Agatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have read a fair number of Agatha Christie mysteries during my mid-teens.  Reading these books was an important rite of passage, to show that I had graduated from the kiddie Enid Blyton books and was ready for more adult fare.

I did not read Murder on the Orient Express, though I did see the 1974 version of the movie long back starring all those stalwart actors.  Upon being prompted by a friend, I picked up this book up from the Library for a read.

Dame Christie's prose is a delight. Her sentences are simple and elegant.  She keeps to her subject without seeming to harp on anything. The way she handles a mystery is ingenious. She first presents a problem as practically unsolvable.  A man has been murdered on a train.  The co-passengers are all genteel folk who would not harm a fly.  The violent crime could have been committed by an outsider, who entered the train, killed the man, shed his clothes and left.  But the problem is, the train is halted due to a snowdrift and no one could have exited the train.

After the unsolvable crime has been presented, we are slowly acquainted with evidence which is usually very muddling.  It is left to M. Hercule Poirot to smooth out the knots and present the picture.

It is without doubt, a magnificent book which should be read by every book lover.  I am going to lay my hands on as many Agatha Christie books I can find and read her extensively once again.  She is totally worth my time.


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Kazuo Ishiguro - When we were Orphans

When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The book started beautifully. Christopher Banks is planning to launch his career as a private detective. He has been preparing for this moment all his life. Ever since he was sent to London from Shanghai, after his parents disappeared within weeks from each other.

He becomes a renowned detective. He finds himself compelled to go back to China to solve the mystery of the disappearance of his parents.

It is here that the novel unravels. Christopher goes on a wild goose chase, following flimsy leads. The denouement was supposed to be horrific, but it just seemed rather far-fetched.

I had loved Kazuo Ishiguro's other book "Never Let me Go". This one is a not a patch on it.

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Philippa Gregory - The White Princess (The Cousins' War)

The White Princess by Philippa Gregory
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have read two books by Philippa Gregory previous to this. The first book I read by her was The White Queen, about Elizabeth Woodville, the wife of Edward IV, mother-in-law of Henry VII. I found the book intriguing, but not too good. For quite a while, despite the popularity of The Other Boleyn Girl, I did not pick up any other book by her.

The Lady of the Rivers, by Philippa Gregory, about Jacquetta, the mother of Elizabeth Woodville, was breathtaking! This was an engagingly told story of the daughter of Melusina, who has the gift of sight. She is at the forefront of so many changes in fortunes, of her own and those of the throne.

The deep love she bears for her commoner husband, Richard Woodville is central to the story. Jacquetta is shown as a woman who tries to avoid the cut-throat politics of court and strives to serve the king and queen with loyalty.

I loved the descriptions of the court, and how the couple, Jacquetta and Richard try to lead the life of a normal couple, concerned about their children and their futures apart from the hurly burly of the court. Richard is forever away on some campaign set by the king, and Jacquetta has to be at the court at the Queen’s side.

This lovely book is what made me read the story of The White Princess, (The Cousins' War). This story is about the daughter of Elizabeth Woodville and Edward IV, married to the bitter enemy of her parents, Henry VII. He ascends to the throne of England by defeating and killing King Richard of York in the battle of Bosworth.

His wedding to Elizabeth of York is solemnized to cement his claims to the throne of England. This was to end the war of the Roses. The white rose of York is seen as finally merging into the red rose of the Plantagenets. The cousins’ war does end, but not without its cost. Henry VII is tormented by suspicion as to the loyalty of his subjects. He feels the people of England yearn for the return of the Yorks.

The story had a good start, as Elizabeth mourns Richard and is torn between the advantage of marrying the King and the disgust she feels at marrying the man who killed her lover. Later, the pace turns languid as the novel harps on Henry’s suspicions. The appearance of the lost Prince of York injects some life into the story, but the advantage is soon lost.


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Hanif Kureishi - The Buddha of Suburbia

The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I picked this book up from the shelf of the Library with some trepidation. Will this novel turn out to be a series of self indulgent rantings by an intellectual author? My fears were un-founded.

The book is about Karim, growing up in the suburbs of London. His father, Haroon, is a muslim of Indian origin, now a civil servant in London. He is married to a British lady and has two sons, Karim and Allie. As the book starts, Haroon is all set to launch himself as the Buddha of Suburbia, going to private parties and giving a spiritual talk to people assembled there. He falls in love with the hostess of these parties, Eva. He leaves his wife and goes to live with Eva.

