Booker Hit List - Girish and Vimal (feat Syl and Srividya) Showing 801-850 of 1,017

[Ahtims]

Girish.... no. Didn't get time as I was busy with other reads

[Girish, The Good cop]

Ok.. The next book then :)

[Ahtims]

Yes... for sure.
And I may read this book this weekend if all goes well :)

[Girish, The Good cop]

Starting with Child 44 next week with Vimal and Syl. Others are welcome to join. Sounds interesting!

About the book:

In a country ruled by fear, no one is innocent.

Stalin's Soviet Union is an official paradise, where citizens live free from crime and fear only one thing: the all-powerful state. Defending this system is idealistic security officer Leo Demidov, a war hero who believes in the iron fist of the law, but when a murderer starts to kill at will and Leo dares to investigate, the State's obedient servant finds himself demoted and exiled. Now, with only his wife at his side, Leo must fight to uncover shocking truths about a killer--and a country where "crime" doesn't exist.

[Jaya]

joining _/\_

[Ahtims]

@Girish, I finished the good doctor a couple of weeks ago. Was good.

Yes...joining in for Child 44.

[Girish, The Good cop]

@Jaya _/\_

@Smitha : Saw your review. I loved the book and the questions it asked on definition of duty and service.

[Vimal]

Started Child 44 today.. At 10%.. Sooper racy with a lot of ominous foreboding.. The audio is perfect

[Ahtims]

Am not sure when I will join in. Shall check in here as soon as I do. ☺

[Srividya]

Will start this one soon.

[Jaya]

Alternating between the audio and ebook. Stopping at 10% for the day. Met Leo and Anatoly and hoping that the incident narrated right at the beginning has some implication as we move along with the story.
Agree with Vimal there, the narrative has an underlying dark tone to it.

[Vimal]

Jaya *The Velocireader* wrote: "Alternating between the audio and ebook. Stopping at 10% for the day. Met Leo and Anatoly and hoping that the incident narrated right at the beginning has some implication as we move along with the..."

Ya, I guess it would get integrated much later in the book.. One crucial predicament is purposefully obscured in that incident, which is usually a sign that it'd be thrown in as a surprise towards the end

[Vimal]

Think this is the paciest Booker that I've ever read.. But not lacking in gravity.. Every now and then the author is compulsively stitching minute and intricate details of the oppressiveness of the Stalinist regime despite maintaining a brisk pace.. Impressive so far.. At 25%

[Ahtims]

Am at 10% - the incident of the child and railroad tracks. (not elaborating for fear of giving out spoilers)
Yes..audio is quite fast paced, but I will need atleast 2 weeks as I would be listening only during chores.

[Ahtims]

It seems a movie is there too.
And Girish... message 1 has to be updated. ☺

[Girish, The Good cop]

I am at 10%. This is indeed fast paced for a book set in Soviet Union. And it is also a trilogy - Am guessing the latter books in series didn't strike a chord.

Aside, minor detail was this book was in Booker longlist..

@Mab: Updated ma'am :)

[Ahtims]

Gir sir... am at 1 0 % too 😆👐

[Ahtims]

Exact position - the fugitive and his friend parting ways at the barn with the friend's wife glowering.

Am liking it as of now. 👍

[Ahtims]

Am at 18% - audiobook is awesome

What i am putting down is not exactly a spoiler... but to alert those who are extra sensitive to spoilers....putting up

SPOILER ALERT

Leo is in his headquarters and his meeting with his oddly named superior is over. He is about to interrogate Andrei.

I was morbidly fascinated by the description of the communist regime. Stalin and Lenin are scary. I thank my stars not being there to witness all those turbulent periodsof history.

[Ahtims]

At 22%..
(view spoiler)[
Now Leo is in trouble!
And I wonder if there was a single person in communist Russia who could spent a night of blissful slumber. This is almost equivalent to the imaginary world of 1984
(hide spoiler)]

[Vimal]

Mab wrote: "Am at 18% - audiobook is awesome

What i am putting down is not exactly a spoiler... but to alert those who are extra sensitive to spoilers....putting up

SPOILER ALERT

Leo is in his headquarters ..."

Morbid fascination +1.. Very visceral, very disturbing.. Although I've read a little about the Great purges, Gulags etc, this book has so far done a great job with the finer details.. Must've been garnered from memoirs, diaries etc I think..

[Vimal]

At the half way stage.. A little reduction in pace, or should I say transferring of the pace from the plot to the regime related details and the character development.. Really getting curious about how much of this is fact and how much is artistic liberty

[Vimal]

Audio is sensational.. The Russian accents are pucka, and also goes well with the dark humour

[Ahtims]

Agree upon the audio.... and am loving the cadence.

[Girish, The Good cop]

At 22%. Decided to read only and not listen, but looking at your discussions, tempted to switch!

Loving the details and yes, the parallels to 1984 are easy to relate.

