Book review: The Almond Tree by Michelle Cohen Corasanti

Author: Michelle Cohen Corasanti
Publisher: Fingerprint (Prakash Books)
Pages: 352
Price on Flipkart: Rs.205


A debut novel by the Jewish-American author, this book tells a story from the eyes of a Palestinian boy, Ahmed Hamid, the eldest of 7 siblings, who lives with his family on a land that is laden with strife and hatred. The back-drop is that of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. A story told to convey the message that we need to rise above hatred and contempt to be able to bring about a peaceful co-existence.

Here's the blurb:

Ahmed Hamid, a is a gifted and very intelligent 12-year-old boy. Everyone in the village admires him and is impressed by him. Living on occupied land, his family lives with the constant fear of losing their homes, jobs and belongings. On his twelfth birthday, this fear becomes a harsh reality. Ahmed’s father gets imprisoned and all their possessions and their home gets confiscated. What will Ahmed do to save his family? He embarks on an inspiring journey using his intellect to rescue his family.

Now, I don't have an in-depth knowledge of the Israel-Palestine history, hence wouldn't be in a position to validate or critically evaluate the portions of historical significance. My review is  purely of the fictional story that is woven around the premise.

The pluses:

The story-telling is very engaging. In some ways, it did remind me of "The Kite Runner". The first few chapters left me disturbed as Michelle delved into the details of the brutal manner in which Ahmed loses his little sister and the hopeless situation in which Ahmed and his family live. The story then rises to that of hope and positivity when Ahmed, who has a natural talent for math and science, is shown to rise above all the desperation, killings and abject poverty and achieve academic and material success. 

The minuses:

There are some flaws and inconsistencies in the narration and there are times when you feel that the side-characters could've been given more shades. The protagonist hogs most of the story-line, but his character has been etched well. While Ahmed chooses to follow his father's advice and path of seeking goodness even in adverse conditions, Abbas, his brother, seeks refuge in hatred. It would've been nice if the author could have elaborated a bit of Abbas's side of the story too. That way it would've been a more balanced portrayal.

For a debut novel, it is pretty good. I'd recommend it for the some insightful advice given by Baba, Ahmed's father. 

My rating: 4/5

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This review is posted as part of Book Review Program by The Literary Jewels.

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Book review: Nazaqat by Sasha Singhal

 Naazani, a shy girl with a lonely childhood, was born and brought up in Dehradun. She moves to a metropolitan for further education and gets absorbed. In a series of events, she decides to adopt prostitution and becomes one of the most successful high profile escorts of the city with the help of her manager Sharat. In a quest to be successful, she leaves her friends behind and dedicates more time to her profession. Nazaqat witnesses a police raid at a nearby place and the real scenario of prostitution terrifies her. She decides to take a stand and do something about it. However, Sharat convinces her that she is not powerful enough to make a difference. Nazaqat retires and pool all her money and starts a restaurant Joy foods in partnership with Sharat. The business grows and soon enough they have numerous outlets in various cities and Naazani Singh Shekhawat emerges as a significant entrepreneur of nation. To cherish the old memories, she organizes a group together and calls all her old friends. Next morning, it is found that something drastic happened the night before. Meanwhile, she invites an author Matthews, who is an old acquaintance to pen down her own biography. He visits her each night and in a series of ten nights, her story finds its crescendo. Will prostitution be legalized? Whats her intention with the biography she is planning? What shall be the fate of Naazani Singh Shekhawat aka Nazaqat? Nazaqat is a very detailed and carefully woven story which is a unique blend of thrill and drama. It is a refreshing story about a girl who adopts prostitution on her own will and starts a quest to legalize prostitution in India. While its entertaining because of the commercial voice, it also addresses grave issues of feminism, prostitution and homosexuality in society.

I received a request to review the book from the author. Although I didn't know the author, the premise of the plot seemed off-beat and interesting, hence accepted the request. However, I was quite disappointed. 

The book is full of grammatical errors. The first time I encountered one, I brushed it off as an editing error, but to my dismay, it did remain a constant feature throughout. Frequent use of analogies to convey a message also seemed unwanted.

The book did show some bursts of promise now and then, but that's about it. I expected to feel for the protagonist and understand her moves as the story moved but I was hardly convinced. The story lacked depth as it moved superficially and ended with a dramatic twist. Well, to cut the long story short, it didn't make the cut for me. The book has some good reviews too, so probably its just me.

Rating: 2.5/5 (for the off-beat plot selection)
Number of pages: 204
Price on Flipkart: Rs.125
Publication: Half-baked beans

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Bitten by the reading bug

So, there's something I'm happy about-my reading quotient has gone up in the last couple of weeks. The Flipkart guy has been a regular visitor. Although, I order in bunches, the delivery sometimes gets pushed to different dates depending on the availability. I feel bad that the person delivering has to travel the same distance, at times, on consecutive days to deliver just one book. 

That apart, it does feel nice to have that parcel in your hands with new, crisp books to delve into, to lose the world by drowning into them. The books I've read so far have also not let me down.

My current loot:

Additions have been made to the above, but they are mainly books for R- The Eric Carle collection I mentioned earlier, so there is one more person happy in the household.

So, what have you been reading? Will be happy to get some recos.

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A novel after a loong time.

