Book Review: Sonia Gandhi – An Extraordinary Life, An Indian Destiny by Rani Singh

Title: Sonia Gandhi – An Extraordinary Life, An Indian Destny
Author: Rani Singh
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography
ISBN: 978-0-230-34160-9
Pages: 268
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5

Sonia Gandhi is one of India’s most influential women alive. I am not saying it just for effect. It is a known fact. I have always admired her as a woman, as a politician and as a spokesperson for the country at probable International forums. I love the way she has carried herself from being a foreigner to someone who is an integral part of the country today. And this is what Rani Singh’s biography brings to surface – the woman, with her strengths and flaws – all rolled in one.

One cannot read Sonia Gandhi’s biography without being mesmerized by her. She is that sort of a lady – made of steel and yet the humane side is well-observed and documented through this biography. Rani Singh has given us a glimpse into Sonia’s life through six sections – charting her life from the Italian Girl to the Indian Household name that she has become today.

Rani Singh has an acute understanding of writing a biography. She has chronicled Sonia Gandhi’s life as is – speaking of the incidents and events in a fair manner. There is no biasness involved as one would expect from an influential biography – there are empathetic moments in the book, however they do not get sentimental and that’s what holds the book together.

I was personally fascinated by the read. One doesn’t know much about Sonia Gandhi besides the fact that she was the daughter-in-law of Indira Gandhi and wife to Rajiv Gandhi, both imperative to where she stands today in her career and as a woman of destiny so to speak. I got to know more about the person that Ms. Gandhi is – preserving the Gandhi legacy and at the same time trying to be the true blue, “Mother India” (by default) to India’s people.

Rani Singh’s writing is not biting and neither is it boring – the book is written gracefully, and carefully examining Sonia Gandhi’s life and what it means to the Indian sub-continent. This is the first time I have ever read something on Sonia Gandhi’s life and her entrance to politics, coming from Italy to being what she is today on the map of Indian Politics.

If you would like to discover more of the lady that survived the deaths of two most important people in her life and yet overcome the tragedy to being where she is today, then Sonia Gandhi by Rani Singh is the perfect book for you. I cannot recommend it enough.

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Book Review: The Taker by Alma Katsu

Title: The Taker
Author: Alma Katsu
Publisher: Arrow Books, Random House UK
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
ISBN: 978-0099552840
Pages: 512
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5

The Taker by Alma Katsu has to be one of my best reads of 2011. The minute I put it down, I had the urge to pick it up and re-read it, though the mystery had unraveled itself for me. The Taker is not like anything else you’ve read before. I say that almost about a lot of books I read, however this one truly takes the cake.

The story centers on Lanny, who has become immortal. I will not reveal how and spoil it for you. That’s for you to read and figure. The book begins when Luke, a small town doctor in Maine is drawn to Lanny, who has admitted to a murder. While helping Lanny, she tells him the story of her life and love for Jonathan, and the readers are drawn back and forth in the book from the 1800’s to present day.

Lanny’s story is that of love and how she did everything in its name, only to be ensnared and captured and has to suffer as she loves. I am not going to give anything away in the review, however I must say that The Taker had me gasping in certain places and yes I was scared to some extent as well.

The Taker is not your vampire fiction or paranormal teenage romance book and I was thanking Alma Katsu for not giving it that shape and form. Lanny’s character is so well-etched that you catch yourself feeling both – angry and sympathetic towards her. On one hand her love for Jonathan is heart-wrenching and on the other, the extent to which she will go to in order to acquire his heart is ruthless. This makes her even more humane and extraordinary at the same time.

Katsu never for once misses the spot while telling this tale. Her writing is taut and elegant and it has to be considering the plot that she has invented is fascinating. Love is of many kinds and in The Taker, Ms. Katsu reveals the obsessive nature of love and yet not once will it leave a bad taste in your mouth. The Taker has all elements of a great goth romance and it so delivers. Alma’s writing is beautiful and fluid – it transported me for sure to different worlds and honestly I did not want the book to end. I have been told that this is a trilogy and that has now kept me waiting for the second book in the series.

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Booker Quiz

Hello everyone! This is me – The Hungryreader and I am hosting this quiz on Booker Prize Winners on my blog today. Please leave your answers in the form of a comment. Please do not forget to include your name and email address. The 2 winners will receive a copy of “The Sense of an Ending” by Julian Barnes and “Pigeon English” by Stephen Kelman. This Quiz is only open to residents of India. Please submit your responses by the 31st of October 2011. The winners will be picked by lots.

