Chokher Bali- Rabindranath Tagore

                                             

Book- Choker Bali
Author- Rabindranath Tagore
Translated by- Sreejata Guha

Synopsis:
From the book cover

It is the story of the rich, flamboyant Mahendra and his simple, demure, beautiful wife Asha- a young couple who are befriended by the pragmatic Behari. Their cosy domestic scenario undergoes great upheaval with the introduction of the vivacious Binodini, a young, attractive widow who comes to live with them. Asha and Binodini become bosom pals. Binodini is initially drawn to Behari but then begins to respond to the advances of Mahendra, who has become obsessively attracted to her. After several twists and turns, Binodini elopes with Mahendra, leaving the entire family in turmoil.

On one hand, A Grain of Sand: Choker Bali is a sensational account of two illicit relationships: Mahendra's infatuation with Binodini which blinds him to everything else, and Binodini's secret passion for Behari of which she is never able to speak. On the other hand, it is a complex tapestry woven by the emotional interplay between five finely etched characters: the impulsive Mahendra, his adoring mother Rajlakshmi, the frail and sensitive Asha, the strong, silent Behari, and the self-willed and irresistibly attractive Binodini.

A compelling portrayal of the complexity of relationships and of human character, this landmark novel is just as powerful and thought provoking today as it was a hundred years ago, when it was written.

Excerpts:

Behari laughed. "Binod bouthan, with therapy like this the ailment is likely to intensify rather than subside."
Binodini said," How would I know that, we are only ignorant women. Is that what they say in your medical textbooks?"
Behari said, "Of course. This kind of treatment is making my own head throb. But my head had better get all right on its own. Mahin da's head carries a far greater weight."
Binodini dropped the wet cloth and said," Forget it then; let the friend treat his comrade."
Behari was growing quite impatient with what he saw. He had been busy with his books and wasn't aware of just how complicated a relationship this trio had cooked up in the meantime. Today he observed Binodini carefully and she too took measure of him.

Maithili Speaks:

This book has been on my wishlist ever since I saw the movie 'Chokher bali'. I started the book with a familiar note, but was in for a surprise as it kept moving. The movie and the book have nothing in common other than the same starting point. It was as good as reading a book that I had no idea of.

There is a kind of rhythm in stories that have been written years ago. Something about that era makes it so soothing and turbulent at the same time. Rabindranath Tagore is a master at emotions and when you experience such deep set feelings without there  being any physical intimacy between the characters, you know it is a genius. You can't just read and not feel the agony of young, widowed Binodini. You hate her for her audacity to play games with a married man but you cant help feeling sympathetic to her plight. Her devotion towards nursing everyone's health, her efficiency at managing the house makes you admire her and even though shes a temptress, she is also a woman left unsatisfied by life.
The situations and emotions are so complex and yet so raw and genuine that you feel for them.
Choker Bali paints the changes that every character goes through so beautifully that you can actually imagine them happening right before your eyes.
If there was anything that I did not like, it was the ending. Rabindranath Tagore had himself told that he was unhappy with the ending and it is not without reason.

It is a book to read on a rainy afternoon or at a relaxing pace. It is only at such times that you truly can enjoy the richness of the words and appreciate the flow.

Rating: 4/5

Price: 350 INR

Frankly Spooking

                                     

Book: Frankly Spooking

Author: Sriramana Muliya

Synopsis: ( From the book cover)

These are stories that will draw out the fears which lie hidden in the deepest, darkest recesses of your mind. Where the dead meet you in the corridors of a swanky office, a busy shopping mall, a quiet classroom. They may even come knocking on your front door.

Unexpected yet familiar, Frankly Spooking is perfect for those nights when the rains lash against  your windowpane and the lights go off.

Excerpts:

"Then? I mean.. you can tell me, you know. I have always tried to be a friend to all my teammates."

"I'm telling you, Preeti. She'll not come back."

"But why?" Preeti demanded.

"Because we just had her for supper."

Padma trudged up the stairs to the first-floor bathroom where the machine stood. It was spinning. Her mouth went dry. Who had switched it on? Heart throbbing, she looked closer. She stopped the machine and opened it to inspect the clothes inside. Her blood froze.

Tangled amidst the clothes was Aniket's face, staring right at her.

Maithili Speaks: 

After terrorizing his readers for years on his blog, Sriramana Muliya makes his debut with "Frankly Spooking".

As the book promises, the darkest fears in the recesses of the mind are unraveled. 

