three-line reviews on my favourite – and non-favourite – books.

Lust for Life by Irving Stone

Surprisingly good, despite numerous reviews to the contrary. Not as rivetting as The Agony and the Ecstasy but almost as powerful with amazing insight into the intensity of Van Gogh’s character and life.  Definitely recommended.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Same genre of distopia as Huxley’s Brave New World which incidentally is one of my favourite books ever. Wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who is uncomfortable with this genre but personally enjoyed it. Was fascinating and alarming, which just the right tinge of realistic possibility.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini :

Pretty gripping. Finished reading it at one sitting. Expected a little more, but had tears in my eyes when I finished it. Incredible portrayal of life in Afghanistan; wonderfully written and emotionally intimate.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez :

Fabulous. Magical, illogical, rich, imaginative and powerful. Very intense and terribly strange. May not suit a lot of people but I loved it.

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry :

Pretty powerful read, very moving and I love the way the story flows. Slightly depressing, one keeps hoping for something happy to finally occur. Can’t say it does.

My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell :

Hilarious! Incredibly funny, I love the descriptions of the Durrell family members’ idiosyncrasies more than the animal/nature part of it. They’re crazy and terribly entertaining.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro :

Liked it much more than ‘Remains of the Day’. Creepy and very gripping, gives one tantalizing hints as to what it’s leading up to without quite telling all. Thought the final few chapters could’ve been a lot more exciting after all the build-up.

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth :

Been a favourite book for years. Very long, plays out like a normal, everyday story with its descriptions of fretting mothers, college, marriage, politics, death, everything. You can relate to some aspect of almost every single character. Fell in love with Kabir and Amit, never quite got over them.

Roots : The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley :

Fabulous. Seriously. Intensely detailed saga of a family that traces its ancestry to tribal Africa before moving to the brutalities of American slavery. May make pretty slow reading but in my opinion, the final 20-odd pages completely make up for it. It’s been a long time since I read a book that made me cry, but this one really managed it.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen :

One of my favourite books. Despite belonging to the oft-stereotyped female classic-writer category, Jane Austen is still timeless, universal and – most importantly, wonderfully humorous, sarcastic and humane in the way she writes. I don’t know anyone who has read this book and not fallen in love with Mr. Darcy.

The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone :

Wonderful. Captures the struggle, bitterness, determination and human frailty of Michelangelo’s spirit. Love the fact that it focuses on how human he is, despite how immortal he became.

The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini :

I couldn’t wait to read it since people around me were raving about it. Don’t get me wrong – I liked the book and the concept but found it vaguely disappointing. I don’t think it lived up to the hype.

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri :

Overhyped. Didn’t like the concept of it at all, felt like shouting ‘get over it’ at certain points. Get a grip. The only think I really liked and enjoyed was the way Lahiri etched out the characters of the parents. She has a fabulous way of crafting every scene and every movement: you could see it in Interpreter of Maladies too.

The Inscrutable Americans by Anurag Mathur :

I’ve lost track of the number of people who’ve listed this book as one of their favourites. I hated it. Trashy, mocking and pseudo-funny in extremely bad taste. The bits were I actually laughed aloud were sadly few and far in-between.

Just William by Richmal Crompton :

I had to add this one. I loved the William series while growing up, and I still love going back and reading all his books. Hilariously funny. He’s insane and infuriating and thoroughly likeable. Particularly loved the plays that he writes about Dirty Dan and so on, and the story with ‘Peter, the Sunshine of the Home’ with his butter-yellow curls. If you didn’t read these books, you really missed out.