Books I Read - V

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SYMBOLS

The  Lost  Symbol

After a reading hiatus of many months (except for drooling over my new tatting books), I finally picked up this book from my bookshelf - it had been waiting for some years now !

It is racy. It is informational. It has a few puzzles/enigmas. It is a good pastime read. Some of the clues & symbols were easy to decipher or guess at. A bit lengthy & definitely bulky. But to have the entire story run within a span of a few hours, & with all travails the protagonists have to go through - not believable ! I often wonder when these protagonists get the time to eat, take breaks, etc. - what superman bodies & constitution they must have !

I like the way he interweaves fact & fiction, history & mythology, science & religion, symbolism & realism. One is left wondering how much is fact how much fiction.

The Apotheosis of Washington was an eye-opener. As was the Smithsonian Museum Support Centre

Thanks to the net, I could see what I missed out during our visit there. For images related to Lost Symbol 

The end seems a bit insipid after the build-up, but I'm glad he offered a broad, all-encompassing view of scriptures, etc. even while focusing on the Bible. I like the change in perspective(s) he incorporates ...

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (2009)

The  Da  Vinci  Code

Read this when it first came out. Even as a slow reader, I couldn't put it down & gulped it in 2 days flat !

Again, many puzzles were simple to solve - anagrams, etc. But he has a way of lacing history across eras, institutions, & reality with fiction & illusion in a way that keeps one wondering how far this is true ?!

One wants to just pop into the building being described - no wonder the special Dan Brown sightseeing packages emerged :-)

I loved ‘The Last Supper’ revelation & while many codes were predictable, I did not ‘solve’ the final secret (though it had started taking the right direction)

Sometimes one does wonder do we read too much into the past? Does everything have to be a code or have hidden/deep secrets? Whatever, it was an entertaining read, hence ‘paisa vasool’ Have I felt like taking it up to read again? Not yet !

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (2003)

Angels  &  Demons

Haven't read the book. But watched the movie a few years back. It was quite an experience. It was a premium hall in the multiplex & we decided to take the opportunity to experience it. Imagine our surprise : we were the Only 2 in the entire hall ! Hardly surprising that after this that hall has not shown a single English movie :-D Anyway, we felt like royalty - a private viewing; reclining, very comfy seats; blankets; drinks, lunch ....and the whole hall to ourselves ;-P

Glad we watched the movie there. Now, when it is shown on cable TV, they cut out many of the gory shots/scenes - can be very confusing for someone not acquainted with the story !
The whole movie-viewing experience will remain a once-in-a-lifetime memory !

Angels & Demons by Dan Brown (2000)

Will I buy another Dan Brown book ? Probably not. I think 3 stories along similar lines is More than enough for My lifetime :-)

The  Rule  of  Four

Of course, after The Da Vinci Code, this genre became a fashionable rage ;-P But what dust covers claim are way off the rule ! Was an insipid, forced kind of story with too many deaths. It was definitely Not what reviews claimed. At least DVC was gripping ; this one was ho-hum. I don’t recollect most of the details… but don’t feel like reading it again – once was more than sufficient. My hubby couldn’t get through the entire story even once ! Now This was a total waste of money – and a hardbound at that !

The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason (2005)

The Name of the Rose

Again, haven’t read the book, but watched the movie. Pretty good ! Mystery always captivates, if presented well. And if suspense can be maintained with some logic. Add to it the ambience of a ‘secret society’ & one can be transported back to the childhood days of mystery thrillers by Nancy Drew. Of course, this has more meat & some intellectual stimulation. Love the sprinkling of dry wit/humor. Acting & direction was good, keeping one engaged. The trouble with watching a thriller mystery movie first, is that one rarely wants to read the book ! Unlike a classic or a human relations & feel good genre.

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco (1994)

Care to share your reading experience ?

happy reading, happy decoding :-)

Books I Read - III

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Classic Aspirations

Classics are always such a pleasure to take up & read . There are times, however, when one wonders about the antecedents of certain characters, or more commonly, What happens to them after a few years. Here are some of my all-time favorites alongside their chronological "partners". 

(This is not a review, merely my thoughts/impressions) 

SET 1.

 Original : Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen (1813)

Need I say more ?! Few would not have enjoyed it, and I am certainly not among them.

I have enjoyed not just the book, but also several movies & TV series based on this classic. Always a winner.

Pastiche : Death Comes to Pemberley by PD James (2011)

Then along came PD James’ “Death Come to Pemberley”, which traces events a few years after Elizabeth & Mr. Darcy get married, with crime & murder thrown in.

Can’t say I was too impressed with this book. It had some mystery & a whodunit curiosity, but the 2 protagonists were shown to be very weak, helpless individuals, who just seemed to wait for events to unfold without any control or idea of how to cope with problems. After P&P, it was a let-down to say the least – not in the writing style, but in the characterization. Maybe the fault lies in my own idealization of characters?!

Disclaimer : I don’t remember reading any of PD James’ earlier novels, hence my opinion is no reflection on her greatness & popularity. It is tremendously commendable that she penned a novel at that late age !

SET 2.

  

Original : Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (1847)

As a young girl, I quite romanticized this book & it’s characters & have enjoyed the movies & TV series based on this novel. Mr Rochester, however much he is criticized today by ‘feminists’, held a certain fascination for me. For some reason, the most poignant scene in one of the series (probably the 1973 BBC miniseries) was when the now-blind hero calls out in forlorn despair to Jane thrice. And a rags-to-riches ‘Cinderella’ story is always so inspiring, even if only fiction ;-)

Prequel : Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (1966)

A beautiful journey into The Caribbean & thoroughly enjoyed reading about the native as well as Creole culture. I also love the fact that the author traces the life of the mystery woman, Bertha – a lesser, obscure character in the original, rather than the protagonists. Although, like ‘Rebecca’, she was always present in the background. Yes, the ‘original’ hero is painted as a dark man, but the Jean’s use of multiple voices to narrate the story brings to light each character’s emotions & rationale.

Inspired (?!) : The Evil Genius by Wilkie Collins (1885)

Shortly after reading Jane Eyre this time, I took up this book. 

Imagine my utter surprise when the first few pages read Exactly like Jane Eyre !!! The story starts off with almost the same setting, similar characters, similar events ! Fortunately, later events take a slightly different turn & there are discussions on marriage, divorce, domesticity… It was interesting to read the views of those times in relation to the present. The ‘heroine’ seems to be constantly at the wrong end of destiny, naïve, & indecisive. Definitely not one of his best books, but nevertheless, a quick read for a lazy afternoon.

Would love to hear your thoughts & perspective ....

Happy Reading :-)