Brajesh's Review : Island of a Thousand Mirrors

Reading Nayomi Munaweera's, "Island of a Thousand Mirrors", which is set against the backdrop of the Tamil-Sinhala Lankan civil war, bought a great sense of melancholy to me.

I could almost feel the physical pain enter my body, through the pages, as I uncovered the horrors of civil war in my neighboring country.

The story is a fictional autobiography of two girls Yasodhara and Saraswathi, one Sinhalese - one Tamil.

The narrative is deeply personal and brought an unusual connection with the pain and story both. The book remains non-judgmental and leaves the reader with a feeling of futility towards any armed struggle, irrespective of ones ideological position. In the end only war is the sole winner as both sides lose.

The story of "Island of a Thousand Mirrors" moves swiftly from Sri-Lanka to US and back, while continuously pushing the story of Yasodhara forward. This book also touches on the trauma of displacement and emigration with a lot of sensitivity.

Rating : 3.5 / 5

Brajesh's Review : Amreekan Desi - Masters of America

Kim received Amreekan Desi for review from The Readers Cosmos along with Good Reads, so since it was at home, I picked it up, but with really low expectations (given the title and cover you can't blame me).

But once again Amreekan Desi, proved my "judgement by cover" erroneous. The story of a young Indian professional starting his life in US (Amreeka) is explored to death. But Atulya Mahajan brings a freshness and sincerity to his humour which I think is rooted in is his autobiographical experiences.

The characters are stereotypes but keep you engaged, situations are standard but keep you turning the pages and climax is cliched but brings a smile. A light read for anyone, but a MUST read for all engineers who are buried under Baron's guide to GRE.

Rating : 3 / 5

Also Read Kim's Review of Amreekan Desi - Masters of America

Kim's Review : Amreekan Desi - Masters of America

Obviously with a title like "Amreekan desi" and a glance through the contents, the comparison with "the Inscrutable Americans" would be inevitable. However, Atulya Mahajan's - Amreekan Desi, does manage to hold its own, quite easily.

Atulya is next in the line of well followed bloggers and twitterers to be able to get his book published by a large house and out in circulation. So it isn't a complete surprise to learn from credits that Sidin and Arnab helped him with the publishing process.

The Readers Cosmos along with Good Reads, sent me this book to be reviewed. I wasn't expecting to love the book, I thought it would be a good distraction, a light humorous book after the heavy reading about the War of the Roses.

The Amreekan Desi - Masters of America did tick these boxes for me, but it was also a very well researched, nuanced book with a keen understanding of people and their perspectives formed through experiences. Atulya Mahajan has delved behind personalities and given a depth to his characters through these insights.

Having lived in the US for awhile, I did come across plenty of Akhil Aroras and Jassis in various degrees. So I know that these characters aren't caricatures, nor are they figments of the authors imagination. A large percentage of Indians, visiting the US for further studies (mostly MS) fall somewhere on the scale between Akhil Arora and Jassi.

Its not just these 2 characters, but also the rest of the cast who are quite well fleshed out for a short novel. Mr Arora, Priyank, Goyal Uncle, Dilpreet, Nandita, Kedar, Anil, Priya, Sundar, Suresh and the others. Not all of them have backstories attached, but with just a few lines of presence, its quite easy to identify the character behind the person.

The language is simple and easy to comprehend and the story is a human story. Its not high brow literature but its not bus station book stall fodder either.

Amreekan Desi is in essence a tale of discovery and an adventure. Akhil and Jassi start at 2 different ends of the spectrum in their attitude towards going to America and what they want to accomplish by this move. Yet situations and perspectives change and while Akhils life seems all sorted out by the end of the book, the reader can believe that Jassi's life will also have a happy ending of its own.

The part of the book I loved best was Akhils interation with the janitor and his conversation with his mother over Diwali rituals. I almost snorted out the coffee I was drinking when I read that bit.

