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spokensilence9's reviews
219 reviews
Jaipur Journals by Namita Gokhale
4.0
Whoever is into reading, will always wonder about how it is to be a writer? Because, someone we don't know, someone not from our era or generation, someone who's living timeline dated back to a century of behind of ours, yet that person somehow knew so much about how people will think after 100 years, and sometimes we meet ourselves in those characters that don't even belong to our generation. So not just me, but all the readers out there have wondered at least once about how it is to be a writer?
Namita ghokale’s recent work “jaipur journals” so elegantly touches this point, where the premise of this book is the famous jaipur literature festival. Where so many people who have an admiration and respect for written word are attended, and spend their time listening to the writers there who are speaking, trying to keep healthy discussions without compromising their own opinions. Few of such attendees form the plot of this book and One of them being Rudrani Rana, a potential writer, who is dealing with her own demons of loneliness and a haunting childhood, and a heart breaking love life. Rudrani Rana believes that as long as her work is unpublished, it cannot be rejected. The manuscript of her work is what she holds dear to herself now. The book traces the journey of rana letting go of her manuscript and the anxiety source of the fear of being misunderstood.
The universally ignored truth of a writer’s hunger to be heard and to be read is shown in a spectacular way, that one has to be bound by it and one has to think about the points that are expressed about a professional writer’s life. One such hungry writer is raju srivastava. Another attendee of jaipur literature festival who is focused on the book.
There are few more characters if incase would have been great if explored more in the book, but the book “jaipur journals” is worth everything of time and thoughts with an easy flow carrying a very sensitive and ignored message about the life of any writer while it lasts.
Definitely a book that I would go back and revisit and question myself, and wonder about some other questions if needed. What can I say, I find things which I haven't found in my first time reading, and i am very much hopeful about revisiting this book when i am confused about something important, or just in a minimal reading slump.
Did I mention that I am thinking of exploring the other works of namita ghokale?
Namita ghokale’s recent work “jaipur journals” so elegantly touches this point, where the premise of this book is the famous jaipur literature festival. Where so many people who have an admiration and respect for written word are attended, and spend their time listening to the writers there who are speaking, trying to keep healthy discussions without compromising their own opinions. Few of such attendees form the plot of this book and One of them being Rudrani Rana, a potential writer, who is dealing with her own demons of loneliness and a haunting childhood, and a heart breaking love life. Rudrani Rana believes that as long as her work is unpublished, it cannot be rejected. The manuscript of her work is what she holds dear to herself now. The book traces the journey of rana letting go of her manuscript and the anxiety source of the fear of being misunderstood.
The universally ignored truth of a writer’s hunger to be heard and to be read is shown in a spectacular way, that one has to be bound by it and one has to think about the points that are expressed about a professional writer’s life. One such hungry writer is raju srivastava. Another attendee of jaipur literature festival who is focused on the book.
There are few more characters if incase would have been great if explored more in the book, but the book “jaipur journals” is worth everything of time and thoughts with an easy flow carrying a very sensitive and ignored message about the life of any writer while it lasts.
Definitely a book that I would go back and revisit and question myself, and wonder about some other questions if needed. What can I say, I find things which I haven't found in my first time reading, and i am very much hopeful about revisiting this book when i am confused about something important, or just in a minimal reading slump.
Did I mention that I am thinking of exploring the other works of namita ghokale?
Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez
4.0
Rumours spread like wildfire, specially the rumours that involve one’s personal life. Then again, rumours that carry a certain amount of truth are ignored, just because they sound less exciting to the gossip hungry crowd.
Chronicles of a death foretold is one such story where a news, which could be the possible truth, is spread around the town and sees the end of a guy named santiago nasar. From the very beginning in this book we know there is going to be a murder, to which the girl angela vicario’s virginity is linked, and her statement about santiago being responsible for her not being a virgin infront of her brothers is what leads the events for the mentioned murder.
Another event from the plot worth mentioning is, the arrival of the bishop on the wedding day of Angela was hoped to be a big news, a big memory that will be cherished after years. On the contrary, what made impact on everyone’s memory is this murder by vicario brothers.
As the name suggests, “chronicles of a death foretold”, none of the events in the story are told in the exact chronology of when and how they happened. I dare say the title is misleading to an extent.
People who like to read non-linear narrative set in a fictional backdrop where one event leads to another event, and the questioning factor of “what if he hasn’t gone out that day?” and few other wondering questions of “what if”’ and “incase” linger in the minds of readers by the end.
