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

Solo

By Rana Dasgupta

I got the hardcover edition of Solo with a beautiful cover and big, clear letters. It was fun to read on the bus and train without having to strain my eyes. This book is much acclaimed for the author, Rana Dasgupta received the prestigious Commonwealth Writers' Prize. This is his second novel after Tokyo Cancelled.

Solo tells the moving story of Ulrich, a Bulgarian, looking through his 100 years of life. The later part concentrates on his daydreams fueled by recurrent failures of his life. It starts with a story of exquisite parrots which can talk the native tongue of an extinct society. The parrots die traumatically in an attempt to transport them to linguists for recording the language. Ulrich, now 100 years old, recounts his life to find the wisdom that he could leave the world as his legacy.

Ulrich is a blind old man, living in a tiny apartment in Sophia and cared for by his kind-hearted neighbors. He starts an exhilarated journey through the past. A usual son denied of his budding interest in music, Ulrich travels to Germany to study Chemistry. Meeting Einstein serendipitously, he intends to make a mark as a chemist. When fate decides otherwise, Ulrich is forced to go back home due to the family's depleting wealth and his father's health.

Ulrich takes up a menial job to support his family in Sophia. He gets married and fathers a son in his short-lived marriage. His life gets traumatized by his divorce and by the execution of his socialist friend Boris. The world wars, the socialism, and the independent Bulgaria each contributes in worsening Ulrich's life. After losing his mother to a false accusation, Ulrich engrosses into his chemistry lab set up, where he accidentally spills acid and loses his sight.

The second part of the book happens in the hippy 21st century New York. There is the ambitious Khatuna, a gangster's mistress whose life topples as the gangster falls for the violence. Urich's imaginary self Boris, a gifted musician raised by his grandmother and found by a multinational musical company, struggles in the whirlwind of the corporate ways. Boris finds comfort in Irakli, Khatuna's brother, and an innocent poet.

Ulrich's story spreads through the failures and oddities of a simple man. It is through his euphoric daydreams that he learns life isn't perfect. This ordinary man's story is definitely worth reading. The strangeness of the characters adds a unique aura to it. It is touching, refreshing and everything a book could offer.

Solo is a must-read, albeit it might be demanding sometimes.

The Third Prince

By Phiroz H. Madon

I have not read many historical novels in English, although I am an ardent fan of Tamil historical novels. Deciding to route my historic knowledge from Southern India to the North, I bought this book. The novel is penned by Phiroz H Madon, a technocrat living in the US, originally from India.

Parvati, a young concubine tries to make a mark in Agra as a dancer. Her notable belongings include an important piece of paper and a jewel. The author walks us through her everyday struggle as a concubine and a dancer. Orphaned at an early age and let down by her only aunt, Parvati craves for constant attention. She even proves her dancing abilities by dancing with a snake.

There is a critical situation in Akbar's court. The court has the magnanimous task of finding an heir to the famous Akbar. With Jahangir notorious for his alcoholism and womanizing abilities and his son Khusrau, too young to make decisions on his own, the ministers have their hearts on the third prince. The third prince was believed to be fathered by Akbar in a secret marriage. The vicious Jahangir decides to eliminate the trace of the third prince.

Parvati's life suddenly takes a turn, when she loses her jewel and finds people following her to kill. Being a smart woman, she thinks out of the box to face the danger at every step. A romance with the snake charmer, an affair with the head of the robbing group or a housemaid's role in her best friend's home come in handy for her escape. The rest of the story reveals the fate of Paru and the third prince.

The book was interesting and a decent page-turner, but it was not exactly what I expected. I was trying to find the beauty and richness of the bygone era, which remained elusive throughout. Agra was portrayed as a place filled with just the Wine and Women, there is no glimpse of the Agra's well-known royalty.

Akbar was not what I have always imagined him to be. He was sick, weak and withered. While this portrayal is fine in his deathbed, it was sadly the same in the battlefield with Jahangir. There are some interesting characterizations like Nur Jahan though her transition from the timid Mehrunissa to the vehement Nur Jahan is impractical. The novel might satisfy the ones with no idea of the Mughal empire and its culture, but for anyone with the tiniest knowledge of the Indian history, this will be a letdown.