The most mundane events become paranormal, the most harmless possessions become deadly. 

 The book has stories that you will flip through the day and dread at night :O 

The starting chapters are light and set in a feel for what is next to come. You only get over the inertia of what happened last, when you are knocked with a new dose of the ghost. This time it is the innocent looking teddy in your bedroom or that pair of earphones that are always circling your neck.. 

There are stories that you have to read again to make sure you read that right. Some will make  you petrified for life if you are weak minded. 

"Breath taking sight" and "Team Player" are my personal favorites. A common pursuit of lovers to seek for deserted places takes a ghastly turn in "Breath taking sight". Trust me, you wouldn't go peeking your nose in other's business if you read "Team Player".  That is what makes this book a winner. It makes you scared and think twice about what is second nature to you. Would you do it again? 

This unchartered territory, as Sriramana puts it, is a breathe of fresh air from all those college romances, MBA tragedies and sleazy engineered fantasies. The book explores the fear of the dead, the undead and those in between. 

Read it at night when it is raining outside and there is no power in the house. I dare you to get out of bed ! This book goes into my collection. If nothing, you will have a whole range of stories to scare the hell out of people staying over and talking late into the night about ghosts.

Come on, its been ages and we are hearing the same "Reverse footed, floating, candle bearing ghost". 

Caution: Read at your own risk. Do not hold me responsible if you are paralyzed the whole night :D 

Rating: 3.5/5

Price: Rs 299/-

The Virgins- Siddharth Tripathi

                                             

                                                   

                                                 

Book: The Virgins
Author- Siddharth Tripathi


From the book cover:

With six unmarried sisters and a perennially drunk father, Pinku, a 19 year old school dropout, has only one dream left: to marry the plump girl who'd caught him stealing flowerpots. His friend and confidant, 17 year old Bhandu, is not faring any better- his parents are divorcing, his father has abandoned him, and the American tourist he is infatuated with doesn't even know he exists. Bhandu and Pinku seek solace in the distracting shenanigans of their friend Guggi- a pampered rich brat who can do anything for a thrill. Guggi's reckless hedonism lands the threesome in a series of 'sexpot' escapades- each adventure weirder than the one before.
But their seemingly innocuous joyride is about to end.
With their Class 12 exams around the corner, Guggi, restless to leave a mark, takes over the school's notorious protection racket in a violent coup. The fallout drags the trio into a murky world of heartbreak, betrayal, and bloody vengeance...

Excerpts
                      Dog wags tongue;
                      There's a dogess around,
                      Bull takes out organ;
                      Where's the cow hidden?
                    - Poem written by Thakur Gajendra Saran Singh (Guggi)
                                               (standard 3; English Class; Suspension: two days)
Guggi was famous for his 'sexpot' plans.
Any plan Guggi described as 'sexpot' involved something against the law and had the following traits, best illustrated through an example:
Sexpot Plan #1719: Do the grass-cutting woman at MG stadium.

Maithili Speaks:

With a title like "The Virgins", the book does promise a lot of things. Not all of them are fulfilled. The book is supposed to be about "coming of age"- which sadly not given its due. The book attempts to be a lot of things which is the reason why it fails to make an impression.
The three protagonist are so markedly different that it is difficult to imagine why they would stick together.

Pinku- The 19 yr dropout whose life looks like a depressing plot. Sarju, his father, is a drunkard who has made sudden appearance after years of absence. His 6 sisters and mother are equally depressing except for the youngest sister Mimmi who is Pinku's only solace.
Bhandu- His parents are headed for divorce. His grandparents write to him regularly but he does not read the letters! Bhandu  is supposed to be studying hard to get into engineering and is the one with a good future ahead but instead spends his time listening to songs and with Guggi and Pinku.
Guggi- His father is a landlord and so was his grandfather. He is a spoilt brat who is trying to operate a protection racket. At the same time he wants to score good marks to impress his father. Really?

There are other characters like Moods Singh, Varjesh Bhaiyya, Mannu Garg, Chacchu Bhaiya who are more interesting than the main protagonists! Their story is actually more interesting to read than the "sexpot" plans of Guggi and his friends.

What I like:
The chapters are short and aren't stretched. Each chapter starts with a small verse imagined to be written by one of the characters (although sometimes unrelated to the chapter)
It traces the growing up in a small town which is a fresh thing to read. The people and their mentality in small town is depicted well in their lines. The book does paint a beautiful picture of the life in Varansi and the trips to various locations there in. Characters like Moods Singh and Thakur Deen Dayal( Guggi's grandfather) bring humor and lightness to the story.
The protection racket which starts in schools was indeed a new thing to read. The school politics was another novelty.
The book tries to break the mold of campus stories and dramas which is another reason why it stands out.
The author has a unique way of narrating the story through the eyes of different protagonists and there is a sense of incompleteness which seems deliberate. You keep wondering what the lines implied. I was left wondering what happened to the characters at the end!

What I didn't like:
Too many plots going on. The books lacks a tight script. The story lacks continuity because of the excessive characters talking here and there and a few "not really necessary"chapters.
What in the name of heaven  is "Mogambo Vagina" that Bhandu keeps repeating in every line?
Is it just me who feels that a sexpot plan to "rape" a grass-cutting woman is not exactly innocuous?
We all know boys use a lot of abusive words but that doesn't mean every line in the first part has to be full of explicit words. After a point, I started skipping lines :P

Rating: I would give it a 3 on 5.

Price: Rs 250/-

The God of Small Things- Arundhati Roy

The God of Small Things
Author: Arundhati Roy
ISBN: 9780143028574
Price: Rs. 395
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publishers: Random House

Excerpts:

On the next bed, his niece and nephew slept with their arms around each other. A hot twin and a cold one. He and she. We and Us. Somehow, not wholly unaware of the hint of doom and all that waited in the wings for them.

They dreamed of their river. Of the coconut trees that bent into it and watched, with coconut eyes, the boats slide by. Upstream in the mornings. Downstream in the evenings. And the dull, sullen sound of the boatmen’s bamboo poles as they thudded against the dark, oiled boatwood.

Maithili Speaks (Feb 9, 2012):

The book is about two twins, two egged twins as they are called, Esthappen and Rahel. The story is written in pieces and alternates between the present and the past. Estha and Rahel are about 31 now. Estha doesn’t speak at all and Rahel is lost. An emptiness seeped into their lives ever since they were separated years ago following the death of their cousin- Sophie Mol.

Years back, Rahel and Estha lived with their Ammu (mother) in their ancestral house along with their uncle Chacko and grand aunt Baby Kochamma. Ammu was divorced and worked in the Pickle factory which was started by her mother. The little arguments, jealousy and prejudice is a part of life for the twins and their mother. Only when Chacko’s ex-wife- Margaret and their daughter Sophie come down to live with them, the twins feel unloved and worry about their standing. What follows next changes their life forever. Sophie is dead and everyone feels it best to send Estha away to his father. Ammu is broken and Rahel has to live without a part of her.

It is a sad story narrated in a heart wrenching way. It will make you smile at the innocence and bonding of the twins, it will make you disgusted with the ways of society and it will make you wince in pain at the injustice done. The writer has a poetic way of writing and sometimes you start predicting the next lines. Some lines repeat but in a pleasant way.

Rating: 4.9/5

The Calcutta Chromosome- Amitav Ghosh

A novel of fevers,delirium and discovery.

Author : Amitav Ghosh

Best sellers: The hungry tide, A sea of poppies, Glass Palace.

Synopsis:
Beginning at an unspecified time in the future and ranging back to the late nineteenth century, the readers follows the adventures of the enigmatic L. Murugan. An authority on the Nobel Prize- winning scientist Sir Ronald Ross, who solved the malaria puzzle in Calcutta in 1898, Murugan is in search of the elusive "Calcutta Chromosome."

Excerpts:
"With this woman we are talking about a whole lot more than just talent; we may be talking genius here. You also have to remember that she wasn't hampered by the sort of stuff that might slow down someone who was conventionally trained: she wasn't carrying a shitload of theory in her head, she didn't need to read a zoological study to see that there was difference between Culex and Anopheles: she's have seen it like you or I can see the difference between a dachshund and a doberman. She didn't care about formal classifications. In fact she didn't even really care about malaria. That's probably why she got behind Ronnie Ross and started pushing him towards the finish-line. She was working towards something altogether different, and she'd begun to believe that the only way she was going to make her final breakthrough was by getting Ronnie Ross to make his. She had bigger things in mind than the malaria bug."
"Like what?" said Urmila.
" The Calcutta Chromosome."



