Train to Pakistan .. By Khushwant Singh

"Freedom is for the educated people who fought for it. We were slaves of the English, now we will be slaves of the educated Indians - or the Pakistanis"

The bloody violence sweeping India after the partition has not yet touched Mano Majro, a small village of Muslims and Sikhs, on the India-Pakistan border. But in the summer of 1947, the murder of a Hindu moneylender and the arrival of a train full of dead Sikhs set of a tragic chain of events.

This novel gives a vivid account of the massacres of Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs that happened during those days. It will paint us a picture that will never fade from our memories. This fiction, which was nonetheless based on a horrific reality is more of a peek into the depressing, dark and dirty politics that was played on families of common people and the atrocities stemming from the partition is one of the bloodiest in the history of mankind.

Khushwant Singh has done a brilliant job in showing us the socio-economic, political and emotional atmosphere of those troubled times acknowledging the sins committed on both sides of the border. He makes a moral commentary that bubbles up through the main characters from their thoughts and actions and presents a grim story that deserves to be told.

This blog is a tribute to the great unsung heroes and innocent victims of that time, those who saved and united their families; those who tried and failed; those who kept fighting till their last breath to protect the people they love and those who lost a war that was never theirs, to begin with!!!

"India is constipated with a lot of humbug.

Take Religion

For the Hindu, it means little besides cast and cow-protection.

For the Muslims, circumcision and kosher meat.

For the Sikhs, long hair and hatred of the Muslim.

For Christian, Hinduism with a sola topee.

For the Parsees, fire worship and feeding vultures.

Ethics, which should be the kernel of the religious code,

has been carefully removed."

--Khushwant Singh, Train to Pakistan

Secretly Hers .. By Jamie Beck

The sequel of Accidently Hers, Jamie Beck brought around another fun ride with Grey and Avery's best friends - Trip and Kelsey. I started reading this story with a little bit of trepidation, as these two characters didn't come out that well and seemed a little on the shallower side in the last book. But, to be honest, it turned out as funny and romantic as the last one.

Kelsey wants marriage and a family. It's all she ever wanted, ie. to be loved by one man as much as she loved him. However, all Trip want is adventure and adrenaline. He loves women - all women. Marriage seems boring and if his father is anything to go by, the idea of committing to one woman just isn't part of his DNA.

Sparks fly between these two, especially when Trip decides to help Kelsey "not seem so desperate" around men and also both agree to have a no-string-fling till she finds "the one". Denying they have any sort of relationship besides this deal, they unknowingly fall under the ultimate spell of love.

Their relationship was feisty, intimate and poignant, especially the witty banter between them was endearing at its best. The evolution of chemistry between these characters was a significant enjoyment factor in the book. It was a pleasure to know how much thought has been put into the story with the right amount of twists and a charming ending. 

Secretly Hers has a riveting, tantalizing and heart-melting tale, which makes it a phenomenal summer/beach time book. Enjoy!!!

Happy Reading!!!

New Moon .. By Stephenie Meyer

"Time passes. Even when it seems impossible. Even when each tick of the second-hand aches like the pulse of blood behind a bruise. It passes unevenly, in strange lurches and dragging lulls, but pass it does. Even for me."

Bella has been going out with her vampire boyfriend Edward for six blissfully happy months. The only thing that bothers her is his steadfast refusal to even consider changing her into a vampire.

Edward takes Bella to his family home to celebrate her eighteenth birthday where a stupid accident leaves Bella covered in blood and nearly triggers a feeding frenzy in Jasper, Edward's brother. This incident affects Edward thoroughly, who becomes distant from Bella and decides to finally leave her forever.

Edward is Bella's whole world and his abandonment is a harsh blow. Her whole world falls apart and she becomes withdrawn from the world. In desperation, she puts her life in danger constantly in order to hear Edward's voice in her head cautioning her to be safe, to feel that he still cares. This leads to a whole new range of dangerous activities including learning to ride a motorbike and cliff diving with her old friend Jacob Black, who becomes her partner in crime, fixing the bikes and teaching her how to ride it. Although the pain of Edward's departure never leaves Bella, Jacob soon becomes her best friend and helps her to fill the void in her life.

