Review: The Book Thief

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Book Thief is a much read and reviewed book. I do admit to feeling a little silly for – reading it very late and more so for writing a review! The book’s story is quite obviously its biggest strength, as also the courage & values of its main characters. You cannot but help being transported to those difficult times in Germany during the Second World War.

Liesel is the lead character of the book who travels with her mother and brother to the town of Molching. Her brother dies tragically during the journey and this is when she comes across the book “The Gravedigger’s handbook” which she whisks away. She is adopted by Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Hans, in particular, is very sensitive to her state of mind and takes care to allow her to settle in. Liesel develops an interest in reading and is taking away books during burning events and even the Mayor’s place. She develops a close friendship with Rudy. The family hide a young Jewish man Max in their basement. Liesel & Max form a sense of bonding – each with their own personal pains & nightmares.

As the war enters its final phase, with Germany facing defeat, the hardships of the family increase. Quite expectedly, there is a toll in terms of human life.

The book features very strong value based characters in Liesel, Hans, Rudy and Max. There are various parts of the story which are very moving – Liesel’s personal tragic / pain and nightmares, Max’s situation & thoughts, Hans standing up for his values, and the trauma they face. The narration of the story by Death adds a further dimension allowing expression of some very striking thoughts & passages. I found the references to ‘book thief’ to be a little forced though and the book could have been crisper.

This is a very powerful story with characters, their values, approach to life and pain which will stay with you for long.

My rating: 4.5 / 5.


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Review: The Boss

The Boss by Caz Finlay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Boss is a crime syndicate novel which has a good story, strong characters and pace. The development & unveiling of Grace’s character through the novel is especially good.

Grace falls for Nathan, who runs a gang which does drugs and has other businesses. He is good looking and a charmer. Once married, however, there is a violent streak to Nathan which terrifies Grace. She learns later that Nathan has had a difficult childhood – adopted and also faces abuse. There is very little she can do, but she also knows she cannot survive her marriage. Nathan goes to prison and Grace has her freedom for a few years. She uses the period to fortify her position – divorces Nathan, builds - mental strength, contacts, friends and a business. She also has her son Jake who provides her purpose and determination. As Nathan comes out of prison though, and continues to meet her regularly, she is not sure how she is going to cope. Nathan knows her weaknesses, and is ruthless.

The story shuffles between past and present and converges very well towards the end. The build-up and the ending are very good as well. The development of Grace’s character, and her determination to cope with her position makes for excellent reading.

My rating: 4.5 / 5.

I had quite recently read Boss Girl which also had a crime syndicate backdrop, and liked that as well. The stories are quite different, and yet both have good characters & pace.

My thanks to NetGalley, Killer Reads and the author for providing me a free copy for a review.

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Review: Once Upon a Reunion

Once Upon a Reunion by Nithya Sashi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Once upon a Reunion combines large portions of general fiction with a touch of crime & suspense. This book is an easy read and one you can relax with – it moves fast. While the story is good as are the characters, it falls a little short in tying all the pieces together.

Nirmala works at an IT job and has a hard boss. She is married to Sreeni and tries hard to make their marriage work, especially since there are relationships from the past (Suresh, in college), she would like to get over. It is however, not easy, and a lot of hard work.

Nirmala is invited to a school reunion and is in two minds on whether to as Suresh will be there as well. Her good friend Aarti however insists she should come. After much agony, Nirmala decides to go, though undecided on what & how she will speak to Suresh, especially since he leaves her abruptly and later gets married. At the reunion, Suresh is found dead. As the police investigate the cause of death, and all his college-mates are suspects.

The writing is good considering that this is a first book, but in places the author tries too hard leading to weak metaphors & complex sentence structures. The book relies more on the element of surprise for the crime & suspense element (which there certainly is) thought the sleuthing involved in uncovering the truth is weak.

Overall, a book which has a decent story and moves fast, so well worth a read.

My rating: 3.25 / 5.

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Review: Pretty Guilty Women

Pretty Guilty Women by Gina LaManna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It is a wedding where four friends from school meet after a long time. A man however dies and found women confess to the murder. The start is interesting and the pace is good, keeping up the suspense well till the end.

Whitney is getting married. While she, Kate, Ginger and Emily were friends, they have not really been in the best of relations since some time. All of them have their problems – Kate is increasingly desperate to have a child; Ginger is a mother of three kids and struggles to manage them and Emily veers towards depression with nothing seeming to work since long for her in life. All of them decide to attend Whitney’s wedding after some hesitation hoping it will give them a chance to rekindle their relationships. The story converges the past with the present very well, picking up from the time they were close and later drifted apart. At the event, they also meet elderly Lulu who has some concerns of her own regarding her married life. They run into Sidney at the marriage, who is caring for a young child. And then this murder happens.

