Pocket full of Rye by Agatha Christie

"Pocket full of Rye" by Agatha Christie. This edition of the book is published by HarperCollins in 2012 and has 128 pages. This is a Miss Marple mystery.

Rex Fortescue is a successful businessman. He knows how to exploit things by less than legal means without breaking the law. One day he comes to the office, drinks tea and dies. Police are called and it is quickly established that the reason of death is by poison called Taxine but it was not given through his tea. Mr. Fortesque's pocket is full of cereal Rye.

He is survived by his beautiful second wife, Adel, 30 years younger and having affair with a young man, Two sons Lans & Percy and a daughter. Lans has been estranged after attempting money swindle, years ago. He lives in East Africa and returns after hearing the news. Percy is the obedient son helping his father in business. Daughter wants to marry a man with socialist leanings and the union is disproved by Rex. The household consists of wives of the two sons, sister of Rex's first wife, Mary Dove the house keeper, Mr. Crump the valet, Mrs crump the cook and Gladice the young servant girl.

Inspector Niel starts investigation. There are more murders. Mrs. Adel Fortesque is killed in her study after taking tea. This time the poison is potassium cyanide. The servant girl Gladice is found dead, strangled. Then enters Miss Marple.

Who called Miss Marple? Will Inspector Niel accept her presence? What is the mystery of Rye? Who put the black birds in the pie instead of veal? Are there any more murders? Whodunit?

The story is small and crispy. Miss Marple enters after half way. Everyone seems to have a motive. Most of them seem to have an alibi for atleast one of the three murders. Who is it?

Agatha has delivered another murder mystery nonchalantly. You do not lose interest in the story and keep trying to find the murderer. Miss Marple eventually find the murderer for us, but she gets a vital help that readers don't. Readers think that Miss Maple had an undue advantage over them.

The reference and significance of nursery rhyme 'Sing a song of sixpence...' is used intelligently, though this was not the only time she has used the idea.

A good book. Read if you liked the review.

The business by Iain Banks

"The business" by Iain Banks. This book is published by Lyly Brown Book Group in 2000 and has 400 pages.

Kate Telman is a Level 3 executive (Level 1 being highest) in an organization known simply as 'The Business'. The Business is a multinational empire with many interests and stakes. It works in background hence not many are aware of it's existence. But it is more powerful than many countries.

The Business now wants a seat in UN. They are making a show of purchasing a country (clandestinely) called Fenoa Oa. However their real target is a Himalayan kingdom country called Thulahn. The ruler of this country is Prince Suvinder Dzung, a British educated gentleman.

The Business wants to send Kate to Thun, capital of Thulan, as the ambassador-cum-advisor. Few days before her departure, someone removes random teeth of her subordinate before he was to travel to Japan to strike a deal. She is suspicious about an electronic chip making factory where The Business has invested. Suvinder asks her to marry him upon reaching Thun.

What is this all? Can The Business acquire Thulan? Will Kate accept Suvinder's proposal? What is the meaning of removal of teeth?

The writing style is decent but the pace is jerky. Character of Kate is the soul of the story. It is not clear what message author is trying to give.

The fictitious country Thulan seems to be modeled on the combination of Nepal and Bhutan, Bhutan being more prominent. Thulanese simple life, free from technology and material means is depicted beautifully.

Start of the book is interesting. Middle section is pleasant but bland and does not do justice to thriller. Reader starts wondering if the genre is really thriller. The end also seems to be under developed.

AVOID.

Nur Jahan's daughter by Tanushree Podder

"Nur Jahan's daughter" by Tanushree Podder. This book is published by Rupa in 2005 and has 360 pages.

Mehrunnisa was the waiting lady of queen Bilquees Begum. She was beautiful, intelligent, witty, an artist and ambitious. Prince Salim was in love with her but his father Akbar arranged her marriage with his loyal soldier Sher Afghan. They were married for 13 years and had a daughter, Ladli Bano. When Salim became king and took the title of Jahangir, he engineered the assassination of Sher Afghan and braught Mehrunnisa to his harem. There she prospered as fashion designer. Jahangir wanted to marry Meherunnisa, but she kept him at bay for 4 years and then married him on her own conditions.

