Book Review: Miracle on the 17th Green by James Patterson

Book Title: Miracle on the 17th GREEN

Author: James Patterson and Peter de Jonge

Genre: Fiction

ISBN: 978-0-316-69331-8
Pages: 152 
Source: Local Library

From the inside cover:

Travis McKinley is an ordinary man living an ordinary life - he has a job that he despises, a marriage that has lost its passion, children from whom he feels disconnected, and at age fifty, a sense that he has accomplished nothing of consequence with his life. But on Christmas Day, he goes out to play a round of golf, and for the first time, he finds himself in the "zone". He sees the putting line that has eluded him for years. Always a fairly good golfer, he finds himself playing like a pro and is so caught up in his excitement that he continues to play, sinking putt after putt, missing Christmas dinner with his wife and family. It is too much for his already troubled marriage. 

His family collapses - but Travis is soon too busy living his dream to notice. His amazing new golf skills catapult him into the PGA Senior Open at Pebble Beach, where he advances to the final round with two of his heroes, Jack Nicklaus and Raymond Floyd. And with his wife, children and a live television audience watching, a miracle takes place on the 17th green that will change Travis, and his family, forever.

My Thoughts:

This is a very typical Christmas story : a feel-good story that talks about family and relationships.The write-up from the inside cover of the book pretty much summarizes the story.. This is the first book by James Patterson that I am reading and I wouldn't say I looooved the book, but in all fairness, it's a light read(I finished reading this book in one sitting) and it is pretty humorous. 

The author's love for the game of golf is seen in the book... Oh ya, the book does use quite a bit of golf terminology(of-course you must have gathered from the title, that golf plays a major part in this book) but you don't have to be a golf pro to follow the book. I have grown up hearing my dad talk about golf and so I have always been fascinated by the game. But I would be lying if I said I know the game inside-out, I just know enough to understand the difference between a birdie, bogey & an eagle and that Jack Nicklaus & Arnold Palmer are some of the big legends of the game!!! Well... if any of the above words ring even a faint bell for you somewhere, then you will enjoy this book :)


My take on this book:

A light, feel-good book with a humorous angle to it, especially recommended for people who like golf (even a faint interest towards the game is counted) and believe in Christmas miracles...

Rating: 

Book Review: I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali

Book Title: I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced

Author: Nujood Ali with Delphine Minoui

Genre: Memoir

ISBN: 978-0-307-58967-5
Pages: 192 
Source: Local Library

A quick look at the story:

Nujood is born in Yemen to a poor family and since her birth was not recorded in any hospital records, her mother guesses her age to be around 9 or 10 years (in 2008, when the story was written). Hers is a big family consisting of 2 elder brothers, 2 elder sisters and many more younger siblings.... One day in Feb 2008, a man in his thirties approaches Nujood's father and asks for his daughter's hand. Nujood's father agrees to the wedding without even asking for Nujood's consent thinking that it would result in one less mouth for him to feed. But in turn he extracts a "verbal" promise from his future son-in-law that he would not consummate the wedding until Nujood enters puberty. However, things are different post-wedding,  Nujood is forced by her husband into having sex and is also physically abused by both her husband and mother-in-law. Couple of months after her marriage, Nujood visits her parents hoping that they would free her from her hell-hole, but her father fails to take her side claiming that, post-marriage a girl is her husband's property and that she has to learn to adjust. The fear of having to bear any further torture at her husband's hands drives Nujood to the courthouse to file for divorce. The rest of the book describes the story of how Nujood manages to get her divorce and moves on with life, thanks to some kind-hearted people like the lawyer- Shada, the reporter - Hamed and the judges. 

My Thoughts:

I remember watching Nujood's story in the news in 2008 and I felt really sad at her plight but at the same time I was admiring her courage to stand up against her husband & father and file for divorce!! So when I saw the review for this book in bermudaonion's blog, I knew I wanted to read it and immediately requested it at my local library. 

