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De-lightful
portrayal of a neta’s life
Reviewed by Aruti Nayar
Sethji
By Shobhaa De.
Penguin. Pages 287. Rs 250
shobhaa
De’s novel,
after a hiatus of 10 years, claims to do for politics, what Starry
Nights did to Bollywood. For everyone fed up of the scams and
scandals, the credibility quotient of the political class is at an
all-time low and the dedication right at the beginning of the book,
"To our beloved politicians. May their tribe decrease," is
bound to strike a chord with the middle class.
Leading
from the front
Reviewed by Lt-Gen ( Retd )
Harwant Singh
Through Wars and Insurgencies
By Brig ( Retd ) Kuldip Brar.
Pentagon Press. Rs 595
Through
Wars and Insurgencies, is an autobiographical account of Brig
Brar's journey through an eventful military career. Autobiographies
generally tend to lose objectivity and the authors attempt to gloss
over their failings and lay more emphasis on achievements. It goes to
Brar's credit that throughout the narrative he has succeeded in
retaining objectivity and tried to tell the story as it unfolded.
The
elusive cure for graft, search goes on
Reviewed by KK Garg & RS
Bains
Ending Corruption? How to
Clean up India
By N.Vittal.
Penguin Books. Pages 264. Rs 499
today,
corruption and India has become synonymous with each other. Few civil
servants in recent times have raised their voice against it. One of
them is former Central Vigilance Commissioner N.Vittal. Through this
book, the former CVC has lent his powerful voice against corruption of
the civil services, judiciary, big business and politicians. He does
not mention the routine corruption of the Collector's office or
extortion that is going on in every police station.
Loving
and losing
Reviewed by Aditi Garg
The Last Love Letter
By Minty Tejpal
Hachette India. Pages 248. Rs 395
Love
is a wonderful emotion that makes the world a better place but can
just as well turn every living moment into a nightmare. There are a
few whose companionship helps you discover the blissful side of love
and others who leave you with a heart-break from which it takes you a
lifetime to recover. While marriages may be made in heaven, when love
leaves, it is more like living hell. A person who loses all in such a
marriage has little more to lose by laying open his heart for all to
peek into.
Quest
for the final answer
Reviewed by Balwinder Kaur
The Illicit Happiness Of
Other People
By Manu Joseph.
Fourth Estate. Pages 343. Rs 499.
unni
Chacko,
the 17-year-old cartoonist has done something less than comical with
his life, he has ended it. The glaring lack of a suicide note implies
the cause should be obvious but certainly isn't to his grieving
family. While the Chacko household was far from idyllic, the late Unni
seemed contradictorily happy. He was well-liked, good looking,
intelligent and charming; a remarkable young man. Why did he do it? Is
the question posed by Manu Joseph in The Illicit Happiness of Other
People.
The
end of communism
Iron Curtain: The Crushing of
Eastern Europe, 1944-56
By Anne Applebaum. Allen Lane £25
it
is known as Ostalgie in Germany: "nostalgia for the
East", a longing for the "guaranteed future" supposedly
offered by communism. For those who still hanker after the "good
old days", Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe,
1944-56 will make uncomfortable reading. Analysing the processes
involved and injustices endured, Anne Applebaum expertly dissects the
Soviet takeover of Eastern Europe post-1945 and arrives at devastating
conclusions.
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