Read the full review at Bengaluru review's newsletter - December edition
Tuesday 29 December 2020
Wednesday 2 December 2020
Major Pettigrew's last stand
Author : Helen Simonson
Set in the English country side in a a small village EdgeCombe St.Mary, Major Pettigrew’s last stand is a delightful tale centered around a retired army officer and his unlikely romance with a Pakistani shopkeeper Jasmina Ali.
Major Pettigrew is a quintessential respected gentleman in the village community. He is 68 years old widower who has lost his wife to illness, member of the golf club, a man of faith and a clear favorite among the ladies. He is very particular about his belongings and proud of his family background. At 68, people have fixed notions about life and are critical about accepting anything new. He is a typical gentleman who has aged well and is accustomed to his definite lifestyle, has selective friends and has fenced his boundaries. People in the village look up to him for his judgement and his word is honored in the community.
Mrs.Ali owns a shop in the village which is a legacy from her deceased husband. She sells essential supplies to the villagers who are not capable or running in short of time to travel to the nearby town for their regular shopping. Over a period of time, Major Pettigrew and Mrs.Ali develop a steadfast friendship because of their common taste in literature, gardening and varied aspects in life. When their friendship comes into limelight in the yearly village dance, the entire village scorns on Mrs.Ali as a permanent outsider, declining her right to be a part of the community. And it is up to the Major to take a stand against the village to give Mrs.Ali the special place she deserves or go on with his life as usual.
The book is a very interesting portrayal of the struggle faced by two old people belonging to two different cultures and the consequences they have to face because of their bold choice. Even the youth face the brunt of the society when they fall in love. The objections, the isolation and the criticism are immense. At a ripe age, when people usually resort to religion and faith, falling in love with someone from a completely different faith, brings rivals of all kind, seen and unforeseen. And as the Vicar very rightly mentions to the Major, “The lovers come to me for blessing to be in heaven together, when I cannot even promise them a grave side by side”.
It is not very difficult to understand certain conservative religious customs and practices, and the status in which the women are held by the conformists of those religions. The doctrines are laid and fanatics stand by them. The author very deftly brings out the difficulties faced by the protagonists when they are confronted by two such conservative belief systems in a very light hearted way.
There are other interesting characters in this book. Amina, a single mother struggling to find her standing in the village, the Major’s son Roger who befriends an American lady and Mrs.Ali’s nephew Abdul Wahid, who goes deeper into faith after being forced to sacrifice his love, each of them offer a fresh perspective to the reader, on how the personalities of the youth are molded based on their confrontations with the conservative society.
This is my second book from the same author and I love her narration style. Her books are primarily society centric with humor in abundance. But they progress at a very slow pace. A lot of pages are dedicated to social customs and dance parties. The subtle nuances and social protocols are highlighted in great detail. At the same time, they offer a deep insight into people’s characters and their reactions in the face of adversities. If you enjoy Jane Austen novels, you will love Helen Simonson.
It is holiday season and everyone is winding down their schedules. Curl up in your bed, with a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy this read.
My Rating: 👍👍👍👍👍
Sunday 22 November 2020
The Mummy of Monte Cristo
The Mummy of Monte Cristo by
J Trevor Robinson is a re-take of the ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’, so I was
very curious on how the plot will be played.
A group of men put Edmund
Dantes behind prison because of vengeance and ambition. Dantes is dejected and
heart broken when he finds out he is imprisoned indefinitely. He finds a friend and a well-wisher who
reveals the hidden terrible power in the Island of Monte Cristo.
Besotted with revenge,
Edmund escapes prison to go to the island and mummifies himself alive to seek
the terrible power. Then he goes on his path of vengeance to destroy the lives
of all the men who imprisoned him.
The horror and fantasy
elements are very interesting indeed, I never expected the Kraken with it’s prying
tentacles in this book. There are vampires, zombies and a dangerous mummy.