I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced, is a 1st person account of Nujood's life and the abuse she suffered at her husband's hands. It's the story of courage shown by a 10 year old girl in a highly male-dominated culture. There is a proverb in India which roughly translates as "A cornered cat is as dangerous as a tiger" and that is exactly how I would describe Nujood's case - married off against her wishes at the tender age of 10, to a guy who is three times her age, Nujood was not even aware of what sex was and she was repeatedly raped and abused by her husband, eventually leaving her with just two options - either silently bear the torture all her life or defy the laws of her society and file for divorce. She was a brave girl to have chosen the second option, but how many of us would dare to take that risky path especially at the age of 10??? 

Nujood's story sheds light on the practice of child marriage and marital abuse which is prevalent in most of the middle-eastern countries and even in lot of villages in India!! There are hundred's of Nujoods out there, with no courage or option to change their situations and hence, end up silently suffering all their life. Thanks to the media coverage, Nujood has become an international figure and also a source of inspiration for lot of young girls who are stuck in similar situations, she was named as 'Woman of the Year' in 2008 by "Glamour" magazine. She is now pursuing her education and is determined to become a lawyer who fights to save young girls from abuse. Here's wishing her luck for all her dreams to come true....  

My take on this book:

This book is a memoir written in simple easy-to-understand language and gives us an insight into the plight of children/women in Yemen. It is highly recommended for both young-readers as well as adults.

Rating: I don't feel it is appropriate to rate this book. It is a must-read. period.

Book Review: Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

Book Title: Something Borrowed

Author: Emily Giffin

Genre: Chic-Lit

ISBN: 978-0312-32119-2 
Pages: 322 
Source: Local Library

A quick look at the story:

All her life Rachel's been the nice, obedient, liked-by-all kind of gal and then on the night of her 30th b'day she does the unthinkable - she ends up sleeping with her best-friend Darcy's fiance - Dex!!! She tries to put it off as an accident but realizes that it suddenly doesn't seem all that easy and simple - she seems to have feelings for Dex and it might be mutual.... the rest of the book is all about whether Darcy gets her mind to prevail over her heart or vice-versa...

My Thoughts:

I have to admit that it's been a looooong time since I read a chic-lit. Of-late I have been reading a lot of 'heavy'- content books and decided that I should switch and read a light-book and am glad I decided to pick this one....  I really liked this book a lot. The author, Emily Giffin's writing is simple & attractive and keeps you wanting to read the next page and find out what happens next... I finished this book in a single sitting!! 

The story as I mentioned in the summary, is one that tests the depth of friendship between Rachel and Darcy. All through the 25 odd years that they have been best-friends, their respective roles in the friendship are pretty clearly defined - Darcy is the pretty chick with a domineering and 'I-can-get-whatever-I-desire' attitude and she has a equally good-looking lawyer fiance in Dex, while Rachel is the smart, adjusting gal who is accustomed to always playing second fiddle to her friend and is still single.  On the career-front, Darcy is in a high-profile HR job which totally fits with her hip-n-happening Manhattan lifestyle, and Rachel on the other hand works as an attorney in a law firm which sure helps  in paying her student loans but the job as such is not something which she really cares about.  Then comes along the day when Rachel turns 30 and as the party winds down she finds herself in bed with Dex - who is not just her friend from law-school but also Darcy's fiance!

Usually, such a storyline is not the most pleasant one and the last person one would sympathize with in this scenario, is somebody in Rachel's shoes - imagine... how in the world can one justify a girl sleeping with someone else's fiance, especially if that guy is engaged with your best-est friend!!! Now here is where I feel the author should be commended - though the entire story has been narrated from Rachel's point of view, Emily Giffin has described each of the characters in depth and she has also portrayed beautifully the myriad emotions going through Rachel's mind - be it her love for Dex, feelings of affection and loyalty towards Darcy and above all her guilt at having betrayed her friendship. In the end, I have to agree that the author did succeed in making me feel sympathetic towards Rachel, infact to the extent that I even felt hatred towards Darcy for her arrogant and insensitive behavior towards Rachel!

My take on this book: 

A very nice chic-flick story, with all the drama and is surely a light-read!! Even though the entire story is not something which everyone can relate to, there are lot of aspects of the story am sure each of us can relate with.