Ladli was nature loving simple kid. She did not like the atmosphere of harem and shallow ladies in it. She hated Jahangir, the murderer of her father and adored her mother for refusing to marry Jahangir. She was heart broken when her mother finally agreed to the marriage. Her lack of self assurance and over sensitive nature did not help either. She was a simple girl unfit for royal harem.

Nur Jahan, a title given by Jahangir to Mehrunnisa after marriage,  was a fashion designer, creative in planning gardens and architecture, excellent marksman and an able and ruthless ruler. She ruled the empire by proxy because Jahangir was deeply in love with her, acknowledged that she was better than him and because he was busy in appraising paintings, writing memoir, drinking & smoking. Nur Jahan's philosophy is summarized in one sentence in the book "You can do whatever you want, provided you want it enough".

Ladli adores and worships her mother but could not decide if she loved her for what she was or hated her for marrying the killer of her father and then killing Ladli's lover, leaving no stone unearthed to make Ladli an empress; trampling her emotions.

Every one knows Nur Jahan but no one knows Ladli. She always lived under the shadow of her illustrious mother and went unnoticed. No one paid attention to her wishes, what she liked, what she wanted. She was like a beautiful bird in a golden cage. Despite her ambitious mother trying to shape her life, she remained loyal to her till end.

Narration is interesting. The book provides glimpses of Mughal period for readers. Atmosphere of harem is created very well. The splurging of wealth by Mughal's while common man did not have food to eat causes revulsion. Character of Ladli is a classic character of the child of larger than life personality. She was a mousy daughter of illustrious mother. The book ends with death if Mehrunnisa and remaining life of Ladli is covered in epilogue.

Reader is amazed by Nur Jahan and feels sorry for Ladli. Reader is also intrigued how Ladli could love her mother after what had happened. This is the success of the book.

While reading the book, reader is more interested in Nur Jahan than Ladli. The book  is more about Nur Jahan than her daughter, Ladli. This I believe is the shortcoming of this book.

A very good book. If you are interested in Mughal period, you will like this novel.

The legend of Amrapali by Anurag Anand

"The legend of Amrapali", by Anurag Anand. This book is published by Shrishti publishers and has about 213 pages.

Everyone knows the story of Amrapali, the legendary courtesan, of Vaishali, famous for her ethereal beauty and divine dancing. I remember watching an old Hindi film on her many years ago.

The story starts with Amrapali's patents finding a nascent baby girl in mango grove. The king of Vajji, where they resided, is not decided by birth but was elected (It was the first democracy in the world) and ruled from Vaishali. Amrapali is famous for her beauty and dancing skills. King Manudev likes her and wants to marry her. Her father rejects the proposal and plans to marry her to her childhood sweetheart Pushp kumar.

But the king arrests Pushp. When he tries to flee, he is killed. Talking refugee of an ancient law, he declares Amrapali as the nagarvadhu (Courtesan) of Vaishali. Being a nagarvadhu, now Amrapali has to entertain all the rich men in town. Her father commits suicide. Her friend Prabha accompanies her till end.

Will King Manudeva have her? Does Amrapali likes being the object of desire of everyone? Does she remember the loved ones? Does she want revenge?

Amrapali, the courtesan (nagarvadhu - नगरवधू), is well known. Tales of her beauty and dancing skills are passed down from generation to generation. Her generosity and the work that she did for the society are also known. However nobody knows her as a human being, as a girl and a woman.

The story becomes very interesting towards the end of the book. She was not only beautiful and excellent dancer but she was also just and was an expert in kootaniti (कूटनिती). The story of how she saved her motherland and Prabha and how she took her revenge is fascinating.

