Amodini's Book Reviews

Book Reviews and Recommendations

My favorite female character

Written By: amodini - Oct• 20•10

The below post is written for the “Favorite Female Character Contest” at Womens Web.

I’ve written about the “The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency” before. Reading it is like eating comfort food. This series features Precious Ramotswe, a female detective in Botswana. While I have come across many interesting characters in fiction, when it comes down to choosing a favorite female character, Mma Ramotswe wins hands down.

In Precious Ramotswe, the author, Alexander McCall Smith has succeeded in creating what I call a truly human character. Mma Ramotswe appears real; a real-life walking-talking person, with a heart and a brain and a mind of her own, a set of convictions, her very own beliefs, a value system on which she relies, and the capacity to negotiate the vagaries of daily life and fickle human nature with patience and an enviable composure. In other words, just like the rest of us; only better.

There are other qualities too which endear her. She is a woman, we are told, of “traditional build”. Now if, after reading that, you haven’t laughed a little laugh in your head, let me know. I have read of many admirable heroines, whom I’ve liked very much, but then you look at the cover, and see said heroine’s cinched in waist and overly large bosom, and wonder which gene pool she came from 🙂 . After flipping through magazines which sell you the perfect figure and tools to make yourself into a wondrous, much skinnier version of yourself, and wondering when looking at your post-partum self in the mirror, as to the benefits of having a little on the side (pun intended), I am so happy to read of a smart woman who’s happy with her traditional build, that I want to stand up on my virtual soap-box and applaud.

And then there is that common sense. A quality that is not as common as you’d think, but must surely be found in the vegetables of Botswana, since Mma Ramotswe has loads of it. But she is fallible too; she feels anger, resentment, and mortification. She fluffs over the awkward stuff, attempts to hide her weaknesses and uses euphemisms when I would. She also makes mistakes, agonizes over the little stuff, worries over making the right decisions, basically waffling over all the little bits of life that normal people waffle over. But above all, and the most important quality in her character, and the one because she stands tall is her good heartedness, From this one quality stems the core of her character, her ability to treat everyone kindly and with fairness, and her ability to accord respect and understanding.

In Mma Ramotswe, Mr. Smith has created a one of a kind character. Separated though she is by cultures, physical boundaries and the very undeniable fact that she is fiction after all, she is still that old friend who, if she came by, would be welcome to stay.

Contest : Your favorite female character

Written By: amodini - Oct• 18•10

A-ha, a contest for all book-lovers!

If you love to read, are partial to interesting characters (and who’s not ?), this one is for you. Basically you have to write a post, email or comment about your favorite fictional female character. To read complete rules, see the Womens Web page, here.

Sound fun ? I know I’m itching to write this one . . .

Book Review : The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

Written By: amodini - Oct• 07•10

Title : The White Tiger
Author : Aravind Adiga
Genre : Realistic fiction
Pages : 288
Publisher : Free Press
Rating : 4/5

It has taken forever to get this book off my Reading List and into my hands, because I thought it would be a) Boring (did I really want to read about a halwai ? Maybe I could do laundry first) , b)Depressing, like so many other Indian-authored books tend to be,  and c)Lofty with a chance of Meatballs (A Booker prize no less; maybe all the erudite prose would  zip way above my head).

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean Depressing as in “how depressing is this writing”, rather it is the subject matter which sorta gets me down. Authors like Divakaruni and a host of others spin their stories from a ground reality, which fiction though it may be, hints at how it really is (no smoke without a fire, yes ? especially since if you’ve been to the South-Asian sub-continent or lived there for as many years as I have, you’ve viewed the fire first-hand).

Anyway, just plain old get-it-out-of-the-way-ness drove me, and wow! Am I glad it did. Yes, this is the story of a man born into the halwai caste/profession, into desperate poverty, in the undeveloped backwaters of the great Indian State, which Adiga in the book calls  the Darkness. Balram, for that is his name, brought up by his nagging and cruel aunt, is pulled out of school very early like his siblings, and put to work.  He is ambitious though and manages to work his way up, slowly but surely, using his opportunities wisely and quelling the innate desire (as he puts it) to be trod upon.

The entire book is in the first person, told from Balram’s point of view. And what a point of view it is ! At times acidic, and at others almost mellow, Adiga gives voice to his finely textured character with great skill and candor. Balram is a veritable “angry young man”but describes his situations in a witty, sardonic, sometimes steel-edged sarcasm.

Adiga’s story gets down to what I would call the brass tacks, since it describes outright what most books only hint at – the frustration, despair and demeaning nature of poverty, the dual nature of India’s society, and the deplorable lack of law and order and justice for India’s unwashed masses. In the midst of the swirling blackness, Balram rails and fights against the powers that strive to keep him down. He definitely isn’t like all of his peers, but will that be enough ?