The sequel to this book is called "Something Blue" and that has the same story as told from Darcy's point of view. Well, no prizes for guessing that I did read the sequel too, and shall be posting my review for that soon.... :)

Rating: 

Book Review: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Book Title: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

Author: Alan Bradley

Genre: Fiction - Mystery

ISBN: 978-0-385-34230-8
Pages: 370 
Source: Local Library

A quick look at the story:

The story is set in the summer of 1950 in a scenic English countryside, where eleven year old Flavia de Luce, the heroine of the story, lives in an old Mansion called Buckshaw along with her dad and two older sisters. Flavia is a smart and precocious child with a passion for chemistry & a penchant for poisons!!! One evening, a dead bird is found on the doorstep of their mansion with a postage stamp pinned to its beak and then early next morning Flavia stumbles on a man lying in their garden, taking his last breath ... this sets the scene for the rest of the story wherein Flavia takes it upon herself to solve the case and to find the murderer much ahead of the policeman investigating the case...

 

My Thoughts:

I must admit that there were two things which I found attractive the moment I set my eyes on this book on a fellow blogger's blog,

• one was the pleasant green color of the book with a picture of a postage stamp pinned on a dead bird's beak.... and the other, 
• was the title of this book... I felt it was a very creative title for a book especially a mystery one!!

Now coming to the actual story... no doubt that Alan Bradley is a talented writer: the story is a gripping, fast-paced one and it revolves totally around the central character - Flavia. Now here's where I have conflicting emotions... I surely do like the smart, witty and intelligent Flavia who is bursting with enthusiasm and has a thirst-for-adventure but at the same time I feel that it's a very thine line that separates a smart kid from an over-smart one and Flavia to me was leaning more to the over-smart side. I mean, she is just a 11 year old kid and I somehow can't relate to her concocting complicated solutions and toxins in a lab all by herself... infact the part of the story where I initially felt she was acting way over  her age was right in the beginning of the story..... the police come over to the mansion to investigate the crime scene and when the inspector asks her to get her dad, Flavia replies that her dad need not be disturbed from his sleep and that she can lead the police to the crime scene herself... Now, which 11 year old child would act so unperturbed and adult-like at a murder scene ... if I was in her place I would have right away fetched my dad!!! Then again, I do realize that it's just a fictitious story and character... and in all fairness to the author, his descriptions about Flavia seem to indicate that aside from her passion for chemistry, she is just like any other kid her age, seizing every opportunity to pull a fast one on her two teenaged elder sisters... :)

In a nutshell, apart from a few quirks that I had with the heroine's characterization, the plot is a good one and would surely keep the readers interested especially the way it's unravelled... I surely do plan on reading the next book in this series, The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag.

I am sure I fall into that minority of people who did not like Flavia de Luce's character fully.... the majority of the people in the blogosphere love her and here are couple of wonderful reviews on this book by fellow book bloggers:

http://bfishreads.blogspot.com/2010/03/review-sweetness-at-bottom-of-pie-by.html

http://www.thebookladysblog.com/2010/04/02/just-read-it-the-sweetness-at-the-bottom-of-the-pie/

My take on this book: 

A good plot with a slightly precocious and 'over-smart' lead character...  recommended for both first-time mystery readers as well as regulars.

Rating: 

Book Review: Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

Book Title: Saving CeeCee Honeycutt: a novel

Author: Beth Hoffman

Genre:  Literary Fiction

ISBN: 978-0-670-02139-0

Pages: 306

Source: Local Library

A quick look at the story:

The book is set in the year 1962. Cecilia aka CeeCee is a 12 year old girl living in a small town in Ohio called Willoughby. She has spent most of her childhood taking care of her psychotic mother, Camille while her dad has conveniently chosen the easier path and kept himself away from his family on the pretext of his sales job. One day when Camille dies in an accident, CeeCee's great aunt Tootie arrives and takes her home with her to Savannah, Georgia. The rest of the story is about how CeeCee thrives in an atmosphere filled with people (read as: Aunt Tootie, her housekeeper Oletta and Mrs Odell) who genuinely care for her and shower her with love and affection. 

My Thoughts:


I picked this book from my library after reading rave reviews about it by almost everybody in the blogging world. And I have to agree the book did not disappoint me one bit. Now who doesn't love a nice, feel-good story...  I really really liked it!! 