Albeit the main question with what in mind we keep reading the book, if santiago was indeed guilty or not, is never answered. This short read comes with its own flaws and pros, one might feel weird, one might feel mindblown, one might feel anything, something. But it cannot be forgotten that easily.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez being one of my favorite authors, I suggest this book to the people who want to start reading him. Because, obvious reasons, if you read a work of author that wasn’t a popular one or the crowd favorite, you would actually give chance to that author’s works genuinely, right from the bottom of your heart.
Some facts:-
Marquez took inspiration from real events that happened in a medical college, where the primary premise of this story is taken from.
Few characters in the book are named after people in his life, his mom and his wife to be precise.
Chronicles of a death foretold is one such story where a news, which could be the possible truth, is spread around the town and sees the end of a guy named santiago nasar. From the very beginning in this book we know there is going to be a murder, to which the girl angela vicario’s virginity is linked, and her statement about santiago being responsible for her not being a virgin infront of her brothers is what leads the events for the mentioned murder.
Another event from the plot worth mentioning is, the arrival of the bishop on the wedding day of Angela was hoped to be a big news, a big memory that will be cherished after years. On the contrary, what made impact on everyone’s memory is this murder by vicario brothers.
As the name suggests, “chronicles of a death foretold”, none of the events in the story are told in the exact chronology of when and how they happened. I dare say the title is misleading to an extent.
People who like to read non-linear narrative set in a fictional backdrop where one event leads to another event, and the questioning factor of “what if he hasn’t gone out that day?” and few other wondering questions of “what if”’ and “incase” linger in the minds of readers by the end.
Albeit the main question with what in mind we keep reading the book, if santiago was indeed guilty or not, is never answered. This short read comes with its own flaws and pros, one might feel weird, one might feel mindblown, one might feel anything, something. But it cannot be forgotten that easily.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez being one of my favorite authors, I suggest this book to the people who want to start reading him. Because, obvious reasons, if you read a work of author that wasn’t a popular one or the crowd favorite, you would actually give chance to that author’s works genuinely, right from the bottom of your heart.
Some facts:-
Marquez took inspiration from real events that happened in a medical college, where the primary premise of this story is taken from.
Few characters in the book are named after people in his life, his mom and his wife to be precise.
Persuasion by Jane Austen
4.0
Persuasion book review.
Jane Austen's works always have multiple interlinked conflicts, where one conflict drives the plot for a while that leads to the next conflict, next brain itching sequence and that gradually leads to another. Persuasion by Jane Austen, her last finished work, deals with the privilege of leading a luxurious life as its primary conflict that drives the most of the plot, and the sub plots.
Beginning itself marks the problem Sir Walter is faced with, which is being born into a high society and having the pressure to spend more to attain the luxuries and slowly trying to coming in terms with the fact that necessities over comfort, but how can a man that is used for all the comforts and luxuries can just settle with the necessities?
To solve this conflict, austen introduces the concept of “retrenching”, which is a practice that involves holding all the spendings for a while and living a minimal life, or living depending on someone and then clearing all the debts before beginning the comfort spendings. Something that walters do in order to save their name in the society they care a little too much about.
During these conflicts and setbacks, we see the first act of persuasion in the story where Anne, Lady Russell, and Mr. Shepard gently convince Sir Walter that it would be best for him to leave Kellynch Hall for a time. They persuade not by appealing to practicality, about which he cares little, but by appealing to his vanity. Though this leads to many more conflicts that shapes up the story, austen somehow keeps the readers fascinated and hooked.
When Captain Wentworth proposes for the hand in marriage of Anne Walter, he is rejected with all due respect to his lack of fortune, but after 8 years, He is now a much richer man than he was eight years ago and Sir Walter reluctantly admits him into their social circle. Wentworth grows jealous because he believes Anne is attached to her cousin Mr. Elliot. Yet he writes Anne a love letter in which pours describes his true, constant, and undying love for her. Anne is thrilled and they become engaged. There is no longer any danger that Sir Walter will marry beneath his station. Sir Walter and Lady Russell give their approval for the marriage between Anne and Captain Wentworth.
In between this poetic tale of love that is overshadowed by the power and money, there is always hope for the best to happen. Persuasion may get confusing if one picks it up in the beginning of their reading journey but it definitely worth the while if you are familiar with Austen.
Jane Austen's works always have multiple interlinked conflicts, where one conflict drives the plot for a while that leads to the next conflict, next brain itching sequence and that gradually leads to another. Persuasion by Jane Austen, her last finished work, deals with the privilege of leading a luxurious life as its primary conflict that drives the most of the plot, and the sub plots.