Karim, who goes to school with Eva's son, Charlie, chooses to accompany his father. He is in the last year of school and sees this break-up as an opportunity to expand his horizons.

Karim goes through many experiences as he tries to gain a foothold in the world, trying to establish himself as an actor.

I fell in love with Kureishi's language. Here is a sample as he describes the class differences in Britain. "For Eleanor's crowd hard words and sophisticated ideas were in the air they breathed from birth, and this language was currency that bought you the best of what the world could offer. But for us it could only ever be a second language, consciously acquired."

Towards the end of the book, as Karim grows older, he finds that the people who influenced him when he was young have shrunk, become inconsequential to him now.

The story flows along wonderfully, I was glued to the book for all of the week, intent on reading it through.


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Robert Galbraith - The Cuckoo's Calling

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The book is the first mystery novel by J.K. Rowling, published under the pseudonym
Robert Gailbraith.

No matter what Rowling writes about now, she will constantly be measured against her blockbuster Harry Potter series.

The Cukoo’s Calling is no Harry Potter. Yet the book draws you in right from the first chapter. It is a page turner for sure.

A famous model, Lula Landry, has plunged to her death from her pricey London penthouse. It is being seen as a suicide.

Robin Ellacott has just moved to London from Yorkshire to be with her newly affianced boyfriend, Matthew. She is temping as a secretary till she finds a proper full time job. She has been assigned to Cormoran Strike, a private detective.

Cormoran Strike has just been chucked out of his girlfriend’s apartment and is living in his office. His work is not going too well.

Into this situation walks John Bristow, brother of Lula Landry. He is convinced that someone pushed his sister off her balcony, that she did not commit suicide. He wants Strike to take the case up.

The story has a brisk pace. As I mentioned before, it is a page turner. A lot happens. We learn a lot about Cormoran Strike and the kind of problems and troubles he faces, both internal and external, as he tries to get to the bottom of the Lula Landry mystery.

At times, all the information thrown at you becomes overwhelming. Strike ruminates less and uncovers more. So we get bombarded with a lot happening.

If Rowling/Galbraith is planning another in the Strike Mysteries, I am in. I am hoping the next mystery will be as compelling, and a tad less crowded.




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Nick Hornby - A Long Way Down

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My interest in this book was piqued when I read that it was being made into a movie. I put it on my TBR (to be read) list, and Lo! I found it at the first try on the library shelves. That hardly ever happens. I have been trying to locate Choclat by Joanne Harris for a long time now, but its a no-show.

The book is about four people who land up at the top of tower block with the express intention of hurling themselves off it, on New Year's Eve.

Martin is a TV presenter who is mired in trouble. He is divorced and was imprisoned for sleeping with a minor.

Maureen is a single mother of a 19-year old boy who is a vegetable. She is tired of her life and wants to end it.

Jess has been dumped by her fiance and is severely depressed. She has many other things bothering her, but at the moment it is this that makes her want to jump off the tower.

JJ's life is over. He cannot bear carrying on delivering pizzas any more. He just has to jump.

These four find themselves lumped together by chance. The only thing that bonds them is that they chose the same time and spot to end their lives. Now, in a weird way they feel responsible for each other.

They set deadlines to see if they can survive another week, another month without killing themselves.

The theme is hardly a cheerful one, but Nick Hornby injects wit into the prose and makes us chuckle. The four protagonists get a passage each to speak out their thoughts and their version of the story. They speak in different tones as befits their characters. Maureen is the pious one, the oldest. Her voice is sedate, conservative. Martin gets the wittiest lines (I am glad Pierce Brosnan is playing him, but he is a tad old. I wish it were Hugh Grant.) Jess is a motormouth, spewing obscenities and speaking without thinking. People have a hard time getting along with her. JJ is the thoughtful one.

It is a different sort of a novel and I enjoyed reading it. Nick Hornby also wrote 'About a Boy' which was made into a delightful movie starring Hugh Grant, Toni Colette, Nicholas Hoult and Rachel Weisz. On my next trip to the library, I intend to hunt this one out. Or any other book by Nick Hornby.

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