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Key Details Author: Richard Feynman Genre: Autobiography Goodreads: Link Surely you're Joking Mr. Feynman' the autobiography of Richard Feynman; the Nobel Prize Winning theoretical physicist, Safe Cracker, Artist, Bongo player and all round renaissance man. What struck me about the book was the casualness and childlike wonder and curiosity he had for all things around him. Even though some of the physics might be beyond the average reader his writing style and the message of the book about maintaining a curiosity about the world around you and an attitude of questioning everything is something everyone should take to heart, As a lecturer I particularly warmed towards his experiencing about teaching and the importance of teaching students understanding about what they are learning and denouncing rote learning was relatable and would recommend you to check out some of his lectures and interviews which are delivered in an easily accessible and humorous manner. While the book is an autobiography and is more of a collection of random episodes from his life and thus doesn't have a clear narrative structure, overall I felt reading about the various episodes in his life which times are quite insane and often hilarious experiences is well worth the read and would recommend it. Quotes You have no responsibility to live up to what other people think you ought to accomplish. I have no responsibility to be like they expect me to be. It’s their mistake, not my failing. People often think I’m a faker, but I’m usually honest, in a certain way— in such a way that often nobody believes me! The first principle is that you must not fool yourself— and you are the easiest person to fool. Key Details Author: Aravind Adiga Genre: Novel Goodreads: Link Balram; the white tiger is someone born to a village in poverty. He escapes his circumstances to become a driver to a landowning family. During this period he sees how the other side of India lives and begins to yearn for it and comes to the realization that its not possible to break free without taking some drastic action The novel reminded me of a typical Dickensian hero like Pip in great expectations where he leaves the countryside to seek his fortune in the city overcoming the many obstacles in his path. In this case, instead of Victorian England, the novel is set in India during a period of transformation towards becoming a more globalized society and the clash it causes with its past traditions and norms. Like pip, the character in the novel who is nicknamed as a 'white Tiger' is identified as an exceptional individual who has to make hard choices if he is to escape the cycle of poverty his social status would have confined him to. The novel is an easy read and while the intent of the author who is writing about some that is not his lived experience, it raises some interesting issues that are worth thinking about. Would recommend reading it. Quotes “You, young man, are an intelligent, honest, vivacious fellow in this crowd of thugs and idiots. In any jungle, what is the rarest of animals—the creature that comes along only once in a generation?” I thought about it and said: “The white tiger.”“That’s what you are, in this jungle.” - the school inspector revealing Balram's true nature "I‘m always a man who sees ‘tomorrow’ when others see ‘today.’" - The White Tiger Do we loathe our masters behind a facade of love - or do we love them behind a facade of loathing? Key Details Author: Jean Rhys Genre: Novel Goodreads Link: Link This novel written by Jean Rhys in the 1960s is taglined as a prequel to Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre written from the perspective of Antoinette/ Bertha who is Rochester's legal wife and dubbed the 'Mad wife in the attic' The novel is set in Jamaica after the abolition of the Slave Act in 1833 where Antoinette's family were former slave owners and depicts her early childhood, her marriage to Rochester and her arrival in England and imprisonment at Thornfield Hall. The novel touches on some aspects of Colonialism and race which is an aspect that gets very little attention in the Jane Eyre novel and is also written as a reaction against the patriarchal nature and the problematic depiction of mental illness. It is however a bit strange that Rochester gets a voice in the novel which you don't get in Jane Eyre. I Felt that he already comes across as not very likable character in Jane Eyre and there wasn't really a need to further demonize him. As a result most of the discussion during our book club seemed to center around Rochester's motives for his actions! The same goes with the depiction of mental illness as the story and the shifting perspectives made it incoherent and difficult to glean any meaningful message regarding it. Compounding this issue is the shifting perspectives style adopted by the author where without warning you jump between different characters. At times its hard to stay from who's voice is the novel being written. In a way this shows the skill of the author, but it also make for a confusing read! It's only in the final part of the novel which is also the shortest and most coherent segment where we get a glimpse of Thornfield Hall and it overlaps with the incidences of the events in Jane Eyre. While there are some interesting imagery that the novel brings up and in the way Antoinette's childhood trauma is brought full circle with how she meets her end as depicted in Jane Eyre, the novel didn't feel very coherent. Reading the novel left me unsatisfied and having recently read Jane Eyre, felt that this didn't enrich or add a deeper understanding as a result of it. It's also not a novel you can read as a standalone novel and hence wouldn't recommend it for someone who has only a vague memory of the source material. Quotes ‘Because they told me to say so and because it is true. She did die when I was a child. There are always two deaths, the real one and the one people know about’‘Two at least,’ I said, ‘for the fortunate.’ ‘Justice,’ she said. ‘I’ve heard that word. It’s a cold word. I tried it out,’ she said, still speaking in a low voice. ‘I wrote it down. I wrote it down several times and always it looked like a damn cold lie to me. There is no justice.’ I too can wait – for the day when she is only memory to be avoided, locked away, and like all memories a legend. Or a lie…. Key Details Author: Colson Whitehead Genre: Historical Fiction Goodreads Link: Link This novel by Colson Whithead primarily narrates the experience of Cora; a runaway slave from a cotton plantation in Georgia who attempts to make a bid for freedom via the Underground railroad where in the novel it is depicted as a literal railroad. While the novel is an alternate history, the horrors of Slavery are not a fiction and it tries to depict the conditions of various protagonists who revolve around this deplorable system that has been created and which has sadly been commonplace across countries and cultures. The novel is told from multiple viewpoints and takes place at different point in time, which at times can be hard to follow. But this narrative structure also allows the author to showcase the many different experiences of the oppressed communities, particularly of the female characters who are oppressed both due to gender and racial reasons and depicts the many different paths they had taken to end up in their situation. One perspective I would have liked to have seen is perspective of the communities who serve as the house slaves, slave bosses and Homer who is a willing follower of the slavecatcher Ridgeway who is the main antagonist of the novel. An interesting point that I learnt is about the oppression of Italian and German immigrants who were brought to work as indentured servants on cotton plantations as well, which gives some context to the Gangster ism that in later era's was a feature of the communities. The novel also highlights how hope and beliefs can be such a powerful driving force both for the protagonist Cora whose mothers escaped is part of the lore of the plantation while Ridgeway; the Slave catcher is very clear on the part he plays in upholding the society they had brought about I would caution that, even thought its not needed to follow the narrative, some background information is useful and also helps you appreciate the research that has gone into it. Overall would highly recommend this novel. Quotes What did you get for that, for knowing the day you were born into the white man’s world? It didn’t seem like the thing to remember. More like to forget. - Cora on not knowing her birthday A plantation was a plantation; one might think one’s misfortunes distinct, but the true horror lay in their universality. "To see chains on another person and be glad they are not your own—such was the good fortune permitted colored people, defined by how much worse it could be any moment." Key Details Author: Alison bechdel Genre: Memoir/ Biography Goodreads : Link This is a memoir of the authors childhood which particularly focuses on her relationship with the father. The title might be familiar to those who saw the Tony Award Winning musical based on the novel which was performed in Sri Lanka a couple of years back. One challenge with reading memoirs in prose form is its diffcult to keep track of time jumps and non lineary story telling which tends to be common. But graphic novels have an advantage in that they have a visual component which offers a shorthand to do such things without having to set up too much context. The art style which is influenced by the authors background as a cartoonist contrasts with the serious subject matter of the book and the literary subtexts which form an integral part of the story and which also offers a challenge to readers. While the subject matter deals with serious topics, I also like how the author has used little inserts of some dead pan humor which alongside the various familiar scenes from childhood like dressing up, camping trips makes it relatable and an engaging read. One aspect I felt the novel could have been improved upon is felt it had not made full use of the Graphic novel format where the layout and design of the images could have been used to better emphasise certain pivotal moments in the character story. Apart from that, would quite recommend the book and I would be very interested in reading her followup novel which focuses on her relationship with her mother Key Details Author: Rebecca Pawel Genre: Detective/ mystery novel Goodreads : Link This is an interesting novel which is in the form of a detective story/ murder mystery set at the conclusion