Hanzy
The Henna Artist takes you back to a post-colonised India, fresh from the gashes left by the British to the youthful vigour of a newly independent country.
Through the protagonist, Lakshmi Shastri, we see the life of a woman who has achieved her independency after years of hard work, coming to a point where the brutality of her past doesn't haunt her as much anymore.
A beautifully portrayed character who shows strength and power, while establishing familial love despite the hardships and hurdles faced.
A character with whom empathising was as easy as it could get, getting so absorbed that we perceive everything as was perceived through the character's eyes
A wonderful read, a definite recommendation from me.
A very gripping story-line with a set of tales centralizing over the concept of having your one true soulmate or your ‘match'.
Each character presented a unique perspective and personality while exploring the concept of having a dna match, where science seems to take the upper-hand and plays god in an otherwise normal world.
Overall, an interesting, suspenseful read
Sort of a heart wrenching, sweet tale of self-discovery and in turn, self-actualization. Through Britt-Marie's experiences we see the flawed beauty we each have as humans.
Unlike Backman's other books that I've read, there were times when I found myself questioning the characters choices and there were parts that I felt were a bit ambiguous. The ending however was quite satisfactory.
There is something about Backman's writing, something that beautifully captures the essence of ordinary humans. We embark upon a journey as strangers, unable to quite comprehend the characters, confused, seeing them for who they really are, and not mere characters in a book. When it's time for us to let go of the book, we've known the characters like they've been our friends for a while.
Backman's characters come to life for who they are, imperfect beings, yet you love them just the same. Puts into perspective our relationships in real-life. With little snippets of advices, a heart-warming tale, Anxious People also helps build empathy... the fact that we're all trying our best as humans and that there's always more to what meets the eye.
“We need to be allowed to convince ourselves that we're more than the mistakes we made yesterday. That we are all of our next choices, too, all of our tomorrows.”
A journey through time, a world that you somehow become a part of. From the characters to the setting, the themes and the lessons, Haalim was a wonderful ride that I couldn't wait to get to the end of, yet when it finally did end, I'm left wanting more. Not to say the ending wasn't satisfactory for it perfectly concluded everything. Nemrah Ahmed is a genius of a writer. This is my second read of hers and from what I've known, she has an incredible talent in story-telling, one that grabs you in, making you a part of the journey.
I can't classify this book to a particular genre since it seems to have a little bit of everything - from its twists and turns to the lessons imparted, you won't be let down.
An immersive psychological thriller that sort of went on like an ascending roller-coaster ride, building up the suspense, the excitement as the plot develops and thickens further and over and then.... an unexpected plot twist. If you're a reader who enjoys books without paying attention to certain (obvious) details, then you wouldn't notice the little cracks on the tracks that were slowly growing larger on your ascend. It's a psychological thriller in the form of a murder mystery. Fast-paced and incredible, I loved it! The ending left me with some ‘what ifs', nevertheless, I found myself satisfied and content.
Beautiful.
I'm lost for words in trying to review this book but if I could use one adjective to describe it, it'd be ‘perfect'. Many different themes, adventures, and magic - all beautifully composed within the tale of a young girl on her path to self-discovery. There's nothing about this book that left me unsatisfied or discontent.
It's a book with many layers - those who like to delve deeper can discover themselves lost amidst its many waters and those who like to wallow in the shallows, its an incredibly beautiful tale to be enjoyed just the same.
My first read of 2021, an absolutely beautiful magical tale(humanly magical if that makes sense).
Coming off a reading slump, this book had me hooked right from its very first page. I like how the book was REAL. The characters all flawed and realistically portrayed, and the way each story falls into place with all of its intricate details was incredible... sort of like a mind map being formed in the reader's mind as they read on, formulating the connections before they're revealed.
I personally liked the concept of having anonymity while getting insight from a total stranger and then finding out that the answers you sought were within you all along.
A definite recommendation!
This book was recommended to me and I won't be lying if I say I started it off with high expectations.
Perhaps this was the reason why I found it hard to complete it at the end. It's a good plot, heart-breaking, and the connections with nature made were beautiful. Written well.
Perhaps I was disappointed due to the expectations I'd attached upon starting it.
I must say, Manson has a way with words. I usually approach self-help with a certain amount of skepticism, however - having read ‘The Subtle Art', I'd say I'd held certain expectations and was pleasantly surprised. The logical explanations, the analogies, the examples all make everything quite easier to digest. It gave me the feeling of having gotten something out of reading and certain principles or assumptions that might help me in my arguments in the future.
Not a must-read, but something to be leisurely read (or listened to) if your mental space allows it.
The hype that surrounded this book made me a bit skeptical at first yet curious as to why. While I wouldn't call this book life-changing, it definitely provides more perspective onto aspects that we often don't consider or think about as much as we should perhaps. A reminder of sorts I would say... perspectives that won't necessarily convince every reader's mind yet opens up a bit of an introspective thought process.
I vaguely remember watching Mary Poppins as a child. It's funny how the older we grow, the lesser we tend to gravitate towards fantasy. I like rereading books from my childhood as they give me a fresh perspective. I notice things I didn't before and in doing so, it helps me understand myself more. This is a book I would recommend kids to read as the language is quite delightful and so are the little adventures
I started reading this a couple of years ago and remember putting it down, unable to finish. I managed to reread and complete reading it this year. It wasn't the book... perhaps it wasn't meant to be read then. Or perhaps, it just wasn't my cup of tea. The intricacies and the uniquely shaped story-line require you to be engrossed within the world that's created. However, that wasn't the case for me as I didn't find myself engrossed enough for the pages to turn themselves. I appreciated the thought-process put into creating this book. All the shorter stories each had their own stylistic approach which was interesting, given that it was written by the same author, within the same book. Traveling through time, the interlocking lives... I found it to be a pretty unique concept.
I admit I didn't feel ‘hooked' upon reading this book initially... the pace felt slow, the characters slightly relatable yet quite foreign to understand and the unfamiliar way of presentation with shifting point of views; it wasn't easy. However, that seemed to change when I got a few pages in and I‘d gotten myself into this whirlwind of emotions. Characters were pretty realistically written, each having their positive and negatives drawn out. The storytelling has a very convincing style where I found myself changing perspectives and views about everything that went on. What I most liked about this book is how it managed to cover quite a few themes that are of essence in the world today. Loss of passion, mental health, out of character behaviour, maternal bond and this emotional detachment that can't really be explained. Miscommunications, misunderstandings, and a true sense of yin and yang that exists within every human. Sure, it's a work of fiction at the end with quite a few unbelievable twists and turns. But for those who like to delve in deep, there's more to this book than plain wittiness. Despicable characters also have their moments of redemption.
I don't usually enjoy non fiction but Roald Dahl has to be one of the most interesting writers ever. I stumbled upon this book and I'm glad I did. This books gives insight into how our lives turn out to be much different from what we plan it to be. It broadens perspectives and gives hope to everyone, showing how not everything has to go according to a set plan to be good enough.
