Book Vue

Rating: 4/5 Title:  Dollar Bahu Author: Sudha Murthy Genre: Fiction Pages: 142 Publisher: Penguin India ISB N-13:  9780143103769 I had always wanted to read Sudha Murthy’s books but whenever I walk into a book store the aura of a glamorous looking mystery/detective novel always gets the better of me (even today!). But a deliberate attempt to grab this copy had me enjoying a pleasant ride from India to America and now I can’t stop raving about it! Dollar Bahu begins with Chandru, an engineer, leaving Bangalore- his hometown- for Dharwad where he is sent on official duty. He stays as a paying guest and falls in love with Vinuta, the niece of his landlord. When he is sent to America on deputation, he reluctantly leaves Dharwad unsure if Vinuta has the same feelings for him. But going to America was a priority for Chandru as he and his mother, Gowramma, always wanted to visit the “Dollar” country.  Gowramma is thrilled and is rather pompous as ...

Rating: 2/5 Title:  Love Was Never Mine Author: Kunal Bharadwaj Genre: Fiction, Romance Pages: 144 Publisher: Cedar Books ISB N-13:  9788122311846 For a change, I decided to buy this book. The summary at the back looked interesting enough and moreover, Indian writings are always easier to relate to. So I thought to give it a try. This book is about Rahul and his first (and last) love, Shreya. Rahul joins his dream company where he meets Shreya and instantly falls in love with her. Rahul firmly believes in the phrase”If you want something wholeheartedly, the universe conspires to bring it to you“. Keeping his faith in the Universe, he tries to impress and help Shreya in any way possible just to steer her attention towards him. He gets dejected by even the slightest disinterest from Shreya and pours it out on Riya and Hari, his colleagues. Shreya, unaware of his feelings for her, hurts him unintentionally until Rahul decides to express it all to her...

Rating: 4/5 Title:  Only Time Will Tell Author: Jeffrey Archer Genre: Fiction, Historical Pages: 388 Publisher: Pan Macmillan India ISBN-13:  9780330535670 This book reminds me why I can never get enough of Archer’s ingenuity. Archer, as is known, is an excellent storyteller and after this book all I have to say is, there can be no one like him. ‘Only Time Will Tell’ is the first volume of the “The Clifton Chronicles” series. Harry Clifton is a child who, despite his poor financial condition, manages to attend the best schools due to his extraordinary singing talent and his mother’s hard work. People around him help from time to time with either money or advice and teach him how to handle life’s ups and downs which shapes him for his future. Like Old Jack Tar, a loner, who is particularly fond of Harry. Maisie Clifton, Harry’s mother, is a doting and hard working mom who determinately works many jobs to afford her son’s education. He meets his ...

Rating: 2/5 Title:  The Lost Symbol Author: Dan Brown Genre: Fiction, Mystery Pages: 608 Publisher: Random House ISBN-13:  9780552161237 The Lost Symbol is another thrilling chase for ancient secrets and unearthing startling facts on its way. Robert Langdon, the Harvard symbologist who helped solve mysteries in “Angels and Demons” and “Da Vinci Code”, stars yet again in this exciting expedition. Robert Langdon is invited to give a lecture at the Capitol in Washington D.C by his mentor, Dr. Peter Solomon, who heads the Smithsonian Institute. Upon arriving at the Capitol, Robert realizes that the invitation was sent by Dr. Solomon’s kidnapper and that his mentor is in grave danger. What follows is the journey to not only find Peter Solomon but also uncover mysteries that, until this time, Robert thought to be a myth. The story revolves around the Freemasonary group and a hidden pyramid which apparently is a map that points to the exact location of an ancie...

Rating: 4/5 Title:  Chanakya's Chant Author: Ashwin Sanghi Genre: Fiction, Historical Pages: 448 Publisher: Westland ISBN-13:  9789381626818 The title of the book indicated that it had something to do with Chanakya and that was tempting enough to buy the book. But the antique bronze look to the cover made it even more attractive and I quickly grabbed a copy knowing that it will be fun going through this one. The book has two stories running parallel; one about Chanakya and how he manages to crown Chandragupta the king of Magadha. The other is about Pandit Gangasagar Mishra, a modern day Chanakya, who succeeds in manipulating the government for his own purpose. The book begins with the year 340 BC when a young Vishnugupta, later known to the world as Chanakya, is shattered as his father is assassinated by the king of Magadha. He vows to take revenge as he flees from the city for the fear of being murdered himself. As Chanakya grows up to be ...

Rating: 4.5/5 Title:  Cat Among the Pigeons Author: Agatha Christie Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Detective Pages: 352 Publisher: Harper Collins ISB N-13:  9780007299744 This book comes as a surprise to the regular readers of Agatha Christie. There are many new elements that the author has brought in with this book. For example, there are plenty of different characters in this story apart from the usual butlers and servants. The story travels through different locations in bits and pieces and with that new characters are introduced. But the beauty of it all is how these bits and pieces finally come together and form the story. As I said earlier, this book has a fresh outlook unlike a normal Agatha Christie novel. The story is about the journey of a handful of foreign jewels and the people involved and killed in the search of the same. Of course with Hercule Poirot’s inclusion, the story becomes even more interesting! I really enjoyed reading ...

Rating: 3/5 Title:  And Thereby Hangs a Tale Author: Jeffrey Archer Genre: Fiction Pages: 273 Publisher: Pan Books IS BN-13:  9780330453141 An excellent collection of fifteen short stories by Jeffrey Archer. Again, some of them are inspired by true incidents. But this time, the stories are a step more interesting and refreshing maybe because they are from various parts of the world. There is one based in India too. Some of my favorite stories are ‘The Queen’s Birthday Telegram’, ‘High Heels' and 'Members Only'. While a couple of stories are predictable, the greater part of the book is definitely worth a read. Last word – my favorite short story collection by Archer.