Horror is usually not to my taste, but I did find myself reading this book,
possibly because I grew up reading “The Count of Monte Cristo” and the classic
is very dear to me.
I do not want to compare
this book with the classic, but this book can stand on its own. The characters
are developed and well-rounded to fit in the story.
If there is a qualm, it’s
just that it’s a bit too lengthy. Could have been shorter. Nevertheless, I
enjoyed the book.
My rating: 👍👍👍👍
Buy the book at The Mummy of Monte Cristo
Wednesday 18 November 2020
The Summer before the War
Author : Helen Simonson
A very delightful historic fiction, The summer before the war is set in a small provincial English town Rye, which borders Belgium. The story is centered around feisty independent Beatrice Nash, who arrives in Rye after the death of her scholarly father. Her outlook is progressive and she wishes to carve a place in this world, and she seeks a teaching position at Rye. She is welcomed by one of the influential women in the town, Agatha Kent and her two nephews Hugh and Daniel. Beatrice’s progressive outlook is not quite appreciated by the small-town members, where people are in general meddlesome. Everyone in the town is well acquainted with others and it does get difficult to draw a line of discretion on private matters. Unmarried Beatrice faces challenges in every direction, first with a rigid landlady, the town leadership, unwanted suitors and tough pupils.
On the onset of the first world war, when the German soldiers march into Belgium, Rye sees an influx of refugees, the wounded and the homeless. It falls on the small community of Rye to provide shelter to these refugees.
Though all seems well at first, the past of few of the refugees comes to the light and does not escape the scrutiny of the meddlesome folks of Rye. Beatrice stands apart questioning their judgment and is forced to bear the consequences. And eventually Britain partakes in the war. Lives of dear ones is at stake. And Rye pays a very heavy price.
It is a beautiful book, albeit a little slow. It has got all the elements of Austen in it, the nuances of social etiquette, literature, dances, dresses, tea parties and of course the army. In between all this is a slow blooming romance between two kindred spirits who are meant to be with each other, but each trying to serve the world their own way.
The only thing which goes against this book is the length. Nearly 500 pages long, it does drag at places. And at times, there are certain episodes which seem out of place and do not get along with the flow of the book.
But I would love to see a television adaptation made out of this book. I am sure it will be on the lines of Downton Abbey and Persuasion. Austen fans, give this book a try.
Rating: 👍👍👍👍👍
Thursday 22 October 2020
Ramayan Rendition-2020 (siya ka vilaap)
Jai Shri Ram ! This year's Ramayan rendition is the narration of events through the eyes of Sita. Sita comes across as a calm and a placid person, but in the end, she did take a stand, in her own way.
This is an attempt to explore feminism in the epic , though it needs to be clearly noted that we are talking about the events and people who lived thousands of years ago, when practices were different and we cannot entirely condemn or criticize anyone completely.
It is published in Amar Ujala, the hindi daily, literature section. Here is the link.
Sunday 11 October 2020
Enola Holmes
Check my review on Enola Holmes in the IMDB critics reviews through The World of Movies.
https://theworldofmovies.com/enola-holmes-review-a-netflix-original-movie/
Friday 18 September 2020
Sunday 6 September 2020
Totto-Chan: The little Girl at the window
A perfect book to celebrate Teachers’ day and another gem in
Japanese literature, Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the window is an educator’s
guide on how to deal with children with diverse needs. There is a lot of
history behind this book. The author, Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, a very inspiring
woman is one of the most popular and admirable celebrity in Japan. She is an
actress, a television host and the UNICEF ambassador for thirty years. At the
age of 83, she still looks so young and energetic.
She started her first talk show on Japanese Television in 1975,
has completed more than 10,000 episodes and has entered the Guinness books of
world record for the longest Television show ever aired. And it is said that
the host never missed a single show.
The book “Totto-Chan: The little Girl at the window” is an
autobiographical account of the author, where Tetsuko aka Totto- Chan recounts
her childhood days in a school named Tomoe Gakuen, a unique Montessori-type
school which valued the freedom of expression and the spirit of curiosity in
each child.