Its a well written book and anyone who has been to the US or plans to visit the US for studies will absolutely love the book and the characters. Even if you do not even have a passport of your own, you can still enjoy the book, because at the end of the day its an interesting story inhabited by characters that any Indian can identify with. Americans who wonder why Indians in America behave the way they do could also glean a glimmer of insight by reading American Desi.

Rating : 3.75 / 5

This Review is a part of "The Readers Cosmos Book Review Program". To get free books visit thereaderscosmos.blogspot.com

Kim's Review : Song of Ice & Fire - Dance with Dragons (Dreams & Dust, After the Feast)

OMG! OMG! OMG! What a phenomenal book! What a suspenseful ending and absolutely no clue when the next in the series will be out. So many cliffhangers and no book 6 on the horizon.

At the Start of Book 5 of a Song of Ice & Fire, George Martin revealed that, he split Feast for Crows from Dance with Dragons, geographically rather than chronologically and that's why some characters were missing from Feast for Crows.

A Dance with Dragons is massive at 950+ pages and may seem daunting to begin, but after reading the first 4 books, there was no way I could postpone reading book 5

This is the first time, I finished a book and felt bereft. I was so engrossed in this series over the last few months (on & off), that now that I've finished reading every published book and the 3 chapters released by George R R Martin online (and read out to fans at comic con), I miss it. I miss the characters, I miss the storyline, I miss everything about the books. I guess this was part of the reason I waited over 4 weeks to write this review. Because writing a review, for me, means that I am done with a book. And I'm not ready to be done with the Song of Fire and Ice, yet.

Parts of me are still living in Kings Landing where Cersei's fate is unknown, on the wall where Jon Snow's fate is unknown, beyond the wall where Bran Stark's fate is unknown, in the North where Asha Greyjoy, Theon Greyjoy, Jeyne Poole, Roose Bolton, King Stannis Baratheon and Rickon Starks fate is unknown (Rickon isn't mentioned in this book either and I'm so worried for him). Catelyn Tully is missing in this book and Jaimie Lannister has gone off with Lady Tarth and no one knows where.

Princess Myrcella is hurt and the Prince of Dorne has sent his children and his brothers children all across the realm on their missions, how many of them will reach safely and how many of them will be able to fulfill the duties entrusted to them?

Beyond the narrow sea, Daenerys fate is hanging in the balance. Who are the 3 who will finally ride the dragons?

George Martin says that book 4 was a bitch & this book was 3 bitches and a bastard.

Since I've come to the end of book 5, here is my guesswork on what could be a possible plot line. ***(Spoilers ahead, don't read if you haven't read the previous books)***

Since book 2, I have suspected that Jon Snow is not Eddark Stark's son, but that of his sister Lyanna Stark who was raped by Rhaegar Targaryen. Making Jon of Targaryen descent.

Hence Jon Snow, Young Griff who is actually Aegon Targaryen (Rhaegar's son from his lawfully wedded wife Princess Elia of Dorne) and Daenerys Targaryen will be the 3 Targaryens who will ride the 3 dragons.

Jon Snow needs to die and rise from the dead so he can be freed from his oath to the Nights Watch. If this were to happen, then Jon will be free to marry Val and rule the North. While Daenerys & Aegon can be married to each other in true Targaryen style and rule the South.

Benjen Stark is Coldhands who led Bran, Meera and Jojen to the Last Greenseer.

Sam and Crasters daughter - Gilly have an important role to play.

Tyrion is obviously too interesting a character to kill off in book 6, but maybe in book 7?

I also heard an interesting POV that since Joanna Lannister was in love with Aerys Targaryen - Jaimie and Cersei could actually be his children. Since Joanna was a Lannister before marriage too and the Lannisters always have golden hair, it could be a gene more dominant than the silver hair and purple eyes of the Targaryens. This could also partly account for the streak of madness in Cersei.