I agree the story is kind of predictable and does not have much of a surprise element to it but what kept me hooked on to the book was the attention to detail by the author. I loved the way Beth Hoffman has talked about and described each and every character in her story however small their role is, be it the nosey-Miss Hobbs whom everybody detests or the sweet Miss Obee who sneaks marbles in her dress. She has also portrayed relationships beautifully, such as the friendship between Lucia and Rosa Hoffman, the unspoken mother-daughter affection between Oletta and CeeCee.  In addition, Beth Hoffman has also addressed the key issues that existed in the American society at that time such as, racial discrimination, deforestation and protection of one's heritage, in a very subtle way. 

The book has lot of instances wherein Aunt Tootie and Oletta try and instill self-confidence in CeeCee but below, I have mentioned one particular line from the book which distinctly stood out for me:

My aunt's face was so serious I couldn't imagine what she was going to say. She took hold of my hand and looked into my eyes. "It's what we believe about ourselves that determines how others see us." (p.249)

All in all, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is a heartwarming story and is highly recommended by me both for book clubs as well as for individual book readers. And oh...did I tell you that this book fully justifies the usage of the phrase "Southern Hospitality" !!!

I am already eagerly awaiting Hoffman's next book... In case you are interested, here's the link to her website: http://bethhoffman.net.

Did you get a chance to read this book? Please do feel free to let me know of your thoughts on this book as well as my review...

My take on this book: Highly recommended. Period.

Rating: 

Book Review: Quiet Strength

Book Title: Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, & Priorities of a Winning Life

Author: Tony Dungy & Nathan Whitaker

Genre: Biography & Autobiography/Sports, Memoir

ISBN: 978-1-4143-1801-1

Pages: 301

Source: Local Library

My Thoughts:

Tony Dungy takes you through his life starting as a football player and his move onto football coaching eventually leading to his team - the Indianapolis Colts' victory in the Superbowl held in 2007. Throughout the book he emphasizes about the morals and principles instilled in him by his parents and also about his christian calling and how they helped in shaping the person that he was/is today.

Overall - a very inspiring and feel-good book. And you don't have to know football to read the book - he explains pretty clearly about the various plays, people and games as and when he refers to them in the book, however I would say knowledge of the game would surely help you appreciate the book better because most of the people and incidents referred to in the book are involved with football.

The one thing I really liked about this book is that it is NOT preachy!!!

My take on this book: This is a good, inspiring book and recommended particularly for people who have even the slightest interest in American football.

Rating: 

Book Review: The Blue Notebook

Book Title: The Blue Notebook

Author: James A. Levine

Genre: Literary Fiction

ISBN: 978-0-385-52871-9

Pages: 206

Source: Local Library

My Thoughts:

I picked this book after a I read its review at my friend Ramya's blog. Let me warn you at the outset that this book is a very powerful and disturbing read!! It gives you a peek into the life of a 15 year old child prostitute, Batuk, who lives in the city of Bombay in India.

 The book describes various incidents from Batuk's childhood-her happy times with her family and also talks about the circumstances which led to her being sold at the tender age of 9, to an "Uncle" in Bombay  by her own dad. The story then goes on to talk about Batuk's life in Bombay between the ages of 9 and 15.  

An interesting aspect about this book is that it is written in 1st-person narrative, unlike most books/articles on such topics, wherein the author gives us a 3rd-person view of the situation. The 1st-person narration lets you have a look into the protagonist's day-to-day life as is, without it being clouded with too much of sentiments and emotions. Also, since the book is written from the perspective of Batuk, who is a smart young girl with basic schooling, there is a lot of innocence in her language but at the same time her experiences in life has given her a maturity which far surpasses her age!! It shows you how resilient and adaptable we humans are. For example, in the book, Batuk equates the act of having sex with her clients to that of baking a cake - she says, timing is very important to obtain a cake of the right consistency!

Overall, this story is not an easy read and has graphic and violent descriptions of sexual scenes!! But eventually, when you do finish reading the book, the brutality of the entire child-prostitution scenario will hit you hard and will make you more aware of whats happening in the world around us!!!

My take on this book: It is a recommended read for adults with a strong-heart...

Rating: