The most difficult thing to do is rating a memoir or an autobiography.
Book Review – Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie #bookreview
Edition – 1971
Rating – 3.5/5
Review
Ganesh Chathurthi holidays, relaxed atmosphere at work and home, loads of sweets around for a sugar high, the only ingredient missing in all of this was a good, quick book to read from a favorite author.
I was already in the middle of another book, eBook and an audio-book (phew!!) when I felt the urge to pick up a book for a quick read during the short holidays. That is when I remembered picking up this Christie from a local used book store for just 50 bucks (what a steal for a Christie) and decided to gobble it up during the holidays.
Ms. Agatha Christie is truly the Queen, um… no, the Empress of crime fiction and I do not feel any other author, living or dead, male or female, comes even close to her style of intrigue, suspense, pace and characterization.
The book is set around the Lee family and its patriarch, Mr. Simeon Lee, who is brutally murdered in his own house, with the killer having no place to escape (locked doors/windows, the quintessential Christie setting).
The basic premise of the thriller is set around a Christmas gathering at the Lee house where Mr. Simeon Lee has decided to burn bridges (or not) with his estranged son(s) and grand daughter but due to a cruel twist of fate ends up losing his life.
The murder occurs while everybody is in the house which invariably leads to everybody being an alibi for each other. Mr. Simeon Lee is found brutally murdered in his room with the doors and windows being locked from inside and nowhere for the murderer to escape as everybody in the house supposedly *wink wink* hears the crime being committed and is in the room in a matter of minutes.
The murder is then investigated by a Police Superintendent Sudgen, Police Chief Johnson and Christie’s very own crime detection sleuth, Mr. Hercule Poirot.
What happens next is not just a murder mystery but a lesson in character building and analysis by Ms. Christie of each and every suspect through the eyes of Mr. Poirot. Ironically though, Poirot cracks the case only after he studies the character and personality of the victim, Mr. Simeon Lee, which gives him some concrete clues towards solving the mystery.
As always happens with most of Christie mysteries, the killer is right in front of our eyes the entire time and she leaves us some very subtle clues throughout the book pointing at the killer. I set myself the task this time round to guess the killer before it is revealed and I am glad to say I did a fairly good job almost 80% into the book. However, as with all Christie’s, the who is just a part of the story but the fun part lies in the how and the why .
This book is worth 4.5-5 stars but I have just given it a 3.5 to satisfy my own ego since I guessed the killer before the reveal.
If you are on a small vacation, or on a small work break, would recommend you to pick this one up as it is fast paced, intriguing and fun filled, a classic Christie.
Oh yes, please don’t be too relaxed while reading it as you may miss the clues planted by the author at various points in the book.
Happy Reading and Sharing !!
My Beautiful Anne!!!
Seldom we come across people who hold us so much in captivity with their thoughts , trials and tribulations.
One such person is Anne Frank, the beautiful Annelies Marie Frank. I would mention her as a person rather than about the diary she wrote because while you go through the diary you lose sight of the fact that it is a diary she has written and feel so immersed in her everyday conversation with you.
I started my conversation with Anne during the Diwali period. I was in two minds whether to proceed with such a depressing account during such a happy festive season. But then Anne never was given such a choice in life then why should I be so picky about it.
This is in no way a review of Anne Frank’s diary, because quiet frankly you cannot review a person’s life.
The underlying sentiment in every conversation that Anne had with me is the hope she has of a better tomorrow. It just makes you feel so small thinking that when a girl confined in a secret house without being able to step out in the open air for two years doesn’t lose hope then how can we.
Anne quiet literally guides you through the phases that a girl goes through while becoming a woman. And quiet frankly it is astonishing. Although the underlying theme of her conversation is the life in hiding, but the thoughts are pure and are surely what every girl goes through or thinks at some point in life. I would ask every man to read this book to understand what their moms, wives and sisters may have gone through internally at some point in life. Would help you be a better man for sure!!
As my conversations with Anne proceeded through Diwali I developed a fatherly love towards her. I used to get back to Anne at different points during the day just to ensure that she had a good time on that day 70 years back. I would love to have a daughter like Anne and I would pray to God that he deals her a better hand than what he did to my Anne. I would definitely gift this book to my daughter on her 16th birthday just to show her that I love her.
Ironically, all through our talks Anne kept telling me that she wanted to be a writer whom the world would love. Anne surely did that with something she never imagined would get published. After every conversation with her, all one feels is nothing but if only….
All throughout the last 15 days, I kept saying to myself , ” oh Anne, sweetheart, please do not stop talking with me. You are so loved.” But then suddenly post the 1st August 1944, there is a publishers note saying that Anne’s diary ends here. My heart sank, it kept on searching for Anne through the remaining pages, calling out to her, reaching out to her. But Anne never came back.
