Book Review: The Palace of Illusions

Here we go another book of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, though I saw the author of the book after picking the book up because, to be truthful I was attracted by the cover and the description of the book.

From my childhood days the stories from Ramayana and Mahabharata were always coming back to me be it in the form of movies, or tales by my mother or grandmother or books to a most extent.In all these sources the Mahabharata was always said as the life of the Pandavas and Kauravas.So why am I saying this about this book, there is one line on the cover that caught my attention in this book "PANCHAALI'S MAHABHARAT".
The Mahabharata is as much as Panchaali's as much and in fact in my opinion more that either the Kauravas or the Pandavas.As rightly said in this book by the author (although indirectly through the sage Vyasa) Mahabharata is nothing but events caused by the three mistakes or rather shall we say three choices made by draupadhi at different times in her life.
Another interesting aspect to this book is that the author writes it as the narration by draupadhi, which enabled here to describe the Mahabharata from a interesting and hitherto ignored angle 'Panchaali's'.Credit here must be given to the author for remaining true to the facts albeit trying something different.She starts of the story with the birth of draupadhi and her brother Dhristadyumma but not directly, instead as a story told by her nanny to draupadhi.This allowed the author to capture the thoughts of draupadhi and also give an idea of the reason behind the birth of these siblings.
From being born of the sacrificial fire (thus her beautiful name 'Yajnaseni', though the author doesn't use it, preferring 'Panchali'), to her strange, lonely childhood, her tricky marriage to five men with a persecution problem and a control freak mother, her own, lovely home at last, and then the unbelievable traumas that follow that nobody should have to go through.Having her home, freedom and honor gambled away, almost stripped in public, her terrible life of hiding, servitude, evading assault and finally, the grim justice of war and a lonely death falling off a mountain track.
Credit must also be give for the effort put when etching out the different characters, their complex persona's, egos and much more importantly their connection with draupathi.There is also mention of the hitherto unknown characters (to most readers) in the Mahabharata like Sikhandi, Duryodhana's wife etc, these characters might have been heard of but were always limited to the most important role they fulfill in Mahabharata.Also extreme care has been taken in dealing with the more popular ones and their relationship with draupadhi like Bheeshma and more importantly Krishna.
There is nothing much in the story that one does not know but for a few interesting or shall I say creations by the author, like who loves draupti the most.Also while reading a few chapters I got the feeling that I had read something exactly similar but not in English but some regional language (mostly Telugu though...)and the author had exactly translated word to word.But saying that we can also ignore it as this is an epic that most have grown up listening to and maybe if we too sit down to tell it in our words we are bound to be influenced albeit unknowingly by many of them who tried to tell the tale before us.
But as a final word on the book would say that this falls into the category of books when after reading I have no specific opinion as such, but lets just say it was something I got to read, this maybe not so with others but again that was just what I felt on completing the book , even now about a year and half after I read the book.

Book review: The Mistress of Spices

Here is another first time book though quite some time back.This is one such book that has a effect on you when you first look at it, keeps up the effect after you have started reading it but fails to finish off properly.

In The Mistress of Spices, Chitra Divakaruni weaves an enchanting tale of mystery, human nature and risk punctuated by aromatic sorcery. Some may find it difficult reading at first. The unusual sentence structure requires us to slow down. Quickly the lyrical prose becomes a delight to savor like a meal so tasty we hope it never ends.
Tilo (short for Tilotamma), Mistress of Spices, at her fragrant shop in Oakland can see into your heart and determine just what spice is needed to fulfill your desires.She has taken a vow, given her life to the spices residing in a tired, old body hurtled into this modern world only to help others. By obeying the rules, the spices will speak to her. As the story unfolds, the rules need to be broken and we can understand. Or, at other times, Tilo finds herself struggling because she wants to break the rules and again we understand.
Each chapter in the book is the story of a spice --- turmeric, cinnamon, chili, fennel, peppercorn and so may more --- and of the people that consume it.Divakaruni introduces to some of the many people who come in distress or to share their happiness with the helpful old spice lady and delves a little into the backgrounds of the characters, so they come out as realistic and understandable.
For instance, the character of Ahuja's wife, Lalita. We are told of her feeling cheated when the man she weds turns out to be balding and pot-bellied. An unhappy married life follows. She does not want to hurt her parents and jeopardize her younger sisters' marriages by leaving him, so tries to legitimize his abuse and her suffering by blaming her initial unacceptance of him.
Then there is Jagjit, the shy frightened boy transformed to Jag by the endless hostility and abuse he has to bear for his accent and turban. He hits the road with a yearning for the power of the steel blade and gun. But the boy who dreamed of his grandmother's kheti has the desire to start a new life over as he promises Tilo. And Haroun, the cab-driver who fled Dal lake where generations of his family had rowed shikaras for tourists. He lands in America as a illegal immigrant, but he looks forward to riches and happiness in this land.
Not all of the characters are underdogs though. The three generations of the Banerjee family are in a war over their values, only to realise that their love and understanding for each other can overcome every barrier. Unfortunately the book went downhill thereafter. The dire portents all fizzled out -- what happened was far less grim than what one had been led to expect.How Tile copes with her wanning heart towards the sufferings her customers, her blossoming love and the wrath of the spices forms the remaining of the story.
After all this I would say that the book was a disappointment after the initial appeal it gave.An interesting read if you want something out of the ordinary with a hint of good poetic verses, but you might find it slowing you down at a few places owing to the complex sentences and back and forth movement of the story

