Book Review: The Railway Children by E. Nesbit

I must admit that it took me almost four months to read this book. Not because of the complexity of the novel. In fact while I was reading other books I could not dedicate time for this one. At times I found it dull and boring. I kept reading at a slow pace and now I discover that it is already four months! Anyway, today I congratulate myself on achieving this great milestone. 

When their father is mysteriously taken away, Roberta, Phyllis and Peter have to leave the comfort of their London house for a humble dwelling in the country. There is not much to do there, no places to go to either, save the nearby railway station. The children like it. The children visit the nearby coal mine and discover many interesting things. They also admire the passing train and wave at passengers. The children's action in time also helped in avoiding major accidents, which saved human lives.

They befriend the porter and the stationmaster. They make it a habit to wave everyday to the same old gentleman on the London train. they hardly have a clue that the railway will not only fill their lives with adventure but also help unveil the truth behind the disappearance of their father.

 At one point in the book the author writes "very wonderful and beautiful things do happen, don't they? And we live most of our lives in the hope of them. I may come again to see the boy?" (p. 224). Regarding lessons the author is of the view that "however nice the person who is teaching you may be, lessons are lessons all the world over, and at their best are worse fun than peeling  potatoes or lighting a fire." 

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Book Review: Desertion by Abdulrazak Gurnah

I first read this interesting novel on the Swahili coast in 2021. The novel covers various aspects of the history, customs and social life of the people living on the coast. Colonialism, racism, trade, merchants, colonizers, biases, politics, minority communities, education, orientalism, ignorance about oral communities and many other themes are discussed in this novel. I find the writing style of the novelist very different from what I have read before. 

Some of the chapters in the book are Hasan Ali, Fredrick, Pearce, Rehana, An Interruption, Amin and Rashid, Amin and Jamila, Rashid and Amin, and A Continuation. The setting of the novel is based in a small town along the coast from Mombasa. In 1899, when Hassanali sets out for the mosque he finds and exhausted Englishman. Hassanali rescues the man named Martin Pearce. Pearce recovers and visits Hassanali to thank him for help and support. There Pearce meets Rehana, the sister of Hassanali. Pearce finds her attractive and hence begins the love affair. This all happens on the brink of the twentieth century.

Some of the interesting sentences in the novel are:

• Happy to be disturbed (p. 49).
• Exaggerating his willingness to listen (p. 52).
• Left them bereft and disconsolate in unfamiliar silences (p. 64).
• When inspiration deserts you, it deserts you completely (p. 97).
• You are over-salting the dish (p. 139).
• Elysian pastures (p. 149).
• Knowledge sometimes obscures what was known before (p. 210).

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Book Review: Coming Up for Air by George Orwell

In the novel George Bowling is a forty-five years old man. He is married and has children. He works as an insurance salesman for a company. His worries include an expanding waistline, a new set of false teeth and a strong desire to escape his current life. George decides to return to his village life. When he gets there, things seem to have changes drastically. 

He fears the war in 1939, because he foresees food queues, soldiers, secret police and tyranny. The protagonist writes about his early life, things he wanted to do, family life, the food he ate, women, married life, his work, and nostalgia. At various instances in the book the author makes some really interesting descriptions. Orwell writes that 'human mind goes in jerks. There is no emotion that stays forever' (p. 194).

Some other expressions that he uses in the book are 'book-pipe-fire atmosphere', 'whipped-dog air that middle-aged businessmen always have', and 'the way small shopkeepers look at their customers- utter lack of interest.' 

Overall, the book is entertaining as Orwell's ironic humor keeps the reader engaged. I am sure that anyone reading Part IV of the book would find it really fascinating as it reminds the reader how the process of change never stops. It also brings to surface the adverse effects of urbanization on rural areas. 

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Book Review: Their Language of Love by Bapsi Sidhwa

In this book, Bapsi Sidhwa presents her first collection of short stories. Sidhwa admits that her short stories are lengthy, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading all of them. The stories covered in this collection takes the reader into the realm of post-colonial diaspora. The cultural world in each stories are described with great detail. These stories also show how factors such as language, class, religion and ethnicity play important roles. 

I think I should not delve into writing review for each short story. I can only say that the way the author writes is really incredible. While reading this short stories collection, I do not loose interest at any point. This book is a must read for anyone who is interested in reading for a break from other forms of literature. 

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Book Review: Notes from Underground By Fyodor Dostoyevsky

 

First published in 1964, this novel is considered as one of Dostoyevsky’s most famous novels. Notes from Underground narrates the story of an unmade narrator who had gone underground as a protest against social utopia. This self-opposing account examines the moral and intellectual fluctuations of the narrator and man’s inherent illogical nature.

Some of the dialogues in the novel are as follows:

·     .- ‘I swear, gentlemen, that to be too conscious is an illness- a real thorough-going illness’ (p. 10).

·      - Man is so ungrateful that you could not find another like him in all creation (p. 29).

