Book Reviews - Contemporary Fiction

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Topic suggested by Gokul on Fri Aug 14 17:21:48 .

Reviews of contemporary fiction, contemporary being anytime after WWII. Smile

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[Oldposts] From: :)punnahai (@ d150*) on: Tue Mar 18 13:04:02. [Full View]

Came across this online:

IF ONLY I COULD SEE

My eyes are clouded
They do not let me see
The love that awaits me
If only I could see!

Pillars of strength
Await my embrace
To give me comfort
If only I could see!

Hearts laid bare
Ready with love
To give me strength
If only I could see!

Love from home
Love that is strong
Love unconditional
Awaits me far away
If only I could see!

Oh veil of darkness
Set me free
Oh cloud screen
Let me see!
[Oldposts] From: :)punnahai (@ d150*) on: Fri Mar 28 08:51:03. [Full View]

Check this link out http://www.kevinhogan.com/Finding.htm
[Oldposts] From: :) (@ d150*) on: Tue Apr 15 18:09:55 EDT 2003. [Full View]

don't forget april 16
From: Maloriejustine on Mon Apr 4 10:32:00 2005. [Full View]

Vintage Jeffrey Archer, a web of plotting and subplotting, an eye for an eye, revenge is a dish best served cold.
While I have yet to find an unlikeable Archer tale, this one embodies his skills, his sense of humour, his development of even the minor characters, and his ability to force the reader to concentrate on every word, comma, and inflection.
Kane and Abel, and the two sequels, is, of course, a masterpiece in its own right, but too easy a choice for a favorite. As the Crow Flies was very human, detailed lives, and fun successes, but not so much intrique, and isn't that why we read the great Archer? To feel just that much more superior and intelligent for having spent that much more time in the 'Master's' mind?
The Sons of Fortune was not on par. It smacked of a Sidney Sheldon. Sheldon is a fun read, but rather like sitting down to an hour with Gone with the Wind, and finding you grabbed a Harlequin by mistake.
From: mohan kumar on Tue Apr 19 9:56:02 2005. [Full View]

I have read a poem by Edgar Lee Masters.It starts like this.

I have known the silence of the stars and of the sea
And the silence of the city when it pauses
And the silence of the man and a maid
And the silence for which music alone finds the word
And the silence of the woods before the winds of spring begin

After a few lines an intersting stanza,

A curious boy asks an old soldier
Sitting in front of the grocery store,
"How did you loose your leg?,
And the old soldier is struck with silence
Or his mind flies away
Because he cannot concentrate it on Gettysburg.
It comes back jocosely
And he says "a bear bit off"
And the boy wonders. While the old soldier
Dumbly feebly lives over
The flashes of guns ,the thunder of cannon
The shrieks of the slain
And himself lying on the ground
And the hospital surgeons,the knives
And the Long days in bed.
But if he could describe it all
He would be an artist
But if he were an artist there would be deeper wounds
Which he could not describe.

Any one has read it?
From: gaddeswarup on Mon May 23 5:58:48 2005. [Full View]

I do not read much fiction these days. Last year I read Jhumpa Lahiri's "The Namesake" and liked it very much. Equally impressive is the review of the book by Pankaj Ghosh in the New York Review of Books, December 2003. The same Pankaj Ghosh wrote a wonderful story "Reading Edmund Wilson in Benares". None of these are very recent but I liked all the above.
Swarup
From: malligai on Tue Oct 18 13:10:18 2005. [Full View]

Hii Friends!!

Just wondering of anyone here has read Nicholas Evan's "The Divide" or the "Horse Whisperer"...

If anyone has, can u post a short review of these books for me..

Thanks in advance..
From: malligai on Mon Nov 7 13:46:19 2005. [Full View]

I have started "The Divide"...i will post a review once i finish [if i finish.. ]
From: VENKIRAJA on Thu Jun 22 5:04:49 2006. [Full View]

can anyone suggest contemporary science fiction writers?(in simple style)
From: chevy on Wed Nov 22 14:34:44 2006. [Full View]

REVIEW OF "MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA" - already posted in the memoirs of a geisha thread. . bt i thot id rather post in the book reviews thread as well .. so here it is -

i wanted to start a thead on this book after i read it .. but then .. i jus wrote in " latest reads" and left. . .book is too good ..

A SYNOPSIS OF THE STORY ..
i read the book ..just after my 12th boards .... so i too was recollecting the "school life" phase that had just concluded in my life.. Speaking of recollections .. this book is perfectly written..
Arthur Golden has recollected the memoirs of a Japanese Geisha. .in the most chronological manner.

An interesting tale portraying the life of a geisha, a life that is atypical, complicated and satiated with formalism. Golden completes seduces the reader with his meticulous and graceful description of a geisha�s life. Aptly titled as �memoirs of a geisha�, this book gives the reader the feeling of having spent hours or days with the most gifted geisha of Japan. The book begins with
�Chiyo� a young and poor child who is mercilessly separated from her family. It describes a child�s perception of deception, perplexity and separation. Then, the cruelty she undergoes whilst toiling to become a geisha and finally the beautiful, elegant and detailed description of the making of the classic heroine, the Kyoto geisha, Sayuri. Today, fiction rarely comes as archetypal as this novel.

it's a bit controversial.. my cousin read it and disapproved it's subject matter..
she's feels..there is no difference between a geisha and a prostitute. .... however in the book .. golden points out the difference between a geisha and slut in the japanese society..
however in our country . if a woman dances, or basically performs in front of men ... to make a living.. she's a slut. but in their society .. geishas are dancers ..in face they hold a great place of respect in the society ..
like mameha in the novel ..

my opinion
My opinion is that. The novel has been narrated is a distinct style. I always thought authors write in their own distinct styles which are influenced by their vicinity and lifestyle but Golden through his novel has proved me wrong. He has shown a feat of cross cultural masquerade. I still can�t believe it that a non-Japanese and that too, a male writer who has produced such an intricate novel.

It is just a story. One doesn�t have to approve it�s contents. Certainly even I never considered the �Geisha� life much dissimilar to that of a prostitute. Yet after reading this immensely believable book, I suppose there is a wee difference. However, this view is from an Indian eye. It may be different to people of other nations. We just can�t set aside this novel on grounds of such petite controversies. This book , for all intents and purposes, doesn�t try to convince the reader to show any difference. It just describes the life of a geisha. I feel any Indian or anyone for that matter, who bets to differ from my opinion, should still keep this book back their shelves. Arthur Golden does deserve an applause.

cheers
chevy

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