Read it at your own risk.

The Chapel at the Edge of the World

By Kirsten McKenzie

The book's look and synopsis were so romantic that I bought it the instant I laid my eyes on it. The book was not engrossing, but it was enjoyable in a slow and subtle way. This is a debut novel for the author Kirsten Mckenzie. The story is inspired by a chapel in LambHolm, Orkney, built by Italian prisoners of World War II. I felt that the plot had a deep melancholy and eeriness; that explains the longer time that took for me to finish the book.

The story happens in a flashback as narrated by Emilio, Bertoldo, and Rosa. Emilio and Rosa are childhood sweethearts who were engaged while Emilio leaves to the war front. They judiciously write letters throughout their separation which helped a little for the growing distance between each other. Emilio finds Bertoldo as his friend, but his weird behavior only increases Emilio's loneliness.

Rosa helps her mother Margherita, who runs an inn in a small Italian town. Rosa decides to work for a print shop in Milano to escape the monotony of her everyday life at the inn. Rosa's small adventures of political activism along with her special friend Pietro and her boss Antonio shapes her to a stronger and mature women.

Emilio is captured and after transferring between a couple of locations, the prisoners are finally moved to the Orkney Islands. The cold along with decreased rations, humidity, and Bertoldo's emotional outbreaks depress Emilio. A hope for survival flickers when they were offered a place for worship. The prisoners get along together for decorating the chapel. Emilio brings out his innate talent for painting, even Bertoldo with his far-fetched dream of America contributes for the same.

The characterizations were perfect: the confused Rosa; strong Margherita; matured Emilio; and emotional Bertoldo. Other interesting characters include Rosa's friend Rachel, Henrik, the German Officer and Anna Maria, Emilio's mother. Their stories and struggles are practical and realistic. Emilio's struggles as a prisoner and survival are heart warming.

The Chapel at the Edge of the World is a must-read for the lovely story and the characterizations. A word of caution - It might be depressing at times.

Muskoka Maharani

By David McMahon

Muskoka Maharani's humble look captures my attention, as I stroll through the uninteresting bestsellers in the 'mini' book shop at my office. The synopsis is decent enough to make me buy the book. It was a pleasant read letting us a glimpse of the Anglo-Indian life in British India. This could've easily qualified as one of the memorable books for me if only the publisher had forgotten to print the last fifteen pages. For a book of such great potential, it's a pity that the climax is just run of the mill.

Harry Barnsley travels to Muskoka, a small township in Canada to get the 'biggest story of the decade'. He was a given a last chance to hold his job as a newspaper reporter in Australia. His Anglo-Indian friend recommends him to meet her aunt Serena in Muskoka to know about a German spy during the Second World War. So Harry learns not about the war or the spy but about the typical life in railway colonies of British India. Good for Harry and good for us as the biggest story turned out to be the biggest joke of the decade.

The life at Marsdengunj in Eastern India was normal for Serena Bracebridge-Rhode until the Beaudevilles came to offer Marsdengunj a place on the Indian Map by proposing to make it a major maintenance hub for the Indian Railways. Serena having a strained relationship with her father Charleston due to his severe alcoholism instantly falls in love with the charming young Beaudeville. The Beaudevilles isolated initially as posh city people slowly merge with the middle-class bunch of the Marsdengunj.

Serena breaks free to become a nurse in London where she is identified to help capture a German spy. The war part comes as an extra baggage and do not blend well with the flow. The story would have been perfect if the war and spy part was not included at all. Out of the 250 pages, 200 pages are dedicated to the Indian characters for whom Harry has no interest. The book makes perfect sense as a melange of short stories but fails as a single novel. Nonetheless, it was gripping and entertaining.

The most part of the story revolves around Marsdengunj and the Anglo-Indian life. The insignificant but interesting characters designed just to explain the culture became a little too much after the initial pages. A great deal of information would be given on a particular incidence and just as we look forward to the story, the characters vanish suddenly without a clue. The heartwarming story of Gertie and Charleston could be put for a better use than just letting it hang in the middle.

