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thegirlbythefirelight · 1 year

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Year of The Monkey is pretentious AF. A sin grave enough in any realm. But it commits another one. If drawing parallels: Smith's writing reminded me of bringing home a voluminous bundle of spinach. Too much. Adding to the food waste in the world- you castigate yourself. But. Steam the entire batch and all you get is a measly bowl. So much admonishment for excess but it amounts to nothing substantial. Smith's writing is spinach. Beautiful, healthy, a pleasure to behold. But it lacks body. The skeletal framework of great grammar and greater imagination is dressed with layers and layers of fluff. Talking hotel signs I can shake hands with. There's enough Murakami on my bookshelves. The turn of phrases- impressive but then my hero Mantel does it too. What I couldn't abide by was just the absolute pointlessness of this piece of work. I started out searching for that same verve that fuels 'Just Kids'. I gave up at some point, trudging through this book just to irrevocably be put off Smith and have no guilt about it. Not all of it was unbearable. The honest bits about the death of her friends were evocative and touching, offering a glimpse of why she is considered a great writer. But if a 70 year old writer with a life as rich in time as in experiences can talk mostly about how she got a bowl of kale and yams when she wanted steak and eggs, or ordering diluted vodka when she wanted a coffee, the deal between the reader and the writer is off. A lot of this book is marked by me. Unlike, hearts, hashes, circles and stars that evidence my gratifying experience with narratives- this one has numerous LOLs, WTFs and even a few 'eye rolls' in the margins. The brilliant bits- they were a class of their own. "I know that very well, one cannot ask for a life, or two lives. One can only warrant the hope of an increasing potency in each man's heart." Or when she calls Lisbon- a city of cobbled nights. The aftertaste of this book was one of disappointment, though. I had pawed this one greedily, abandoning de Botton's 'Architecture Of Happiness' for it and therefore, committing the other sin that I attributed to Smith later. That of being shallow. (at India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpPkDZXLB0D/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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thegirlbythefirelight · 1 year

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To go back to Murakami after what seems like ages (it has been- last year somehow I missed reading any of his books 🫣) is to go back to life. 24 short stories, what our writer calls sprints, written in between his novels, (you guessed it right-marathons) are perfect for anyone who wants to sample his style. On offer are- crows that know the difference between cakes, a one-legged surfer, a couple who take off to Greece on a whim, unexplained disappearances and cats, of course they are Mhrakami's mysterious cats. This was my fifth by him and the one that left me most disappointed. Apart from 3-4 stories, the rest were less nuanced than what I had expected. Short stories lack the room to flesh out their characters, mostly, & someone who prefers character-driven tales vis a vis plot-driven narratives, the commitment they demand and offer is inadequate. Also, I felt at sea with some stories- neither I could understand their meaning nor the metaphor behind them, if any. But. Great if you want bite-sized Murakami morsels. Also great if time is at a premium (when isn't it?). My favourite - If you liked this read: For #magicrealism: •Kafka On The Shore- predictably the better Murakami to start with. •The Invisible Life Of Addie Larue •The Night Circus •The Master & The Margarita • Beloved •Midnight's Children For #Japaneseliterature: •When the Emperor Was Divine •Never Let Me Go •Before The Coffee Gets Cold •The Easy Life In Kamusari #shortstoriescollection #harukimurakami #blindwillowsleepingwoman #japanesefiction #contemporarybooks #fantasyfiction #asianliterature #delhireader #delhibookstagrammer #delhibookstafam #2023readingchallenge #januaryreads #murakamiharuki #murakamibooks #bookaesthetic #indianreaders #indianbookstagram #bookstagramindia #kindleflatlay #booksandtea #winterreads #mybookfeatures #readerslife #alwaysreading #bookdragon #bookishthoughts #alwayswithabook #readingchallenge2023 (at India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoEWLOirrKz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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thegirlbythefirelight · 1 year