This book was 959 pages long. Add on the cast of characters and it is 1016 pages long. George Martin has envisaged that books 6 & 7 will be around 1500 pages each. On the conservative side, he estimates that he will take 3 years to write each book. How can I wait that long? But wait I shall, and content myself with watching the diluted TV seasons as well, with Season 3 releasing later this month.

This book is epic and what makes it more epic than say a Lord of the Rings is that the characters all have shades of grey. No one is truly good or truly evil and Martin has done a brilliant job of telling tales from different perspectives, so the reader can empathise with the different characters. Its an extremely powerful kind of storytelling.

Should you read the books? Most definitely YES! But it may be a good idea to wait for the entire series to be out before starting to read them, because these hanging plotlines are too much to handle.

Rating : 4.5/5 (-0.5 for leaving me waiting indefinitely)

Also see my review of :
1. A Game of Thrones
2. A Clash of Kings
3. A Storm of Swords (Steel & Snow, Blood & Gold)
4. A Feast for Crows

Brajesh's Review : Goat Days

How can anyone tell a true story of great suffering, pain, torture & loneliness with such tenderness, care, equanimity & love?

It's a miraculous attempt by Benyamin. Originally written in Malayalam, this translation has done great justice to the story. I can only imagine how beautiful the original work must have been. Anyone who has traveled to Saudi Arabia or has basic knowledge of Kerala exodus to KSA would relate to this hugely. Even if one is totally ignorant of these phenomenon, they will still fall in love with Najeeb (the protagonist) by the time they are half-way through. For me this is one of the books of 2013.

Rating : 4.5 / 5

Kim's Review : Song of Ice & Fire - Feast For Crows

The 4th in George RR Martin's "Song of Ice & Fire" was slightly disappointing to me because some characters that I've grown to love from the series, were not mentioned at all and there was barely enough being told about the tale of a few others.

It just so happens that book 4 seems to be centered only around Kings Landing, the Iron Islands and Dorne with a bit of the Eyrie interspersed inbetween. Completely ignoring the Wall and the Starks and Daenerys Targaryen. I missed my favourite characters who were either missing or barely mentioned - Arya, Asha, Jon, Rick, Bran. We know Bran is somewhere beyond the wall, but Rick has been missing for more than 2 books now and as an invested reader, I'm worried about him.

However, this book also brings out the brilliance of George Martin as a writer. H gives us multiple points of view of the smae situation and as a reader open to all lines of thought, I could empathise and agree with each persons point of view when hearing their perspective, even though their behavior/point of view seemed strange/illogical/questionable when viewed through another characters perspective previously.

Lady Catelyn in the only character that I still don't seem to have got a grasp on. In certain scenes she comes across as extremely mature, the only child Lord Hoster Tully must depend upon rather than Edmure or Lysa, a woman who gives sage advise to her son King Robb Stark and in the next instant she does something completely reckless. For eg when she captures Tyrion Lannister and takes him to the Eyrie in book 1. Her freeing of Jaime Lannister and some other actions can be ascribed to her grief and concern as a mother. But her hatred and distrust of Jon Snow, that she passes on to her Uncle - the Blackfish seems much more than just a woman's anger resentment/shame at her husband forcing her to raise his bastard son along with his trueborn children. I hope George Martin can give more insight into Catelyn Tulleys personality and motivations in later books.

After a lot of hinting and skirting around the edges of the topic, the prophecies that haunt Cersei are finally revealed.

The death of Lord Tywin Lannister and the escape of Tyrion Lannister starts disintegrating the strong bonds between the extended Lannister family. Will this bring about their downfall?

I did like the character development of Briennne in this book. The varying attitudes of men towards a maid who has taken up the sword gives a good insight into the cultural /social norms and behavior of Westeros.

The story is still engrossing and keeps hurtling forward. The only reason I haven't given this book a 4.5 is because I missed my favourite characters from the previous books.