I totally loved this book, the plot, the pace, the storytelling, the descriptions – everything. Adiga has produced a remarkable book, engaging and thought-provoking, and while it entertains it also leaves with you squirming in uneasiness. Highly recommended.

The desi radio scene in Houston

Written By: amodini - Sep• 29•10

[amazon_link id=”B00020S7XK” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Sony ICF-S10MK2 Pocket AM/FM Radio, Silver[/amazon_link]The desi radio scene in Houston is booming. Starting from one Indian program, I have been told, about 20 years ago, there about 10 now. Here’s a listing of the main ones :

Program Name AM/FM Day/Time Host Type
Generasian Radio FM 90.1 Thursdays, 1-3 pm Varied Music, interviews
Geetanjali Radio 1320 AM Sat-Sun, 2-6 pm Shobha Joshi Music/Talk
Ghungroo/Music of India 1320 AM Sat-Sun, 7 am-2 pm Meena Datt Music/Talk
Music Masala 1320 AM, 1110 AM M-F 5-8, Sat-Sun 10-8 Sunil Thakkar and others Music/Talk
Radio Masti 1480 AM Sat-Sun, 9 am-12 pm Varied Music/Talk
Sangeet Radio 1460, 1480 AM 24×7 Varied Music/Talk

Free Book Giveaway : The Shadow Woman

Written By: amodini - Sep• 22•10
The Shadow Woman: A Chief Inspector Erik Winter NovelHere’s a chance to win this book by noted Swedish writer Ake Edwardson ! Free !
To enter the giveaway, you must :
        • Email me or post a comment here letting me know that
          • You have followed me on twitter (give me your handle for verification)
          • Tell me the name of the first Inspector Winter book.
To qualify you must have done the above correctly. The contest is open to all book-lovers with a shipping address in the US or Canada. You can turn in an entry till the end of this month after which I will pick a random comment/email, among the correct entries to receive this book. Check back here to see if you have won ! The book be shipped to you after the 30th of September. 

Here’s more information on the book :

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin (releases September 28, 2010)
  • Language: English
From Amazon :

The second installment of the internationally best selling Erik Winter series

It’s August and the annual Gothenburg Party is in full swing. But this year the bacchanalian blowout is simmering with ethnic discord spurred by nativist gangs. When a woman is found murdered in the park-her identity as inscrutable as the blood-red symbol on the tree above her body-Winter’s search for her missing child leads him from sleek McMansions to the Gothenburg fringes, where “northern suburbs” is code for “outsider” and the past is inescapable-even for Sweden’s youngest chief inspector. Psychologically gripping and socially astute, The Shadow Woman puts this master of Swedish noir on track to build an American audience on par with his international fame.
About the Author
Åke Edwardson has won three Swedish Academy of Crime Writers awards and his work has been translated into more than twenty languages. His novel, Frozen Tracks was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. He lives in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Impressions of Paris : The Opera

Written By: amodini - Sep• 14•10

paris

The Paris Opera (Opera de Paris) is a beautiful and sprawling building, and since it was located quite close to our hotel we walked there quite often (2 Metro stations in the vicinity). Call me ignorant, but I did not know what it was, although I walked around the building marveling at it’s ornate structure and green roof, which you can see from quite a distance away. And finally figured out that this was an “academie” for “musique”.

paris

All of Paris is very ornate; everywhere you go, there is a lot of wrought iron work, statues, beautiful pieces of sculpture, lot’s of them adorning roofs. And after a while, it seems to meld together – this beauty, unless you are a particularly discerning viewer. The Opera does seem to stand apart though – it is big and squat and square, but quite distinctive.

palais garnier

Named for it’s architect Charles Garnier, it is a stately, opulent building. Above is the sculpture at the entrance.
paris

And here’s the information at the back of the sculpture.

Book Review : The Sparrow

Written By: amodini - Sep• 07•10

The SparrowTitle : The Sparrow
Author : Mary Doria Russell
Genre : Science fiction/Religion and spirituality
Pages : 408
Publisher : Ballantine Books
Rating : 4/5

You have an earth-ful of people. Yet, it is tantalizing to believe that there is life out there, intelligent aliens who will want to meet others like themselves and forge bonds of friendship and world peace. In her book “The Sparrow”, Mary Doria Russell, explores just such a possibility. In her large tome of a book, alien broadcast are received by earth scientists, and those with the wherewithal here on earth (and they happen to be an order of Jesuit priests) summon up resources and set off to the distant planet.

The ship loses contact with earth, and all it’s crew members are deemed dead, until another earth-ship lands on Rakhat (that’s the alien planet) and recovers one remaining, damaged crew-member. The crew member, Jesuit priest Emilio Sandoz, makes it back to earth, but is then set upon by accusations from the media. What events led upto his current condition ? And will he want to tell all ?

