I guess I might have mentioned this before but I usually refrain from reading translations.Primarily because I feel a lot is lost in translation and I often end up not liking the book all that much.However I made an exception this time around because I was curious to know what the hype surrounding this book was all about.Everyone was just raving about how super this book was and curiosity got the better of me.This has been originally published in Swedish.
Without further ado , let me get to telling you what this story is about.
Ove is a curmudgeon , a grouchy anti-social old man who finds reasons to dislike people and stay away from them.Moreover he has strict routines, a short-temper and staunch principles.A potent combination for a cantankerous personality.
But behind this cranky exterior there is a story of sadness, so when a chatty couple with two daughters move in next door he finds his world unexpectedely turned upside down.This story is about transformations,friendship and touching lives.
My Views:
First things first.Let me just be completely honest and say that it took me a good while to get into this story.I usually finish an engaging book in three or four days and here I was languishing in limbo with this book in hand.I hate to give up on books despite that being a major hurdle to my reading.So I depressingly got into an indefinite reading slump because I just couldnt bring myself to enagage with this story.It was a no win situation and I grudgingly trudged through the first few chapters at a snails pace.I didnt share Ove's worldview.I couldnt bring myself to like him and he failed to charm me.
However ,not one to give up,I persisted and as the story proceeded I found myself slowly getting to know what makes our protagonist the way he is.I think the way most people behave or connect with others depends largely on what they've faced in life.Man is after all a creature of circumstances to a large extent.The pain of loss and love can be so devastating that it can change a person completely.The loss of his wife, the only person who truly understood him and who mattered to him was heart-rending.
But the arrival of the new neighbours totally turned the story around and it picked pace.It was heart warming to see Ove's frozen heart, thaw.Sometimes people touch our lives in unexpected ways and bring out emotions we never knew existed.It can only be called a miracle to have someone change ones perspective about life in a positive way.Ove's transformation was miraculous indeed and just goes to show that sometimes simply reaching out to people can help bring light into their lives.
This story however was very predictable and though it did succeed in engaging me towards the end,I just cannot forgive it for the time it took me to get there.Go on,call me a curmudgeon!
I rate it a 3 out of 5.
Note:It has also been made into a film which I will grudgingly watch.
How can you not love an animal that gives you its undivided attention , who is always uncontrollably excited when you get home after a long day and who immediately senses when something is wrong.Whats not to adore about such an animal when all they ask in return is love.
So when I chanced upon this book , I knew I had to read it.
This book chronicles a dog's journey through several lives (reincarnations) and how he discovers the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans it touches.The story is divided into four parts-the first part it is born as a stray dog , a feral puppy named Toby.The second life-as a pure bred Golden Retriever named Bailey.The third life as a female German Shepherd named Ellie and the fourth and last time as a black Labrador.He tells us about each life ,the adventures along the way and takes us with him on his journey of self-dicovery .
This is an emotional and heartwarming story of this dog's many lives which also serves as an eye opener to us humans about the unbreakable bonds between man and his best friend.
My Views:
What can I say about this book except that it is a winner all the way!Bruce Cameron is a masterful story teller who has gives us a heartwarming and insightful story about the everlasting,unbreakable bonds between man and his dog.The way this story is simply told through a dog's perspective makes it so enjoyable and provokes so many thoughts.I cant stop gushing about it.Goes to show us that animals feel so much but are unable to say it and how the only way they can show this is by giving their unconditional love and loyalty.I had a lump in my throat and couldnt bear to read some really emotional parts, so please keep a box of tissues at hand.However the book doesnt get overly sentimental and as it takes you on another journey ,you find yourself in a happy space once again.Bittersweet is how I would describe it.
The first life begins as a feral puppy and here he learns to live with other dogs and compete with them for human affection.The second life pulled me right into the story, where he is a golden retriever with a loving family and his undying love for 'the boy',Ethan.I loved this part and wanted it to last forever.Its the most heartwarming and emotional of them all.He finds here that his purpose is to be with Ethan.The third life is surprisingly very different and he is born as a police dog, a German Shepherd and her purpose is to find and save people.And the fouth and last life as a labrador retriever is the most surprising and I wont ruin it by giving out spoilers.
This is a beautiful, thought-provoking and inspiring story.A delight for dog-lovers and non dog lovers alike.The way he even transgresses lifetimes to be with the people he loves and love him back.Makes us think what our purpose is as humans and proves to us that we dont save the dogs we own but its our dogs that eventually save us.
A film based on the book was just released and I am yet to watch it.This novel was on the NYT bestseller list for forty-nine weeks.
I unreservedly rate it a 5 out of 5.
I am utterly spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing books to read , primarily because of my ever expanding TBR pile.Wasnt it Maud Casey who rightly said 'I was born with a reading list I will never finish'?!But I am determined to at least successfully complete the 50 book challenge I have so gullibly taken on.Now,I know its not a mean feat in the book blogging world but at least its a humble start somewhere! So in keeping that in mind I endeavour to write about a book every week.
Here goes the first one.
I picked up ' A Christmas Memory' because I had always been very intrigued about Truman Capote and his writing and especially because I enjoyed 'Breakfast At Tiffanys' ,what with Holly Golightly and her curious lifestyle! Moreover this book promised to be a much sought after autobiographical recollection of his childhood in rural Alabama.Also theres something special about Christmas and it makes me feel good about everything around me and I wanted to temporarily bask in the warmth of the season.
Based on memories from Truman Capotes childhood where he lived with a family of distant , elderly cousins, this reads like a memoir wherein he recounts memories of one special holiday Christmas when he is barely 7 years old , spent with his elderly cousin who he refers to as a 'friend'.The cousin is an old woman,looked upon as senile but exceedingly sharp in her observations and having the sincerity and innocence of a child.It is an unforgettable portrayal of an odd but endearing friendship and the memories they share of holiday rituals.
My Views:
Very few books literally manage to transport you to another world and this one managed to not only do that but it took me back in time as well ,right in the cozy kitchen in Alabama ,redolent with the aroma of fruitcake baking.It is a book which talks about the innocence of simple emotions,the joy of sharing despite having so little,the unexpected happiness in the simplest things.Inspite of their poverty , they celebrate the simple pleasures of life--gathering ingredients for the annual fruit cake baking,searching for the perfect Christmas tree and exchanging hand made gifts.There is warmth exuding from each page and it is one of those books in which the underlying message is so impactful though it is not blatantly stated that it shakes you to the core.
"Its bad enough in life to do without something you want, but confound it, what gets my goat is not being able to give somebody, something you want them to have"---This is said when the cousin (Miss Sook) is unable to give a bicycle to Buddy as a present.The selflesness in those lines is so visible yet they are said so simply.
What a terrific contrast it is to the times we live in today,when everything is so easily available and yet we lead dissatisfied lives.What a remarkable friendship which transcends age!I will aways delight in Sooks excited call to Buddy, "Its fruitcake weather"!
I was overwhelmed after reading it.Just too many emotions coursing through.
And as Sook rightly remarked ,albeit in a different context ,"Theres never two of anything in this world" and this is indeed one gem of a book.
I rate it a 4 out of 5.
