[Book Review] Great Expectations

Charles Dickens is one of the most celebrated authors in English and 'Great Expectations' being one of the classical novels that must not be missed, I was left with not much choice (not that I wanted a choice). I had a faint memory of reading the abridged version years ago and I distinctly remember that it had a cathartic effect at the end and that too being an abridged one. So I wanted to read the unabridged one which I was sure won't disappoint me and I wasn't mistaken.

A bildungsroman genre novel that followed the life of a boy named Pip who is endowed with riches from an anonymous benefactor to make him a gentleman. Throughout this novel, Pip' life is shaped by discoveries, revelations and sufferings. 

I always had a thing for bildungsroman novels that focused on the protagonist's evolution from a child to be an adult. Every time we give an example for this genre, it's always 'Great Expectations'. I must point out that Dickens' language is much simpler than other writers of his age and for this reason there are things that we can easily understand and relate to. The sub characters were distinctive if not well memorable but the main ones will remain etched in our minds. Miss Havisham was my favourite which I couldn't find in any other novels but Pip was always the likable one. The thing about Dickens is that most of the events were implied rather than directly said; like the last line of the book. I'll close this review with a line from the book said by Pip: "but far more terrible than death was the dread of being misremembered after death". Ponder over this line if you must but it gave me all the chills. 

[Book Review] The Cuckoo's Calling

Robert Galbraith aka J K Rowling's "The Cuckoo's Calling" is a fast paced modern mystery. This one definitely doesn't bore the reader anywhere along the entire book and it is one thing that the reader can always be grateful for. The mystery, though feels a bit roughened by use at the end but the characters were unique and uncommon and this seems to have made up for the familiar ending which mystery novels often seem to repeat. 

When a model falls to her death, detective Cormoran Strike is called to reinvestigate what was initially closed as a suicide case. Strike along with his newly appointed temp Robin works to reveal a dark ancestry and the game of money. 

This is Rowling's first novel as Galbraith and there is an immense shift in the genre compared to the Harry Potter series. The novel was modern in its setting of the entire plot in London. The readers are given a visual treat of London itself and if you belong to London, you can surely relate to places together with the characters. If you aren't London based, you can always walk through the Google Maps.
Another striking thing about this novel is the characters. We have Cormoran Strike as our detective and our hero but unlike the typical heroes, Cormoran is a huge guy who relays on prosthesis. The temporary assistant is Robin who is intrigued by this whole murder business. There are other minor yet important characters who are equally unique. The only thing I wasn't much a fan was of the ending. It's a bit shallow and repeated often in other novels but the whole ride was mysterious. Nothing mind blowing but I would give it a one time read for the sake of its characters. 

[Book Review] Kane and Abel

The first look of "Kane and Abel" got me thinking 'Kane and Abel... that sounds like a good old fight between  two guys' and I have to say that I wasn't wrong but it was a fight of brains not body. Jeffrey Archer's "Kane and Abel" hovers up on almost all genres - Mystery, thriller, historical fiction, romance and what not. 

This is the story of William Kane and Abel Rosnovski. Both Kane and Abel were masters in what they did and were synonyms of success until their lives crossed. Each found other's action unpredictably destroying their career when all they had to do was bury the past and move on.

For me, Jeffrey Archer did a wonderful work of this plot. The way each chronological section moved telling it's piece of story was really a good one. The funny thing about this book is that we get a good glimpse of three generations (or maybe four). The one small thing that got me annoyed was that the novel contains a bunch of banking terms which I had hard time understanding. That's the only thing otherwise everything turned out great. The story unfolded well and I loved the ending (that was my favourite part). I think I'm up for another Jeffrey Archer as long it hasn't got technical unchewable banking terms.