Book review : Mona Lisa's daughter

 

Mona Lisa’s Daughter
by Belle Ami
417 pages, Tema N Merback Publishing
Genre : Historical Fiction


"Life is a brief dream, and love is the only thing that makes it worthwhile".

Why is the smile of Mona Lisa so mysterious in the painting? Valentina is put in a convent by her mother when she is pregnant after she is raped. She works helping the librarian and discovers letters over 400 years old - correspondence between Da Vinci and Mona Lisa. As the librarian wants her to make copies of it in ink and print, she sets about doing it.Once Valentina has the baby, she is convinced by the nuns to give up her baby daughter for adoption and a young Jewish couple adopt her baby. She is forced to return and her mother decides to marry her to her rapist and Valentina leaves her home and becomes a nun in Florence.. But what has Da Vinci's correspondence 400 years ago with Lisa got to do with Valentina and the second world war? The author answers this and much more in her book, 'Mona Lisa's daughter'.

Set in Florence the story entwines the story of Leonardo Da Vinci and Valentina in alternating chapters as they live four centuries apart. The story tells of the history of Florence during the wars during Da Vinci's  time  and Valentina's time. It also talks about the friendship and love between the elderly and gay Leonardo Da Vinci and  young Signora Lisa del Giocondo aka Mona Lisa who was married and had 5 children and whose husband commissioned the portrait. 

It flits all over Italy - Rome, Milan, Pisa and  Florence. By using two timelines and weaving them together, the author amuses the reader with the rivalry between Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti  with Raphael Sanzio and Sandro Botticelli making an appearance apart from Machiavelli and explorer Amerigo Vespucci after whom America is named. In Valentina's time line who else but Benito Mussolini or Il Duce, who had a Jewish mistress and Valentina's rapist Dante whose family are proud fascists. Most WW2 timelines  in fiction pay more attention to Hitler and the Third Reich  but very little to Mussolini, the original fascist who was arrested in 1943 by Italians who then joined with the Allies after which the Germans invaded Italy and took away the Jews to concentration camps in other parts of Europe though many escaped thanks to their fellow Italians.

The writing flows easy, doesn't stow down its pace but reminds one how history might repeat itself if we don't learn from it. The pace is good and makes you wonder who Mona Lisa's daughter is until she makes her appearance and you learn how she ended up.  

One has to applaud the author as she has managed to tell an engaging story based on historical facts. It is tough since it covers so many well known historical icons.

This is one book you have to read this year. Buy it here on Amazon

 

Book review : When Banana Stains Fade

 

When Banana Stains Fade
by Frances-Marie Coke
Genre : Historical  Fiction
Black Rose Writing


"Slavery finish but we fight and cuss one another same way over who have better hair and color.”


I chose this book for the title. All of us know banana stains cannot be removed but can only fade with time.  With this sort of title, I was tempted to wonder what were the banana stains in the story was but the author surprised me.

How does skin color or skin tone of a woman change society's perception of class, beauty or even education? Do many women opt for single parenting or they forced into it?  How has priorities changed over the years for Jamaican women? What is a banana stain curse? These are some of the few questions answered by the author in the book, "When Banana Stains Fade"

It is the story of four generations of a family of Jamaican women, that is heart wrenching and hopeful as with each generation, women have become more conscious of what they wish to be rather than becoming role models of what a patriarchal society tells them to be.  When a woman is raped or sexually assaulted, how does the family handle it , so as to bring closure and normalcy.

Zapping from rural Jamaica to Kingston city to New York to rural Jamaica, the author moves seamlessly between the past and present. The writing is  sensitive and sensible and doesn't shy away from hard facts  especially sexism and sexual harassment- something which is glossed over in fiction as it is hard to write but Coke does it anyway with a sensibility that most authors don't..

It is surprising how living in a totally different continent.  I could understand the stories of those colonized  even after independence remain the similar especially those of women as colonization has not been just physical draining of resources but also of the mind. .


It is a fantastic read in a world that seems to be at war with itself and with its past. Maybe this book will knock some sense into all of us.