Rating : 4 / 5

Also see my review of :
1. A Game of Thrones
2. A Clash of Kings
3. Storm of Swords (Steel & Snow, Blood & Gold)

Kim's Review : Song of Ice & Fire - Storm of Swords (Steel & Snow, Blood & Gold)

Part 3 of George R R Martin's epic Song of Ice & Fire is the Storm of Swords and is often sold as 2 separate books : 1. Steel & Snow and 2. Blood & Gold

Storm of Swords is shocking. There are so many surprises and twists at every turn, especially in Blood & Gold that it left me wondering how the story would continue and where the tale was headed to next.

So many main characters are killed that I wonder who is going to replace them as main characters in the coming books.

Daenerys is now Queen across the water with an army of her own.

The war rages on. Deals are struck. Traitors are executed. Joffrey's wedding with Sansa is called off in favour of an alliance with Margaery Tyrell - Renly Baratheons widow. But Sansa's relief is short lived.

Arya keeps thinking that she is getting closer to reuniting with her mother, but circumstances continue to keep them apart.

King Stannis comes to the rescue of the Nights watch, but will there be a hefty price to pay?

Who is the mysterious coldhands?

Part 3 closes with more questions than tidy endings and the cast of characters has swollen to 50 pages including the House Frey with its numerous children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Rating : 4.5 / 5

Also see my review of :
1. A Game of Thrones
2. A Clash of Kings

Kim's Review : Song of Ice & Fire - A Clash of Kings

A Clash of Kings is the second book in George R R Martin's saga - Song of Ice & Fire after Game of Thrones.

This book was equally captivating as the first in the series, with a lot more war, politics, religion, betrayal, factions, and cliques added to the mix.

A new God - Rhillor - God of Light - finds more priests and followers in Westeros. Primary priestess of importance to the tale is Melissandre - the Red Woman - who after captivating Stannis Baratheon's wife, now directs his movements and decisions.

Robb Stark is crowned King of the North and engaged in battle with Lord Tywin Lannisters forces. Sansa Stark is a virtual prisoner of Queen Regent Cersei & King Joffrey Baratheon. Arya has escaped and is living the life of an anonymous orphan boy. Bran and Rickon Stark are at Winterfell.Catelyn Tully is with her ailing father, brother Edmure and son Robb at her fathers seat at Riverrun. Jon Snow is with the Night's Watch at the Wall.

Bran gets 2 new companions at Winterfell in Meera & Jojen Reed - Crannogmen from the North who are more to his liking than his mothers 2 new wards- Big & Little Walder Frey. Meera & Jojen help him get closer to his direwolf - summer.

Tyrion Lannister is acting as hand of the king in place of his father Tywin Lannister who is on the battlefield and Jaime Lannister is imprisoned at Riverrun.

Theon Greyjoy  - son of Balon Greyjoy - King of the Iron Islands - was being fostered by Eddard & Catelyn Stark at Winterfell -  becomes another main character in this book and his is one of the narrative voices in A Clash of Kings. I loved the character of his sister Asha and I hope she gets a more prominent role later in the series.


Jon Snow is on an expedition beyond the wall with 200 other men of the Nights Watch to investigate the strange goings on of wildlings and the appearance of others, wraiths, giants, mammoths and other creatures that haven't been seen for thousands of years.

The tale surrounding Stannis Baratheon and Melissandre is told through the eyes of a smuggler turned Lord - Davos. trusted by Stannis Baratheon from saving him and his people in a seige during the war with Aerys Targaryen.

A Clash of Kings is told from the perspectives of Catelyn Stark, Arya Stark, Sansa Stark, Bran Stark, Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, Theon Greyjoy and Daenerys Targaryen.