Author has spent too many pages for the story before she becomes Naharvadhu, hence that part is slow, but then the story picks up. Although Amrapali was a courtesan author has refrained from describing her adventures in the world of sex and has preferred to concentrate on her dancing skills.

The book is slow initially and I took a break of more than a month before resuming to read. This speaks volumes about the book. The cover has a photograph of Mallika Sarabhai as Amrapali. It's fabulous.

Author could have and should have made the story more interesting. But he choose not to.

You will like the book if you are interested in Amrapali's story.

How I braved Anu aunty and co-founded a million dollar company by Varun Agarwal

"How I braved Anu aunty and co-founded a million dollar company" debut novel of Varun Agarwal. The book is published by Rupa in 2012 and has 249 pages.

Author confesses at the beginning that he is not a writer and that he is influenced by Bollywood and book may sound melodramatic. Author also states that this is a true story of his life with some dramatization.

Varun has completed his engineering with neither good nor bad score. All his friends have  got a job and started earning. There are two pressures on Varun to take up a job. First is peer pressure and second is aunty pressure, more specifically Anu aunty pressure.

Anu aunty is a typical and symbolic bossy aunty who has a habit of poking her nose in the matter of others, especially that of children of her kitty party friends and constantly comparing one with other. She also has a habit of paying special attention to the so called 'under achievers' and trying to choose their destiny for them.

This Anu aunty wants Varun to take up a job whereas Varun has a brilliant business idea and doesn't want to serve someone else.

Will Anu aunty prevail? What will she do? Up to what extent will she go? Does she influence Varun's mother? Can Varun start a business and be successful in it? What other obstacles does he face?

The book has captured the nerve of Bangalore (Bengluru), where the story takes place. The IT professionals, pub culture, booze and girls become integral part of the book.

Varun has written well. The book doesn't seem melodramatic. It gives us the story of today's young dynamic and entrepreneurial generation and shows us how social media can be exploited to garner business opportunities. It also tells us to be pioneer and original in what you do. It also advises us not to be bogged down by Anu aunties who want you to take up a job rather than become an entrepreneur.

Although this is seemingly a light hearted book, author gives numerous anecdotes for the wannabe entrepreneurs. Most of them are generic in nature applicable for any business but some are specific to his chosen business. He also tells us how to exploit the social media to market your e-commerce company. The only regret while reading the book was that author has not written elaborately about his struggles and how he sailed through mentally. His love story is also left incomplete.

The cover design of the book is different and makes it stand out. It's also very relevant. This is a book with a long name. Looks like long names are in fashion now a days.

I had purchased this book months ago but had not read it, as I was not sure how it would be. Entertaining or boring. It turned out to be the former.

A good book. Recommend reading.

When the snow melts by Vinod Joseph

"When the snow melts" debut novel of Vinod Joseph. This book is published by Amaryllis in 2012 and has 202 pages.

Ritwik Kumar, a son Maharashtrian father and Punjabi mother is an Indian spy. He is ex RAW and is currently working with IAG (Intelligence assessment group), a multinational anti terrorism organization based in London. He developes a drinking and gambling problem. He becomes irregular in office, sinks further in his problems and steals money from his office funds. The situation is so desperate that he is forced to defect to pro Al Qaeda section of ISI (Inter service intelligence of Pakistan) in London.

This is a big catch for ISI, or is it? What secrets will he spill? Will he embrace the terrorist ideology? Will he convert? What is the big game? Is there an angle of love?

This is a thriller alright but it's not an action thriller. It's a psychological thriller. The story is full of plots and counterplots, twists and turns, ups and downs, loyalties and deception; all with little to no action.

Various elements of ISI have conflicting objectives. Even individual participants have varying motives. Some are driven by money, some by power, some by religion, some by ideology and some by love for country.

Vinod's narration is systematic and entertaining. Although it's about India, Pakistan and America in the context of war on terror, entire story takes place in England. World of ruthless supremacy comes to the fore.