Unfortunately, things could never be that simple for a girl like Bella! She soon discovers that part of Jacob's Quileute heritage is that he is cursed to be a werewolf in order to protect his tribe from vampires. So, while she is mourning for her vampire boyfriend, she ends up befriending a werewolf, who constantly puts his life in danger to protect her from other deranged vampires, who are hunting her down to take revenge on Edward.
I mean, WHAT A PICKLE!!

Well, this is one of the books that have very ambivalent reviews among the readers mostly because of Bella's character is unrealistic, not to mention the whole plot being non-viable.

If you let go of these thoughts, then you would appreciate the power of imagination and the way the author has illustrated the narration, bringing out the right emotional landscape and explaining the complexities of relationships.

This book is about the indefinable love that Bella feels towards Edward and the deep warmth that is spread in her life because of Jacob's presence is enigmatic to humans in general but spectacular at the same time.

Despite the frequent barbs of some reviewers directed at Meyer's style, I find that her prose carries the story along in a steady and quick flow. Also, the way she used the prologue in both her books to give it a dramatic and overwrought opening was significantly prominent.

So, if you readers have got this far in the series already, then, in my opinion, you are in too deep to quit now. 

Do check out my review on its previous installment and wait for me to post on its third:
Twilight



Happy Reading!!!

The Shadow Sister .. By Lucinda Riley

The third book of The Seven Sisters series is all about the third sister -  Star, the silent and overshadowed one out of the lot. I wanted to read this one the most as I wanted to know the story behind Star's quiet nature and her history, which turned out to be one of the best. 

Star is the sister who always lives under her sister CeCe's shadow, doing what CeCe wants, living where CeCe wishes to stay and doesn't use her own voice or stand up for herself ever. The constant presence of CeCe undermines her past and future and makes her depressed with her job or her life as a whole.

One of those days, when she finds herself alone and ventures out to find the bookstore in London, which was mentioned in her Pa's letter and is somehow related to her origin, her life takes a turn. Not only does she lands herself a job in the bookstore, but she somehow ends up taking care of a child in Kent while finding things about her past and living with a strange family she might be related to.

Talking about Star's past is straight out of Jane Austen's novel with an extraordinary and fascinating twist. It's all about an English girl Flora MacNichol, a true animal lover and natural botanist with her own menagerie. She is devastated that she has to leave her childhood home and spend her future in London in the care of her mother's friend and taking care of overprivileged children and leave her beloved pets behind. Little did she knew that the intentions of her parents and caretakers might not be as simple as she is comprehending. The rollercoaster ride she goes for thereafter was extremely unnerving to read and what is more, she may or may not have English Royalty blood in her body and how is Star related to Flora and what happens to her after she finds out her story, is quite intriguing, emotional and passionate all at the same time.

This is a truly beautiful story that is put together with so much imagination with regal figures of the Edwardian period. The characters are unique, flawed, multifaceted, lovable and eccentric. The prose is remarkably well-tuned and eloquent. Quite often in a book of this nature, I do find that one aspect of the dual storyline is better than the other, but in this case, both aspects are seamlessly interweaving so many characters and their secrets. It is, without a doubt, the best read for me in 2019.

I really do feel that The Seven Sisters is destined to become a classic. It will be a series that I will re-read time and again and that's saying something considering each book is on an average 700-800 pages long!

Happy Reading!!!

Please do check out the previous two book review of this series:
The Seven Sisters
The Storm Sisters

The Guardian.. By Nicholas Sparks

A 29-year old widow, Julie Barenson's husband, Jim who died four years ago due to cancer, sends her a letter from beyond the grave along with a Great Dane puppy to make her happy. She names him "Singer", who helps her move on in life and find someone who can make her as happy again. 

Jim's lifelong friend, Mike is smitten with Julie, however, he doesn't have the courage to ask her out yet as she is dating another man named Richard. When he finally plucks up the courage, Julie decides to break up with Richard and go out with Mike instead. But Richard becomes obsessed with her and starts stalking her so much that Mike and Julie have to go into hiding. Little did they know that he is also a wanted criminal for double murder and would go to any length to get to her.

The story turns super interesting with Singer playing a major part in it!

All in all the book had good content with a few misplaced logic and will keep you engaged throughout, which is what matters at the end of the day. Also, it wouldn't be called so much as a thriller but there was a slight bit of suspense to the overall plot that makes it a little dramatic and enjoyable to read.

If I were to rate this book out of five, I would give it three stars just to keep me occupied until the end.

Happy Reading!!!