The Matchbreaker

Oh! I've forgotten to mention one thing - Singapore is being mentioned in this book. I guess Ms Manby does know her geographics.

The Matchbreaker

THE MATCHBREAKER
Author: Chris Manby

You would have thought that I’d learn my lesson since my last foray with Ms Manby’s book, Girl Meets Ape. But no, I was adamant.

This time, it is not that painful, though TM is not as satisfying as READY OR NOT? The only reason I think this is because TM is being narrated in the first person’s perspective. I always find stories written in this manner much more fluid, real and personal.

Lindsey Parker is definitely not someone I would like to have as a friend. Extremely pampered and spoilt, to the extent that she almost ruins others’ lives unconsciously. She learns about life, respect, growing up and most essentially, about the importance of not sticking her nose where it should not be in the first place.

An amusing twist exists in this book, though I could recognize the slight bump early on – this, of course, takes away much of the surprise when all is finally revealed in the end.

However, there is an added drama almost at the very end, that made my jaw opened slightly bigger than usual.

The TRUIzM

My only conclusion is Ms Manby can really weave a darn book story, but only if she is feeling up to it. She continues to be hilarious – you will smile at certain scenes – but above all, TM does not provide the ‘high’ that I got from RON. Having said that. TM is notches better than GMA.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS

Author: Khalid Hosseni

After a spellbinding tale in his first book, The Kite Runner, Mr Hosseni once more spins an ALMOST similarly delicious and engaging saga in A Thousand Splendid Suns. Delicious yes, but the aftertaste leaves a thousand unanswered questions.

Unlike TKR, which is written from a first person’s point of view, thus I found easier to be immersed in the character’s mind, ATSS is being told mainly from two women’s perspectives. Often, as the reader, I have had to switch gears in order to follow their train of thoughts.

The story is pretty predictable. And there’s hardly any hidden plot or intricate twist (as you would find in TKR). And when I was done with it, I did not find have the satisfying burp, as you would after a fine, delectable cuisine.

I’ve voiced out the many WHYs to Hubs, who has read the book, and even after discussing about it, albeit briefly, I am still unsatisfied. I felt the characters could have done what they eventually did much earlier in the story. And the near-conclusion – I have to ask – if it is being set during the Taliban era, I would imagine that it would not be so easy for a lone and poor woman with children in tow to move from one county to another.

Those apart, ATSS does not disappoint, especially in highlighting the restricted movement allowed for women during the Taliban era. I marvel at how Mr Hosseni, being a man, can be so sensitive and sympathetic to the plight of these unfortunate women. I will always remember the scene where one character has to endure a Caesarian surgery without any anesthesia (only hospitals for men were equipped with drugs and the proper medical instruments) – how she fought, how she struggled, and how she hang on before eventually letting the world hear the pain she was undergoing.

The TRUIzM
ATSS fails to move me as much as TKR, over which I cried oceans. However, I would still recommend this, as the engaging storyline, though predictable, is being weaved in a very intricate and beautiful manner. It is a waste not to devour it.

Girl Meets Ape

GIRL MEETS APE
Author: Chris Manby

You’ve heard me rant and rave about Chris Manby. You’ve heard me sing praises about that one particular first-book-first-love that I chanced upon. Eagerly, I added her name to my list of must-read books by chosen authors.

So what did I do? I dived in straight to the next book by Ms Manby that I saw on the shelf. And oh boy, what a ride it was. Downhill, I meant.

I do not know which book did Ms Manby write first – Girl Meets Ape or Ready or Not? My guess, and my hope, is that the she wrote the former. If this is the first book, then at least she is getting better.

What a major disappointment in GMA. Heroine Jennifer Niederhauser is a total let-down. Though she is academically bright, the way she is painted in the book does not reflect her modern upbringing. This story, while full of interesting anecdotes on wild life (read: apes, chimpanzees etc), fails miserably in comedy, surprises and ending. All three are lacking, though Ms Manby tries.

Comedy is scattered here and there, but the way the scenes are set up, the humor is very thin and obviously amateurish. Surprises there are none and the ending, why, even before I was halfway through the book, I had predicted the ending (very accurately).

The TRUIzM
I smiled? Nope. I laughed? Nope. I cried? Nah. Maybe a little – of joy, at finally having finished this painful story that tries very hard to humor but falls flat like a big sack of potatoes. I wouldn’t put this book on the shelf in my personal library.

Kite Runner The Movie

I may be biased when I do this review. Because I have read the book, and have cried oceans over it, and have had scenes from the book playing in my mind long after I am done reading, I have expected much more, if not on par, with the movie version. This hope is intensified by the favorable local review of the movie and the global acceptance.

