Mrs. Dalloway was written by Woolf in 1925, when the world,
particularly Europe, was experiencing a lot of changes in all fronts.
The story is set in those days of modernism; and revolves around a woman
named Clarissa Dalloway, the wife of a rich influential bureaucrat, who
loves throwing parties and socializing. The entire story is set in a
day of Mrs. Dalloway's life, where each character tells a story about
his or her life. Each character directly influencing Mrs. Dalloway,
looks back on a day when they were younger, when Clarissa turned down
her friend, Peter Walsh's proposal for marriage. Mrs. Dalloway is one of
the classics which have been widely read and appreciated around the
world.
What I loved the most about Mrs. Dalloway is it's
representation of the characters. A typical London morning in 1925 will
have all the prominent characters in the novel. Clarissa is a socialite
who arranges parties and indulge in socializing with high class families
to share gossips and talk about life in London. What is even more
special about the timeline is that it is set in 1925 which means the
story encapsulates the old fashioned ways of living and the new
modernist approach to life. Clarissa Dalloway, is taught from her early
childhood how to become the perfect wife in a rich household, and that
just represents how women had a certain role in lives. While she is not
happy about the ways of life, she has not been able to break out of it.
On the other hand, several characters, break out of the perception to
become independent and "different" from the women in that time. The
novel has no chapters, just a steady flow of thoughts which jumps from
one character to another to form an entire day of activities,
impressions and views. Every thought, every view has a specific opinion
on life in 1920s, every argument had different approaches and every view
had its consequences. Every character has a personality so strong and
so different, it's hard to talk about just one character. A character,
Septimus Warren Smith is particularly interesting in the story, who is
apparently written as a double to Clarissa. While both of them doesn't
appreciate the way of life, Septimus breaks out of it by killing
himself. And when Clarissa comes to know of it, she describes it as a
defiance; she sees it as a way of escaping from the world of mishaps and
misfortunes.
Virginia Woolf is a genius, and someone who has read at least one of her works will agree with me when I say this.
Romance is the only genre where I’m not open to experiments. I read the books which has a lot of hype, or whose blurb strikes as different. If I Stay by Gayle Forman is one of the few which actually made to the list of my top favorite romance reads. And now, I’m quite happy to say that Me Before You made into that list as well. To find such a heart warming love story is actually making me believe in romance again.
There were two reasons why I picked out up. First, I recently saw the trailer of the movie adaptation and without even having known anything about the story, I was intrigued. Secondly, the hype around it was too much to bear! The book was actually attracting me towards it. I couldn’t sit around for another sign, and so when the trailer released, I thought it was time.
And boy was I stumped! I had started only the first chapter and and before I knew, I was reading the 8th one. It took me exactly a day and a half to complete this book.
I had a lot of thoughts while reading the book. The issue addressed here is a very delicate one. But Jojo Moyes treated with equal parts of humor, love and reality. More than the actual story, what really struck me was how Jojo Moyes managed to pick up the topic and create a story with such precision and quality. The ending was real. So real, that I found myself crying but actually feeling satisfied. I cringed every time, something happened to Will. It’s always like the end is near. Despite how it ended, for me, it was a happy one. Everyone accepted his decision by the end and that’s what counts.
Another aspect which struck me was the characters and their roles. Every character had some important role to play in the manner the book was to end. No character seemed useless. I couldn’t get around to the question that how an author could write with such details and not go wrong anywhere.
Needless to say, her writing is beautiful. So beautiful that it is difficult to concentrate on the world around and carry on with our existence. With her book, it’s difficult to even think that we have a life.
I am so impressed with this book that I’m afraid to read it’s sequel. Often good books fail to give a good aftermath of the actual story. And that is exactly why I never pick up a sequel to a book on which everything ended perfectly. The next book can ruin anything or can just glorify it. At this point, I’m not sure if I’m ready to give it a try!
