fiction

07 Jun

Posted at 07:32h in fiction
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This book has been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2004 and also shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2004. The book received the Hudson/Wright Legacy Award 2004. Quite an extraordinary effort for her first book! The author forbids herself to read reviews. It is not that she fears criticism but it may hinder her way of being true to herself in her books. PLOT HIGHLIGHT: The story is about a 15-year-old Kambili, her journey into two extreme worlds and finally finding her true self! Her father Eugene, an orthodox Christian, who has no clue about the difference between love and torture, doesn’t allow his daughter, her bother Jaja, and their mother to have a life of their own. The goal of this little Kambili is just to make him proud and impress him in every feat of her life. It is only after her aunt Ifeoma comes into her life with her cousins Chima, Amaka, and Obiora, she realizes that sometimes letting go also can also be called life! REVIEW: For the author’s first book this is really a good read! The writing style is quite impressive and it is also an easy read. The turmoil Kambili goes through in each chapter is easily connectable and we can also feel the intensity of the civil war that has been explained in the book that is going on in Nigeria. The author has justified totally the sensitivity of faith and religion that is in Kambili’s heart. The book is true to its...

07 Jun

Posted at 07:25h in fiction
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The book is by the author who had many best sellers in her kitty like The Forest of Enchantments and Palace of Illusions. She is not only an author but also an activist and a teacher of writing. Her work has been published widely, in magazines and anthologies. Plus, her books have been translated into 29 languages. So now let’s get into the plot of the book! PLOT HIGHLIGHT: The book is all about Rani Jindan’s journey from her teens to her demise. The book is a work of fiction through the characters in the book are real! The plot is divided into the time when Jindan Kaur comes to Lahore with her father and brother, her marriage to the king, then she becoming the Queen, and finally her demise! Her father being the kennel keeper of Maharaja Ranjit Singh never expected his daughter to be not only the king’s consort but also his favorite. We see in the book how she has to face the wrath of the King’s eldest wife and how most of the courtiers cannot accept her because she is not of the royal bloodline. Each section of the book not only shows the events in the life of Rani Jindan but also the emotional turmoil that she has to go through. The book describes really well the weight that a Queen has to carry when she also wants a life of a regular human being! REVIEW: The book is truly remarkable and it is quite an interesting read. Though...

07 Jun

Posted at 07:16h in fiction
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  Being an Agatha Christie book, we all know what to expect, yes you have guessed it right, it is a crime thriller! And this one of her Jane Marple series! The Hercule Poirot series is far more interesting than the Jane Marple series! So I would usually suggest that if you are a beginner in Agatha Christie's books, do take the Hercule Poirot series. PLOT HIGHLIGHT We have the main character Jane Marple, an old lady who loves or let's say gets involved in crime mysteries most of the time. She lives in a small town called St. Mary Mead. She gets a curious letter from the lawyers (Mr. Broadribb and Mr. Schuster) of one Mr. Rafiel who had recently passed away! When she visits them, there is a strange request from the late Mr. Rafiel of her going for a tour with Famous Houses and Gardens of Great Britain. It is at the tour she meets a few of her fellow passengers and as fate would have it one of them dies! Now Jane Marple gets into a fix as she realizes as one of them who is traveling with her could be the killer and then the investigation is on! REVIEW: Quite frankly if you miss out on this one, no hell will break loose! A typical crime thriller and most probably if you are a regular reader of Agatha Christie you may realize why the murder has been committed! The writing skill is to perfection as I have nothing to say there....

