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monitaroymohan's reviews
1093 reviews
The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
4.0
A stunning character study by the great author Graham Greene.
Bendrix is our protagonist, a writer of some success and he tells us this story. It's a wistful retelling of the events of an affair - a beautiful, but elusive affair with Sarah Miles.
Complicated Sarah is seen through his eyes, and later revealed to us through her journal and some letters. What a happy life they could have led, had Sarah not already been married. Henry, her husband, is looked upon with mere disdain by Bendrix. He's such an uninteresting character to him, but Sarah refuses to leave him.
The entire book is a roller-coaster ride of emotions as the two lovers sneak in moments of passion in between their duties to the outside world. Tie that in with their own complex feelings for each other. There's love, but there's jealousy as well.
Set against the backdrop of the War, this is an atmospheric and touching tale. We do not always root for any of the characters, because they are imperfect human beings.
Brilliant writing with tense and realistic scenes, this book is one that must be on everyone's must-read lists.
Bendrix is our protagonist, a writer of some success and he tells us this story. It's a wistful retelling of the events of an affair - a beautiful, but elusive affair with Sarah Miles.
Complicated Sarah is seen through his eyes, and later revealed to us through her journal and some letters. What a happy life they could have led, had Sarah not already been married. Henry, her husband, is looked upon with mere disdain by Bendrix. He's such an uninteresting character to him, but Sarah refuses to leave him.
The entire book is a roller-coaster ride of emotions as the two lovers sneak in moments of passion in between their duties to the outside world. Tie that in with their own complex feelings for each other. There's love, but there's jealousy as well.
Set against the backdrop of the War, this is an atmospheric and touching tale. We do not always root for any of the characters, because they are imperfect human beings.
Brilliant writing with tense and realistic scenes, this book is one that must be on everyone's must-read lists.
Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb
4.0
I didn't know what to expect when I picked up this book, but what I got was a thrilling read and a concise, precise plot for a story.
It's Halloween in Gotham City and the crime rates continue to escalate. Bruce Wayne is given an offer that he must refuse, but that will be the least of his worries as a series of killings will soon take over the Gotham Knight's time.
With his allies Captain Jim Gordon and DA Harvey Dent, Batman races against the clock to find the mysterious killer 'Holiday', who strikes only once every month on a holiday. Why? The trio have no clue. Possibilities abound as they tick off a list of suspects, including each other.
Added to this are the inner workings of the crime families of Gotham - Falcone and Maroni, the troubled family lives of Gordon and Dent, as well as Bruce Wayne's own demons, and you've got yourself a riveting read.
What a book! More graphic novels should be written like this. Granted, this book doesn't pass the Bechdel Test, but if they had included interesting female characters with their own arcs, I would probably give this book five stars.
I wasn't a fan of the art. I like my characters drawn in a more detailed fashion. Didn't like that Gilda Dent, Harvey's wife, is drawn as a twelve-year-old. Also, and I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but the illustration of Catwoman (not so much Selina Kyle) was utterly atrocious. I have yet to come across a normal and realistic drawing of Catwoman. Poor thing, I feel for her back.
The colouring was astounding - little daubs of colour thrown in for effect in several of the panels went a long way to set the tone of the narrative.
The pace, the story, the intrigue, the politics, the plot, the characters, there's just so much to love about this book by Jeph Loeb. For a Batfan, this one is not to be missed.
It's Halloween in Gotham City and the crime rates continue to escalate. Bruce Wayne is given an offer that he must refuse, but that will be the least of his worries as a series of killings will soon take over the Gotham Knight's time.
With his allies Captain Jim Gordon and DA Harvey Dent, Batman races against the clock to find the mysterious killer 'Holiday', who strikes only once every month on a holiday. Why? The trio have no clue. Possibilities abound as they tick off a list of suspects, including each other.
Added to this are the inner workings of the crime families of Gotham - Falcone and Maroni, the troubled family lives of Gordon and Dent, as well as Bruce Wayne's own demons, and you've got yourself a riveting read.
What a book! More graphic novels should be written like this. Granted, this book doesn't pass the Bechdel Test, but if they had included interesting female characters with their own arcs, I would probably give this book five stars.
I wasn't a fan of the art. I like my characters drawn in a more detailed fashion. Didn't like that Gilda Dent, Harvey's wife, is drawn as a twelve-year-old. Also, and I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but the illustration of Catwoman (not so much Selina Kyle) was utterly atrocious. I have yet to come across a normal and realistic drawing of Catwoman. Poor thing, I feel for her back.
The colouring was astounding - little daubs of colour thrown in for effect in several of the panels went a long way to set the tone of the narrative.
The pace, the story, the intrigue, the politics, the plot, the characters, there's just so much to love about this book by Jeph Loeb. For a Batfan, this one is not to be missed.
