Rajat Narula's Blog, page 13
July 21, 2018
Distant Dreams: Judith Pella and Tracie Peterson
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Distant Dreams is a pre civil-war story, set in the times of Andrew Jackson’s presidency. The story is about Carolina, a fifteen-year-old girl with an unladylike interest in railroads and her unrequited love for James, her sister’s betrothed, who shares the same passion. Despite the veneer of a novel about a woman’s ambitions in an era when such a thing was shunned, the novel is really about the romance between James and Carolina that follows the beaten path of romantic novels. Misunderstandings, over reactions, vile business man dad with a sinister agenda, a cunning, scheming sister who wants her way always. A dreadful read indeed.
Leave it alone.
July 20, 2018
July 15, 2018
July 14, 2018
Bossypants: Tina Fey
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A mildly funny book, with a few laugh out loud moments, Bossypants takes us on Tina’s journey from amateur Improv artist to Saturday Night Live to 30 Rock. She is a talented writer indeed. But not sure if it deserved to sell as much as it has.
Read only if you are a fan.
June 16, 2018
Evicted: Matthew Desmond
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Evicted traces the struggles of a few poor families in Milwaukee going through the process of finding homes and getting evicted. A case study on poverty in US. I read the book with mixed feelings. On one hand, coming from where I come from and doing what I do, these poorest of the poor still come off relatively privileged compared to people in Africa and South Asia. On the other hand, the fact that such crippling, back-breaking poverty exists here – in the land of opportunities – comes as a shock. The book is written very well, and reader’s involvement in the lives of Arleen, Lamar, the Hinkstons, and Scott is total, and their stories are likely to stay with you, long after you have finished reading. The race angle is stark too. That the poverty is a lot more prevalent amongst the blacks is also a nagging, troublesome truth.
Read.
June 9, 2018
The Sialkot Saga: Ashwin Sanghi
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Ashwin Sanghi, one of the best selling authors in India, pens a tale of two men making it big, who end up competing and clashing with each other. Then there is a parallel story of ancient secrets being passed from kingdom to kingdom – with the two stories coming together at the end. There are several good things about the book. The first is its pace – it progresses really quickly – and it works. The second is Sanghi’s ability to relate real-life events and characters to this fictitious account. It blends very well and the reader also gets a taste of the many major events of modern history. What doesn’t work – the writing is clichéd, the book tends to be a bit repetitive in the protagonists chalking out victories after victories, and the immortality discourses at the end does not make much sense.
Read.
June 2, 2018
Fire and Fury: Michael Wolff
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An absorbing account of the palace intrigues, inter-camp rivalry, and the musical chairs game, Trump’s White House has become. The book begins with the incredulity in Trump’s team on his victory. Bannon, Kushner, Conway, Melania and Trump himself, apparently all had their plans post-elections, which got disrupted by his surprise victory. Then began a series of upheavals in the staff that continues to date. Jarvanka vs. Bannon is an engrossing running theme. But above all, the book offers a none-too-complementary window into the mind of the 47th President of United States.
Read.
May 27, 2018
Pretty Baby: Mary Kubica
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Pretty Baby tells the story of a family that comes asunder, when they harbor a destitute woman and her baby. The book starts well enough, and the interactions between Heidi, the wife, and Willow, the girl are both heart-warming and tense. The format is good too – with Heidi beginning the story from the start and Willow from the end – and the suspense build up works. But then suddenly, the book comes apart in the second half, with all of the characters acting irrationally, and new story threads that are not credible. The end is even more bizarre. Kubica doesn’t trust the reader’s intelligence and makes sure she repeats everything a few times to ensure we get it. Towards the end, I just wanted the ordeal to be over.
Don’t even think about it.
May 20, 2018
The Golden House: Salman Rushdie
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It is heartbreaking to see Idols fall. Rushdie’s ‘Midnight’s Children’ ranks amongst my all time favorites. However, ‘The Golden House’ disappoints. It’s a very ordinary book that attempts to link the Bombay blasts, the 12/26 attacks on the city, into a fictional tale of an odd family living in New York. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? The problem is not with the story. Surprisingly enough, it is the telling. It’s ordinary, high strung, and doesn’t delve into Rushdie’s magic-realism world. Maybe it’s the beginning of the end of the legend or our times?
Don’t bother.
May 5, 2018
10 DAYS THAT UNEXPECTEDLY CHANGED AMERICA: STEVEN M. GILLON
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The book selects ten lesser known historical events that had a profound impact on America. Massacre at Mystic, California gold rush, the civil war battle in Antietam, Manhattan project, and Elvis Presley phenomenon are some of the events that are covered. The significance of the events on the course of history made for fascinating reading. The linkage of the events with their impact on American way of life is brought out well and in an engaging way.
Read.
