STORY: 3/5 THEME: 3.5/5 WRITING STYLE: 4/5 ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3.5/5 HISTORICAL RELEVANCE: 4/5 Originally written in the Urdu language, and first published in 1932, “Angaaray” was immediately banned when it created outrage amongst the colonial British and conservative Islamists. The extent to which it infuriated the Muslim community was very aptly denoted by its title “Angaaray” […]
Palette of Love | Ashok Kallarakkal | Book Review
PLOT: 3.5/5 CHARACTERS: 4/5 WRITING STYLE: 4/5 ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 4/5 Before I start this review I would happily like to state that “Palette of Love” has been my best short story book so far in this year. I simply loved all the stories which the author has so beautifully compiled in this short and sweet book. […]
Metro Diaries | Namrata | Book Review
SUBJECT: 4/5 WRITING STYLE: 4.5/5 ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 4/5 In the words of the famous English singer and songwriter John Lennon, “Love is a promise; love is a souvenir, once given never forgotten, never let it disappear” and just like the legendary superstar, I too, strongly believe that love can never be forgotten. It can be […]
On Love And Sex: Selected Writings | Khushwant Singh | Book Review
SUBJECT: 3/5 WRITING STYLE: 3.5/5 CANDIDNESS: 3/5 ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3.5/5 When you think about Khushwant Singh and about his writings, what is the first word which comes to your mind? Sex, for he is a writer who is famously known for his frequent and candid commentaries on the subject. On Love And Sex: Selected Writings […]
Boats on Land – A Collection of Short Stories | Janice Pariat | Book Review
STORIES: 3/5 CHARACTERS: 5/5 WRITING STYLE: 4/5 ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3/5 The beauty of the north-east lies in its culture, its people and its landscapes. The seven sisters, as these seven states are called, have their own culture, beliefs and language, and each one is more beautiful than the other. But these are in jeopardy due […]
Stories of Hope | Kirthi Jayakumar | Book Review
STORIES: 4/5 CHARACTERS: 3.5/5 WRITING STYLE: 3.5/5 ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 4/5 There are both pluses and minuses with short stories. They lack the depth and detail of a full-length novel, but are short and undemanding; you need not start from the first page of the book, and you need not wind-up at the last page. Any […]
The Disappearance of Tejas Sharma | Manish Mahajan | Book Review
PLOT: 4.5/5 CHARACTERS: 4/5 WRITING STYLE: 5/5 ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 5/5 Beyond the realms of men, there is a world; a world where the unknown and the unexplained resides, a world which information and education can’t reasonably explain, a world where the existentialism is not bound by mere carnal presence. Not necessarily horrifying or scary, this […]
Unaccustomed Earth | Jhumpa Lahiri | Book Review
PLOTS: 4.5/5 CHARACTERS: 5/5 WRITING STYLE: 5/5 CLIMAX: 4.5/5 ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 5/5 Hailed as one of the best-known authors of today, she is a celebrated recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in the year 2000. Though named Nilanjana Sudeshna, she loves to go by her nickname, Jhumpa Lahiri. She was born to Indian immigrants […]
The King’s Harvest | Chetan Raj Shrestha | Book Review
PLOT: 4.5/5 CHARACTERS: 4.5/5 WRITING STYLE: 4.5/5 CLIMAX: 3 /5 ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 4.5/5 I remember it was the summer of 1996; my aunt was newly married and still living with us when her tall, dark, handsome knight in shining armour came to stay with us (read stay with her) for two weeks. It was a […]
Saleem on Earth and Other Stories | Book Review
PLOT: 3/5 CHARACTERS: 3/5 WRITING STYLE: 3/5 CLIMAX: 3/5 ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3/5 Reading short stories is definitely not the same as reading a full-fledged novel. In a novel, the author has the time to build the characters and the plot while the reader gets to peel off the layers one by one in anticipation of […]