The Inimitable Jeeves
- P.G. Wodehouse
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Blasphemous as it may sound, I think I am done with Wodehouse and Jeeves. I picked it up several months after I read the last Jeeves book, expecting that the gap would allow me to enjoy it. Well, I did enjoy it to begin with, but I had to make a bit of effort to finish it. I had also hoped that this being a novel may fare better that the first one (My man Jeeves), but it follows the same pattern - Bertie Wooster or one of his friends get into trouble, they all look to Jeeves for advice, who eventually bails them out with a clever trick.
I know it is quite exaggerated, but suppose in some way it should reflect on the real society. I am tired of the entitled,idle rich, with a lot of money and very little intelligence, who don't have any worthwhile work to do, so have to work hard to devise their entertainment. Young people with no passion or initiative, begging rich relatives for allowances to fund their extravagant tastes have no sympathy from me.
The Bafut Beagles
- Gerald Durrell
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
I have marked this as read, though I had really abandoned it at about 60%, because I felt that I had got the picture by that time. And it was not a pretty picture. His racial prejudices scream out from every page, his 'humor' is derived from humiliating poor and not-suitably-english-speaking natives. It may reflect the reality of the times, but that does not necessarily make it palatable in current times. More so, because it was recommended as a wonderfully amusing book - I failed to find much humor in his condescending attitude towards everyone except White English males. I do not understand why people compare it with James Herriot's books, which are peppered with subtle humor, but show great empathy and sensitivity.
A Street Cat Named Bob
- James Bowen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The subtitle "How one man and his cat found hope on the streets" summarizes the story precisely. It is a warm story of hope and redemption. I am not an dog or a cat person, but I find that I loved the few animal stories that I have read, perhaps because they are essentially heart-warming tales of love and trust. This book reaffirms the belief that helping others can help yourself, and having someone to take care of can make you a much better person.
It is a simple and short book, and didn't take long to finish. I loved it, but it did not give me an overwhelming feeling that I was expecting after the recommendations. Perhaps because I have read many stories along the same lines, or perhaps because I could not connect much with the context. The life of a drug-addict living on streets, of busking (I had to look up the word, though street performers were quite commonly seen in India while I was growing up), of organization behind selling a magazine on street (never heard of Big Issue) - it was all a bit distant, though I can imaging the horrors of a homeless existence in such a climate as London.
The language is very simple, as can be expected, but that is not a negative for me particularly in this background. It is also a bit repetitive, which could have been addressed better by the editors.
