Saturday, August 11, 2007

rainy days in madras and then some more..

I just finished reading a couple of books over the last week.
It's really easy to rip the book apart(which i will in sometime), but 'Madras On Rainy Rays' was actually kinda nice..in a weird way. What i liked about it was Samina Ali wrote it like how it really is.Without much exaggeration.It captured my interest enough to finish the book.Just about.The story as such was nothing to write home about. One of those sad-women type stories. In which the 'heroine' is brought up conservative,taught to listen to parents kind of thing but has lived abroad,gets married to this guy in India and needs to break free.Of course,in the end she does manage to.Which was kind of expected.But not really. You never really know how these kind of books end.Some of them end up just the way they started out. And then it makes you wonder why you went through those 200 hundred odd pages in the first place.Cant they just write something happy or fun??? It is not all about sadness in our indian women lives.What puzzled me was the name of the book. First of all,it hardly rains here.Second of all,they spend just 2 days in Madras.Maybe because it was here the heroine decided to leave her husband?? Because he was actually gay and his boyfriend lands up in a burkha and creates a scene. That was really icing on the cake for an already sad book.Oh yeah,after that,her pregnant cousin who is super close to her since birth is raped and murdred. I think we've read enough of stuff like that to last a lifetime.

'Never let me go' by Kazuo Ishiguro is an almost must read. Nominated for the booker prize for a reason.It is written through the eyes of Kathy,brought up at Hailsham,a private boarding school.She talks about her friends,about their reason for existance.Not a thriller,but definately a page turner.By the end of it,you just end up thinking quietly for a while.Not about anything in particular,but the book does strike something in you.That part of you,that you dont want to spend too much time with.Im talking about life.About death.About how when you are alone you think to yourself if this is the way it feels to live.


Neha's ratings:

Madras On Rainy Days by Samina Ali : 5/10
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro : 8/10

6 comments:

rads said...

Love your title. I think I qualify too. :D

Prashanth said...

i read sacred games by vikram chandra- nice book.. try reading it...

also read this book- water for elephants..- i think u'll like it... its by sara gruen...

Sreerama said...

ah.. the indian authors. Refreshing indeed

Ne said...

@rads - always good to have more join the self proclaimed 'cool' club :-P

@prashanth - points noted. i still havent read shantharam.always out of the lib :(

@sreerama - sometimes,yes!!

Roberto Iza Valdés said...

So many things you are NOT!
Enjoyed your profile.

Baliga said...

lol.. i thought i was the only who had read madras on rainy days :P wasnt impressed in the least. and now tht u mention it they did spend only 2 days in the damn city!

@ prashanth: it took me quite a while to wade through that one. and i picked up quite a few regional abuses along the way :P