Animal By Lisa Taddeo [BOOK REVIEW]

SYNOPSIS

Joan has spent a lifetime enduring the cruel acts of men. But when one of them commits a shocking act of violence in front of her, she flees New York City in search of Alice, the only person alive who can help her make sense of her past. In the sweltering hills above Los Angeles, Joan unravels the horrific event she witnessed as a child—that has haunted her every waking moment—while forging the power to finally strike back.

Here is the electrifying debut novel from Lisa Taddeo, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller and international phenomenon Three Women, which was named to more than thirty best-of-the-year lists and hailed as “a dazzling achievement” (Los Angeles Times) and “a heartbreaking, gripping, astonishing masterpiece” (Esquire). Animal is a depiction of female rage at its rawest, and a visceral exploration of the fallout from a male-dominated society. With writing that scorches and mesmerizes, Taddeo illustrates one woman’s exhilarating transformation from prey into predator.

MY THOUGHTS

The story revolves around a 36 year old woman named Joan who has witnessed a public suicide in the beginning of the book. After this incident, she is in search of answers about her past from a girl named Alice. Without revealing much about the story, I would suggest you buy a copy of this book. I read a lot of mixed reviews and this book isn’t fir everyone but you should definitely give it a try. I would say that it was more of a character driven novel rather than being plot driven.

It’s hard to find the right word to describe how I felt after reading the book. For me it was emotional and depressing at times but I appreciate the efforts that the author has put in writing the book. I completed this book a couple of days ago but I couldn’t find time to sit and write a review. Ever since I finished this book, I could not progress. It feels as if the story is stuck somewhere in my head. At this point of time, I don’t know how I will rate this book. I am not pretty sure if I loved the protagonist or not but the author has penned amazing characters.

Advertisement

Tokyo Ever After By Emiko Jean [BOOK REVIEW]

SUMMARY

Izumi Tanaka has never really felt like she fit in—it isn’t easy being Japanese American in her small, mostly white, northern California town. Raised by a single mother, it’s always been Izumi—or Izzy, because “It’s easier this way”—and her mom against the world. But then Izzy discovers a clue to her previously unknown father’s identity… and he’s none other than the Crown Prince of Japan. Which means outspoken, irreverent Izzy is literally a princess.

In a whirlwind, Izzy travels to Japan to meet the father she never knew and discover the country she always dreamed of. But being a princess isn’t all ball gowns and tiaras. There are conniving cousins, a hungry press, a scowling but handsome bodyguard who just might be her soulmate, and thousands of years of tradition and customs to learn practically overnight.

Izzy soon finds herself caught between worlds, and between versions of herself—back home, she was never “American” enough, and in Japan, she must prove she’s “Japanese” enough. Will Izumi crumble under the weight of the crown, or will she live out her fairytale, happily ever after?

MY THOUGHTS

The story of Tokyo Ever After revolves around a girl named Izumi, an American Japanese who lives with her mother in North California. But one day she finds out that her father is the crown prince of Japan and she is ACTUALLY A PRINCESS!!! After coming to know about all this, she writes to her father and later travels to Japan. I love reading books by japanese authors or in general any book set in Japan and keeping that in mind, I love love love this book. It is perfect for those who love reading something light during summers. I mostly read Mystery & Thriller. You’ll rarely find me with a rom-com or a light read in my hand. For a change, I loved it. I am not revealing much about the story and would recommend it to those who loved Crazy Rich Asians.

I adore the relationship between Izumi and Akio but at the same time I felt that it was more of Insta-love. Izumi was a charming character and I loved her character. Knowing the fact that she is a princess, she didn’t change her attitude toward other people… not even a little bit.

As far as the writing is concerned, it was pretty good. I appreciate the efforts that the author has put in. I got to learn quite a few things just by reading this book. I am eagerly waiting for the next book.

Nalanda: History’s Best Kept Secret by Shivani Singh [BOOK REVIEW]

SYNOPSIS

In medieval India, Siddhartha is a young Buddhist monk studying in one of the most renowned and ancient universities of the world – Nalanda. He is catapulted to the brink of history by the University senior teachers. They command him to aid the royal investigation of a suspicious death on campus. Mahipala, the king of Magadha, believes the death is actually a murder. Mahipala’s royal Officer in charge of the investigation is none other than siddhartha’s brother Aditya Raj. The brothers are forced into an uneasy alliance. Between them are played off the unforetold forces that wiped off Nalanda from the historical map of India. As the fate of Nalanda is sealed, strange deaths occur in quick succession. Plagued by misery and doubt, Siddhartha unwittingly stumbles upon a secret. It makes him question his faith, his rationality and, finally, his own existence. In the end, Nalanda is razed to the ground. This is fact. However, the narrative is a climactic context of many other elements of alternative history and speculative spirituality. It’s a shocking Disclosure of esoteric practices, involving the divine feminine, never divulged to the masses for reasons unknown. Venturing into historically virgin territory and, in many ways, picking up from where Dan Brown left, Nalanda exposes a reality that is devastating, mind-altering and yet, somehow, liberating.