This book is not hard science fiction. In fact, it is a quaint mixture of philosophy, religion and some science fiction. True, the plot involves spaceships and space travel to alien planets, but the book uses that as an underpinning with which to question us about out faiths and our religions. The main character of this book is Emilio Sandoz, a celibate Jesuit priest, who is given to God’s service, while working hard to quell the questions within. When he becomes one of the crew members of the spaceship to Rakhat, it appears that God is choosing his fate for him. Led on by his beliefs, Sanchez is open to all of God’s plans , and believes himself strengthened. However circumstances change, and Sandoz’s spiritual convictions will be tested in ways he cannot imagine . . .

This was a very engaging book, and I found Russell’s description of the alien planet, linguistics, grammar, and anthropology particularly interesting. Her science fiction bits, like the ones where the space ship and team-members are conjured up in a very adhoc, un-scientific manner (most of them are laymen and Sandoz’s friends) lack plausibility, and are not so very believable. Still, because this is not an SF book, per se, this can be (almost) ignored.

Russell has many characters in her book, with very different mental make-ups and thoughts, and through them, she presents different facets of the human belief system – what makes us, shapes us and holds us together. Is it God, religion, spirituality, or just good old respect for each other ? A great read for SF lovers and non-lovers alike, this one is well worth the time.

Book Review : Girl with a Pearl Earring

Written By: amodini - Aug• 30•10

Girl with a Pearl Earring, Deluxe EditionTitle : Girl with a pearl earring
Author : Tracy Chevalier
Genre : Historical fiction
Publisher : Plume
Pages : 256
Rating : 4/5

The Girl with a Pearl Earring is Tracy Chevalier’s second book. In it she tells of a painting by the famous Johannes Vermeer. The subject of the painting and the heroine of the novel is a maid in Vermeer’s household. Forced into this job by penury at home, Griet must serve at the Vermeer homestead. There she develops emotional bonds, some of animosity, such as with Vermeer’s jealous wife and spiteful daughter, and some of limited understanding, such as with Maria Thins, Vermeer’s mother-in-law, whose home it is.

It is made clear to us, the readers, that Griet has strong feelings for Vermeer, although she is actively being courted by the local butcher’s son Pieter. While Griet’s pragmatic family pressurizes her to accept Pieter’s proposal (“the family of a butcher will never go hungry”), our dreamy heroine has other ideas. Vermeer himself is a shadowy figure, lost in his artistic vision, appearing to be indifferent not only to Griet, but also oblivious to anyone’s plight but his own.

Vermeer does come to notice and like Griet however, even granting her “priviliges” such as cleaning his studio and grinding his paints, jobs which cause much tension in the household, since even Vermeer’s wife Catharina is not allowed to do them. However Griet must work her “thing” with the Master out on her own, especially when he decides to paint her. Will she, a lowly maid, be able to realize her heart’s dream ?

This was a very interesting, spare, light read. The plot is well-developed and Chevalier tells it with such simplicity and such nuance that one is drawn in. Unlike her second novel “Remarkable Creatures” which draws it’s drama from real events, “Girl with a Pearl Earring” has a wistfulness which comes from unmet expectations and hopes. Beautifully written and engagingly told, this novel displays Chevalier’s skilled story-telling and great attention to detail.

I’d come across this book, when it first released, but had ignored it believing the subject to not be to my taste. I’ve now read it only after I read and liked Chevalier’s “Remarkable Creatures”, and consider myself richer for it. Highly recommended.

Impressions of Paris : II

Written By: amodini - Jul• 29•10

paris

This is Part II of my Paris travel series. Part is here.

I have heard and read about Notre Dame (Our Lady of Paris) so much that just anticipating it was fun. It was a rainy day, which sort of reflected the building itself, since it a very Gothic, dark-looking church. Even the inside of the church although adorned with stained glass windows, is very dark. Particularly interesting are the gargoyles of Notre Dame, all of which seem to be chimeras/grotesques, with beastly bodies. And some even seem to almost be leaping off the roof.

paris

The word gargoyle comes from the french word for throat because gargoyles were originally created to act as rain-water spouts. Pipes run through the creatures draining water from the roof top. Think olden-day guttering systems – but oh, how creatively designed !

The statue of Charles de Gaulle outside Grand Palais

This is the statue of General Charles de Gaulle at the Place Charles de Gaulles. Behind the statue is the Grand Palais (Grand Palace). The Grand Palais and the Petit Palais are located right opposite each other, and you can see the greeen sculpture adorning the Grand Palais. A lot of the sculptures on Parisian building are like that – figures of humans and animals leaping off or marching off into thin air.

grand palais

Here’s another view of the Grand Palais.