Many people have read this book earlier in life but I think Anne came in my life at the right moment. Frankly, I do not think I was mature enough to understand this book until on the day when I started reading it. Maybe this will help me treating my Pankti in a better and more respectful way.
Anne died when the world was rejoicing the victory of good versus evil. I will never forgive Hitler and the Nazis for taking so many beautiful Anne’s from this world. And in a way we all in some way are responsible for killing so many Annes.
Anne, i miss you and every thought of our conversations makes me cry and be grateful for the luckier times we live in.
I will end this with few lines that were there in the afterword to the novel:
” Anne , who already was sick at the time, was not informed of her sister’s death; but after a few days she sensed it and soon afterwards she died, peacefully, feeling that nothing bad was happening to her”
– a survivor who was with Anne at Belsen in her last days
” Her voice was preserved out of the millions that were silenced, this voice no louder than a child’s whisper… It has outlasted the shouts of the murderers and soared above the voices of time”
– Ernst Schnabel, an author who took it upon himself to trace Anne after her last entry in the diary and wrote a book about her life post her last conversation with us.
” I want to go on living even after my death”
– Anne’s wish
Book Review: The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
Published: 1893
Read: Sep’21
Rating: 4/5
Review:
A legendary story from the Sherlock Holmes adventures and one which still lends itself to be adapted to modern situations and mysteries.
As is the case with all Sherlock mysteries , the reveal makes the reader feel how simple and elementary the solution was…if only….
A fun fact about this book though…Arthur Conan Doyle released this title after “killing off” Sherlock in his earlier book – The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. It is said that Sir Arthur was forced into publishing a Sherlock mystery in response to the severe backlash he had faced from all and sundry for killing the hero in the earlier book. However, this was supposed to be a one off book and he did not intend to bring Sherlock back to life ever since he felt he had was done with the adventures and primarily wanted to concentrate on his non fiction writing career.
Still, Hound of the Baskervilles is a Classic in the true sense
Book Review: Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
Published: 1893
Read : Sep’2021
Rating : 3.5/5
Review:
I ‘read’ the Audible edition of this book narrated by Stephen Fry and it is an experience on its own.
This a collection of stories where each and every one , in traditional Arthur Conan Doyle’s (ACD) style, hits the mark.
The reason why this book is special is because of two reasons, the introduction of Moriarty and the author’s intentions behind naming the collection of stories as ‘Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes’.
Firstly, ACD introduces readers to the now famous opponent of Sherlock Holmes i.e. Dr. Moriarty in the story ‘The Final Solution’. However, contrary to the portrayal of Moriarty in the various TV/Film adaptations of Sherlock Holmes, the characterization in the book does not do justice to the villain. ACD only talks about the ‘Who’ but leaves the reader searching for the How, What & When about the ‘cat and mouse’ relationship between Sherlock and Moriarty. Hats off to the various directors who have brought out the sinister nature and formidability of Moriarty through their films and series over the years where the author has clearly left a wide room for interpretation. The reason why (I think) ACD did not build up the character of Moriarty lies in his underlying intentions of naming the book as ‘The Memoirs….’
In the epilogue to this book , Stephen Fry narrates the reason behind the title. It is believed that ACD wanted to kill off Sherlock as he felt he was done with the sleuth and had nothing left to add to his mysteries and intrigue. More importantly, ACD wanted to concentrate on his non fiction writing career and hence felt the need to finish off Sherlock. This also explains the reason for hastily introducing Moriarty as the villain in the final story of the book. Knowing this background , it kind off sheds light on the question of why ACD gave such a sketchy portrayal of Moriarty to the readers, so that there is no further demand/pressure from the Sherlock fanatic for more Moriarty specific adventures.
All in all, the other stories are worthy Sherlock adventures but ACD really lets us down on Moriarty, which was a big surprise for me…
Interesting reads – 01
Hi All,
Sharing link to articles which I read over the past week which would interest all of you
Book Review – The Spy and the Traitor
Rating – 5/5
Brilliant ! No other word describes this book better. Oleg Gordievsky was a KGB agent who spied for the British MI6 during the Cold War. This book is the story about how Oleg started spying for the British , the impact of his revelations on steering the course of the Cold War and finally his exfiltration which is nothing short of a Hollywood climax.
People spy on their own country/ people for various reasons ranging from ideological, romantic, monetary or vengeance for a mistreatment but not every spy is able to achieve as much success as Oleg did (how much ever Spy movies want us to believe otherwise).
