First things first, like pretty much all the other reviews I have to mention just how despicable Flashman, the character in the eponymous book, is. GeFirst things first, like pretty much all the other reviews I have to mention just how despicable Flashman, the character in the eponymous book, is. George MacDonald Fraser tries to make the reader detest him regardless of what their political views or beliefs. If there is a semblance of morality in you, you're going to abhor the character's actions.
I stumbled upon Flashman, the book, after coming across an article in the Economist written by its foreign editor. The theme of the article was basically that the ideal foreign correspondent would manoeuvre places the way Flashman does wherever he finds himself. His descriptions in the article, the scoundrel-ness and all, sounded interesting and I was lucky to find secondhand copies of the quite a few of the Flashman Papers online.
Getting to the novel, I have to commend Fraser's historical accuracy. I would frequently google the happenings of the novel and they seemed to all be historically accurate. Reading Flashman was an unbelievably fun way to learn history! The characters are based on real people and the situations are (mostly) real. A little caution and common sense and Flashman could make for a great beginner's history book. If only the education system could be this creative.
Apart from his horrid behaviour, Flashman (the character) is incredibly witty. His witticisms and humour provide comic relief to what would otherwise have been a serious, drab affair. Fraser's writing is smooth and extremely readable.
All in all, great piece of work that I thoroughly enjoyed and will be reading more of....more
Going by the reviews for Dogs of War, it seems that whether it's liked or not depends on what the reader goes in expecting. Fortunately, I had skimmedGoing by the reviews for Dogs of War, it seems that whether it's liked or not depends on what the reader goes in expecting. Fortunately, I had skimmed through the reviews before beginning the book and knew just what to expect.
The Dogs of War is almost a manual of how mercenaries may/should undertake a coup attempt. The preparation such an endeavour would require. The challenges that they would face. We follow Shannon, a seasoned mercenary, through his preparation for toppling the dictator of a fictional West African country called Zangaro.
One of the joys of reading a book as this is reading about it afterwards. Turns out, Zangaro is actually the Equatorial Guinea. Forsyth is said to have spent years researching the novel, visiting the country, meeting mercenaries, arms dealers and others. I marvel at the time, energy and motivation the research for a book of this scope must have taken.
Zangaro had high amounts of platinum that along with its vile dictator made it a hotbed for coup attempts. Equatorial Guinea has been found to have valuable oil deposits. But its vile dictator stands till today, in spite of at least two Dogs of War styled coup plans/attempts.
If only they had given it a go earlier than they did. To quote Forsyth himself, "So to any reader with a hankering for blood and thunder on the Dark Continent I would say: forget it. Things were different back then and the Boy’s Own Paper days are gone."...more
**spoiler alert** WHY THE FUCK would Rehana not forgive Faiz? Sure, he was a general in the Pakistan army, but he was after all a stooge himself. And **spoiler alert** WHY THE FUCK would Rehana not forgive Faiz? Sure, he was a general in the Pakistan army, but he was after all a stooge himself. And he did not personally indulge in a crime directly, outside of whatever circumstances of war that existed at the time. He also did not give Rehana up when he very easily could have. I don't know what Rehana thought, but she was basically a killer in her own right at the end. Of course, that's not what Tahmima seemed to want to allude to, but that's exactly what my takeaway was.
I liked that Rehana was a strong female character, with her vulnerabilities and everything. (Also, I love her name.) I liked the descriptions of the everyday Bangla life. Being India's neighbour, I did know of West and East Pakistan and the eventual war that resulted in Bangladesh, but that and the atrocities by West Pakistan was the extent of my knowledge. Tahmima did give me some perspective of the facts of the time. It's mind boggling to think how an elected Prime Minister was denied his rightful post even though he was (supposedly) an equal citizen of the country.
There were a few convenient coincidences or other instances that lacked depth of thought on part of the author that I did not think much of. So Rehana first goes to Faiz for help, and then later somehow Faiz somehow begs her for help? Rehana comes across an officer at the police station and the same officer visits her home later in the book?
I liked Rehana's dynamics with the Major, however. Their relationship was poignant and something that I can see happening. His self that was in hiding was an outlet for her self that she had hidden all this while.
Also, Sohail needs to be taught how to move on. He's had a strong niceguy vibe in the entirety of the book....more
Okay. So off the bat here's what I think about the book:
It was long, often dreary and had no plot whatsoever. Reading Catch 22 in extended periods wasOkay. So off the bat here's what I think about the book:
It was long, often dreary and had no plot whatsoever. Reading Catch 22 in extended periods was a task. The progression was nonlinear, even within chapters and sometimes I doubted my memory because I wasn't sure if a certain story track had been introduced (still not sure). I was glad when I was within reach of the end of the ongoing chapter just so that I could put it down.
