Book Review: The Passage by Justin Cronin

My Copy of The Passage

Book: The Passage - Justin Cronin

Publication Date: January 1st 2011

Genre: Adult Fiction,Science Fiction,Mystery

Pages: 963

Publisher: Orion Publishing Group

My Copy: Bought (Paperback)

Buy: Amazon India | Flipkart

Goodreads Summary: 

An epic and gripping tale of catastrophe and survival, The Passage is the story of Amy—abandoned by her mother at the age of six, pursued and then imprisoned by the shadowy figures behind a government experiment of apocalyptic proportions. But Special Agent Brad Wolgast, the lawman sent to track her down, is disarmed by the curiously quiet girl and risks everything to save her. As the experiment goes nightmarishly wrong, Wolgast secures her escape—but he can’t stop society’s collapse. And as Amy walks alone, across miles and decades, into a future dark with violence and despair, she is filled with the mysterious and terrifying knowledge that only she has the power to save the ruined world.

My Views:

This book is a beast and i was intimated by it for a long time. It sat on the shelf collecting dust for over an year but once i started it, it was hard to put it down. It is a first part of a trilogy and in that context it reads like an origin story. A government experiment gone bad which results in the collapse of the world as we know it. 

The books starts and you are hooked within the first fifty pages. You connect with the characters and are interested in knowing what happens to them. Then something happens which threw you off completely. Personally, it took me sometime to get used to the change in story but once you get past the initial shock and the story moves forward it becomes this page turning epic survival saga. 

It's essentially a vampire novel and before that puts you off, trust me it's one of the good ones. I enjoyed every bit of it. Justin Cronin's writing is exquisite. The characters are multi layered and the story is fast paced. The book is very intense at times and has been compared to The Road by Cormac McCarthy (I haven't read that one) and Stephen Kings works.

The amazing thing about this books is that even after reading almost 1000 pages and still wanted more by the end. It was that interesting. I loved the start, there were some hiccups in the middle but the end made up for it. I would definitely will be picking up the next books in the series. Give this book a read, i promise you won't regret it.

Book Review: Spin by Catherine McKenzie

Book: Spin - Catherine McKenzie


Publishing Date: February 7, 2012


Read from January 17 to February 1, 2012


Genre: Adult Fiction, Chick-Lit, Contemporary


Goodreads Summary: 


Katie Sandford has just gotten an interview at her favourite music magazine, The Line. It's the chance of a lifetime. So what does she do? Goes out to celebrate - and shows up still drunk at the interview. No surprise, she doesn't get the job, but the folks at The Line think she might be perfect for another assignment for their sister gossip rag. All Katie has to do is follow It Girl Amber Sheppard into rehab. If she can get the inside scoop (and complete the 30-day program without getting kicked out), they'll reconsider her for the job at The Line.

Katie takes the job. But things get complicated when real friendships develop, a cute celebrity handler named Henry gets involved, and Katie begins to realize she may be in rehab for a reason. Katie has to make a decision -- is publishing the article worth everything she has to lose?

My View: 

Spin is about Kate. Or Katie. Whichever. She is a thirty something slacker who suffers from a drinking problem, not that she aware of it. All she want is her dream job at the music magazine, The Line but she gets hammered the night before her interview and losses her chance. The next few weeks goes in a blur with sulking, wine and television. 

Next thing she knows, she gets a call back from The Line and they want her for a special assignment. She has to go undercover and spy on "the" Hollywood scarlet, Amber Shepard in rehab. Katie is ready to do anything for her dream job or so she thinks. 

I was highly surprised by the book. The book was witty, fresh and had some incredible characters. The book could have gone all serious on us but it doesn't. It's a lighthearted, fast paced and a very funny read. 

The character of Katie is hilarious. She is smart, funny and hopeless. If you're looking for a flawed character look no further, Katie is a epitome of it. Even with the lying, scheming and drinking; she is still a very likable character.

The Good:

• The book is incredibily funny. I laughed out loud on many occasions. 
• I really liked Katie. She is convinced she doesn't have a drinking problem and so her interactions and reactions with people in rehab are entertaining and funny.
• I loved Katie interactions with Saundra, the therapist.
• Music! I loved the music aspect of the book. The references of artists and songs. It actually made me fell is love with "Black Horse and The Cherry Tree" all over again. 
• The book has a array of very interesting characters. I liked Amber, Henry, Saundra, Greer, Joanna and Rory,

The Bad:

• I enjoyed the second half of the book more than the first half. I don't know exactly why but I think the writing is way better in the second half.
• This is not an issue book and it doesn't take itself very seriously. If anyone is looking for a issue book this might not be your cup of tea or better your glass a wine.
• The realistic factor of the book is pretty low but who cares it's just a fun book.

Overall: 4 and a thumbs up!

Writing: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Romance: 3/5
LoL Moments: 4/5
Cover: 4/5

Favorite Quote: "Like U2 says. I'm stuck in a moment I can't get out of.
You said it, Bono. And a nice guitar riff, The Edge. You work that shit."

Favorite Character: Katie, Amber and Greer.

Thanks HarperCollins via Netgallery for the arc!  

Book Review: Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner

Book: Then Came You - Jennifer Weiner

Publication Date: July 12th 2011

Read from November 06 to 13, 2011

Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Chick Lit

The lives of four very different women intertwine in unexpected ways in this new novel by bestselling author Jennifer Weiner (In Her Shoes; Best Friends Forever). Each woman has a problem: Princeton senior Jules Wildgren needs money to help her dad cure his addiction; Pennsylvania housewife Annie Barrow is gasping to stay financially afloat; India Bishop yearns to have a child, an urge that her stepdaughter Bettina can only regard with deeply skepticism until she finds herself in a most unexpected situation. Interlocking dramas designed to ensnare; bound to be a bestseller.

