Book Review: "The Krishna Key"

If I had to describe the novel in one word it would be this: Enthralling! This is the first novel by the author, Ashwin Sanghi, that I have read and it makes me want to read the rest of his works. The narration, the immaculate research and details when combined with a thriller of a plot make it a an exciting read.

The story revolves around Dr. Saini, a professor of History, who also happens to be a descendent of the Yadava clan of Krishna. After being labelled the prime suspect in the murder of his friend Dr. Varshaney, an Archaeologist based in Kalibangan, Dr. Saini is out to prove that he is innocent and that there is a bigger conspiracy in which he is merely being set up. His journey to prove his innocence sets him on the quest of the Krishna Key- Krishna's best kept secret. The different signs and symbols, the history and myths of our land, esoteric puzzles, connecting all the dots finally lead him to decipher the truth about the secret.

The plot gets us hooked onto the book from the very beginning to the very end.  It's extremely imaginative and a well researched book that has the ability to make readers almost believe this piece of fiction to be true. There were similarities to Dan Brown's The  Da Vinci Code but that doesn't take away the originality or the thrill of the story one bit. There are enough twists and quite a few jaw-dropping scenes that keep it from becoming predictable and the story as the plot slowly unravels it has a different flow and nature from The Da Vinci Code. The amount of research that has gone into writing this story with such incredible detail is stupendous.

As with any adventure centric plot, the focus throughout the book was on the thrill factor rather than character development .  The main historic personality of the book is Krishna, a charismatic mythological character who played a major role in the epic saga- the Mahabharata. For those without even a passing knowledge of this saga, the snippets about Krishna  in the beginning of the chapters help. It has been simplified by the author for readers who are unaware of Krishna and his role in the Mahabharata.

This book can boast of a dynamic narration, never going off track and keeping the reader engaged in the story from the word go. It is taut and smooth that makes the book such a delight to read.

A thriller that ends on a philosophical note; the end was a bit of an anti-climax. Also there were a few places where shoddy editing and proof-reading crept up but can be ignored if you are as much engrossed in the story as I was.

A mesmerizing read, this book had presented me with the strange aspects of our history and I found myself doing a Google search on most of the myths, some backed up with facts. The links given at the end of the book are very comprehensive and show the amount of research that has been done. Urban legends, age old myths, scientific facts all blended into a masterpiece that is The Krishna Key. Loved it!

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Book Review: "Something Borrowed"

Having read the likes of Sophie Kinsella and Cecelia Ahern when it came to the popular yet frowned upon genre of chick-lit I wanted to venture into deeper waters to find the wonders (or not) of this much enjoyed area of fiction. It didn't take me long to look up  and find a list of renowned authors and their remarkable work, I only had to decide which one to pick.

Right now I have in my book shelf some added names like Jane Green, Marian Keyes, Jennifer Weiner, Jen Lancaster and Emily Giffin to give Kinsella and Cecelia some company.

I started with Emily Giffin's Something Borrowed as the synopsis had me very interested.

Rachel White is a lawyer in NYC who hates her job and is single.., at thirty. She is the quintessential good girl, always playing by the rules somehow never getting what she wants. Darcy, her childhood best friend presents a complete contrast in being an extrovert; a beautiful  and spirited girl who has to have everything her way. It's a love-hate friendship as we see through the story how the simple Rachel puts up with the annoyingly narcissist behaviour of her best friend, never standing up for herself. Always letting Darcy have her way with everything, be that a bag pack or a boy crush. That is until she crosses the big 3 0. After one too many drinks at the birthday party Darcy throws for her, Rachel decides to throw caution to the wind and finds herself spending the night with Dexter; a handsome, amazing guy, her long time friend from law school, and Darcy's fiancé. Yikes!

She finds herself being attracted to and falling for a guy she should run from; what with her being the maid of honour for their wedding that's to take place in only a few months. Everything changes when Dex confesses his true feelings to Rachel. What follows is their secret affair that is considered a relationship since they both are in love, except for the tiny bit of him being already engaged. To her best friend.