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Our story begins with our mothers'- for when she is conceived, one half of us is already present in her. Metaphorically, yes? But let's come down to the bare bones. A girl is born with all the eggs she will ever have- we are a part of our mothers long before we become an idea, a desire, a wish. I've avoided picking this book for the longest time; I am known to cry copiously, especially at emotionally charged words. And an ode to a dead mother who ends her life at 51 years was certainly going to have me weep buckets. It didn't. Handke writes about his mother seven weeks after her death-in parts to make sense of this loss & to capture the entirety of 'her'. So he begins- she as a child, as a young woman learning the vocabulary of this world, a wife, a mother, an essential but ignored limb of the society, a matron who finds herself (better late than never) to only realise just how late that is & then… I didn't know there were controversies around Handke. This work, though, is just a testimony to love felt and experienced. This pithy German book, mere 78 pages, is held down by the beauty of the prose. Grief has words and more than wrenching your heart out- they wipe the muck off our vision. If sadness were words- A Sorrow Beyond Dreams would be those. And what it really says is… It's already too late, it's already too less. Go tell your mother you love her. #peterhandke #asorrowbeyonddreams #germanbooks #pushkinpress #nobelprizeliterature #austrianliterature #translatedliterature #translatedbooks #delhibookstagrammer #indianreaders #bookstagramindia #addictedtobooks #coffeeandbooks #bookishthoughts #neverwithoutabook #nonfictionreads #nevernotreading #januaryreads #2023readingchallenge #indianbookstagrammer #mumbaibookstagram (at India) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn8b4EzLM6q/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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thegirlbythefirelight · 1 year

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There’s love accumulated over stretches of time that they haven’t met and so you understand that moment when Tom and Claudia are walking in Cairo markets replete with their filth and fragrances, why he wants to buy her something….anything. They both don’t know if there is a future, times being as such, and hope is a flighty word. That desperation to offer something tangible, because who can hold love, is my favourite part of the story. It’s as human as it gets. Penelope Lively’s Claudia- the custodian of lost Hungarians, enterprising, almost fearless, leaving behind her wake of bad decisions, a spunky historian. She is a handful and age has nothing to do with it. As a feisty chit of a girl or as a supposed dowager, lying on white sheets, forgetting the names of things, pretend-sleeping through family visits- there was no point when I wasn’t rooting for her. No two people are born in the same family- siblings meet their parents at different growth trajectories, so each has a different childhood. History is something like that- how the world moves for an Indian is different for how it moves for a Ukranian, a Sudanese, an American. So when Claudia aspires to retell the history of humankind, in effect, it is her version of the world she is offering. Ambitious, much? But then we all think we have a tomorrow and the next year and a life planned till 80, so who isn’t? Travelling through time with Claudia was like diving into the vortex- levels fly past, and everything’s happening simultaneously on them. Lively was right- memory doesn’t care for chronology. Neither is it that clinical nor as neat. I loved the same version of events retold through different character perspectives. Moon Tiger isn’t a romantic read, lest my opening lines put you off. More like a manual for living- if we are going to take up space, might as well make the most of it. PS: The cover. I detest it. #moontiger #penelopelively #delhireader #delhibookstagram #bookerprizewinner #femaleauthors #readingwomen #feministbooks #bookflatlay #delhibookstafam #historicalfiction #smallbooks #recommededreading #womenwhoread #2023readingchallenge #bestbooks2023 #indianbookstagrammer (at India) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn3YEEEL7HZ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#moontiger #penelopelively #delhireader #delhibookstagram #bookerprizewinner #femaleauthors #readingwomen #feministbooks #bookflatlay #delhibookstafam #historicalfiction #smallbooks #recommededreading #womenwhoread #2023readingchallenge #bestbooks2023 #indianbookstagrammer

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thegirlbythefirelight · 1 year