Finished reading a complete book after months. The last I read was Preeti Shenoy's "Life is what you make it". I completed that one in a record time of two days. This time it is Jane Fallon's The Ugly Sister. Best catalogued under chick-lit, fiction, I picked this up on a fancy to read up on my Kindle. The Kindle was languishing without getting its rightful due and I thought it is high time I shrugged off the tardiness and randomly downloaded a couple of novels.

I had never read any of the previous books by this author and to be honest, had not heard of the author's name too. Though, of course, I am not a voracious reader and me not having heard of some author cannot and does not mean anything. All am trying to say is I had no preconceived ideas or expectations from the novel.

The story is about two sisters, Cleo and Abi, who have inherited entirely different set of genes albeit from the same set of parents which makes them stand apart not only in the physical quotient but also emotional. Cleo, is the elder of the two and is the superior one in the looks department, while Abi is the plain Jane but one who is endowed with brains. Life for the two sisters take a major diversion after Cleo, at the age of sixteen, is suddenly discovered by a modelling agent and is frisked away into the glamourous and mysterious world of fashion and beauty. Cleo reaches the pinnacle of success and has all that a person would dream of- a dream career, a lovely house in uptown London, two kids and a loving husband. Abi, on the other hand, has struggled her way through life and is just about making ends meet, dealing with being a single mother to a teenage daughter, Phoebe. Although, the two sisters share a strained relationship, Abi is hopeful of setting things straight if and when the opportunity so presents.The opportunity comes in the form of an unexpected invitation from Cleo asking Abi to spend the summer with her family in London. The story then unfolds about how things go from there on. Will the relation between the sisters improve or will there be more misunderstandings?

The pace of the plot is swift and keeps you engaged up to three-quarters of the book. The characters are well-developed and you can relate to them. But, after all the detailed planning of the characters, the end seems very rushed and abrupt. Somewhere, I felt the plot ran out of steam and the story was suddenly brought to its end. Just as you would have liked a more detailed and logical conclusion, the book ends leaving you feeling cheated.

So, although it makes a good read overall, the end leaves you a little frustrated.

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I recommend this book

Do books give you a hangover? I mean you read a book and then you dream of the characters in the book. It happens to me and when it happens I can safely say that the book in question has made a mark in my heart.

The Palace Of Illusions was one such book that I read in just four days flat. Well, bookworms may scorn at me for being vain for nothing but since I have known my recent history of reading books, for me it's a BIG and GOOD feeling.

I liked the book for the breezy narration and a different outlook it has given to the entire Mahabharata epic. The story unfolds in parts as dreams, stories and musings of Draupadi-the narrator of the story. The writer-Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni- has woven fiction and truth into an engaging novel. The women in this great Epic are brought out in a stronger light and we get to see a modern-age Draupadi baring her heart and soul through her narration.

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Why do I read? asks Simran

Thanks Simran, for tagging me. The question probably should be more like, do you read now? And you pretty much listed most of the reasons that I would have given to the Y's of reading.

While I spent some time mulling over this question, I came to realize that my reading habit, for various reasons, has unfortunately taken a downward curve. I used to read quite a lot during my childhood years. So much so that I would have a book in hand while I ate. Even Balbharati English text books were OK. I guess I did read (although I do not come under the "voracious" category) until I started work. Here, apart from the occasional book while travelling to work, the curve started making a downward dip. Other preoccupations took priority until marriage. The graph started to look better with hubby's influence and I read some very good books, both fiction and non-fiction, around this time. The pregnancy months saw me read a lot of spiritual (haha, yes for good influence) and light-veined stuff. Post motherhood, barring a couple of unsuccessful attempts at reading, I didn't do any serious reading. Of course, that is if you discount reading baby center articles and blog articles on the net.

I graduated from reading Tinkles, Champak, Chandamama, Amar Chitra Katha to Enid Blyton to Agatha Christie, Sidney Sheldon to Jeffrey Archer and John Grisham. So, it is no big deal when you see these authors on my reading list to decipher that I am a fiction lover. I read the odd non-fiction if and when prompted by rave reviews from fellow book lovers. I have realized, by now, that the book reviews by certain magazines or the fact that they became bestsellers do not hold any water for me. Some such books, bought in such enthusiasm, are lying gathering dust after tedious reading of the first few chapters.

This is what makes me read a book: Abstract writing does not appeal to me. I like the writing to be breezy and crisp. One that instantaneously imports you to another era, time, space or world. Something that makes you actually live the story till the very end. An engaging plot that makes me forget myself and the mundane. I have sometimes even dreamed of the characters in the book that I would be currently reading. The blogs I read also should contribute to reading. I look for the style of writing and the content in any blog. Both must appeal to me. I like a satirical take on serious issues rather than a heavy-duty full length analysis of the same. A book or any article I read is either a form of escapism into an utopian world or to gather insights about a unknown territory or to have crazy laughs or to delve deep into solving a crime mystery or spend restless days over a thriller.

I started to read The Palace Of Illusions a couple of days ago and re-discovered the old passion when I wouldn't be able to put down a book easily. So much so that I kept away even from blogging.

Anybody reading this is most welcome to take up this tag - as a comment if non-blogger or as a blog-post if a blogger. People reading this blog and who haven't commented so far, here's your chance to de-lurk. In particular, would like to know the reading secrets of Purnima, Radhika, Tan and Namratha.

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