Maithili Speaks:
Let me tell you why I picked up this book. I have read "The Hungry Tide" and it has some astonishing facts and woven into a fiction beyond imagination. I expected similar things from "The Calcutta Chromosome.". Okay I was not exactly expecting a ROBIN COOK but what I did find was not worth all the hype.
The story starts somewhere indefinitely in future and has a Machine called AVA which does all kinds of strange things and I m still not able to visualise how it looks.. It has got a man called Antar who looks from home. Ava is supposed to belong to a water company and yet I don't get what it is doing rounding up all things it lays its hands on.
The story then shifts to Murugan, Indian scientist obsessed with following the story of discovery of malarial lifecycle. 
Then there is whole theory of how malaria fever was purposely experimented to cure Syphilis.
Another tale talks of how someone already knew all about Malaria and simply acted as an anonymous lead to Ronald Ross to make the breakthrough.
Somewhere in this tale of scientists is intermingled the involvement of a Hindu spiritual group and a mysterious character called Lutchman or Laakhan.
Two reporters Urmiila and Sonali are placed in betweeen to act as string pullers. To be frank the entire tale lost me.. I was outright confused and didn't get the ending at one read.. 
The build up was excellent but the story didn't live up to the anticipation it built. 

Rating: 2.9 on 5 only for the excellent following up on Scientists and building a good mystery. Never mind the outcome..
Price : Rs 299/-

Gone with the wind

Author- Margaret Mitchell
American Classic
Pulitzer Prize winner

Excerpts:

"Advice is the only thing I can give you at present. Listen to it, for it's good advice. When you are trying to get something out of a man, don't blurt it out as you did to me. Do try to be more subtle, more seductive. It gets better results. You used to know how, to perfection. But just now when you offered me  your--er- collateral for my money you looked as hard as nails. I've seen eyes like yours above a dueling pistol twenty paces from me and they aren't a pleasant sight. They evoke no ardor in the male breast. That's no way to handle men, my dear. You are forgetting your early training."
"I do not need you to tell me how to behave," she said and wearily put on her bonnet. She wondered how he could jest so blithely with a rope about his neck and her pitiful circumstances before him. She did not even notice that his hands were jammed in his pockets in hard fists as if he were straining at his own impotence.
"Cheer up," he said, as she tied the bonnet strings. "You can come to my hanging and it will make you feel lots better. It'll even up all your old scores with me- even this one. And I'll mention you in my will."
"Thank you, but they may not hand you till its too late to pay the taxes," she said with a sudden malice that matched his own, and she meant it.

Maithili Speaks:
Reviewing this book is not an easy job as is the case with all classics. Its just not a book, its an era. Through the 1024 pages of the book you pass from a carefree, abundance, barbeques, balls through a period of war and poverty and terror to a Reconstruction period.
The story starts with the excitement about the war and the Southern confidence that they will wipe out the Yankees rapidly. The early upbringing of the main protagonist Scarlett O'Hara at the plantation Tara by her mother Ellen and her black Mammy. Scarlette is the belle of her town and is spoilt,arrogant and self-centred. It gives her a high to know that she is desired by all eligible men in the town and when Ashley Wilkes (who Scarlette thought was in love with her) decides to marry his cousin Melanie, Scarlette is confident that she can woo him back on the night of barbacue before his engagement is announced.
She confronts Ashley that evening and though he agrees that he did love Scarlett, he refuses to elope with her. In a heated arguement, Scarlette slaps Ashley and throws a vase which is highly unladylike and attracts the attention of Rhett Butler who was  silent witness to her confession to Ashley.
Fearing humiliation of letting the whole town know of her rejection by Ashley and to avenge her insult, she married Charlie- Melanie's cousin. Charlie enlists for war and dies due to pneumonia while Scarlett is widowed and pregnant at the age of 16. She had no love for Charlie and now she has to live a life of his grieving widow with a son  for whom she has no more affinity than for her dead husband.
Soon she leaves for Atlanta to live with Melanie while Ashley is on war. Atlanta gives her new hope and here she meets Rhett Butler again.
While all the southern men talk about winning, Rhett is practical and predicts that there is no way south can win. Rhett is a blockader and makes enough money out of it. He is an outcast in the well mannered South. Scarlett joins his rank soon enough, with her outspoken behavior and what starts is a chemistry between Rhett and Scarlett.
Rhett knows her to the bone and is with her without ever hinting at anything else from her. Scarlett is too busy being in love with Ashley ( although she wonders why Rhett doesn't desire her!)  and wishes Melanie was  dead. Melanie is too gentle and innocent to know the intentions of her sister-in-law.
Then starts the impoverished period of war and Scarlett battles through the tough times at the plantation and in the Reconstruction period she takes it upon her to make money out of mills (Highly condemned for her manly behavior). She does not hesitate to manipulate people if it means she will make money. She is a total practical bitch but with romantic ideas for Ashley.
You cannot help feeling sorry for Melanie who had undying belief and love for both Scarlett and Ashley. Ashley keeps the talk of honor to evade his feelings for Scarlette while Rhett denies loving her but does everything to make sure she has her way!
The book also speaks on the treatment of blacks. The hypocrisy of the war. The castes within the slaves and their attachment to the white families.
Rhett and Scarlett survive the tough times because they are ready to adapt to the changes while the rest are happy reminiscing the past and unfit to live in the changing times..
You need to read the book to experience it for yourself when I say you live in another era for that time when you read it :)