Rating : 4 / 5

Also see my review of :
1. Game of Thrones

Kim's Review : Song of Ice & Fire - Game of Thrones

My sister had started recommending these books to me way back. I had read the sample chapter and watched an episode or 2 of the HBO mini series in Canada last year, and I did find it quite gripping. But when they started showing the series in India, somehow the story line seemed to be jumping all over the place. That was when I realised that the scenes that were being cut for Indian television had important dialogues that were essential to the flow of the story.

Reading the books seemed like a Herculean task at 800+ pages per book, so I got my hands on the unedited first season and watched it straight through across little more than a day. The story turned out to be even more gripping than I had originally thought it would be. But through this all, my sister kept telling me to read the books.

So given that I had a bit of reading time coming up, I finally started the series by George RR Martin this month and I have to agree with my sister - "The books are even more gripping than the tv series." While the tv series has been quite faithful to the story line, the books provide a much keener insight into each characters personality and what drives them.

While the prologue of "Book1 from a Song of Ice and Fire - Game of Thrones" is captivating, the next 50 or so pages are hard to get through because of the sheer number of characters being introduced. And while the index at the back is helpful, I was more comfortable drawing out my own family/relationship charts to get a grip on the characters.

If you can get through these first 50 pages, then you will be completely and thoroughly hooked.

My only problem with having watched the tv series first is that the actors playing their roles are now stuck in my mind when I visualise the characters.

In the first book, the main characters are the new King Robert Baratheon (also called the usurper) his wife Cersei Lannister. Their children Joffrey (his protector Sandor Clegane, also known as the hound), Myrcella & Tommen. Cersei's father Tywin Lannister (ex Hand of the old King Targaryen), her twin brother Jaime Lannister (called Kingslayer, for killing Aerys Targaryen and knight of the kingsguard) and her dwarf brother Tyrion.

Robert's best friend who helped him win the throne is Lord Eddard Stark, his wife Catherine Tully. Their children are Robb, Sansa (betrothed to Prince Joffrey Baratheon), Arya, Brandon & Rickon and his bastard son Jon Snow. Each of the 6 children has a pet direwolf (puppies from the same mother who was found dead in the woods). Lord Eddards Brother is Benjen Stark - a man of the Night's watch that guards the Wall.

Catherine's sister is Lysa Tully who was married to Lord Jon Arryn who had fostered Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark in their childhood and who was hand of the king (Robert Baratheon) until his death at the start of the story. Their only surviving child is Robert Arryn, a sickly boy.

The other important characters in this part of the story are the Kings brothers Stannis (Master of Ships) & Renly Baratheon (Master of Laws). And his other Council members : Grand Maester Pycelle, Lord Petyr Baelish (Master of Coin - fostered by Lord Hoster Tully - father of Catherine & Lysa Tully), Ser Barristan Selmy - Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Varys - a eunuch who is the Master of Whisperers.
Sandor Clegane.

The last king was Aerys Targaryen, who was killed along with his heir Rhaegar Targaryen and his young family. Aerys' wife died giving birth to their daughter Daenerys in exile and only their children Viserys & Daenerys survive of their line. Viserys marries off his 14 year old sister Daenerys to a Dothraki warlord Khal Drogo in hopes of using Dothraki army to win back his fathers crown.

If you think this is a complicated character list, then dont attempt to read the books. These are just the most prominent characters.The cast of important characters is about 20 pages long for this book and gets longer with each subsequent book.

This first book is narrated from the perspective of Eddard Stark, Cateyln Tully-Stark,  Sansa Stark, Arya Stark, Brandon Stark, Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister and Daenerys Targaryen.

I'm not going to reveal much of the plot of these books while reviewing them, but just enough information to put the story line in perspective.

Halfway through the book King Robert Baratheon is mudered, Prince Joffrey Baratheon comes to the throne with his mother Queen Cersei Lannister-Baratheon as regent, Lord Eddard Stark is executed as a traitor and this plunges the region of Westeros into civil war with Lords declaring themselves as kings of their own domains. So at the close of this book the claimants to the iron throne of Westeros, are King Joffrey Baratheon, King Stannis Baratheon and King Renly Baratheon. Given this confusion, Robb's bannermen declare him King Robb Stark - King of the North.

