Book Talk: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: 2025 Updated Edition!

2025 Update: I recently watched Netflix's latest release, the movie Frankenstein, and I have to say it is SO GOOD. "I loved it" would be an understatement, which is saying a lot because I usually do not enjoy renditions of classics especially when they take liberties with the storyline to make it, well, like a movie. BUT this one is amazing - the gothic setting, the characters, the dialog - everything's top notch. BUT before you go watch, I'd highly recommend getting your copy from Amazon and reading the book first. :)

***

Everyone must have heard of Frankenstein, even if they never knew that it is a book by Mary Shelley, who started writing it at the age of eighteen, and publishing it when she was twenty. Even fewer people would know that the idea for this book came from an evening's pass-time activity when Mary, her fiance and poet Percy Shelley, friend Lord Byron and John Polidori were sitting in Geneva during a tour of Europe, and had to invent a way to spend their evening. They came up with a contest among themselves for the best ghost story, and the idea of Frankenstein was conceived in Mary's dream that night.

Written nearly 200 years ago, Frankenstein is the story of a young and ambitious man who is taken to the natural sciences at a very young age. Contrary to popular thought (and this is why it is crucial to read books), Frankenstein is the name of that young man rather than that of the creature (or 'monster', 'devil', 'demon', 'fiend') he created. The story has no name for the creature, and probably that's why the cartoon and film versions have named the monster Frankenstein for convenience (and it hurts to know that movie versions would, naturally, differ from the text). Victor Frankenstein belongs to a well-bred family, and his keen curiosity, facilitated by two professors at University, brings him to his doom. He discovers the secret to life, and attempts to create a being to whom he would provide life. The story takes a turn when the creator is appalled by his own creation as soon as it comes to life, and Victor abandons it. 

Frankenstein is not really a story of a monster and his evil deeds. It's more about the side-effects of knowledge, meddling with nature, trying to play God, and how unkindness and being loveless can turn one into a monster. The creature is at first loving, and very much like a new-born (except for the minor defect that he looks like an eight-feet tall and gigantic man). However, he has no one to take care of him, and his creator has abandoned him, so the creature goes out into the world on his own and realizes how man would despise him because of the way he looks. He learns to live in the wilderness, and gradually facing rejection from every kind of being he meets, he turns bitter and seeks revenge against his creator. 

The story follows the acts of the creature and Victor's increasing despondency. Though the creature acts cruelly, one can't help sympathizing with him. When you read about how much the creature craved love, and how frequently he was denied the basic need for existence, you do feel that his acts were justified and, strangely, human.

Frankenstein is a compelling read. It's written in an epistolary form - that is, in the form of letters. The initial introduction is made by a third observer, a Captain called Walton, who is travelling in the North in his ship. He comes across Victor Frankenstein, lost and barely surviving, and that's how he gets to know his story, and records it in his letters to his sister. 

I found Victor's lamentations to be a bit tiring towards the end and too frequent, but apart from that I couldn't help reading all the way. I was also amazed that the author was so young when she wrote the novel, which, apart from being Gothic in theme, also addresses topics like intolerance, delicateness of human nature, and effects of knowledge and ambition. I'm also listing facts about Frankenstein I got to know as a result of reading the book:

1. Frankenstein is the creator, not the monster. His full name is Victor Frankenstein, and he is not a mad scientist either. He's just an ambitious man driven over the edge.

2. Mary Shelley's father was the philosopher William Godwin, and her mother was feminist Mary Wollstonecraft. 

3. Frankenstein created the creature in a makeshift laboratory in his hostel room. Unlike the movies, there is no lab on a cliff, nor is there a hunchbacked assistant. 

4. In the book, the creature neither has green skin nor bolts protruding from his neck. The physical description describes him as a gigantic, eight-foot tall man. Frankenstein had chosen handsome features for him, but his eyes were white and his skin stretched across his body in a contorted manner so that it made him look very much like an anomaly. 

5. The creature was never evil from the beginning, nor was it in his nature. It was the circumstances and lack of empathy that led to him being a monster inside.

6. The novel was originally called: Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus. It was first published anonymously in London in 1818.

7. There is really a Frankenstein Castle around Germany, where it was known that a scientist (alchemist) was engaged in experiments. Mary Shelley had traveled there with her group, and had thus come across it before writing her novel. 

8. The first theatrical production of Frankenstein was a twelve-minute silent film, in 1910. (Watch on YouTube here) 

Cool, isn't it? If this is not enough, let me share some quotable quotes too:

“How dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to be greater than his nature will allow.” 

“I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous.” 

“The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings of human nature.” 

“What can stop the determined heart and resolved will of man?” 

“How many things are we upon the brink of discovering if cowardice or carelessness did not restrain our inquiries?” 

Mary Shelley

Book Title: Frankenstein

Author: Mary Shelley

Published: 1818 (and many subsequent editions)

Pages: 273

Buy it at: Amazon

Genre: Classics/ Gothic/ Horror

My Rating: 4.5/5

Meanwhile, check out the delicious cover in this special edition hardback copy!!

Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler

I remembered having seen this book in the library I used to visit a few years ago. I also remembered that I had wanted to read it back then--just look at the cover! (What? Book covers rule.) Back then, and even now when I finally got around to reading it, I thought it would be a bitter-sweet high school romance, which is something I could totally handle.

