The Homing Pigeons – A Book Review

The Homing Pigeons by Sid Bahri

In the middle of the catastrophic 2008 recession, Aditya, a jobless, penniless man meets an attractive stranger in a bar, little does he know that his life will change forever…..

When Radhika, a young, rich widow, marries off her stepdaughter, little does she know that the freedom that she has yearned for is not exactly how she had envisioned it…..

They say Homing Pigeons always come back to their mate, no matter where you leave them on the face of this earth. Homing Pigeons is the story of love between these two unsuspecting characters as it is of lust, greed, separations, prejudices and crumbling spines.

My Review: This is an unexpected little gem of a book. This is the author, Sid Bahri’s debut novel and so my expectations starting the book were not high. But, apart from the initial rawness, the book flows smoothly through the story.

This story is told in alternating viewpoints by Aditya and Radhika, and it weaves through the past and present. This technique of writing is not the easiest, but the author has managed it very skilfully.

Primarily, this story is a romance, but quite unlike most romances where the focus is on the girl’s thoughts and feelings, and the hero is merely a prop. Aditya and Radhika are both well-developed characters complete with flaws. Both make massive miscalculations and hurt each other terribly, but both are human and I could empathize with them very well.

If this book were just a love story, then my review would end here stating that this is a nice, well-written love story. But, the book also subtly introduces some harsh realities – the slaughter of Sikhs after the riots after Indira Gandhi’s assassination having an impact on the characters 20 years later, the recession and the troubles of getting a job after being laid off and it’s impact on the psyche…these are just some examples.

The characters are also so well-written. Aditya as a hero is terrible – his self-loathing, frequent binge-drinking, the way he walks away from his responsibilities…they are not what I expected. But at the same time, it’s hard to dislike him knowing his background, and seeing him from both his and Radhika’s viewpoints. He is one incredibly well-written character.

There have been a few reviews online criticizing Aditya’s weakness in choosing his profession (don’t want to reveal more as I want to avoid spoilers in this review), and I agree with them, in part. But, then I thought about it more, and then realized if Aditya had chosen another way of life, then that would be against his character. It’s precisely because Aditya is Aditya that he is in the mess he is. He needs a backbone and so does Radhika and it’s lovely in the end when they finally get together and help each other out, and decide on a new life together.

In brief, this is a lovely novel, very easy to read. A must pick-up if you like a more serious and less clichéd kind of romance.

Thanks to Srishti Publishers for sending me a copy of this book to read and review. I also read this book as part of the Indian Quills Reading Challenge.

About these ads

Polka Dots, Pony Tails and Purple Pouts – A Book Review

4 Replies

Polka Dots, Pony Tails and Purple Pouts by Amrita Anand Nayak

This book is a story about three young girls – Jazmine, Tia, and Leena who rent a house together in Pune. The book deals with their loves, life, and their friendship with each other.

This is a light (very light) chick-lit novel that will appeal to younger readers who are looking for more contemporary/modern romances apart from the stereotypical Mills n Boon type of stories.

I remember loving these type of books during my younger years – the formula hasn’t changed much since then. Three girls with very different personality types share a house, and go through their ups and downs while they look for love and sometimes professional satisfaction.

So, when I read this book, I didn’t feel anything really new coming from it. It’s quite possible that I have outgrown this genre. But, I think younger readers will really love this book.

The title is very descriptive of the three characters dress-up style.

Polka dots is Tia who is very sweet and nice, fashion forward, but also a very good cook…all in all, the perfect dream girl.

Pony tails is Leena who is shy and who always hides behind her fringe and pony tail. Some bad experiences in her past makes her lean towards older (and sometimes married) men because she sees them as more stable and less frivolous than younger men.

Purple pouts is Jazmine – the wild child of the bunch. She is the one who loves to party, sleeps around without any qualms, and who generally lives life to the fullest. Until of course, the day she needs to face the consequences of her actions…

The story as such is fairly predictable, even for a non-romcom reader. All the girls go through their share of heartbreak and tough times before they find their respective Mr.Perfects. In terms of story, I liked it, but I wish certain parts were fleshed out more. The story and the characters rush forward in places where it would have done better to think back and contemplate their actions.

Events like Jazmine’s abrupt forgiveness of an ex, Leena’s abrupt love affair with her colleague (without showing any wish to look back and understand her past mistakes and resolve open issues) make the story flow at a very superficial level. Only Tia’s love affair shows some depth and even then it is rushed towards the end.