And by the end of the book, 3 dragons make an appearance, even though dragons have been extinct for thousands of years.

If you love sagas and fantasy or tales of war, I would recommend this series very heavily.

Rating : 4 / 5

Kim's Review: God's Little Soldier

I've been a huge fan of Kiran Nagarkar, ever since I first met him in Bombay in 2006 and read Ravan and Eddie almost immediately after. My favourite book by him is most definitely Cuckold, which I bought and read as soon as we moved back to India.

The biggest problem with Nagarkar's books are the size and hence the subsequent weight which makes them difficult to carry around or read in bed. So I was waiting for God's Little Soldier to come out in paperback before I got around to reading it and it was a very long wait. I expect, I am going to have an equally long wait for the paperback version of The Extras (the sequel to Ravan and Eddie) too, unless I finally succumb and pick up an e-reader version.

What I really love about his books are that they tell stories from the protagonists point of view and even though you may not agree with the protagonist, you can empathise with him to quite an extent. There is also a gritty style of writing in Kiran's work that is reminiscent of pulp fiction at times, but for me it just makes his characters more real, more "human" so to speak.

When we met Nagarkar at JLF earlier this year, he wanted to know if I liked his latest book and I confessed that I was waiting for it to come out in paperback. Self-deprecating as always, he said "don't buy my books, they aren't worth reading. I just write for the sake of writing, call it an old mans indulgence" Anyone who has met Nagarkar would know that this is definitely not sarcasm, its just how he sees himself.

Yet he puts in so much time and effort into each one of his books and I think God's Little Soldier must have been the most difficult one to research so far. It spans countries, religions and dogmas and needed physical as much as literary research.

Kiran goes back to a familiar theme of his, as seen in Ravan and Eddie: "How do 2 boys brought up in somewhat similar circumstances react differently in similar situations?"

In Ravan and Eddie, the boys are brought up in the same chawl but in different religions. In God's Little Soldier, Zia and Amanat are sons of the same parents, but Amant being sickly from birth gets more care from his mother, while Zia is a favourite with his aunt Zubeida.

Their parents are liberal muslims, but Zubeidakhala is more traditional in her views and beliefs. How these childhood influences creep up into their behaviour later in life is interesting to watch as the story unfolds.

When Kiran wrote this book, he said it was because he wanted to show that not all "terrorists" come out of Madrasas. It is possible to have a top notch education and liberal upbringing but circumstances could still propel you into a hardline view.

The book is divided into 3 distinct parts. The first has Zia and Amanat growing up in Bombay. While they come from a fairly well to do family, they lose everything when their fathers partner (who is also their mothers brother) disappears with all the money and leaves their father with a couple of court cases hanging over his head.

Amanats frail constitution keeps him at home most of the time, while Zia goes away, first to boarding school and then to London to study. Zia is brilliant at Mathematics and numbers speak to him but his real calling is Economics and the world of financial trading. However Zia's religion is also equally important to him and a failed attempt to assassinate Salman Rushdie takes him to Afghansitan and Kashmir where he becomes a dreaded terrorist.

In the second part, constant visions of a reproachful Christ and the revalation that an aunt (friend of his parents) baptised him in a church as an infant lead him towards Christiantiy and he becomes the monk Lucens. His new crusade is against abortionists.

In the 3rd part, his plan to "correct" the world is even more grandiose and he gets even more dogmatic in his beliefs. He now comes under the influence of Shakta muni who also practices tantra and initiatesZia/Lucens into it and while outwardly he is still Brother Lucens, he also carries a diplomatic passport in the name of Niranjan.

This is the briefest summary of this 610 page novel that I can give you.

Conflict and struggle on a global scale and in the characters hearts and minds. Zia's constant belief in himself as the man who has all the answers is extremely egoistical, but he never sees it in that perspective. He is more critical of everyone and extremely unforgiving.