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
5.0
This book, an edited version of Adichie's Tedx talk, is poignant l, relevant and practical. By interweaving personal anecdotes with global issues, the author points out the importance and need for feminism in today's society to combat the various instances of overt and covert discrimination and sexism. The innumerable slights and injustices that occur on a regular basis and continue to hold half the population of the planet back, are precisely the reason we should all be feminists.
This book is a must-read for anyone wishing to open their eyes (or wishing to drive home a point to the obtuse out there) to the everyday struggles of women.
This book is a must-read for anyone wishing to open their eyes (or wishing to drive home a point to the obtuse out there) to the everyday struggles of women.
The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett
3.0
I give this one three stars for the effort. But, considering what a unique concept this is, it's a shame it wasn't better written and more evolved.
The book follows the love story of Jim and Eva. The story begins in Cambridge, October 1958. The incidents of this day fork into three possible outcomes for these two characters. Over the three versions of Jim and Eva's lives, we see their successes, failures, their loves, their children, their losses.
It's seems a pity to take this tripartite structure and make it into a romantic drama. Sci-fi and comic book fans are aware of the many uses of alternate versions and endings. In this one, we just we the different ways in which the two characters seem to make the same bad decisions.
Jim is an unlikable hero. He's authentic, in that he has a lot of flaws. He's well fleshed out - he's an artist, and views the world in that fashion. However, he has zero judgement skills, constantly unable to get to know people properly before jumping into a relationship with them. And every time he's awfully surprised that the people are different than what he expected. Uh, it would make sense if you had a few more meetings with them before ringing the wedding bells. He also loves wallowing in self-pity.
Eva is ridiculously passive. Everything happens to her, she doesn't do anything. She succeeds in one version as an author and writer, but we don't see how. We never see her motivation or her view of the world. Where Jim wistfully thinks of painting what he's looking at and admiring others' brush strokes, etc. Eva is never given the chance to fall in love with words or to philosophise for an upcoming article. Being a woman writer I just don't get why it is so hard to flesh out and bring life into your female protagonist. Why are they so reactive? Eva is perfect and flawless, to whom bad things just keep happening. Sorry, not sorry at all.
While there are patches of purple prose, most of the writing is stilted and cliched. It also comes across as pedantic (my new favourite word of the month). The greatest sin of this novel is the overuse of parenthesis. Even when disguised as dashes, it is atrocious. Meandering asides in between the beginning and end of sentence meant I had to re-reading the sentences just to make sense of them.
I know a few people who absolutely loved this book, but I couldn't get into it at all. It's also recommended to read large chunks of it at one go, though that's probably going to be impossible for the majority of the readers. I read it in snatches, usually during lunch hour or just before going to sleep. That meant I was completely lost as to which version I was in reading, and what events precisely preceded this one. Not a comfortable.
For a first-time novelist, it is no doubt an ambitious project. Considering how well it's been received, I am but a minor dissenter. Definitely worth a read.
The book follows the love story of Jim and Eva. The story begins in Cambridge, October 1958. The incidents of this day fork into three possible outcomes for these two characters. Over the three versions of Jim and Eva's lives, we see their successes, failures, their loves, their children, their losses.
It's seems a pity to take this tripartite structure and make it into a romantic drama. Sci-fi and comic book fans are aware of the many uses of alternate versions and endings. In this one, we just we the different ways in which the two characters seem to make the same bad decisions.
Jim is an unlikable hero. He's authentic, in that he has a lot of flaws. He's well fleshed out - he's an artist, and views the world in that fashion. However, he has zero judgement skills, constantly unable to get to know people properly before jumping into a relationship with them. And every time he's awfully surprised that the people are different than what he expected. Uh, it would make sense if you had a few more meetings with them before ringing the wedding bells. He also loves wallowing in self-pity.
Eva is ridiculously passive. Everything happens to her, she doesn't do anything. She succeeds in one version as an author and writer, but we don't see how. We never see her motivation or her view of the world. Where Jim wistfully thinks of painting what he's looking at and admiring others' brush strokes, etc. Eva is never given the chance to fall in love with words or to philosophise for an upcoming article. Being a woman writer I just don't get why it is so hard to flesh out and bring life into your female protagonist. Why are they so reactive? Eva is perfect and flawless, to whom bad things just keep happening. Sorry, not sorry at all.
While there are patches of purple prose, most of the writing is stilted and cliched. It also comes across as pedantic (my new favourite word of the month). The greatest sin of this novel is the overuse of parenthesis. Even when disguised as dashes, it is atrocious. Meandering asides in between the beginning and end of sentence meant I had to re-reading the sentences just to make sense of them.
