Review:
This is a collection of short stories by a Sri Lankan author. While they are not typical Sri Lankan stories, they are fun, quirky, funny, heartwarming, heartbreaking, thoughtful stories with unexpected outcomes that were entertaining and, at times, laugh out loud funny – just the way I like them! Great read!
Summ
ary (from http://www.vikramchandra.com):
In a waterfront bar in Bombay, an enigmatic civil servant tells stories to a group of friends. In “Dharma,” an old soldier returns home to find that his house is haunted by the spirit of a small child; in “Shakti,” two great ladies engage in ruthless drawing-room warfare; in “Kama,” a policeman investigating a murder journeys into the mysteries of his own heart…
Review:
Beautifully written stories by a master story-teller, these are an incredible collection of stories that transport you to worlds rich with characters, action, heartache, and redemption. I loved this collection, especially the narrator, Mr. Subramaniam.
Summary (from Goodreads):
Heidi knows that she’s approximately 12 years old, but she doesn’t know her last name, her birthday, or, for that matter, the identity of her father. With a vocabulary of only two dozen words, her mentally disabled mother can’t help Heidi fill the gaps in her history, but simple despair will not stop this little trooper. When she finds a camera full of old photographs, she begins a quest that will take her into the past and new beginnings. A mature, gripping story.
Review:
I read this novel ages ago and haven’t been able to get it out of my head since then. It’s a heartbreaking, bitter-sweet story of a young girl in search of her identity, and what she finds is not quite she or I expected.
It’s needless to say that I cried through most of the novel, but am so happy that I read it … the roller-coaster of emotions helped me to experience a life that was very different to my own, and see the world through the eyes of someone so unlike me.
This is absolutely worth reading because you are not quite the same after it.
Summary (from Goodreads):
I am a beast. A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog, but a horrible new creature who walks upright – a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.
You think I’m talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It’s no deformity, no disease. And I’ll stay this way forever – ruined – unless I can break the spell.
Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and a perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly beastly.
Review:
This is a modern retelling of the classic fairy tale of ‘Beauty and the Beast’. The premise is that high school student Kyle Kingsbury, the most popular and best looking boy, is turned into a beast, revealing on the outside his ‘ugly’ inside, to teach him the lesson that what is on the inside is more important than looks.
He has two years to find true love to lift the curse, or Kyle will remain a beast for eternity. It is a funny, sarcastic, and touching story, where one both sympathises with and cheers for Kyle, but at the same time is disgusted by him.
Keeping in mind that this is a very young adult story, I did enjoy it, even though Kyle’s maturing, accepting of his curse, and desire to sacrifice himself for love happens a bit quickly for a 16 year-old boy.
This is a very quick read – I finished in a couple of hours – and if you enjoy or semi-enjoy the novel, check out the film version, which (may the gods strike me down) is much better than the novel.
Beastly (2011) – Alex Pettyfer and Vanessa Hudgens
