Timing and expectation both worked against this book. Kunal Basu set the bar too high with 'The Japanese Wife'. 'The Yellow Emperor's Cure' fails to match it in narration and nuance. Plus, most of the book is set in 19th century China, making it look insipid after Amitav Ghosh's 'River of Smoke'. You may call it an unfair comparison, but it cannot be helped. That said, I did enjoy some...
01:25 PM, Jan 12, 2012
When Mark Tully co-authored his first book on India, I'm told he was tempted to sign off after every 200 words. Not because he did not have enough to say, but electronic media drills into you the idea of economy of words. And it's not such a handicap when the subject you choose is a humongous country of over a billion people. Mark Tully has skillfully told the story of...
06:12 PM, Nov 17, 2011
It's one of those stories that could be playing out in your neighbourhood. You would talk about Moyur and Jonali over your evening cup of tea and namkeen, feel sorry and then move to the more important topic of what to cook for dinner. This story has nothing exotic or extraordinary about it. And that's why it's so glorious and painful. Moyur is a boy trapped in circumstance and convention....
06:40 PM, Nov 07, 2011
The first book I read by AS Byatt was 'Possession'. That was back in high school, and I never really finished it. I found it too verbose and obscure in its depiction of 'relations between living and dead minds'. It just added to my bias against Booker winning novels. So when I got a copy of her latest book I wasn't so sure. I gave it a shot nonetheless. For...
06:16 PM, Nov 01, 2011
Earth, water, sunlight and sweat made the seed sprout. A seed entrusted to the earth sprouted. That truth was simple enough. The farmer anchored his life on that truth and made it yield a hundredfold harvest. All that Dinakaran ever wanted, and all that he ever knew, was to be a farmer. But that was not to be. Aathi, his beloved land, was destined for a different antham. It had...
04:11 PM, Oct 13, 2011
Across the country, effigies of Raavan, his brother Kumbhakaran and son Meghnath are burnt, symbolising the victory of good over evil. ...
07:30 PM, Oct 06, 2011
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LK Advani is officially pulling out of the race for prime ministership. Or is he? He has said he's happy as a party worker. An ...
06:39 PM, Sep 21, 2011
New Delhi: With L K Advani officially pulling out of the race for prime ministership and the BJP wasting no time in welcoming the announcement, the party's PM candidate has again become a matter of public speculation. CNN-IBN's Palki Sharma says Advani's stand is ambiguous. Is he really yielding to the pressure from the RSS, or is it a smart move by the party veteran to let the public mood...
06:36 PM, Sep 21, 2011
Vishram Society is a middle class building. Once pink, now a rainwater-stained, fungus-licked grey, surrounded by mangroves and malarial clouds in Vakola - a cluster of ambiguous dots that cling polyp-like to the underside of the domestic airport. It is home to respectable middle class people - a retired accountant, a social worker, a real-estate broker, a cyber caf owner. And an old teacher (who wants nothing. Isn't that dangerous?...
06:37 PM, Jul 14, 2011
The action builds up real fast. Desperation, passion, fear... foreplay, rape, submission... and boom! The most dangerous man in South Asia, the leader of the Tehrik-e-Taliban in Pakistan is killed in a drone attack. All in the first 9 pages. Many wanted him dead. But who killed Baitullah Mehsud? It's explosive stuff. The subject couldn't be more relevant right now, the author's command on it indisputable. As the story unfolds,...
05:11 PM, Nov 23, 2010
The bestseller author's back in circulation with a legal thriller for kids. ...
12:58 PM, Jun 07, 2010
The bestseller author's back in circulation with a legal thriller for kids. ...
12:58 PM, Jun 07, 2010
Andrea Levy's
The Long Song is insipid ...
04:46 PM, May 27, 2010
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