Here we go:

1. Which book won the first ever Booker Prize in 1969?
2. Which Thomas Keneally book won the Booker?
3. In which month is the Man Booker prize shortlist usually announced?
4. In 2008 which novel won the 40th Anniversary ‘Best of Booker’ award?
5. Who, at 32, was the youngest ever winner of the Man Booker Prize?
6. Which author famously said that she planned to spend her prize money on building a swimming pool in her house in Provence?
7. In which year were only two books shortlisted?
8. Who was the first Irish novelist to win the prize?
9. Which book is the fastest selling Man Booker winner ever, selling over half a million copies in th the UK alone?
10. Name the Penelope Fitzgerald title that won the Booker?

So start commenting and posting your answers.

All the Best…

The Hungryreader…

Book Review: The Beautiful and the Damned by Siddhartha Deb

Title: The Beautiful and the Damned: Life in the New India
Author: Siddhartha Deb
Publisher: Penguin Viking India
ISBN: 978-0-670-08596-5
Genre: Non-Fiction
Pages: 253
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4/5

India as a country is not easy to understand. It never has been, with its glaring differences in strata of societies and not to mention the similarities sometimes, it is almost like a maze with no fixed end point. And that is because it is constantly evolving and ever-changing. With these changes moving at their own speed and yet the past not letting us get very far, Siddhartha Deb’s book, “The Beautiful and the Damned” – Life in the New India gives us new perspectives to think about.

Siddhartha Deb has undertaken something so huge with this book – to be able to unveil Modern India for us. To give the readers a sense of what is Modern India all about – from its economic viewpoints to cultural backgrounds to the way we think and sometimes trying to understand why we think and act the way we think and act.

The book is a series of four chapters that touch on Modern India – from the lifestyle of the BPO industry to the state of farmers in the country to the steel and mill workers and finally the women of the country. The first chapter that focused on IIMP and Arindam Chaudhari has been banned from being published in India. So the book does not have that included. So much for modernity and the fact that we live in a so-called democratic environment.

Siddhartha Deb is just chronicling his observations so to speak in this book. The fact that the chapters aren’t inter-related is refreshing, keeping the conclusions open to the reader. At the same time, I also feel that probably one book and four chapters aren’t enough to talk about New India. It sure does require more paper and thought space.

Having said that, the writing is taut and not too many words are wasted in getting through to the reader. Siddhartha Deb’s writing style is simple and clear. There aren’t too many metaphors, which could be the case while writing this kind of a book. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and to some extent it also gave me a different viewpoint on Modern India – its pros and its cons.

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The Beautiful and the Damned: A Portrait of the New India

Book Review: The Hindus – An Alternative History by Wendy Doniger

Title: The Hindus: An Alternative History
Author: Wendy Doniger
Publisher: Penguin India
ISBN: 9780143415343
Pages: 800
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4/5

An extensive work on Hindus and Hindu Mythology isn’t something which I would’ve read a couple of years ago. Why? Because I would in all honesty find it boring and I am glad that was just a phase when I felt this way. I was introduced to Hindu Mythology and ancient culture by a friend, and I am glad that it gave me a different perspective and at the same time made me want to read more.

Wendy Doniger’s, “The Hindus: An Alternative History” is a big book about The Hindus. She has through extensive research almost dwelt on every topic in the book concerning religion and caste. However, the alternative history angle comes from the fact that the book is centred mainly on women and the lower caste.

The book isn’t about philosophy. It is more about a social history and of course that would involve various Gods and Goddesses. There are tribal tales as well, which are a totally different take on the regular epics – Ramayana and Mahabharata. I loved how Ms. Doniger brought these to the surface.

There is nothing new about the book per se. There are tales and facts and legends that most people are aware about. What is different is the way they have been documented. Wendy Doniger knows how to write and she does so without it being complex or difficult to read.

A beginner can read this book and understand The Hindu culture better. Each chapter has several textual examples – which are intended to communicate the beliefs and traditions in the form of myths and legends to the reader. This kind of writing always works with readers who may find the subject boring.

There is a lot of imagery in the book which probably could have been cut down on and yet that is one of the ways of better understanding while reading a book of this nature. At almost 800 pages though it does get tiresome to read. I for one had to put it down and pick it up several times before I could finish it completely.

Hinduism is an entire universe so to say. It isn’t easy to comprehend or chronicle and Wendy Doniger has done a reasonably good job in merging the old with the new. There will be times when an experienced reader will be tempted to argue with the writing, which is fair enough. At the same time, the book has a quite charm about it despite its flaws. I left taking in a stronger sense of how diverse a tradition Hinduism is and how it evolved over a period of time. There are many ways to represent Hinduism and how the world views it, and yet Doniger has given us another view – which is refreshing and conflicting at the same time.