Rachel is a girl we would all like; simple, plain and with a sweet disposition who truly loves Dex. I would hate my protagonist to be one, but Rachel is a doormat. The way she leaves the fate of her love life and friendship in the hands of Dex, and is ready to live with whatever he decides made sure I wouldn't include her in my list of favourite female protagonists.

The characterization of Darcy makes it very difficult to like or sympathise with her. Darcy's selfish and shallow character makes us root for Rachel, who has always been in the shadow of her effervescent best friend. She's a very trying character, annoyingly self-absorbed . She walks the planet like she owns it, believes everyone to be a puppet in her hands. Although there were times when you could tell that she has a good heart deep down, you soon realize it's way too deep to wager and probably lost for good. I happen to know a few people who resemble her so much that it was evident she would find no sympathy from me.

Giffin surely has the ability to take what we normally would look down upon, infidelity, betrayal etc and romanticize it. One of the characters puts it aptly when she says the world is not that black-and-white. The world has no moral absolutes. It's a good story, with relatable characters and a skewed yet likeable plot. Light, fun yet smart, this book is a complex and engrossing narrative about friendship.

On the whole, a good addition to the my women's fiction list. I haven't got around to reading the sequel, Something Blue, it's still sulking in my book shelf so I better be good and finish it.

I'm Not Twenty Four... A review

"There are two types of stories. One, where you sit up and say 'this is so me'. Second, when a story takes you to a world you would hardly believe actually exists." This being the very first line I read about the book raised my expectations from it. It created a sense of mystery waiting to be unfolded in those pages.  Even more so when the description added that this story was the latter of the two.

The story as opposed to the description takes you to a world that any person with a minimal knowledge of the world around knows exists. A steel plant in a remote village of India. Big surprise there! Throughout the story I was anticipating something unbelievable, something that would completely throw me off the regular path. Unfortunately I was left anticipating till the very end.

This tale is that of a Delhi girl, Saumya, who loves her fashion, her shoes, her city, her malls, in short all the perks that living in a metro provide. She finds herself placed in a steel plant situated in a remote village in South India (which I'm guessing is the world she never thought existed, MBA grad? Really?) How she copes with the alien surrounding strutting in clothes too scandalising for such a place, being subjected to a whole lot of stares from everyone in the vicinity, witnessing some very gory accidents that working in a Steel Plant bring with it, basically trying to survive the place and deciding whether to run back to the comforts of the city or hold ground and stay put. She then meets one Shubhrodeep Shyamchaudhary, interesting, mysterious, Indian version of Hugh Grant, hippie, world-trotter, creator of the move-on theory and maybe more?

The story looks to convey Saumya's journey and the process of growing up, realising what you wish to do in life and  falling in love. There seems to be something amiss when the story reaches  the 'falling in love' part. It's abruptly just declared. Where are those small but highly meaningful scenes and events like that special look in the eye, a touch of the hand, a tiny but significant gesture that builds this emotion in the characters and the reader as well? But if you say they're in love and so immensely at that, we believe you.

The brilliance of the book is not in the story, its characters or the plot but the fact that the author has written the book from a girl's perspective. Commendable attempt and a successful one I must add. It has very rightly been said that 'You may take everything away from a girl but please don't take away fashion'. Yes, I could relate to Saumya's  joy on finding her cubicle in a corner where no one can see the screen (Facebook!). And her love for shoes strikes the right chord. A girl's story through and through. Another part that I totally enjoyed was Shubro's story. Two thumbs up.

I wish I had a more positive feedback about the book, but I personally think it was a let down. It probably would prove to be a good read if you happen to randomly pick it, knowing and expecting absolutely nothing about it. And yes, disregarding the description given. Enjoyable read if you ignore the grammatical and printing errors, and you don't mind the Indianism (reading about how someone 'went off to sleep' doesn't particularly earn brownie points in English Fiction).