I am, however, disappointed.

I have to be fair here – my disillusionment does not have anything to do with the actors, setting, direction, cinematography and all-film related matters. Rather, if you look at Kite Runner as the movie, it would fairly pass as a ‘good movie’. The actors do not disappoint (the aging of Baba-jan from a young to an aging, sick father is truly believable – ditto for Rahim Khan), the settings appear real (although shot in China), and the cinematography is excellent. I especially like the credits at the beginning of the movie. The artistic element, combined with such appropriate fonts, bring out the essence of the story and theme very well.

My disenchantment lies in the way the script has been modified to suit the length of a movie. Many crucial parts have been omitted, so much so that I, who have read the book, could not help but to compare the two versions. If the omissions were done subtly, perhaps I would not have noticed and may forgive. However, the omitted scenes were those that portray Amir’s many struggles and survival. These scenes are crucial as these reflected the development of Amir’s character.

I fail to empathize with Amir the Movie. Undoubtedly, I like Amir the Book better.

THE TRUIzM
You will enjoy this if you have not read the book. However, if you watch it first, and find that you like it, wait till you read the book. You will be overjoyed. Don't forget to read my review (go to older post) if you have not.

Tending Roses

Author: Lisa Wingate

If Ms Wingate’s sole intention of penning this is to make us ‘stop and smell the roses’; I’d say she has succeeded.

Kate Bowman has a task no one can possibly envy – to cajole 89-year old Grandma Rose to move out of her Missouri farm to a nursing home. Although almost senile and has, on several occasions, unwittingly almost set the half-century old house on fire, Grandma Rose is a strong and stubborn character, who through her own handwritten daily dairy, has been telling Kate more about life than Kate would possibly imagine or learn from anyone else.

Kate herself does not come to the farm with no baggage. On maternity leave with an infant who has a chronic disease and a husband who is struggling with a new business, Kate is often exasperated by the emotional and financial problems. Throughout her stay at the farm and through her interactions with Grandma Rose, she is forced to re-evaluate her life and priorities.

This book is a wake-up call of sorts to me. As with Kate, I begin to rethink of my life and my priorities and if I am really doing justice to those whom I claimed I love. I especially like this from the book: ‘Maybe you should start wanting less.’

I think if we live by that mantra, we can be much happier than we are now.

Kate’s financial problem is something that we all struggle with everyday, and in that aspect, I can sympathize with her and her frustrations.

However, the flow of the book is quite slow – while characters develop fast, the pace is sluggish. Perhaps, it has to do with the setting – an old sleepy farm town in Missouri. Yawn.

The TRUIzM
A slow-moving book with characters AND issues that you can easily identify with. To read only if you have a huge amount of patience.

Ready or Not?

Author: Chris Manby

What a read. I was anxious to know the end, hurriedly devouring page after page, but as I came to the epilogue, I was very sorry that I had reached there. I wished it had continued.

Chris Manby has a gem in this book. The synopsis almost fooled me – about an ex-boyfriend coming into the live of Heidi Savage, an about-to-be wife (to someone else). I’d thought it would be one of those soppy stories where the girl would suddenly find that her true happiness lies in her ex, and not in the fiancé, and that the story would revolve mostly about her, her character development and her ultimate discovery.

But oh boy, was I wrong! There are many other characters who add the juicy bits and intricate twists. Kara, Heidi’s best friend, a single mother of a six-month old baby, comes in with her funny antics and her own discovery too. And so does Mrs Savage (Heidi’s mother). All these, and many more, does not do justice to the very brief synopsis that you find at the back of the cover.

This book is more about girl-meets-boy kind of love story – it also touches on the fears of every woman about to approach or thinking of approaching motherhood - the uncertainty of not being an adequate and able mother, the fear of being fat, the fear of breastfeeding and NOT.

Above all, Ms Manby manages to talk about this (and more, including Heidi’s experience in witnessing a birth video as she stands in as Kara’s partner) via Heidi’s feisty and witty character. The story is full of twists and plots, the dialogues are hilarious and real, the feelings appropriate and since Ms Manby is writing in first-person, I was able to follow Heidi’s train of thoughts.

The best part of this book is that I was kept to my toes till to the very end, as Heidi reveals something that I would never have expected, as it is in the very last pages of the book.

Oh boy. What a ride.

The TRUIzM

I smiled. I laughed. I cried. If you are a mother, or going to be a mother (or father), you have to read this. It addresses issues mostly associated with having children and family, finding eternal love and feeling silly lucky. As for me, I am on a hunt for more of Chris Manby’s treasures.