Book Review: Inferno by Dan Brown

Inferno is Dan Brown’s latest offering in the thriller/adventure genre. This is the fourth novel featuring the famous Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon as he tries to save his life as well as the world. If you are expecting the Da Vinci type fireworks, then you will be hugely disappointed. The book is good, but it is far from great. The reader will be tested in many places with a narrative that seems quite opposite to gripping. There are long instances of just historical ramblings which anyone with an interest can get from an encyclopaedia. But still, Brown does create some magic in certain places and carries forth a very important message for everyone in this book.

Book Review: Best Kept Secret by Jeffrey Archer

Jeffrey Archer’s third volume of his Clifton chronicles contains very little surprises, and would have been considered a great hit had it been penned by someone less illustrious than Lord Archer. Considered to be one of the most talented and extraordinary story tellers alive, this book has at some points let down the reader who expects a lot more from Archer. The book takes off from the point where its predecessor ‘The Sins of the Father’ left. The old characters return and the story of Harry Clifton and Emma Barrington along with Emma’s brother, Giles Barrington takes off with the numerous twists and turns of any Archer classic. The storyline is as usual great, but it becomes too predictable at some points, where the readers anticipates much of what is to come.

Book Review: The Sins of The Father by Jeffrey Archer

The name of Jeffrey Archer is synonymous with bestsellers, and he is the only author to have been on the best seller list in the fiction, non-fiction and short stories section. Archer combines a tenacity and zeal for writing and storytelling that has not been surpassed by anyone probably since the great Alexandre Dumas. However, the latest offering of Archer titled, ‘The Sins of The Father‘,the second instalment to his Clifton Chronicles fails to amaze us or think that a master story telleris at work. The plot is quite uninteresting as many parts of the book can be guessed by seasoned Archer fans. This is the third time that Archer has disappointed me (the first time when he went to prison and the second time when he wrote Cat O’ Nine Tales). However, in spite of this lacklustre performance there are certain positives of the book. Archer has a sense of characterization that can be sometimes called haunting. In terms of sheer beauty of the scenes recreated probably there is no living equal.

Book Review: Be Careful What You Wish For by Jeffrey Archer

The latest volume in the mammoth Clifton chronicles by Jeffery Archer was launched in India recently, and I was lucky to read it within 3 days of launch. The book, like all other Archer novels was unputdownable. The story revolves around the second generation Cliftons now, and slowly focus shifts from Harry Clifton to his son, Sebastian Clifton and his life, first as a teenager and then as a young man trying to make his mark in the world.

Book Review: The 3 Mistakes of My Life by Chetan Bhagat

After reading the latest offering of Chetan Bhagat ,"The 3 mistakes of my life" only one word comes to my mind-mesmerizing!After giving two back to back bestsellers Bhagat must have been under a lot of strain to produce anther one and I think he has done that with much omph and grandeur. Dubbed by the New York Times as the biggest selling English language novelist in India's history, Bhagat writes in am amateurish way, mainly projecting today's youth through his books.

Book Review: The Godfather by Mario Puzo

There are only a few modern books which have enjoyed the cult status that was achieved by “The Godfather” immediately after it was published in 1969. As soon as it was published Mario Puzo’s novel The Godfather began setting sales records, becoming the fastest selling book up to its time. Its enormous popularity increased in 1972 when Francis Ford Coppola’s movie version was released. The movie won several Academy Awards, and became one of the highest-grossing movies of all time and is frequently cited by critics as one of the greatest American movies ever made The novel has since then consistently stayed in print and has sold over 30 million copies worldwide.

Book Review: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

There are books that inspire and make you want to do something, and there are books that instil in you a spirit of doing and racing with life. The Alchemist is such a book. Although written over two decades ago, its approach is still fresh and the reader gets a chance to connect with the protagonist. The Alchemist details the journey of a young Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago. Santiago, believing a recurring dream to be prophetic, decides to travel to the pyramids of Egypt to find treasure. On the way, he encounters love, danger, opportunity and disaster. One of the significant characters that he meets is an old king who tells him that “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” And this is the core philosophy and motif of the book.