Do buy it here on Amazon

Book Review - The Last Bird of Paradise

 

The Last Bird of Paradise
by Clifford Garstang
340 Pages, Black Rose Writing
Genre: Historical Fiction



Aislinn Givvens and Elizabeth Pennington are separated by a century but Singapore is what they have in common. One is a artist and the other is art lover who loves the other woman's paintings. Both have almost similar lives and views after they experience personal losses. Givvens lives in New York and in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks agrees to move with her husband Liam to Singapore leaving behind her career and identity just like Elizabeth almost a century before her who is packed off by her aunt just before the first world war from Britain to Singapore to live with her Uncle Cyril. Both are independent women but find themselves leaving for an unknown country and despite themselves fall in love with the multicultural East.

Zigzagging across New York, Britain, Singapore and Australia and across timelines that seem so different and yet so same, Garstang gives a quick lesson on Singapore history while making us wonder, when does a woman feel emancipation? It also examines the power politics in relationships between couples and between nations which was refreshing.

The writing is crisp with colourful multi-dimensional characters as he alternates between  the story of both women with ease. It was nice reading about the late Mr. Selvadurai even if it is fiction.

Apart from enjoying the book, I learnt a lot about Singapore history and was stunned there was a sepoy mutiny there too during World War 1 as the only Sepoy mutiny I knew of was Indian sepoy mutiny of 1857.

This book is highly recommended as not many write about the city-state of Singapore or the wonderful people and almost too disciplined government that borders on fascism there.

Do buy it and read it here  ====  AMAZON

Book Review : Me Power

 

Me Power 

LaNysha T.Adams

254 pages, New Defree Press

Genre : Non Fiction

 

Who are you? What is empowerment? Does education make you more self aware? More importantly what is education?  How do you take control of your own learning? These questions and more are asked and answered in LaNysha Adams book, Me Power. She doesn’t just answer but also helps the reader practice it.  This is a powerful guide for most people who in this technological world are bombarded with loads of information but not real knowledge.

Adams was refused admission to a doctoral program stating that it was not for her. However, she didn’t give up.  In addition, she narrates startling stories of remarkable people from Monet – nope I didn’t know he had eye disease to her ninth grade teacher. It is an amazing collection of people including the author herself.

Reading books brings me happiness but this book brought me joy. This is one book that completely made me rethink all my limiting beliefs thanks to popular narratives. LaNysha Adams bowled me over with her book. She has kindly given small exercises at the end of each chapter to help the readers achieve what they think is impossible. Once you are done with book, you will think of empower as Me power. Also, you will know how to deal with the ever changing technological world better than you are doing now.

It is a must read for those who find themselves wondering what they can do in a world that seems almost hopeless - that seems filled with hate and seems to drawn into wars which we feel we can only watch and not do anything to stop.. 

 Do buy it here   AMAZON

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review: How We Were Before

 

How We Were Before                                                                                                                                     by Jonathan Kravetz                                                                                                                                  294 pages, Running Wild Press                                                                                                           Genre: Fiction

Do we really know what is going on in the minds of our family members and friends? How important is a local school incident to the rest of the community? Do we really understand the dangerous ends to which small town gossip can lead to? These questions and much more are asked and answered by the author in his book, How We Were Before.

This is a crime novel with a difference. It starts with the crime, the double murder of an elderly couple Pete and Tara when a home invasion is attempted due to rumors, goes wrong and the murderer Billy Lawson who is 18 years old is caught within hours. However, the POV changes as it is narrated by the surviving friend and family of the murdered and the murderer. the local police force, local newspaper and school and how this affects them. Kravetz has used a brilliant technique to narrate what would be a regular murder mystery bringing the small town of Benfield to life including the story of the murdered who fill the gaps to ensure there is smooth transition. Though set across multiple timelines and multiple POV, it brings all the characters to life in the small town of Benfield, Massachusetts.

The writing is good as the pace changes between timelines, and you are learning about the social landscape of Benfield but could be any place in the USA or world and how a crime affects the people of the town directly and indirectly. It has a chaos effect which many may not realize.

This is the feat of the author as this book brings to life full-fledged 3D characters and not just crime and who did it? It makes you wonder. 

It is a must read as it makes you think about your way of thinking about yourself, friends and family and society as a whole. 