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As I begin to write this, I'm trying to pin down what this story is about- India's first lady doctor or child marriage? Does it catch the Indian women emancipation movement in its nascent stages or capturing the downfall of the last nawab of Awadh is its aim? It's all this. Which is part of its charm & also the reason why it overpowers you. But let's start from the beginning. Krishnosundor & his family leave their village with a promise of better days but life sells them off as plantation slaves. His sister, Bhubonmoni, his two daughters & his wife- their lives form the crux of this story. The first 150 pages pulled me in; the story took off immediately but I found myself emotionally overwhelmed. I asked @pepperandpetals the one who loved this book and gifted it to me, if things get better. She encouraged me to continue reading & I am glad I listened to her. The story is well-researched & apart from the protagonists there are others who held my interest- I mean, Rabindranath Tagore is practising his poetry & Kadambini Ganguly is studying to be a doctor here. The tapestry is rich with memorable characters, sewn with the silk of the Indian history. @arunavasinha has done a fantastic job with the translation and I wish @debarati.mukhopadhyay more success with her book. The Indian historical fiction scene is richer because of her work. Trigger warnings: Child marriage, rape, gender & caste issues. #chroniclesoflostdaughters #bengalitranslatedliterature #debaratimukhopadhyay #delhibookstafam #delhibookstagrammer #indianbooks #historicalfiction #translatedbooks #indianreader #indianbookstagrammer #bookstagraminda #translatedliterature #alwaysreading #bookblogger #bookishthoughts #bookdragon #2023readingchallenge #readingchallenge2023 #januaryreads #delhireaders (at India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnoYS4Vr1MC/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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thegirlbythefirelight · 1 year

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💭Still hanging onto the coattails of 2022, I am reluctant to say goodbye. After Covid, January feels too early to celebrate. March, people, March- that seems safe to decide the flavour of 2023. George Orwell’s collection of Essays was an experience similar to reading Steinbeck’s Travels With Charley (If you haven’t read it, I recommend it)- the writing is taut, no frivolity of either words or ideas. The breadth of the collection isn’t limited to literature- it is decidedly political. His views about the Spanish Civil War, the politics of the English language take care of that. For someone who gravitates more towards the personal experience of living, Orwell’s memories of public school horrors (Such, Such Were The Joys), his account of ‘Shooting An Elephant’ as a police officer in Burma, and a not-so-brief discussion on Charles Dickens are uncompromising and entertaining. I favoured ‘Books Vs. Cigarettes’ & ‘Why I Write’ the most- two delightful compositions. The first is his proof through which he justifiably demonstrates that owning books isn’t an expensive hobby- the price of books is far less than the value one gets from them. ‘Why I Write’- well, why does anyone write? It’s a quirk of nature- like being right-handed or having a painful wart. But returning to Orwell: he takes us on his writing journey in a few words- “I wanted to write enormous naturalistic novels with unhappy endings, full of detailed descriptions and arresting similes, and also full of purple passages in which words were used partly for the sake of their sound.” Listen, just read that essay- it's insightful and honest, and if I were to talk about it more, I’d end up letting all the cats out. If you liked this, read: •Giving Up The Ghost •The Source of Self Regard-equally political and entertaining •What I Talk About When I Talk About Running •Slouching Towards Bethlehem •The View From The Cheap Seats #georgeorwell #nonfictionreads #shootinganelephant #nonfictionbookclub #nonfictionreads #essaycollection #delhireader #delhibookstagrammer (at India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnOUy1IL_FE/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#georgeorwell #nonfictionreads #shootinganelephant #nonfictionbookclub #essaycollection #delhireader #delhibookstagrammer

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thegirlbythefirelight · 1 year

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What makes a book tick? Especially a long one? Betty Smith's magnum opus skins your heart. There's a beautiful melody to it. And the reality of 1920's Brooklyn is a backdrop one is unwilling to shake. Francie Nolan is growing up & takes us along with her through the convoluted truths about her life that she discovers as her world expands. Her father is an alcoholic, her mother a scrubwoman and her brother the apple of her mother's eye. There was much to love about this story- foremost that Francie could claw her way out of that poverty because she was a reader. It helps she has a heart of gold. And she knows precisely what she deserves. The easy friendship between Francie & her brother, her & her father, Johnny Nolan, were particularly endearing. I love strong heroines. I like women doing well, breaking any kind of ceiling, or even just attempting to. Which is why Ms Nolan will stay with me for a long time and someone I will revisit again over the course of my life. All books come to us at the right time. I wish this fine one, with a name as poetic, had come to me sooner. If you liked this, read: •The Goldfinch •The Dutchouse •The Easy Life In Kamusari •The Glass Castle #delhibookstagrammer #delhireaders #atreegrowsinbrooklyn #bettysmith #indianreaders #indianbookstagram #bookstagramindia #booksbrat #booksaboutlife #neverwithoutabook #nevernotreading (at Delhi, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/ClBpKo_SliJ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#delhibookstagrammer #delhireaders #atreegrowsinbrooklyn #bettysmith #indianreaders #indianbookstagram #bookstagramindia #booksbrat #booksaboutlife #neverwithoutabook #nevernotreading