The glimpse of Muskoka didn't quite well stand out like Marsdengunj. Muskoka Maharani fails to make an impact, but Marsdengunj Maharani could have!

Don't miss the book for the beauty of the British India

The Idea of Love

By Louise Dean

First of all, don’t get carried away by the book cover which is very romantic. I fell for the charming cover and the beautiful synopsis that was given at the back of the cover. The story is definitely not as romantic as the cover. I managed to finish the book partly because I didn’t want to waste money and partly due to the curiosity that something at the end might prove worthy. I finished the book all right, other than that there’s nothing special in this book, at least I didn’t find it tempting.

The author, Louise Dean is British novelist and her other books are 'Becoming Strangers' and 'This Human Season'. She received the awards Society of Authors Betty Trask Prize in 2004 and Le Prince Maurice prize in 2006.

The story was depressing and gives a feel as if the entire book is soaked in alcohol. The story is about family, relationships, love and, of course, depression. Pharmaceutical salesman Richard and his French wife Valerie live in a small French town. Their loveless marriage is survived by their son Max. Richard often travels to Africa for marketing anti-depressant drugs. Their odd lifestyle mainly involves drinking sessions with their neighbors Jeff and Rachael whose life is no different from theirs.

As the story proceeds further, we are encountered with self-obsessed parents, love-less children, and philandering spouses. Richard enjoys every other female company except for his beautiful wife and Rachael enjoys helping orphans in Africa than her family. What is expected as a cute romantic story becomes a shockingly true tragedy?

The tragedy strikes when the promising young business man Richard’s life takes a bend, moving from riches to rags, worse when he starts using what he sells. The situation worsens when Max gets affected by all this and his erratic behavior becomes a concern. You’ll feel pity for the angelic Maud. What follows is a story of self discovery. Finally, the parents overcome their self obsession and understand what matters the most.

It's a pretty OK book. It’s not particularly an enjoyable read, but read it for the moral, which is much required in the current situation.

The Language Of Others

By Clare Morall

I was scanning through a local bookshop when I found this book. It seemed like an interesting read, so I picked it up. Well, I don’t regret it. It was a pleasant read and I enjoyed it albeit it was depressing sometimes.

This is the author's third book after the famous 'Astonishing splashes of color' which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and 'Natural Flights of the Human Mind'.

The story paces back and forth between the present and past life of detached but musically gifted Jessica Fontaine. The book is moderately paced with strong emotional cobwebs. It's easy to sit engrossed with the book for hours together without ever knowing.

Her childhood years are portrayed in a beautiful country house called Audlands. She's a concern for her parents for not being social like her mom Connie or her amiable sister Harriet. Jessica has an exceptional flair for playing piano and she plays too much that it peeves her mom. She's always whittled away from others and spends most of her time on music. Jessica finds it hard to move around with people and she's constantly bullied by her cousins.

Jessica falls in love with Andrew, her college senior, an obstreperous person whose behavior is unpredictable. Innocent Jessica falls in love with his music and eventually marries him. As she's fighting to lead a normal life with Andrew and Joel, Andrew suddenly deserts her only return after few years pursuing her to reunite.

Jessica, who's 40 years at the present is quite content working as a librarian as well as doing concerts with her dear friend Mary. Mary has a beautiful life with an understanding husband and co-operative kids. Jessica often wonders why her life not so practical as Mary's or as beautiful as Harriet who's a designer and travels the world.

Jessica is frustrated with her son Joel, a successful Computer games programmer not being mature enough to find a home on his own and being still dependent on his mom and Andrew who's pursuing Marie on a reunion and has got a recent flair for climbing tall buildings and playing Violin.

One day, Joel suddenly brings her girlfriend Alice who seems to understand Joel better than Jessica. It's Alice who throws light on Joel and Jessica's paths to self-realization. Jessica always thought that the reason for her life being so dull is undoubtedly due to Andrew's preposterous behavior. Jessica falls in love again and the story ends when she realizes who's the reason for all the misery.

Slow paced but a must read.