Amanat on the other hand veers towards self pity without actually going there. He has talents as a teller of tales and in architecture but denies them both to his own detriment.

In a way, both brothers seem intent to follow a path of self destruction.

This is a book that will leave you with as many questions as answers. At 610 pages, the size is massive but the tale will keep you engrossed. The book is well researched and a lovely piece of fiction. If you have the time, then you should definitely give it a try.

Rating: 4/5

Kim's Review: The Walled City

Esther David's The Walled City tells the tale of a young Bene Israeli Jewish girl born in 1940 in Ahmedabad in the first person. This girl is surrounded by a myriad influences, customs, cultures and stories and the book tells the tale of her trying to make sense of it all.



Her paternal grandmother has adopted some Marathi customs (including the way she wears her sari)and even though she is illiterate, she knows all the Hebrew prayers and has her own strong beliefs.

Her mother Naomi's relationships with everyone in the family are strained and as a working woman, she is an abberration at her husbands house. But she has very strict views on what is the "right" way that a Jewish girl should be raised and detests any "non Jewish" influences in her daughters life.

Compared to her mothers strong influence, her father doesn't have as much of an influence/ impact on her life and he does come across as hen pecked.


Her maternal grandfather Daniel who worked with a British firm has adopted a lot of their habits and customs.

Her foreign returned doctor aunt who dresses smartly but has her own demons to face.

Her cousins Malka & Samuel who are just a little older than her and just as confused.

All of these people have a different Jewsih perspective and influence on this young girls life.

She studies in a Christian convent school. 

She is exposed to the Hindu way of life through her childhood friends Subhadra and Pratibha, who share tales from their own beliefs, teach her Indian dance and she sometimes joins them in their prayers saying she feels more comfortable praying in a temple than in a synagogue.
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Living in the Walled city, they have a lot of Muslim neighbours and her uncle invites them to use their large backyard for celebrating festivals and functions where the cousins are exposed to biryanis and singing girls.
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Ancestral photos show women of previous generations wrapped in the 9 yard sari dhothi/Marathi style with nose rings, armlets & anklets adorning them, but her mother Naomi has a huge fight with her father Daniel, when he buys anklets for his granddaughter to wear, saying that Jewish girls should wear no ornaments except a chain, brooch, watch or bangles.

The messages she receives about her own religion are mixed. Her uncle Menachem winks when he says that it is not permissible to mix milk & meat while happily rounding off a non vegetarian meal with pedhas or gulab jamuns. She doesn't know Hebrew and hence does not know what any of her prayers mean which she finds in strong contrast to her Hindu friends who know exactly what they are saying when they pray.

The difference in food, in expectations, in beliefs and traditions all keep assaulting this young girl but she has nowhere to get answers to the questions that plague her.. The casteist feelings between Baghdadi jews and Bene Israeli Jews brings about its own set of worries for this girl.

How does she deal with it all, how do all these people impact her life, what is the purpose of her life, will she be able to assert any kind of independence. All these questions constantly come up in the mind of the reader of this book.

Each of the characters is well etched and its very easy to sympathise with most of their perspectives since the author explains where each one of them is coming from.

Esther David changed professions (from an art critic) & wrote this novel when she was almost 50. She says she wrote this book to understand herself, her community and her religion. She confesses to not doing any research but just writing straight from her heart.

And it worked. The Walled City's largest success has been in the world of Global Jewish Literature and while there are a lot of nuances of Jewish life in Ahmedabad revealed in the tale, the tale itself could be of any young girl born into any small community in any Indian non-metro city.

The Walls of the city referenced in the book are symbolic of the walls of Indian communities, of the family and of being a woman. In Esther David's words, The Walled City is all about isolation and immense cross cultural conflict.

A lovely read, the book is not so much about the walled city of Ahmedabad but about the search for ones identity.