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thegirlbythefirelight · 2 years

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I'll make a short work of this. 'How We Disappeared' A 13 year old Kevin is charged with the mission to find the truth about his family's past. The reason? His dying grandmother tells him a secret she almost carries to the grave. At the end of the spectrum is Wang Di, a survivor of the Japanese occupation of Singapore. If you read enough books or watch dramas, you can predict where this is going. The arc of this story encompasses the plight of comfort girls who were held captive, mistreated (putting it mildly) and later abandoned in the face of defeat. I was slightly impatient with the book for having figured out the plot too early and because I had already read a couple of books dealing with the occupation earlier. But that's on me. Is the book well-written? Yes. The characters? Well-formed. The storyline? Fleshed out. It punches all the right spots. If this is your first read about the atrocities committed during the Japanese occupation of Malaysia, Singapore and the region- trigger warning. If you want more material on the occupation: 1. The Rape of Nanking 2. The Narrow Road To The Deep North #howwedisappeared #jingjinglee #japaneseoccupation #worldwar2history #worldwartwohistory #historicalfictionbooks #historicalfiction #asianhistory #singaporebooks #asianfiction #neverwithoutabook #nevernotreading #bookblogger #readingchallenge2022 #2022readingchallenge #octoberreads #readingwomen #readersaesthetic #bookishthoughts #bookdragon #booksaboutwar #booksandcoffee #delhibookstagrammer #delhireaders #delhibookstafam #indianbookstagram #indianbookstagrammer #indianreaders #coffeeandbooks (at Delhi, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkKtpYULD1a/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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thegirlbythefirelight · 2 years

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Recently, I met some people after more than half a decade. They were stuck on the same loop that drove their narrative six years back. Lived through Covid, lived through cyclone. Lived through floods. And yet unable to let go of myopic prejudices. Precisely the situation where 'Think Again' will help- unlearn, relearn. To let go of deeply held beliefs is as much an emotional process as it is an intellectual exercise. Almost every area of life can benefit from unlearning & relearning. Chose a profession at 22? Thought the earth was flat? Unhappy with relationships? Believe oneself to be the centre of the world? Being smart, being clever alone isn't enough. We are easily fooled, sometimes most by our own perceptions. And it is a good life practice to question the authenticity of our entitlements, the validity of our beliefs. Being pretty is an act of nature. Being intelligent doesn't cut it. How you journey through this world defines who you really are. #thinkagain #thinkagainadamgrant #nonfictionreads #nonfictionreadersoftheworld #nonfictionbooks #nonfictionbookstagram #nonfictionbookreviews #indianreaders #readersaesthetic #bookblogger (at Delhi, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CieNnHTLyjJ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#thinkagain #thinkagainadamgrant #nonfictionreads #nonfictionreadersoftheworld #nonfictionbooks #nonfictionbookstagram #nonfictionbookreviews #indianreaders #readersaesthetic #bookblogger

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thegirlbythefirelight · 2 years