·       -Reason satisfies only the rational side of man’s nature, while will is a manifestation of the whole life (p.32).

·       -Narrating about his office environment he mentions about the officials in his office who ‘talked about excise duty; about business in the senate, about salaries, about promotions, about His Excellency, and the best means of pleasing him, and so on’ (p. 64).

This novel has a very different writing style and plot. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

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Book Review: Iqbal by Francesco D'Adamo, Ann Leonori (Translator)

Iqbal is a fictional account about a person named Iqbal Masih who wanted to liberate bonded laborers in Pakistan. The narrator of this book is Fatima, a girl who was inspired by Iqbal’s courage and determination.

As a sign of resistance Iqbal cut his master’s carpet with a knife. His master Hussain Khan punishes him. There are also other children who were taken away from their families and enslaved by Hussain Khan. Once Iqbal tries to escape, but the local policemen brings him back to Khan, after taking bribe. For his rebellion he is severely punished by his master. After that incident he tries to escape again. This time he is successful. He contacts the Bonded Labor Liberation Front of Pakistan and helps in the liberation of other kids enslaved by Hussain Khan.

Iqbal had sown the seeds of hope in all the children. Sadly, he was murdered on Easter Sunday in 1995 in Muridke, a village near Lahore. This novel gives us an insight into Iqbal’s struggle. After reading this book, I wonder how many other Iqbals are still working and enslaved by the carpet mafia.

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Book Review: The Broken Wings by Kahlil Gibran

 

The Broken Wings is one of the famous works of Gibran. Through his inspirational writing Gibran recounts the story of his own first love. He writes about the taboos of traditions. Equally well known and read among the eastern and western population of the world, to many Gibran was a poet, philosopher and artist. With great craft Kahlil Gibran brings to the reader his adoration and passion for Selma Karamy, the girl of Beirut. Selma, due to societal pressure marries another man. This story is about happiness, sorrow, tragedy and to a large extent about complexity of human relations in the oriental world.

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Book Review: The Girlfriend By R. L. Stine

I personally think this book presents a short story with so many lessons for the reader. It is about a boy named Scotty and his friend Lora. Scotty has been accepted at Princeton and is happy in life until he faces a difficult situation. Lora goes to Paris with her family for holidays. During this time Scotty meets Shannon, a girl at his school. Things change very quickly as Shannon gets addicted to Scotty. Scotty regrets his action and tries to stay away from Shannon. He is tense, scared and troubled by his mistake. Due to his single mistake he starts lying. He tries to cover up anything that he thinks would uncover his secret.

For this he personally faces a lot of damage. Shannon kills his pet snake, breaks his fingers and threats him. Scotty does not want Lora to know about the mistake which made the other night. Things grow more complex when Shannon threats Scotty. She now wants to inform Lora about Scotty’s secret. Scotty is very tense. He goes to Shannon’s house to settle things in a pleasant manner. Instead, things become uncontrollable. A surprise birthday party turns into a terrible shock.

Scotty tells Lora about the whole chain of events. She is very displeased and shocked. Shannon takes up the birthday present- a ski and tries to kill Scotty with it until Lieutenant Jarmusch arrives and arrests Shannon who was already under vigilance for her abnormal acts. Lora and Scotty feel relived as Scotty accepts his mistake. Things get normal and Scotty gets dropped back home.

The lessons which could be taken by the reader is that trust is a very important relationship, it should never be violated in any case. A single lie takes you a long way into a sea of lies. Honesty should be encouraged and deceit should be denounced at all costs.

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Book Review: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

This novel was written by Ernest Hemingway in the United States in 1899. The author of this book worked as a journalist, took part in both world wars of the twentieth century and covered two civil wars too. In 1954 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature. Seven years after this, he sadly committed suicide.

The story of this novel revolves around a person named Santiago. In his younger days he was called by his full name, but now “salao” has replaced his real name, as he is unable to catch any fish lately. His only apprentice is a young boy, who is advised by his parents to stay away from the old man as he could bring him the worst kind of bad luck.

One day he goes out into the deep sea to try his luck. He catches a real big fish. It becomes a really challenge traveling with the fish back home. The length of the fish is later measured and it is eighteen feet. Sadly, on his way back many sharks attach Santiago boat and eat up the large fish. When Santiago nears home he sees the large fish in a skeletal form. This disappoints him a lot.

One of the lessons which I think is very clear in this novel is that any individual should not give up. Despite his old age Santiago takes up the challenge and ignores unwanted criticism. He proves that he caught a big fish and also proved that any concerted effort can help you achieve your goals and bad luck is just an excuse for not making an effort. Integrity is not in boasting but it’s in acting on what you believe. A good short read!

