Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Penny Haw  GENRE: Historical Fiction, Based on True Events. RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: Based on the true story of Aleen Cust, Britain’s first female veterinary surgeon. Mostly faithful to actual events. Second half is a teeny bit weaker. But a great read nonetheless. Story Synopsis: Aleen has loved animals, especially horses and dogs, since childhood. However, being a daughter of an aristocratic family and having a conservative mother and elder brother means that she cannot aim towards her dream of becoming a veterinary surgeon. The reserved 1870s society too isn’t conducive to the idea of a woman planning for a veterinary career. Despite the obstacles, Aleen surges on. The book begins from the time she is six years old and goes all the way till her fifties. The story is written in the first person perspective of Aleen. Note: Don’t research the life of this iconic woman until you have completed the book. The story is faithful to actual events, so you will get many...

AUTHOR: Stephanie Seidler ILLUSTRATOR: Berk Ozturk GENRE: Children's Picture Book RATING: 4.75 stars. A beautiful book for little children who are coping with a death of a loved one in their families. The content is written in a second person narration addressed to the little child reading the book. It talks of death in a very simple-to-understand manner – ‘the body stops working’. It then introduces the idea of grief, why people might be visiting their home or why their loved ones might be crying. The book then suggests some methods that might help the child to cope. There are a whole load of things I loved about this picture book: 🌷 The explanations are secular. There’s no heaven or God or divine reference. As such, the book will work regardless of religious affiliations. 🌷 The content is well suited to the target age of 2-6 years. Easy language, simple rhymes, comprehensible situations, and practical solutions. 🌷 No needless philosophy or platitudes as well. 🌷 I am not usual...

AUTHOR: Harinder Sikka GENRE: Historical Fiction, Indian Fiction RATING: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: Began well, kept dipping with every subsequent chapter. Based on a true story, so some of the more outlandish events are still based in reality. But the writing is too basic. Story Synopsis: Pre-1971, India. Sehmat is the young daughter of a Kashmiri businessman who runs a secret network of spies between India and neighbouring Pakistan, especially as the climate between the two countries has turned tense. When he is diagnosed with an incurable ailment, his last wish is to see Sehmat take over his intelligence network. She is married off to the son of a high-ranked Pakistani military officer and through her new position, she relays information back to the intelligence officers in India. However, she goes a step too far and someone discovers her secret. What happens next? Where the book worked for me: ✔ If this were a fictional story, I would have dismissed a lot of the content as exaggerated...

AUTHOR: Sussie Anie GENRE: Literary fiction RATING: 2.5 stars In a Nutshell: Had great potential but the writing style makes this book a tough one to enjoy. It is interesting and atypical. Literary fiction lovers *might* enjoy this. The GR blurb isn’t accurate. Story Synopsis: Young Kwasi has always lived with his mom and his various ‘aunties’ who keep coming and going out of his home. When his family shifts to a new side of London, Kwasi’s life is uprooted, leading to mixed feelings in him. His only place of solace is the ‘Chest of Small Wonders’, a charity shop run by an eccentric old man named Rupert, who is battling his own demons. The story covers Kwasi’s adjustment into his new lifestyle, Rupert’s battle of wills with those who want him to give up the shop, and the connection and unlikely parallels between their lives. Where the book worked for me: 👍There are quite a few interesting characters in the story. Both Kwasi and Rupert are unusual and strong characters, and they carr...

AUTHOR: Elif Shafak GENRE: Historical Fiction. RATING: 2.5 stars. In a Nutshell: Mixed feelings. I did learnt a lot of history. Plus, there’s some pretty lyrical writing. But where is the structure in the plot? Having a fig tree as a semi-anthropomorphic narrator was a deal-breaker for me. (No problem with a tree’s narration, problem with what the tree was made to narrate.) Story Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Ada Kazantzakis is struggling with the death of her mother about a year ago. She is surprised to hear from her father that her aunt Meryam is coming for a visit, an aunt she has only heard of and never seen even once. For that matter, she hasn’t met a single relative of either of her parents. This is because of their complicated history. Her dad Kostas is a Greek Christian Cypriot, while her mother Defne was a Turkish Muslim Cypriot. Through the backstory of Kostas and Defne, we see the traumatic history of Cyprus. Through the contemporary plotline of Ada, Meryam and Kostas, we see h...

AUTHOR: Michael Anthony ILLUSTRATOR: Chai Simone GENRE: Graphic Novel, Memoir. RATING: 4.5 stars. In a Nutshell: This graphic novel took me by surprise! Hardhitting, humorous, helpful, heartening, honest. A must-read, but keep in mind that it is intense. Synopsis: Michael, an Iraq war veteran and the titular ‘dirtbag’, is completely in love with his girlfriend, Coconut. (Not her real name, obviously. But what a cute nickname!) Coconut is a vegetarian but is accepting of Michael’s preference for meat-based diet. However, when she attends a lecture by an animal rights activist and he declares in his summation, “Anyone who eats meat is a murderer’, Coconut switches to a higher level of awareness and becomes an activist for animal-friendly choices. What Michael does to combat this in his idiosyncratic ways forms the rest of the story. Where the book worked for me: 😍 True story, true relationship, true hurdles in romance, true gaps in communication, true patch-ups. The entire memoir is ba...