Book review: The Sari shop

This first attempt book by Rupa Bhajwa revolves around a lowly shop assistant Ramchand at Sevak Sari House in Amritsar through whom the author tries to depict the harsh realities of the society that we live in using the protagonist first as a silent observer in the first part and then the shows him crumbling down under the multitude of emotions that engulf him bringing him to a state of complete disarray.At the same time captures the very essence of Amritsar with all its gossip, its alleys, its busy bazaars, its dhabas, mannerisms and its petty rivalries among the rich and bored women.

From her opening description of the raucous awakening of a small neighborhood, she presents the reader with the kinds of homely details which make identification with her characters possible.Her descriptions of the Sari House employees and their business, of the saris themselves and how they are shown to customers, of the social lives of the women who come to the shop, and of the long hours of work for the assistants, such as Ramchand, all give vitality to the novel.
Through flashbacks, the reader learns that Ramchand's life until he was six was filled with the love of his parents and the excitement of being in their small shop, but when they were both killed in a bus accident, he was sent to live with his grandmother and then his uncle, who appropriated his mother's jewelry for his wife, the assets of his father's shop, and later his grandmother's property. When Ramchand was fifteen, his uncle decided he'd had enough education, and sent him away to the city to earn his way and live alone in an unfurnished room where he is condemned to a life of ennui and drudgery and far from the education he craves so much.. The lives of some of the other assistants have followed similar patterns, leaving them just as vulnerable as Ramchand is to the whims of their bosses and customers.
But all this changes suddenly when he is dispatched to the rich, English-speaking Kapoor household to deliver saris and fabrics for the daughter’s trousseau. Seeing them converse in English, Ramchand’s passion gets re-kindled and he buys himself a second-hand grammar book, an Oxford Dictionary, a fresh pair of socks and a bar of Lifebuoy soap. These four things, he is convinced, will give him the kind of life he has wanted since childhood.
Focusing on individual characters, Bajwa draws the reader into their lives and makes the reader empathize with them. She keeps the scope small and intimate, the story a microcosm of life. When through Kamala , a young woman married to Chander, who, like Ramchand, is another assistant at the sari house, she is able to project the lives of women who are most victimized when their husbands lose their jobs or offend their bosses through Rina kapoor, the daughter of the wealthiest man in Amritsar, who is planning her wedding, a love marriage, and buying saris from Sevak Sari House she portrays the modern,independent and vibrant woman. When the lives of Rina, Ramchand, Kamala, and Chander intersect in a shocking climax, lives are forever changed.
Though Kamla is an especially pathetic example of the victimization of women, we also see that Rina Kapoor is also, in some ways, a victim of her economic situation, as are the women for whom shopping for saris is the primary activity of their day. Only a few women here are seeking independent lives or have any outlet for their intellectual energy, one of them an English professor at a local college and the other a woman who becomes an author, but these lives are possible only because of their economic privilege—women like Kamla have no such options unless they marry men who own shops, as Ramchand's parents did.
Although the stunning ending is melodramatic and Ramchand's change of character may not be completely realistic, Bajwa creates a story which moves effectively from its quiet beginning, as she establishes the characters and their backgrounds, into a compelling story of characters whose lives overlap, whether they want them to or not. Often darkly humorous, the story has considerable charm, despite the final, traumatic ending, since Ramchand himself inspires empathy. Intimate and thoughtful in its depiction of the various social strata which make up the community, the novel is more understated—less sensational and less political--than some of the more panoramic epics which have come from India in the past decade. More in the style of R. K. Narayan or Anita Desai