MY THOUGHTS

The story of Nalanda is set in Medieval India. We follow our narrator, Sidhartha who is a young buddhist monk studying in one of the most renowned and ancient universities of the world – Nalanda. During those times, Nalanda was considered to be one of the world-renowned centres for education in India. Nobody knows the actual reason behind the sudden destruction at Nalanda University.

I am currently reading three books at the same time but to be honest, from the first page till the last page, I kept reading without switching to any other book. For me it was definitely a thought proving novel. I got to learn a lot of things that I wasn’t aware of. I haven’t read any book set in medieval India but after reading this book, I am definitely going to pick some more. As far as the writing style is censored, it was eloquent. It can be seen both in the writing style as well as the narrator’s tone. As a reader, I could feel that the author as well as the character is able to express themselves clearly. I would commend this book for those who are looking forward to reading more on this subject.

Thank you so much @amaryllispublishing for the review copy.

More Things in Heaven and Earth by Kiran Manral [BOOK REVIEW]

SYNOPSIS

When Kamla Malik’s husband Nihar dies of a heart attack in Goa, she’s devastated. Haunted by the lack of closure, she tries mediums, séances, and Ouija boards to help her establish contact. All she wants is a final goodbye. She tries to find him in the twisted labyrinthine worlds that he now inhabits, but does she really want him back, and worse, if she finds him, will he let her go? Or is she, as the doctors believe, living in the tunnels of her mind, making it impossible for her to distinguish hallucination from reality? Coincidentally, her eccentric and ailing maternal aunt invites her to visit at her splendidly isolated and crumbling villa in Goa. Here, Kamla meets Victor, her aunt’s stepson. He stakes his claim over the villa and with it, over Kamla. While she accepts that Victor is her here and now, why does Nihar continue to torment her? Is she doomed to be forever haunted by him? An exquisitely sinister tale of bereavement and the grey lands between the dead and the living, both within the mind and outside of it, More Things in Heaven and Earth is the horror of what happens when love, obsession and betrayal collide.

MY THOUGHTS

“𝑯𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒔 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝑰 𝒊𝒏𝒉𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒔, 𝒊𝒕 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑. 𝑯𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆. 𝑯𝒐𝒎𝒆, 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒘, 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒑𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒆. 𝑯𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒆’𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔. 𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆.”

The story revolves around Kamla Malik, 33 year old who lost her husband, Nihan died of a heart attack. Kamla is a kind of person who always tried to fit in but her husband wanted her to stand out. When Nihan died, Kamla wasn’t around him since he was away from home. All she wants is to say a final goodbye to Nihan and in order to do that she tries mediums, séances, and Ouija boards to help her establish contact.Without revealing much about the story, I would recommend you to read it.

I have read a lot of Indian authors as a teenager but I was stunned by @kiranmanral ‘s writing style. At times, I find it hard to get into a novel but I must say that the initial chapters were amazing… There was some magic in the writing style. I was literally hooked from the very first page. It took me just a couple of days to finish this. Now I am wondering why I never read books by Kiran ma’am. But I am definitely going to pick more novels by her now.

Thank you for the review copy @amaryllispublishing

Marriage: 100 stories around India’s favourite ritual by Devdutt Pattanaik [Book Review]

SYNOPSIS

Marriage, by mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik, brings together stories from Vedic, Puranic, Tamil, and Sanskrit literature, from regional, classical, folk and tribal lore, from oral and textual traditions, across 3000 years of history and 3 million square kilometres of geography, to reveal the diversity and fluidity of Indian customs and beliefs around marriage.

My Thoughts

The book includes 100 stories about marriage from Vedic, Tamil, Sanskrit literature, folklore. When I picked this book, I was sure that I must be aware of a lot of stories but there were only a couple of stories I heard about. 
The book was divided into various parts ranging from Origin to Separation. Each section had amazing stories that were either taken from Mahabharata or vedic purans
I got to know about a lot of stories that are a part of our holy books but I didn’t know about the stories.
The story I kind of liked was- Prajakta
There was once a plant fell in love with the sun God, Surya. She adored him gently, but he showed no interest in her. Heartbroken, she decided she would bloom only at night so that the sun would never experience her fragrance.

On the whole it was an amazing book. Anyone who wants to learn more about the cultures and traditions practised during marriages in India should definitely read this book.