Custody-Manju Kapur

Manju Kapur is one of the female Indian writers that I liked. She has the flair to immense the readers in the Indian culture and makes me feel intrigued by such a culture. And sometimes, it is quite beyond me that some traditions stay on, despite influences and exposure to the West. Custody discusses marriage, affairs, divorces, and the implications of divorces on custody of children. I find that divorces that involve children are extremely sticky. It is difficult to find a way to dissolve the marriage without hurting the children.

Raman and Shagun are your typical couple, married with two kids. Everything seems fine. Raman's career was going well and he had a gorgeous wife who looked like a star. Until one day, Ashok, an Indian man with Western ideas, came into the picture as Raman's boss. He took a liking to Shagun and began pursuing her, despite knowing that she was his subordinate's wife. And thus began Shagun and Ashok's affairs, which ended in Shagun pressing Raman for a divorce. Arjun, a beautiful boy, who was already a teenager at the time of the divorce, pledged loyalty to his mother, leaving Raman heartbroken. Raman later met a divorcee, Ishita, who was infertile and was grateful for Roohi, Raman's daughter. She began taking care of Roohi and saw Roohi as the daughter she could never have. The venomous Shagun began fighting for access to both children, even though she was the one who had abandoned them for Ashok for a new life in New York. The story ended with Roohi going to Raman and Arjun going to Shagun. Can't really say whether this is a happy or sad ending. Parents get separated, so do children. It is rather sad in that children do not usually have access or control over what happens. Sometimes they do not have much of a choice and it is distressing for a child to have to make a choice between parents.

Manju Kapur created Shagun to be a beautiful but frivolous, materialistic,and selfish woman, who only seemed to care about her own happiness. She makes it so easy to hate this character. Yet on second thoughts, was she wrong to pursue the love of her life. She married Raman when she was very young, and as with most Indian marriages, it was an arranged one. It wasn't really a "love" union and she realised what she had been missing out, after being with Ashok. But no matter what, it still seems hard to like a character who could abandon her children for a man. 

Katharine McMahon- The Alchemist's Daughter

This book certainly isn't on my favorites list. The book was set in the 1800s but there was just something that was discordant with the book's characters and the era. I found Emilie Selden too modern and her language seemed more of our decade than that of 200 years ago. Anyhow, it was quite a well-written book. Emilie Selden was as explicitly stated in the title, the Alchemist's daughter. Her father, John Selden, was a student of Isaac Newton, and tried to raise his daughter to be a scientist and philosopher like himself. This was probably quite unheard of, in that era. John Selden kept his daughter in isolation, in an old house, with two servants. His plan of raising Emilie to be a true blue alchemist, was thwarted by the appearance of two men, one of whom, Emilie later married. Emilie was banished to London when she was pregnant with the child of Alsabie, the charming and philandering merchant. The child was later lost and Emilie began to regret abandoning her father and her scientist life.
The character of Emilie Selden was loosely based on that of the French female scientist, Emilie du Chatelet.

Richard Paul Evans- The Christmas List

James Kier was a real estate mogul, who one day, woke up to find himself in the obituary. The obituary was a revelation to how little love he had in his world. The only person who truly loved and cared for him was his ex-wife, whom he had abandoned for a younger materialistic woman. As he realised how much damage he had done to his life, he tried to make amends to the people he should have cared about. The plot isnt something original or new but I guess, it serves as a reminder to how we should live our lives, and a reminder of  the important things we should really care about.

Daniel Mason- The Piano Tuner

Quite a fascinating historical book, set in the 1800s, in the jungles of Burma and England. The story revolved around a French-made piano- the Erard and a piano tuner Edgar Drake. Edgar Drake was, unwittingly dragged into the politics of war when he was sent an unusual request by the British War Office to repair and tune the piano of a mysterious doctor- Anthony Carroll. How the piano had managed to cross the terrains between England and Burma, was a mystery in itself. More mysterious was what use Dr Anthony Carroll had for a piano in the jungles of Burma. It seemed as if Dr Anthony Carroll wanted to use music to make peace with the people of Burma but as Edgar found out too late, there was more than meets the eye. All that had seemed innocent, such as the strange sheet music sent by Dr Carroll, became evidence for treason, which Edgar was being accused of.
This was a strange and unusual story with a lot of hardwork put into researching the history of the wars between the British and Burmese. Not exactly what I could call leisure reading but definitely intriguing enough to capture the readers' minds.

Sophie Kinsella- Remember Me? and Twenties Girl

Borrowed 5 books during the last trip to the library. Have forgotten the title of the 5th book I borrowed. I wonder what is wrong with my memory (after some serious brain scratching, I finally remembered the title). Memory, a topic closely related to the book Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella. The book opens with Lexi, a gal who was down on her luck. She had barely any money, a terrible boyfriend who stood her up, a career that was going nowhere, bad teeth, etc. Just when things couldnt get any worse, she fell, bumped her head, and landed herself in a hospital.

To her surprise, she woke up being somebody else with a great body, perfect teeth, and plenty of money. Was there a body switch? Nah, it was just Lexi, 3 years later, just that she couldnt remember what transpired in that 3 years.The new Lexi was a successful, rich, and beautiful 28 year old, with a gorgeous looking husband. Lexi thought she had struck gold but she didnt know that along with the material wealth she had gained, she had also lost the essence of who she was. She had lost all her close friends and was stuck in an unhappy marriage with Eric. The story continued with Lexi trying to put everything right and getting acquainted again to the love of her life, Jon, a down-to-earth architect, who worked for her husband.

There wasn't much of a plot here but the book was quite an enjoyable and funny read. Good for some unwinding and for times, when your brains are fried. 

Another funny and casual book for mindless reading. Lara was attending the funeral of her great-aunt, Sadie, who was someone nobody remembered or gave a hoot about. It was there at the funeral, that Lara saw the ghost of Sadie. The ghost of Sadie was a 20-something(I think), with a fiesty and carefree spirit, who loved doing the Charleston. Knowing that only Lara could see her, she started haunting Lara, and demanding that Lara find her her favorite dragonfly necklace. Her last wish that must be fulfilled before she could leave the world in peace. And so the hunt, the haunt, and the fun began! During the hunt, Lara uncovered some dark secrets of her uncle and the love story of Sadie. At the end of the book, Sadie was no longer a nobody that noone cared for, but a famous someone who will always be remembered.
Is it important that we are remembered after we are gone? I remember having a similar conversation with a friend, who said he would want to live his life so that he could be remembered when he was gone. But I couldnt seem to agree with that. If we die, how would we know if we are being remembered? Why is it even important to be remembered? Wouldnt it make more sense to live your life so that while you are alive, you are being surrounded by people whom you love and who love you in turn?I dont and really can't care about the aftermath of my death.