Book Vue

Rating: 4/5 Title: The Immortals of Meluha Author: Amish Tripathi Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Pages: 412 Publisher: Westland ISBN-13:  9789380658742                                                                                                                                                                                                               Hadn’t it been for the second intuitive glance at the summary behind the book, I wouldn’t have picked this one. But the summary had done its job. It had heightened my expectations and I was waiting to pore into the book and get lost in an adventurous and romantic tale. The Immortals of Meluha is the story of Shiva, a leader of the Guna tribe in Kailash Mansarovar in the Himalayas. When they are all invited to the land of Meluha, the centre of civilization, Shiva and his people are surprised at the lavish but precept livelihood led by the Meluhans. The Meluhans (also called the Suryavanshis) have bee

Rating: 3/5 Title:  The All Bengali Crime Detectives Author: Suparna Chatterjee Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Detective P ages: 180 Publisher: Rupa & Company ISBN-13:  9788129117823 I saw the cover of this book, read the summary and found it interesting enough to invest in it. I am truly happy that I did. This is the author’s first book and the story goes like this. A theft takes place in a neighborhood in Calcutta. Four retired people, including an ex-high court judge, investigate the crime. How the crime is solved makes the rest of the story. But is also has loads of description about the neighborhood and the people of the city. Giving readers glimpses of the Bengali way of life, the book breezes through the story. The author being born and brought up in Calcutta succeeds in portraying an appealing and interesting picture about the spirit of the city. The crime takes place during “Durga Pujo” which gives the author the opportunity to explain the traditio

Rating: 3.5/5 Title:  The Rozabel Line Author: Ashwin Sanghi Genre: Fiction, Suspense, Thriller Pages: 346 Publisher: Westland ISBN-13 :  9789381626825 This is Ashwin Sanghi’s first book. It was first published in 2007 under the pseudonym Shawn Haigins which is in fact an anagram of the author’s name itself. Due to its bestseller status for a long time, it was revised and published under the author’s original name in 2008 and 2010. The story is about the Rozabel Line or rather the expedition of finding it. It exists in Kashmir, India and is supposedly Jesus’ tomb. A line in the summary behind the book says, “Spanning between centuries and continents” and is quite true to its meaning. I’m not getting down to details on purpose for this book because I believe the pleasure lies in digging them out on your own! The story begins in London where a professor’s severed head is found in a box inside a library. As a result, the journey begins to find not only

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 his son will n

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. But whe

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 best frie

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 ancient source

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 this

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 this one

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.

Rating: 4/5 Title:  Paths of Glory Author: Jeffrey Archer Genre: Fiction, Suspense, Thriller Pages: 400 Publisher: Pan Books IS BN-13:  9780330511667 Paths of Glory is an interpretation of the life of George Mallory. This book claims that Mallory realized his lifelong dream of conquering Mount Everest 29 years before Sir Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norgay achieved their feat. The topic has always remained a controversy since 1924 when Mallory and his fellow Andrew Irvine attempted to reach the summit of Mt. Everest but never returned alive. They were last seen by Noel Odell (another mountaineer climbing behind them) when they were around 1000 meters below the peak of the mountain before disappearing into an extreme storm heading their way. Whether they actually reached the top or not, continues to remain a mystery till date. It was not until 1999, when Irvine’s and Mallory’s frozen bodies were found that the debate fired up again. Efforts are still u

Rating: 5/5 Title:  And Then There Were None Author: Agatha Christie Genre: Fiction, Mystery Pages: 316 Publisher: Harper Collins ISBN-13:  9780007282319 Although I enjoy reading Agatha Christie’s novels over and over again, there are a few books that fascinate me every time I read them. One of them (and my all time favorite, too!) is this particular book. From an exceptionally thought out plot to an array of interesting characters and a totally unexpected climax, it has the perfect ingredients for an even perfect story. Twelve people are invited to a lonely island to spend a few days in a house supposedly owned by the host. Upon arriving, they realize that they have all been tricked. Inside the house they hear a voice accusing each person with an offense they had committed earlier in their lives. The story continues with everyone getting mysteriously killed, one by one until there are none. Who is the mastermind behind these murders and what the

Rating: 3/5 Title:  Cat O'Nine Tales Author: Jeffrey Archer Genre: Fiction Pages: 255 Publisher: India Book Distributors ISBN-13 :  9780330449625 Cat O’Nine Tales is another set of twelve interesting short stories by Jeffery Archer. As with his previous short story collections, this book too has a few stories he picked up during his prison days. Some good ones include ‘Don’t drink the water’, ‘Maestro’, ‘The Alibi’ and ‘In the eye of the Beholder’. It is a good read although I found a couple of them too lengthy for a ‘short’ story collection. Nevertheless, Archer gives us an engaging set of stories once again.

Rating: 4/5 Title:  Jonathan Livingston Seagull - A Story Author: Richard Bach Genre: Fiction, Literary Pages: 96 Publisher: Harper Collins ISBN-13:  9788172235789 The book is about Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a unique seagull, which aspires to learn more about flying than just to catch food. It is an inspirational story and the author uses flight as a metaphor to explain how the very purpose of life is lost in the everyday fight for food and survival. The story is about a seemingly unattainable ambition and how it is achieved, in spite of oppositions, just by keeping faith in oneself. It is a short and nice read (might fire up your goals and dreams). Some lines in the book made me pause and reflect upon them. One of them being “Look with your understanding, find out what you already know, and you’ll see the way to fly” and another one - “Overcome space, and all we have left is Here. Overcome time, and all we have left is Now.” My take - everyone

Buy from Amazon.in Title:  2 States - The Story of my Marriage Author: Chetan Bhagat Genre: Fiction Pages: 268 Publisher: Rupa & Co. IS BN-13:  9788129115300 Rating: 4/5 The fourth book by Chetan Bhagat,  2 States  is about two people who fall in love and their struggle to get married due to the cultural differences. The book showcases, in a light humored way, the resistance to an inter caste marriage in India, even today. The story begins with Krish, a Punjabi boy and Ananya, a Tamil Brahmin girl, meeting and falling in love at the IIM-A campus. Both of them choose to get married with their parent's consent. Thus begins the herculean task of convincing the parents. Krish and Ananya take turns in winning over each other’s families. Ananya’s family has been described as the typical stringent south Indian one, as a result of which the trouble Krish goes through to woo her stubborn parents. On the other hand, Ananya comes face to face with Krish’s