writermala's Timeline

Reviewed And the Mountains Echoed - Khaled Hosseini

Another Hosseini gem.

This novel and the stories it tells is going to be echoing in me for days to come.  Hosseini wields a facile pen and I loved his characterizations.  I felt a connection with each of the characters and Abdulla and Pari's loss  tugged at my heartstrings throughout the reading experience. It is ...Read more

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Reviewed Pact: A Love Story , The - Jodi Picoult

Murder or Suicide?

Jodi Picoult's "The Pact" is billed as a love story but it is far more than that. It is a story of complex human relationships culminating in a John Grisham like Courtroom Drama. The story involves the death of Emily Gold. Is it a suicide or did Chris Harte kill her? That in essence is the pl...Read more

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Reviewed I Am Malala - Malala Yousafzai

Anybody can make a difference.

Malala stood up for education and her reward was getting shot by the Taliban! This courageous girl from Swat,  loved school and felt she and all the girls of her country, and the whole world, had the right to an education. She was outspoken and never tired of speaking out on this subject. She...Read more

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Reviewed Behind the Beautiful Forevers - Katherine Boo

Are you ignoring Poverty?

What a starkly beautiful tale of life, death, and hope in a most improbable setting. Katherine boo does not sugar coat the horrors of life in a Mumbai Slum, yet one sees through her eyes the possibilities that open up, albeit fleetingly, for Abdul, Kalu, Sunil and other young children there. ...Read more

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Commented on aydeeks's article

Are We Over-Sensitive To Criticism?

Writermala This has been a problem for India since time immemorial. As long as foreigners praise India to the hilt about our architecture, our temples, or anything else the comments are welcome; but let them cast one aspersion about our behaviour, however depraved it may be, we rise up in arms. Tha...nk you for bringing this to attention.Read More

Reviewed The Lowland - Jhumpa Lahriri

Worthy of A Pulitzer Prize

I grew up in Calcutta and lived the experiences Lahiri has described in her novel. She has been true to the events and her characters portray accurately the young men and women of the time. As is always the case with Lahiri this book too is somewhat woman-centric and Gauri is more or less the...Read more

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Reviewed Why Men Don't Listen & Women Can't Read Maps - Allan Pease

Men are ....and women are ...

It was a good topic and the facts were presented but the authors could have kept it lighter with more anecdotes and less facts. Have you ever wished your partner came with an instruction booklet? This international bestseller is the answer to all the things you've ever wondered about the oppo...Read more

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Reviewed Three Cups of Tea - Greg Mortenson

All it takes is three cups of tea!

Indeed an inspiring book. We have all used the expression, "Anything I do would be a drop of water in the ocean." Greg Mortensen demonstrates that these drops can add up and make an impact in an Ocean. There are some profound statements in the book like, "Who knew something as simple as a bri...Read more

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Reviewed Rebecca - Daphne Dumaurier

Rebecca or Manderley?

This is a book which transcends the "Romance" genre and is good literature. One almost gets the feeling Manderley is the hero! I read this book as a teenager and loved it. On reading it again I realized how much I'd missed the first time around. Every page has something that one wants to reco...Read more

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Reviewed The Stranger - Albert Camus

The outsider's world.

The Outsider succeeds in letting us into his world and we wonder why he does not make an attempt to improve his lot by explaining himself. Through the story of an ordinary man unwittingly drawn into a senseless murder on an Algerian beach, Camus explored what he termed "the nakedness of man f...Read more

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Reviewed Steve Jobs - Walter Isaacson

Whether you are crazy or not you will enjoy this

The Book opens with the quote, "The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do." This about sums up Steve Jobs. He was crazy and he changed the world.  He was mean and he was a genius.  He brought about the personal computer revolution and he gave th...Read more

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Reviewed Siddhartha - Herman Hesse

Find Yourself!

This is a book that  I read when it was first published.  I am so glad I picked it up again. It was just excellent!  There is no point reviewing the book because that would mean one didn't get the point of the book at all! One learns that each time one reads the book one sees a different aspe...Read more

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Reviewed Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

Romance trumps Pride and Prejudice!

This is a book that has stood the test of time; like wine it ages well. No matter how old you are when you read it, as a woman you'll in all likelihood identify with Elizabeth Bennett and heave a sigh of relief when one person's pride and another's prejudice do not stand in the way of romance. ...Read more

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Reviewed Only Time Will Tell - Jeffrey Archer

Who am I?

Jeffrey Archer's story telling skills are evident in this book right from the get go.  "Only time will tell", is essentially the story of Harry Clifton who has to battle his quest to know who he is at every stage of his young life. One man's selfishness may have caused irreparable damage to H...Read more

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Reviewed One Minute Apology, The - Ken Blanchard

Say sorry and mean it!!!

This book is as relevant today as it was when it was written.  Nothing is as important in life as accepting one's mistakes and expressing sincere regrets for the behavior which prompted it.  The writer by means of a simple story explains how well a one minute apology made sincerely can help diff...Read more

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Reviewed My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult

I ove my sister; but...

When one picks up a Picoult book, one expects to fall in love with the characters and become one with the situation.  In my sister's keeper we identify so totally with the story that when we face the unexpected gut-wrenching ending we too are torn apart. Each character is so ambivalent about ...Read more

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Reviewed Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Richard Bach

You too can soar!

Awesome!  I must confess this is not the first time I'm reading it. I read it in the seventies and totally missed the point. Perhaps a little bit of maturity is required to appreciate its beauty. This is definitely a book to be read, re-read and savored. If you don't "get it, " don't despair;...Read more

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Reviewed Inscrutable Americans, The - Anurag Mathur

America as seen by an Indian Student.

It was an easy read. Also, the author had noted some of the unique mannerisms of both the Americans and new to the country Indians. This made for a very humorous presentation. The novel talks about about a year spent in a small U.S. campus by an Indian student. The student's English has the q...Read more

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Reviewed India Unbound - Gurcharan Das

Can India ever be unbound?

This is a fascinating account of India's fall from an important trade power to poverty in the post colonial era and then recouping it in the "Knowledge Era." Any student of Indology and anyone who does not understand why India lagged behind so much in the post independence days is well- advis...Read more

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Commented on own review

Caregiving!
Family Matters - Rohinton Mistry

You're welcome! I enjoyed writing the review.