Ben Mcintyre is master storyteller when it comes to narrating stories from the Cold War or the World War. The research behind this book is phenomenal and it clearly shows. There is always the fear that while representing the facts, the story can get very impersonal and read like a report but it is a salute to the talent of the author that he has kept the human emotions at the forefront all through this book and hence it reads nothing short of a spy fiction thriller.
Anybody who is a fan of spy fiction and a cold war enthusiast needs to get their hands on this book to understand what happened and what could have happened if not for the men and women working behind the scenes.
Short Book Review – Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
A beautiful and gripping fantasy novel.
Neil Gaiman paints a beautiful fantasy world which is at once magical, intriguing and at once scary, gory and filthy. The use of humour throughout the book is fantastic and leaves you gasping for more.
Review- Wizards : The Story of Indian Spin Bowling by Anindya Dutta
Rating – 4/5
A book that chronicles the journey of Indian cricket through its artist, the spinners. Any Indian cricket fan or a cricket tragic needs to read this book to learn the history of the sport in India. The book, in a way, also describes the growth of India as a nation through the eyes of its various captains and spinners.
The book reads as a beautiful river flowing through the various landmarks of Indian cricket and not as some Wisden player profile. It not only chronicles the history of spin but also the history of Indian captains because it is very clear that a captain’s involvement/non-involvement is of prime importance in the growth and success of a spinner.
Worth a read and I hope the author keeps updating this book every 5 years or so to keep this journey going…
Book Review – Slow Horses by Mick Herron
Author – Mick Herron
Publication Year – 2010
Format – Ebook
Rating – 4/5
This book came to my notice after I listened to the author’s interview on Spybrary podcast. I have to mention that I am a big fan of the podcast and being a spy fan myself this has added considerably to my ‘To Be Read (TBR)’ list. I will be revisiting this episode since I’ve completed the book to relate with some parts which I did not understand the first time I heard it. (Link to episode is at the end of the review)
The story revolves around a group of ex-spies of the British Intelligence service who have been excommunicated from the main service due to some errors or failed missions and have been moved to administrative roles in a decrepit building named the Slough House in London. The title Slow Horses derives from the name given to the inhabitants of Slough House as an internal joke. The slow horses are a group of misfits , each having the proverbial ‘skeletons in their cupboard’ and are led by an ex spook , Jackson Lamb. The main tasks of the slow horses are majorly administrative and mundane and they are kept away from the main spy headquarters in Regent’s Park where all the ‘action’ is supposed to take place. However, a kidnapping takes place where the perpetrators make no ransom demands but threaten to behead the victim within a stipulated time. Invariably, the slow horses get involved in the chase to save the victim and what follows is a lession in politics, deceit, double cross and revenge.
This book grips you till the last page with it’s continuous plot twists and turns. The strongest part of the book is its narrative , impeccable dialogue writing and the timely, poignant snippets the author leaves in all chapters which gives you an idea of the backstory of all the slow horses. Jackson Lamb is a character I fell in love due to his intelligence, dry wit, brashness and resourcefulness.
This book is a first in a series and the climax ensures that you will definately pick up the next one.. I am on to the next book in the series ‘ Dead Lions’ and hope to be as shocked, surprised, enthralled and enchanted as the first one…
Please pick this book up and don’t forget to listen to the authors interview on Spybrary podcast on Apple podcasts.
Link is below:
https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/spybrary/id1229409577?i=1000403445660
Book – Ring a Ding Dead
Format read – Ebook
Publication Date – Advance Reader Copy
Author – Claire Logan
Rating – 4.5/5
Wow!! I received an advance reader copy (ARC) of this upcoming murder mystery through a goodreads group. I usually do not opt for these ARC prompts because many a times the story/ writing is very raw or of a genre I seldom read and most of the times due to the time commitmment required. However, the premise of this story was very interesting and I opted for an ARC out of sheer impulse.
The storyline traces a couple (the Jacksons) who check in to Myriad Hotel for their honeymoon but get caught up in a mystery when people start dropping dead all around them. However, if you think that is the only mystery in the book then you are in for a joy ride. There is a lot of untold mystery and intrigue surrounding the couple whether it is their relationship, profession or even their back story . Add to this mix , the intrusiveness of an elderly couple which has made the hotel their home since the last 3 years and the fun just keeps piling on.
I am a big fan of Agatha Christie who was a master of murder mysteries set in holiday locations / hotels with atleast a handful of culprits having equally plausible motives. This book reminded me of a Christie novel and thats the biggest compliment I can pay the author.
The biggest feature of this book is the dialogue writing which I found to be funny, direct and also forces the readers to ‘read between the lines’. Although this is a murder mystery there are some moments in the book which had me laughing especially how the couple lands up at almost all the crime scenes.