17 Sep

Posted at 16:56h in fiction
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This is another book from my favourite author Agathe Christie and it was her 130 birth anniversary on 15th September and  I had a special post on my Instagram page. A true Queen of Crime! I haven't read another author with so much calibre for crime thrillers. This book brought tears to my eyes not that it is a bad book, but the reason why the crime was committed. The plot goes as this, there is a cocktail party arranged by the gorgeous actress Marina Gregg when she moves into a new town where Miss Marple stays. In this lavish party almost all the townspeople are invited. One among them, Ms Heather Badcock is overly excited to meet her movie idol and then she goes on and on how she first met her. But the next second we find her lying dead after getting a severe seizure because she drank the poisoned cocktail.  It seems that the cocktail was meant for Marina Gregg but why was she a target. As the police are absolutely clueless, Miss Marple unwinds the cobwebs and the deepest darkest secrets that lie in that house to reveal the true murderer. I haven't much to say other than this is one of my favourite Miss Marple's series. I am more of Hercule Poirot fan! The book is a one time read and not something that you would take to re-read especially if you have a reading slum. I give this book a rating of 3.5 out of 5...

10 Sep

Posted at 11:34h in fiction
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The Mysterious Affair at Styles, the first book where the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot is introduced. The narrator in the book is by one Mr. Hastings who knows both the family that's involved in the murder and the detective. The book revolves around the Cavendish family who stays at their country place, Styles Court. The main characters are Mrs.Inglethorp ,her two stepsons John and Lawrence. Accompanied by John's wife Mary, Cynthia and Evelyn who is a constant personality in Mrs. Inglethorp's life. Everything was going smoothly until Mrs. Inglethorp decided to get hitched with Alfred who is 20 years younger to her and everyone knew the obvious reasons why this young man married this old lady, her immense wealth and the fantastic property! When Hastings comes to visit his old friend John Cavendish, the entire household seems tensed about something. In the middle of the second night of his stay, Mrs Inglethorp had an unfortunate incident that lead to her ingenious murder! Everything gets out of control when the family members realise that Mrs.Inglethorp died due to poisoning. And then we have the entry of Hercule Poirot and then let's say you should read it to find out who the culprit is! Though from the beginning it's so obvious who the culprit is, but no way you can be sure of what you think and I can guarantee this book is a good read! ...

10 Sep

Posted at 11:23h in fiction
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'It is romantic, yes, it is peaceful. The sun shines. The sea is blue. But you forget, Miss Brewster, there is evil everywhere under the sun.'- Hercule Poirot A beautiful beach resort at Leathercombe bay where old and young couples along with Hercule Poirot comes for a vacation. Everyone was happy and was having the best time of their life until a family, Kenneth Marshall his wife, Arlena Stuart & his daughter Linda arrived! The minute Arlena Stuart stepped in with her beautiful bronzed body everyone including Hercule Poirot couldn't take off their eyes from her exquisite beauty! And then the happiness of all the customers at the resort took a bad turn when a body was found on the beach and it was none other than Arlena Stuart! Almost all the customers who were there had a motive to kill Arlena Stuart, yet the true murderer is a cunning devil! The murder was done in broad daylight and no one saw or heard the cries of the poor Arlena. Yet it is Hercule Poirot who solves the case. The little grey cells as he says, we should often use them for our well being. The world is rushing to find a vaccine for the pandemic that we are facing. I sincerely hope we find one soon before this corona murders us all! ...

02 Sep

Posted at 08:49h in fiction
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'Hercule Poirot delves back into the past and discovers that old sins leave long shadows.' Welcome to yet another review of Hercule Poirot's decoding of crime. As you already know the author of the book is none other than my favorite Agatha Christie. Now without further adieu let's jump directly into the review. As the title suggests let me break the bubble that this book has no elephants in it but an old memory surfaces and just like an elephant, certain memories stay etched in our minds. When Mrs. Oliver( a writer I presume) goes to a luncheon that had invited all the great literary artists of the time, she meets with one Mrs. Burton Cox. This lady approaches Mrs. Oliver with no particular warning and starts bombarding questions about her goddaughter Celia Ravenscroft who is going to marry her son. The talks about her Goddaughter brought her a special warmth but all that vanished when Mrs. Burton Cox asked if Celia's mother killed her father or vice versa! This left Mrs. Oliver completely speechless and said she has no clue about this matter whatsoever. But even after the luncheon, this did not leave her mind and at once she went to visit her dear friend, our Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. The events that follow after this is so twisted as it's quite impossible to believe how can true love be a reason for a horrible crime.The book is good but not good enough compared to other Hercule Poirot books. With that said I would like to add that...