Beginning itself marks the problem Sir Walter is faced with, which is being born into a high society and having the pressure to spend more to attain the luxuries and slowly trying to coming in terms with the fact that necessities over comfort, but how can a man that is used for all the comforts and luxuries can just settle with the necessities?
To solve this conflict, austen introduces the concept of “retrenching”, which is a practice that involves holding all the spendings for a while and living a minimal life, or living depending on someone and then clearing all the debts before beginning the comfort spendings. Something that walters do in order to save their name in the society they care a little too much about.
During these conflicts and setbacks, we see the first act of persuasion in the story where Anne, Lady Russell, and Mr. Shepard gently convince Sir Walter that it would be best for him to leave Kellynch Hall for a time. They persuade not by appealing to practicality, about which he cares little, but by appealing to his vanity. Though this leads to many more conflicts that shapes up the story, austen somehow keeps the readers fascinated and hooked.
When Captain Wentworth proposes for the hand in marriage of Anne Walter, he is rejected with all due respect to his lack of fortune, but after 8 years, He is now a much richer man than he was eight years ago and Sir Walter reluctantly admits him into their social circle. Wentworth grows jealous because he believes Anne is attached to her cousin Mr. Elliot. Yet he writes Anne a love letter in which pours describes his true, constant, and undying love for her. Anne is thrilled and they become engaged. There is no longer any danger that Sir Walter will marry beneath his station. Sir Walter and Lady Russell give their approval for the marriage between Anne and Captain Wentworth.
In between this poetic tale of love that is overshadowed by the power and money, there is always hope for the best to happen. Persuasion may get confusing if one picks it up in the beginning of their reading journey but it definitely worth the while if you are familiar with Austen.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
4.0
Six of Crows review
Favouritism gets to all of us, if it gets to few of us in the form of FOMO, it may seem to some of us as overhype, that could be the result of collective love of a huge crowd. I'm the second kind of person who would usually stall the books that keep getting popular, that are everywhere, no offense to anyone who wants to keep up with the “trend”, it's just me, how i think. So after stalling this series for nearly 2 years on my shelves, I finally picked up Bardugo’s current best work and also crowd favourite. Here is me talking about the aspects that I liked (maybe didn't as well) of Six of Crows in no particular order.
1) Needless to say, Six of Crows has a solid plot, impressive world building, but out of all, the characters stand out. Who wouldn’t like some team action in a fantasy world?
2) Heist stories? Team Tropes? Good. because Bardugo's Six of Crows has it all.
3) Six of Crows, so, Six Crows. Each with their own skills, quirks, baggage, between whom the narrative keeps altering.
4) Bardugo has created a grimy fantasy with a thin blank-punk veneer laid over the top. There are knives and rifles, magic and technology — everything mashed together in a jumble of influences that is wickedly attractive.
5) One thing that bothered me throughout is, The characters' ages. Pretty much the entire crew (crows) are 17 years old (with, I believe, one notable exception). And that's fine. Bardugo is aiming straight for that YA sweet spot, and 17 is the magic number. But none of the crows think or act like 17 year olds.
Some more thoughts….
- I Think this book’s theme is identity and belonging. Some characters, such as Wylan & Kaz, struggle with either who they are or what they want. Because all the crows have this longing to belong somewhere, they’re all running away from somewhere, they all want to have a place where they have an identity and they feel like they belong there.
- Science fantasy mixes magic and science. In this story a man of magic (the scientist) who was a Grisha, used science to create the drug only to have it backfire.
- I’d definitely recommend this to a friend who enjoys fantasy with action and a group of people who are serious, sarcastic and basically all assholes in their own way. And I wouldn't mind saying this book lived upto the expectations and appraisals it keeps getting. Very much excited for the next book.
Can ignore this but, yeah well I wrote a poem-ish experience of mine reading this book.
Stalling the books
That’s what I do
When they get popular
I avoid popularity
Not because I lack
That curious bone, but
I felt it’s always
Been a disappointment
Then i stalled this
Six Of Crows
Picked it up after years
Skeptical too, to start
Then I got acquainted with
A beautiful world that
Leigh Bardugo Created
Developed her Characters
In parallel to the world
Then used one of her
Characters to hype up
Another character in a
Oh so beautiful way,
That I felt it is a
Storytelling Sorcery
There are six crows
Each with their own
Skills, quirks, baggage
All different from each
Yet makes a great team
The kind of team
You and I, we want
In our school projects,
And in workplace
Lol, it’s meek comparison
But my thoughts stop
At the mundane things
Again, isn’t that’s why
We all read fantasy?
