The White Pearl

By Kate Furnivall

The crisp cover of The White Pearl attracted me from a distance—the synopsis was perfect enough to make me buy the book. The author Kate Furnivall is a British historical novelist; her first book, 'The Russian Concubine' is very famous.

The White Pearl tells the story of Connie Hadley and her dysfunctional relationships. Married to a rich, plantation owner, Nigel in Malaya, Connie despises everything about her marriage and life, save for her dear son Teddy. When the World War comes to Malaya, Connie finds her life changed forever.

Connie, guilt-ridden for accidentally killing a native Malay woman finds the woman's twins to help them. The son, Razak bonds with Teddy, the daughter Maya wants revenge for her mother's death. When the Japanese attack Malaya after the Pearl Harbor, the Hadleys are forced to leave Malaya for Singapore in their family yacht, The White Pearl. The twins and Nigel's close friends join the voyage.

The yacht is captained by the enigmatic yet pragmatic Fitzpayne, a friend of the Hadleys. The journey begins as a pleasant sail but soon becomes tragic with Nigel's death. With enemies closely following their trail, the yacht reaches Singapore in full sail only to see the city bombarded by the Japanese. The group hides in a fully equipped secret island, a brain-child of the mysterious Fitzpayne.

The secret island is not spared by the Japanese, soon the group faces the Japanese arms. What follows is a glimpse of fighting planes and war machines. Japanese General Takesahi brings deja vu to Connie—her deadly relationship with Sho and the motive of Fitzpayne seem implausible.

The story of Morgan Maroc was out of place and didn't fit well in the book. I expected more out of John Blake's character. The story was an average read--slow-paced at the beginning--soon became a page turner with the adventurous sail. The beauty of the South China sea and its islands was mesmerizing. I enjoyed reading it even if it felt too good to be true.

Read It Once

Empire of the Moghul - Ruler of the World

By Alex Rutherford

So far, I've managed to find only one bookshop with a decent collection of English books (esp. Fiction) in Copenhagen. Surprisingly, I found quite a handful of books written by Indian authors. I was looking for a historical fiction this time. When I saw the word 'Moghul', I decided that was the book for me. The catchphrase India 1556, keep your enemies close and your sons closer was too good to ignore.

This is the third book of the Empire of the Moghul series—the other two being, Raiders from the North and Brothers at War. The books are written by a husband and wife duo under the pen name, Alex Rutherford. The authors were inspired by the beauty of the Taj Mahal to write about the Moghul empire.

The book narrates the lives and times of Akbar the Great. For the most part, the story was in Akbar's perspective and later in Salim's. It starts with the struggles and confusions of Akbar as a young Emperor. The court ways, war times and hunting expeditions are explained in great detail. The defeat of the Hindu King, Hemu, the expulsion of the general Bairam Khan and betrayal of his milk-brother Adham Khan and his milk-mother Maham Anga are the important aspects of Akbar's early life.

Then come the famous concubines and harems of the Moghul time. Akbar's marriage with the Hindu Princess, Hirabai is portrayed as a bumpy one with Hirabai persistently hating the foreign ways of the Moghul traditions. The royal palaces and lush gardens of the Moghul times are vividly expressed throughout the book.

The later part of Akbar's life revolves around his religious epiphany, opinion differences with Salim and Abul Fazl's association. At this point, we follow Salim's narration of how he struggles to gain positive attention from his father. There is no strong reason in the book for Akbar's disappointment with Salim—it can only be attributed to Abul Fazl's influence.

Salim is described as pragmatic—though he struggles with his opium addiction and womanizing notoriety, they are only short lived. His youngest son Khurram is taken by Akbar to be raised in his own palace as Khurram was born on an auspicious day similar to Timur's birthday. Khurram soon becomes his favourite—he openly tells his sons that he prefers his grandson to his three sons. Salim, disappointed with his father, tries to parent his other sons, Khusrau and Parvez differently.

Salim's involvement with Akbar's favorite concubine Anarkali gets him expelled from the court. He lives in Kabul for a while befriending Ghiyas Beg, the treasurer of Kabul. He falls in love with Mehrunissa, Ghiyas Beg's daughter. This further degrades Akbar's opinion on him as Mehrunissa was already engaged to a Bengal General. The rest of the novel tells the family's reconciliation, Khusrau's hopes for the throne and Salim's coronation.

The book had everything that I was looking for in The Third Prince. The simple style and the fast paced plot let me finish the book in a very short time. The book was informative as well as interesting. This book has impressed me and I might buy the two other books of the series as well.

If you like historical fiction, this is a must read.

The Bells

By Richard Harvell 

This is the first book I bought in Copenhagen and took quite a time to read it. I enjoyed the book very much irrespective of the slowness. The letters were small and I didn't particularly like that part—not a book for travel. The cover is just perfect showing a melancholic face of a boy. 

The author, Richard Harvell, who lives in Switzerland was inspired by the sounds and abbeys of Switzerland to write a novel. This is his first book and is critically acclaimed. 

The Bells tells the tragic story of Moses Froben and his life as an outcast, an orphan, a choirboy, a novice, a lover and a musico. Moses Froben lives with his mute and deaf mother in a belfry, high in the mountains of Uri Valley. The villagers believe Moses to be mute and deaf like his mother. When everyone finds the bells too noisy to bear, Moses' life is shaped by its sounds.

Neglected by his family and the villagers, life in the belfry was uneventful for Moses and his mother until Father Karl Victor cast his ugly spell. When he finds that Moses can speak, he goes as far as to kill both of them. A kind monk named Nicolai finds Moses in a lake struggling for his dear life. Nicolai ignores the warnings of his friend Remus and decides to take Moses to the Abbey of St. Gall.

Staudach, the abbot of St. Gall instantly despises Moses, but Ulrich, the choir master soon finds the hidden talent of Moses. Irrespective of the bullies from other members of the abbey, Moses soon stands out with his voice. Moses' life takes a turn for good when he is invited to sing for Herr Duft, a lady of a famous family in the area. He befriends Amalia, Herr Duft's daughter.

To preserve Moses' angelic voice, Ulrich wants to make him a musico. Nicolai in an attempt to kill Ulrich for his wrongness to Moses, gets expelled from the abbey. Nicolai and Remus leave Moses to be a novice in the abbey under Staudach's care.

As Moses grows to a man, he falls in love with Amalia. Their short secret meetings are soon interrupted as Amalia gets married to a rich man in Vienna. The rest of the story tells the fate of Moses, Amalia, Nicolai and Remus.

The narration is friendly and easy to follow. The beauty of the Alps and Vienna spread before our eyes as the book proceeds. The characters Nicolai and Remus are warm and practical—however, I find Father Karl Victor and Staudach to be too evil for their position. The beauty of the sound and its vibration were portrayed brilliantly that I was almost able to feel it.  The book was a perfect read for me.

The Bells is a must read.