It begins with Totto-Chan being expelled from her previous
school for non-compliance and bad behavior. She was more interested in standing
near the window and watching the street magicians rather than focus on the work
at hand. She would not listen to the teacher, makes a mess of her work and
disrupts the whole class.
Her mother, instead of rebuking her for her bad behavior
takes her to an unconventional school called Tomoe Gakuen, which is led by a
visionary headmaster Sosaku Koboyashi, who believed in a completely different
set of ideals on how to run a school.
He had modelled his school like train cars to get the
children excited about coming to school. As there were less than 50 children in
the school, each class had children with different ages and each child learnt
at his/her own pace. A lot of importance was given to outdoors, nature walk,
field trips and activities like farming. A child was encouraged to speak up,
anything as simple, as “Today I woke up and brushed my teeth” was appreciated
by everyone.
A child who threw a newspaper in a cesspool wasn’t rebuked
but just told to clean up after the mess. A teacher who made fun of a disabled
child was vehemently admonished to have brought down the confidence of the
child.
Totto-Chan increasingly started trusting her headmaster and
as the faith develops, so does the compliance. She was willing to do anything
for him including giving up her fancy ribbon as he could not find one for his
daughter.
She studied in Tomoe international for few years and transformed
from a problematic child into a world-famous personality. She attributes her
success to her headmaster who nourished the freedom of expression in his own
unique style.
Because of the Tokyo air raids in 1945, the school received
a severe blow, and the dream of Sosaku Koboyashi remained half fulfilled. His
other efforts prove less futile and he died in 1963.
Tetsuko went on to become an actress and started her own
television show in 1975. She published a series of articles in a magazine
between 1979-1980 about this unique elementary school she attended in her
elementary years.
In 1981, it was published as a book and Japan witnessed
history when it became an instant book seller breaking all barriers within a
year.
It started a new trend as the educational professionals in
Japan started analyzing the reason why the book was such a huge hit. This culminated
in a comprehensive assessment of the amount of dissatisfaction among the
children and the parents because of their prevalent schooling system.
More laurels awaited the book when it was translated to
English and published worldwide. The world embraced it with open arms, and it
triggered a new revolution in the world of education. Few chapters of the book
found its place in the text books of middle grade students. It has been
translated into multiple languages in India, Nepal and SriLanka.
The educators started using the book as a reference for best
practices conducive to support education for children with diverse needs across
the world.
My respect towards Japanese literature and the people
quadrupled after reading this book. Their perseverance, optimism in the face of
crisis and their out-of-the world innovative ideas are very commendable. More
one reads about them, more one tends to feel inadequate in one’s own
personality development.
I wouldn’t deny that I was expecting the book to end with
the school prospering with flying colors. I was curious to know how Kobayashi tweaked
the education system as the children grew older.
In the present world, the education systems are diverse and
supportive for all kinds of children. But my observation is that beyond Elementary,
they are forced to get into the rat-race of the academics sooner or later. This
also depends on the mindset of the parents, who are justified in getting
worried about the future of their children.
in 1937, in far less conducive circumstances, one man came
up with an idea of inclusion for children with diverse needs. Though Koboyashi
was the one who laid the foundation, it took more than 4 decades for the world
to realize his vision through this brilliant piece of work by his extraordinary
student, Tetsuko. We as readers should consider ourselves fortunate to read
about the lives of these two very inspiring people. They reinforce the belief
in us that the battle to make this world a better place is certainly worth
fighting for.
Perhaps it would take another Koboyashi to come up with a revolutionary
idea and define a completely alternate education system to cater to children
with diverse needs.
Meanwhile as the effort continues, here is a toast to all
those teachers who make a slightest effort to establish the empathy link with all
the children. Thanks for bringing out
the Koboyashi in you. We bow to you and are forever indebted to you. Happy
Teachers’ day.