of the Spanish Civil war in 1939 where the nationalists under General Franco came to power. The novel follows in the footsteps of the Tejada; an officer in the Guardia Civil (Police) as he investigates the death of a colleague. The novelist has st a touch challenge for herself by having the protagonist be a policeman representing a totalitarian and Fascist regime. Given in our current context where the role of police is being heavily condemned, makes it even more so difficult have sympathy for the character where the novel opens with Tejada killing in cold blood someone who happened to be at the scene of the crime and which sets the novel in open Leaving that aspect aside, the novel is well paced and as new characters are introduced, the reader is kept guessing as to who might be the the true perpetrator of the crime. I also felt with respect to the setting of the novel where hunger and fear are commonplace while living in a bombed out Madrid as well as Tejada's detective work which seems to rely alot on pure luck and alot of mistaken identities, felt very realistic and believable. While you don't need to have a deep understanding of the Spanish Civil war to follow the plot of the novel, you might miss some of the more subtle references and I personally would have liked to see more exposition about these in the novel. The ending was quite unexpected though felt it was a bit rushed and some of the loose ends seemed to be resolved a bit too neatly. But apart from that its an interesting read for someone who likes mystery novels Book name: For the Most Beautiful Author: Emily Hauser Genre: Historical Fantasy/ Mythology Goodreads: Link For the most beautiful By Emily Hauser tells the story from the Perspective of two Trojan Women who are mentioned in Homer's Illiad which is the source & inspiration for many retelling of the epic conflict which is waged both amongst mortals and Gods. The two characters at the centre of the novel are Krysayis the daughter of the High priest of Apollo and Briseis, a princess of Pedasus who are taken captive by the invading Greeks and describes their experiences as they survive and attempt to shift the fate of the war. The novel is written by an author who has a historians background and hence aspects of that filter through in terms of the attention to detail given to the days of the months and time periods of the day as well as the different names used by the Trojans and Greeks who keep the same gods. At the same time the author avoids dumping too much information on the reader making it a fairly crisp and easy read. However, apart from these few details, I didn't feel like her background informed the story and characters depicted in the novel. The author doubles down on the stereotypes pertaining to different characters such as a tyrannical Agamemnon, a warmongering Achilles and a conniving Helen. Another strange aspect of the novel is the graphic descriptions of the female characters which felt like it was very much written from a Male Gaze. Would like to give the author the benefit of the doubt this is an attempt to critique the source material of the story and the context of the time period that is being depicted, though I don't see how this improves the story or what purpose this serves. The novel is written from the first person perspective of the two women and has been limited to just two characters which makes it easy follow along. However I felt that the switching between the different POV in terms of the length of each chapter felt too quick. This might have been an attempt to convey a sense of urgency and dynamism (while also trying to provide a 'cliffhanger' ending) but as a result you feel like you don't have time to sit with the character and digest what takes place. In addition, the story of the two women is punctuated by short glimpses into the life and times of the Gods who in the novel acted like Comic relief where they spoke and acted in a very modern perspective while the rest of the mortals followed a more 'classical' style which was a bit jarring. However one of the more interesting scenes of the novel was when one of the characters encountered the God Apollo and realized that the Greeks & Trojans keep the same Gods. The author decision to include the role of the Gods in the novel is also a bit of the issue is terms of the structure of the novel and the agency given to the characters who spend a sizable portion on the novel on a certain matter only for the Gods to intervene and completely throw off their planning. As a result it felt like while the author wanted to tell a fresh story, it has led to the characters having to make choices that requires a leap of logic in order to stay true to the source material. Overall, while the novel had a promising start and placed characters who had been marginalized as the main protagonist, felt the novel didn't really add anything to the Canon of the Trojan war which is already saturated with the event being used as a staging point for so many great and not so great stories using the event. . |
AuthorAvid reader of Historical fiction, High fantasy novels, Comics & Graphic Novels. Passionate about teaching & the future of education in general. Categories
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December 2023
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