Rating: 4.9/5

Fifty Shades of Grey- E.L James

There are some books which become viral not because of their content but because of the sheer curosity attached with it. When I found more and more females in the ladies compartment with this book and more college buddies reading it on their smartphones, I decided to give this book a fair chance and look what the hoopla is about.

The book starts with a 22 year old, about to graduate, Anastasia Steele describing her life at college and her room mate Katherine. Katherine works with the campus magazine and due to her falling sick, Ana volunteers to help with the interview of the young, successful entrepreneur -Christian Grey.
Ana, as described by herself, is clumsy, not-so-good looking and ends up getting nervous in front of the very charismatic and jaw dropping handsome. She returns feeling that the interview didn't go well.
The next few days, Christian repeatedly meets her under some pretext or the other until finally revealing that he desires her. Only not as his girlfriend .. as his submissive.
Ana is so mesmerized with Christian that she is ready to give BDSM a try, which she learns is bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, and sadism/masochism .

The book from this part is erotica. Every two pages there will be sex between Ana and Grey and rest of the portion Christian will be darkening his eyes and Ana will feel her muscles below the waist tightening :P
Yes the book is full of such lines which get repetitive. Initially Ana is a novice with no idea what Christian's world consists of. Christian wants her to sign a three month contract whereby she will spend the weekends with him and will have to adhere to the terms of the contract (which is pages and pages of conducts :P) Ana, although still mad in love to think rationally, is confused about her feelings about the contract. A part of her likes the kinky world Christian introduced her to but is afraid to endure the pain that comes with the package or what Christian says is just her imagination. 
Christian Grey as he himself proclaims is "fifty shades fucked up". A complex character built by a disturbing past, adoption into a perfect family and being a submissive once himself! Although domineering in many cases, Ana strikes a chord with the lost boy who doesn't like to be touched at some places of his body. The contract gives way to "more" and it gets darker from there. 

The author is said to be inspired from Twilight and it is very evident from the book. Anastasia bears striking resemblance to Bella Swan. She has low self worth, clumsy, been a born adult, has a mother who has made mistakes in her 3 marriages, does not like to be given expensive gifts and many more. Christian  seems to read her mind ( Something which Edward couldn't do with Bella :D :D ) , is stinking rich,a personality which makes woman gape, with a supportive family and a very chirpy sister who reminds you of Alice from Twilight! 

Some of the original parts of the book like the smart talks between Ana and Christian and their email correspondences bring a smile on your face. Perhaps that's the only part you will forward to, once the novelty wears off! :D 

Give it a read if you can bear to read so much of kinky stuff ( I honestly rushed through the frequent ones which had  no link with the events happening :P ).
 I wonder if they said " Women are too classy to watch porn but will read the fuck out of it " after this book :P IT gets too much even for a patient reader like me :P 


Rating- 1.5 /5


P.S- Like I promised, 14th september :D The next 2 parts will be written about soon.. Yes, I m already done with them..

The Rozabal Line- Ashwin Sanghi

        

The Rozabal Line
Author- Ashwin Sanghi

Best sellers- The Rozabal Line and Chanakya's Chant reviewed Here

Synopsis:

A cardboard box is found on a shelf in a London library. When the mystified librarian opens it, she screams before she falls unconcious to the floor. Within the labyrinthine recesses of the Vatican, a beautiful assassin swears she will eliminate all who do no believe in her twisted credo.

An elite army of thirteen calling itself the Lashkar-e-Talatashar has scattered around the globe. The fate of its members curiously resembles that of Christ and hi Apostles. Their agenda is Armageddon.

