Experience with condesed books

This is a set of reviews, I had been working on, before my long absence from this blog. I had written most of it, but the rest awaited completion for a long time. I couldn't do it proper justice after all this while, so I've just filled in the gaps to post it rather than losing it to anonymity forever :-)

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First of all I must confess that I didn't read the complete books here  :-) I had earlier read abridged versions of some classics, but that was way back in school; since then, I have stuck to pure, unadulterated text. Readers' Digest (RD) has published volumes which consist of condensed versions of some well known books. I had asked my brother for some reading material, so he passed on such a volume to me; and one does not look a gift horse in the mouth :-D

Prizes - Eric Segal

Although the condensed version was not all that compact ( >150 pages), I could read and enjoy it - given the size of the original, I am not sure I'd have dared to pick it. This was my first experience with the RD's condensed version, and I'll say I liked it - it has been very well edited, and one doesn't feel that there is a discontinuity in any place (unless one has happened to read the complete one before, I guess).

Prizes is about "the prize of prizes" - The Nobel. The narrative comprises of three separate tracks, loosely interlinked - it is the story of three extraordinary scientists, as they work towards their ambition, and the ultimate recognition. Love and loss, trust and betrayal, all play a role in their lives. And their professional gifts notwithstanding, they all have personal demons to counter against. It is not just about exceptional talent, it is also about the greatness as well as follies of human nature.

The narrative keeps up the interest, though I think it is not close to the real world, and does not touch as deeply as the author's "Love Story" and "Man, Woman and Child" do. The style is similar to Segals' "Acts of Faith", or "Class", and the tale of extraordinary individuals is somewhat reminiscent of Archer to me. But in spite of this slight familiarity, it is quite a compelling story, and definitely worth reading. And although I was rather daunted by the sheer size of the original, if I had read it, I am sure I would have enjoyed it immensely.


Secret Missions - Michael Gannon

The second condensed book in the RD volume was this spy story. It is set in the World War - II, when German U-boats reached the US coasts and created havoc there.

A priest, Father D'Aneglo, learns of the presence of a Nazi spy in his coastal town from a confession. He is in a dilemma, since he simply cannot ignore this fact that compromises the safety of his country, but he cannot divulge the information to anyone as a confession is confidential. At last, after talking to various authorities, he finds a way out - he seeks the permission from the person who made the confession to prevent any harm, as long as he does not have to share the confession.

He follows the spy, finally learns what he is up to, and with the help of a female aviator, and sets about to thwart his plans. It is interesting enough, though not in the class of thrillers by Alistair McLean, who has written a lot of novels about espionage and counter-espionage. But them, a priest cannot be expected to match the skills of a trained intelligence officer :-) The story ends in an extraordinary coincidence, which stretches the intelligence a bit too far, but as they say, all's well that ends well. I love happy endings :-)


Eyes of a child - Richard North Patterson

The Third condensed book in the RD volume, it is an ingenious legal thriller and a murder mystery.

The sequence of events are mainly witnessed from the perspective of Teresa Peralta (Terri), a legal assistant to a defense attorney Christopher Paget (Chris), who aspires to be a senator. Terri is fighting a bitter divorce and custody case with her husband Ricardo Arias, and in the meantime develops a romantic relationship with her boss, Chris. Terri and Chris are on a vacation in Italy when they learn that Ricardo has been murdered, possibly on the night before their departure. Chris has an obvious motive - Ricardo had accused his teenage son, Carlo, of assaulting his daughter. As Chris fights to prove his and Ricardo's innocence, evidence against him keeps getting worse. And the truth, when it finally comes out, is heart-breaking and revolting.

More Than Meets The Eye - Joan Brock

This is the true story of a young lady, dedicated to her family and work as a teacher in a blind school. Over a short span of few weeks, she loses her sight to a very rare disease; and a few years later, loses her husband, who has been her pillar of strength, to cancer. She picks up her strength and overcomes her personal tragedy, to become a motivation for others. Truly moving and inspiring.