The Grapes of Wrath is a passionate book, it’s Steinback accusing the society of wrongdoing and it leaves you with a deep sense of social injustice. Set in 1930’s, during the Great Depression- the story focusses on the Joad family. Focussing on just one family gives Steinback the opportunity to go in-depth into each family … Continue reading The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinback
This is one of the oddest books I have read. Some bits of the plot and the main character are a bit strange but the overall story is still extremely gripping and thought-provoking. Interestingly the story starts with the ending. You already know WHAT has happened but then you spend the next 600 pages discovering … Continue reading A Prayer Owen Meany- John Irving
I will admit upfront that this is a slow book and it took me a long time to plod my way through it. Especially the middle third of the book is unbearably tedious as Eliot goes into the minute inconsequential details of the daily lives of the key characters. Having finished the book, I was dragging … Continue reading Middlemarch-George Eliot
I have not read much spy fiction so don't know where Le Carre ranks in the pantheon of spy literature, but from the evidence of this book and 'The Night Manager', he must rank pretty high. I read the 50th anniversary edition of 'The Spy Who Came in From the Cold' which came with an … Continue reading The Spy Who Came In From the Cold – John Le Carre
If there was a list of books that people want to read but never got around to doing it, I suspect this one would feature in a large number of them. I decided to take the plunge and finally got it off my list. And I am glad, I did. I have earlier tried and … Continue reading Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dosteyevsky
I have a vague feeling that a couple of decades ago, I have read or atleast attempted to read 'Far from the madding crowd' by Thomas Hardy. But considering I barely remember anything about it, Tess of the d'Urbervilles is my first proper introduction to Thomas Hardy's work. The novel is a tragic coming of … Continue reading Tess of the d’Urbervilles- Thomas Hardy
The Spanish Civil War has inspired a whole body of work in art and literature. I am not much of an art historian, but I remember being awe struck standing in front of Picasso's Guernica in Madrid's Museo Reina Sofia. I had not known much about the civil war then but I had vaguely heard … Continue reading For Whom The Bell Tolls – Ernest Hemingway