But, but, but, if
Only I had no reason to
Say but, but I found
One thing, just one
Little ignorable thing, if
Only if, the characters we
Fall in love with, behaved
Accordingly to their age,
Might be their past
Might be their world
Might be anything….
Now if I read the
Popular books from now,
I don’t know, did I liked
This book with the
Package of appraisals
It brought along, well
Isn’t it obvious already?
My apologies for this
Another meek attempt,
It’s just my way of
Expressing my thoughts
Regarding the books
That manages to reach
My heart and make a
Mark in my mind
No kidding, when I say
No Mourners, No Funerals
Actually makes sense as
A way of wishing
All the best to each other
No kidding.
Favouritism gets to all of us, if it gets to few of us in the form of FOMO, it may seem to some of us as overhype, that could be the result of collective love of a huge crowd. I'm the second kind of person who would usually stall the books that keep getting popular, that are everywhere, no offense to anyone who wants to keep up with the “trend”, it's just me, how i think. So after stalling this series for nearly 2 years on my shelves, I finally picked up Bardugo’s current best work and also crowd favourite. Here is me talking about the aspects that I liked (maybe didn't as well) of Six of Crows in no particular order.
1) Needless to say, Six of Crows has a solid plot, impressive world building, but out of all, the characters stand out. Who wouldn’t like some team action in a fantasy world?
2) Heist stories? Team Tropes? Good. because Bardugo's Six of Crows has it all.
3) Six of Crows, so, Six Crows. Each with their own skills, quirks, baggage, between whom the narrative keeps altering.
4) Bardugo has created a grimy fantasy with a thin blank-punk veneer laid over the top. There are knives and rifles, magic and technology — everything mashed together in a jumble of influences that is wickedly attractive.
5) One thing that bothered me throughout is, The characters' ages. Pretty much the entire crew (crows) are 17 years old (with, I believe, one notable exception). And that's fine. Bardugo is aiming straight for that YA sweet spot, and 17 is the magic number. But none of the crows think or act like 17 year olds.
Some more thoughts….
- I Think this book’s theme is identity and belonging. Some characters, such as Wylan & Kaz, struggle with either who they are or what they want. Because all the crows have this longing to belong somewhere, they’re all running away from somewhere, they all want to have a place where they have an identity and they feel like they belong there.
- Science fantasy mixes magic and science. In this story a man of magic (the scientist) who was a Grisha, used science to create the drug only to have it backfire.
- I’d definitely recommend this to a friend who enjoys fantasy with action and a group of people who are serious, sarcastic and basically all assholes in their own way. And I wouldn't mind saying this book lived upto the expectations and appraisals it keeps getting. Very much excited for the next book.
Can ignore this but, yeah well I wrote a poem-ish experience of mine reading this book.
Stalling the books
That’s what I do
When they get popular
I avoid popularity
Not because I lack
That curious bone, but
I felt it’s always
Been a disappointment
Then i stalled this
Six Of Crows
Picked it up after years
Skeptical too, to start
Then I got acquainted with
A beautiful world that
Leigh Bardugo Created
Developed her Characters
In parallel to the world
Then used one of her
Characters to hype up
Another character in a
Oh so beautiful way,
That I felt it is a
Storytelling Sorcery
There are six crows
Each with their own
Skills, quirks, baggage
All different from each
Yet makes a great team
The kind of team
You and I, we want
In our school projects,
And in workplace
Lol, it’s meek comparison
But my thoughts stop
At the mundane things
Again, isn’t that’s why
We all read fantasy?
But, but, but, if
Only I had no reason to
Say but, but I found
One thing, just one
Little ignorable thing, if
Only if, the characters we
Fall in love with, behaved
Accordingly to their age,
Might be their past
Might be their world
Might be anything….
Now if I read the
Popular books from now,
I don’t know, did I liked
This book with the
Package of appraisals
It brought along, well
Isn’t it obvious already?
My apologies for this
Another meek attempt,
It’s just my way of
Expressing my thoughts
Regarding the books
That manages to reach
My heart and make a
Mark in my mind
No kidding, when I say
No Mourners, No Funerals
Actually makes sense as
A way of wishing
All the best to each other
No kidding.
Sultana's Dream and Padmarag by Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain
4.0
Sultana’s dream and Padmarag by Rokeya Sakhawait Hussain.