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The ability to call it quits, change tracks, say no, recalibrate closely-held assumptions and question prejudices is the hallmark of a successful mind. Mental flexibility is an essential ingredient for success-of all kinds. @adamgrant in this book 'Think Again' shows you why. The first time I came across Grant was while reading 'Grit'- another stellar non-fic book. I'll share my review soon on that one. 'Think Again' is almost essential reading in present times- we are such hopeless slaves to perceptions and half-baked opinions that we form more often that not on heresay and the book shows hows and whys bringing mental agility in our lives can work for us. Highly recommended reading. #adamgrant #thinkagain #nonfictionreads #nonfictionreadersoftheworld #nonfictionbooks #nonfictionbookstagram #nonfictionbookreviews #nonfictionlover (at Delhi, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CiZA-UurjED/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#adamgrant #thinkagain #nonfictionreads #nonfictionreadersoftheworld #nonfictionbooks #nonfictionbookstagram #nonfictionbookreviews #nonfictionlover

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thegirlbythefirelight · 2 years

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Slower than usual. Going through a lean phase of reading. Still reading but lesser and slower. Which is why the updates have dwindled. Any way I don't attempt to promise regularity because that's too much pressure and I find that I need more breaks from social media than others. How much is too much? Who knows? The time is flying because I am watching all the junk on screens. Some great stuff too. And no, no guilt associated with it. The lean phase will pass. Reading is breathing, after all. Till next time. #nevernotreading #delhibookstagrammer #delhibookstafam #indianbookstagram #indianreaders #whatareyoureading #bookishthoughts #bookstagramnewbie #newtobookstagram #happinessisbooks #bookblogger #readersaesthetic #readingallthetime #readersofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #readerslife #booktags #bookdragon #bookobssesed #addictedtobooks #readingmakesmehappy #readinggoals #readingchallenge2022 #bookishphotography #readerslovebook (at Delhi, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/Chv-n2nLySK/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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thegirlbythefirelight · 2 years

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A king's voracious appetite for women. An underdog's attempt at survival. It is ironic to call Thomas Cromwell an underdog. He has robbed the monasteries, noble families pay him to stay in the royal good books, he helped the king get rid of one wife and then another. And yet he IS an underdog. He doesn't belong amongst the upper echelons of society- a fact he is reminded of often. Cromwell does what he does, first to save his master, then to satisfy the whims of his king and by then he is too far gone to turn back. Just like all paths of good or evil. "His speech is low and rapid, his manner assured; he is at home in courtroom or waterfront, bishop's palace or inn yard. He can draft a contract, train a falcon, draw a map, stop a street fight, furnish a house and fix a jury.He will quote you a nice point in the old authors, from Plato to Plautus and back again." We meet him in this book amongst turmoil. Anne hasn't birthed a son & Henry is impatient for another queen-third time lucky, who knows? Cromwell spins a web of deceit, lies and mirages, taking to task all those who were instrumental in the downfall of his master- the Cardinal. The man is at war, slaying those who crossed him, letting them dig their graves so all he has to do is nudge them into it. He will run out of luck, because we do know the end of such men. They fall prey to the same whims they cater to. So I cannot help but feel awful because Mantel has shown it so remarkably well that we are too good, or too bad in others' stories about us. It just depends on who is writing that bit of history. I admire this fictitious Cromwell's control. Every word is weighed and spoken. Every thought thought and concealed. Every hurt remembered, every kindness repaid. He is loyal. Even to a dead master. He is loving. To his children- sired and adopted. He is loved- by his kids and his servants. Isn't that saying something? I am in awe of Mantel's skill, nay magic. A story we know so well and she can tell it again and hold us by the throats- historical fiction, fiction too has never been as bewitching. #thomascromwell #hilarymantelbooks #hilarymantel #wolfhall #wolfhalltrilogy #bringupthebodies (at Delhi, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CggnIpiLmW3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#thomascromwell #hilarymantelbooks #hilarymantel #wolfhall #wolfhalltrilogy #bringupthebodies

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thegirlbythefirelight · 2 years