I would have preferred a more entertaining end to the book. Epilogue was almost unnecessary. I think we can expect more good work from Vinod in future.

Although it's not a wow book, you don't get bored and enjoy reading. I read it in one day.

Amchya aayushyatil kahi athawani (आमच्या आयुष्यातील काही आठवणी) by Shrimati Ramabai Ranade (श्रीमती रमाबाई रानडे)

"Amchya aayushyatil kahi athawani (आमच्या आयुष्यातील काही आठवणी)", a Marathi book by Shrimati Ramabai Ranade (श्रीमती रमाबाई रानडे). This edition of the book is published by Samanvay prakashan in Nov 2012 and has 272 pages. Original book was written in early twentieth century.

Ramabai Ranade was second wife of Mahadevrao (Madhav) Ranade, who was a judge, great thinker and social activist. He was a champion of women's education and was firmly in favor of remarriage of widows which was considered a taboo in those days (Second half of 19th century). He was also the cofounder of Prarthana Samaj (प्रार्थना समाज). He married little Rama, almost 20 years younger than him, upon insistence and tantrums from his father instead of marrying a widow. (And this is considered as biggest blemish on his career)

Ramabai was illiterate at the time of marriage. Mahadeorao taught her and appointed tutor to teach her Marathi, English & Bengali. Ramabai was impressed and awestruck by him, his thoughts and personality. She also loved him unconditionally.

She tells us that despite having an excellent salary, he never carried any money on him. All the household expenses were handled by ladies of the house and later by Ramabai. Rama traveled all over India with her husband, from Lahore to Kolkata and from Amritsar to Madras. This was unusual for a typical brahmin lady of that time.

This book is written in the format of memoir or a diary, though the entries are not dated. If the author had not kept the notes then we have to acknowledge that she had tremendous memory because everything is written in great detail.

Although both Rama and Madhav were active in public life and are celebrities of their time, this book is about their personal life and their public life appears only in reference to private life only when necessary.

Madhavrao had a very delicate health. Rama took great care of him playing various roles. Sometimes she played his disciple, sometimes care taker, sometimes his nurse, sometimes his mother and mostly his wife. She idolized him, revered him and loved him.

The narration is simple, language is ancient and author had preferred not to dramatize and kept it factual. Her whole life was her husband, until his death. He was her first priority and she considered herself blessed to have such a husband.

The book ends with the death of Madhavrao in year 1900. Although Rama carried on with the social work of Madhavrao after his death, it doesn't form part of this book.

A good book. If you  are interested in the personalities, read it.

Madhyanh (मध्यान्ह) by Hari Narayan Apte (हरी नारायण आपटे)

"Madhyanh (मध्यान्ह)", a Marathi novel by Hari Narayan Apte (हरी नारायण आपटे). This edition of the book is published by Samanway Prakashan (समन्वय प्रकाशन) in Sept 2013 and has 416 pages. This book was originally written and published around year 1900. Meaning of Madhyanh is Noon.

This is the novel in times of Peshwai (पेशवाई). This novel captures the changes and realignments in Peshwai after Raghobadada (राघोबादादा) assassinates the reigning Peshwa Narayanrao (नारायणराव). Raghobadada becomes Peshwa but his conscience doesn't let him stay in capital Pune and he leaves to attack the neighbors and expand the boundaries. Narayarao's widow was pregnant when he was killed.

Twelve administrators (कारभारी) of Peshwai led by Sakharambapu Bokil (सखारामबापू बोकील) and Nana Phadnis (नाना फडणीस) do not approve of Raghobadada's illegal capture of throne of Peshwai. They come together to conspire (बारभाईचे कारस्थान) against Raghoba and take over the charge of Swarajya (स्वराज्य) in the name of still to be born son of Narayanrao, hoping that it would be a son. Anandibai (आनंदीबाई), the brain behind, Narayanrao's assassination and wife of Raghobadada, tries to kill the phoetus, the mother and then the new born. Nana ensures that all these attempts are foiled. The newborn, a son, is declared Peshwa. He is called Sawai Madhavrao (सवाई माधवराव), which means better than Madhavrao, his uncle.