The overall storyline, buildup, convergence of the past & present, and the pace is good. The plot itself has some weak elements in it though.

Well worth a read especially for the layered buildup of the story.

My rating: 3.5 / 5.


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Review: Leadership Dharma

Leadership Dharma by Raghu Ananthanarayanan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have attended leadership programs conducted by Raghu Ananthanarayanan. His sessions are very intellectually stimulating and provoke deep introspection. He fuses traditional wisdom exceptionally well into today’s work environments. Raghu’s mentors include Yogacharya Krishnamacharya, J Krishnamurti and Pulin Garg, renowned intellectuals/scholars/yogis.

Raghu’s book ‘Leadership Dharma’ packs tremendous wisdom and behaviour changing insights. It is a book, however, which needs to be read slowly, and internalized. While reading the book, I was reminded of my first experience with reading Joseph Campbell’s ‘A Hero with a Thousand Faces’. I found it a difficult read due to its references to myths of various cultures worldwide. And yet, the value was clear – and I then read it slowly (Interestingly, Raghu also refers to Campbell’s Hero’s Journey framework in his book).

The book’s narrative uses a business challenge faced by Ranjan (who is the founder of Mobile Unlimited) – a situation where he is not sure of what next for his company and people. He uses his wife Sanam as a sounding board to bounce ideas. Sanam, who has a background in arts and dance, directs him to the wisdom of the Mahabharata. What follows is an intense exercise of introspection and self-discovery not only for Ranjan, but his core team as well.

The Mahabharata, with its complex characters and scenarios has served as a moral beacon for those seeking the way since centuries. Raghu abstracts the wisdom very well into lessons which can be acted upon. A simple 3 question framework to re-direct you to purpose – Who am I? Where am I? Why am I here? As Joseph Campbell had advised – the wisdom in great myths is wrapped in metaphors, and none is literal. The Pandavas each are a personality archetype: Yudhishthira - symbolizes the earth element (dependable and a guardian of values of the current), Bheema – symbolizes the fire element (brings tremendous energy, but when faced with a crisis), Nakula – symbolizes the water element (nourishes all others), Sahadeva – symbolizes the air element (grows imbibing learning) and Arjuna symbolizes the space element (fuses different diverse elements and moves ahead seeking the new with great balance). Karna, with similarities to Arjuna’s personality, suffers a dilemma of self-doubt and legitimacy due to his upbringing & social status, and ends up aligning himself with Duryodhana who offers him the legitimacy by granting him a kingdom to rule.

Arjuna is the great hero who seeks the counsel of Krishna, who is the archetype of one’s deepest wisdom and purest intent (I found this description of Lord Krishna to be simple, striking and at the same time profound). The Bhagawad Gita prompts us to ask two key questions of ourselves: In doing what I am doing, what am I really doing? How am I part of the problem and how can I be part of the solution? Leadership, when viewed from the perspective of the Mahabharata is very different from the prevalent corporate view of it being about individual competencies, power and status. Raghu, rather goes to the stories of the Mahabharata, Ramayana, and Joseph’s Campbell’s framework of the Hero’s journey where leadership is about growing the community and its environment. Heroism, for many, still invokes the Rambo ideal rather than the greater good. As Raghu points out, Yoga Sutra says with the ripening of meditative enquiry, thoughts of the type ‘What does it mean for me’ go away.

The Mahabharata’s wisdom tells us to pay attention to Dharma (the uploading of values/virtues), Karma (taking responsibility for our actions) and addressing Dharma Sankatas (moral dilemmas) with deep introspection and action. When Arjuna strings his Gaandiva bow, we are reminded of the tension between the beauty of one’s tradition and the potentials of a new way. Arjuna is brave enough to step ahead. Since Mahatma Gandhi, and subsequently Nelson Mandela, there is a paucity of leaders who stand for a balanced value-based leadership. Just maybe, Raghu points out that multiple people can together stand for it and fill the gap.

While the Mahabharata occupies center stage in the book, there are references to the Ramayana, stories from the Buddha’s life, Joseph’s Campbell’s work, Clare W Graves work (leading to Spiral Dynamics which I found fascinating as well), as well as models developed by Raghu and his colleagues. Plato said that Kings need to be good philosophers, this Raghu points out is essential and what the Bhagawad Gita advises us as well.

