A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer

Hello people,

A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars


A 3.5 would have been apt. Its a gripping book, which you can never put down unless its natures call! A shortened version of Dumas classic,which is why I have just given it 3.5 instead of a 4+, this one never loses its pace. A prisoner falsely accused of murder, impersonates his cellmate ,who was perhaps unfairly accused of manslaughter, and sets about to correct a few things. In the process his life completely changes and from a small town lower middle class brash man he ventures into uncharted waters and excels.

The closing was superb with a retired judge and a veteran esteemed solicitor stealing the show. Only thing which is questionable is perhaps the practicality of the story at the time it was set.

A really fast read which could just refresh you completely.

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Death at My Doorstep by Khushwant Singh

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Death at My Doorstep by Khushwant Singh
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I am reading Khuswant Singh, 'seriously', for the first time. I had read his short stories as lessons in school and that's that. I thought or had an image of him as an elderly man who loves children and writes soft stories. So I had a great man in my mind. But how all that was shattered by this one.

This is a book of memoirs of some people he had come across in his life and are presently dead. It's like he is awaiting his death and thinking about some others he knew and are currently dead. He doesn't necessarily criticize or praise anyone with intent, though does that inadvertently some times.

He comes across as a typical rationalist who seeks proof for every single thing on the earth or the universe which cannot be sensed by humans or which could be sensed. Though he only bothers to ask this from others and not at any time is concerned about a proof for his won theories. Example when he says there is no proof for life after death, he also has to think about there not being a proof for NO life after death! But I think thats why he calls himself and agnostic.

About the book itself I found nothing interesting as a whole. Though some parts like that of Bhutto, one Rajni Patel and lastly his dog, Simba was interesting. I think I could see the first impression of him,that I had, only in the Simba portion. He is not having an open mind for an agnostic and I expected much better thoughts and a heart from a man 96 years old and with all that experience.

If you have nothing else to do and a couple of hours to spare, you can pick this book up and go through.

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The Language of the Gods in the World of Men: Sanskrit, Culture, and Power in Premodern India by Sheldon Pollock

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The Language of the Gods in the World of Men: Sanskrit, Culture, and Power in Premodern India by Sheldon Pollock

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I left this book just 10% into it. It starts by saying that Sanskrit is 2000 - 3000 years old, while the first written material in Sanskrit was found to be from about 4000-3000 BC. Also when the origin of the language is not clear, it was not apt to finalize its age as around 2000 years old.
Next I came across, usual things like Sanskrit being forbidden for the "lower" varnas. The author emphasizes the ranking for the varnas and says that the Shudras would have thought what they could not do that the "higher" varnas can. But the author doesnt bother to think that its one who cannot think or is not interested in education is called a shudra while not the reverse as in a shudra was not "banned " from education. The author bypasses the important fact that Valmiki who wrote the epic "Ramayana" in Sanskrit was a Shudra. I couldnt bear with the usual western view of Indology and left the book.
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