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Book Review: The Accidental by Ali Smith

Title: The Accidental
Author: Ali Smith
Publisher: Penguin Books, Penguin Ink
ISBN: 978-0-241-954456-0
Genre: Literary Fiction
Pages: 306
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5

Surprise and Chance are intrusive. They wedge themselves in people’s lives without notice and the outcomes are unpredictable. No one knows what might happen or what shape lives will take. And this is the crux of Ali Smith’s, “The Accidental”. Though it is quite an old release, Penguin has come out with a great edition under “Penguin Ink” titles with a beautiful cover– hence the review.

The Accidental revolves around the Smart family – who are in particular need of an unexpected element to jostle their lives. All of them are on the brink of a major crisis in their lives and need that one distraction to fit everything in place – like an unsolved jigsaw puzzle. Enter: Amber – a stranger, the Smart children encounter on a summer holiday in Norfolk village. Amber’s intentions are unknown and mysterious, and yet she ends up transforming the family, and fixing the family’s set of fraught relationships.

A lot is happening in the book – a philandering husband, a son’s guilt, a daughter’s confusion and a mother’s secrets – the novel follows each member of the family – in sequential chapters – through beginning, middle and end. Amber is everything that you do not want to encounter and that is because what she brings to the family – uncovering their lives bit by bit, trying to restore order.

The novel is told in a stream of consciousness manner – and I love that writing style. This gives readers a glimpse into the inner lives of each member of the family and allows events to be viewed from multiple perspectives. Ali Smith’s writing is unpredictable. No two books are similar and neither is the writing. The characters are well drawn and there are no archetypes or stereotypes, which works best while writing this kind of a book. The Accidental is a book that calls for attention and there is nothing the reader can do but give it its due. A wonderful read and yet strangely disturbing and contemplative. A read that I would recommend to all.

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Book Review: The Girl with Glass Feet by Ali Shaw

Title: The Girl with Glass Feet
Author: Ali Shaw
Publisher: Picador USA
ISBN: 978-0-312-68045-9
Pages: 304
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5

The Girl with Glass Feet is a beautiful read. I cannot term it as anything else before I begin writing the review and going by the title you would have also guessed that the story in itself is quite unusual. For a first novel, it is not only accomplished but also manages to leave its mark way after you have finished reading it, which is a rare feat. It has its own eeriness and is also ethereal to a large extent and yet it is rooted firmly in reality.

Ida Maclaird is the protagonist of the novel who returns to the strange St. Hauda’s Land. The first time she visited the place, it was for a holiday and now it is for a cure. Her feet are slowly turning to glass. She has returned to see if she can find a cure for her soon crystallizing feet. Midas, the local, a photographer is a recluse. He is the only one who can give Ida the answers she has been searching for.

As readers move into the story, we see how Ida’s life changes with Midas in it – old wounds are opened without any warning, regrets are brought to surface and lives are reconciled. These are happening to almost every character in the book but Ida. Hence, her past never does come out completely and therefore the understanding with the character is restricted.

The relationship between Midas and Ida is beautifully described throughout the book. The reluctant friendship that they start to the awkward love that blooms – it is compellingly realistic. St. Hauda’s land as well seems oddly magical and it is to a large extent. At the core of the story though, Transformation is what is key – both physical (Ida and her glass ailment) and emotional (come to apply to Midas and his situation).

Ali Shaw’s writing is poetic and therefore after a while the reader stops searching for logic. While the fairy tale premise is beautiful, it is the words and the art with which they are projected that makes the book what it is. The Girl with Glass Feet does both – wrenches your heart and also makes you smile at many points in the book. There is ache and also breathless wonder, as they are broken promises too. This is the type of book that everyone must read. It is a silent engrossing novel.

Ali Shaw is a brilliant novelist and I cannot praise him or the book enough. What I can is that I just cannot wait for his second book to be published.

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Book Review: Gods Without Men by Hari Kunzru

Title: Gods without Men
Author: Hari Kunzru
Publisher: Hamish Hamilton, Hari Kunzru
ISBN: 978-0-241-14531-9
Genre: Literary Fiction
Pages: 384
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5

Gods without Men is a big book with a big heart. It accommodates characters and also abandons them at will and for me that probably was the most striking thing about the book. A book about the human condition spanning from 1778 to 2009 and honestly, nothing much has changed. Lives intersect through the times in the Californian Desert and that is where the action takes place.

