Book Review : The Whispering Women #Book 1 of A Delafield and Malloy Investigation

 

The Whispering Women

by

Trish MacEnulty

‎387 pages, Prism Light Press

Genre : Historical Fiction

 

Is it insane for women to expect respect, dignity and equality in today’s world? After the failure of Roe vs. Wade, it is worrisome when a story set over a hundred years ago in New York sounds timely and relevant today even though it is said to be historical fiction. Whispering Women is set in 1913, which is 110 years ago addresses the women’s rights under attack today: abortion, contraception, equality in wages, the right to vote, etc in today’s USA. 

 The author uses the characters of Louisa Delafield and Ellen Malloy to tell a story of why women in the USA decided to seek these rights and what were the underlying causes to do so especially the right to vote and use contraception instead of dying an early death especially by women who were raped by men of high society. As I read the novel, I was reminded of HBO’s The Gilded Age.

Louisa belongs to the old money high society elite whose dead father has managed to destroy their inheritance. She is scraping by as a society column writer and is told to expand as the readers are bored with dresses, debutantes and designers. She decides to write a crime column. The other protagonist is Ellen, an Irish immigrant who works as a lady’s maid and witnesses her friend and fellow servant Silvia die due to an illegal abortion conducted by a high society doctor. Ellen manages to escape and this how Louisa and Ellen meet. While Louisa offers Ellen protection, Ellen collects information to help Louisa connect the dots in a police matron’s murder and thus solve the crime of her own friend’s murder.

Trish MacEnulty creates a rich world and interesting characters. Well researched, the writing style is crisp and easily moves from ballrooms to brothels with a pace that would make the readers glued to the book. The notion of capitalism and the use of gangs of New York makes one shudder with anger. But that is what it is all about, isn’t it? Certain things in particular are emphasized, especially how, even though Silvia’s pregnancy was forced upon her, she would have been the one punished for ending it and dies along with her immigrant dreams. The men face no consequences, even when it is them who are the cause of the problem. It is always about power, isn’t it?  If you wish to read a book on white slavery, this would be it.

What Louisa writes about in her column are still issues which over a century later, still remain issues and such parallels show just how important these things are in society now and bursts our notions of women’s equality today as opposed to a barbaric, class filled past where women’s lives didn’t matter, especially those of women without money.

If you like historical fiction and mysteries, this is just the book for you.

You can buy it on Amazon.

Rebel - Women Who Dare - Book 1

Rebel
by Beverly Jenkins
Avon Books, 2019


As a reader, it is fantastic and exciting when you discover a new author who creates a fantastic book. This was it for me in January. I have never read any of her books and now plan to read all of it considering she has been writing since 1994 especially her "Women Who Dare" series. Rebel is the first book in this series.

Don't be diverted/misled by the book's cover. If you think this is simple romance, think again. If you have read "Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell and loved it, this can be considered as a continuation of the story about what happened after the American Civil war and for a change from the African American's perspective. So the Civil war took place and after that what? Reconstruction, of course. But how? Did the white Americans agree to equality after defeat and treat the enslaved equally? Why are there so many white supremacist groups and why are there so many ghettos even after two centuries in the USA? What about education, jobs, etc.? What were the roots of the Democrat and Republican party? This book is just an introduction to that history.

Valinda Lacy decides to head down South in the aftermath of the American Civil war to teach freed people until her fiance returns from Paris. She is a free woman from New York.  She arrives in  New Orleans which is still in shreds and reconstruction is on. Lacy works as a teacher to freed African Americans who wish to learn. Her semblance of school is burnt down by white supremacists and while she is attacked, Drake LeVeq saves her temporarily as he happens to be returning with his sister-in-law Sable. While they drop her off at her boarding place, he leaves her his residential address, just in case she needs help. Will Valinda just pack her bags to New York where she is from or will she decide to fight the white supremacists and stay and teach in New Orleans ? If so, will the Army support her efforts? What about the LeVeq family?  No one can provide her the space to teach. What will she do?

