The Feast Of Roses

The Feast of Roses
  - Indu Sundaresan

The second book in the Taj Mahal Triology*, continues the journey of Nur Jahan - after her marriage to Prince Salim, through his ascension to the throne of the Mughal empire and the rise in Noor Jahan's power, to the ultimate decline of her fortunes.

The first half is bright, as Salim takes on the title of Emperor Jahangir, their love blossoms, and Nur Jahan increases her influence to eventually become the actual ruler of the empire. Then it gradually becomes darker, as the European powers start coming in, manipulating the Indian kingdoms with deviousness and taking on the Mughal empire, even as Jahangir's health begins to fail. Nur Jahan desperately struggles to retain the power, but is betrayed by her own brother and niece, for whom she had done so much. She tries to influence Khurram, whom she had once showered with much love, but without result.  It ends sadly, as she ultimately loses it all with Jahangir's death - her love and her power.

In this book, as in the first, Mehrunnisa's character personifies beauty, intelligence, and determination, the descriptions are vivid, and the narration is absorbing. However, it wasn't as great as the first one, partly due to the inherent darkness of the story, and in part due to the fact that the depiction of grandeur and intrigues no longer have that novelty factor. It could perhaps have been shorter, to hold up the interest better.

I recommend both the books highly, and definitely suggest reading the second one if you have read the first. I haven't read the third (Shadow Princess), and not inclined to do so anytime soon, owing to the less-than-enthusiastic reviews.

*I wondered why it is called after the Taj - the first two books tell the story of Nur Jahan, and its only the third, which I understand is quite disjoint from the first two, that relates to the great monument. I suspect it is to evoke the romance and interest that the name of Taj can do like no other, and because the concept of trilogies is in vogue.

One year with JustBooks (contd.)

As I completed one year of my membership with the library, I felt quite a fulfilment - I think I have read more than in any other year (and as I mentioned earlier, almost 5 times than I did in last 5 years put together). In last few years (since I started blogging actively), I had a good time gap between books, which I used to ponder and write reviews, particularly (and usually detailed ones) for the books that affected me more. However, in the spree that I had been on, I was too busy reading to find any time to write. So, at this milestone, I set up for myself the challenging task to do write-ups on the books I read (and am reading since). I didnt plan to do reviews for all (there isn't much to write about a Gardener, or Agatha Christie for that matter), or even full-fledged ones for the ones that I did; but even then, it was a daunting task. More so, since it had been quite long since I read many of them. The initial burst of enthusiasm had me working at quite a fast pace, but then I slacked; yet I didnt give it up midway through, and managed to pick up the pace again, for some time at least. Thus, after 3 months, I can look back with satisfaction on write-ups on my 2014 readings - 12 small notes and 6 detailed reviews in all (excluding one that I had done much earlier). And on my way for the 2015 list. 

Read in 2015, so far:

Indu Sunderasan - Feast of Roses
Kavita Kane - Karna's Wife: The Outcast's Queen
Nevil Shute - Pied Piper
L. M. Montgomery - Anne of Green Gables
Upmanyu Chatterjee - English, August
Ann Bashares - Sisterhood of Traveling Pants
Khushwant Singh - Truth, Love And A Little Malice
Roald Dahl - Best of Roald Dahl
Mitch Albom - Tuesdays with Morrie 
James Herriot  - Every Living Thing
Roald Dahl - Matilda
Sue Townsend  - The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole
Rick Riordan - Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief
Shilpa Somaya Gowda - Secret Daughter
Rick Riordan - Percy Jackson - The Sea of Monsters
Fredrick Forsyth - No Comebacks
Joanne Harris - Chocolat

Bought

I had read a couple of them, and liked so much that I decided to buy them. And I am not yet done with all of these, so I am not going to be short of reading material in near future.

Ruskin Bond - The Blue Umbrella

Anand Neelakantan - Asura - Tale of the Vanquished

Ruskin Bond - Book of Humor   
Anita Nair - Goodnight And God Bless   
Sandipan Deb - The Last War

Indu Sundaresan - Mountain Of Light

Amulya Malladi - Song Of The Cuckoo Bird
R. K. Narayan - Malgudi Days
Victoria Holt - Seven For A Secret 
Erle Stanley Gardener - The Case Of The Mischievious Doll
Desmond Bagley - Juggernaut 
Alistair McLean - Night Watch 
Nevil Shute - So Disdained

Karna's Wife - The Outcast's Queen

Karna's Wife - The Outcast's Queen

  - Kavita Kane

It was a wonderful idea, to have a closer look at the most noble and tragic hero of Mahabharat, through the eyes of someone close to him, so as to have a deeper insight into his thoughts and emotions. At first I was surprised to learn that Karna had a wife named Uruvi, since what I had known was that his wife was Vrushali. Then I realized from the author's note that she created the fictional character of Uruvi. It was an excellent device, since Uruvi, due to her close connection to the royalty, and her own learning, could present a greater perspective on the events that unfold, than the simple Vrushali ever could. Her interaction with other women, who had a significant role to play in the epic - Kunti, Bhanumati, Draupadi - brings in a richness in this story.