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I have walked a tight rope, suspended way above the heights I am accustomed to. On one side was the subject depravity of humanity, the harsh truth about nature and unspeakable acts of violence. On the other the serenity of an inhospitable landscape, made bearable because humans will find any amount of pain bearable as long as there is meaning to it. This landscape was pockmarked with acts of courage, of hope, and love- insurmountable love for ideas, for each other, for music, for meaning. The Lost Pianos of Siberia is a story about pianos and music and how it percolated a topography so lonely, so bleak. It is also a story of Siberia and how beauty can be found anywhere, if only you choose to. @sophy_roberts has created a world so removed from the usual that you and I are accustomed to that you can't help but immerse yourself in it with all your heart. Do check out her stories to get a glimpse of Siberia. (at Delhi, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgRsmdULfrr/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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thegirlbythefirelight · 2 years

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My younger one started school this month. She had been home far longer than expected and so this development was welcome and a bit surreal. On the day we, she and I, went to check out schools at some point she walked into a classroom and refused to come out. There wasn't a farewell or a goodbye kiss. Hell, I could have done even with a lingering glance. Between her and I, it was me whom her principal was counselling. 😂 I guess this is how birds fly from home- one day nestled between your wings, chittering away a thousand stories and the next soaring towards their own skies, unbelievably certain, unwittingly innocent. So the first day I stayed till school got over. The second too- what if she needed me? She didn't. I have a peninsula of calm that I didn't know how to explore. I didn't remember the last time I had an hour to myself. Now half a day, stretches before me. I haunt the cafes around when the kids are in school. Surprisingly, my part of the city is generous to its artists. I nurse just a mere cup of coffee and read and write and no one disturbs me- they don't present the cheque, they don't even ask if I want something else. They leave me alone. Absolutely. One even offered to open its doors at 8 am, if only I could get going that early. I was speechless, just a smut of a smile in lieu of such indulgence. But then again I shouldn't have been shocked- I have survived in life mostly on the kindness of strangers and generosity of their acts, each one so magnanimous in its thought and effort. And so, I also thank you- for being in my circle of life. When I started out, it was only with the intent to chronicle my reading journey. To find people to whom stories and words mattered. Who would share a part of their life in responding to what I wrote here. Thank you for indulging me. #writingjourney #writersuniverse #bookblogger #bookishthoughts #bookstagramnewbie #bookcollector #bookobssesed #coffeeandbooks #delhibookstagrammer #delhibookstafam #indianbookstagram #indianreader #indianbookstagrammer #booksandwriting #bookstagramfeatures #readersread #alwaysreading #neverwithoutabook #nevernotreading #indianwriters #bookishflatlay #raw_books (at Delhi, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgCUZoGrArb/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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thegirlbythefirelight · 2 years

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It is a tale told well. But it is cruel. And sadly, it is so to his family. Karl Ove Knausgard has written or ripped his heart, his life open in this series ‘Min Kamp’. ‘A Man in Love’ is just that- a story about young love, about marriage- the pretty, the tricky bits, about small progressions, little challenges in life- kids, apartment changes, in-laws, tiffs with one’s partner. The tragedies of youth, the permanence of decisions, the wounds we inflict, and those we survive. This story, the series, throws up some ethical questions. Repeatedly I had been astonished by the acuity of Knausgard’s observations about the mundane shards of life. As frequently, the divulged details, his feelings about situations, yes, but more about the people in his life left me shocked and, at times, feeling like a voyeur. We are all unkind, to our loved ones the most, but to put it down on paper and make it permanent is self-destruction of another kind. He remarked once- “When I started out on ‘Min Kamp,’ I was so extremely frustrated over my life and my writing. I wanted to write something majestic and grand, something like ‘Hamlet’ or ‘Moby Dick,’ but found myself with this small life - looking after kids, changing diapers, quarreling with my wife, unable to write anything, really.” That’s simple enough to understand. But how much is too much? It is not easy being a writer’s family. And Knausgard’s work proves that on a very different plane. If you read his interviews, he comes across as such a genuine and gentle person. And so I look at this book differently- we have felt so many of the things that Knausgard writes about- the shames, the frustrations, the horrors of being in situations we have no control over, of people, we are bound to through various threads- and I salute him. His writing is authentic and scary in its leap of faith. He has bled on paper., like how good writing demands you to. He has scarred himself and his family. His work is as real as it comes. #amaninlove #karloveknausgard #norwegianbookseries #delhibookstafam #delhibookstagrammer #indianbookstagrammer #womenwhoread #favouritereads #favouriteauthors #readingallthetime #literaryfiction (at Delhi, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfwaQqZvr_y/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#amaninlove #karloveknausgard #norwegianbookseries #delhibookstafam #delhibookstagrammer #indianbookstagrammer #womenwhoread #favouritereads #favouriteauthors #readingallthetime #literaryfiction

