Neeraj Chavan
I have a new found admiration for Irish writers and this year has been the year where I have read a lot of Irish literature. And Barry Sebastian managed to impress me with his beautiful prose and style of writing. Reading this book has been a journey into historical Ireland and I loved every bit of it.
The story takes place in a mental asylum in Roscommon and the narration keeps switching between two main characters. Roseanne, an almost centenarian woman who's been lodged in the asylum for nearly her entire life, reflects upon her past and starts jotting it down on paper.
Meanwhile, the other narrator is, Dr. Green, the psychiatrist who looks after the asylum patients and is now trying to assess the inmates as the asylum is due for demolition and about to be shifted to a new place.
Barry's writing flows like a honeytrap which pulls you in and then hits you in the gut towards the end. It's a tragic story of loss, grief and how we humans have no control over our fate and destiny. The story of endurance and resilience in the face of tragedy and its lasting impact on the human soul. Of how truth is eventually a mere story that we tell ourselves to go on living in this world!
A brilliant read! 4.75 out of 5. I would love to explore more of Sebastian Barry's works!
This is one of those books that is bound to stay with you in that little corner of your heart, ages after you have finished reading it. A beautiful coming of age story of a woman who has been through some unexpectedly dangerous incidents in the past and has survived to be a rather responsible adult. Well, as per what the society expects of responsible adults. Except for one thing, she has never got around to exploring what it means to be an emotionally intelligent adult.
She is an extremely awkward character who is discombobulated in social settings one can even say an unlikable misfit who doesn't even try in the slightest to fit in. On top of that, she's judgemental to her very core and often comes across as rude and mean with her words. Although, I enjoyed her internal monologue throughout, which is funny and makes it a hilarious read.
The whole story is divided into three parts, the good, the bad and the better. I loved how the book explores the theme of loneliness in adulthood and its devastating consequences on our mental health. The story also sheds light on how important it is to come to grips with our past and how crucial it is to learn to forgive ourselves and make peace in the present.
Eleanor Oliphant highlights those parts of us which we may have maybe hidden away in the crevices of our hearts, never to be bothered again. The message the book tries to impart is one of hope and how it's very important to talk and share our heart out from time to time with the people who care about us and our loved ones. And that it's never too late to start doing that. The conclusion when Eleanor comes to realise that how everyone is going through something or may have been through something and it's imperative to be kind to people. It's a long way for her and damn difficult but good to see her walking down that path of growth, towards the end of the book.
A beautiful read! I'd give this one 4.75 out of 5. Deducting 0.25 stars for how the writer has shown Eleanor being mean to people at times, with her words. That something I think could have been toned down a bit. Overall, it's an amazing read!💯
This one was a fun light-hearted read. Filled with lots of typical young adult drama, peppered with some romance.
The story is about the lead girl who happens to be a chess prodigy but has stoped playing the game due to some traumatic background story relating to her Dad and her family.
The lead guy is this unbeaten world chess champion who is described as some hot shot celebrity genius, which reminds me somewhat of Magnus Carlsen. The story begins when somehow the protagonist enters an open chess tournament with reluctance and somehow ends up beating this lead guy. This makes the lead guy fall for her and keeps on trying to "play chess with her", throughout the novel.
The plot revolves around their everyday lives, their emotional back story, family dynamics, friendships and yes, chess. Mostly chess. I enjoyed reading this book as it reminded me of my college days when I was pursuing my master's and also pursuing the love of my life, who's now my wife. We used to play chess online during covid lockdown where I used to teach her how to play and eventually she ended up mastering it and started defeating me regularly. Fun times indeed!
It's a simple read with the language and narration catering to a young audience. The dialogue sounded teensy to me but that's alright as that's how young adult romance is I guess.
The book also highlights the gender gap in chess and lack of women representation and the issues they have had to face with casual sexism. That part was interestingly eye opening.
Would like to explore more of Ali Hazelwood's works. Maybe something that's more mature.
Overall, I'lll give this 3.5 out of 5.
A heartwarming read that's going to make you emotional and on the verge of tears as you reach towards the end of the book.
I stumbled upon this book on Libby, labelled under the cozy reads section. It's about an old guy who has recently lost his wife and is coming to terms with his life without her presence.
The story revolves around how the protagonist's children take care of him and try to watch over him in this period of grief and mourning. A few days later the old man is visited by a white dog which only he can see. What follows is a rather humourous tale of his family's reaction to it and them being concerned if he's going crazy.
It's a beautiful story with the theme of death and loss of a loved one. I enjoy books which have pet dogs or any other animals in them. The book portrays the beauty of having strong family relationships and the beauty of love.
