Rapid Fire Reviews III
The Autograph Man by Zadie Smith
Genre: Literary Fiction
Rating: 2 stars
I found it extremely difficult to concentrate on what was happening in the book. Either I’m too dumb for it, or the story is strange; I just can’t figure out which.
I’m giving it an extra star because Smith’s writing style is very interesting. She has a way of describing scenarios and writing dialogue that keeps your interest even when the story fails to do so.
I really enjoyed White Teeth and wasn’t keen on this one, so I hope her other ones make up for it.
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
Genre: Literary Fiction
Rating: 1 star
Why was Valentina’s solution to a bossy twin dying? Why was Edwina’s solution to switch identities with her twin? Why do all the twins in this book make such bad choices? And why are they so many twins to begin with?
Robert is quite definitely the most boring male lead in any book. Also, the entire Julia-Martin-Theo angle is just strange and gives me the creeps.
This book has a dysfunctional set of characters, ghosts and a cemetery and yet no part of it is thrilling or scary. I was just bored. The only good thing about this is the symmetry-cemetery angle; the author does nothing with it.
The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende
Genre: Literary Fiction
Rating: 2.5 stars
I pretty much hate Seth, his storyline and his character. Am I really supposed to believe that he’s THE guy for Irina after he blatantly dismissed her trauma? Ugh. Also, I am completely over the ‘confessing your love for someone over and over till they accept’ trope. And why did I need to know that one of the characters has haemorrhoids when it added nothing to the plot or the character arc, for that matter?
This was definitely not a good first book by this author.
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1) by Rick Riordan
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Rating: 3 stars
I think the Percy Jackson series was after my time because I did not read them as a kid. As a 12-year-old, I would have loved the characters and the story of this series, but as a grown-up, I found it a little difficult to relate to the situations in the book that are unabashedly targeted at pre-teens. But having said that, reading this book was still an enjoyable experience.
The first book in the series is an archetypal hero on a quest story, where our unlikely protagonist (Percy Jackson) is the underdog till he is in a dangerous situation that makes him face his real identity (a demigod). He then finds his true family (Camp Half-Blood) and a mentor (Chiron), who send him on a quest he thinks he isn't ready for. He, and his gang, is met with several obstacles until, lo and behold, he comes out victorious.
What I really enjoyed about the book was the humour; I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did. I also liked how each chapter had a title, and I think that this is something that authors should definitely include more often.
The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #2) by Rick Riordan
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Rating: 3 stars
For a book that is aimed at a much younger audience than me, I found it really funny. The situations and characters in this book are hilariously strange, and Rick Riordan’s way of merging Greek mythology with the modern world made me laugh out loud in several places.
I mean C.C.’s spa, Percy not realising that Tyson is a Cyclops because he doesn’t look him in his face, and Monster Doughnuts.... why weren’t these books out when I was 11-12?
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers
Genre: Science Fiction
Rating: 4 stars
Science fiction is not my genre of choice, but Becky Chambers writes in a way that makes chapters on the cultural norms of alien species, details about a spaceship and space treaties seem interesting.
She has created a world that is rich with diversity and full of mind-blowing details. But at its heart, it is a very human story of race, gender, war and the things we are confronted with even though we are not in a spaceship headed towards a far-off planet.
Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 4 stars
There are some things that Roxane Gay talks about in this book that made me feel seen. She says things that I’ve wanted to say in words that are far more eloquent than I could ever phrase.
I am going to remember the chapters on The Help and Django Unchained forever!
Act Your Age, Eve Brown (The Brown Sisters #3) by Talia Hibbert
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4 stars
I think I’m in love with Eve Brown. I’m still debating whether I want to be her or want to be her best friend. She’s funny, smart and the sweetest bean ever. I’m kinda sad that the trilogy is over.
Side note: How does this entire story take place in 2 weeks? Also, why is Eve so surprised when her parents turn up at the Bed and Breakfast? If I disappeared to some strange town with no prior warning, my parents would bring the town down. (No exaggeration)
The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
Rating: Romance
Rating: 3 stars
I quite enjoyed this book, especially Leon’s character. The writing style made it a quick read, and the romance was a slow burn, which was a refreshing change from the ‘love at first sight’ stories that are more common in this genre.
Fall of Giants (Century Trilogy #1) by Ken Follett
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4 stars
This is my second time reading this book, and the story was just as intriguing the second time around. If I could go back in time and give this book to my 14-15-year-old self, I would have scored much better marks in my History exams because reading Fall of Giants is like getting a comprehensive lesson on the First World War. And if you think that's boring, you are so so wrong.
Fall of Giants follows several characters from England, Germany, Russia and America from the years leading up to what was then called the Great War through the war itself. It tells the story of how every person was affected- either directly or indirectly- by the violence and upheaval of the war. At the same time, it gives a deeper understanding of the politics involved in the decision-making process that led to a war none of the countries were prepared for.
While giving the intricate details of each step that led to the entry of the countries into the World War and the strategic decisions made by them in the quest to win, Follett also explores the impact of the war on society. In the discussion of the suffragette movement, he brilliantly encapsulates changes in society as women started taking up a bigger role in all the industries which were previously male-dominated. There's so much to unpack about this book that I can go on and on. Now, the second book in the trilogy tells the story of World War II from the perspective of the five families.
Winter of the World (Century Trilogy #2) by Ken Follett
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 3 stars
I am so disappointed with this book. The storytelling is similar to the first book and tells the story of the events leading up to World War II, the war itself and its consequences through the experiences of five families from across the world. But what happened to the feminist, activist female characters? And why did Follett insist on introducing the female characters with uncomfortably detailed descriptions of their breasts?
It's common knowledge that this is a pitfall for a lot of male authors while writing female characters, but after the first book gave me Maud and Ethel, I expected better. All the female characters seemed superficial and stereotypical to me. And the exceptions were killed off. Without these sexist aspects, I'm sure this book would have become an all-time favourite, just like the first one.
Club You to Death by Anuja Chauhan
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 3.5 stars
Anyone who knows me knows that I love every book that Anuja Chauhan has written. I find her eccentric characters, dramatic situations and writing style enjoyable, and I was an emotional mess after reading her last book, Baaz. So saying that I was excited when I heard she was writing a murder mystery would be an underestimation.
In Club You To Death, a popular and hunky Zumba instructor is found dead in the gym of the elite Delhi Turf Club when the elections for the club president are right around the corner, and everyone is a suspect. To make matters more complicated, the two assistants helping ACP Bhavani Singh solve this case are ex-lovers, and this doesn't help the case.
The book is not a perfect mystery. It is a little slow and maybe even a little dragged out, but I am heavily biased. I loved the trademark eccentric characters, who seem far-fetched and relatable at the same time, and the atmosphere of the club that Chauhan creates. There are instances where she talks about the very real politics of our country, like her description of the goon-like politicians and the bid to turn the club into a gaushala, that make you wonder how much of our reality sounds fictional but laugh out loud at the same time. Despite its flaws, I really enjoyed the book, just maybe not as much as her other work.