AUTHOR: Mariah Fredericks NARRATOR: Penelope Rawlins GENRE: Historical Fiction, True Crime. RATING: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: Liked it enough. It’s not bad but it didn’t dazzle me as much as I had expected. Didn’t enjoy the first person pov. Note: This review contains spoilers about the actual case. Story Synopsis: You might have heard of the famous kidnapping case of aviator Charles Lindbergh’s eldest son, twenty-month-old Charles Jr., in the early 1930s. This is a partially fictionalised narration of the events leading up to and beyond the kidnapping & murder, recollected from the point of view of Betty Gow, the child’s Scottish nanny. Not being from the US, I had first heard of the Lindbergh case only when I had read Agatha Christie’s ‘Murder on the Orient Express’, which takes inspiration from this kidnapping. As such, I couldn’t resist the chance of trying out this novel, though I am not a great fan of fictionalisations of true stories. You don’t need to be aware of the actual...

AUTHOR: Agatha Christie SERIES: Miss Marple, Short Story #6 GENRE: Cosy Mystery. RATING: 2.5 stars. An interesting mystery but doesn’t suit Miss Marple. Finally it is Miss Marple who narrates an unsolved mystery for the Tuesday Night Club. I sat up straight in my seat, expecting a cracker of a mystery. Alas, the cracker turned out to be damp and squishy. The story concerns Miss Marple’s niece Mabel Denman who is being shunned after the sudden death of her husband. The word around is that Mabel poisoned him. The problem is that no one, including the doctor who was called, knows exactly how Mr. Denman died. His last words too seem weird to everyone. Except Miss Marple, but of course. There’s not much deduction or discussion from the club members this time as Miss Marple narrates the whole story almost in one go. The rest are mostly passive listeners. If this had been a story featuring Sherlock or Poirot, I would have marvelled at the deduction. But it doesn’t suit Miss Marple’s personali...

AUTHOR: S.M. Freedman GENRE: Psychological Thriller RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: Strongly plotted, nicely written, emotionally hardhitting. Has minor flaws, but overall, a must-read. Story Synopsis: Grace DeRoche lives a life of solitude with her service dog, her goats and her pottery, trying to move one from her earlier years as a member of a Fundamentalist LDS sect that believes in subservient women and polygamous marriage. Grace had escaped during a police raid along with nine other children. Now, some of the other survivors have turned up dead. Suicide or murder, Detective Beau Brunelli isn’t yet sure. But one thing is for sure: what’s happening is somehow connected with Grace. But with her mental and physical health issues, how can he find out the truth? Where the book worked for me: 👌 The characters are based on a real community called the Fundamentalist Mormon (FLDS) movement. Reading about them isn’t easy and is infuriating, especially as a woman. The extent of the brain...

AUTHOR: The Happy Broadcast, Keith Bonnici ILLUSTRATOR: Mauro Gatti GENRE: Children's Nonfiction. RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A happy and hopeful book for kids (and adults) who want to have more cheer in their lives. Fab intent, good quality content. All of us know that the media (traditional or digital) likes to bombard us with panic-inducing news and clickbait headlines. In this day and age, where mental health also gets affected due to our being constantly surrounded by negativity, even little efforts to spread more happiness in people’s lives are necessary and worth appreciating. That’s where such books come in. As the title indicates, this is a compilation of 150 happy facts from the last few years. Illustrator Mauro Gatti created ‘The Happy Broadcast’ (THB) in 2018 after being fed up of the media focus being only on worrisome events. He began to draw good news and share it on social media. The reach and impact of his little attempt was much beyond his dreams. One of h...

AUTHOR: Steven Megson ILLUSTRATOR: Andy Yura GENRE: Children's Picture Book. RATING: 3.75 stars. A sweet children’s picture book about facing the first day of school. Rooty the rutabaga is very worried as school begins the next day. He wonders if he will be lonely yet again as he doesn’t know any of the vegetables in his class. However, when he walks in the next day, he realises that everyone is as nervous as he is, and all it takes is a kind gesture from one of the other veggie “students” to make Rooty feel comfortable. This is quite a simplistic story. It sticks to its agenda and doesn’t try to cram in too many morals. I appreciate how the author didn’t stick to the popular vegetables but used even Brussels Sprout and Eggplant as characters in addition to the rutabaga, none being favourite vegetables of kids. Maybe this will help children accept unpopular veggies more willingly in their diet. The illustrations in the book are adorable. It was fun to see the vegetables portrayed ...