Basically, I like this book. It was nice, but it could have been even better if the book was a little longer and a little more time invested in giving the girls a little more depth. As such, it makes for a light airplane/travel read when it had the potential to be a lot more than that.

Thanks to the author for sending me a copy of this book to read and review. I also read this book as part of the Indian Quills Reading Challenge.

Piglet’s Literary Journey So Far

13 Replies

I’m pretty excited to see that the piglet seems to show signs of loving his books.

His introduction to books and story-telling happened when he turned 3 months old. He loved it when I opened picture books and read out to him. He even started showing his preferences. He didn’t like (and still doesn’t like) single picture on a page books. He loves the sing-song of a longish narrative.

Enter books like The Little Mermaid and the Spot series.

Here’s a photo of the snubnose reading to piglet when he was around 4 months or so. He was so engrossed with Spot, he still loves these books…

He even skims through big people books trying to imitate me…

Magazines as well. Caught the piglet browsing through Grazia yesterday

Piglet at 13 months picking, choosing, and reading his own books…

He’s also already developed his first literary crush. The focus of his adoration is a little pink mouse that dances ballet. Angelina Ballerina…he loves her so much that every night before going to bed, he absolutely has to listen to the story, some of the songs, in between peppering the iPad with his kisses when she comes on-screen. Couple of times, he has even stepped onto the iPad trying to go through the screen to be with her

Angelina Ballerina – Dancing Mouse

Sometimes, he tries to be her. Unfortunately, the photos of him twirling were too blurry to post …

We’ve tried to get videos of him engrossed in books, but the moment we start filming, he gets distracted to run and catch the camera. Sigh!

So, you are wondering what is the point of this post? There’s no point really. Just felt that it’s been a long time since I posted about piglet and realized it’s because it’s pretty near impossible to capture all the things he does.

And there’s no point trying to get the perfect photo/video before waiting to blog about him. It’s not going to happen and so…that’s why you get this half-baked post with a bunch of blurry photos.

Sorry for this, but I just had to, had to post about him and Angelina Ballerina. How could I not??? His first literary crush!!!

So, what was your first bookish crush?

The City of Devi – A Book Review

2 Replies

The City of Devi by Manil Suri

The blurb on the back of the book says that this book is

A dazzling, multilayered novel that not only encompasses a searing love story but, with its epic reach, encapsulates the fate of the world.

It makes the love story sound really epic, in truth, this is more like a Bollywood love triangle set during the apocalypse, that is, if Bollywood had the guts to actually film such a story.

The story is about the trio of Sarita, Karun, and Ijaz who are trying to deal with their love triangle in the middle of a war. India and Pakistan are at war, and on the brink of destroying each other with nukes. China is instigating this war for its own nefarious reasons, and the rest of the world are troubled with their own conflicts. Basically, the scenario for this story is a setting where World War 3 is inevitable.

In this setting, Sarita sets off in search of her missing husband through the violence and the chaos of Mumbai. She unexpectedly meets Ijaz who helps her in her search for some reason which she cannot fathom. In spite of their mutual dislike and suspicion of each other, they manage to reach their goal and find Sarita’s husband – Karun and rescue him from his imprisonment at the hands of Devi ma and her goons.

The last sentence has you scratching your head? Never mind, this is a book that cannot be summarized very easily, and you will be better off reading the book than reading blogs for the book summary. A lot of pleasure reading this book will be lost if you are already ready for the nature of the story.

That said, here’s my review of the story. I have tried to avoid spoilers but…you know how it goes. It’s pretty difficult to avoid them.

My Review:

I think I am actually starting to like dystopia! First, The Handmaid’s Tale, which I loved and now this book.

This book is all kinds of wonderful in all kinds of unexpected ways. It’s the third in a largely unconnected trilogy. The earlier books are:

The Death of Vishnu, and
The Age of Shiva

I haven’t read the first two books and had no problems with the story. The novels don’t need to be read together at all. It’s just a trilogy in terms of the ideas, I guess, but not with the actual story.

There is satire galore and the story veers from romantic to humorous and then downright outrageous as Suri packs in more and more over-the-top action.

