roots and aharbored and never expressed love of a married woman for another man. But thevision through the eyes of a child is what set this story apart.

A Choice of Accommodations really even stumped me. It’s pretty boring aboutrelationships after marriage (*Yawn*, I ain’t yet married u know!!) and how Sexchanges it all back (That is all I could understand).

Only Goodness takesthe cherry of part one. It is about the hazards of drinking (really moralistic)and one can easily understand the damage alcohol brings to Rahul and his sisterSudha’s life even after years.

Nobody’s Business is the last in part 1 (yeah I know you are all bored, but please readon). It’s again about complexities and hazards of relationship especiallycross-cultural. But the best and worst thing is when you call ‘Sangeeta’ as‘Sang’ (and amazingly its Sangeeta under which a red line comes in Microsoftword!!)

       Part 2, on the other hand, have threeshort stories but with common protagonists ‘Hema & Kaushik’. It is theirlife and relationship through their lenses of them both. As childhood friendsand later guilty escapades of secret lovers their story ranges across 4continents. But what I loved best is the ending, which unlike customary openending so favored by Jhumpa Lahiri, ends with a heart wrenching disaster(literally and figuratively both).

       Though I have often heard people assumingthat if you are not a ‘Bong’ (Modern Bengali guy/girl) you would be unable toconnect with the characters of the book. I can rest all of my readers assurethat is not the case (although I am a BONG!! go figure that out). Though mostof us are not second generation immigrants in a wide sense, but in thisincreasing metropolitan culture somewhere aren’t we all being uprooted from ourroots??

       But it is only here that my complaintslie. In a book where the disparities between cultures are the base stone, MissLahiri presents India and particularly Bengal as an exotic land of dreams unsuitable for youngBengali-Americans who could never ever enjoy their ancestral land. For me itgets frustrating to see Kaushik {From Hema & Kaushik} return after yearsfrom India without the view of ANYthing good!! Although myexpectations was of something like what I had after reading ‘The Namesake’, butthe lack of Indian spice is what doesn’t suit me.

       This is definitely a read for those whocan handle and understand emotionally exhausting stories. As a critic haswritten, “Jhumpa Lahiri’s set of vignettes makes memorable reading. They combinelearning experience with delight. The yearnings of exile and the emotionalconfusion are the two significant strands of these stories of power and impact.”Try your hands out at this collection, and though sometimes long and boring (Ihope my blog isn’t like it, though long it definitely is), at the end of theday you would definitely get its meaning.

Keep Reading.

My Rating – 3.7stars

PRICE - INR 221/- (Flipkart price)