The end of the book nearly got me to tears. Surely worth reading!
Ever read one of those books that make you wonder about your life and how you're living it? Well, this book manages to do that.
The story is about an old guy who upon receiving a letter from an old friend who's dying of Cancer, heads out to post a letter back to her but instead decides that he'll go and meet her. He abandons everything and just sets off on foot, walking nearly 700 miles, for 88 days straight to meet her one final time to wish her a proper goodbye.
The book is a journey into Harold Fry's life, while he takes this unlikely journey to meet his friend. The book reflects on many themes like relationships, friendships, parenting, life, love and loss.
The book is like Vodka. A bit slow paced in the beginning but halfway through you get pulled into Harold's walk and then out of nowhere the ending hits you like a brick. It's emotionally intense and bound to make you feel things. Especially if you have lost a loved one. Surely worth a read.
Well, this book took me by surprise. Going in, I didn't have a lot of expectations from it but I liked its premise. By the time I finished the book, I was hooked to it. Especially the last few chapters of the book were really good!
Based in town of Ballina, in Mayo, Ireland, the story revolves around a few characters and how their lives get intertwined. The story has everything, right from dealing drugs to kidnapping and robbery. The best part is that it doesn't feel exaggerated or unrealistic. The writing takes getting used to and it takes time to understand some of the local slangs. But Colin Barrett has done a very good job with narration and storytelling. That makes this book worth reading.
Wild Houses is indeed a wild novel and is bound to leave you pondering. A farily quick and short read. The Irish in me enjoyed reading this one!
This is the second book from Claire Keegan that I have read and I'm in awe with her writing style! Her writing evokes a strong sense of belonging and makes you live in the shoes of the characters. A fairly quick read but it packs a punch.
The story's based around Magdalene Laundries in Ireland and how the young girls and women were subject to exploitation by the Roman Catholic church. The story follows a protagonist who's a family man and finds himself in a quandary when he stumbles across one of the girls from the convent, who's being exploited. What follows is the moral dilemma the protagonist undergoes on whether to save this girl or to turn a blind eye and continue living his own life with his wife and five daughters.
Keegan's writing is powerful and thought provoking. It is bound to grip you in through its descriptive storytelling and narration. A masterpiece of literary fiction! 5 out of 5 for this one!
This is one short and sweet read! It has three chapters which consist of three beautiful stories. Each story will make you empathize with the characters and grip you in their little tale and the lives that they lived.
The premise of the book is that there's a photo studio, which acts sort of like a pit stop where people arrive after their death. The narrator of the book is the guy who runs this photo studio. Every time someone arrives there, carried by Yama, they have to choose a picture for every year of their life that they have lived and then these pictures are shown to them before they move on towards the afterlife.
The book explores the idea of death, afterlife and visiting the past through time travel. I think Japanese writers have mastered the art of magical realism! Sanaka Hiiragi has woven a magic of her own with this book and the stories within.
Definitely worth reading if you like books like What You're Looking For Is In The Library or Before the Coffee Gets Cold.
A tragically heartwarming read which is bound to make you feel all those strong emotions and bring out a lump in your throat!
John Boyne has written a brilliant story that spans nearly a century. Starting off in Dublin of 1945 and ending in Dublin of 2015, this is one beautiful tale of love, friendship and societal stigmas. It also explores Dublin, Amsterdam and New York during this period.
The book's protagonist narrates his story of growing up homosexual in an adoptive family. The story took me through streets of Dublin which made it even more fun to read as I'm living and have walked along these streets. The book sheds light on human emotions and what it means to be human and to accept oneself and others, with your whole heart, in a society that's trying its best to trap you into its ambiguity and depravity.
One strong character that stood out for me is Catherine Goggin, the mother of the narrator. I was hooked throughout the whole story and the end was satisfying indeed!
Surely worth reading! John Boyne writes is a great storyteller and I would love to explore his other works!
I remember Stephen King referring to this book as his breakthrough book which established him as a writer in his memoir;On Writing. That's when I decided I need to give it a read. It's a masterpiece!
A hotshot writer gets trapped in a psychotic woman's bedroom, who claims to be his "number one fan in the world". What follows on is a story of Annie Wilkis making the writer write for her and his failed attempts to escape the wrath of this woman's descent into psychotic madness. Initially when I read the premise, I had my doubts over the limited setting of the story. But King has managed to build out this book beautifully. It's action packed, thrilling and an absolute page turner!
Another one of King's novel which I have to give 5 out of 5.