[Ahtims]

Am at 22% too 😼

[Ahtims]

(view spoiler)[
At the part where the womaniser doctor is trying to seduce and threaten Leo 's wife.
Now I can roughly guess at how things will proceed. :/
(hide spoiler)]

[Girish, The Good cop]

Mab wrote: "
(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]
"
Same!
(view spoiler)[ This is not going to end well.. Since there are 2 more sequels, this book still gives me a lot of hope (hide spoiler)]

[Ahtims]

Same here... reg hope.

[Vimal]

Done with it. Would it be perverse to say I loved it? :)
The book probably didn't make it to the Booker shortlist since it was heavily borrowed/derived. But definitely made for a dazzling thriller. I think both of you will end up with 4-5 stars as well, and J too.. And is Sri reading?

[Ahtims]

Am at 40% - It's mesmerizing. Able to listen to only 30 to 40 min per day. Hence may be at least a week or two before I complete. And yes... nothing less than 4 stars. 😊

[Girish, The Good cop]

Am at 52%.. The setting for this mystery is unlike anything I have ever read so far! Definitely interesting.. busy week and so little reading time..

[Ahtims]

Then I would be the last at the finish line😣

[Vimal]

Mab wrote: "Then I would be the last at the finish line😣" Realized audio is my only chance of finishing BRs these days :) Definitely helped by the quality of the audio and the screenplay kind of story

[Vimal]

Girish wrote: "Am at 52%.. The setting for this mystery is unlike anything I have ever read so far! Definitely interesting.. busy week and so little reading time.."

Plus 1.. The plot,setting and pace seemed impossibly good for me. For some reason, I kept thinking all along that the turn of events, the viscerality of the settings, even some important plot forwarding moments were too improbable to have been just dreamt up.. Did some searching post-reading and it turns out most of them were real incidents brought forth to public reckoning by investigative journalists

[Ahtims]

Yes,, audio is fantastic. Am glad I decided to listen to it, rather than read.

[Srividya]

Am also listening to the audio and it is making progress really slow but am loving the audio experience. not sure at what percentage I am in but have reached the part where (view spoiler)[Vasili kills the family in Kiev (hide spoiler)]

[Ahtims]

Haan, that was a gruesome event.
Read on.. it is very attention holding.

[Vimal]

Srividya wrote: "Am also listening to the audio and it is making progress really slow but am loving the audio experience. not sure at what percentage I am in but have reached the part where [spoilers removed]"

Yayy, glad you started too Sri. But its hard to imagine someone with your reading speed adapt to the pace of audio.. Guess your brain is too fast to wait to the audio cadence :P

[Jaya]

Will resume from Monday
I left off at: Leo bringing Anatoli back to Moscow

The premise of the book if nowhere similar, reminds of Eye of the Red Tsar. Was fascinated to read about the life in Gulags and paranoia of the Stalinist regime.

[Jaya]

Srividya wrote: "Am also listening to the audio and it is making progress really slow but am loving the audio experience. not sure at what percentage I am in but have reached the part where [spoilers removed]"

Same same

[Vimal]

Jaya *The Velocireader* wrote: "Will resume from Monday
I left off at: Leo bringing Anatoli back to Moscow

The premise of the book if nowhere similar, reminds of Eye of the Red Tsar. Was fascinated to read about t..."

Seems like a detective thriller, Will check it out.. I'd kind of switched off my thriller reading instincts this year, but this novel has turned me on.

[Jaya]

It is a series. I left off somewhere in between the second one, cant recall why. The book wasnt that great but i liked the historical insights it provided

[Girish, The Good cop]

Completed - 4 Stars!

This is an atmosphere book. More than the crime, loved the detailing and research to set the story in stalinist era.

Having said that, I don't think I would read the sequel

[Ahtims]

Loving it. A rollercoaster thriller ride leaving aside sense and sensibility. I never can imagine how the incidents mentioned in the later parts of the book, happen in a eeal.scenario.
At 93% and as of now a 4.5 starrer

Haven't read he blurb of the sequel, but most likely will read the sequel too.

[Ahtims]

Completed Child 44. Immensely enjoyed, and will read further books in this trilogy, though the other two have dwindling ratings.

It never read like an award winner.. it was more of a masala read, akin to Bollywood action movies.

Eagerly awaiting the next read.

[Girish, The Good cop]

Mab wrote: "Completed Child 44. Immensely enjoyed, and will read further books in this trilogy, though the other two have dwindling ratings.

It never read like an award winner.. it was more of a masala read, ..."

I agree. Probably why it didn't make it to the shortlist.
@Jaya, Sri - How did you find Child 44?

[Jaya]

reached the part where the title of the book made sense.
also our murderer's identity is revealed, was so not expecting that! O.O
While I enjoy the book once i start listening to it but there are days together when i don' t pick the audio...
am probably in the last quarter of the book but will only be able to wrap it up by next week, hopefully

[Srividya]

I am yet to reach even 50%! :(

It's my walk book and I haven't been going out for one these past few days. Hopefully, I shall resume next week and finish it sometime.

Don't wait for me to finish. I shall just crash in when I do finish it and say something totally useless at that point in time! :P

[Jaya]

Finished!!!
Parts were sensational while some incidents were a little over the top.
3.75 stars from me