A story about India and Pakistan war and religious intolerance can get very political very fast and here’s an example of that kind of politics…

Well let me tell you, my flag-waving Jazmine, while you were swilling beer and chocolate with the American and Swiss, I was being bottle-fed the Indian dream. Nehru and Gandhi … the whole secular ideal. So what if our government perpetrated years of carnage against its own citizens in Kashmir? Or systematically filtered Muslims out from its armed forces and police regiments. Or turned a blind eye each time the Hindus decided to here and there roast a few minorities alive?

But truth be told, there isn’t thaaat much of the political ranting. I mean I read stuff like the above all the time in newspapers and magazines, and I don’t need/want to read that in fiction as well.

Thankfully, the focus soon shifts to the personal love triangle between Sarita, Ijaz, and Karun. I don’t want to talk too much about it. It’s very well-written and very interesting. BUT, if you have a low tolerance for sex (particularly gay sex) in books, then this is not the book for you.

I didn’t mind all the shenanigans. In fact, I quite liked the glimpses into another way of life. I enjoyed the thrill of the shikhar along with Ijaz and I in turn sympathized, was awestruck, and then amused by the single-minded determination with which Sarita tries to seduce her husband.

So, yes, there is a lot more sex than I am used to in a book. But the adventure story is strong enough to make this book not just a love triangle. When Karun is trapped by Hindu extremists and in the clutches of Devi-ma herself, it is up to his Muslim lover Ijaz to come to the rescue…on an elephant no less with Sarita dressed up in a glow-in-the-dark Sari as Devi-ma herself. Pure Bollywood, and pure entertainment.

Once the rescue is affected, it’s primarily a who gets who kind of situation, which unfortunately did not end to my satisfaction. To me, the ending is a copout to avoid dealing with the difficulties of the triangle. The ending is also a copout in dealing with the fate of the world as well.

I wouldn’t have minded reading another 100 pages extra just to have a more meaningful and less clichéd ending to what is a marvelous story in all other ways. I guess I just wasn’t ready to be done with the book .

Still it’s a lovely book, and I am glad that I got the chance to read it.

Thanks to W W Norton for sending me a copy of this book to read and review.

Mailbox Mondays: April 15, 2013

7 Replies

Welcome to this week’s Mailbox Monday which is hosted this month by Mari Reads.

I received an interesting set of books by different publishers this week.

The City of Devi by Manil Suri is an interesting book for sure. I am halfway into it, and it’s gripping and well-written. It’s a dystopia set in Mumbai and although I am not very fond of dystopian fiction, this one has certain interesting elements that make me want to keep on reading.
The Homing Pigeons by Sid Bahri comes highly recommended by Shashi Tharoor no less. I don’t know much about this book, but it sounds like a mature love story, and I am looking forward to reading it.
The Secrets of the Dark by Arka Chakravarthi is a Fantasy book based in India. It seems I haven’t had enough of Fantasy even after reading all the books in A Song of Ice and Fire series and so I signed up for this book without actually knowing anything about this book at all. Let’s see how it goes…

What books did you receive this week? What are you looking forward to reading?

Snubnose’s Humble Contributions to US National Poetry Month

5 Replies

April is National Poetry month in USA. We don’t have anything equivalent in India, but when I saw The Picky Girl’s post on blackout poetry month, it reminded me that I needed to post about the snubnose’s efforts at poetry.

In her school, they encourage different forms of creative writing. Some of the more verbal/linguistically advanced wrote some lovely haiku, which I unfortunately missed to photograph.

The snubnose decided on a pictorial approach creating something she calls a shape poem.

Here’s a poem on watermelons, this was one of the first that she created:

And here’s my favorite one on planet Earth:

Btw, if you are thinking, what on earth is a shape poem, well, there’s more info on it here.

Back to My Reading Comfort Zone

10 Replies

After the rather distressing but still lovely Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, I knew I needed a break from heavy-duty literary fiction and get back into my comfort zone, which is serial killer thriller zone .

It might seem strange that reading about blood and gore and rape can comfort me, but in a strange way it is. I know the format almost by heart now, I know that the bad guys finally get their comeuppance. I know the linear storyline, and knowing what to expect is strangely comforting. All right, I can’t really explain my fondness for thrillers, it’s just something that’s me, and form the bulk of my reading experience.