All Our Yesterdays, is a sci-fi novel mainly based on the concept of time travel. To say that the concept was stunningly executed, is an understatement. It was not just the concept, but the plot, the characters and the writing also, equally contributed to the book's success in being the best sci-fi book.
To begin with, let me talk about the plot. Without revealing much, this book revolves around Em, who is currently held captive by Doctor who is ruining this world one by one. When one day, Em finds a note saying she has to complete a final instruction in the note, she finds herself fighting against the Doctor, and killing her one and only love. I am not a big fan of romance, and I never even look towards sci-fi novels, and when I find a book with romance AND sc-fi together, I knew I shouldn't pick it up. But I did. And, boy was I surprised! I literally breathed the book, taking everything like wind. Writing a proper review is still very difficult for me, because I'm still inside that book, and I refuse to come out of this.
The characters of this book were mind-blowing. The protagonist Em living in the future, is everything from badass to caring. She is definitely my favorite literary hero. On the other hand, Em's past self, Marina, is a very different, though not opposite of Em. Like every other girl, who cares about her looks, and wants to fall in love with the perfect guy, Marina is everything Em is not. But, what is strikingly similar about them is their caring nature, their love, and their strong personality. The male leads, James and Finn, love interests of Marina and Em, respectively, are pure awesomeness. And what is strangely beautiful, is the love triangle which seems to grow out their their relationships.
“I've been scared of so much stupid crap in my life. Making a bad grade or not fitting in. God, I was scared of you. And it was all such a waste. None of it matters now that the real scary shit is here.”
Lastly, what stood out for me is the writing. No matter how great a plot is, and how striking the characters, what binds a story together is its writing. I often find myself bored when the writing is not good. and if the writing is good, I'll love it no matter what the story is like. In this case, the writing was so good, that it was a cherry on the top, for such a powerful story and such amazing characters. Cristin Terrill writes beautifully, yet powerfully. It makes a lasting impact, and even when the story ends, you'll find yourself wanting for more.
“The truth is, the world is a f*cked up place sometimes.”
What are your Sci-Fi reads this month, tell us about it with the hashtag #ficfortressreads on any social media.
Publisher : Westland Publication Published on :May 13th 2015
SYNOPSIS
Ram Rajya. The Perfect Land. But perfection has a price. He paid that price.
3400 BCE. INDIA Ayodhya is weakened by divisions. A terrible war has taken its toll. The damage runs deep. The demon King of Lanka, Raavan, does not impose his rule on the defeated. He, instead, imposes his trade. Money is sucked out of the empire. The Sapt Sindhu people descend into poverty, despondency and corruption. They cry for a leader to lead them out of the morass. Little do they appreciate that the leader is among them. One whom they know. A tortured and ostracised prince. A prince they tried to break. A prince called Ram. He loves his country, even when his countrymen torment him. He stands alone for the law. His band of brothers, his Sita, and he, against the darkness of chaos. Will Ram rise above the taint that others heap on him? Will his love for Sita sustain him through his struggle? Will he defeat the demon Lord Raavan who destroyed his childhood? Will he fulfil the destiny of the Vishnu?
Begin an epic journey with Amish’s latest: the Ram Chandra Series.
REVIEW
Amish Tripathi, famous for his best-selling trilogy, the Shiva Trilogy, yet again takes your breath away with his astounding writing and stunning imagination. He writes stories that can leave you wanting for more. Only Amish can make you forget the difference between fiction and reality. And yet again, with Scion of Ikshvaku, we get an idea about the present India.
Ram, lives in a society of corruption, where rules play no role in the socirty. Ram, a believer of rules, wish to change the society, but the journey to the perfect society as desired by him is far, far away. Every Indian can relate to this scenario, as India today, is somewhere at that point. Any crime can be forgotten through loopholes and corruption. Will we ever find the perfect society driven by rules and truth? That is answer we need to find.