A hindu astrologer spots an approaching conjunction of the stars and nods to himself in grim realisation of the end of the world. In Tibet, a group of Buddist monks searches for a reincarnation, much in the way their ancestors searched Judea for the Son of God. In strife-torn Kashmir, a tomb called Rozabal holds the key to a riddle that arises in Jerusalem and gets answered at Vaishno Devi.

An American priest has disturbing visions of people familiar to him, except that they seem located in other ages, induced into past-life regression, he goes to India to piece together the violent images. Shadowing his every move is the Crux Decussata Permuta, a clandestine society , which would rather wipe out creation than allow an ancient secret to be disclosed.

Excerpt

Vincent continued animatedly. 'I have seen his agony as the hammers pound nails through his body. Its excruciatingly painful when the crossbeam is hoisted by ropes up the vertical post. They have placed two criminals on either side of him"
Vincent had been in a hypnotic state for close to an hour. Terry was sweating profusely as his pulse was racing. Could this be real? A person in the present day having seen Jesus upfront and alive in a previous life?

The Bible , of course,  stopped right there. This document, however, went further.
    Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Issa, who married Mary Magdala. Issa and Marry had a child by the name of Sara, who was born to them in India but was later sent to Gaul with her mother. Issa remained in India, where he married a woman from Sakya clan on the persistence of King Gopadatta and had a son, Benissa.

Maithili Speaks:

The Rozabal Line is the first book by Ashwin Sanghi originally published under his pseudonym Shawn Haigins in 2007.
Had it been that way, we wouldn't have known what a jewel of a writer we have!
Like in the last book I reviewed by Ashwin Sanghi, I m totally awed by the research and the beautiful blend of fact into fiction.

The story transports you into different eras. A little confusing in the start, by virtue of the jump from BC to AD era but each section is a engrossing read.
Past life regression, the Holy Grail, the Illuminti, Islamic terror outfits, astrology and occult sciences- all combined and equally amusing.  This book keeps you engaged in all these sections.
If you have read The Da Vinci Code and marvelled at it, lo and behold- we have our own Holy Grail story too! Quoting from various Urdu and ancient Hindu scriptures and some researched and published works, the author builds a plot that suggests that Jesus indeed lived in India!
If this didn't amaze you, the crucification and sacred rites will!

Lashker-e-Talatashar, the army of elite thirteen bears close resemblance to the 26th November attacks on Mumbai. This elite thirteen is on its way to destruction for jihad. The author has also put light on the building of Osama by the CIA, the way the Kashmiri boys enter jihad and how the module operates. The twelve terrorists under their leader Ghalib are made to look like Jesus and his 12 apostles. Really imaginative and wonderfully built.

Different nations, different lineage, different motives, different religions, different past lives- how are they all connected?
Was Jesus really in India? Where is the blood line, if at all it survived? Is it the manmade Armageddon that will end the world on 21st December 2012? What is the holy Trinity all about? Does the document called Bom Jesus hold the key? What is the Rozabal Line?

Rating- 5/5.. Yes this book made me give that :) Another one by Ashwin Sanghi, to be added into your collection..

Price- Rs 225

The Colour of Law- Mark Gimenez

                                                    
Author: Mark Gimenez

Synopsis:
A. Scott Fenney is a Dallas corporate lawyer in the prime of his life. Raking in $ 750,000 a year, with a beautiful house, a beautiful wife and an adored daughter, life could not be better. But when a rich senator's son dies in mysterious circumstances, Fenney is asked by the federal judge to put his air-conditioned lifestyle on hold to defend the accused: a black, heroin-addicted prostitute.
Scott believes in justice- but is his belief strong enough to withstand the loss of everything he holds dear - his salary, his lifestyle, his wife, his child?

Excerpts:
"Now, that story(refering to "To kill a Mockingbird")  took place in Alabama in the thirties- in a different time and a different world, back when the color or law was black-and-white. But our story is taking place seventy years later, in Dallas, Texas. The world's a different place today, things have changed- not everything and not everywhere and not enough, but in our courts of law things have surely changed. Judges have changed. Juries have changed. The color or law has changed. It's no longer black-and-white. My former senior partner told me that the color or law is now green. Today, he said, the rule of law is money. Money rules. And he's right. Lawyers use the law to make money, politicians sell the law to special interests for money, people sue each other for money. Everywhere in the law, it's all about money- except one place. Right there where you are sitting, in that jury box. You're not here for money. You're here for the truth."