Nana and the administrators ensure that all internal and external enemies are silenced. Nana also ensures that all administrators stay on track of their objective of protecting and increasing Swarajya, dispite their differences. He breaks the back of the opposition by a combination of spying, negotiating, threatening, cajoling and emotional blackmailing.

The objective is to bring the sun of Peshwai high above head like noon (मध्यान्ह), of reestablishing the Peaswai to the pinnacle of old glory that was achieved in the times of Madhavrao Peshwe.

Initial part of novel is very interesting. The story slows down in the middle and picks up speed at the end. Some of the historical instances are covered in very few pages. I felt that the book should have had another 70-80 pages.

The analysis of events, way of thinking of characters, the mental combat, the strategies are all impeccably presented. At the end of the book the reader wants to know what happens next and doesn't want the book to end.

Hari Narayan Apte, the author, is famous Marathi writer known for his historical as well as social novels. He is also the author of ground breaking novel 'Pan lakshat non gheto (पण लक्षात कोण घेतो)', a novel based on Women Empowerment narrated by a female character.

This book was written more than 100 years ago, so the Marathi language used is ancient. On one hand this can be an exotic angle for some readers and on the other hand the readers can shun the book for this very reason.

If you can stand ancient Marathi and if you know and are interested in the history of Peshwai, this book is for you.

Disclaimer: I am not related to the author.

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

"Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse. The book is published by Random House in 2006 and has 129 pages. This book is translated into English by Susan Bernofsky.

The story is set in fifth and sixth century BC. During the times of Gautam Buddha. Although Buddha's original name was Siddhartha, the protagonist of this book is another Siddhartha. He was son of a brahmin and was loved by all. But he was not happy. He was searching something and he did not know what. He thinks that he wants to search Atman and Brahman.

One day he takes permission of his father and leaves home. He becomes an ascetic, a samana, learns fasting, control over breathing and masters samadhi.  But he is not satisfied. Then he goes to listen to the sermon of Sakyamuni or Gautam Buddha. Here he is intrigued. He refuses to become his disciple and is truly awakened. He understands what he was searching. He was searching himself, Siddhartha. He wantes to know himself without the context of being a brahmin or a ascetic or being amongst friends or people like him. It was discovery of Self. So he decides to become a commoner and wants to learn art of love making from a very beautiful courtesan, Kamla. In order to afford her, he becomes a merchant. Earns and enjoys wealth. Becomes a sinner. Again one day he realizes that his search is not over, so he leaves all his wealth, friends and Kamla behind to become a boatman, helping people to cross the river. Here the river becomes his companion, guide, tutor and friend. It talks to him. This is where he finds what he was looking for.

Siddhartha's journey is like a caledoscope in search of something. He is a happy child but leaves his childhood to become an intelligent brahmin youth. He then leaves his home to become a samana. Then he leaves the ascetics to listen to Gautam Buddha. He leaves him to becom a commoner who wants to learn art of loving . Leaves the life of commoner to become a rich merchant and lives extravagant life. Then leaves all the wealth behind to become a boatman.

I found the writing style of Herman Hesse spiritual and mystique like that of Paulo Coelho. The book gives a different perspective of life. It is an allegorical novel.

Various stages of life, various stages of physical belongings and various friends are not enough for Siddhartha. His quest is insatiable. His journey continues. He yearns for something, everything, nothing.

The book is written in a sublime manner. It has a story but is spiritual. It even contradicts Goutam Buddha on a few occasions. Siddhartha sums up everything in one sentence "What interests me is being able to love the world, not scorn it, not to hate it and hate myself, but to look at it and myself and all beings with love and admiration and reverence."

Those who have spiritual inclination or are interested in the unknown would like it. But this book is not for casual readers.