02 Sep

Posted at 08:27h in fiction
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'This crime is so complicated that it must be quite simple', declares Hercule Poirot. Ah yes, Hercule Poirot! The author of the book is none other than my personal favorite Agatha Christie. So we all know it a murder mystery and I am a total addict to them. As I have read and have most of her books I will be adding their reviews one by one on my website. It's better late than never right! Before we dive into the review let me assure you that though I am a die-hard fan of Agatha Christie my review of her books is unbiased. With that cleared let's start with the review of 'The Clocks'. We have the narrative of Mr. Colin Lamb who is in the police department. He was an innocent passer-by on the street Wilbraham Crescent when suddenly a girl ramped onto him screaming there is a dead man's body with an old woman walking around him! When he reached the address the girl gave him, he saw a blind old lady Miss Millicent Pebmarsh who owned the house was standing with blood-stained clothes. The girl was right! There was a dead body but the most inquisitive part was the different clocks placed around his body. When Mr. Lamb questioned the girl Sheila Webb of why she was in the house, she said that Miss Pebmarsh had called in their center to send help. But Ms. Pebmarsh denies this statement and says she is completely capable of looking after herself. The police are baffled with the...

01 Sep

Posted at 12:55h in fiction
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Before we go into the review of the book, I would like to explain a bit about who is Hanuman. Hanuman is a revered Hindu God(usually known as the Monkey-God). He is one of the central characters in the epic Ramayana. He is the Divine companion of Rama. Rama is the main character in the epic Ramayana. Not only this, but he is also the son of the Wind God, Vayu. He is believed to be the ideal combination of strength and compassion. He is also believed to be an eternal celibate. Now since we have a little knowledge about who Hanuman is let's get into the review of this book. This is the first book that I am reading of the author Shubha Vilas and I may get his best selling series soon- Ramayana: the game of life. The author is a motivational speaker, lifestyle coach, and a storyteller. His leadership seminars are popular among top-level management corporate houses. The book has four main chapters or let's call them units which are VEDIC TALES HANUMAN FOLKTALES HANUMAN TEMPLES HANUMAN PRAYERS As the name suggests, each unit has wonderful stories of Hanuman's childhood to his journey with Rama. The stories behind the majestic Hanuman temples in India are also quite interesting! The famous tale of Hanuman as a child where he swallowed the sun mistaking it to be a fruit and how the entire universe became a dark entity is the star story in the book! There are many stories similar to this one and a few of my favorite are...

17 May

Posted at 08:05h in fiction
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Review in one word, AWESOME! I am a sucker for crime and psychology thrillers but this book just won my heart overnight. Truth to be told I just took this book to read only a day back and I have completed it. The book is truly in every sense a perfect thriller and I am glad that I brought this book. The author, Alex Michaelides is also a screenwriter and it quite unbelievable that it's his first novel. Let's go into the plot of the story. We have two main characters in this book: Alicia Berenson who has committed an unimaginable murder. Theo Faber who is a psychotherapist who assumes that he can make a difference in her life. Alicia who loves her husband Gabriel blindly. But one fine day she decided to murder him cold blood, shot him! Being a passionate artist, she paints her final picture and name it Alcestis. Alcestis is a Princess in Greek mythology who is known for her love for her husband. The tragedy is how she dies and saves his life.When Alicia doesn't speak in front of the court, everyone thinks she is in trauma. She remained silent not just for days but years together. Theo believed he could make her speak and save her.He comes to her rescue at the Groove where she is placed in high sedative condition as she is suicidal. But the question arises if Theo is really ready to hear her and listen to what happened that night? Now the review, I'm crazy about the book...