Maithili Speaks:
A Scott Fenney is too busy making money to live that perfect life. He was the poor child on the block while growing up. He went on to become a football star and then the star partner of his firm. He was a winner who left no stone unturned. From padding, to making clever negotiations, it was all about making money. But back home he is a faithful husband and adoring Daddy. 
When he makes a speech to impress the federal judge Buford, he has little idea of the hope he gave the judge. He is appointed as the lawyer of a black prostitute accused of murdering the Senator's son. The Senator is running to become the President and to make matter worse, Scott's senior partner- Dan is the Senator's lawyer!! 
To keep his clients, his beautiful house and his wife, Scott will have to take up the case and lose it. But Scott has never given up a game. But will he agree to give up on the life of a black prostitute just because she isn't a playing client? Is he ready to pay the cost of standing for the right with his perfect life and his wife?  


The book draws a parallel with my all time favorite- Harper Lee's To kill a Mockingbird. A. Scott has been inspired by his mother's narration of this book at bedtime. A.Scott has to stand up for all that Atticus did. A good read, not so much for the legal thrill but for that conscience pricking of a lawyer. Of a father. 


The book is also followed by another book "Accused", based on the events following 2 years after this book. The book Accused is reviewed HERE

Rating: 4/5

Price: Rs 295/-

Accused- Mark Gimenez

                                                  

A Scott Fenney novel

Author: Mark Gimenez
Best sellers: The colour of Law, The Abduction, The common Lawyer.

Synopsis:
After years of silence, Texan lawyer A.Scott Fenney receives a devastating phone call from his ex-wife. She has been accused of murdering her boyfriend, Trey- the man she left Scott for- and is being held in a police cell. Now she is begging Scott to defend her.
Scott is used to high-stake cases, but this one is bigger than anything he has handled before. If Rebecca is found guilty, she will be sentenced to life imprisonment. Her future is in his hands.
As he prepares to take the stand in the most dramatic courtroom appearance of his life, Scott is forced to question everything he believes to get to the truth- to save the life of the ex-wife he still loves.

Excerpts:
Scott stared at the bloody bed where his wife had had sex with another man.. and where that man had died. He thought he had long ago come to terms with the fact that his wife had lain with another man. He was wrong. He was just now coming to terms with that fact- with that image- of Rebecca and another man - in their bed- having sex.. and then someone stabbing that knife into his chest while he slept. Had Rebecca been that someone? His face flushed hot. He couldn't seem to get a breath in the stale air.

Maithili Speaks:
This is the first book on law that I have read other than John Grisham books and the book doesn't disappoint me.
The story is fresh and unputdownable. When Trey Rawlins- a pro athelete gets killed, all suspicions point to Rebecca Fenney whose fingerprints are found on the butcher knife and who was the only person with Trey when he was killed. Rebecca swears by the fact that she doesn't remember much from that night due to high alcohol and cocaine. Her lawyer and ex-husband is fighting her case for the simple reason that, she is his child's mother and he still hasn't got over her.
As Scott gets down to fight her case and starts his own investigation- lot of skeletons are out from the closet of the good boy Trey Rawlins. He was an addict and narcissist. There seems to be a long number of people willing to kill Trey and liable to benefit from his death whereas Rebecca got nothing from Trey's death.
Rebecca depended financially on Trey and is now bankrupt. If she is innocent then how does Scott explain her fingerprints and if she is guilty, then what was her motive?
The end leaves you shocked... No amount of guessing will help!

Rating: 4.5 on 5
Price: Rs 295/-

Six Suspects - Vikas Swarup

                                                    
Author: Vikas Swarup

Best seller : Q & A ( adapted into Slumdog Millonaire)

Synopsis: 
Sever years ago, Vicky Rai, the playboy son of Home Minister of Uttar Pradesh, murdered Ruby Gill at a trendy restaurant in New Delhi simply because she refused to serve him a drink.
Now Vicky Rai is dead, killed at his farmhouse a party he had thrown to celebrate his acquittal. The police cordon off the venue and search each and every guest.
Six of them are discovered with guns in their possession and are taken for questioning.
Who are these six suspects? And what where they doing in the farmhouse that night?