The writing style is humorous, chilling, thrilling and romantic all rolled into one. I didn't know characters can be so practical and awesome at the same time. Jenkins is a master in action, adventure and romance. I felt like Wilbur Smith met Nora Roberts but for the humor, it is all Beverly Jenkins. It is a very interesting combination that makes the writing totally unique. More importantly, most English books have only people of the white race as its main characters with colored people thrown in for the sake of their skin color or the book has to be a thriller or historical fiction but Jenkins turns this formula on its head. It is an amazing achievement and trust Jenkins who was a former librarian to do this.  

It has been a long time since I read a book which I truly loved and made me grin from ear to ear. If you like romance, you got to buy this book. If you like historical fiction, check it out. If you are interested in inspiring women, you have to read this book.     


Buy it here

Book Review : The Soulmate Equation - witty and makes you wonder

The Soulmate Equation
by Christina Lauren
Genre: Fiction


What does it take to find a soulmate? Dr. River Pena and his scientist friends come up with a solution after testing over 100,000 couples. They identify over 3000 plus genes that lead to long term compatibility. They make an app using biotechnology to identify one's soulmate.

Jessica Davis, a freelance statistician and single mom and her friend Fizzy, a best selling romance author decide to try it out on a whim as they have seen River almost every morning at a coffee shop which they all frequent. Jess finds River physically attractive but is shocked to find the app says he is her soulmate. Both refuse to believe it and so he runs a blood DNA test just to be doubly sure and the answer is the same. They are soulmates.

While Jessica agrees to work for River's company which is to be launched in three months and be paid for public appearances with him, she wants to protect her young daughter while River wants it to be a  no sex and emotion involved deal which they work into the clauses of the contract.  River is the one who came up with the technology, so shouldn't he at least find out? If they are soulmates, does this mean River and Jessica can stick to the terms of the deal? Read the book to find out

I found the writing witty and wonderful. I was surprised to learn that Christina Lauren are two people but that doesn't mean it makes the book any less thrilling. It has been a long time since I laughed at science jokes and being the nerd that I am, I couldn't stop giggling and grinning all the while wondering if I would use such an app. What if there is a glitch or it turns out to be something like astrological match making which Indians swear by and use for marrying but is not based on DNA? Is romance over rated and it all boils down to just genetics?

Would you use such an app based on solid science instead of dating or matrimonial sites to look for a soulmate? 

If interested, buy the book here

Book review : Legacy - a fun weekend read

Legacy  
by Nora Roberts
Genre: Family Thriller

For those who follow my blog, the genre might sound strange as there is no such genre but Nora Roberts seemed to have created a new one with this book. It is basically a family saga and a thriller rolled into one.
 
Adrian Rizzo is 7 years old when her father tries to kill her. She is protected by her mother Lina Rizzo, a fitness celebrity who saves her only daughter and in the process Adrian's father dies. However Lina manages to take the heat of the press away from her daughter by dropping her off at her grandparent's home for the summer vacation.

When Adrian turns 17, she decides to start her own business and right then, she begins to get scary poems warning her she would be killed. Though she accepts it as being a part of celebrity life, she has other things to deal with like most people do - family, friends, school, work, love and loss. But the letters keep coming and she hires  a PI. Is she dealing with just a celebrity stalker or is this something more?

The book is fantastically paced, crisp and to the point. Roberts blew my mind by changing the age of the protagonist by a decade in just a single chapter and it works so well that the reader would hardly notice it. That to me was amazing. Another thing about this book is that you would want to get out and exercise even though it is a thriller.

Legacy is a very delicious book and if you are a wanna be author, you can learn the tricks of writing a bestseller while feeling very satisfied reading a darn good story.

If you wish to buy it , click here

Book Review : Queen of Mahishmathi - Book 3 - Bahubali - Before the Beginning

 

Queen of Mahishmathi
by Anand Neelakantan
Genre: Fiction

"Politics is about mining religion and selling what is holy, son"

This is the final book of the trilogy Bahubali - Before the Beginning. It neatly ties all the loose ends and makes the story of the two part blockbuster movie Bahubali sensible. I wish the books by Neelakantan in this series had also been made into movies. This is the much needed back story for any Bahubali fans to understand the characters and their motivations.