This book is a beautiful magical experience! A web of stories within a main story; it grips you in right from the first paragraph. Magical realism at its finest!
The story is about a boy who stumbles upon a book which happens to be the only copy of that book and then gets pulled into its writer's life, who has now mysteriously disappeared and all his books are being burned out of existence by someone. Amidst the gothic architecture of Barcelona, the tale unfurls slowly and blooms into a majestic tree, where the characters branch out into enchanting stories of their own.
Reading Zafon reminded me somewhat of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. I absolutely loved the writing and how everything is eventually tied together in the end.
Probably one of the best mystery novels I have read! Would love to explore the other books in this series.
This one's very inspiring! Marie Curie is one iconic personality who'll always be remembered for paving the way for women in science. Her curiosity and love for knowledge and science, is empowering to all women out there. A feminist in the most unabashed sense, her life will continue to motivate everyone in the world of science and technology.
I enjoyed reading about her life and all the women whom she taught; who later on contributed generously to the furthering of science and humanity.
Surely worth reading!
A beautiful compendium of Hermann Hesse's selected best works! His epigrammatic poetry and paragraphs make it a must read for anyone who's trying to explore Hesse's literary genius!
“I have so much in me, and the feeling for her absorbs it all; I have so much, and without her it all comes to nothing.”
“I am proud of my heart alone, it is the sole source of everything, all our strength, happiness and misery. All the knowledge I possess everyone else can acquire, but my heart is all my own”
“The suffering may be moral or physical; and in my opinion it is just as absurd to call a man a coward who destroys himself, as to call a man a coward who dies of a malignant fever.”
I bow down in tears, to the sheer literary genius of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe! This is one of the most emotionally powerful books I've ever read. It's melancholic, harrowing and passionately dangerous. It almost broke me down to tears. A tale of young Werther who experiences the tragedy of unrequited love and eventually succumbs to the darkness within his soul. It's beautifully written! Hermann Hesse has always been my favourite author and he has stated it many times in his books about how Goethe inspired him. And indeed it seems so. The arduous desire and passion of youth and young Werther's unparalleled feeling of love and affection towards Lotte! I could totally see myself in Werther's place, except for the miserable end. The fact that the book was published in 1774 and still resonates with us, is enough to justify the timeless brilliance and genius of Goethe. This is probably the best book I've read this year. It's tragically sad yet wonderful!
This is the perfect tale for how excessive pride and ego bring about the downfall of an individual.
To start with, Wilde weaves this story about a haughty and proud rocket, who goes about boasting of his worth. But life has other plans in store for him. About how his vanity & narcissism reach a point where he can't even realize that he's already in a ditch and there's no coming out of it. I just love how Wilde can teach you so much in so little words. His wit is just unbeatable!
Surely a must-read!
A fascinating horror short story. Esoteric and dark. Typical Lovecraft. The story isn't that amazing but his peculiar way of describing the surroundings, makes it worth a read!
“Ah, on what little things does happiness depend! I have read all that the wise men have written, and all the secrets of philosophy are mine, yet for want of a red rose is my life made wretched.”
“Be happy, cried the Nightingale, be happy; you shall have your red rose. I will build it out of music by moonlight, and stain it with my own heart's-blood. All that I ask of you in return is that you will be a true lover, for Love is wiser than Philosophy, though she is wise, and mightier than Power, though he is mighty. Flame-coloured are his wings, and coloured like flame is his body. His lips are sweet as honey, and his breath is like frankincense.”
No one beats Oscar Wilde when it comes to romanticism and drama, with wit and cynicism!
This is one of those stories that show us the dark side of love and romance. About how materialistic love trumps over romantic love. About how reality is bitter than illusion. It explores the ideas of true love & sacrifice in a rather cynically heartfelt way. And the tale is so beautifully written that it's bound to move you!
Surely worth reading!
Colorful auras, balloon life strings, long-timers, short-timers and the deliriums of insomnia. It's one of those usual Stephen King horror flicks and by far the longest one that I've read (nearly took me a month). It's too long and at times you feel like the plot isn't going anywhere. But that's the thing about King. He takes it really slow and then surprises the readers when it matters the most. The story line seems a bit dull but King manages to pull it off in style with his rich imagery and brilliant narration style. The characters are developed pretty well. King here, breaks the stereotype of young and dashing protagonists by portraying Ralph Roberts as an old guy in his 60's and yet manages to charm the readers. I especially enjoyed the chemistry between Ralph and Louis. What I didn't like about this book is that it's too long and sometimes you feel like giving up on it. Also, I was disappointed by the antagonist ‘King Crimson'. He didn't live up to his hype and could have been better. Overall it's a good tale if you've some time to spend. It's not an easy read and patience is the only key here. I'm looking forward to reading the Dark Tower series after this!