When you are reading a fast paced mystery such as this, you seldom expect to come across emotional moments between the characters but this book has a very beautiful scene towards the climax where the elderly guest (Dowager Duchess) , a widower who has remarried, helps Mrs. Jackson make sense of her own feelings of betrayal and guilt while expressing her love for Mr. Jackson whom she has married under similar circumstances.
This book has it all and also leaves some open ends which makes you feel that this will be a series in the making and not just a standalone mystery. Just like a Christie novel, if you pay attention to the dialogue you will be able to guess the culprit before it is revealed in the end. However, the book holds you till the very end irrespective of whether you guess the culprit and there isn’t a dull moment in the narrative.
A word of advice to all the readers !! Keep reading carefully even after the culprit is caught because there is a moment which reveals something interesting about the couple.
The book answers the question of the killer but it leaves many questions unanswered like the background of the couple, their individual and collective motivations, the circumstances of their marriage, etc. I am sure there are going to be many books coming our way where each such layer will be peeled off slowly by the author and frankly I can’t wait to read the next story.
Great work.. I am sure we have a bestseller on our hands..
Book Review – Victims for Sale
Book Name- Victims for Sale
Author – Nish Amarnath
Format – Ebook
Rating – 3.5/5.0
The author , Nish Amarnath, is a journalist and writer based out of New York and ‘Victims for Sale’ is her first foray into fiction writing, having written some non fiction titles previously. Considering it is her first attempt at fiction, she has naturally drawn from her journalistic experiences and put forth a very intriguing mystery for her readers.
The book is based on a budding journalist , Sandhya Raman. Sandhya is already an experienced reporter with ABP News in India but due to some personal trauma moves to London to pursue higher studies in journalism at the London School of Economics. In London, she is put up as a house guest with an Indian family (Sawants)who are her brother’s acquaintances.
This is where the story kicks off. The family Sandhya moves in with has its own closely guarded secrets. Sandhya realises pretty soon that things are not as they seem and while developing friendship with some of the family members, she starts understanding the complexities and friction between their relationships.
She builds up a healthy rapport with Nimmy (the son) and Asha ( the daughter) who is also a girl with special needs.
Parallely, at LSE, she meets Ritchie and develops a deep friendship with him which matures into a relationship as the story progresses.
During a career fair held by LSE, Sandhya meets up with Keisha Douglas , a producer/programmer with BBC and is offered an opportunity to collaborate on a docu-series which focuses on physical and financial empowerment and rehabilitation of people with special needs.
Sandhya takes to this project like a fish to water which translates into BBC trusting her with conducting independent background and field work to identify and collaborate with organisations already working in this field and in turn give them national coverage. It is during this research that Sandhya comes across an organisation which is involved in anti-social activities and human rights violations under the garb of helping people ,especially women, with special needs. To add to this discovery, she also realises that Asha, her host’s daughter, is also a victim of this organisation and this further drives her to expose these atrocities and the people responsible for them. She takes it upon herself to bring the people to book and unbeknownst to herself kicks up a mighty storm.
Her investigation of the organisation and its fallout is what forms the crux of the story. Her relationships are tested, friends are lost, new friendships formed and what we are left with is an intriguing tale of deceit, mistrust, heartbreak, murder and love.
That is all I will write about the story line. As is the case with all my reviews, I do not spill out the plot but I prefer commenting on what the author has brought to the table through their writing which makes or breaks a book. So here goes a list of my perceived strengths and weaknesses of the book.
Strengths:
1) Sandhya – I loved the potrayal of the protagonist Sandhya by the author. It would have been very easy for the author to describe the protagonist as an infallible, courageous and larger than life hero who would single handedly solve a crime and make the world a better place. The only way I can describe the author’s characterisation of Sandhya is that she has stayed very realistic in describing her as a person who has her flaws and faults. During the course of the book you realise how flawed Sandhya is and how her reactions are as much shaped by her past trauma as well her immaturity in trusting people on the go. She is shown to have a lot of courage but at the same time has some self doubts about her relationships and friendships. There is an underlying theme of guilt which drives her to get to the bottom of the mystery as opposed to most of the books we read on similar lines where the protagonist is driven by a greater goal of making the world a better place. I am not saying that is not a consideration for Sandhya, but her guilt at being the cause of hurt /injury to people around her is what appears to keep her going towards the end of this book.
2) The plot – The author has picked on a subject which is very disturbing but not unbeliveable. Considering the author is a journalist, I would not be surprised if the plot has some bearing to her experiences in the field. But I pray to God that if anything like this exists that it should be nipped in the bud and should not be at a magnitude as described in the novel. I loved the plot and the reveal towards the end of the book makes for a fast paced and interesting read.