I know a few people who absolutely loved this book, but I couldn't get into it at all. It's also recommended to read large chunks of it at one go, though that's probably going to be impossible for the majority of the readers. I read it in snatches, usually during lunch hour or just before going to sleep. That meant I was completely lost as to which version I was in reading, and what events precisely preceded this one. Not a comfortable.
For a first-time novelist, it is no doubt an ambitious project. Considering how well it's been received, I am but a minor dissenter. Definitely worth a read.
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
4.0
This one took me by surprise. I enjoyed it and it's attempts at subverting the norm with a capable and brave young female character. She's more help than hindrance, which is rare.
It was a rollicking adventure based on a rather bizarre concept, but it works. I'm gutted I haven't got my hands on the other books. I'd like to see where it all ends up.
It was a rollicking adventure based on a rather bizarre concept, but it works. I'm gutted I haven't got my hands on the other books. I'd like to see where it all ends up.
Circling the Sun by Paula McLain
2.0
Terrible, terrible, terrible. Picked this one up for work purposes and hate-read every single word.
It's obvious the author is passionate about this character, but she doesn't do Beryl or the book any justice at all. She has milestones to reach, and they're plonked into the book sometimes with no significance before or after the incident.
McLain specifically chose to focus on the doomed love triangle that Beryl was caught up in, when, in fact, the more fascinating aspects of her were her determination to become a horse-trainer and later an aviator. Denys, the cause of the triangle, introduced her to flying. Yet, that part is skimmed over and the flight lessons are barely touched on.
The fact that this book is poorly written is evident from the prologue itself. The prologue is about Beryl's record-breaking solo Atlantic flight. The epilogue is about the same as well. But what is the entire book about? Horse-racing and bad relationships. The flying, which is what she's best known for, is mentioned in passing only at the end of the book. That aspect is barely fleshed out.
Also, I didn't like that the author elects to write that Beryl 'had been told' that the engines will hold. 'Had been told'? Seriously? We must assume that Beryl just got into a plane and flew it with no knowledge whatsoever of how the machine worked?
Perhaps Beryl alluded to that fact in her own book West in the Night, but it prickled when I read it, because it just made her a passive character.
And that pretty much was the refrain of the book as well. Beryl was passive for the major decisions in her life - being handed select choices and always selecting poorly.
She's not completely passive though, there are moments when she takes control of things, but she ends up being persecuted every time. This seems apt, given the era, and the era's view on women's behaviour and abilities. But the book doesn't allow you to feel enraged at people's betrayal of Beryl, it just makes you angry that she didn't have more sense.
The author said that she wanted to discover what made Beryl the independent woman she is known as, but it feels like part way through the book she abandons this quest. While young Beryl is hunting with the Kipsigis and aiming to be a warrior, teenaged and adult Beryl is just woeful over her lot in her life. There seems to have been a misreading of the character here by the author, because the arc doesn't flow well enough in the book to make sense.
The author also elects to focus only on Beryl and those of the colonial British society in Kenya. She doesn't delve into the backdrop or the effect the colonials have on the local residents. Beryl may have lived in a bubble, but that does not necessitate that the book must as well. Not including any commentary on the state of living in Kenya in the '20s detracts from the authentic feel of the book.
I read a proof copy, so I won't delve deep into the errors, but the book was rife with 'telling' not 'showing'. We never felt the power of the horses; we were just told it.
There were also way too many characters. A host of people play a significant part in a person's life despite not being in it for very long, but that does not lend itself well to a story. Beryl's mother shows up for one chapter. Her sponsor Frank and his bohemian buddies turn up in a couple. One person, Tom, who taught her how to fly, is barely mentioned, while her first husband, Jock, is never fleshed out - he's a plot line left hanging. The author had no concept of stream-lining the story.
This book could and should have been a look into Beryl's pioneering efforts and should have made us all want to become either horse-trainers or aviators, but no, the author delves into the juicy gossip instead, attempting to make a flawed character a paragon of virtue instead.
Had the author accepted Beryl's flaws and just run with it, we would have had a more exciting book. No one is past regret, but one can still own their mistakes.
The lack of focus detracted from the book. I would never have picked up a book like this, and only read the full thing because I had to. It is disappointing to come across such a unique character and then spend 400 pages reading about her bad relationships. What a wasted opportunity.
It's obvious the author is passionate about this character, but she doesn't do Beryl or the book any justice at all. She has milestones to reach, and they're plonked into the book sometimes with no significance before or after the incident.
McLain specifically chose to focus on the doomed love triangle that Beryl was caught up in, when, in fact, the more fascinating aspects of her were her determination to become a horse-trainer and later an aviator. Denys, the cause of the triangle, introduced her to flying. Yet, that part is skimmed over and the flight lessons are barely touched on.
