Not many books live upto the hype and Shantaram is a welcome exception.. I call it as the "Big Book of Quotes".
But this is not about Shantaram what I really itch to speak about is another book, or a series rather. The Harry Potter series has stood upto to all the hype and hoopla around it. I loved the books so much that I actually read each of the 7 books more than twice or thrice. People love to pan the book based upon their opinions formed from the movies. The movies were a poor reflection of one of the best works I ever read.
I recommended Harry Potter to more than one people whose intellect I respected but the reply was the same. Fantasy didn't make good reading. I am appalled at the number of people branding the books as fantasy and not reading it for that reason.
JK Rowling has conjured a whole new world. Awesome imagination on her part, but the one thing that sets her books apart is that she wrote a book about a race of magical people but concentrated more the human values that they possessed. It was yet another story of Good triumphing over Evil. The books were not about spells and potions(I've learnt to dread this subject too :P ), but it was about how love helps us to overcome the worst of situations. Seven suspense stories with each one outdoing the previous and the last left each reader asking for more. The characters were so wonderfully etched that I can actually prepare dinner for each one of them according to their likes and dislikes. She made millions cry when she bumped off characters. I too,felt a sense of bereavement and cried when they died.
If only she wanted she could have created more thrilling sequences and concentrated more upon fantastic spectacles but she chose wisely to stick with what she had planned.The seventh and the final part, where good was supposed to triumph over evil , was more based on Human bonding , and the simple values of love and friendship. It saw Rowling unravelling two of the most fascinating characters in the book in a way that left readers open mouthed. It showed that even the best of magicians, was a human after all. With his one human failing, I started to respect Dumbledore more. He is the teacher who did perfect justice to the noblest of professions. And he is the teacher I'd try to be if I ever become one.
If you are one of those intellectuals, who still believe that Harry Potter is only a Wizard, you're wrong. He has his human ineffectiveness too.
But this is not about Shantaram what I really itch to speak about is another book, or a series rather. The Harry Potter series has stood upto to all the hype and hoopla around it. I loved the books so much that I actually read each of the 7 books more than twice or thrice. People love to pan the book based upon their opinions formed from the movies. The movies were a poor reflection of one of the best works I ever read.
I recommended Harry Potter to more than one people whose intellect I respected but the reply was the same. Fantasy didn't make good reading. I am appalled at the number of people branding the books as fantasy and not reading it for that reason.
JK Rowling has conjured a whole new world. Awesome imagination on her part, but the one thing that sets her books apart is that she wrote a book about a race of magical people but concentrated more the human values that they possessed. It was yet another story of Good triumphing over Evil. The books were not about spells and potions(I've learnt to dread this subject too :P ), but it was about how love helps us to overcome the worst of situations. Seven suspense stories with each one outdoing the previous and the last left each reader asking for more. The characters were so wonderfully etched that I can actually prepare dinner for each one of them according to their likes and dislikes. She made millions cry when she bumped off characters. I too,felt a sense of bereavement and cried when they died.
If only she wanted she could have created more thrilling sequences and concentrated more upon fantastic spectacles but she chose wisely to stick with what she had planned.The seventh and the final part, where good was supposed to triumph over evil , was more based on Human bonding , and the simple values of love and friendship. It saw Rowling unravelling two of the most fascinating characters in the book in a way that left readers open mouthed. It showed that even the best of magicians, was a human after all. With his one human failing, I started to respect Dumbledore more. He is the teacher who did perfect justice to the noblest of professions. And he is the teacher I'd try to be if I ever become one.
If you are one of those intellectuals, who still believe that Harry Potter is only a Wizard, you're wrong. He has his human ineffectiveness too.
2 Grumblings:
I loved kite runner... i will reccomend 'the prey'
and one more book of hosseini i read recently...
i think its name was the last ray of sunshine...
@ Kunwar
You talking about the "Thousand Splendid Suns" by any chance?
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