My Review: 

I won't lie, I picked this book with a lot of expectations. This would be my second book of Jennifer Weiner after In Her Shoes, which i really liked. The story seemed interesting and loved the books or movies where there are multiple stories, which come together at the end. 

But.

This was a disappointing read all the way through. The story consist of four women: An egg donor, A surrogate, the intended mother and her mother step-daughter. The book starts okay with each chapter dedicated to one woman but soon you realize that there is actually nothing new or interesting in the book. I found myself bored and skipping paragraphs and it took a long time to finish this book then it normally takes me. 

I was mildly interested in the stories of Annie: The surrogate and Jules: The egg donor but the other stories of India: The mother and Bettina: The step-daughter was not interesting and was borderline annoying. 

The Good:

• The writing was readable and that is the sole reason why I finished the book.

The Bad: 

• The story moves too slowly.
• The characters are not relatable and I never got their motivation. 
• Nothing new in the book and the story seems very stale.

Overall: 2 and a thumbs down!

Writing: 3/5
Plot: 2/5
Characters: 2/5
Romance: 2/5
LoL Moments: 2/5
Cover: 3/5

Favorite Character: Jules and Annie

Book Review: Room by Emma Donoghue

Book: Room - Emma Donoghue

Publication Date: September 13th 2010

Read from September 13 to 20, 2011

Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Drama

In many ways, Jack is a typical 5-year-old. He likes to read books, watch TV, and play games with his Ma. But Jack is different in a big way--he has lived his entire life in a single room, sharing the tiny space with only his mother and an unnerving nighttime visitor known as Old Nick. For Jack, Room is the only world he knows, but for Ma, it is a prison in which she has tried to craft a normal life for her son. When their insular world suddenly expands beyond the confines of their four walls, the consequences are piercing and extraordinary. Despite its profoundly disturbing premise, Emma Donoghue's Room is rife with moments of hope and beauty, and the dogged determination to live, even in the most desolate circumstances. A stunning and original novel of survival in captivity, readers who enter Room will leave staggered, as though, like Jack, they are seeing the world for the very first time.


My Review:

I remember reading the synopsis of Room back in 2010 on goodreads and i was utterly intrigued and I knew I had to read this book. Room is a story of a nineteen year old girl which was kidnapped and held captive for seven year and in those years she gives birth to her son Jack. Pretty basic right? But here comes the twist. The book is narrated from the point of view of Jack the son not the mother.

How can a adult book with such a horrifying topic be written from a 5 year old point of view?

Well that's where the brilliance of the author Emma Donoghue comes in. The book is very different and it's nothing like anything I have ever read. The narrative is so unique and fresh that I got hooked very early in the book.

Another brilliant thing about the book is that it does not limit itself with horrors of captivity and it touches upon what happens after escape. The stark reality of going back to the big bad world.


The Good:

• The narrative and it's uniqueness is the selling point of this book. 
• On several occasions in the first half of the book I found my heart racing and I just couldn't put the book down. 
• The atmospheric feel of the book is so haunting.
• Jack and his innocence and the pain his mother feels for him is very emotional. 

The Bad:

• As the narrative is unique it was difficult to follow the book for the first few chapters. It gets easier and you get the hang of it but still it might be annoying for some.
• The book is not plot driven at all.
• The second half of the book is not as fast paced as the first. 

Overall: 4 and a thumbs up!

Writing: 4/5
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
Romance: N/A
Cover: 4/5

Favorite Quote: “When I was a little kid I thought like a little kid, but now I'm five I know everything”.

Favorite Character: Jack

Book Review : One Day by David Nicholls

Book: One Day - David Nicholls
Publication Date: August 28th 2009
Read from December 20 to 26, 2011
Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

Emma and Dexter meet for the first time on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways. So where will they be on this one day next year? And the year after that? And every year that follows? Twenty years, two people, ONE DAY.

My Review: 

One Day is a realistic love story about two friends Emma and Dexter. Em and Dex & Dex and Em. The story follows these characters for better part of their adult life which might seem pretty ordinary but One Day is different because you can only read about one particular day of these peoples life in the span of twenty years. One Day is not like any other love story, there is no love at first sight and no romantic cliches but still it might not be everyone's cup of tea. I particularly think the book brilliant in some parts and not so great in others. 

The Good: 

• The interactions between characters seems very real and is the high point of the book.
• Every girl can relate with the character of Emma. She is one funny and feisty female and very practical maybe too practical at times but that adds charm to the character. I simply adore Emma Morley. 
• They are so right for each other but so clueless and as an audience you just wish and pray for them to end up together. 
• Brilliant minor characters and quirky personalities. 
• References to the pop culture are very cleverly incorporated. 

The Bad:

• The ending! Really if the ending was better it might have been almost perfect.  
• The whining, arrogant and not so liked character of Dexter. I know he was meant to be that way and he does redeem himself in the end but man i hated him for the better part of the book. 

Overall: 3.5 and a thumbs up!

Writing: 4/5
Plot: 3.5/5
Characters: 4/5
Romance: 3/5
LOL Moments: 3/5
Cover: 2/5

Favorite Quote:  “Call me sentimental, but there's no-one in the world that I'd like to see get dysentery more than you”.


Favorite Character: Emma Morley