Madeleine church

The Madeleine is another church, although it looks like a classical Greek temple, with it’s huge Corinthian columns. Although spare and bulky looking from the outside, it is minutely decorated on the inside.

pantheon

The Pantheon which looks similar to the Madeleine, except for the dome on top, is located far from the Place de la Concorde. Note that most of the “touristy” building on the Right Bank are within walking distance of each other, so you could walk from one end to the other and see the Museum, Madeleine, the Petit and Grand Palais and Champs Elysee. However the Pantheon you must really want to see, since it is on the Left Bank and requires a considerable detour by a bus/train.

focault's pendulum

The interesting thing about the Pantheon, besides it’s gorgeous domes, columns, and art, is Foucault’s pendulum, suspended from the center of the dome.

Book Review : Faithful Place

Written By: amodini - Jul• 20•10

Note : The edited version of this review appears at Womens Web, here.

Faithful Place: A NovelTitle : Faithful Place
Author : Tana French
Genre : Crime/mystery
Publisher : Viking, Penguin Group
Pages : 400
Release Date : 13 July 2010 (US)
Rating : 4/5

Source : Publisher ARC

My father once told me that the most important thing every man should know is what he would die for. If you don’t know that, he said, what are you worth ? Nothing. You’re not a man at all. I was thirteen, and he was three quarters of the way into a bottle of Gordon’s finest, but hey, good talk. As far as I recall, he was willing to die a) for Ireland b) for his mother, who had been dead for ten years, and c) to get that bitch Maggie Thatcher.

Meet Frank Mackey, cynical cop extraordinaire, and Tana French’s most recent protagonist. After settling into her niche as a “literary” crime fiction writer with her earlier two novels “In the woods” and “The Likeness”, French returns with her latest book “Faithful Place”. This features yet another character of the Dublin Undercover Squad, her earlier two books having told us about cases with detectives Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox. Acidic cop Francis Mackey is Cassie and Rob’s boss, and this time, he must deal with murder very close to home and heart.

Frank has nerves of steel; he is the one who directs his operatives in the field, knows when to attack, when to withdraw and when to cut his losses. He is the one who never loses his cool. But when a murder occurs in the Liberties, the neighborhood where he was born and brought up and sought to escape at the very earliest opportunity, keeping his emotions in check is a very hard thing to do, especially because the body is of the love of his life – Rosie Daly.

“Faithful Place” is quite unalike French’s earlier books, because although she builds up atmosphere, it is of a very “earthy” nature. In “In the woods” and “The Likeness” the story is imbued with eerie, sinister motives and creepy, psychological musings. French’s prose swarms into your head, with her carefully placed red herrings and her surreal, yet sophisticated sounding descriptions of the mind-games people play, in jest and in anger.

“Faithful Place” by comparison isn’t located in your head; it is rather, your regular old hellhole on earth. Tarnished by bad memories of a drunkard, violent father, and an oppressive mother, Frank can’t get away from it fast enough, leaving behind his siblings to bear the brunt. French describes it using much Irish slang, and words like “shite” and “dodgy”, “mammy” and “eejit”, and manages to paint it so that we can palpably feel Frank’s emotions.

The murder, when discovered is already more than twenty years old, but it dredges up long-forgotten animosities and reopens rivalries like fresh flesh wounds. More importantly it forces Frank to return home, and deal with the residual horrors of a traumatic childhood. And when Frank starts nosing around looking for motives, he knows that the killer is probably within hearing distance, watching him and waiting . . .

Like French’s earlier two books, this one is also told in the first person, a technique she seems to have mastered. This is the second time she writes in a male voice, and she has quite the knack for creating and differentiating individual voices and characters. Mackey, just like Rob (In the woods”) or Cassie (The Likeness) is developed very thoroughly, through his personal musings and thought, and we are quite aware of the mental baggage he carries around with himself. He feels true, just like Rob and Cassie did – a true Dubliner, a perceptive cop, a real human being with imperfections.

This book does not start slow – the murder is out there in the first fifteen pages. We are filled in on the background via various conversations, and thoughts, and Frank’s memories. Even though a murder mystery, “Faithful Place” does not deal with the workings of the Undercover Squad; rather it has Frank investigating the crime on a personal level, not as a policeman but as the betrayed lover, and potential perpetrator of the crime itself. The action is mostly in the form of dialog, and conversation between Frank and his family and associates:

She was still gazing at me, worried and bewildered. The moon had come out; in the cold half-light the garden looked pristine and unreal, like some symmetrical suburban limbo. I said. “Nora, tell me something. Do you think I’m a murderer?”

Although I can’t say that this is my favorite book by French (that would be “The Likeness”) this is a strong, tautly spun, suspenseful novel. “Faithful Place” is another very hard-to-put-down read, from an accomplished author.