Sunday 16 August 2020
Friday 14 August 2020
Sunday 5 July 2020
The woman in a white Kimono
The Woman in the white kimono
It started as “reading a bit before bed time” on Friday. Then, I spent two sleepless nights finishing this book. The breath-taking prose is lyrical and melts your heart. A magnificent story, which runs on two parallel tracks, about two women, who live in different continents, but their past strangely connected through one man. One is a daughter in awe of her father, the other a besotted lover, who was forced to give up her love. It is a spectacular tale of a young Japanese woman falling in love with an American soldier, and ostracized for fraternizing with the enemy. 1950s is the time when the second world war had ended and Japan was tending to the severe wounds caused by the devastation of the war. America still continued its presence in Japan and the presence of US sailors are not an uncommon sight in that era.
But the relations between the two countries are tense and inter-racial relationships are not something which either of the countries approved. Such couples, who fell in love, were ostracized and were subject to severe criticism They were caught in a situation not very different from the idiom “The devil and the deep sea”.
The story of seventeen-year-old Japanese maiden, Naoko Nakamura, is no different when she falls for an American soldier, Jimmy Kovac, whom she fondly nicknames Hajime. She succeeds in earning the wrath of her family, her father especially, whose hatred is deep-rooted towards the Americans. She gets pregnant, runs away from home and get marries to her Hajime. The sailor, still in early years in his job, is sent away to distant waters. Her family, then sends her to a maternity home, hidden deep behind the tall bamboo fences, which promises to clean up the unwanted weeds in the wombs of young women, who are considered a social taboo in the society.
Naoko is determined to get her child into this world, and raise her as one of her own kin. Can an innocent child and a helpless mother survive in the ruthless Imperial society which looks down upon their very existence with disdain?
Tori Kovac, in present-day United States has lost her father to cancer. Before dying, her father trusts an unopened envelope to his daughter revealing the truth that he was once married before to the love of his life, when he was very young, and has had a daughter from that marriage.
Tori, being a journalist by profession, then travels to Japan to uncover the truth of her father’s past and find out what happened to Naoko and her daughter, who also happens to be her own half-sister. What she discovers is nothing short of horrifying and devastating.
The book makes you cry, not once but many times. I cried for the circumstances under which Naoko gets married, and the painful ordeal she goes through in the brutal maternity home. I cried when Tori uncovers the ugly scam, the arrangements made by the Imperial Japanese elite to get rid of their “tainted” family extensions.
I am not sure if I can ask you to read this book and weep like me, but if you do read it by any chance, I can tell you what we can discuss. We can talk at length about how Naoko is similar to Sayuri (The memoirs of Geisha) and the difficulties they both had to endure alone in their own ways. We can discuss the Japanese customs in detail, right from the proper way of handing over tea to one another, to the salutations before and after the meal. We can talk extensively about the Japanese folk lore, the traditions, the wedding customs the funeral rituals, their Gods, their demons. We can talk about country side Japan, the tall cherry trees and about Tokyo , the most populated metropolis city of the world. We can talk about how words can be so hauntingly beautiful, how they can pierce your heart and one can weep bitterly, but at the same time long for them more to fill your heart with more agony.
I made my choice; I did not rest till I finished the book. It’s over to you now!
Thursday 2 July 2020
Friday 26 June 2020
Tuesday 9 June 2020
goodreads updates
Anantha's books
Spring’s calling is an urban fantasy novel which revolves around a cop, Ezri Trenton, who has magical capabilities. Unfortunately, she struggles alone to train herself to a control these magical powers and hurts herself in the process of...
Hansel and Gretel: Down the rabbit hole is a collection of seven short stories based on the actual fairy tale deftly written by different authors. Each author unleashes their imagination a different way and it was interesting to see thos...
This is one of the books where one celebrates the author more than the book itself. The book is about a princess on wheel chair, Misty miles who is locked in her room and has limited exposure to the world. Her parents love her but fear a...