Book review: The lost symbol

Finally was able to finish reading the latest and most awaited book from Dan Brown, "THE LOST SYMBOL"This book is written in a typical 'Brown style' with all the twists, thrills, and gripping narration that the authoris famous for, that said though thsi is no Davinci Code, with moments where the story seems to run away(like in the chapters preceding the climax) and at some places it really drags(the last couple especially).
The basic plot:
This is showcased as the third adventure of the famous symbolist Robert Langdon who is brought to the US Capital of Washington DC to deliver a lecture on request of his mentor and friend Peter Solomon receives a shock and the evets that are churned out as a result of it forms the basic plot of the book.

Whats interesting?:
The first feel of the book though is that its intriguing and the author very deftly and cleverly keeps the reader on his toes anxious to know what the next part would be (although doing so overly made it drag at quite a few places ). This added with the mysteries of the free masonry makes this a really good read; esp if you are the kind that really loves fast paced mysteries.There is also instances when cryptic clues are presented to the characters that the user is made to feel that he is also part of the plot as you instinctively try to solve it before reading what the characters do.

What not so interesting?:
Frankly speaking there is nothing in the story, I mean this is not something different from the previous books Davinci Code and to that matter Angels and demons. The plot lies on the same lines of a secret and active society during our fore fathers time which is now set into turmoil which Langdon is the only one capable of averting. This added to the slightly larger volume of 509 pages and multitude of sub plots makes the book slightly confusing if you tend to read it in short bursts.After all this and the gripping narration of the author you feel let down in the end and the last couple of chapters although intended to try and get the user a hang over things were a really drag. If you have read you would understand what I mean here.The gory details though intruging could have been avoided to make it a more clean read.

Finally:
A book that you might want to read but to really enjoy forget the fact that it was from a author who has written famous and good books earlier because reading it easier on a clean slate.That said I would not say it is not a good book only a book that has not much in variety that you generally would expect from a author and definitely definitely below the Davinci Code and the Angels and Demons.

Book review: My Cousin Rachel

This is something you would find different from what you experience with the other books that are read generally.In fact I too came across this by an accident and then ended up reading this.From the first page you are taken with ease away from the hustle and bustle of the urbane life to the village and that too at a time when communication was still not as advanced as now, can't say a Victorian story but gives you a similar feeling

Coming to the story this is about Philip Ashley who although orphaned at an early age is brought up by his older cousin Ambrose who at the time happens to be his only close relative living.Ambrose takes a liking for the boy and starts bringing him up as his own son, his heir in a world that consisted of none but the two and a firm liking of the house they grew up in until; when Ambrose in order to recuperate from his rheumatic problem and also to collect plants for his garden meets a charming lady and ends up marrying her which unfortunately was a fiasco in simple terms.His only communication to his young protege was through letters which in the begin were full of fun an enthusiasm soon start turning sad and also stating the failing of his health.Hearing this young Philip arrives at Florence only to learn of his cousin-guardian's sudden death and that his wife out of grief had left the place for good leaving behind nothing but Ambrose's hat.
Later when Philip's cousin Rachel turns up in England and despite the initial anger and ill feeling Philip cannot help but be attracted to the small, delicate, mysterious, sophisticated lady.... his cousin Rachel.The story from here takes twists and turns with young Philip in a turmoil about how actually did his cousin meet with his untimely death as one mask is exposed there lies beneath another mask of deceit and this is not limited just to his cousin Rachel but also the Ashleys who are the closest to Philip in England after his deceased cousin and also a ghostly beggar figure whom Philip meets during his short visit to Florence and which keeps haunting back through out the book.
In short this is an interesting and griping story worth reading because the style of the writer, the way in which she shows subtle signs to the reader depicting the state of mind in which the character is there by capturing their interest time and again and the way in which she deals with each character so differently and naturally as though the reader gets the feeling that this is something of a record of what had actually happend.