The characters in the book are central to the plot – I think each and every one of them. The action takes place when a four-year old autistic boy, Raj Matharu, disappears in the wilderness, while his parents are caught in the media frenzy. There are others whose fate and destiny are linked with the boy and his parents – a rock-star whose career and relationship has failed miserably, a former member of an extra-terrestrial worshipping cult, and a teenage Iraqi refugee who befriends an African-American Marine, while playing the role of an ‘Iraqi village’ at a military simulation exercise camp. Their lives converge and dissect in ways unimaginable in the desert, in a remote and secluded town, near a rock formation called The Pinnacles.

For me as in every other book I have read, the characters and the plot need to be in perfect synchronization to appreciate the writing and Hari Kunzru as usual achieves it with brilliance. The theme of humanity and sometimes its loss runs strongly throughout the book.

The book is multi-layered – spanning across centuries and that is what makes it a great read. Every character has a story to tell and as a reader you only want to know more –sometimes about your favourite character and sometimes about the not-so-favourite character.

The writing is powerful – so much so that at one point I had to keep the book down at certain points. The emotions are all there – raw, isolating at times, and they map the human heart and condition with such empathy and brilliance that your heart goes out to the characters. The reader has to keep a track of which character is where and what is happening throughout the book – in that case the book does keep you on your toes.

All in all, Gods without Men makes you look at the human condition more closely and what it really means to be human.

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Book Review: Solace by Belinda McKeon

Title: Solace
Author: Belinda McKeon
Publisher: Pan
Genre: Literary Fiction
ISBN: 978-0330532327
Pages: 336
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4/5

This isn’t a book to choose if you want pace and plot: it’s a slow, gentle meditation, almost, on those classic literary themes: the tension between father and son, between the older generation and the younger, between the country and city, between family and individual, between dependence and autonomy. It is also the tale of a binding tragedy and the gulf of loneliness between them in today’s Ireland, slowly sinking into poverty and hardship.

The father is Tom Casey, a taciturn, withdrawn, hard-hit man, who is a farmer working in County Longford in Southern Ireland. He is the kind of man whose education is limited and he wants nothing more from life than what he already has. He belongs to the generation of men who believe themselves to be the king of their proverbial castle and every command of theirs should be adhered and obeyed – irrespective of it being right or wrong.

The person Tom connects least with is his son Mark, who as the book opens, is down from Dublin, visiting with his young daughter Aiofe, to help his father with the farm chores. The dynamics of the relationship between the father and the son are strained: Tom sees Mark as a sour human being, while Mark views his father as a cold and calculating human being. The strain of their relationship is felt through the entire Casey clan and this is all due to an incident that changed their entire course of lives.

I will not give away the incident even though it is a part of the prologue mainly because I feel that readers should discover most of the plot by themselves. Belinda’s writing is magical – not once did I find the need to keep the book away. The words are few and beyond, however the emotion is exact – it makes you empathize and think about the last time you were faced with such powerful and overwhelming emotions.

Solace is a book that will speak to you on different levels. For me, it made me realize and think back about the kind of relationship I shared with my father while I was growing up and it wasn’t easy. I could relate to a lot of passages and events describe and maybe that is the reason I could connect more. Solace is a book I would definitely recommend to all. Hope you are able to read and discover what I did.

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Solace: A Novel

Interview with Mohammed Hanif

After I finished reading, Our Lady of Alice Bhatti, my thoughts were all over the place and I had questions for the author. I managed to conduct a short interview with Mohammed Hanif over the phone and here it is for you:

1.A Case of Exploding Mangoes is radically different from Our Lady of Alice Bhatti. What inspired Our Lady?

Lots of brilliant, gutsy women I have worked with. Also an unhealthy interest in other people’s personal lives.

2.Your take on the Pakistan that you see today…

Pretty bleak place, with bits of it blowing up every day. Weather is lovely though.

3.Our Lady is satirically funny and at the same time there is this sadness attached to it. How closely do you relate or connect to Alice’s point of view?

I spent a lot of time with her while writing this. Spent even more time with her while not writing and just thinking about her. But I don’t really know if I am any closer to her point of view. I wasn’t aiming for a realistic portrait of a profession nurse. I think in the end all I have ended up doing is channelling my own obsessions.

4.What influenced you to be a reader first and then a writer?

Boredom I guess. I grew up in a village where there was no TV, no newspapers, no books. Printed word was a rare exotic thing and I found it very exciting. And a lot of random, obsessive reading can lead to some scribbles which after a lot of rewriting can sometimes turn into writing.

5.Your literary influences…

Too many. Punjabi classical poets. Virginia Woolf. Hanif Kureishi. Truman Capote. City pages of local news papers. Day time TV.

6.Mohammed Hanif the writer…

is always at war with that other Hanif who hates writing.

7.Mohammed Hanif’s next book would be about?

Love, I hope. Or some spectacular crime.

You can buy his books here:

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