Rajat Narula's Blog, page 14
April 28, 2018
April 22, 2018
Milk and Honey: Rupi Kaur
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Who reads poetry these days? The answer is a million people! Rupi Kaur’s self-published book has sold over a million copies and has been a New York Times best seller for over 52 weeks. It is modern poetry, from the perspective of the woman of today. The poems are both feminist and reflective at the same time. Like any collection of poetry, it has a few gems – thoughts so engaging, words so beautifully crafted – that the words just roll off the eyes, leaving a strong impact. And then there are those are ordinary and barely poetry. I am not sure if the huge success if fully deserved – the explicit angle certainly helps. An interesting read, overall.
Read.
April 8, 2018
April 7, 2018
News of the World: Paulette Jiles
Set in the period just after the civil war, ‘News of the World’ is a sweet story of an old man and a young girl bonding in strange circumstances. Johanna had been kidnapped by Indians as a child, and after years with them, she is being returned to her relatives. Captain Kidd, the old gentleman, who makes his living reading news of the world in small towns, is tasked with taking her to her relatives. Thus begins an unusual journey, where the girl, with no English, and Indian in her ways, and the old man forge a bond that lasts a life time. Jiles does a good job capturing the tumultuous tension of the period, where everything was unsettled and new norms were being put in place (she ignores the race aspect completely though). A little verbose at times with the setting, but a smooth read overall.
Read.
March 31, 2018
Lincoln in the Bardo: George Saunders
‘Lincoln in the Bardo’ is experimental, magic-realism writing. Willy Lincoln, Abe Lincoln’s son is dead, at a time when civil war has just started causing major causalities. Willy Lincoln makes it to the other world, the world between here and the ultimate there, populated by people with still-unfinished business in this world. It is the multiple stories of those people that are interesting – as their stories encompass civil rights and the race divide, the same sex love, and many other issues of that time and today. The writing is superb, the stories engrossing, if too many. It is a little difficult to understand at the beginning , but the story unfolds slowly, draws you in and holds you.
Read.
March 25, 2018
Turtles All The Way Down: John Green
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Aza Holmes is a teenaged germ phobic, whose day to day life is fraught with her fighting with her own self, to get over her irrational fears. The story of the missing millionaire, and Aza findings his whereabouts, her romance with Davis, friendship with Daisy, all serve as a backdrop for Holmes story. Green does a great job of portraying the main character – her teenage issues, and her dealing with her mental illness. Your heart goes to Aza and her inability to enjoy herself. Written with humor and exceptional compassion.
Read.
February 17, 2018
A few lines from ‘The Jasmine Bloom’
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A Few Moments More
You knock on my door…
And tell me to follow you
It’s time, you say
Time to leave.
I realize
I need a few moments more
I need to see how the jasmine I planted come out in the spring
And if the amaltas flowers will be as beautiful this summer.
I need to hear my girl’s laughter once more, See her smile light
up the room once more
I need to take her small hand in mine…
And thank God once more…
I need to visit countries, continents.
I need to see all the world has got to show me.
Oh there is so much I need to do!
Can’t we wait a bit?
Come- let’s wait a bit.
A few moments more
A few years more.
February 11, 2018
“Recommended for those one who want to experience a thrilling and truthful dilemma called ‘Love’.” – Isha Shankhpal on goodreads.
Link to full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2275364132
Thank you, Isha Shankhpal, for a lovely review.
February 10, 2018
On Tyranny: Timothy Snyder
[image error][image error]These are turbulent times indeed. Ultra-nationalist, populist leaders in power in Russia, India, Turkey, US and many more places. Snyder provides a list of twenty things ordinary citizens can do, not to get sucked into the spiral of potential dictators, drawing lessons from the twentieth century. Defending institutions, being aware of the dangers of one-party rule or domination, speaking out, and believing in truth, are some of them. The book does make a compelling case for being watchful, to ensure that the twentieth century history (rise of Hitler, persecution of Jews, the Holocaust, World War II), are not repeated. Some of the parallels drawn between today’s leaders and Hitler are chilling. However, the writing, when it’s theorizing, is not engaging. It holds attention only when there are examples of twentieth century that bear an unpleasant resemblance with today’s events.
Read, if some of today’s leaders are ruining your sleep.
