Pied Piper
-
Nevil
Shute
This novel is about an elderly English gentleman caught in the
middle of German occupation in France, and must return back home. What starts
with his generosity in agreeing to take two children from his French hotel to
England with him, gradually builds up into something huge – along the way,
amidst the tragedies of war, several other children join his band. He continues
this arduous journey with patience and compassion that is in his heart, despite
his own suffering inflicted by his old age and lack of skill in handling young
children and survival training. The group faces severe trials in the war-torn
lands, but also receives help from strangers along the way.
It is a beautiful, touching story, told in a simple
narrative. However, I found that magic something missing, which so enchanted me
in his other books like "Requiem for a Wren" and "On the
Beach". I felt that this was not as crisp, and though the characters were
endearing and believable, the story had few too many coincidences that
stretched the imagination.
English, August
-
Upmanyu Chatterjee
The
only feeling I had after finishing it was that of relief. It must be one of the
most awful books I read, and I think that it can perhaps only be enjoyed by
intellectual snobs or depraved minds (and I suppose nothing says they can't
co-exist). I would have abandoned it after the first few pages, had I not
finished almost two-thirds of it on an idle weekend when I had nothing else to
read, and I was feeling too lazy even to move.
I didn’t
like the language used, and didn’t find anything redeemable about the protagonist.
I found his thought process repulsive rather than amusing. If that is indeed
the way an average Indian male thinks, there is no surprise that the society
today is the way it is. The story doesn’t go anywhere, and there is probably
not even a single paragraph without a mention of getting stoned, shit or
mast*******. I didn’t find it at all witty as it is supposed to be, and if
there was any humor, it was rude and sick.
Anne of Green Gables
-
L. M. Montgomery
This is a delightful book about an orphaned Anne, who lands
up at the home of an elderly couple who actually intended to adopt a boy. She
is a spirited and kind-hearted girl, and her journey of settling into her new
home and the community, and making mistakes and learning from them makes for an
engaging read.
The language is easier to read than the typical Victorian classics
(which are not my cup of tea, by the way). Though I quite liked it (first read
in my thirties), I would certainly have enjoyed it much more in my teens.
Sisterhood of
Traveling Pants
-
Ann Brashares
Quite an adorable story of friendship and coming-of-age. The
pants (a pair of jeans procured from a thrift store) gives four teenage friends
strength through the troubled phase of growing up, and forms an unshakable bond
between them. Besides the bond of friendship that is of utmost significance at
that age, the book also explores other relationships and emotions – love, family,
infatuation, pain, kindness.
I wouldn’t say that it is a perfect or a very believable
story, but it does portray the turmoil and fears and joys of that age in a
realistic manner. It is more of a YA fiction, but I enjoyed it, and I feel that
I would have really connected with it in my college years.