Buy it here     AMAZON

Book review of Serabelle

Serabelle: Where the Wealthy Come to Play
by Tavi Taylor Black
Genre : Historical Fiction
325 pages,  ‎ Black Rose Writing

Set against the backdrop of women's suffrage movement.in New England, USA, does being born to a servant means you have to end up as a servant and have no other future? Did a servant life matter in New England in the 1910s? Should they just serve and die ? What about a young  beautiful maid who dismisses the vulnerability of her position and thinks she has a right to life and right to vote? These are questions that the author asks and answers in her book Serabelle.

Mabel Rae is a young teenager who joins the staff of the house of Serabelle which is owned by the Hunt family.Separated from her mother who works as a maid in another estate, Mabel plans to change her fate.  With no money and few rights, the suffrage movement and Alistair Hunt's love give her hope but for how long?  Her best friends are Willie,  an  African American stable boy  and Rebecca who is a maid, Both her young friends only bolster her hope.

Black has written a novel that moves crisply and has a no-nonsense quality to it. If people who employ servants or helpers worldwide, pause and think about what they are doing, this book would have achieved its aim.

Do buy it here on AMAZON

Book Review : The Invisible Hand of Cancer

The Invisible Hand of Cancer
Carola Schmidt
Genre : Non-fiction
142 Pages, Springer International Publishing AG


“The tear that doesn’t go out, goes in.”


Most of know someone who has or had cancer but do you know cancer predates humans? Why do we judge or blame someone for getting cancer?   Did you know there is something called smoking genes? What leads to cell suicide or apoptosis? Is cancer a single disease or numerous diseases which makes it complex? Why is talking about cancer a taboo in most societies? Why do we need to discuss the politics and economics of cancer apart from the taboo and the fear of death ?  How does dance help in cancer prevention?  Why is cancer a costly disease even though it can affect the poor and they cannot afford the treatment.Should we just blame the pharmaceutical industries or is there more to it? How does structural sexism in the heath sector affect treatment ?Did people buy into the false narrative of the cancer pill or phosphoethanolamine?  These questions and more are answered by the authors in the book, "The Invisible Hand of Cancer"

"When we do not talk about the disease, feelings, pain, and problems, they do not disappear. They grow." - This is one of the most sensible and factual statements in the book. It is one thing to think we are sparing the feeling the one with cancer which is a myth in itself, as families and friends if we don't talk about it or as communities, according to the author we fail to provide support to the person afflicted by cancer and whose fear might grow thinking the family and friends are hiding something dreadful from them. Another is the social taboo in some countries against the children of cancer patients who are already suffering or died, treating the children as if they have inherited the cancer from their parents too. So much is the misunderstanding and the taboo about speaking on cancer that this book is essential to talk about it, so a better understanding of what constitutes different forms of cancer will remove the social taboo in society.  

Cancer affects all - kids, women, men and transgender. However, there is a problem when men avoid the doctor. Is it because society teaches boys to be tough and hence men think the same ? The gender stereotype is also a huge problem when treating cancer especially for men it can be deadly as they fail to go to the doctor until it is too late. Schmidt states that even the juice a patient drinks can affect their chemotherapy despite well intention friends and neighbors. So it is always better to run it with the oncologist and pharmacist team who are responsible for the chemotherapy as it changes with each individual and the dosage is extremely important. She shoots down the so called cancer pill and how many people were led astray. Also she clearly mentions how with no data available in the initial stage in Brazil and since cancer was not a priority for politicians or the judges with malaria being the main priority.

Another very important point raised by the authors is the socioeconomic factors - cancer might seem democratic but is highly discriminating towards the poor - as they lack access to good healthcare, proper food, clean water and medicines, postoperative care and not just lack of money. So one has to approach this one with the Human Development Index in mind and not just GDP of a country. Improved living conditions and lesser pollution of water and air and no adulteration of food can make a huge difference.

The writing is simple, crisp and any reader can understand this. Though it is a huge topic,  Schmidt has edited it in such a way that it is easily understandable to the non-medical reader.

This book is a must read if you or someone you know has or had cancer.

Buy it here  on  Amazon.