What I loved the best about the book is the way everything connects to the present society as well as the mythological times. I do not have words to describe the imagination used to write such an amazing story and only a true genius can weave words to blow your mind away.
The characters are too amazing to ignore. Lord Ram and his wife Sita, are the perfect couple, who believes in the establishment and exercising the rules of the society. Nothing and nobody is higher than rules.
Bharat and Lakshman, the much loved brothers of Ram, who are the most blessed souls and who can go to any lengths to protect their brother.
Every other characters adds to the beauty of the story.
Title: An Ember In The Ashes Author: Sabaa Tahir Publisher: Razorbill (Penguin Random House) Publication Date: April 28, 2015 Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Dystopian
SYNOPSIS
Laia is a slave.
Elias is a soldier.
Neither is free.
Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.
It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They've seen what happens to those who do.
But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.
There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.
PLOT
The story describes a Dystopian society called Empire, which is divided into Martials, the ruthless soldiers who show no mercy to the Scholars who were overthrown by the Martials, some five hundred years ago. Events are shown through the perspectives of Laia, a Scholar and Elias, a Martial.
MAIN CHARACTERS
1. Laia, an orphan who saw her grandparents killed and brother Darin, taken into custody by the Martials, vows to bring back her brother and thus begins a series of events which leads her to get into the Blackcliff Military Academy as a spy for the Resistance, which is a group of Scholars fighting against the Martials.
2. Elias, a Martial, who was brought into Blackcliff to be trained into a Mask (a soldier) but secretly hates it. She finds him enslaved by the rules of Blackcliff and was going to run away from them, when he was made a candidate for the new Emperor. He finds himself fighting against his own people to become the Emperor, a title which he doesn't even care about.
SECONDARY CHARACTERS
There are some amazing characters who want to help Laia, even if it means it will kill them; Izzi and Cook, Keenan, Sana and others. There are some ruthless characters who want nothing but power and they can go to any lengths to torture others and establish their superiority, like the Commandant, Mazen and Marcus. And then, there are some characters, who are not happy with their situation, yet they remain loyal, like Helene, Dex and Faris.
REVIEW
There are books which make you smile. There are books which fills you up with emotions. And there are books which will drive you mad with fury, and An Ember In The Ashes is one of them. I did not feel happiness or fluttering butterflies when I read this book, only rage uneasiness and fear, and hell, I loved it.
I couldn’t put this down even for a minute; the story pulls you deeply into the lives of the characters and you can almost feel like living inside the story and witnessing everything with your own eyes. Such is the detail with which Tahir has written this book. You forget what is real and what is not, and you’ll find yourself getting more and more drawn with each passing page.
I loved it how the characters aren't perfect in any way and how they hate their situations. The characters develop eventually, into some badass people who are determined to change their lives, along with those they can help with. They know how to find happiness even when they are suffering the worst.
Surprisingly, I enjoyed the two love triangles. Helene and Elias had a very beautiful friendship which was compromised when Helene started falling for him. Laia and Keenan had quite an interesting relationship, and I don’t really like their chemistry, yet I can’t make myself to hate it, either. Laia and Elias have something which cannot be explained. It’s complicated. There are sparks of love, sympathy and even empathy in their relationship. And again, I cannot hate it or even love it, either.
“Nan always said that as long as there is life, there is hope.”
Then there are characters which make you dread for life, which makes you relieved that you don’t live in the Empire. The Commandant is an arrogant creature, who can go to any extent for power and dominance. You can feel yourself fret whenever Laia sneaks out or even gets up late. You get Goosebumps every time Commandant is in the scene and you feel yourself standing beside her. Then there is Marcus, whose thirst for authority can be seen when he kills his own twin. He is another character for whom establishing his authority is the only life goal.
I can only say, that I need a sequel to this or I’ll cry myself to death, I swear.
As J. K. Rowling says, “There are stories which live with you forever”, and when you turn the last page of this book, you know that this story will live with you forever and beyond.