Sivagami loves Mahadeva but why does she marry his brother, Bjjaladeva? Why does she treat Bahubali, the son of Mahadeva on par with her own son Balladeva? Why do the Kalakeyas attack Mahishmathi? How does Sivagami end up as the Queen of Mahishmthi whose word is revered by all? Why is Bijaladeva not the king but just the husband of Sivagami, the queen?  

Neelakantan spins a fascinating story that crisscrosses the story of three women - Chitraveni, Achi Nagamma and Sivagami, their strategies and their love for their respective people. Chitraveni who would do anything for her daughter and the matriarchal system, Achi Nagamma who would do anything to preserve nature and Sivagami who rises from an orphan to become the queen of  Mahishmathi. In telling their stories, we also learn about the people they rule over - poor who opt to become soldiers to save their family, young women who would do anything to save their children and people who consciously opt to save nature from the greed of mankind.  During the Covid times, it makes one pause and think about  the destruction humans have let loose in the name of development and globalisation. It also gives us hope that we can change the wave of destruction if we think about all this rationally and work together.

The writing is sharp and just when you think you know what is going to happen, the author surprises you. The book is a page turner. It covers multiple themes in politics, economics, greed, rage, cultural hegemony and life in general. Makes you wonder if the only decent politicians are women and men are mining everything from religion to hunger in politics.

If you would like to read the book, buy it here

Book review: Probably the most important book you will ever read - China Syndrome

 

China Syndrome
by Karl Taro Greenfeld
Genre: Non-fiction
2006, Harper Collins

“He then announced a new policy called “The Three Nos,” which came straight from the Communist Party Publicity Department: no talking to the media about the nature of SARS, no talking to the public about doctors’ personal experience treating the disease, and no communicating with the WHO about anything to do with SARS." - China Syndrome

This is the most important book you can ever read possibly in this century about the SARS coronavirus. Armed with detailed research and personal experience, the author takes you through the politics, economics, cultural and environmental parts of the epidemic which is continuing to this day in its mutated form. It includes what had been the behavioral or environmental change that had created the right circumstances for coronavirus to jump species - urbanization, consumerism, so called "development" and globalization.

While the world was watching and debating the War on Iraq and eyeballs worldwide were glued to TV screens on what was happening in Iraq, the world was facing a deadly global outbreak as the coronavirus had jumped species and human - human transmission was happening in what was then termed SARS. Just when the whole world was questioning the use of the existence of UN because the Iraq war was taking place, the health arm of the UN namely the WHO was working hard trying to get the Chinese government to open up. It was coordinating with multiple countries where the disease outbreak  was seen like US,Vietnam, India, Thailand, Japan, Mongolia, and of course the originator, China.While American CDC discovered it was the coronavirus that caused SARS, the Chinese CDC did too but the the Chinese government gagged them from announcing it apart from indulging in under reporting of deaths, closing of industry which led to migrant worker problems and super spreading as they arrived back in remote parts of China. All the politburo did was try to save face and made it illegal to even share samples inside China  which doctors from Hong Kong managed to smuggle in at great personal loss to identify. The whistle blower was Dr.Jiang Yanyong who was placed under house arrest for sending letters to the Chinese media and Communist party that they needed to inform the world and did through the TIME magazine website. Then there was Dr. Guan Yi who identified the virus and the animal which was spreading it namely the masked palm civet which is popular food in the wet markets in Shenzhen,China and Vietnam apart from SriLankan Dr. Malik Peiris who was working with Yi in HongKong.

It led to the fall of Jiang Zemin and rise of Hu Jianto. By making China, especially Southern China the global manufacturing hub for all things as the whole world chanted the mantra of "More but Cheap" during the Era of Wild Flavor and wet markets created conditions for the virus to jump species. Development and globalisation which leads to cramped work environments is perfect for the virus as it aids in  speeding up replication.With globalisation in travel, we ensured the virus could be in all parts of the world within a day's time.