Ranjan, and Sanam finally see a way forward, on what next for Ranjan's company, people and leadership.

This book is of a very high intellectual order, which many should read. Those unfamiliar with Indian mythology – especially the Mahabharata may find it a little difficult to relate to. And I stress, this is a book which still needs to be read slowly, slowly, slowly and imbibed.


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Review: Muhammad Bin Tughlaq: Tale of a Tyrant

Muhammad Bin Tughlaq: Tale of a Tyrant by Anuja Chandramouli
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Muhammad Bin Tughlaq was the Sultan of Delhi in the early 14th century had ruled over a large empire in India. Writings books around this period can be tricky, as opinions are very divided – either as a period where values plunged with mind-numbing cruel violence, or more favourably as being the general practices of the times. Anuja Chandramouli strikes a very good balance in the book – combining historical facts with new voices of the characters. As she mentions history is especially scant about the voices of the women of the time, and Anuja gives Muhammad Bin Tughlaq’s mother, wife and sister a voice.

The Khilji clan’s reign had ended, and Muhammad Bin Tughlaq becomes the Sultan of Delhi after the death of his father Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq. It was challenge to match the legacy of his father who was much respected. Muhammad however tries his best to be considerate to his subjects (including non-muslims), while still adhering strongly to the rituals required of his faith. And yet, he was cruel as well with opponents, and (in this version) also his own wife Saira. The bar for values had been set very low by Alauddin Khilji, and hence rulers who followed come across as so much better. However, the cruelty, religious intolerance and violence can still make you cringe by the standards of today. Muhammad Bin Tughlaq runs into issues with a number of rebellions and watching his kingdom coming apart near the end of his life.

The narration is a bit dry in parts. Though the author mentions that today, Muhammad Bin Tughlaq is regarded by many more favourably, it is not very clear from the narration in entirety as to why that should be the case. The balance in the writing is the strongest and creditable aspect of the book. The interspersing of the author’s version of incidents over what is widely known is imaginative as well. These two aspects make the book well worth a read.

My rating: 3.5 / 5.

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


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Review: My Name Was Five: A Novel of the Second World War

My Name Was Five: A Novel of the Second World War by Heinz Kohler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have read many fiction books set around World War II, and also a few non-fiction books (The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer, Inside the Third Reich by Albert Speer). ‘On Hitler’s Mountain’ by Irmgard Hunt was the first non-fiction book I read which provided a view from a regular family in Germany.

‘My Name was Five’ is an amazing book told from the perspective of a boy who grows up in the midst of intolerance, war and turmoil. While the book is marked as fiction, quite clearly the author borrows a lot from personal experience, as it has a stupendous amount of detail. This is a book where the author bares his soul, and reading it is certain to leave a lasting impact.

The book starts with an incident involving a private plane crash in Florida in 1991, and it seems clearly the result of bird hits. And yet, the pilot makes a strange reference to World War II. From this point onwards till near the end of the book, is the story of the pilot – Hans(el).

Hans grows up in Berlin, and as a school going kid watches as the country descends into prejudice, violence and subsequently war. His parents do not subscribe to Nazism though, and as a result his father Arthur is sent to a concentration camp. Their Jewish friends have to soon leave Berlin. Arthur returns after a few years, only to next receive a punitive posting in an army regiment. The indoctrination is everywhere (school, radio etc); at school for instance – his teacher tells the students about the Nazi philosophy and the resounding success of Germany worldwide. The teacher has as ranking system for the students and refers to them by how he has ranked them. Hans, a very curious and bright kid, is 5. The war brings many painful personal incidents – death of Hans dear friend Dieter, an army man dying in front of him, and at the peak of the bombing – dead bodies on the streets.

After their house is destroying in a bombing raid, Hans, his mother and younger brother Helmut move to Ziesar, where their aunt lives. This is not an easy move, and very soon the area is occupied by the Russians. The occupying force brings with it - violence against the locals, especially horrific incidents of rape against women, one such incident being in Hans’ presence with a gun held to his head. Hans with his open mindedness and inquisitive nature gets into trouble at school very often as well. There are several interesting incidents in the book around the questions he asks – probing philosophies he does not believe in (eg: interests levied being regarded as bad in communism).
Better times do come but the pain will not go away – with the trauma staying for years to come.

This is a very important book for everyone to read. The writing is excellent – providing an inner view of Hans experiences and feelings. Hitler’s regime exacted a staggering price from the world in the war, with Germans being victims as well. As the author says in his afterword, hopefully we as a people will learn our lessons from history, though as of yet does not look like we have fully done so.


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