An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars Was it necessary to read ‘An Unnecessary Woman’? About a woman in the twilight of her life, a product of rusted times? A woman from a foreign land, and of foreign blood? A woman who offered pursed whimpers amid teeth that reeked soupy yellow? One … More Book Review: An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine (2014)
Three Thousand Stitches: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives by Sudha Murty My Rating: 3 of 5 Stars The book, ‘Three Thousand Stitches’ is much like its title – a couple of events of the same canvas (read Sudha Murty’s life), each adding some value to the canvas that it has helped weave and in the end, giving a … More Book Review: Three Thousand Stitches: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives by Sudha Murty (2017)
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars You landed in my world on a calm, dewy evening And struck was I with a song I was about to sing; A song that lay hidden in the silhouettes of each letter That protruded from the cover, all poised to embitter. But waited … More Book Review: Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino (1972)
The Golden House by Salman Rushdie My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars [Originally appeared here.] The world has turned a cacophony of unrelenting voices, where people in high offices as well as pedestrian consorts battle every day to be one up. The lines have blurred as issues have bulldozed their way, against most conventions, right … More Book Review: The Golden House by Salman Rushdie (2017)
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars [Originally appeared here: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/books/reviews/review-the-underground-railroad/articleshow/56417934.cms?] Shaping a work around the theme of slavery and its many tentacles is a bit like shaping a lump of rigid clay into something cohesive and stable. On one hand, excessive pressure on misery squashes the vein of the narrative … More Book Review: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (2016)
Centre Court by Sriram Subramanian My Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars This is that time of the year when the lush green grass just doesn’t spring to hallowed life but turns sentinels to the unparalleled spectacle of crowning glory in the pantheon of sports – it is time of Wimbledon. It is, arguably, the mecca … More Book Review: Centre Court by Sriram Subramanian (2017)
The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars Insane. Insane. Again. Insane. “Then I resumed my efforts, moving to other parts of the wall. Chips fell, and, when large pieces of the wall began to come down, I kept on pounding, bleary-eyed, with an urgency that was far greater … More Book Review: The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares (1940)
This House of Clay and Water by Faiqa Mansab My rating: 5 of 5 stars Forbidden Love – A diktat in itself, unleashed on unsuspecting hearts like an ouroboros where forbidden swallows love and yet appears whole, showing no signs of damage. No one knows the pain except the latter that is now usurped by … More Book Review: This House of Clay and Water by Faiqa Mansab (2017)
In Other Words by Jhumpa Lahiri My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars A few months back, I began planning for a vacation to a foreign country, tentatively scheduled for March/ April. This time suited me professionally as my work commitments were a tad less tight. My brother, who generally makes it to these family vacations, … More Book Review – In Other Words by Jhumpa Lahiri (2016)
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy My Rating: 3 of 5 Stars [Originally appeared here: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/li…%5D How does a lament sound? Like a distorted sonorous wave? Hitting the crest with a shrill cry and falling to quietude with mangled whimpers? Or like a prolonged stream of soiled garble, comprehensible only to its beholder? … More Book Review: The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy (2017)
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