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The Count of Mounte Cristo- A Review

The Count of Monte Cristo

Having read Alexander Dumas’ The Three Musketeers as a kid and absolutely loving it, it didn’t take long for me to pick up a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo, to escape into a world of adventure and heroism, tragedy and treasure, utter despair and vengeance, unfailing gratitude and generosity, of lost love and disguises, of fate and hope and more…

Dumas’ hero, Edmond Dantès is at the threshold of a perfect life. He is about to become the captain of a ship, engaged to a beautiful woman, Mercédès, the love of his life. He is admired by almost everyone who knows him. This perfect life, however, stirs up dangerous jealousy among some of Dantès’s so-called friends who
wrong him hence causing him to lose everything that he held dear. His one innocent act of delivering a letter, the contents of which are unknown to him, and the plotting of his enemies against him land him in a dungeon where he is to spend the rest of his days, till life itself betrays him. Thus thrown into such formidable conditions, he must face his fate alone with his wits, courage and an immense fortune put in his path he begins his journey to seek justice against those whose greed and evil ways cost him everything he ever had and so nearly made him lose his sanity and life.

From Edmond Dantès to the various faces that emerge as the story unfolds the reader gets to ride along with the sheer audacity of the Count, the unshakeable belief of the priest in a Just God, the generosity of the English Lord to the deserving, and the mysterious ways of Sindbad the Sailor.

In a single word: Enthralling.

Can You Keep a Secret?

Long ago I’d spent almost an entire year reading just the English Classics, from the Brontë sisters to Jane Austen, from Alexander Dumas to William Shakespeare, from W.Somerset Maugham to O.Henry, J.D Salinger, George Elliot etc(one year, 365 days, has to be a long list!) I was craving for a change from it and I happened to come across Can You Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella. After a year of spending time in the countryside of England, in the stately manors where the only entertainment for the young was dancing at the balls, playing on the pianoforte et all, I was in for a refreshing change. I love the classics mind you, but then a genuinely funny, light read novel was the need of the hour and this book fit the bill.

The story starts off with Emma Corrigan (the heroine), on a plane ride back home from a disastrous meeting, blurting out her most embarrassing secrets to the stranger sitting next to her. This due to a turbulence in the plane causing great panic which leads her to think there’s going to be a crash and she’s going to die. Safe landing, a very much alive Emma Corrigan and a very amused stranger (who wouldn’t be when you tell them all about your…).

But to her surprise she finds that the very stranger is the CEO of the company she works in as a Junior Marketing Assistant! The fun begins when she also finds out that he remembers every single secret of hers! What follows is their many funny/awkward encounters, Emma Corrigan’s place in her family, her snob of a cousin Kerry, her office crisis (boss who won’t give a raise, colleague who treats her like another paperweight on her table etc), and her ‘perfect’ boyfriend Connor.

This story might be just another addition to the style of chick-lit fiction but I found it quite entertaining, probably since this was the first of Sophie Kinsella’s that I read. Yes it has a dash of the fairy-tale element to it but hey who says fairytales are only for kids?! The part where we read her deepest secrets is the best because it suddenly dawns on us that even though they’re plain silly we too have a number of such secrets which we would NEVER share with another soul although they are very very petty and insignificant. Oh and not to forget, the happy ending! I enjoyed it much more than the rest of Kinsella’s books, for after reading the entire Shopoholic series and the rest of her books I found a repetitive pattern in them and the same formula was being used which got a bit tiring to read.

This book is a light, funny, quirky and enjoyable read that will make you feel all warm and fuzzy. For all those who think age does not necessarily shatter the illusions(illusions with a probability of turning into reality maybe!) that you endeared as a child, and it doesn’t stop you from enjoying a pleasant read, Can You Keep a Secret will prove to be just that.

It’s been more than two years since I first read this book, but even now when I feel like reading without troubling my grey cells I almost always pick this book again.

Happy reading!