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.