Review: Undelivered Letters

Undelivered Letters by J. Alchem
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My rating: 3.5 / 5.

This is a story which has a lot going for it. Aron was a postman many years back. He falls in love and gets married to Sara.

Accidentally, Sara discovers a bunch of letters he should have delivered 20 years back. Guilt gnaws at Aron – what does the non-delivery of these letters mean to the intended recipients? He goes about trying to find out. Here, the book moves on to the stories of people connected to these letters.

I found each of the three stories covered in depth to be strong emotionally and your heart goes out to the characters involved. While the digression into the individual stories seems sudden, the stories are tied together at the end excellently. I do think though that the format and central storyline offered much more scope for a bigger and deeper story.

This a cute and quick read – which I certainly recommend. Many of the stories are very moving.

I received a free copy of the book for providing an honest review.


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Review: Origin

Origin by Dan Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, at the outset I might as well mention that I am a Dan Brown fan. Other than good research, his books whip up tremendous pace and I find myself wanting to keep going.

This time, Robert Langdon finds himself at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao – invited by his brilliant former student Edmond Kirsch. Kirsch, who has always believed that science will have all the answers sooner or later, is also generally known to be provocative towards organized religion. He promises that his presentation will have far reaching consequences seeking to answer the two most intriguing questions all of us have: Where do we come from? Where are we going?
The event is organized by Ambra Vidal, the beautiful museum director who is engaged to the Prince of Spain. The event ends in tragedy just before the Edmond’s presentation is to be made. Robert Langdon and Ambra Vidal flee the scene, determined to pursue, and reveal to the world Edmond’s presentation. They have an unlikely ally in one of Edmond’s creations. As with all of Dan Brown’s books, there are plots and twists.

As with all of Dan Browns books, the research is credible – be it the places, the history or the organizations involved. And yet – when the answer is revealed, it is somewhat disappointing since the build-up seems to allude to somewhat much bigger. There are also a few loose ends in the plot.

The discussions in the later sections of the book around religion and science, and how they can be both be progressive and complimentary are very good. The openness, and progressive thinking Robert Langdon speaks about are much needed and should find more resonance in government, religious and scientific circles.

If you have a more serious inclination to the matters discussed in the book, I would suggest the books: The Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life, Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies and Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow.

If you like Dan Brown’s books, you will love this one too.


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Review: If Truth Be Told: A Monk's Memoir

If Truth Be Told: A Monk's Memoir by Om Swami
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I first read one of Om Swami's blogs, which I found to be excellent. I subsequently read his - Kundalini & A million thoughts both of which are great books.

This is Om Swami's life and progress to spiritual excellence in a nutshell. A person who was very successful in his profession and went on to become a millionaire by the age of 30, but was drawn to spirituality since his young age.

The book shifts between his pursuit of spirituality by renouncing everything he had, and his child hood. The narration is crisp for the most part and his life quite obviously is fascinating. There are sections though which could have been shortened in the earlier parts of the book, and more space could have been devoted to his meditation and spiritual practices in the later sections. However, mindfulness methods are covered in his subsequent book "A million thoughts" which I would rate as among the best books on meditation.

Overall, an inspiring book you should read if spirituality as a genre is of interest!


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Review: The Fragile Thread of Hope

The Fragile Thread of Hope by Pankaj Giri
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The book has two principal characters – Soham and Fiona. For a large part of the book, their stories run in parallel converging towards the later part of the book.

The one thing in common between the lives of Soham and Fiona is the pain in their lives. Both come from humble backgrounds and face hardship as well as tragedy. The other aspect in common is their strength in looking ahead despite deep rooted personal suffering.

Soham's brother's untimely demise affects him deeply, and he is haunted by memories. It has an impact on his parents, as well as their relationship. Soham works in Bangalore in an IT firm and is doing well professionally. A relationship with a co-worker seems to be exactly what he needs to move on with life. But then, the happiness is short lived and more difficult times come up in his life causing him to return to Gangtok.

Fiona's mother Sharon has had an especially tough life with a husband who drinks every day squandering his money and his health. As he passes away, it is not clear how Sharon can make ends meet and educate Fiona – but she does it with great strength. Fiona feels she has found the love of her life too, and yet long term happiness proves elusive.

Soham and Fiona are now both in Gangok. Can they find meaning in their lives, which seems to have lost purpose as a result of the pain they have suffered?

There is deep rooted tragedy and pain in the lives of the Soham & Fiona – yet this book is about their character, strength and certainly hope. The setting and culture of Sikkim is well explored and described. Having visited Sikkim, just this past year – it brought vivid images of the beauty of the place to my mind.

With it's impressive build up of it's strong characters and good story line, I certainly recommend this book to be read.

Note: I received an advance copy of the ebook for providing an honest review


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