Tried my best to dig out of my memories the best 5 books that I've read till date and the list is limited to the vagaries of my memories.
So here it comes:
To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee
The Plot:
Life is not a primrose path but comes bundled with bigotry ? this fact is narrated in her own way by 6 year old Scout.Scout?s father Atticus is the epitome of human institution. Atticus teaches his children how to stand up for one's beliefs in the face of prejudice and ignorance by defending a black man, Tom Robinson, wrongfully accused of raping a white woman.
The Writing:*
''Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.''
Through this Lee figuratively points that it is irrational to be hostile to any group or race based on preconceived notions.
The Trivia:*
Awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1961. Turning to the film itself, To Kill a Mocking Bird was honoured by Oscars for Gregory Peck as Best Actor for his role as the father, Atticus
Rebecca by Dapne Du Maurier
The Plot:*
Even after 5 decades after it was first published Rebecca continues to haunt people.The story starts off splendidly where a rich aristocrat, Max de Winter marries a paid companion after the tragic death of his first wife, Rebecca. The new Mrs.De Winters, is haunted by thoughts of Rebecca as she tries in vain to adjust living in the Max's family mansion, Manderlay.The story unfolds in a fascinating manner as Mrs. de Winter ultimately discovers that the truth about Rebecca?s life and how she meets her fate.
The Writing:*
''Last Night I Dreamt
I Went To Manderley Again.''* is an intriguing opening which is very characteristic of Du Maurier.
Daphne is well known for the eeriness she creates in her books. She manages to enthrall her reader throughout the book through the first person account of Mrs.De Winters, which makes you experience her feelings and fears
The Trivia:*
There are two movie versions of this book but the one by Alfred Hitchcock won the 1940 Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Cinematography (Black and White)
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell*
How can this list be complete without mentioning this masterpiece?
For those who haven?t read it, please head to u?r nearest bookstore.
The Plot: *
The characterization of Scarlett O'Hara is unparalleled in the world of literature. How she grows from a dainty young girl to a ferocious woman is beautifully portrayed in this saga. Scarlett grows up on her father?s luxurious estate, Tara but the circumstances of civil war change everything . She refuses to surrender to the tragic circumstances of the war and instead comes out, as a fearless woman who becomes manipulative and vile to get back Tara.Rhett Butler is another character who captures many hearts but fails to win Scarlett who pines for Ashley.
The writing:*
''Somewhere, on the long road that wound through those four years, the girl with her sachet and dancing slippers, had slipped away, and there was left a woman with sharp green eyes, who counted pennies and turned her hands to many menial tasks, a woman to whom nothing was left from the wreckage, except the indestructible red earth on which she stood.''
It is incredible that this is the only book written by Margaret Mitchell.Her writing is so simple that even a kid can understand yet so mature that makes you wonder why are wars ever fought?
The Trivia*
The movie ?GWTW? is one of the most Oscar awarded movies in history having won 10 Academy Awards, including best picture and best Actress for Vivien Leigh.
Fountainhead by Ayn Rnd*
Once in a while we read something, which is totally different from what we see around us and Ayn story of Howard Roark falls in this category.
The Plot:*
Roark is not a typical protagonist but rather an anti-hero who only earns hostility from others. He dares to stand against the society and construct buildings only that he believes in. His opponents are corrupt architect Keating and publisher Wynand who try to put him down in all aspects but fail in their attempts. It shows the triumph of a man?s own convictions against all odds.
The writing:*
?Keating was the star of the evening. He looked wonderful as the Cosmo-Slotnick Building. An exact papier-mâché replica of his famous structure covered him from head to knees; one could not see his face, but his bright eyes peered from behind the windows of the top floor, and the crowning pyramid of the roof rose over his head; the colonnade hit him somewhere about the diaphragm, and he wagged a finger through the portals of the great entrance door.?
First published in 1943, this best-selling novel is a passionate defense of individualism by the most famous woman philosopher of the 20th Century, Ayn Rnd.Although I personally do not advocate objectivism it is interesting to see how well she captures her philosophy of objectivism in her writing.
The Trivia:*
Film version was released in 1949. Gary Cooper played Howard Roark but the film did not make a big impact.
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood*
This is one of the best books I?ve read recently and cudn?t help adding it here (I would be writing a separate review of it later)
The Plot:*
Very unique concept of having story which in turn has a series of stories within it.
The main plot is the recollection by 80-year-old Iris Chase about the almost extinct Chase family. Her sister, Laura Chase is the author of the banned and controversial book, ?Blind Assassin? which is a satire on the upper strata of society. The story is brilliantly interwoven between the past, present and the sub plot of the banned book.
The writing:*
''For whom am I writing this? For myself? I think not.... Perhaps I write for no one. Perhaps for the same person children are writing for, when they scrawl their names in the snow.''
Atwood is at her sarcastic best and her analogies are so apt and hilarious. The writing is set during the period of world war and she manages to capture the frustration that people put up with, in a beautiful manner.
The Trivia:*
Winner of Booker prize in 2000 and is not yet made into a movie. This Canadian author?s most recent work ?Orynx and Crake? was nominated for booker in 2003 also.
The other books, which were considered, are ?Pillars of the Earth? by Ken Follet (a saga of struggle to build a cathedral), The Color Purple (a book on the injustice faced by an Afro American) besides classics like Pride and Prejudice and Anna Karenina.
Isn?t it amazing that most of these books are written by women (or is it only me with my feministic taste)!!
