gautamgopalk's reviews
46 reviews

The Overcoat and Other Short Stories by Nikolai Gogol

funny mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This book is an English translation of a collection of four short stories, written in the earlier part of the 19th century by famed Russian author (of Ukrainian origin) Nikolai Gogol. The author is considered a great satirist and has influenced many other famed literary giants. This book was difficult to get through and the stories which are examples of realist writing are incredibly hard to relate with. There is an element of fantasy or surrealism in the tales. For a story that is widely celebrated for its writing, The Overcoat seemed disappointing. Despite the satire, the caricatures, the descriptive narration and some very thought provoking passages, the supposedly classic short story didn't live up to its expectations.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

adventurous challenging lighthearted mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

4.0

Widely regarded as the best murder mystery by Agatha Christie and voted as the best crime novel ever by the British Crime Writers' Association in 2013, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is an astounding literary work featuring fictional detective Hercule Poirot. This novel was serialised in 1925 and published in 1926. A gripping murder mystery that is simply spectacularly written, makes it hard to not read this in one sitting.  The reader will want to reread this novel after the final reveal is made as a second reading will be immensely enjoyable in a different way.

In a genre, where the author reigns supreme, she has dazzled the audience with the setting, the characters, the language, the dialogues, the pace, the mystery and the ever important twist that one hopes for in a mystery novel. It feels impossible to find fault with this masterpiece. This book can be considered as a spiritual successor to Anton Chekhov's 1884 novel The Shooting Party and readers who are interested in the framework used by Agatha Christie might want to see the nascent stages of it in Chekhov's only full-length novel.

The Blue Umbrella by Ruskin Bond

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The Blue Umbrella is a 1980 novel by Ruskin Bond, set in a little village at the foothills of the Himalayas. The plot is about a young village girl who gains possession of a blue umbrella and becomes the envy of everybody around. It is written in a charming fashion and shines a spotlight on the delightfully uplifting innocence in children. It is a simple book for kids that has a moral.

Birth of a Theorem: A Mathematical Adventure by Cédric Villani

informative lighthearted slow-paced

2.0

Written in French by world famous mathematician, Cédric Villani, and translated to English with additional corrections and clarification, Birth of a Theorem: A Mathematical Adventure is a haphazard collection of thoughts about the author's mathematical journey to winning the Fields medal. This book was published a few years after the author received the Fields medal in 2010. The main issue with the book seems to be the intended audience. It tries to appeal to a wide range of people and seems to spectacularly miss almost everyone.

There are some nice illustrations of mathematicians and some passages in the book shed a light on the daily workings of an acclaimed mathematician. There are whole sections of email correspondences and mathematical theorems which are terse and pointless as far as the story telling goes. It doesn't feel like an enjoyable read.

How to Stop Worrying & Start Living by Dale Carnegie

informative reflective fast-paced

2.0

How to stop worrying and start living by American writer Dale Carnegie, published in the 1940s, is an outdated self-help book. The author worked on developing courses for self-improvement and the book seems to heavily draw from such an experience. The maxims presented are peddling of ideas from antiquity, merely repackaged with lots of anecdotes from people. Although easy to read with slight glimpses into some people's lives as they recount how they conquered worry in their own life, it is ultimately a quick and forgettable read.

The Door by Magda Szabó

emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Originally written by Hungarian writer Magda Szabó in 1987, and translated to English in 2005 by Len Rix, this is an outstanding novel featuring a Hungarian writer (perhaps inspired by the author herself) who serves as an observing narrator, and an old Hungarian woman who works as her housekeeper. The writing in The Door is enthralling as the author, in the guise of the narrator, slowly reveals the mysterious life of the secretive housekeeper. It is a compelling tale written in a remarkable manner. The story, which is set in 20th century Hungary, is about the relation between the two prominent characters although the narrator takes a back seat for most of the book and serves as the lens through whom the other character is viewed.

There is a good deal to ponder on as the narrative unfolds and the entirety of the book is filled with a lot of raw emotions. Although written like a long essay where the narrator is merely describing a set of events to the reader, the pacing and the gradual reveal of crucial tidbits from the housekeeper's life story is tantalizing. The title seems apt and the emotions conveyed through the writing has the potential to make the reader revisit this book more than once. 

The Shooting Party by Anton Chekhov

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The only full length novel by famed Russian writer, Anton Chekhov, is structured in an ingenious manner which is astoundingly brilliant. The Shooting Party is incredibly gripping and defies all norms that a modern reader will expect in a murder mystery. For starters, it is not the "murder" or the "mystery" that is gripping, but the story telling, the lifelike characters and an incredible presentation of events that hooks the reader to the book. The story centers around a handful of prominent characters who have fascinating relations with each other that ultimately centers around themes of love, romance and jealousy.

This book is a must read for fans of Anton Chekhov for his acclaimed writing, for fans of murder mysteries to discover a new style in a genre that is well understood today, and for fans of good stories in general to discover a powerfully addictive story. Published in a serial form in Russian in 1884 and translated to English in 2004 by Ronald Wilks, this translation is a delightful story that is easy to follow, cleverly construed and entertaining at it's core.

The Trial of Love by Mary Shelley

emotional lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

A short story by Mary Shelley, The Trial of Love is wonderfully written and has the powerful capability of making the reader emotional. Despite it being published a long time ago in 1835, it has a timeless feel because of the universal themes of love, family and kinship. The author packs a lots of emotion and doesn't leave any loose ends in this short and concise tale. Miscommunications that happen in life are brilliantly captured in this narrative and form the crux of the story.

The story follows a principled and pious woman in her early twenties, whose love is put to the test due to circumstances around her. The characters that appear are very well depicted and they feel life like. It is considered by many to be based on the love triangle between Shelley's husband, her half-sister and the author herself. Being easy to read and possessing depth for the mature reader to ponder on, makes this a must read short story.

Murder at the Happy Home for the Aged [May 01, 2018] Sharma, Bulbul by Bulbul Sharma

funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Murder at the Happy Home for the Aged by Bulbul Sharma is a simple fun read. Published in 2018, the story is set in Goa, and is about five old people staying in a home for the aged trying to solve a murder mystery that happens at their place of stay. The characters are interesting and the writing makes the reader invested in them. The setting is beautiful and the descriptions are vivid which makes the read very enjoyable. The language is lucid and there are no heavy or dark themes.

The writing towards the end gets boring and hard to stick with. The story seems to drag and yet the writing tends to also be rushed. Perhaps some of these issues could have been sorted if the story followed one character during the last act instead of abruptly jumping back and forth between various characters (and their actions). The murder mystery by itself is predictable with no twists. This book is enjoyable if read for the characters, the scenic setting, the wonderful descriptions of actions by characters which provides a slice of life feel and relatability. 

Back Home by Nupur Dave

emotional funny informative lighthearted reflective fast-paced

2.0

Published in 2020, Back Home by Nupur Dave is a quick read about various factors that pertains to Indians considering moving back to India after staying for a few years in the United States of America. It is a coherent organization of all the ideas that one entertains during diffuse thinking about such a move. The story telling throughout the book is engaging as it has anecdotes from people the author has presumably talked to.

The book feels a tad outdated within a few short years of publication and could possibly become irrelevant due to the evolving nature of the world at large. There are some grammatical mistakes, typographical errors, and profanity which could be distracting to some. The sentence constructions use general parlance (or colloquial language) which is annoying at places and contributes to the grammatical mistakes. This book is not deep and not particularly useful. Despite the issues with it, the author has done a good job of writing a book that is well organized and has written in simple English that is easy to read.