Be Brave with me is a romance story set in a small town of Green springs. Meg has had a tragic incident and is on a road trip to let go of the demons of her past. Drew lives in Green springs for a living, he has lost a leg in an accident...
This young adult dystopian novel is a fast paced read, second in the lovelock series and is heavily action based. 16 year old Jema along with her friends is faced with an almost impossible task to save the world, against a deadly virus. ...
Sunday 31 May 2020
Monday 25 May 2020
Trishna
Past two days have been absolute bliss binge watching Trishna, a Hindi serial, which was aired on Doordarshan in the 1980s. It is an authentic Hindi remake of the much-cherished classic, Pride and Prejudice. It has been uploaded on YouTube by Prasar Bharati Archives in April, thanks to the re-broadcasting spree by Doordarshan of late.
I used to miss watching Trishna in school days because it used to air during the time I used to be in school. I had been searching for these videos for more than 20 years now, until someone from a book club tipped us off with the YouTube upload.
The story follows a life of the bright, chirpy and high spirited Rekha Anand (Elizabeth Bennett), second daughter of a middle-class family in Bombay (now Mumbai) and a rich business man, Rahul Mehta (Oh, Mr. Darcy) from Ahmedabad. One is proud of himself, and the other is prejudiced against him. We all know the rest of the story. I am not going to narrate the plot of Pride and Prejudice here 😊
Considering it is a 35-year-old serial, one can understand that it has few major glitches. The chemistry is not so great between the main leads. The acting of most of the actors and settings are quite mediocre. But the storyline itself is so refreshing. The native “Indian” ness adds much charm to it. We all can recollect those loose Kurtis and salwars we used to wear in our schools and colleges. The dances and balls in the book are replaced by parties and picnics. The story brings back memories of those days when we all used to huddle up in a neighbor’s house to watch a movie or play some games. The long walks our dads and uncles used to take to avoid paying the taxi fares, the urge from few of them to arrive on time and the chaos they create in the family to be punctual brings back some good old memories and a big smile on your face. There are two characters who specially deserve special mention for their acting skills. Lakshmi Anand (Mrs Bennett) has played her role to such perfection in the Indian context. Most of us can relate to the fussiness of our own moms when we watch her. Another character is Raj Mohan (Mr. Collins). He is a natural and his acting is brilliant. He has portrayed the imperfections of Mr. Collins so perfectly, all of us can relate to one distant relative of ours who makes such a fuss. These two characters are given enough screen time to show case their skills. Rekha Anand is casted very well, according to me, the perfect Elizabeth Bennett. Sangeeta Handa as Rekha Anand, is dusky, has a very ordinary face but such beautiful eyes. She does not dress up well, wears those loose kurtas and most of the times, does not comb her beautiful hair. She has an unkempt bun tied on her head, and has no make up or any other adornments most of the times. But when she looks and talks with such beautiful eyes, even we fall for her, leave alone Mr. Darcy!!
It might sound preposterous, but I could never come to terms with Aishwarya Rai or Keira Knightley or even Jennifer Ehle (who was so perfect) as Elizabeth Bennett. They all are too pretty to play the role of the charming Elizabeth. But for once, I liked this casting of Rekha Anand. She is just perfect! I cannot say the same for Rahul Mehta though. Whoever plays Mr. Darcy has to be charming. Tarun Dhanrajgir is indeed good looking, but leaves a lot to be worked upon on his acting skills. He just doesn’t seem to connect with his counterpart, though he does due credit to his role in the last episode.
These episodes were shot 35 years back and the print which is uploaded on YouTube is not very clear. The acting of most of the characters is quite mediocre except a few of them, who have done a brilliant job. The script writers have to be lauded to stick to the authenticity of the plot. Each and every dialogue is in line with book. Contrast to the boisterous and loud Aishwarya Rai starrer Bride and Prejudice, which had such glamour around it, this simple yet refreshing 13-episode serial is bound to steal your heart.