AUTHOR: Oliver Sacks GENRE: Medical Non-fiction RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: Expected something very different. Learnt a lot. But didn’t enjoy this read. Might work better for those familiar with neurological terms. Acclaimed neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks has been called the ‘Poet Laureate of Medicine’ by the New York Times. This book, first published in 1985, is a collection of twenty-four of his most intriguing case histories, each dealing with a peculiar issue connected to neurological health. The book is divided in four parts: Losses – which deals with abilities or senses being ‘lost’, Excesses – exactly the opposite of the first section with unusual senses being ‘gained’, Transports – mental portals into another time/place while the body is here, and The World of the Simple – the neurological issues of the ‘simple-minded’. Ranging from a woman who could not feel her body to twins who had a remarkable faculty for digits and nothing else, and of course, the titular man who mistook...

AUTHOR: Davis Bunn NARRATOR: Graham Winton SERIES: Miramar Bay GENRE: Contemporary Romance-Mystery. RATING: 2.5 stars In a Nutshell: A contemporary romance cum drama cum mystery. (!?!?) Contains diabetes-inducing levels of sweetness. I might have loved it two decades ago. Right now, I am too pessimistic to accept this plot with ease. Story Synopsis: Ethan Lange has recently lost his house and everything he owns to a forest fire. The only reason he escaped alive is that police officer Ryan Eames reached his house before the blaze did. Ryan and Ethan bond over shared trauma of the past and also over Ryan’s young son Liam, who is an artist just as Ethan is in his part time. The trio come closer when they end up planning an animal rescue operation. All this while still dealing with the fires. And also a mystery about the cause of the fires. (I am not too happy with my story synopsis this time, but the plot is such that it goes all over the place!) Where the book worked for me: 🔥 I’ve nev...

AUTHOR: Rina Singh ILLUSTRATOR: Ishita Jain GENRE: Children's Picture Book, Environment. RATING: 4.25 stars. An inspiring true story of a man who created and nurtured a forest all alone, that too on a sandbar! Jadav Payeng was a young tribal boy in 1979 when the river that passed by his island village in North-East India flooded the banks and left many snakes dead, having perished due to lack of shady green cover. Payeng realised that trees could solve the issue but no one was ready to take charge. When the forest department gave him a bag of seedlings saying, ‘Go plant them yourself”, he actually did so. He started planting those seedlings on an abandoned sandbar. After thirty years, the resulting dense forest covers about 1360 acres, an area larger than the Central Park of New York. No one even knew of his efforts until a wildlife photographer stumbled upon his story in 2009. Since then, he has been acclaimed and is now known as the forest man of India. As a children’s picture b...

EDITOR: Jessica Harrison GENRE: Anthology, Christmas RATING: 2.6 stars. In a Nutshell: These are Christmas stories but these aren’t CHRISTMASSY stories! Disappointed. I had jumped in at the collection simply because of the title. When I later saw its poor rating on Goodreads, I wondered why a Christmas anthology failed to impress readers. Now I know why. It’s a case of misleading branding. When you see a book titled “The Penguin Book of Christmas Stories: From Hans Christian Andersen to Angela Carter”, what would you expect? I expected happy and feel-good stories full of Christmas spirit. Unfortunately, most of the stories in this anthology are set around Christmas but cannot be called Christmas stories in the true sense of the word. Most of the stories are gloomy tales. More than half don’t make use of the festive season in any sense except in passing mention. Hardly any story generates Christmas cheer. When readers pick up a collection of Christmas stories, I bet not a single one wo...

AUTHOR: Amy Lynn Green NARRATOR: Leah Horowitz GENRE: WWII, Historical Fiction. RATING: 4.5 stars. In a Nutshell: Set during the WWII period but not like any typical WWII fiction. This is a story of friendships, relationships and bonding over books. Interesting characters. Appealing plot. Enjoyed this a lot. Story Synopsis: 1942, Derby, Maine. Avis Montgomery, who prefers women’s magazines to books, is suddenly thrust into the role of the head librarian as a replacement for her brother who has signed up for active service. When the owner of the library reveals plans to shut it down for other war efforts, Avis invents a ‘Blackout Book Club’ to keep the library open. Now all she needs is people to join the impromptu book club. Along with Avis, we have Ginny – a young girl determined to buy back her Long Island home from the government by any means possible, Martina – a mother looking for a fresh start for herself and her kids in a new town, and Louise – a wealthy spinster who is adamant...

AUTHOR: Cho Nam-Joo TRANSLATOR: Jamie Chang GENRE: Literary Fiction, Korean, Dystopian. RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: A character-oriented dystopian story set on a fictional estate named Saha. This is like a montage of disconnected stories that have a partial bearing on each other. The book is not for everyone. Do not compare it with “Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982” – it won’t match up. Story Synopsis: A dystopian town known only as ‘Town’ - erstwhile a fishing village but now purchased and run by a capitalist corporation. Town takes care of its assets – the top class citizens (those with qualifications and wealth) with the L status. The second tier citizens, the L2s, function based on residence permits that they need to renew every two years, depending on their working status. And then there are those without any permit, the residents who survive via contractual work, those who have no access to insurance or security. The residents of the illegal Saha housing complex fall in this third cate...