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Book length: 226 pages
Genre: Fiction

Format: Paperback/E-book
Personal Rating: 4.7/5

Buy this book here: https://amzn.to/35zS3NO

Introduction: If you look around in the world, what do you see? A hundred different people, each in their lives, which are mysteries and stories for us. When I say people, what is the image that comes in your head? Images of several human faces, probably some of them which you know, and the others you might have shared glances with at some point in life. Diversity, would be an evident inference from this collective picture that would form in your head, right? The bracket of people would be filled with an array of races, features and moreover… Genders. I think we all agree, that this simple word is vast and deep enough to substitute a world within itself. A natural construct bringing balance, significant in the universe’s way of working, and an instrument of humanitarian conflict are the two sides of the gender coin, positive and negative respectively. Patriarchy and misogyny are a tale as old as time, and sadly, prevalent even today. However, there has been improvement on this front, and we can’t deny that either. The year is 2022, and we would say that somewhat, the lives of women have developed for better. When I say somewhat, I have a feeling that many would disagree. To those who do, I have a simple question: Do you feel progressive as a man, or empowered as a woman when a husband says “He allows his wife to work”? If you nod in affirmative, you just proved my point. This is just the tip of the ice berg of the thousand gap that still exist in the mindset of us individuals who form the society, which are filled by these 2 Satans: Patriarchy and Misogyny. In The Daughter of Luharu, author Monica Sudhir Gupta opens up a window to help us look through what it is like, being a woman, in India. (I wouldn’t say ancient, as per setting of the story, because even though we have moved much forward in terms of years, at some point, we are still living this story, as a society and a woman).

Theme: Roheeni is a girl born in Luharu, a remote city in the state of Haryana. She has lived through the side of India, we now read about in our history textbooks. Yes, it’s the era before independence. In this fictional auto-biography, Roheeni takes us through the life of people, and most importantly women, before India gained its independence and along when Pakistan received its. That’s pretty much all I’ll describe about the theme of this book. But don’t be deceived, an overwhelming lot about the world this 226-page long manuscript show you, through the feeble layers of ghunghat* and folds of Roheeni’s pallu*.  

Personal Opinion: There’s a lot that’s crossing my mind at the same time when I think about my opinion and experience with this book, but somehow, I’m finding it difficult to put it into words. Irony? Definitely. That’s how emotionally this book has touched me. Coming from a background where so much of whatever that’s highlighted in the book is still so normalised and visible, in every page, the relatability factor hit me like a train. The story is beautifully woven, and extremely well-articulated. Every element is so realistic, it doesn’t even feel like fiction to be honest. My heart and mind have become a sea, with the waves of emotions I’ve felt while reading this. The only input that I would’ve given for improvement would be that in the initial chapters, the tonality should have matched Roheeni’s age. That would have made it feel all the more real. I applaud Monica’s efforts of creating something so honest, and though-provoking. She has done a commendable job of making this book a clear river through which we can crystal clearly feel, and not just see the state of women in this society. I would urge every human from every part of the world, irrespective of their age, race, gender, and all the possible borders that divide us, to read across this book once in their lifetime and do their bit, in making sure that there are no more Bhagwani Devi’s and lives like Roheeni’s, but more of Kishan’s and endings like Nutan’s (Read the book to decode this reference huehue).  

*ghunghat: A sort of veil, that women in India use to cover their face with as a part of cultural norm

*pallu: A part pf the garment saree, worn my Indian women

Book length: 197 pages
Genre: Fiction
Format: Paperback
Personal Rating: 5/5

Buy this book here: https://amzn.to/3Cnfkxy

Book Review: When was the last time you spoke nicely to your mom? How did you react the last time you had with a fight with your dad? Just like every other relationship in the world, a parent child relationship doesn’t escape variance. It can be complicated, but it is nevertheless, precious. With this notion, Mitch Albom, introduces a story, that highlights almost every emotional aspect of life, but revolves around the one which forms it’s very base: Parental Bond.

The book narrates the story of Charles ‘Chick’ Benetto, a man who is broken, lost and step by step.. defeated. He lives a life drowning in mistakes, becoming all the more worse every day. When the last straw is drawn, he gives up and goes ahead to end it all at the same place it began. But that’s not what destiny has in store for him. And that’s not the only thing too. He attains a rebirth, and a priceless entity along with it. An extra day, with someone he failed and misunderstood the most.

This one day turns not just a leaf, but plants an entire new orchard which later blooms into the phase 2 of Chick’s story. Revelations, epiphanies, lessons, relationships, truths, lies, guilt and chances… Is all that I will say, for one more day.

Personal Opinion: Soul-stirring is the best adjective I can use to describe this. Mitch Albom deserves all the love in the world for a creation as captivating as this. The plot is fictional, but yet feels so real. It has this unique connectivity between imagination and our personal life. There is a Phase 1 Chick in all of us, and a Phase 2 Chick is waiting and in the making, is what I personally believe. The articulation is done so simply, with such a beautiful flow of writing and powerful storytelling. Everyone should read it, in this lifetime, for one more day.

Book length: 466 pages
Genre: Fiction; Adventure Thriller
Format: Paperback
Personal Rating: 4.5/5

Buy the book here: https://amzn.to/39y8mJf

Book Review: Ambitions. Dreams. Goals. Achievements. The slightest sound of these words ignite a fire within your mind and soul, doesn’t it? That’s the reason why I call them the fuel of our lives. Our ambition is the mother of dreams, and dreams the mother of achievements. And hence, the ambitious find success wherever they set their hearts to. Such is the story of George Mallory, whose dream was the on the tallest height of the earth, which got him all the admiration and respect a man can hope for, but also ultimately led to his departure from the world. Jeffrey Archer narrates his story inside out, and what the Paths of Glory lead him to.

George Leigh Mallory was a celebrated British mountaineer and explorer, who led the early British expeditions to Mount Everest. He was one of the best mountaineers of his era the world had known. He was professionally a school master, who had also fought in World War 1. The British had launched 3 expeditions to Mount Everest, and Mallory led all of them. The first expedition was for reconnaissance, the second for actual action (which failed by a narrow margin) and the third to amend that.

George and Sandy Irvine; an extremely young and comparatively less experienced climber were the ones who made the final assault to the summit, and met an unfortunate as well as mysterious fate in their conquest. The two started out from their last camp at 26,800 feet (8,170 metres) on the morning of June 8. Another member of the expedition claimed to have caught a glimpse of the men climbing in the early afternoon when the mists briefly cleared. Mallory and Irvine were never seen again.

Ever since, their success or failure have been a mystery. The Alpine Club is torn between whether they did succeeded to the summit, and if they did, who was the first. An expedition had set out in 1999 which found Mallory’s corpse at 26,760 feet, but Irvine’s body was never discovered.

Jeffrey Archer makes an attempt to put forth the life story of the man whose chosen path of glory brought his demise. In a way, the book is a biography, which maps the entire life span of George, although its included under fiction. The book also ends on a note which proposes Jeffrey Archer’s point of view of the actual ending. A story consisting of varied elements like history, romance, technical mountaineering knowledge, state of different places around the world in that period and most importantly.. Who was George Mallory as a human, you are in for a treat if you’re a reader like me.

Personal Opinion: As you can guess from the rating, did not regret a split second of reading this book. If George was anything like described in the book , then I am in love. I don’t know why, but reading this book stirred something within me. Frankly, I collapse into a thought slump after reading any book, the one I had after this was the longest in some time. But again, since it’s fiction, we don’t really know if this was really George, or an imaginative fruit. That is the only aspect which I personally find disappointing, specially after some essays I read on him. Rest, do give it a read!