Showing posts with label English Novel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label English Novel. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

PACHINKO ( MIN JIN LEE )


 
Pachinko is the second novel by Harlem-based author and journalist Min Jin Lee. Published in 2017, Pachinko is an epic historical fiction novel following a Korean family who immigrates to Japan. The story features an ensemble of characters who encounter racismdiscriminationstereotyping, and other aspects of the 20th-century Korean experience of Japan.

HOW TO GET FILTHY RICH IN RISING ASIA ( MOHSIN HAMEED )


 How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia is a striking slice of contemporary life at a time of crushing upheaval. Romantic without being sentimental, political without being didactic, and spiritual without being religious, it brings an unflinching gaze to the violence and hopes it depicts. And it creates two unforgettable characters who find moments of transcendent intimacy in the midst of shattering change.

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

And Then There Were None ( Agatha Christie )


 Then There Were None is a very refreshing read that is a must-read for any mystery book fanatic. It is no wonder that the novel has lasting influence, even decades after publication. The plot is well-crafted, the ending is unexpected, and behind it all are key societal themes. Nothing less than a true gem.

The Alchemist ( Paulo Coelho )

 


It is a simple story that teaches important life lessons. The novel centers around the idea of a Personal Legend, which all readers can relate to and apply to their own lives.

The Little Prince ( Antoine de Saint-Exupéry )


 The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is a timeless classic that tells the story of a young prince who travels from planet to planet, learning valuable life lessons along the way. It is a poignant tale that explores the importance of human connections and the beauty of innocence.

A Tale of Two Cities ( Charles Dickens )

Profound human love and the most repugnant savagery, horror and redemption, a heroine and a grotesque revenger, two families with dark secrets, two cities, all in the backdrop of the bloodbath that was the French Revelation. In reading it, be prepared for the "Best of Times and the Worst of Times."

Tuesday, May 21, 2024

The Crow Eaters by Bapsi Sidhwa

At the dawn of the twentieth century in Pakistan, Freddy Junglewalla moves his family — pregnant wife, baby daughter, and Jerbanoo, his rotund mother-in-law — from their ancestral forest home to cosmopolitan Lahore. He opens a store, and as his fortunes grow, so does the animosity between Freddy and his mother-in-law. While Freddy prospers under British rule, life with the domineering Jerbanoo is another matter entirely.

This exuberant novel, full of rollicking humor, paints a vivid picture of life in the Parsee community.

Moth Smoke by Mohsin Hamid

 


It tells the story of Darashikoh Shezad, a banker in LahorePakistan, who loses his job, falls in love with his best friend's wife, and plunges into a life of drugs and crime.

Monday, May 20, 2024

Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie

 


Burnt Shadows follows the intersecting histories of two families, beginning in the final days of World War II in Japan, following to India on the brink of partition in 1947, to Pakistan in the early 1980s, and then to New York in the aftermath of 9/11 and Afghanistan in the wake of the ensuing US bombing campaign.

Ice Candy Man by Bapsi Sidhwa

 


The 1947 Partition of India is the backdrop for this powerful novel, narrated by a precocious child who describes the brutal transition with chilling veracity. Young Lenny Sethi is kept out of school because she suffers from polio. She spends her days with Ayah, her beautiful nanny, visiting with the large group of admirers that Ayah draws. It is in the company of these working class characters that Lenny learns about religious differences, religious intolerance, and the blossoming genocidal strife on the eve of Partition. 
As she matures, Lenny begins to identify the differences between the Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs engaging in political arguments all around her. Lenny enjoys a happy, privileged life in Lahore, but the kidnapping of her beloved Ayah signals a dramatic change. Soon Lenny’s world erupts in religious, ethnic, and racial violence. 

Sunday, May 19, 2024

Cracking India by Bapsi Sidhwa

 


The novel shows the period surrounding the partitioning of India through the eyes of Lenny, a young girl who lives in Lahore, India.


Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson

 


Three Cups of Tea is a memoir by Greg Mortenson that recounts his journey in building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It sheds light on the importance of education in promoting peace and understanding in the world.


Thursday, May 9, 2024

Malgudi Days by R.K.Narayan

Malgudi Days is a collection of short stories written by R. K. Narayan, published in 1943 by Indian Thought Publications, the publishing company Narayan himself founded in 1942. He founded the company after he was cut off from England as a result of WWII, and needed some outlet for his writing. It wasn’t just a vanity press, though, as during the war there was no other way to circulate Indian writing, and Indian readers had no access to new work. The press is still in operation, now run by Narayan’s granddaughter, Bhuvaneswari, or Minnie. Malgudi Days was first published outside of India in the 1982, by Penguin Classics. The book consists of 32 stories, all of which take place in the fictional town of Malgudi, in southern India. Each story is meant to portray a different facet of life in Malgudi. The project has been adapted several times, beginning in 1986 when a few of the stories were adapted into a television series, also called Malgudi Days, which was directed by actor and director, Shankar Nag. In 2004, it was revived by the film maker Kavitha Lankesh; the new series was broadcast on the public service broadcaster founded by the Government of India, Doordarshan.“An Astrologer’s Day” features an astrologer who knows absolutely nothing about stars or astrology. He never wanted the job but he was so impoverished, he couldn't turn down the job. Through clever guesswork and manipulation, he has made many amazing predictions over the years so that people keep using his services. One day he comes across his rival, a man he thought he had killed years ago. He disguises himself as “the astrologer” and fools his rival, effecting a narrow escape.


