Penguin Books - Comfortably Numb

Book review: Silverview by John le Carre

SILVERVIEW by John le Carre. Penguin Books. The twenty-sixth and `last complete book` from the late great le Carre is, as expected, a good read. But I wouldn’t say it is among his best. Here the protagonist Edward /Florian begins life on the page as a shadowy figure and stays that way all through to…

Book review: The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

And what did I make of the 2022 Booker-prizewinner The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida (Penguin Books) by Shehan Karunatilaka, you ask. Well, I came to it with heightened anticipation because I had really liked his debut novel of a decade ago, Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew, which went on to win the 2012…

Book review: Between You, Me and the Four Walls by Moni Mohsin

When gossip carries a sting The queen of malapropisms is back in our midst, with the third iteration of the chatty outpourings of the Social Butterfly, whose carefully curated gossip is, if you look hard, nothing but a sharp send-up of people, policies and lifestyles. In this book, Butterfly throws shade on a lot of…

Book review: The Good Girls by Sonia Faleiro

The Good Girls, An Ordinary Killing by Sonia Faleiro. Penguin Books. If there is only one book you want to read to close your account for 2021, let it be this book, please. Faleiro, whose writing style and credentials need no burnishing, goes to Katra village in western UP`s Badaun district, to investigate…

Book review: Masala Lab by Krish Ashok

My Wednesday review needs a disclaimer: at times, it might read like I`m plugging the book wholeheartedly and sans subtlety. Well, I don’t know the author from Adam and have no desire to swell his coffers because of an undue fondness for said individual. However, this book is one you need to buy, make untidy…

Book review: Beast by Krishna Udayasankar

Beast by Krishna Udayasankar. Penguin Ebury Books. I think I speak for all readers — and reviewers — when I state that the two basic tenets of a good book rests on the author’s ability to create/conjure up a story that will immediately catch their target audience`s attention, as well as the author`s capability to…

A quick look at some good books

A quick look at some good books Another excellent read, THE DIG/Keeladi and the Politics of India`s Past by Sowmiya Ashok. Hachette India.The author takes up the topic of Keeladi`s archaeological finds since its discovery in 2014, juxtaposes it against Harappan/IVC finds, mixes in a good dose of humour, and delivers info that informs, and…