Does this book give a perspective on Ahmedabad the city it is set in?
Not so much, it could be set in any walled city.
Does this book give a perspective on growing up Jewish in Ahmedabad/India?
Most definitely, yes!

Rating: 4 / 5

Kim's Review: Habibi

At over 670 pages, Habibi took Craig Thomson over 6 years to illustrate and write.

This was one of the most difficult books I've read recently. The problem is that the story is so compelling that it drews me in and I wanted to keep moving forward, but the illustrations were so beautiful they were pulling me back to keep taking a closer look at them and get drawn into their intimate details and intricacy.

The story is set in a fictional land with juxtaposition of the monotheistic religions Islam, Judaism and Christianity. There is the modern and the ancient - Sultans guards wearing sunglasses and driving trucks as well as camels. The costumes travel the world with the protagonist Dodola wearing harem pants, saris, Spanish skirts, the Hijab at times and sometimes a burqa. Hijras(as they exist in India) also have a significant role to play with their Bahuchari Mata.

But at the essence of it, the story line seeks to elucidate how we create differences amongst ourselves based on religion, financial muscle, caste, creed, colour, land of origin. Its also about the struggle for resources and in this way can also be construed as an "end of days" tale.

There are so many layers, so many meanings and lessons that one can learn from this or one can just sit back and admire the beautiful calligraphy and art work.

I can't say enough about this book and what I write, can never be enough. So I've just added a few of the pictures of pages from this book that I found in the public domain. (via google image search)

Rating : 5 / 5
I keep going back and opening the book on a random page just to enjoy the art

Kim's Review : Diplomatic Baggage: The Adventures of a Trailing Spouse

As a Trailing Spouse to Egypt, this was a book recommended at an Inter-cultural training session that I attended.


I am glad I waited 2 years to read this book (I might have been terrified of the move) although I'm kicking myself for spending money on it, even though I got it at a discounted price on Amazon.


I got carried away by William Dalrymple's (an author I greatly admire) review of it: "Brigid Keenan, is a new comic genius.... very, very funny"


Later in the book, I figured out that he spent time at their house in Damascus, while researching his book From the Holy Mountain.

Why did I hate the book so much?

Except for the last chapter, the author was constantly whining and groaning about the hardships that life had tossed at her. This after choosing to marry her husband of her own free will, knowing the kind of job he did and loved would take him to obtuse corners of the world. It was a fully informed decision that she took. Even spending some days with him, in what she calls a "chicken shed" in Kathmandu before deciding to marry him.


She constantly whines about everything from the help, to the kids, to her husband, to location.... in short, she whines about Everything.


The life of a Diplomatic Trailing Spouse is much easier than that of other Trailing Spouses. Accommodation, household help, office help, everything is put in place before the diplomatic family even arrives at their new location. Brigid's grouse is that some of the other European embassies provide more services to the spouses than her husbands European Commission ambassadors office does.


She promotes herself as a glamorous, successful young London fashion journalist, but later in the book accepts and acknowledges that her children were the worst dressed in their school.


I do not know Brigid personally, but what I read in her this autobiography of hers, made me think of her as a spoiled, over indulged wife who can never find anything positive and good in life.


Granted she had a few scares like the maggots that got under the skin and had to mature and grow and eat their way out, but those kind of experiences were less than you could count on one hand. For the most part, she was preoccupied with how to find white gloves for a 6 fingered servant in India and wondering why there was no association to put beggars to sleep the way Animal friends does it for animals! At the same time brushing aside her daughters experiences with pedophiles and flashers as casual asides.


Brigid has written about Kashmir's art and crafts and co-authored a book on Damascus; which may be worth looking at, but Diplomatic Baggage is not a book you want to buy or gift a friend who is going to be a Trailing Spouse, not unless you want them to cancel all plans and send their spouse to live abroad on their own.

Published on desicritics.org