But what actually happened was this:

Me: Ooh... Hudson (the lead female protagonist) isn't just a damsel in distress. She has dreams and she has guts and she's gonna break through barriers to achieve her goals. The romance part is just going to be a part of it.

*a few pages into the book* Me: Hudson bakes such amazing cupcakes. I took 2 years to learn how to bake a basic sponge cake. She's a cupcake pro already! Must learn to bake cupcakes.

*reads some more* Me: Y'know... What happened to Hudson and her family doesn't really seem fair. Why isn't her mom cooperating at all? AND how can she be okay when ill-behaved customers at her diner are teasing Hudson and the other waitress (what's her name?). Ugh.

Me: Wait... why's Hudson behaving like such a selfish and silly brat when it comes to cute guys? Wh- what is she even doing?!

Me: Oh-kay. This Hudson is not the one I began the book with. Plus, everyone speaks the same kind of Oh-I'm-cool lingo. What happened to plain ol' English? This is too fast and too boring and doesn't make me FEEL anything. Bye-bye book.

I don't know what happened in the second half of the book. The premise was so promising. It totally should have been a young girl's rise from the ashes and kicking ass in ice-hockey, but it was too long a story to hold interest and the said young girl started behaving so unlike herself and so much like a typical high school book-girl (who, I don't know why, resembles someone from Mean Girls and the like).

You could give it a try though. Perhaps I got too influenced by cupcake descriptions at the beginning of each chapter and expected too much out of a young girl. Maybe you have the patience and perspective to understand whatever was happening. Have you read this book? How did you find it? Tell me!

Review: Simon vs The Homosapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Why am I not surprised that I adored this book so much? Because Goodreads can't be wrong. Lately it has become my one-stop-shop for book picks and it rarely disappoints. I had been wanting to read a light, nice contemporary book and Simon vs The Homosapiens Agenda came to my book pile. The cover was intriguing, and I hadn't really read a book relating to sexual identity before.

Simon is gay, and he has been emailing Blue (identity unknown), a boy attending the same high-school. They keep their real identities hidden from each other, because neither of them has had their 'coming out' moment. Simon's not sure when he'd be ready--he knows that his family would be accepting, but with their annoying tendency to be over-enthusiastic about anything he does beyond their pre-conceived notions of him, it's a bit difficult. Then there's the whole idea of being bullied by school kids. One day, though, Simon's emails to Blue are read by his classmate, who begins to blackmail him. The story moves forward combining Simon toiling for, sometimes avoiding, Martin, fearing that he would spill his secret when he isn't ready. We meet Simon's friends and go through their lives as well, and we feel Simon's pangs to know the real Blue.

It was quite a refreshing read, actually. The writing is simple and fun, the (almost) typical contemporary narration making it a quick and easy read. However, the fact that I couldn't put it down unless I had read till the end proves that, at least for a picky reader like me, the book serves well to break any reading slump you might be facing. Also, it gives you perspective. How do you feel about being gay and unable to come out with it? Does society or the idea of bullying scare you? Do you get pissed off when straight people find it difficult to admit they like someone of the opposite gender? How do you perceive a friend or schoolmate who's gay?

Book title: Simon vs The Homosapiens Agenda

Author: Becky Albertalli (do read. It's unique and fun!)

Pages: 320

Published: 2015 by HarperCollins (Blazer+Bray)

Find it on Amazon here

My rating: 4/5!

~Things I enjoyed~

1. The perfect balance of family understanding and discord. People are there for Simon, but don't exactly make it easy for him to 'come out' because of their tendency to highlight anything out of the ordinary.

2. Characters. I liked how Alice, Simon's elder sister, remained in the background for most of the book but still comes across as a supportive and fun sister. Simon is likeable enough, and he seems realistically vulnerable when he begins being blackmailed by Martin. He's a fun mix of weird and nice. I liked many more character portrayals, but what I liked more was how they were balanced throughout the book. No overdose of any single character. 

3. The school setting. This is purely personal because I hadn't read a book with a school setting since maybe Vampire Academy? Who knows. I, for one, don't keep a tab on book settings. I have a hard time remembering character names the next day. Anyway, the school setting made it 'refreshing' for me. It has also been realistically done. (I don't know how realistic it is though, to have many people who'd support gay rights when they're teenagers. I hope it is very much real!)

4. The mystery. All things apart, the constant mystery of Blue's real identity could have been the prime reason I couldn't put the book down! Minor spoiler alert: For a long time I felt I knew who he was, but then I didn't. Tch.

5. Ms. Albright, the drama teacher. Particularly towards the ending, she turned into a badass woman who won't tolerate bullying. She was quite likeable from the start, though, as a teacher who makes things funny and comfortable for the students by, say, speaking in their language. 