Weaknesses
1) Relationships- Just like I admire how the author has taken the pains to characterise Sandhya so beautifully it pains me to say that the lack of relationship building amongst the characters is a big let down. Around 20% into the book , we realise that Sandhya has developed a sweet relationship with Asha which further affects her when she realises that Asha is also a victim of the organisation. However, there does not seem to be much thought given to let the reader understand how the relationship has developed. This made me feel disconnected from the book. The same goes with her relationship with Nimmy and her friendship with Keisha and Charlotte. There is not much space given for the readers to understand the depth and complexities of these relationships and hence you feel disconnected when Sandhya describes her feelings of guilt because you have not read much about her connection with these people.
2) Cliff Hangers- There are two instances where chapters in the book end with cliff hangers where Sandhya has been attacked ( shot at and pushed in front of an approaching train!) and you are curious to read what happens next. However, the author, in the next chapter/ paragraph just bursts the suspense bubble by non-chalantly mentioning her survival as a side note. I think a trick was missed there because building up on such scenes would have made this a real page turner.
3) Mistrust- There are times in this book where I felt Sandhya was very stupid in how she went about trusting people with her expose even when she sees people close to her being attacked just because they are in the know how. At one point she is shown to blabber her entire story out to a virtual stranger ( Lord Bradshaw) whom she has just interviewed for a completely different purpose. I felt this was done just to add to the suspects list in the book rather than adding any value to the already strong plot.
4) Too Many Characters- The author had my head in a spin when in the first 3 chapters of the book she hurriedly introduces almost 8-10 characters who have a bearing on the plot. It took me sometime to wrap my head around who is who but I would advice readers to just soldier on as it gets interesting later on. But I still feel there was ample scope to introduce many characters smoothly in the flow rather than go all at once.
5) Heavy Vocabulary – Being a book lover, it will sound very hypocritical of me if I say that there is just too much heavy vocabulary being unnecessarily used in the book when not needed but I cannot help stating this as it was a major put off for me while reading. I love to have a flow while reading and some of the words just had me reaching for dictionary to understand what exactly the author wants to convey. There is use of words like caliginous, paroxysm and terms like ‘a pathetic attempt to scarper from an unhinged ogre’ which do not add to the narrative and end up being roadblocks in the flow . There is also a line towards the end which made me do a double take to realise that she is describing the perpetrator’s eyes , it goes ‘ A pair of daggers shot out in vivid streaks of saffron gold, alternately dilating and contracting with psychotic rage’. I just fail to see the reason behind using such words when simpler words would drive home the point equally well.
6) At the end of the book, the perpetrator says that he would never let an immigrant girl scupper his plans. This is surprising choice of words as throughout the entire book the author has never given any hint of the immigrant issue.
All in all, this book is a fun read. For me the impact of the plot line and characterisation of the protagonist overshadows the weaknesses I have listed.
In the end, for me, it all boils down to the points below:
Did I enjoy reading it ? Yes
Will I recommend this book to others ? Yes
Will I be interested in reading the authors future work ? Yes !
Happy reading guys !
Hope you guys get a chance to read this book !
Book Review – Narasimha
Book – Narasimha by Kevin Missal
Edition – 2019 ( HarperCollins)
Rating – 4.5/5
This is my first book by the author and I regret why it has taken me so long to come around to read his books.
Recently there has been a spike in the number of re-telling of the two big Hindu epics – Ramayana and Mahabharata. I was attracted to this book because it dealt with a character from Indian mythology seldom written/talked about- Narasimha.
The book is first instalment of a trilogy named ‘ The Mahavatar Trilogy’ and if the first book is anything to go by, then we are in for a fun ride.
Although the book is titled Narasimha, there is no real protagonist in the book. The story revolves around four major characters, Hiranyakashyap, Prahlad, Andhaka and Narasimha. Each of the characters is on his path to find a purpose in life and the book takes us on this journey with them.
The story is not about victories, but defeats. It shows how disappointments or defeats and not victories , shape our futures and the paths we take. It shows how pain and loss sculpt our beliefs and it also shows that when it comes to life there is no black or white but an array of different shades of grey.
A big shout-out to the author. What a fantastic style of storytelling.. ! Every chapter leaves you grasping of breath and dying to turn the next page. Mythological re-tellings can get a bit drab or lost in translation but the author avoids this through his crisp writing and shorter chapters. Hats off and will definately be picking up his other works.
Do pick this up.. You will enjoy reading it..
Happy reading..!!
prathamesh87 