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thegirlbythefirelight · 2 years

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I arrived at parenthood with a lot of reluctance- only because I wasn't sure I would do justice in that role. If I had read both these memoirs before the doubts became a certainty, I would have worried far less. Walls has written about her (& her siblings') childhood though rich in experiences but lacking in care, about brilliant parents who were more inclined to spin stories, drink and live with their heads above the clouds than provide the basics- food, clothing, shelter- to their kids. It was infuriating to see the Walls' kids have popcorn for dinner (sometimes the only meal they would get in the day if they did.) Or pee in a bucket because they couldn't afford a home with a washroom. And yet, these kids managed to make something of themselves. They got themselves an education and broke out of the circle of poverty. By the time Walls was living it up at her ranch, her parents had called it quits on their nomadic life and were living out of dumpsters in New York. What endeared the writer to me was that she tried convincing her parents to live with her at various points, but they refused. Eventually, when she built a cabin on her ranch, where they were more comfortable living how they wanted to. 'The Glass Castle' is an important memoir, though it lacks the seemingly effortless bonhomie of 'The Liars Club'. They both are sad, appalling, sometimes even unbelievable. Both are also proof of how resilient the human spirit is. I liked 'The Liar's Club' better, which isn't to say that this memoir is any less. It's just that if you have read one, the other seems paler. 'The Glass Castle' speaks of a damn tough life with a slight shrug of shoulders and an apologetic peep of the dirt under the carpet. 'The Liar's Club' is a celebration of that life, with a smoking gun, a wink, and a shot of tequila to accompany it. #theglasscastle #jeanettewalls #memoirs #recommededreading (at Delhi, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce5uXywrbuh/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#theglasscastle #jeanettewalls #memoirs #recommededreading

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thegirlbythefirelight · 2 years

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“I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are good people and bad people. You're wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.” Terry Pratchett We are so quick to judge those who deal with addiction and sitting atop that moral high horse think that those battling this issue have some kind of a choice that they don;t have the gumption to make. Shuggie Bain is a lesson in humanity. A story about a young boy who tries hard, really really hard, to help his mother out of her alcoholism makes the primary theme. But a story is just never one story- Shuggie Bain is also a narrative of human apathy, the social cruelty that we exercise with much bravado when we are many, and a quiet testimony of love between a child and parent against the backdrop of heart-breaking helplessness of an addict. There is so much compassion and kindness in Stuart’s story-telling- not just for Bain’s mother but even for his philandering father or the siblings who carved out their own release. That the tale has been inspired by Stuart’s own life made the book more endearing. Some readers have compared this gem to ‘A Little Life’- they couldn't have been more different. This story is all grace, humility, elegance, and poise. It is real, believable and a little bit extraordinary. I won’t even think of comparing it to ‘A Little Life’- a book that I refuse to talk about on principle that I find excessively indulgent and outrightly crappy (see, I am trying to exercise so much self-control here). We are a product of our circumstances. Sometimes, we just don’t have enough reserves to keep fighting the demonic problems that life curdles us with. Willpower is a muscle, we are told. How much of it remains to just wake up and get through another day- so much of that decision is about who we were and what we faced earlier. Shuggie Bain teaches each of us is fighting a harder battle. Just some of us need a bit more courage than others. And they take it chilled or on the rocks. #shuggiebain #bookerprize #indianreaders #gaypride #recommendedreading #bookflatlay #bookreviews #pridemonth #pridereads (at Delhi, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CextguqLmA6/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#shuggiebain #bookerprize #indianreaders #gaypride #recommendedreading #bookflatlay #bookreviews #pridemonth #pridereads

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