The Story of Doctor By Hugh Lofting



 

ONCE upon a time, many years ago when our grandfathers were little children—there was a doctor; and his name was Dolittle—John Dolittle, M.D. "M.D." means that he was a proper doctor and knew a whole lot. He lived in a little town called, Puddleby-on-the-Marsh. All the folks, young and old, knew him well by sight. And whenever he walked down the street in his high hat everyone would say, "There goes the Doctor!— He's a clever man." And the dogs and the children would all run up and follow behind him; and even the crows that lived in the church-tower would caw and nod their heads. The house he lived in, on the edge of the town, was quite small; but his garden was very large and had a wide lawn and stone seats and weeping-willows hanging over. His sister, Sarah Dolittle, was housekeeper for him; but the Doctor looked after the garden himself. He was very fond of animals and kept many kinds of pets. Besides the gold-fish in the pond at the bottom of his garden, he had rabbits in the pantry, white mice in his piano, a squirrel in the linen closet and a hedgehog in the cellar. He had a cow with a calf too, and an old lame horse-twenty-five years of age—and chickens, ...

Monday, September 4, 2023

The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren

 



The Purpose Driven Life proclaims itself to be “more than a book; it is a guide to a 40-day spiritual journey that will enable you to discover the answer to life’s most important question: What on earth am I here for?” We see that the author is setting his sights high; he is going to attempt to answer the greatest question we can face – that of our meaning and purpose. He promises that at the end of the journey “you will know God’s purpose for your life and will understand the big picture – how all the pieces of your life fit together.” The results of this will be amazing. “Having this perspective will reduce your stress, simplify your decisions, increase your satisfaction, and, most important, prepare you for eternity.” It is a courageous man who would write a book that claims it will do all of that. Of course these lofty standards help us realize why this book has attracted such great attention!

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid


“The Reluctant Fundamentalist” is a novel written by the Pakistani Mohsin Hamid in In 2012. Mira Nair directed the film with the collaboration of the novelist. The story is about a young Pakistani named Changez and his life, his changings and reflections before and after the attack on the Twin Towers. This novel is dived into 12 chapters and each one of them has a specific function.

Sunday, June 5, 2022

The Wandering Falcon by Jamil Ahmed


The eponymous “falcon” is Tor Baz, the love child of a chieftain’s daughter and her father’s servant, who witnesses the brutal murder of his parents for daring to infringe tribal laws. Set in the region that forms the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan – today’s “Af-Pak”, in US state department speak – these interconnected stories chart the uncompromising code of honour that shape the lives of the tribes who have inhabited this harsh land for centuries. Once a civil servant, Ahmed served here for in the 1950s and his spare, unsentimental stories have the unmistakable ring of truth.


Tuesday, May 17, 2022

It Ends with Us - Author:Colleen Hoover

 


It Ends With Us is one of the most powerful books of 2016 and one of the rawest, honest, inspiring, and profoundly beautiful stories I've ever read. It wasn't anything like what I expected, but it delivered so much more than I ever hoped for. EVERYONE should read this book. Absolutely everyone.

'A brave and heartbreaking novel that digs its claws into you and doesn't let go, long after you've finished it' Anna Todd, author of the After series glorious and touching read, a forever keeper' Combining a captivating romance with a cast of all-too-human characters, Colleen Hoover's It Ends With Us is an unforgettable tale of love that comes at the ultimate price. Lily hasn't always had it easy, but that's never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants.


The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett

 



The Secret Garden is a children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett first published as a book in 1911, after a version was published as an American magazine serial beginning in 1910. Set in England, it is one of Burnett's most popular novels and is considered a classic of English children's literature. Several stage and film adaptations have been made.


Monday, January 16, 2017

Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)

Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)

Brave New World is a novel written in 1931 by Aldous Huxley and published in 1932. Set in London in the year AD 2540 (632 A.F.—"After Ford"—in the book), the novel anticipates developments in reproductive technology, sleep-learning, psychological manipulation, and classical conditioning that combine profoundly to change society. Huxley answered this book with a reassessment in an essay, Brave New World Revisited (1958), and with Island (1962), his final novel.