So, last week, I read the first books in the following two crime series:

The Bat by Jo Nesbo (which is the first book in the Norwegian detective Harry Hole series)
Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs (which is the first book in the Temperance Brennan series)

None of these book series are particularly new. Both started out in the early 90s and have been going on fairly successfully since then. What these books are, though is the first in the series, and you all know, the best way to read a series is in the correct order .

The Bat by Jo Nesbo

Up first in my review comes The Bat. The protagonist is Harry Hole (pronounced Hoola), he is a recovering alcoholic sent from Norway as a token gesture to help the Australians investigate the murder of a Norwegian woman.

He is very clearly told to stay out of the way of the actual investigation.

What you’re gonna do is watch carefully while we haul the bastard in, tell the Norwegian press along the way what a wonderful job we’re doing together – making sure we don’t offend anyone at the Norwegian embassy, or relatives, – and otherwise enjoy a break and send a card or two to your dear Chief Constable

As if that’s going to happen! Very soon, it becomes clear that a serial killer is on the loose, and Harry and his partner go all out to find the culprit.

This is an interesting start to a series. It’s a bit odd that a Norwegian crime series starts off in Australia. We get to meet Hole for the first time when he’s out of his comfort zone, a stranger in a strange land so to speak. The first part of the book is almost like a travelogue where we are introduced to Sydney – the gay lifestyle, the beaches, and the traditional Aborigine culture and its struggle to thrive in a modern multi-cultural world.

In the midst of all these distractions, the investigation is on.

I’ve heard that later Jo Nesbo books are tightly plotted and pacey thrillers. However, this is not so. There are too many diversions and too much of tell rather than show. While I appreciate the insight into another country and culture, it was at the expense of the plot.

I also don’t like stories about bumbling police detectives helped out by the hotshot cop stories. While such stories may be acceptable in rural settings, it was a little hard to believe that the Sydney cops would be so dumb and so eager to accept Hole’s wild guesses (especially considering that he seems such a novice detective in the first place).

That said, I like the way Hole’s character arc was developed throughout the whole story, and I think the later books in the series will be a little more thrilling now that his character is established in this book. I know that in spite of this rather lukewarm start, I look forward to reading the later books.

The next book that I read is Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs. This is a thriller series similar in style to Patricia Cornwell’s famous Scarpetta series. I read one of the later books some time back in my pre-blogging days. I remember that it wasn’t very memorable and I dismissed the series. At the time, the Kay Scarpetta series was at it’s thrilling best and I didn’t really feel like reading something so similar but not nearly quite as good.

Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs

Well, times are different now and I quite liked this introductory book to the Temperance Brennan series very much.

Dr. Temperance Brennan is a forensic anthropologist who has left a shaky marriage in North Carolina to work in Quebec. When an unidentified female corpse is discovered meticulously dismembered and stashed in garbage bags, Tempe detects an alarming pattern within the grisly handiwork and her professional detachment gives way to a harrowing search for a killer in the city’s winding streets.

With little help from the police, Tempe calls on her expertise, honed in the isolated intensity of the autopsy suite, to investigate on her own. But her determined chase is about to place those closest to her – her best friend and her daughter in mortal danger.

This is an excellent start to the series, and works far better than The Bat as an opening book. The focus is on the mystery and the character of Tempe. Quebec and the city of Montreal form an interesting but not intrusive backdrop to the series – just like how it should be in a good thriller.

Funnily, just like Harry, Tempe is a recovering alcie and throughout the book as the stresses increase she fights the urge to give in to drink. Her abrasive and combative relations with the police who don’t take her seriously enough is well conveyed without making the police seem like total nitwits (ok, sometimes they do act dumb, but then so does she).

The mystery is also interesting and well-set up, and the book moves along very nicely. Altogether a very satisfactory thriller and I look forward to reading more Tempe Brennan books in the future.

One thought: Both these books take place in the early to mid-nineties when cell phones and internet were not used much in crime procedural. It’s interesting how the cops managed to carry on their investigations without the aid of technology. So many times, I wondered why so and so didn’t just pick up the phone and call for support before realizing the time period.

It’s interesting to see how I take my access to information and the ability to get in touch with people while on the move so much for granted…

Anyway, ending this long and rambling review with thanks to Random House for sending me these books to read and review.

If you want to buy these books, why don’t you check out these awesome promo code on books from PromoCode4Share. They have coupons you can use while shopping from Amazon/Target/Bookbyte. They also have a Bookbyte coupon code you can get 10% off on books and free shipping on $49+ order.