Excerpts:
Not all deaths are equal. There is a caste system even in murder. The stabbing of an impoverished rickshawpuller is nothing more than a statistic, buried in the inside pages of the newspaper. But the murder of a celebrity instantly become headline news. Because the rich and the famous rarely get murdered. They lead five star lives and unless they  overdose on cocaine or meet with a freak accident, generally die a five star death at a nice grey age, having segmented both lineage and lucre.
         That is why the murder of Vivek "Vicky" Rai, the thirty two year old owner of the Rai Group of Industries and son of the Home Minister of Uttar Pradesh, has been dominating the news for the last two days.

Maithili Speaks:
This was a review on request and I must thank the one who requested it. It was a very good book . One that goes with  a lot of research and reality to it.
The plot is built around the murder of Vicky Rai who has a number of criminal record but had managed to stay free. From moving his car over pavement dwellers to killing black bucks (guess who??) and the murder of Ruby Gill (another case of reality). When he is murdered at his own party the six suspects are:
Actress Shabnam Saxena, a tribal named Ekati from Andaman, an American fork lift operater called Larry Page, a mobile theif Munna mobile, Mohan Kumar - a corrupt bureaucrat who feels he is Mahatma Gandhi due to some mental problem and Vicky  Rai's own father- Jagannath Rai.
What motive could these people possibly have and how did they land up at the farmhouse makes the story. A very detailed description of life of the above suspects, a good building of plot and you just cant ignore the honesty of the book.

Rating: 4 on 5.

Last man in tower- Arvind Adiga

                                                           
Author: Arvind Adiga
Best seller : The White Tiger

Synopsis:
Vishram society is a tight knit society of middle class and mostly aged people. Located in the suburban area of Santacruz east this building suddenly becomes desired by the builder Mr Dharmen Shah. When he offers them 250% the cost of their land, there are members willing to do anything to get the deal done and some strongly oppose the redevelopment while some others are still confused!
The members have been living in the society for decades. This is their chance to become rich.
Initially opposing only because his friends did not wish to leave the society, Masterji- a retired school teacher and a widower, is forced continuously to sign the deal. The coercing makes him all the more stubborn to oppose the builder. Now its not about being comfortable or supporting his now turned hostile friends.. It becomes his fight for his right to say no.
He becomes the target of all the anguish of the members and lives in isolation there after but only gets stronger in will power to go against them.
Can this man hold on against the redevelopment or does he become a victim?

Excerpts:
"Sangeeta, what is going on?"
"Ramu.." She turned to her son and said (forcing a big smile on her face so he would not suspect the content of her words),"..tell your Masterji that the boycott is going on."
"Boycott?" Masterji said." What does that mean?"
"Ramu.." Mrs Puri smiled again.".. Masterji, being a famous teacher, must know all about Gandhi and Nehru and what they did to the British. So tell him not to ask us what a boycott is."
"Gandhi and Nehru and.. Mrs Puri this is madness."
"Madness?" Mrs Puri chuckled. Ramu, at the table, joined in the fun.
"And refusing an offer of 250% the market value of his flat is not madness, Ramu? Some people should not speak of madness, Ramu."

Maithili Speaks:
In this book, Arvind Adiga brings out a brilliant sketch of a middle class close knit society. The ideologies, the inherent nature of people, the constant struggle to keep aiming for more and the greed of human nature are the highlights of this book. Redevelopment and use of unfair means for bringing a common consensus is uncovered as also corrupt measures to which a person can stoop for his own selfish needs.
People as they are painted in this story are essentially greedy. In the beginning, the people have deep bonds which have lasted for more three decades in some cases.
Masterji who has lost his wife Purnima the same year and his daughter Sandhya, a few years before, lives alone. His son, daughter-in-law and his grandson live in post southern Bombay. Masterji teaches science top up classes for children. Mrs Puri and her imbecile eighteen year old son have been close to him for years. Mr Pinto and his now blind wife live in the flat just below Masterjis. Mr Pinto and Masterji share a friendship of more than 3 decades. Yet when the offer for redevelopment is made, masterji who initially had no reason to oppose it, becomes pressurised by the constant demands of his son and members to sign the deal. Soon he finds himself to be the only man opposing the deal.
The members of the society have left no stone unturned to get a little more extra for themselves.
The builder Mr Shah- you do not know what this man is  made of. He is the most complex character in this story. He is the kind man who offers more than the market price. He is set to prove himself the best man in business. Yet his dark side leaves you wondering- is this man really the one responsible?

Rating: 4 on 5

Price: Rs 699 [INR 454/- at Flikart] /-