The fact that this book is poorly written is evident from the prologue itself. The prologue is about Beryl's record-breaking solo Atlantic flight. The epilogue is about the same as well. But what is the entire book about? Horse-racing and bad relationships. The flying, which is what she's best known for, is mentioned in passing only at the end of the book. That aspect is barely fleshed out.
Also, I didn't like that the author elects to write that Beryl 'had been told' that the engines will hold. 'Had been told'? Seriously? We must assume that Beryl just got into a plane and flew it with no knowledge whatsoever of how the machine worked?
Perhaps Beryl alluded to that fact in her own book West in the Night, but it prickled when I read it, because it just made her a passive character.
And that pretty much was the refrain of the book as well. Beryl was passive for the major decisions in her life - being handed select choices and always selecting poorly.
She's not completely passive though, there are moments when she takes control of things, but she ends up being persecuted every time. This seems apt, given the era, and the era's view on women's behaviour and abilities. But the book doesn't allow you to feel enraged at people's betrayal of Beryl, it just makes you angry that she didn't have more sense.
The author said that she wanted to discover what made Beryl the independent woman she is known as, but it feels like part way through the book she abandons this quest. While young Beryl is hunting with the Kipsigis and aiming to be a warrior, teenaged and adult Beryl is just woeful over her lot in her life. There seems to have been a misreading of the character here by the author, because the arc doesn't flow well enough in the book to make sense.
The author also elects to focus only on Beryl and those of the colonial British society in Kenya. She doesn't delve into the backdrop or the effect the colonials have on the local residents. Beryl may have lived in a bubble, but that does not necessitate that the book must as well. Not including any commentary on the state of living in Kenya in the '20s detracts from the authentic feel of the book.
I read a proof copy, so I won't delve deep into the errors, but the book was rife with 'telling' not 'showing'. We never felt the power of the horses; we were just told it.
There were also way too many characters. A host of people play a significant part in a person's life despite not being in it for very long, but that does not lend itself well to a story. Beryl's mother shows up for one chapter. Her sponsor Frank and his bohemian buddies turn up in a couple. One person, Tom, who taught her how to fly, is barely mentioned, while her first husband, Jock, is never fleshed out - he's a plot line left hanging. The author had no concept of stream-lining the story.
This book could and should have been a look into Beryl's pioneering efforts and should have made us all want to become either horse-trainers or aviators, but no, the author delves into the juicy gossip instead, attempting to make a flawed character a paragon of virtue instead.
Had the author accepted Beryl's flaws and just run with it, we would have had a more exciting book. No one is past regret, but one can still own their mistakes.
The lack of focus detracted from the book. I would never have picked up a book like this, and only read the full thing because I had to. It is disappointing to come across such a unique character and then spend 400 pages reading about her bad relationships. What a wasted opportunity.
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
2.0
I'd read about how poor this book was and what it had done to the character of Atticus Finch. He is beloved by all for his outstanding determination to side with justice.
But this book isn't just terrible for making up some hokey reason for Atticus to mingle with the KKK; it is downright awful because it is meandering and clueless.
Awful flashbacks to Scout's childhood are painted as significant but never are. They are also irrelevant to preceding and succeeding scenes.
Scout herself is written as a mature grown woman, gravely affected by the about-turn her father has seemingly taken on race relations. I like the fact that she doesn't conform to the norm and doesn't get bogged down by that fact even at the end of the book. You just don't come across enough independently-minded female characters in any media even today, so she is often refreshing.
Even then, the majority of the beginning chapters deal with whether or not she will marry Henry or someone else. Scout's too unique to be shoehorned in to that kind of storyline.
Much excitement surrounded the release of this sequel, but it has been incredibly disappointing for the most part.
One wonders if Harper Lee was sure about what she wanted to present and what the editors' intentions were.
I think fans of the original deserved better character development, compact writing and clearer motivations.
But this book isn't just terrible for making up some hokey reason for Atticus to mingle with the KKK; it is downright awful because it is meandering and clueless.
Awful flashbacks to Scout's childhood are painted as significant but never are. They are also irrelevant to preceding and succeeding scenes.
Scout herself is written as a mature grown woman, gravely affected by the about-turn her father has seemingly taken on race relations. I like the fact that she doesn't conform to the norm and doesn't get bogged down by that fact even at the end of the book. You just don't come across enough independently-minded female characters in any media even today, so she is often refreshing.
Even then, the majority of the beginning chapters deal with whether or not she will marry Henry or someone else. Scout's too unique to be shoehorned in to that kind of storyline.
Much excitement surrounded the release of this sequel, but it has been incredibly disappointing for the most part.
One wonders if Harper Lee was sure about what she wanted to present and what the editors' intentions were.
I think fans of the original deserved better character development, compact writing and clearer motivations.