The Things they Carried is an astounding book that leaves no doubt in your mind on the true nature of war. There is no glory and it’s horror has endless depths. It can’t be an easy thing to write personal war stories – especially painful, gut-wrenching, embarrassing, shameful ones. But that’s what Tim O’Brien does in this semi-autobiographical collection of snippets from Vietnam War. He digs into his war wounds and slices them open and…
Book Reviews
Only Wodehouse can make a story about the occupants of a stuffy English Country House and a silver cow creamer entertaining. PG Wodehouse’s novels brings all the charms of the English humor to your home and the adventures of young, spoilt Bertie Wooster and his butler, Jeeves form the icing on the proverbial cake in his collection. The Code of the Woosters takes Bertie and Jeeves to the residence of is Sir Watkyn Basset in…
I often find that great stories are not just about the writing, the plot or the characters, but what they tell us of the human condition. That is what really pulls me into the pages and makes me think about what I have read long after I finished the book. Stories about ordinary women in extraordinary situations are my personal favorite which is why I am in love with Good Evening, Mrs. Craven. The author,…
“The sins of the father are to be laid upon the children.” – Shakespeare So. Many. Thoughts. Where do I begin? Perhaps at the very beginning–when a little magical baby survived a deadly attack from a very cruel wizard setting in motion events that culminated in the Battle of Hogwarts in which the evil wizard was finally defeated. But what if the magical baby did not survive? Or what if that cruel wizard did not…
J.K. Rowling’s foray into adult fiction was surprisingly good albeit a little depressing. I have enjoyed the Harry Potter series for its concept and plot and never from a literary standpoint. This novel on the other hand is stronger on the language and structure whereas the plot is tepid. Image Credit: Author So, Whats It About? “Things denied, things untold, things hidden and disguised.” ― J.K. Rowling, The Casual Vacancy The narrative starts with a…
For those not familiar with American history, the term Pioneers is used to describe the explorers who moved westwards in search of land and riches from the heavily populated East. Writers like Willa Cather wrote novels and stories to capture the trials and tribulations of this period of exploration. Most of the westward expansion was by settlers who worked on railways which were being built to connect mining towns. Any pioneer’s town population was often…
The Corner Shop has a lovely cover and that is probably the nicest thing to say about it. Elizabeth Cadell wrote light romantic comedies in the Britain and her books were fairly popular, so I feel bad about dissing it. When I picked it up I was looking for something similar to the likes of E.F. Benson or Monica Dashwood – light, sharp and witty notes on the quiet country life. Which is why I…
As I was just a few weeks away from my trip to India and Istanbul, I was itching to read something to get me into the spirit of things. I started with Orhan Pamuk’s Istanbul, but the book wasn’t it. His Istanbul is black and white, always cold, and inhabited by jinns. I don’t know what it is with Pamuk and me. I love his writing; the prose is poetic, but I can never seem…