6. The ultimate meeting of Simon and Blue!!! The revelation of Blue. I was hugely anticipating someone as Blue, though it was also somehow unimaginable, but then it ended up being someone I had also imagined as a possible Blue but it had seemed irrelevant at that time. Looking back, the subtle foreshadowing was CUTE. I don't even know it anything in this para makes sense. Writing without spoilers is no good. *sigh* 

What my ebook copy looked like when I went to the park to read

~Things I did NOT enjoy~

1. Character development when it comes to Simon's friends. Simon's own character development isn't intense per se, but visible enough for readers to note. However, I did wonder why Abby and Nick didn't seem to be bothered about Leah. [The following text COULD be a character personality spoiler for some, so read at your own risk.] They both seemed to have been self-absorbed. I get that Leah's behaviour wasn't exactly rational, but Simon handled it way better than the other two. And if I were the choose between Leah and Abby, it would be Leah because Abby, no matter how friendly and cute, was ALWAYS oblivious to Leah and sometimes I was all, 'Doesn't this girl think before speaking stuff?' When I read some Goodreads reviews before getting to this book (not always a great idea. There's always a spoiler), some of them seemed to think Leah's behaviour as selfish. I expected it to be, but ended up feeling quite the opposite. [end of probable spoiler]

2. The play/musical taking up a huge portion of the reader's time, which made me anticipate something AMAZING during the actual play, but things seemed... normal. Sure, there were a couple of things that happened, but nothing worth the hype. What happened with the homecoming was perfectly balanced, in fact.

Overall, you should consider three things:

1. The easy and fun writing style that'll keep you hooked.

2. Your sensitivity towards people's sexual identities and their dilemmas would be greatly enhanced.

3. Your weekend wouldn't be boring if you read this book. :)

Or maybe you could consider a couple of quotes:

“People really are like houses with vast rooms and tiny windows. And maybe it's a good thing, the way we never stop surprising each other.”

“The way I feel about him is like a heartbeat -- soft and persistent, underlying everything.”

Yeah? Feel warm and woozy? Good. Buy your copy here.

Review: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Book Title: City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)

Author: Cassandra Clare

Pages: 485

Published: 2007

Find it at: Amazon

My Rating: 4/5!

Another book series I didn’t read while the world was going crazy about it. (I just DON’T know what’s with my aversion to reading books at the same time as others). I wish I had read it before. City of Bones introduces us to a new world—dark, mysterious and fascinating—a world that’s closely intertwined with ours, visible only to those with the Sight. There are humans, of course (called ‘mundanes’ because we can’t see the real excitement in the world, I guess) and then there are Shadowhunters, who are part human and part angel. The Mortal Cup is an instrument that was used to make the first Shadowhunters (by mixing in blood of humans and angels and getting a prospective Shadowhunter to drink it. I’d have thought a vampire would like it more). There are also the Downworlders, creatures that have demonic blood or tendencies in them (include everything else—vampires, werewolves, faeries, etc). In City of Bones, we see how all these worlds mix up in the quest to fight the feared Shadowhunter-gone-wrong called Valentine, who wants the world full of “pure blood” Shadowhunters and absolutely no demons.

That’s the background. The story is narrated in third person, but the central character of the story is Clarissa (Clary) Fray, a fifteen year old living in Brooklyn with her mother, Jocelyn. She has a best friend, Simon. One evening when Clary and Simon are visiting the popular hangout club Pandemonium, Clary witnesses a murder. The baffling thing was, the victim’s body evaporated and she was the only one who could see the killers—teenagers just like herself. Clary is drawn into a world she had no memories of, meets people she should have known but doesn’t, and realizes that what she knew about herself was barely true.

City of Bones has a compelling storyline. Though I could draw some parallels with other books (such as Harry Potter), I do think that this story stands on its own, particularly in terms of characters and their motivations. The author lays heavy emphasis on past events, relationships and emotions of characters to control their behaviour in the present. Every character has a backstory that validates their actions or thoughts, and it feels so realistic. That’s probably one of the best things about this book. Sure, there were some places where the characters seemed to be acting on sudden impulses or had changed emotions in a jiffy, which felt too rushed to me, but it wasn’t really bothersome. The characters are memorable, to say the least.

There is a good amount of action and suspense too, fairly presented and well-spaced. Because the story focuses on family dynamics too, one of the major twists pertained to familial ties, and it was indeed so surprising, I totally did NOT see it coming. Another thing I found different and “fresh” about a YA novel such as this was that it also touches upon sensitive themes such as family separation, being an outcast and homosexuality.

Some parts in the story were quite touching and sad. Needless to say, I loved the balanced mix of everything. It was appealing in a curious way… despite all the darkness, the raw discomfort of what was happening, I couldn’t put the book down. At first, it was interesting but not as gripping as I thought it would be—I had a feeling it was overrated—but it seemed to pick up pace after about 40% and then it was hard to put it down. I did read a lot of it while I should have been working. The writing style is good… pretty normal, I guess, because I didn’t observe it that much, except that some really good vocab is used in places and I was just wondering how each character has such a good repertoire of vocab.

This book came as a ‘different’ kind of story compared with the ones I’d been reading the past two years. It relates more to the YA books I read while in college, and the reading experience felt very good. I’ve begun to read City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2) and I’m already excited!! Any of you read these books?

(Sharing some quotes from the book below):

“The boy never cried again, and he never forgot what he'd learned: that to love is to destroy, and that to be loved is to be the one destroyed.”

“Where there is love, there is often also hate. They can exist side by side.”

“All knowledge hurts.”

 PS- I'm not much of a movie person but I just saw that there's a movie on this!!!! I don't like the feel of the characters (in the photographs) though. Books are always so much better. 

