Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Title: Gone Girl

Author: Gillian Flynn

Publishers: Weidenfeld and Nicolson

Date of Publication: May 24th, 2012

Genre: Mystery and Thriller

Format: Hardcover

Length: 395 pages

My Source: Kindle Ebook (mobi)

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media--as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents--the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter--but is he really a killer? As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn't do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

When do you categorize a book as ‘thriller’? Going by the Wikipedia definition thriller is genre of literature that uses suspense, tension and excitement as its main elements, and if it is so, I must admit Gone Girl is the best ‘thriller’ I have read till date.

It is the story of Nick and Amy Dunne, a couple married for five years and their marriage is floundering for several reasons.  The book is written alternately from Nick’s and Amy’s point of view. In the first part Nick’s perspective shows you the present scenario of their marriage while Amy’s narrative, written in a fashion of journals, gives you glimpses of the past- Amy’s childhood, their meeting with each other, their courtship days- in short a pretty decent idea about  Amy’s life.  To be completely fair to myself after reading the first few chapters I was rather bored, the narration was interesting, alright but it somehow lacked the essence that a thriller usually does. But that was only in the beginning, part one. The moment you flip the page to begin part two- boom! You’re in for lots and lots of surprises! 

Even in the first part it doesn't fail to shock you how the narrations of Amy and Nick conflict each other.  It is as if the two persons are telling you different stories with same characters having very little in common. But of course the real fun begins in the second part when you begin to realize gradually that neither of the two people is completely trustworthy. They both have their versions of the story that they claim to be the honest one. While in the beginning it seems like they are victim of the troubled marriage, the couple show their true characters later. Even though I didn't grow any fondness to Nick Dunne, I thought he is just your regular bad guy falling victim of a troubled marriage, well, well was I wrong! This guy had an extramarital affair going around for almost a year. But then what Nick had done was nothing but child’s play compared to what his wife did. After reading the first part you get the impression what a sweet and loving person Amy is and then you’ll be amazed to see how ‘Amazing Amy’ actually differs from ‘Diary Amy’!


The things I liked the most about the book are,

• The plot- It’s a genius creation, no doubt there. The way the story is woven you can not predict what is going to happen next. Not once. It is thoroughly unpredictable which I believe is the essential flavor of a thriller. 

• Character development- I think ‘awe’ would be the right word to describe what I felt as Amy’s character was unfolded slowly throughout the story. She is vicious, yes, but she is goddamned brilliant and organized and you can not but admire her for the precision with which she carries her whole ‘kidnapping plan’ out. Imagine the level of dedication that she put just to punish his unfaithful husband! The amount of planning and working according to the plan for almost a year before the final act and she did it perfectly, every bit of it, except maybe the robbery in the motel. Hah! It’s incredible. And not only Nick, the stories of Hillary Handy and Desi Collings left me gasping! Amy is a character you can neither love nor hate and for that kudos to the brilliant author. She has created the character amazingly! 
Even all other characters, including Nick, Margo, Andie, Boney, Amy’s parents and all the sidekicks were just perfect. 

• The narration-The narration was flawless as well. Being written from both Amy and Nick’s POV, it is quite intriguing, I kept guessing throughout what the other person has to say next. It’s gripping, fast paced and well-written. Once you get into the story it’s hard to put the book down.

You might be thinking if I liked the book so much why not give it five stars? The reason is I did not like the ending. What was all the revenge planning worth if Nick and Amy were to end up together ultimately? I do not understand. The characters couldn't be more realistic but even then I failed to grow any respect for either of the central characters.

Reading Gone Girl was like riding an emotional roller-coaster.  This book is about disloyalty, the fake pretentious people, the devious media and the root of all troubles (probably)- the recession.  There were numerous occasions when I was awestruck and my eyes wide-open! None of the characters is completely black or completely white; they are all varying shades of grey which makes it more and more realistic! The psychoanalysis of the characters is commendable. Overall, it is a book that I loved and am certain almost every person will feel the same after reading!