I was waiting for this serial with great expectations, and it did not let me down.
If you are an obsessive fan of Pride and Prejudice as I am, do not miss Trishna despite its glaring flaws. Go get transported to your childhood memories with this precious port-key.
Thursday 21 May 2020
Wednesday 20 May 2020
The Pianist
Last weekend, I watched, in my opinion, one of the finest movies ever made and was thinking had I watched it before, I would have put it the first and foremost in the challenge which I took to list my favorite movies.
The Pianist is a biographical war drama film of a Polish-Jewish Pianist, Wladyslaw Szpilman, starring Adrein Brody. It is about Szpilman’s extraordinary survival during the Holocaust.
The film covers the one-man survival through the Nazi invasion of Poland and the perils he has to face just to stay alive losing everything he held dear to his life including his family, his love, his occupation, status, and his passion, the Piano. It brings forward the miseries faced by one race in the hands of another, treated like worms, tortured to death. To this day one fails to understand what made one race morbid with such arrogant power to try to abolish and exterminate another from the planet. This film is the moving tale of one of the darkest times in the world history as seen through the eyes of one Jew.
The film covers the one-man survival through the Nazi invasion of Poland and the perils he has to face just to stay alive losing everything he held dear to his life including his family, his love, his occupation, status, and his passion, the Piano. It brings forward the miseries faced by one race in the hands of another, treated like worms, tortured to death. To this day one fails to understand what made one race morbid with such arrogant power to try to abolish and exterminate another from the planet. This film is the moving tale of one of the darkest times in the world history as seen through the eyes of one Jew.
Watch it, be prepared to shed a few tears, in the least it will tug at your heartstrings ! A brilliant movie, The Pianist !
Check out my review in the imdb critics section at
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0253474/externalreviews….
The full review could be read at
https://theworldofmovies.com/the-pianist-movie-review/
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0253474/externalreviews….
The full review could be read at
https://theworldofmovies.com/the-pianist-movie-review/
Monday 18 May 2020
The Song of Achilles
Author : Madeline Miller
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Note : You will need to know about Trojan war to read this book and understand the characters.
Madeline Miller spins her web of magic with one of the most dazzling retelling of the Trojan war and its main hero, Achilles. Majority of people who have read the Iliad will hold Achilles very close to their heart. We cannot get enough of the killer weapon who took down Hector and opened up the gates of hope for the Greeks to claim victory over the Trojans.
This book is about the life of Achilles told from the point of view of his sworn companion and his dearest friend, Patroclus. The relationship between Achilles and Patroclus has been interpreted differently by various artists through ages. Though Homer’s Iliad terms it as friendship, many artists and poets have long speculated them as lovers.
Madeline Miller explores their romance in great depths in this book. Their love and feelings towards each other are very aesthetically portrayed in the book.
Patroclus is an exiled prince who is granted asylum by Peleus, the king of Phthia and father of Achilles. Achilles takes him in as his sworn companion. As they grow up their friendship deepens and they become inseparable and develop romantic feelings towards each other.
Then the fatal day comes when all the Greek heroes are called upon to fight for the pride of their motherland; A Trojan prince Paris has abducted a Spartan queen Helen. The Greeks have to avenge the insult and plunder Troy.
War does not spare the heroes. Patroclus goes to the battle field disguised in Achilles armor, and dies in the hands of Hector, the Trojan heir. Vengeful and filled with sorrow, Achilles chases Hector, kills him and brutally drags the noble prince’s body tied to his chariot for everyone to witness.
The wrath of God Apollo knows no bounds when Hector dies. He instructs Paris to shoot Achilles with his arrow and deflects the arrow towards his heel, the only vulnerable part of Achilles’ body. The world sees the end of one of the greatest heroes who ever walked this Earth. Achilles,” Aristos Achaion”, the best of Greeks.
It is indeed one of the best books I have ever read in Greek mythology. But one word of caution to the readers, please do read Iliad first before “The song of Achilles” as there are lot of variations in this book compared to the original epic.