A book i ignored for years
A book i thought to be a sob story
A book that outlived my expectations
A book that was written in early 20th century
A book written by a self taught activist
A book with 2 novellas as its content
Has a satirical dream of ladyland
Men are in purdah and women running government
Again, it tells its a dream
A beautiful ambitious dream of
A woman in purdah,
Then has another story
Another feminist dream
Set in a place Tarini Bhavan
Not any less than ladyland
An amazing feminist utopia
So appealing that i forgot it's a fiction
Enters a damsel in distress
Who takes multiple pseudonyms
Has all the world problems
then she’s everything but helpless
She's got help
There’s more then there’s nothing much
Its all how you and i understand
Again, trust me it's not a sob story of women
It is a witty sarcastic satire that owns up to it
Pick up this book right away
It's a short one go kinda book
You wont regret picking it,
If you’re still reading,
Don't come at me for this mere attempt
I don't know what to call this
Lets just say i changed format for this book
Tell me what would you call
This amateur format of mine
And rescue me
The whirlpool of my overthinking.
A book i ignored for years
A book i thought to be a sob story
A book that outlived my expectations
A book that was written in early 20th century
A book written by a self taught activist
A book with 2 novellas as its content
Has a satirical dream of ladyland
Men are in purdah and women running government
Again, it tells its a dream
A beautiful ambitious dream of
A woman in purdah,
Then has another story
Another feminist dream
Set in a place Tarini Bhavan
Not any less than ladyland
An amazing feminist utopia
So appealing that i forgot it's a fiction
Enters a damsel in distress
Who takes multiple pseudonyms
Has all the world problems
then she’s everything but helpless
She's got help
There’s more then there’s nothing much
Its all how you and i understand
Again, trust me it's not a sob story of women
It is a witty sarcastic satire that owns up to it
Pick up this book right away
It's a short one go kinda book
You wont regret picking it,
If you’re still reading,
Don't come at me for this mere attempt
I don't know what to call this
Lets just say i changed format for this book
Tell me what would you call
This amateur format of mine
And rescue me
The whirlpool of my overthinking.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
4.0
Nightingale Review!
While “The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah is an expressional homage of the extraordinary courage and endurance of french women during world war 2. Here are my reasons why I liked (and didn’t) this book in no particular order.
1. Out of all the historical fictions, specially based in world war 2 time, The Nightingale expresses the perspective of women and how they resisted nazis in occupied france. There’s girl power here.
2. The narrative alternates between two sisters, who fought the war in their own unique ways. It's a feast for people who love multiple perspectives.
3. I personally felt the opening chapters to be brilliant and as exactly I would love to read with my slow paced reading, but the opening chapters which lay the groundwork for vianne and Isabelle's personalities and their family dynamics could feel relatively slow.
4. As expected with any novel based on war premise, this book too gets sad and we don’t see anything good happening for a long time before there is a flicker of hope at the end.
5. Women doing courageous things like leading groups of allied pilots out of france over the pyrenees mountains is my favourite event of all the events of this book. Like i mentioned, Girl power here.
6. Where a nazi officer displays compassion and concern towards vianne and her family in the beginning is a perfect example of multi dimensional character depiction in complicated situations.
7. The author did a good job in depicting the horrors of war without getting too graphic about it. I felt people who enjoyed Zusak's Book Thief will appreciate this book as well. I am people.
Now tell me about the books you've read that are based on war times and give us insights and take us back into that timeline.
While “The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah is an expressional homage of the extraordinary courage and endurance of french women during world war 2. Here are my reasons why I liked (and didn’t) this book in no particular order.
1. Out of all the historical fictions, specially based in world war 2 time, The Nightingale expresses the perspective of women and how they resisted nazis in occupied france. There’s girl power here.
2. The narrative alternates between two sisters, who fought the war in their own unique ways. It's a feast for people who love multiple perspectives.
3. I personally felt the opening chapters to be brilliant and as exactly I would love to read with my slow paced reading, but the opening chapters which lay the groundwork for vianne and Isabelle's personalities and their family dynamics could feel relatively slow.
4. As expected with any novel based on war premise, this book too gets sad and we don’t see anything good happening for a long time before there is a flicker of hope at the end.
5. Women doing courageous things like leading groups of allied pilots out of france over the pyrenees mountains is my favourite event of all the events of this book. Like i mentioned, Girl power here.
6. Where a nazi officer displays compassion and concern towards vianne and her family in the beginning is a perfect example of multi dimensional character depiction in complicated situations.
7. The author did a good job in depicting the horrors of war without getting too graphic about it. I felt people who enjoyed Zusak's Book Thief will appreciate this book as well. I am people.
Now tell me about the books you've read that are based on war times and give us insights and take us back into that timeline.