It, however, is an idea, which isn't executed as well as it could have been. One of the most disappointing factors is that this seems to be highly inspired by some of the other popular retelling's, especially 'The Palace of Illusions'. Another jarring aspect is the language - rather too modern for the period, and a little incoherent at times. Yet another was the conflict in the view the author wanted to present, on several things, specially her take on some of the key characters. She has portrayed Duryodhan in a softer shade than most of the retellings do (which works fine for me), but I felt that she fluctuated between depicting him as an inherently evil man, and a soft, misguided soul manipulated by his evil uncle throughout his life. I found Karna's character lacking too. Amongst the incidents that rankled, there is this particular one that takes place at the end of the war - when Pandavas learn that Karna was their elder brother, they want to give him his due - so they go to Uruvi and ask her to come along with them to Hastinapur, and her son to be appointed the heir. At this point, I had to ask - why only Uruvi, and not Vrushali as well - as Karna's wife, didn't she deserve the same respect?

Mini Reviews - IV

Roald Dahl - Matilda
 

I must confess that I still like reading stories meant for kids (with some pre-conditions). They can be meaningful and heart-warming without being complex. I found this one quite entertaining. However, I think that though it is frequently cited as one of the best children's books of all time, I can't really recommend it for children. For the younger children, who would enjoy it, I find it quite unsuitable - it uses a lot of curse words, which I wouldn't want to explain to a child, and the message it could give to their impressionable minds may be twisted around. And I am afraid that the older children, who could possibly have understood it better, may not find it as exciting as a lot of the other series available to them today.

Sue Townsend  - The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole
 

I really failed to understand what made this series so popular. It may have less to do with the difference in age, and more with the difference in culture. I felt that it features all the cliches of the projected "ills" of the western culture - a troubled, self-obsessed teenager, selfish parents, infidelity, broken marriage, casual flings, parents not caring for children and vice-versa .... The only thing that offers warmth is when Adrian really starts caring for old Bert, whom he is assigned to assist as part of his volunteer work. I also didn't find it particularly entertaining; though it was amusing in bits and parts - when Adrian laments for his misunderstood genius or when the Sikh family shows greater patriotic towards their adopted home than the native English.

Shilpa Somaya Gowda - Secret Daughter

This book is written in the format of a series of clips, and the writing is good. The story in itself did not stand out particularly, but it is told well, with some moving descriptions. One reason that the story seemed something of routine was that because I have read a few stories of adopted children, the one that moved me most was the true story of an Indian girl adopted by a family abroad (Daughter of the Ganges). At one point I strongly felt that Secret Daughter may have been inspired by it, down to the name of the adopted child (Asha), and the device of coming back to India (journalism/documentary). It may have been, or perhaps it is a coincidence, since most adopted children are naturally curious to know about their birth parents. At one point I became really apprehensive that it was going to do a logic-defying bollywood-style reunion, and was relieved that it did not.
It is a nice book, though not exceptional. The last couple of chapters I liked best.

Victoria Holt - Seven For A Secret
 

Now, this did not turn out to be as interesting as I expected. I don't know whether it is one of her worse works, or whether her books may not so intriguing to a mature adult as they could be to a school/college student. I read a few of her books way back then, and loved them. I was never much into romances, but found her kind of romantic thrillers quite enjoyable. I didn't find another of her books since then, and was thrilled to find one at Blossoms a couple of weeks back. And I was rather disappointed. It was all too predictable, and the suspense/secret wasn't that good for all the build-up.

If It's Monday, It Must Be Madurai

If It's Monday, It Must Be Madurai
  - Srinath Perur

I guess, age is catching up with me - in last few years, I have started reading quite a bit of non-fiction, and even enjoying it! And this happens to be the first travel book I have read (if I discount Nine Lives by Dalrymple, which is more about spirituality than travel).

In the introduction, the author notes that "Serious travelers and certainly travel writers look upon the conducted tour as the lowliest form of travel. ... However, a conducted tour, by definition offers something that solitary travel cannot: other people and the opportunity to know them". And this is precisely how he has approached the group tours, which he started undertaking for magazine assignments. It is a unique and delightful read, where he recounts his travels that cover a range of destinations - both with respect to the location and the purpose, with a diverse set of fellow travelers. He travels with a group of devout people on pilgrimages to Tamilnadu and Pandharpur, with a group of Indian men in search of carnal pleasure to Uzbekistan, with foreigners to the biggest urban slum in Mumbai, with young (and mostly IT) crowd to explore the unspoilt expanse of nature in North-east.

The book is only so much about the places he visits; it is more about the experience, which in this case, constitutes his keen observation of the people he travels with, people he interacts with on the trips, and a commentary on the Indian society in general. Their quirks amuse, their faith moves, and their hope warms you. His observations are highly insightful, sometimes delightfully sarcastic and sometimes sensitive. At times they made me laugh, at others they made me sad about the state of affairs (specially as to how we are destroying our natural and cultural heritage, out of greed and apathy). He observes and some times ponders, but does not pass judgement, and does it all with a touch of humor. (And I am glad he is not inclined to be introspective or philosophical, which is easy to fall into as you write about your travel).

Not all the stories are great though, there were a couple of them that didn't interest me much. But that will not deter me from recommending it.

At times there is a story behind how you come by a book, and this one has a guilty secret of mine behind it - when I see someone reading a book, particularly if engrossed in it, I get curious to find out which book is it. I'm unfortunately not the outgoing kind who would go and ask a stranger about what s/he is reading, so I try to steal a glance. On a train journey, we had in our compartment, a sophisticated lady, clearly not accustomed to traveling by train - during and after the trouble of finding herself a seat, she was immersed in a yellow-green hardbound volume. I finally made out a part of the title - "it must be Madurai", but it sounded so incredulous that I was quite sure I had it wrong. Once back into the realm of net connectivity, I searched for it, and there it was - "If it's Monday, it Must Be Madurai". The romance of the title (with obvious reference to "If it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium", of which I was only vaguely aware), and the great reviews pushed it into me reading list.