Love in the Time of Cholera

Love in the Time of Cholera
  - Gabriel García Márquez

At the risk of committing a literary blasphemy, I have to confess that I loathed this book. A few of my friends raved about it, and it continuously makes it to the must-read books of our times. I felt sure that it is going to provide an enriching experience, and I wanted to appreciate, if not enjoy, the book. But, as it happens, it is one of the rare books I abandoned midway - and the only one with which I did so - twice.

The first time I read it, I drudged for about 60 pages, waiting for the story to grow on me. But I couldn't feel even the least bit engaged. I attributed it to my frame of mind, and put it aside to pick it again at a later time (I really wanted to read it, at least once). After a couple of years, I was on a reading spree, and it seemed like a good time to revisit. Well, I toiled on, a few pages everyday, determined to read it through, discover the "magic" that had enthralled majority of the (reading) population. I pushed myself real hard, but after about 100 pages, I was so thoroughly sick of it, that I finally gave up.

The writing was beautiful and fluid - there is no doubt about that. But I felt that there is only so much that the beauty of the language can do for a book. It is hailed as one of the greatest love stories of all times; I couldn't even agree to call it a love story - it is more of a tale of sick obsession, and mental and sexual depravity. I saw the "hero" of this saga, Folorentino Ariza, as a spineless creature, who is overindulged by his mother throughout his growing up years, well into adulthood, until her last breath. His solution to cure himself of (or punish himself for, I am not sure which) an unrequited love - to have a long series of emotionless affairs - is not just derogatory to women, but an affront to humankind. The fact that the gory details of each (or most) of these sexual encounters constitute a large part of the book, disgusted me enough to abandon it forever.

Book recommendations for Children

Friends and cousins often ask me to recommend books for their children. Actually, I’ve been asked for recommendations for adults as well, but that is more difficult because adults have more specific preferences, and I haven’t read a wide enough range to make suggestions according to their taste. Kids, on the other hand, haven’t found their preference yet, and I want to inculcate in them a love for reading first. My approach towards this purpose is to expose them to interesting stories, including a mix of time-tested classics, contemporary popular works, humorous stories, and empowering tales.

Since Sid, as well as many of the kids of my friends, are 8-10 years old, this post is targeted for this age group.

If the child hasn't read much yet, you can start with collections of stories from Panchtantra, Jataka tales, Akbar-Birbal, Tenaliraman etc. Sid also enjoyed Suppandi (from Tinkle) very much. Stories of Indian gods and goddesses, and Mahabharata and Ramayana also interest kids. I think these are good starting point for our children, before exposing to western stories. Several publishers have several collections of such stories, Om Books is one of the prominent ones that have both physical and online presence.

Ruskin Bond has been a favorite of kids for several decades, children also love story collections by Sudha Murty. 

• Grandma's Bag Of Stories, The Magic Drum And Other Favourite Stories, The Magic of the Lost Temple (Sudha Murty)
• The Ruskin Bond Children's Omnibus, The Blue Umbrella (Ruskin Bond)

Amar Chitra Katha series is also commendable. I myself grew up reading them, and a large part of the Indian history, mythology, folk tales, etc I know today, I owe to these books. The added advantage is that they are published not only in English and Hindi, but also several regional languages.

Some of the children’s classics that have remained favorites for years and through generations include:

• The Secret Garden, A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
• Mary Poppins (P. L. Travers)
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, The Witches (Roald Dahl)
•  Pippi Longstocking series (Astrid Lindgren)
• Charlotte's web (E. B. White)
• Famous Five series, Secret Seven Series, Naughtiest Girl series , The Faraway Tree, The Adventures of the Wishing chair (Enid Blyton)
• The hundred dresses (Eleanor Estes) 
• Winnie the Pooh (A. A. Milne)

You can also buy abridged versions of classics. Several publishers have brought out versions of classics abridged and retold, for different age groups. For this age group (and younger), I liked Ladybird Classics best -  they have beautiful color illustrations and glossy paper. Some of my favorite classics are:

• The Jungle Book (Rudyard Kipling)
• Gulliver’s Travels (Jonathan Swift)
• Treasure Island (R. L. Stevenson)
• Peter Pan (J. M. Barrie)
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll)
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (L. Frank Baum)
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain)
•  Oliver Twist (Charles Dickens)
• Journey to the Centre of the Earth (Jules Verne)
• Around the World in Eighty days (Jules Verne)
• The Wind in the Willows (Kenneth Grahame)

Few of the new-age books popular amongst children are:

• Five Children and It (E. Nesbit)
• Geronimo Stilton series
• Wimpy Kid series (Jeff Kinney)

And I love the fact the current focus on empowering stories for girls, far removed from the traditional damsel-in-distress fairy tales.

• Don't Kiss the Frog: Princess Stories with Attitude (Fiona Waters)
•  Girls Who Rocked the World (Amelie Welden, Michelle R. McCann)
• Journey to the river sea (Eva Ibbotson)

I highly appreciate the effort of the site “A Mighty Girl” (www.amightygirl.com) in this aspect – they regularly publish the stories exceptional (and yet not so well known!) women, and have created a great resource site to enable and encourage girls. I would recommend parents of all kids, especially girls, to follow this site.

More resources and pointers:

Goodreads site has several lists for books for children. Here are the ones I liked best, there is (unsurprisingly) quite an overlap amongst these.

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/226.Favorite_books_from_my_childhood

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/86.Best_Children_s_Books

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/76994.100_Children_s_Books_to_Read_in_a_Lifetime

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/20717.Classic_Non_Fantasy_Kids_Books

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7567.Books_You_Read_and_Loved_When_You_Were_Little

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1489.My_Favorite_Childhood_books

You can also find list recommendations by age groups, e.g.:

Books for eight-year-olds

Books for nine-year-olds

Books for ten-year-olds

From the A Mighty Girl site, you can select books by age, genre, subject, etc.

http://www.amightygirl.com/books

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. 

Bhima - Lone Warrior

Bhima - Lone Warrior

  - M T Vasudevan Nair

I became interested in picking this book because of the great feedback I read about the author, and particularly about this book.

The book was indeed very well written, and brought a unique perspective - the perspective of Bheem, who is usually ridiculed for his gluttony and lack of intelligence, known (and used) only for his physical strength. He is often ignored or slighted, but frequently called on for help, specially when the circumstances appear dangerous. 

Most of the other literature and adaptations do not portray him as a person who could have finer feelings - which is one reason why this book is a refreshing change. In this adaptation, Bheem is a sensitive individual, who doesn't quite speak a lot, and his reserved speech that perhaps arises from shyness or inability to express himself well, is misconstrued as stupidity. He is hurt by lack of understanding shown to him by those dear to him, but he is reluctant or unable to display it. His emotions are depicted realistically and wonderfully, his disappointments, frustrations, and regret at abandoning his wives and children.

The other reason I found it interesting was that the story is presented as a story of mortals (perhaps with some special skills), but without divine manifestations, and with some very interesting interpretations.

What I disliked most about it was the portrayal of Draupadi - insensitive and manipulative to the extreme, specially with regards to Bheema (well, since it is his from his viewpoint). As in almost all other interpretations, she is regarded as one of the main reasons for the Mahabharata war, while Kunti is the sacrificing, suffering mother - both of which I am inclined to disagree with.

I have never been convinced that Yudhisthir was justified to have the title of 'dharmraja', or even fit to be the king, and this story reaffirmed my opinion further.