The writing is crisp, factual and has the humane touch which is hard to come by in this genre. It reads like a thriller which keeps

bringing the line "Truth is stranger than fiction" to mind repeatedly The last words are ominous in the book as the world is now seeing so called waves of the coronavirus aka Covid-19. Greenfeld writes about how it  had already spread from civets to chickens to pigs in 2004 itself and how it was contained and treated. The virus was still among us and while the infectious disease network kept track of it, the rest of the world went back to its merry self pretending the virus is not mutating or doesn't exist.

If only this book had been made mandatory reading for all medical students worldwide, we might have been able to control the

outbreak in 2019 instead of repeating the mistakes the Chinese government did in 2002 which was replicated  by governments

worldwide thanks to international flights and forgetting the SARS outbreak that was contained initially by massive killing of

certain animals. Media and social media failed to spread awareness during SARS, avian flu, swine flu and now Covid-19 - which

seems to be a mutated form of the same virus  which in 2003 was termed "Breath taker" before it was given the term SARS.

 

Failing to review this book and following it up with stories on the ground seems to be the massive mistake that the world media has made and concentrating on the so called "War on Terror" experiences. If only there had been awareness, research for vaccines could have begun almost 20 years ago and millions of lives would have been saved and we would have been relatively less likely to be in this mess we are in now worldwide.

Buy the book here

Book review : Chaturanga

 

Chaturanga
by
Anand Neelakantan
Genre: Fiction
Westland , 2020

"Make up stories and repeat them often. Scream about how no one who is against Mahishmathi is going to be spared. There will be enough fools to fall for it. Nothing sells like nationalism and religion in our country. Offer prayers at all the temples along the way. Talk about our ancient culture and tradition. Fools who have done nothing in life will feel proud that they were born in this goddamn country, though they are living like worms. Be their fucking hero. They will soon be devoted to you, willing to kill and die for you, and to lynch anyone who dares question you." - Chaturanga.


Chaturanga is the second book of the prequel trilogy of "Bahubali - before the beginning" and is possibly the best book I have read so far by Anand Neelakantan. Book 1 ends with the king demanding Sivagami kill her foster father ( the general of Mahishmathi and the one who took care of her since she was orphaned) to prove her patriotism to Mahishmathi. Book 2 - Chaturanga means Chess and the book is aptly titled as this is about politics of running a kingdom and how politicians deal with the economic collapse that can lead to political collapse. It also exposes the diversion tactics politicians employ to keep the people occupied while they go after their own vision of what is right while people die just to stay in power.  So does Sivagami kill her foster father who is her father's best friend just to become a landowner?  How does the slave Kattappa live with himself after killing his younger brother Shivappa at the command of the prince Bijalladeva who rapes and murders Shivappa's fiance despite knowing the prince is wrong? Will the slave ever be free? What happens to the book Sivagami's father has left her and which is stolen? Does she manage to retrive it? What about rebellion of the Vaithalikas - does it die with Shivappa's death? What is Pattaraya really up to?  Will Acchi Nagamma and her network of spies be able to beat the Mahishmathi rulers at their own game? How does patriarchy conquer matriarchial culturally ruled places? In the chess game of politics, does truth or power triumph? How does a freedom fighting group of idealist friends change into enemies ? Who lives and who dies? What about the disappearing children? Will someone come to their rescue? Book 2 deals with all these questions and more.

From the power corridors of Mahishmathi to the matriarchial ruled Kadiramangalam, from the leper colonies to the secret temples in the forests, Neelakantan weaves a tale of power, betrayal, injustice and survival with an ease that only a master storyteller can do. The only book I can compare it with is the Indian epic Mahabharata for the sheer number of stories within stories. Even the epic seems too simple in comparison to Chaturanga where there is no Draupadi seeking revenge or fight between cousins for power.  This one is much larger as no one is related or taking revenge for betrayal but is more realistic.

The writing is crisp, Not only has his writing got better but the narration and plot points are superb. If Book 1 was a surprise, this book will blow you away as it is not only a page turner but is a insight into real politics of the world.  It cuts through the crap of politicians spewing ideology and explains how politics is done in the world where the political ideology is nothing but a diversion employed by politicians to stay in power. The book ends leaving you wanting for more as you are left wondering what will happen and I am looking forward to reading the book 3.

It is a great book to read during lockdown. If you wish to buy it, click this