Tom Sawyer is no stranger to most bookworms, the epitome of mischief and loafing as he is, Sawyer’s enduring evergreen appeal that has lasted over a century can be attributed to his indomitable spirit. In the following lines from the first few pages of the book, Mark Twain kind of sums up the essential Tom … Read more
Ernest Hemingway’s foray into adventure began even before he was twenty. Post a cub reporter stint at the Kansas City Star, Hemingway volunteered for a ambulance driver job at the Italian front during World War I. A Farewell to Arms (1929) is a fictional take on these early intense experiences with violence, love and death. … Read more
If you are yet to read a Wodehouse, there is no particular book to get started on, it could be any of the several he wrote. For a PG Wodehouse book is meant for the laughs, laced with an apt treasure house of vocabulary, impeccable English, historical references, ice thin plot and a stage full … Read more
At the time of writing I am getting through at a snail’s place through Malkani’s slang-decorated narration of Jas, a rich 19 year-old Indian brat growing up in London. First published in 2006, the novel is told from the perspective of Jas, a wannabe, confused affluent teen who pretends he is deprived of wealth and … Read more
The monsoon has arrived! It fell upon the city without warning on the night of June 1, 2013, complete with lightning veins, thunder roll and a rush of drops that soon settled down to play a rhythm on all things that interrupted its airborne tryst. As usual, the meteorologists got it wrong – the monsoon … Read more
An opium filled opus if there was one, Narcopolis has Thayil take the garb of fiction to document a time of hallucination, ennui and quiet decay through a motley group of characters, covering three decades in old, derelict Bombay. But what stands out in remarkable swing to the rest of the conventionally written content is … Read more
We dwell here on Edward James “Jim” Corbett (1875-1955). A British Indian Army colonel at a time when India was under imperial rule, Corbett’s transformation from a game hunter to a wildlife conservationist fits well into the adage – Truth is stranger than fiction. Corbett’s writing endures, engaging as the narration of his adventures is, … Read more
First published in 1987, I have just begun reading Margaret Atwood’s collection of short stories. The author dedicates the book to her parents and the first story is a remarkable one, titled as it is – Significant Moments in the Life of My Mother. Atwood’s mother grew up in Nova Scotia, Canada. These were conventional … Read more