Achilles was certainly claimed by Patroclus, his mother Thetis, and also by few women, Deidamia and Briseis for a short period of time. But glory was what the fates promised Achilles, and glory is what claimed him after the war, his name ringing loud alongside iconic Greek heroes like Perseus and Heracles with eternal fame.
And by the time you close the book mourning the death of Achilles, Patroclus and Hector, these words from the movie Troy ring in your ears.
"If they ever tell my story, let them say I walked with giants. Men rise and fall like the winter wheat, but these names will never die. Let them say I lived in the time of Hector, tamer of horses. Let them say, I lived in the time of Achilles."
Rating:👍👍👍👍👍
Sunday 26 April 2020
Monday 20 April 2020
Wednesday 8 April 2020
Sunday 5 April 2020
Midway
"The sea remembers its own".
If you like war films, do check this space. Had published review of Dunkirk few days back. Midway is another brilliant war movie which is based on the Pacific war between US and Japan, after Pearl Harbor and before the Hiroshima Nagasaki attack.
Check my review in IMDb Critics at
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6924650/externalreviews….
The actual review can be found at
https://theworldofmovies.com/midway-2019-movie-review/
If you like war films, do check this space. Had published review of Dunkirk few days back. Midway is another brilliant war movie which is based on the Pacific war between US and Japan, after Pearl Harbor and before the Hiroshima Nagasaki attack.
Check my review in IMDb Critics at
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6924650/externalreviews….
The actual review can be found at
https://theworldofmovies.com/midway-2019-movie-review/
Thursday 2 April 2020
Dunkirk
A special tribute to a special director. Read my complete review of Dunkirk (2017) in IMDb critics .
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5013056/externalreviews… through Theworldofmovies.com.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5013056/externalreviews… through Theworldofmovies.com.
The review could be found at
https://theworldofmovies.com/dunkirk-2017-movie-review/
https://theworldofmovies.com/dunkirk-2017-movie-review/
Monday 30 March 2020
Tanhaji
Check out my review in the critic reviews of IMDb through theworldofmovies.com.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8108274/externalreviews…
The detailed review can be read at
https://theworldofmovies.com/tanhaji-movie-review/amp/
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8108274/externalreviews…
The detailed review can be read at
https://theworldofmovies.com/tanhaji-movie-review/amp/
Wednesday 25 March 2020
Crash Landing on You
Donning the critics hat for IMDb , my review on Crash Landing on You got published under critic reviews on the IMDb site through TheWorldofMovies.com.
The actual review can be read at
Wednesday 4 March 2020
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Author : Haruki Murakami
Plot review:
A full blown Murakami experience, I spent late nights and early mornings reading this book. Too surreal, twisted, complex, there are times when I failed to understand what is going on and why I am reading this book, but it is so addictive I could not let go of it.There were bits and pieces which were too lengthy, and most of it other than the central piece is entirely unexplained even in the end. I thought I was a novice and hence could not decipher Murakami's extraordinary intelligence, but figured out through other reviews that no body actually understood this book. The book leaves you with so many questions unanswered.
A 30 year old man, Toku Okada,is living a peaceful life until one day his cat disappears, followed by his wife. In his quest first to find the cat and later his wife, Okada encounters several bizarre characters and finds himself in strange circumstances , where he has to travel to another dimension to reach out to his wife. The characters practice divination, spiritual healing, mystic powers in other dimensions which separate body and mind. The story progresses through different perspectives, one of them being the aftermath Japan faced after the second world war.
Thus I enter the complex web of Murakami's world .
To summarize, to hell with the logic, I loved reading it !! The book has a magnetic charm to it and Murakami, is one author who demands the reader's attention. You cannot skip a single page, lest some important plot development happens somewhere in the vast labyrinth the master story teller weaves for us !
Recommended: 👍👍👍👍
Sunday 16 February 2020
Saturday 18 January 2020
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