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Book Review: Water by Bapsi Sidhwa

 

In this book Bapsi Sidhwa adapts Deepa Mehta’s controversial film ‘Water’. The setting is based on the backdrop of Gandhi’s rise to power in India of 1938.  The story revolves around the life of an eight-year-old girl named Chuyia. Chuyia is a child-bride who is abandoned away from her village at an Ashram, when her fifty-year-old husband dies. Like all the other widows there at the Ashram, she is expected to spend the rest of her life in penitence. Despite her young age Chuyia becomes a source of change in the lives of other widows.

Madhumati, the eldest widow in the Ashram supplies widows to rich clients through a eunuch named Gulabi. Chuyia’s friend, the young and beautiful Kalyani, is also used for prostitution by Madhumati- the patronizing widow. Kalyani falls in love with Narayan, a young Gandhian of the upper class.

Narayan informs his mother about his choice for marriage. His mother is displeased and shocked. The traditional balance of culture, morals and religion are under threat, according to his mother. For Kalyani, this would mean challenging the balance of power in the Ashram. With that, it would also mean defying openly the religious dictates. Bapsi Sidhwa has beautifully shown details of the characters, societal intricacies, moral fabric, class system and hypocrisy of the upper classes.

The story ends with Kalyani’s death when she is left in a state of despondency. Chuyia’s fate changes when she climbs the train with Shakuntala. Shakuntala is upset as Madhumati has forced the young Chuyia into prostitution. She does not want that to continue.  Narayn promises Shakuntala to take Chuyia’s responsibility, as he had already promised Kalayani.  Narayan is on Gandhi’s train march and leaves his native town with Chuyia. This novel offers a great insight to the lives of widows in colonial India. A very rich and detailed narration by Bapsi Sidhwa keeps her reader attentive throughout the novel. Worth reading!

 

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Book Review: The Diary of a Social Butterfly by Moni Mohsin

I bought this book when I thought I was giving too much time to history and politics. So I bought this one- just for a break.


This is an interesting book about a Pakistani elite woman who lives in her own world. The writer brought together many acts, events, attitudes and sophistication into one character called ‘Butterfly’.


Butterfly lives in a high society where she acts and behaves in a certain manner. This provokes the reader in thinking about the different social relations which exist in a multi-dimensional society. The under privileged has certain needs, fears and anxieties whereas the elite who make up their own bubble live a totally different life. The character of Butterfly is pre occupied with in laws, black magic, money, weddings, parties, charity balls, scandals, consumerism, property and wealth.


This book has been written at a time when Pakistan was going through turbulent times in its history. 9/11, Invasion of Iraq, Kashmir Earthquake, Tsunami, Lal Masjid and Benazir’s assassination also affect Butterfly’s life, but to what extent? This could only be uncovered giving this book a read.

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Book Review: Fire on the Mountain by Anita Desai

Nanda Kaul an old lady wants to be left alone for the last years of her life. She lives in a quite house at Carignano in Kasauli.

This relatively short book is divided into three parts. The first part discusses Nanda Kaul’s life at Carignano. The arrival of her great granddaughter Raka is covered in the second part. The third and last part of the book is about Ila Das’s departure from Carignano. Nanda Kaul’s daughter is Asha. Asha is mother of Tara and Tara is Raka’s mother.

When Raka comes to live with Nanda Kaul she is not received with an open heart. Instead Raka is initially very reserved and seldom does she talk. Raka would disappear all day in the forest and come back in the evening. She loves walking and hiking in the evening. She seems to enjoy her life as she has no responsibility and is free from worry.

In the last chapters of the book the author writes about the changes in Ila Das and Nanda Kaul’s lives. When Ila Das heads home she is murdered by Preet Singh. Nanda Kaul receives a phone call. This is when the news of her friend’s death is announced to her.

This novel has characters which are really close to reality. The description of the setting and characters is really amazing. Yet the language used by Desai is simple and enjoyable for the reader.

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Book Review: The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Kafka was a German writer who lived from 1883 to 1924. This book The Metamorphosis has been translated by David Wyllie. Spending an early disturbed life and facing a strict father Kafka’s work reflect certain elements of his own life experiences.

Kafka writes about a man named Gregor Samsa. Gregor is the central character of this story. One morning Gergor discovers that he has overslept and turned into a bug. He is unable to carry out his job as a travelling salesman. As a consequence of his paining condition Gregor loses his job. His family is disturbed by him discontinuing his job. A domineering father, physically weak mother, and a young sister cause him thinking too about his worrying circumstances.

I believe in this work Kafka has addressed the issues of a breadwinner who now faces alienation after losing his job. He has slowly been cornered by his own family who now do not even wish to enjoy his presence in the house. Gregor seems to have lost all his social relations.

For some readers this might not be an interesting novel as Gregor is portrayed as a bug and at the same time he possesses human characteristics. In my view the author has tried to bring out the complexities of life by stressing on the human emotions in his characters. In doing so Kafka addresses human relations such as sorrow, repentance, endurance, agony and disaffection.

This book was published during Franz Kafka’s life time and is considered as one of his masterpieces.

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