This is Stephen King at his best. An enticing horror flick about this peculiar town called Desperation. Mind blowing narration and amazing storyline. Brilliant characters combined with a sinister plot. This is the first Stephen King book that I read and boy it's hit the bull's eye! A must read for horror fiction fans. King seems like H.P Lovecraft's prodigal protege! Absolute masterpiece!
A rather light-hearted book that gives you a sneak peek into the world of anarchy!
I received this book as a gift from my dear friend and it was a unique read.
Brian Heagney is cheerful and profound, all at the same time.
A very short book but a great one!
“But how is one to live, if one give everything away?”
“Each one of us has to save his own soul, and has to do God's work himself, but instead of that we busy ourselves saving other people and teaching them. And what do we teach them? We teach them now, at the end of the nineteenth century, that God created the world in six days, then caused a flood, and put all the animals in an ark, and all the rest of the horrors and nonsense of the Old Testament. And then that Christ ordered everyone to be baptized with water; and we make them believe in all the absurdity and meanness of an Atonement essential to salvation; and then that he rose up into the heavens which do not really exist, and there sat down at the right hand of the Father. We have got used to all this, but really it is dreadful! A child, fresh and ready to receive all that is good and true, asks us what the world is, and what its laws are; and we, instead of revealing to him the teaching of love and truth that has been given to us, carefully ram into his head all sorts of horrible absurdities and meannesses, ascribing them all to God.”
“We can't do without faith. Not, however, faith in what other people tell us, but faith in what we arrive at ourselves, by our own thought, our own reason ... faith in God, and in true and everlasting life.”
I happened to discover this play in my vast e-library of Tolstoy. To begin with, it's a tale of a guy called Nicholas Ivánovich who has read the gospels and has his own interpretations of it. About how he tries to follow his interpretations and behave accordingly, sacrificing his entire private property and living for the poor. And how it ruins his family and the people who love him. The play seems like an an allegorical take on religion, communism, capitalism, Christianity and even spirituality. The most interesting thing about this book is that it can be interpreted in so many ways! Like some people might end up sympathizing with Nicholas while some may detest him for his spiritual pride and balderdash. It's very beautifully written play which unfortunately Tolstoy couldn't finish off. I so want the Tolstoy to come back from the dead just to finish this off!
Overall, it's a wonderful book and a must-read for Tolstoy fans!
“Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself. Such is the first principle of existentialism.”
This is one heavily profound philosophical book. It starts off with Sartre dissecting the idea of what actually does existential philosophy is about. He wonderfully explains the nature of human behaviour from an existential point of view, exploring ideas like despair, anguish, freedom and God. Sartre's style of writing is simple but a bit tangential at times. Overall the book is a great read if you're interested into philosophy and existentialism.
A rather hastily written book by Hemingway. It's different than ususal Hemingway books. The story is light-hearted and feels incomplete. Overall, a quick read and a forgettable one too. Maybe I didn't get the context in which it was written. Didn't quite enjoy it.
Never have I read such a cynically biting satire on the idea of friendship, Friendship that is toxic and selfish in nature. Only Wilde has that wit to write in such style.
To start with, the story revolves around a poor gardener, Hans and his miserably selfish miller friend.
About how he just strips off everything from the gardener and manipulates him under the guise & promise of friendship and eventually ruins his life, without the poor gardener realizing it. It's a harrowing tale which shows us the other side of the coin. About how the idea of a friend is not the same in everyone's mind.
Wilde is not known to end his tales in an unhappy state but this one is an exception. I'm still annoyed by the character of the miller. The tale manages to take a subtle hit on various issues like capitalism and its evils.
Another brilliant tale by Wilde. Surely worth reading!
Another one of those horrifying short tales by Lovecraft. It's about how a hideously primordial and ancient mummy is discovered from deep depths of the earth and along with it is a cylindrical cased hieroglyph is also discovered. The story revolves around the strange and terrifying events that occur after the mummy is put on display in the museum. Occultists and supernatural enthusiasts from around the globe think that it's the mummy of mythical T'yog, who faced the Ghatanothoa, who was one of the gods of Yuggoth. What follows is one plot of vague events and deaths, which are accounted by the narrator in a rather spooky manner. Its writing style is typical Lovecraft. Hauntingly weird and esoteric. Quite a quick read though. Enjoyed it!