Book Review 2:- The Thorn Birds

I think this was my first try at the non-thriller genre. And I found it very long. This 1977 book basically tells the story of Meghan Meggie Cleary; as a girl, as a lady and also as an old lady! The story starts when she is 4 years old and ends when she is 60!

The story revolves around relationship and also the temperament of different kinds of people. Meggie lives in a poor family with her parents and brothers. The way she is brought up is shown beautifully. Then, the family shifts to Australia. The Drogheda farm in Australia is described marvelously. A character comes up; a priest Father Ralph de Bricassart in the church who adds salt to the story! From the beginning it is clear he will play an important role in the story and the way his gradual involvement in the story is shown is amazing.

However, many a times you feel the story is stretched. Just think of these- you learn that Meggie is 4 years old in the starting pages of the book. And when her daughter is also 4 years old you are not at the last pages of the novel. A great deal of patience is required to read this book!

The one thing I like most about the novel is the descriptions of the society. It is superb. The church or the events inside the bedroom (!), you got to admire how the author handled it. The author Colleen McCullough has a grip on the story that is remarkable, though at times it reminds me some of the Indian serials; going on and on, with the goal (of ending) never in sight.

 If you are not the kind of person who has not tried family saga novels, then there is a chance that you might find this one boring. But please do remember that everyone’s taste is different! It has a great deal of cultural and social richness. It might be that of the food, the kind of dresses people wear in such regions or even the personality of the people; the details are too explicit to be missed.

Book Review 1:- Child 44

From the beginning I knew that a thriller story with Russia in the background would be good, but I didn't know it would be so good! The Soviet Union during the Stalin’s period. The period where there was fear everywhere in the Soviet Union. The author Tom Rob Smith in his first novel makes an impact on the reader that is simply remarkable.

  The main character is a MGB officer Leo. Initially, the story revolves around the conditions at that time; how the media and the people were controlled. He as everyone else acts as per the rules in the book. But then some happenings make him and his wife travel together in search of a serial killer.

 Meanwhile the whole country is in search of them for they have disobeyed the system. The plot is so superbly constructed that at times you sit back and think how could the author think about this stuff (of course, its different matter that you cannot sit back while reading this book!). Vasili is another MGB officer who is jealous of Leo. The character Vasili is truly justified because  jealous is universal. The various killings depicted make an impact, and provide a clue about the killer. However, I was not careful enough to grasp it!

 You must read it till the end to know how well the story is constructed. Moreover, the way the author has shown how fear can grip the society with the kind of system that was present in the Russia during those times is superb. I had problem digesting a few facts because they are true! The entity trust and love is very beautifully and cruelly explored in this book.

I would like to say that this is one of my favorite books of all time. 

P.S- for people who are yet to read this particular book, I believe this blog will help them to know what to expect from the book. And for others it might help them recall what they have read.