That said...
The ideas and their presentation in the book is magnificent. There are pieces of pure gold hidden as bits and pieces that (somewhat) make up for just how difficult to read the book in its entirety is. I am hoping Hulu's mini series makes up for it (the trailer looks fabulous).
I realise I began this review extremely ominously, but the satire in Catch 22 is high quality. Joseph Heller, writing from his own experiences, goes after one and all and how! And all this hardly 15-odd years after the end of World War II, during which the book is based. I cannot imagine anyone writing such brazenly irreverent literature about, say, the Kargil war which is already 20 years past. There's much that's wrong with the US but their commitment to free speech is laudable.
Catch 22 points out much that's wrong with the war while having fun. The sycophancy, the misaligned goals turning into an attempt to finish short-term goals and gain recognition, internal bickering and one-upmanship.
A few bits from the book that caught my fancy - (view spoiler)[ Captain Black in an attempt to "instill nationalism" orders a loyalty oath crusade. Reminded me of the controversies around the national song in India. Those refusing to sing it were somehow "antinational". The ridiculousness of it.
"Imagine a man his age risking what little life he has left for something so absurd as a country."
And this one in the context of the war. "You're either for us or against us." Willingness to die in a war is weaponised against the victim.
"One good apple can spoil the rest." The running in the latter chapters, with Yossarian resorting to revolt in order to be sent to the safety of home was striking. If a member of the herd leaves, the herd is no longer a stable unit. (hide spoiler)]
The book also reminded me of VetTV, that Vice made a video about. They've certainly got similarities, but since VetTV is intended for veterans as opposed to the book intended for the masses, the latter is probably more critical.
Towards the end of the book, the tone of the storyline changes drastically. It's replete with brutality that comes off as a surprise to the reader because of the "normal" way in which it's presented. The sheer abruptness of it all hits you hard.
Catch 22 was a great book even if a lousy read (who'd have thought). I don't know if better editing could do it for it. Or maybe a second read? Regardless, the book is a mirror and one that's relevant even today.
Before reading this I hadn't known the phrase Catch 22 was coined by Heller. A cultural impact among many!...more
Man's Search For Meaning began wonderfully, but became a tad bit sermonic and drab to read towards the end.
It began by giving us an overview of the aMan's Search For Meaning began wonderfully, but became a tad bit sermonic and drab to read towards the end.
It began by giving us an overview of the author's experiences in various German concentration camps. The author emphasises, however, that he does not intend on making his book about facts, but about anecdotes. Little experiences that he could recall that brought about some change in the way he looked at his life then and which ultimately resulted in his survival.
So the bit about the anecdotes is brilliant. More so for someone like me who (turns out) knew nothing about concentration camps.
But the latter half of his book deals with a method of the author's to treat patients of mental health - logotherapy. The chapter on logotherapy and its succeeding chapter, both, I skimmed/skipped through....more
The holocaust was horrific, but most media that we consume looks at it from the American or the Jewish point of view. The Book Thief is different. TheThe holocaust was horrific, but most media that we consume looks at it from the American or the Jewish point of view. The Book Thief is different. The protagonist is a German kid in Nazi Germany.
She isn't a Nazi. But a lot of the people around her are. Maybe some good people too.
I liked that we got an inside look in Nazi Germany. All the characters were incredibly human and, most importantly, not jarring. It made me think of how Trevor Noah in his autobiography spoke about how, for the third world, Nazism was, umm, just another horrible thing in the world, and not something that we're that affected thinking about (unlike those in the West). The British caused a famine in India and killed just as many millions. The treatment of Africans by European colonialists is incomparable. They literally cut the locals' hands off (so they couldn't steal) and killed many more millions in singular countries alone (not even across the entire continent) than the Nazis.
This has really got nothing to do with the book, which outline the struggles of a poor, young girl in Nazi Germany. Zusak's writing is fast and brilliant. I love that the chapters are short. I've spent many an hour waiting for long chapters to end (blame my attention span) so I was glad that I got regular breathers in this.
I preferred the first half to the second hand. The book could've been at least 20% shorter. I also didn't like the ending. (view spoiler)[Killing everyone was wayy too dramatic for my liking (hide spoiler)]. ...more
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