Book Review: The Mysterious Mr. Jacob by John Zubrzycki

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John Zubrzycki, an Australian journalist, gained some fame when he wrote ‘The Last Nizam‘, a book about Mukarram Jah, his rise and subsequent fall. While that book was based on the Nizams of Hyderabad, his book ‘The Mysterious Mr. Jacob’, published by Random House India, is about Alexander Malcolm Jacob, a controversial diamond merchant, and how the Imperial Diamond contributed to his downfall.

Book Cover

The book is part biography and part thriller as the author delves deeper into the court case that started Alexander Jacob’s downfall. Alexander Malcolm Jacob is reported to have been an enigmatic and shrewd business man who practiced magic and illusions and cultivated a strong information network. The author talks about his past, the different versions of how he came to India and became a famous man.

Alexander Jacob owed much of his wealth to the benevolence of the Indian princes, known for competing against each other for status and the chance to show off their wealth by spending extravagantly on precious gems and artifacts from traders like Jacob. He accumulated great wealth on the commission he made from each item sold to these princes and the Britishers staying in India at that time. He also created a hype around myself by exaggerating the ‘adventure’ quotient of his beginnings in India. The illusions which he performed, added to his charisma, such that it was difficult to say no to anything.However, his lucks changed one day when he came to know of the Imperial Diamond. He soon realized that the commission made on this diamond would set him up for life and he would never have to work again.

The book is an interesting read. It tries to be neutral but puts Jacob on a pedestal at several places. The author has, no doubt, put in a lot of work, sifting through old British-era government documents, old newspapers in libraries, visiting each of the places that Jacob spent time in, in order to trace the eventful life of this enigmatic person. The book also reveals a fair bit of politics that the Britishers indulged in, to protect their interests in India. It also paints a picture of ‘society’ during the time the British reigned in India, especially the life of Rajahs and the power that they still enjoyed, in that period.

On the whole, the book keeps you interested in it, till the end. If you are interested in history, this book needs to be read!

Note: A copy of this book was provided by Random House India for an honest review.

Book Review: Tantra by Adi

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You could say that Tantra by Adi falls in the ‘Chetan Bhagat’ genre. I generally try to avoid the ‘Chetan Bhagat’ genre of Indian Fiction. You may not believe it, but there’s usually at least one person in the Delhi Metro who’s reading a Chetan Bhagat book. Everyday. We may criticize him all we want, but you have to hand it over to him for ‘creating’ (for lack of a better word) this genre of pacey novels with story lines that everybody seems to identify with.

Anyway, coming back to the main point, although Tantra by Adi is a light read, it’s not boring and has a kick ass heroine. And, I was in a mood for a light read. So, randomly, I entered myself for the giveaway of the book ‘Tantra’ by Adi on GoodReads and imagine my surprise when I won a copy!

Image Source: www.tantrabyadi.com

This book is about Anu, a vampire hunter who moves to New Delhi for her own reasons, which are actually more personal rather than professional. She’s helped by Amit, a co-vampire hunter (who’s in the friend zone for now) and flirts with Gaurav, a handsome guy she met in a wedding which she was forced to attend by her Aunt who wants to see her ‘settled’.

In this book, she ends up dealing more with a Spiritual Guru gone bad rather than vampires although there is also a mysterious, enigmatic Vampire somewhere in the picture. I am assuming he will play a bigger part in the next book and I won’t be surprised if this is going to be a series instead of a stand alone novel. There are lots of questions that need to be answered and for that, a sequel(s) would be necessary. It also deals with the use of ‘good’ Tantrik magic, which is basically going to be how she ends up defeating the bad guys. The author has quite nicely included, in the background, the rigmarole of arranged marriage and so-called dating for the same. There is no overdose of romance (thankfully!) and lot of action. For a change, a female is the main character who makes the first move and ‘saves’ a male love interest. (Yey for female empowerment!)

Now, the book does have some grammatical mistakes at different places but this ought not to discourage a reader whose sole purpose in reading a book is to get entertained but not have to think too deeply about anything else. So, take it for what it is, a light, breezy but still pacey, funny book which manages the passing of time in an entertaining manner.

Note: This book was won for free in a Giveaway on GoodReads

Book Review: Boats on Land by Janice Pariat

Feature and Follow #1

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This weekly meme is hosted by Parajunkee’s View and Alison Can Read.

Today’s Question is:

What blogger would you most like to meet in real life? Tell us about him or her.

In real life, I think I’d like to meet Nishita @ Nishita’s Rants and Raves.The books she reviews always fall in the genre that I like to explore. And of course, I love her reviews! Her kid also happens to be super cute. Follow her for some good content.

I would also like to meet other Indian book bloggers. I never seem to know the places to look for on the internet where I can find them.

This is my first time participating in Feature and Follow! You can follow me by email or through BlogLovin’.

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May Wrap up

Ernest Hemingway’s Key West Home (PICTURES)

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As per an article by Huffington Post, it’s been sixty years since Ernest Hemingway won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (Old Man and the Sea). I was reading this and other stuff on Hemingway on the internet and tweeting at the same time when one of my friends tells me he has been to Ernest Hemingway’s Key West home. Now, I have always been a Hemingway fan since the time my Uncle gifted me a set of books by Hemingway which included ‘Farewell to Arms’, ‘For whom the bell tolls’, his short stories and ‘The Sun also rises’. His novel ‘For whom the bell tolls’ moved me, especially the character of Pilar.

Visiting his home is a dream for me. I have imagined doing so since I finished reading ‘The Hemingway Adventure’ by Michael Palin and so when Priyank told me he’d been there, I had to get him to share the pictures! And of course, since I care so much about you all, I had to share them here on this blog.

Here are the pictures !

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This page seems to have more information on Ernest Hemingway’s home in Key West. Also, please thank my friend, Priyank for sharing the pictures!

Book Review- Aerogrammes and other stories by Tania James

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I’ve had a massive realization. I’ve realized that I have finished a LOT of books while travelling in trains. And now, add one more to the list. I finished Aerogrammes and other stories by Tania James while travelling between Valsad and Anand on the Gujarat Express. There was a particularly chatty middle aged person sitting next to me but I resisted all his attempts to make me talk to him and finished the book like a good girl.

Book Cover

And what did I think about the book?

I have always liked short stories. Most of them always manage to be profound even though they don’t use so many words. Similar is the case with this book. The stories are inherently profound, but leave it up to the reader to understand the different layers in the characters. Living abroad is a major theme in all the stories and the author quite provides a different perspective. For a change, I was glad to not find stories of alienation and the Desi/Not Desi turmoil that is so much a part of most books written by authors with similar backgrounds(Since not every book turns out to be as good as The Namesake). But there is alienation in the stories, but it’s not the same. It’s also about loss and how distances separate people. I particularly liked the first story ‘Lion and Panther in London’ (The cover seemed to be such a big mystery to me, until I saw the title of the first story) and the story of ‘Ethnic Ken’.

All in all, it’s a book that’s not very heavy on your mind but they are profound and very well written. And you create your own meaning from each story. Tania James has piqued my interest in her with this book. I am tempted to read her first book, ‘The Atlas of Unknowns’ now. Does somebody have a copy?

PS Have you seen her picture? She’s also very good looking.

Note: Copy of the book provided by Random House.