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Alice Sebold

Author: Alice Sebold

Pages: 328

Published: 2002, by Little, Brown and Company

Find it at: Amazon

Blurb

The Lovely Bones is the story of a family devastated by a gruesome murder -- a murder recounted by the teenage victim. Upsetting, you say? Remarkably, first-time novelist Alice Sebold takes this difficult material and delivers a compelling and accomplished exploration of a fractured family's need for peace and closure.

My Thoughts!

I had encountered this title in way too many lists (which I keep looking up from time to time) to feel like reading it. Yes, I'm among those who get wary of a book when it's being praised too much. Not without good reason, too. Although The Lovely Bones was not really disappointing, it was surely lower than what I'd expected out of it.

The story is narrated by a fourteen year old girl who's dead. That's probably one of the reasons I found this interesting. Susie Salmon ("like the fish", as she says) is the eldest sibling in the Salmon family. One late evening as she's returning home, she encounters Mr Harvey, a man in their neighbourhood, who rapes and then brutally murders her. Susie dies and goes to heaven, which is different for different people. Susie's is like high school but there are no teachers and she can do all she wants. There's another girl named Holly and a mother-figure named Frannie she meets up there, but she can never stop gazing at her family and friends on Earth. Fair enough, because that is how she will tell us the story.

Soon after Susie's death, we see the devastated family trying to accept the fact that she's dead, and murdered. The story revolves around the lives of people after Susie's death. The writing is good, for the author is able to make a reader feel the intense rawness of feelings one goes through after a tragedy. Susie's father, who I think is the best character in this story, meets Mr Harvey and, just because he's too numb to think of much else, helps him build a tent in his (Harvey's) front yard. BUT. In some sort of instinct, he begins to feel something's wrong... the man knew something about Susie. Of course the clever Harvey denies it and goes back to claiming his lonely life (no wife, no kids) for having weird hobbies, but that only cements Mr Salmon's suspicion that Harvey killed his daughter. This part of the book was really interesting, because I began to feel that he'd do something rad and would get Harvey caught (Harvey being a psycho and having killed children and women before as well). However, despite his conviction, Mr Salmon is not able to prove it. Len Fenerman, a detective, does what he can (almost) but he has no ground to suspect Harvey. Mr Salmon is left alone. Lindsey is the only one who believes him, and tries to help him out.

There are a bunch of other characters who form a good part of the story. Ray Singh, Susie's schoolmate who had a crush on her, and Ruth Connors, an artistic person who was widely considered weird in school. Ruth has been used to depict one form of 'meeting point' between the living and the dead, which was an interesting element in the story.

The Lovely Bones has potential, and I can see why it became popular when it first came out. It promises so much! I found it emotional, and something that offered a view of reality--that there could be disappointments and you can be wronged even when you've done nothing, and it's not necessary you'd get redemption. Some people can go unpunished even after committing sins. Tragedy can break families, and it is oh-so-difficult to keep it together. I also found it heartbreaking. It tells how different people cope with loss in their own ways. Since it can turn out to be high on the emotional quotient for some, maybe you wouldn't want to read it if you're anyway feeling sad or low. As for plot... I don't think there's much to go on. Susie sees her loved ones doing things she is missing, sees them growing up and learning to live without her, makes some connections, but it's just that. It could have had some exciting passages about the killer, but there are few, and not very exciting.

The writing was engaging and gripping, and no matter what you feel while reading, you'd want to keep reading it. Some characters (read Mr Salmon) are believable and lovable. Sometimes you read things so utterly beautiful and painful, you can't help but love the book!

But to be fair, I did find some things quite disappointing. I did not get some parts about Ruth and her abstract ideas, connections and thoughts. I think I can attribute it to some lack of understanding on my part. Second, I did not like Susie's mother, and it's not only because of what she did (it's a spoiler, so I'm not mentioning it), but also because--what an escapist! Sure, I can't imagine a person facing such a tragedy, but woman, you can't do all those things and not do important things (also a spoiler!). Another thing that seemed overdone was how almost all characters engaged in physical relationships to forget their sadness. Like there's nothing else that can make a person feel better. It really annoyed me. It's not only because I have differing personal views, but what sort of messages are being sent to the readers? Finally, the ending. Had it not been for the messed up ending, I might not even have thought of the other 'disappointments'. WHY did that have to happen? I wouldn't like to mention it because it'd be a spoiler (bah), but it was not good. 

Still, every reader experiences a book differently. It is surely worth a read if you're looking for something emotional or different. Just don't expect too much. If you don't, you might end up liking it more than I did!

Here are some quotes from the book for you:

“Nothing is ever certain.” (The most-quoted line in the book)

“Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.”

“Between a man and a woman there was always one person who was stronger than the other one. That doesn’t mean the weaker one doesn’t love the stronger.”    (What do you think about this one?)

“You look invincible,' my mother said one night. 

I loved these times, when we seemed to feel the same thing. I turned to her, wrapped in my thin gown, and said:

I am.”  

(Honestly, this one broke my heart)

Review: The Golem's Eye by Jonathan Stroud

Jonathan Stroud

Title: The Golem's Eye (Bartimaeus #2)

Author: Jonathan Stroud

Published: 2004 by Corgi Children

Pages: 592

Find it at: Amazon

My Rating: 5/5

My Thoughts

The Golem's Eye is the second book in the Bartimaeus series, after The Amulet of Samarkand. Nathaniel has now been in the government job for two years under the guidance of Jessica Whitwell, a high level minister in the Department of Internal Affairs. Nathaniel has become overly ambitious, and detests people in the government who seem to jeer at him for his young age and lack of experience. He hasn't seen Bartimaeus in two years, because of their previous pact to not come across each other again, but when he is assigned the arduous task of finding the mysterious, terribly destructive creature or group roaming around the streets of London, he feels no one but Bartimaeus would be up to the job.

Popular magical places have been destroyed around London, and the Night Police or any magical security could detect no trace of a djinn or any being of magic. The suspicion goes to The Resistance, a group of youngsters who go around stealing magical artifacts to annoy the magicians. Nathaniel, however, does not think teenagers could have managed destruction of such magnitude. There is something far more sinister, something the magicians have believed to be extinct. 

Inspired artwork by www.elfwood.com

The London government is run by magicians, and the commoners are grateful to them for providing them security. Well, not everyone is grateful, however. Some 'commoners' have suffered at the hands of magicians, like everyone else, and resent their power to the extent of attempting to overthrow them. Kathleen (Kitty) Jones is a young teenager who appeared briefly in the first book and occupies a large part of The Golem's Eye. She is part of The Resistance, and is slightly disconcerted by the fact that the major attacks are being attributed to them. The Golem's Eye takes us into two parallel worlds - one of Nathaniel and the magicians, and the other of The Resistance and the commoners. The back-story of Kitty and the members of The Resistance comes up in this book, and makes the whole story very, very interesting.

Bartimaeus is, as usual, his witty, humourous self. It's hard not to smile at his dialogues or footnotes. It's even harder not to be inspired to adopt that kind of attitude in real life situations as well. Bartimaeus is one of my favourite magical characters in literature! As for Nathaniel, I did think he was being a prick in a lot of instances. What happened to his character? He seemed totally influenced by his hunger for power and recognition, and the barely-decent boy in him seemed to have vanished, as Bartimaeus rightly observed.  

Cover *_*

The other thing that made me give this book a five-star review is the manner of writing. It's engrossing, gripping, and in one of the crucial scenes, downright scary. In hindsight, it doesn't seem that horrifying, but it nevertheless made me gasp and shudder, and that's what matters. Who cares about reality anyway? I had been thinking that The Amulet of Samarkand would be superior to its sequel books, but Jonathan Stroud is excellent in all his books. I have to admit that the beginning of this book was a little confusing, and not entirely gripping, because of new information of the past in Prague and about Kitty Jones, and also the lack of Bartimaeus, but it soon picked up pace as the background was set in place, and from there on it was a non-stop reading gala. 

  

I'd highly recommend this series to fans of fantasy and young adult fiction. If you're looking for a mix of old magic and modern taste, this is the book for you! If you've read The Amulet of Samarkand, you have to continue this series. Now I'll be waiting for my copy of Ptolemy's Gate to arrive, and devour it in one go. The quotable quotes from the book are mostly dialogues by Bartimaeus, such as:

“Hey, we've all got problems, chum. I'm overly talkative. You look like a field of buttercups in a suit.” 

“I wanted to wake you straightaway, but I knew I had to wait several hours to ensure you were safely recovered."

"What! How long has it been?"

"Five minutes. I got bored.”  

Review: The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud (Bartimaeus Trilogy)

Jonathan Stroud

Title: The Amulet of Samarkand (Bartimaeus #1)

Author: Jonathan Stroud

Published: 2003 by Disney-Hyperion

Find it at: Amazon

My Rating: 5/5!

(Read the blurb at Goodreads)

My Thoughts

The Amulet of Samarkand is the first book in the Bartimaeus trilogy - a magical book where magicians rule Britain and it is common for them to use imps and djinn of all kinds for their 'magic'. Magicians have an apprentice each, a child brought from willing parents at a young age, to be educated as a magician and possibly hold a reputable post in the government. Nathaniel is six when he is brought to the magician Arthur Underwood.

That's the basic premise of the story. 

The basic, because you would ask, "What's Bartimaeus?" unless you have already read the books. (I've been a laggard. This book first came out in 2003) Bartimaeus is a 5,000 year old djinni who has lived through, and witnessed, the world's great civilizations, wars, hideousness and humour. He's really intelligent, to say the least. And powerful. That is why Nathaniel, aged 12 and very ambitious, decides to call the famed Bartimaeus to do his bidding - stealing the Amulet of Samarkand from his enemy.

The edition I have

One of the many cool covers for this book

The book opens with Bartimaeus entering the scene in what he hopes is a dramatic way. It worked on Nathaniel to some extent, but it works at multiple levels for a reader. We are immediately introduced to this ancient magical creature, who has seen so much of the world that he decided to be totally modern and 'keeping up with the times'. The entire book is narrated simultaneously from Bartimaeus and Nathaniel's perspectives, going back and forth (to the past and present) in between. Yet, it isn't confusing. If you happen to love Bartimaeus from the very first page (like I did), you'll simply look forward to his POV. 

Why? It's not only interesting and full of action, it is also incredibly funny. 

That's what struck me more than the story. From the very beginning, Bartimaeus had me in splits. Be it direct narration, dialogue, or footnotes, it was written and presented so well that I couldn't resist smiling at the way he talks (and what he says). A major part of what we see in the story (minus the back story) comes from Bartimaeus, including Nathaniel's description, and whatever action is taking place. 

As events unfold and we realize why Nathaniel wants to seek revenge on a powerful magician, we're travelling to many places and witnessing many secrets. Nathaniel has no idea that the thing Bartimaeus has stolen for him would make him run around the city and facing its many dangers. It's not only personal revenge, but a huge machination to overturn the government. It is a pretty interesting story, but more than the plot, it is the elements that are appealing and add weight to the story. Die-hard Harry Potter fans would relate certain instances/plot/ideas that seem similar, but isn't it true that after Harry Potter, most YA fiction stories, especially if those happen to relate to magic, seem somewhat similar? I wouldn't take that against this book, however. It has a decent enough plot, it keeps its focus on central characters, and Bartimaeus takes all the credit for making us laugh. Full marks to that.

PS- I had the fourth book, The Ring of Solomon (received as a gift) since years, but about two weeks ago, I found this book sitting in the 'Free Reads' section of a fantastic sale in a fantastic bookstore. I would have been crazy to not pick it up, right? You have to admit that my impulse book-buying decisions turn out well. ;)

Now I'll sit and begin reading The Golem's Eye, part 2 of the Bartimaeus trilogy. Yay!

Psst: I would recommend this book to readers of all ages, if you're interested in fantasy, that is. If you still need proof, take these quotes from the book:

“A word of friendly advice could have saved him, but dear me, I was too busy watching him unravel to think of it until it was far too late.”

“He was transfixed at the sight of the lords and ladies of his realm running about like demented chickens.” 

“And then, as if written by the hand of a bad novelist, an incredible thing happened.” 

“When I set out from the boy's attic window, my head was so full of competing plans and complex stratagems that I didn't look where I was going and flew straight into a chimney.

Something symbolic in that. It's what fake freedom does for you.” 

You can also get the complete book-set here

Book Talk: Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster

Jean Webster

Author: Jean Webster

Published: 1912

Find it at: Amazon

My Rating: 5/5

There was something about the title that appealed to me. It was also a title I remembered having seen somewhere, apart from having heard of, so when I came across it while loading up my Kindle with classic ebooks, there was no reason to overlook it.

Goodreads Blurb

Laugh out loud at Judy's charming and unforgettable letters

Young Judy Abbott has been saved from life at the orphanage by a generous--and anonymous--guardian. He will pay for her education if she promises to write to him every month. Judy writes the most exuberant and lively letters--packed with laughs, and tales of friendship and college life. Judy's having so much fun she can scarcely stop writing...

My Thoughts

Boy, was it the best impulse-reading-decision or what. Daddy Long Legs is an epistolary novel chronicling the story of Judy (Jerusha) Abbot, a seventeen year old orphan from the John Grier Home. She has stayed two years more at the home than most kids, and even though she has worked for her boarding, the Home cannot keep her much longer. At the home, the first Wednesday of every month was a day of great trepidation, as the trustees would visit and dine with the matron, looking at the children to see if all was well. On one such Wednesday, Judy had barely entered her room after an arduous day when she was called by the matron. On the way, she saw the shadow of an extremely tall man in a suit and a hat - a trustee, most probably - and his long legs in the shadow were all she knew about him.

To her great astonishment, as the matron informed her, the man had decided to send her to college. He usually despised girls, but the matron had spoken of her intelligence and prowess at English, and the trustee had decided to send her to college so she could be an author. There was one condition - Judy had to write at least one letter to him each month, informing him of her progress in studies. He wished to remain anonymous, and would never write back, but Judy was to address him as Mr John Smith and keep him updated.

The story follows Judy's letters that bring out not just the happenings in the four years of her college life, but also her development as a girl who literally sees the world for the first time. Judy Abbot is quirky, full of life and curiosity, guarded about her past, yet open to making friends. She writes way more than the stipulated 'one letter a month', because Mr John Smith is the only one who could be called a relation, even though he is only a sort of guardian for her. Nevertheless, she grows close to him, calling him Daddy-Long-Legs, and respecting his wishes (that he sent through his secretary in one-sentence-messages) for the most part. Gradually, the book explores much more than teenage or a parent-child relationship.

As she studies harder and tells Daddy Long Legs about the subjects she has undertaken, her friends - the kind and the conceited, her new dresses and things courtesy Mr Smith, she presents to him a picture of a young, empowered woman. She refuses to follow his orders if she found those unfair, or at least frankly letting him know of her opinion. By way of such a relationship and her personal development, Judy represents the power of education, and how men cannot decide to own any woman or make her do as he wished. She also builds an interest in Mr Jarvis, a kindly man whom she befriends. Despite Mr Jarvis being 14 years elder to her, she feels a strong sense of connection with him.

I found the book's language and writing style immensely refreshing. It was a surprise that this book was written so long ago, as it seemed quite 'contemporary'. It was initially categorized along with chick-lit books of the age and gradually came around to being tagged as a children's book. It is a book for all ages, I believe. There is good humour, sarcasm and intelligent conversations - the perfect ingredients for readers who feel put off by dumb dialogues. Daddy Long Legs is extremely well written! Some might find a few gaps in the story, but the essence of the novel is in the letters and including just that what is important, so I did not mind those at the least.

Jean Webster came from a family of women who strongly believed in education of women, and worked for the cause. That was undoubtedly her inspiration, as the theme of the book relates of social ideas, and presenting those ideas in a light manner, yet being able to drive home the point. (And oh, she happens to be Mark Twain's grand-niece) I'm glad I read this book, and I would recommend it to everyone.

There were so many wonderful lines in the book that I was continuously highlighting paragraphs after paragraphs. Some of my favourites are listed below:

“It isn't the big troubles in life that require character. Anybody can rise to a crisis and face a crushing tragedy with courage, but to meet the petty hazards of the day with a laugh - I really think that requires spirit."

“I think that the most necessary quality for any person to have is imagination. It makes people able to put themselves in other people's places. It makes them kind and sympathetic and understanding.” 

“I believe absolutely in my own free will and my own power to accomplish - and that is the belief that moves mountains. ” 

"It seems to me that a man who can think straight along for forty-seven years without changing a single idea ought to be kept in a cabinet as a curiosity."

"The world is full of happiness, and plenty to go round, if you are only willing to take the kind that comes your way."

"But what's the use of arguing with a man? You belong, Mr Smith, to a sex devoid of a sense of logic. To bring a man into line, there are just two methods: one must either coax or be disagreeable. I scorn to coax men for what I wish. Therefore, I must be disagreeable."

^ This one is a favourite. 

Review: Confessions of a Murder Suspect by James Patterson

James Patterson

Title: Confessions of a Murder Suspect (Confessions #1)

Author: James Patterson, Maxine Paetro

Published: 2012 by Little, Brown and Company

Pages: 372

Find it at: Amazon

My Rating: 3.5/5

Goodreads Blurb

James Patterson returns to the genre that made him famous with a thrilling teen detective series about the mysterious and magnificently wealthy Angel family... and the dark secrets they're keeping from one another.

On the night Malcolm and Maud Angel are murdered, Tandy Angel knows just three things: She was the last person to see her parents alive. The police have no suspects besides Tandy and her three siblings. She can't trust anyone -— maybe not even herself. 

Having grown up under Malcolm and Maud's intense perfectionist demands, no child comes away undamaged. Tandy decides that she will have to clear the family name, but digging deeper into her powerful parents' affairs is a dangerous -- and revealing -- game. Who knows what the Angels are truly capable of?

My Thoughts

I've read several James Patterson mysteries, but few have as exciting and intriguing a set up as the first book in the Confessions series has. The last book by the same author I read was called Invisible, and it turned out to be my favourite James Patterson so far. I had really high hopes on this one just as the story began, but it did not live up to those high expectations.

It's a good story, actually. The Angels have always been high achievers, above normal, exceedingly smart. Malcolm and Maud Angel are demanding, strict parents, but they have their children's best interests at heart. With their careful and calculated manner of parenting - watching strictly educational movies, learning foreign languages and geography, having exceedingly high IQ levels. The children excelled in their fields, but they didn't know what it was to be normal. What would happen when their ultimate support system is ruined? Are they strong enough to handle that?

Tandy Angel, the sixteen year old daughter of Malcolm and Maud, addresses the reader and gives the story from her perspective, beginning from the night her parents were found dead in their room. She realizes that apart from the Angel kids and Maud's personal assistant Samantha, no one was in the house. That is a terrorizing thought, and soon enough, the Angel kids, especially Tandy (Tandoori) Angel, are suspects in their parents' murder.

Among uncertainty and doubting each other, the kids grieve in their own ways, strange to an outsider but perfectly normal to each other. Uncle Peter, their guardian, arrives at the scene, now the sole owner of Angel Pharmaceuticals, previously co-owned by his brother, Malcolm. Maud was a high profile financial agent. Tandy is distrustful of everyone around her - her twin Harry, her younger brother Hugo, her elder brother and NFL superstar Matthew, Uncle Peter, Samantha, their neighbours, and even herself. She's been raised in a way that made her emotions nearly non-existent, a good thing according to Malcolm and Maud, for it improved focus. Her memory of certain events of the past is hazy, thanks to countless sessions with their counsellor.

The atrocity of her parents' deaths, the rude intrusion into their apartment, and their life, makes Tandy pledge that she would find out the killer, even if her siblings hate her for asking such questions. She begins her very own investigation, throwing into focus the dysfunctional manner of the Angel family, the past and many hidden secrets. She discovers her own secrets in the process, trying to figure out the identity of the real Tandoori Angel.

Even though the ending was a bummer, it was a good story with respect to a family driven into the quest for perfection, and going to any limit to achieve it. What was disappointing was the manner of narration and writing. Regular questions that seemed familiar, delaying information consistently by saying 'that's for later', hinting that the killer could be Tandy herself, are things that somewhat marred the fun of reading. I get that those hints were meant to keep the reader guessing, but because it happened very frequently, it succeeded in pissing me off instead. Not a very impressive tool, really. Perhaps it would have been more effective had it been used only a couple of times.

I liked how the story involves a personal history and development of the siblings along with solving the mystery. Even though for a crime thriller, it should have been more focused on solving the crime with lots of twists. There were twists, but very few of them. I would see this more as a mystery intertwined with emotions and family drama than a thriller. It is the first book in a thrilling teen detective series. At the end of the book, Tandy decides she wants to become a detective, so I guess more stories are in progress. I'm hoping they would be better and up to their potential. Nevertheless, it is an entertaining read for when you have nothing else. At least till the end, it keeps your heart pacing. 

“Anne Frank wrote, ‘How true Daddy’s words were when he said: all children must look after their own upbringing. Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.'” 

Thank you Random House publishers for this book. :)

Book Talk: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

John Boyne

Title: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Author: John Boyne

Published: 2006 by Random House

Pages: 216

Find it at: Amazon

My Rating: 3.5/5!

Blurb excerpt from Goodreads
Bruno is nine years old, and the Nazis’ horrific Final Solution to the “Jewish Problem” means nothing to him. He's completely unaware of the barbarity of Germany under Hitler, and is more concerned by his move from his well-appointed house in Berlin to a far less salubrious area where he finds himself with nothing to do. Then he meets a boy called Shmuel who lives a very different life from him -- a life on the opposite side of a wire fence. And Shmuel is the eponymous boy in the striped pyjamas, as are all the other people on the other side of the fence. The friendship between the two boys begins to grow, but for Bruno it is a journey from blissful ignorance to a painful knowledge. And he will find that this learning process carries, for him, a daunting price.

My Thoughts!

Before reading this book, I had imagined it to be something really, really profound, considering it’s been made into a movie as well. Based on the horrific time of the Holocaust, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas follows the story of nine year old Bruno who lives happily in Berlin. His father is a senior soldier, and one evening, ‘The Fury’ decides to come to dinner at their home. He’s the man who runs the country, and although Bruno doesn’t realize it, it’s a pretty big deal. Bruno’s father is promoted to the post of Commandant, and he tells the family they’re to move to a new place that Bruno calls Out-With. He’s horror struck at first, and doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about. He cannot surely leave his three best friends for life! But the move is made, and soon enough Bruno feels he’ll go mad if he just stayed put. So he decides to explore.

Part of the new house that disturbs him is the view from his window. He can see a huge wire fence, taller than their three-storied house, going endlessly on both sides. And behind the fence, he sees desolate men and children, all in striped clothes and matching caps. When he decides to explore around, he walks along the fence and after some time, finds a boy his age sitting behind the fence. The two become friends. The year that follows is one where Bruno is gradually exposed to the horrors of the world, and the book describes how he feels about the same, and how he acts. After about a year, their mother decides she’s had enough and wants to take the kids (Bruno has a twelve year old sister Gretel) back to Berlin. Now Bruno is sure he will badly miss his new friend, Shmuel, so he decides to do something special for his last day at Out-With.

The story has been narrated in third person, and written as a children’s book. It’s suitable for all ages, though. From what I could infer from the writing style, the story and the theme, the author tried to put forward a child’s viewpoint about the horrors of war, and how it affects them. It definitely talks about a friendship without limit or distinguishing between communities and caste, away from the malice of ignorance. By playing down with words the terrible events at Out-With, it seemed the author wanted to talk about mistreatment and the terrible things that happened at concentration camps, which he managed to. Somewhat.

I had been feeling pretty much okay with the book until I read a couple of comments on Goodreads, which was when I realized that that’s what I feel too, to some extent. To begin with, Bruno could have been shown a more... understanding child. It is reasonable to assume he’d be innocent at age 9 and seeing things like that for the first time, but perhaps if the mother, if not the father, could have sat him down and told him why they moved at all. That’s what would normally happen, right? What I found slightly off-putting was that a whole year passed when he was friends with Shmuel, yet there’s little progression of his maturity. A kid listening to stories about the other side of the fence for a year, looking at his emaciated friend should be able to understand things better.

As for the ending, since I hadn’t yet watched the movie, it was pretty surprising, and I wished it weren’t that way, but well, even if it’s sad, it made a point. And drove it home. I just wish the last chapter could have been more elaborate, but then again, I think it goes with the way the book has been written. The focus is almost entirely on Bruno. Overall, it’s a light read in terms of writing style, not so much in terms of content. It might not be the best book themed around the Holocaust, but for younger readers, it makes its point quite well. I’d recommend giving this book at least one read. And then perhaps enjoy the movie version (which I've heard is better!)

Quotes from the book

“Don't make it worse by thinking it's more painful than it actually is.”

“. . .only the victims and survivors can truly comprehend the awfulness of that time and place; the rest of us live on the other side of the fence, staring through from our own comfortable place, trying in our own clumsy ways to make sense of it all.” 

“Just because a man glances up at the sky at night does not make him an astronomer, you know.” 

He looked down and did something quite out of character for him: he took hold of Shmuel's tiny hand in his and squeezed it tightly. "You're my best friend, Shmuel," he said. "My best friend for life.”

PS- The Fury in the story is Bruno’s version of The Fuhrer, the German word for Hitler. Similarly, Out-With is Bruno’s mispronounced version of Auschwitz.