Mini Reviews - VI

Another installment in the series of mini reviews :D

Cheaper by the dozen -  Frank B. Gilbreth Jr 

This is a collection of hilarious anecdotes that arise when a pair of efficiency expert parents have a dozen kids in the family. It also gives a glimpse into the life of a reasonably well-to-do family of the time, when being a successful entrepreneur did not mean mindless luxury and spoiled children, instead, having educated parents meant a focus on learning, and success meant instilling a respect for hard work in the next generation.

It was an absolute delight to get to know the charming, quirky and lovable Mr Gilbreth through the eyes of his children. Few days of my commute were spent silently chuckling over their adventures and misadventures, as I was reading it on my daily commute to work.

 

Sleeper and the Spindle - Neil Gaiman 

This is really just a story, it turned out to be much shorter than I expected. The book is beautifully designed, and the illustrations are simply gorgeous. However, the story itself didn't impress me that much. It is a different take on two conventional fairy tales, but it didn't go into any details to give a better insight into the characters. I was also not quite clear about what had changed after nearly hundred years to cause the sudden panic. I'd give it 3.5 stars, including some extra for the beautiful art.

Partisans - Alistair MacLean 

Not one of the best of MacLean, not even close. I used to love action/spy thrillers in early youth, and loved MacLean, and read many of them several times over. This was one of the 2 or 3 I had not yet read. It is possible that I could have outgrown them (though I really dont think so), or it is entirely possible that it just doesn't make the mark.

This is a very linear story, almost dull. The protagonist really faces no kind of challenge or conflict, that mark his most engaging works, where the hero needs to use his wits and strength to overcome impossible situations. The plot was kind of predictable, and the hero achieves his aim without much of a struggle.

For me, the only thing I loved about this book was the beautiful hardback I could buy from a used-book sale. I had never seen a hardback of the thrillers of this era, and this one has lovely thick pages and wonderful print (the kind of which we dont get to see anymore).

The Criminal Mastermind of Baker Street

The Criminal Mastermind of Baker Street 

 - Rob Nunn

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I had somehow stumbled upon this book on Goodreads, perhaps while looking over some of the other Holmes pastiche works that I have been wanting to read. [Confession - Pastiche is a new word I learnt recently, and am having fun using it :D]. There was a preview available, and it aroused my curiosity and interest. This had been on my wishlist since then, but has always been hard to find, or quite expensive. A few months ago I got a kindle, and recently got a ebook of this one, allowing me to delve into it.

Sorry to say that, belying the GR reviews, and the promise offered by the preview, it did not live up to the expectation. I felt that it is essentially a retelling of the original (or canon, as they are fond of calling it in the pastiche universe), though in a less engaging manner. It hardly adds anything new, with the exception of a few minor twists here and there. The author keeps on telling us what a criminal-par-excellence Holmes is, achieving this daredevil heist or that complicated disappearance or what sweet revenge on his enemies; but how these were achieved, we have no clue. The employment of Sherlockian “methods” (you know my methods, Watson!), that was the USP of the canon, is deplorably missing. The only cases where we get to see some detail of the execution are the ones which are taken from the canon. It was also annoying to read Holmes, and to some extent Watson, continually refer to themselves as great criminals; I don’t think I have come across any work of fiction – book or movie – where even the vilest criminals do so. The author also brought in references to a number of things, for example, Jack the Ripper, around which there was no story, making me wonder about the purpose of doing so. There were also some inconsistencies or contradictions, which though a little jarring, could be overlooked; but it would have been better to avoid them altogether.