P.S. - Eagerly waiting to watch the Gone Girl movie! :D

Gillian Flynn is an American author and television critic for Entertainment Weekly. She has so far written three novels, Sharp Objects, for which she won the 2007 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for the best thriller; Dark Places; and her best-selling third novel Gone Girl.

Her book has received wide praise, including from authors such as Stephen King. The dark plot revolves around a serial killer in a Missouri town, and the reporter who has returned from Chicago to cover the event. Themes include dysfunctional families,violence and self-harm.

In 2007 the novel was shortlisted for the Mystery Writers of America Edgar for Best First Novel by an American Writer, Crime Writers' Association Duncan Lawrie, CWA New Blood and Ian Fleming Steel Daggers, winning in the last two categories.

Flynn, who lives in Chicago, grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. She graduated at the University of Kansas, and qualified for a Master's degree from Northwestern University.

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Review: The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

Title: The Last Song

Author: Nicholas Sparks

Publishers: Grand Central Publishing

Date of Publication: September 8th, 2009

Genre: Romance, Contemporary

Format: Hardcover

Length: 390 pages

My Source: Ebook (epub)

Seventeen year-old Veronica “Ronnie” Miller’s life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, especially her father… until her mother decides it would be in everyone’s best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. Ronnie’s father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church. The tale that unfolds is an unforgettable story about love in its myriad forms – first love, the love between parents and children – that demonstrates, as only a Nicholas Sparks novel can, the many ways that deeply felt relationships can break our hearts… and heal them.

I began reading the book with an uncertainty whether I'll end up liking the book or not as I didn't like The Notebook as much as everyone else and I think its overrated. Frankly, I was pretty much convinced that I will not like the book because the synopsis gave me an impression that it was the same girl-meets-boy and fall-in-love kind of story and well, it is a book of that kind but still I liked the book, a lot.

Ronnie Miller is a very rebellious teenager, she does every possible thing to disobey her mother. After her parents' separation when her dad leaves New York, she just lets everything go: her grades, her piano playing skills (because it was her father who taught her playing piano and the man himself was a pianist) and many other things. Her mom ships Ronnie and her little brother, Jonah, to North Carolina for the summer to spend time with their dad. When they first arrive, Ronnie wants nothing to do with him, in her heart she hates Steve, her father and practically spends all the time out of home to avoid him. Then she meets Will, whom at first she doesn’t want to associate with, either. Then Ronnie starts seeing more of Will and he really helps her open up. And the inevitable happens, they fall in love. Let me not give you any wrong idea about it, it was that typical love story, but the story is not entirely about it. There are a few more edges of the story that makes it different and beautiful!

Ronnie was a pretty well-developed character. At first she’s this mean girl who is very inconsiderate of everyone. By the end she turns into a mature young lady who wants to please everyone. Once she discovers that it was her mother who was really responsible for the divorce, years of misunderstanding towards her dad washes away slowly. The way she treats her dad when he gets admitted to the hospital and refuses to return New York leaving her dad alone, shows a complete transformation of a teenage girl to a determined young woman.
I liked Will. He was this really easygoing guy who didn’t act anything like his snobby rich parents. The little incidents, the little things Ronnie and Will did together were beautiful. There wasn't anything extraordinary about it, but perhaps its the simplicity of the relationship that made it truly wonderful.
As for Steve's character, I haven't met someone as generous and understanding in my life, yet. He was less a parent, more a friend to Ronnie. Because he trusted her when he apparently had no reason to, Ronnie began trusting herself. Apart from Will, the person who played the biggest role to change Ronnie into somewhat a better person, was her dad. Jonah was really adorable for a ten year old.

Like I mentioned before, the plot wasn’t very creative. If you have read anything by Nicholas Sparks before, you would probably have noticed, too. But the book won't fail to touch your heart, I can assure you that. The writing is captivating too. So if you are a romance reader, go for it.

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As a child, Nicholas Sparks lived in Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Grand Island, Nebraska, finally settling in Fair Oaks, California at the age of eight. His father was a professor, his mother a homemaker, then optometrist's assistant. He lived in Fair Oaks through high school, graduated valedictorian in 1984, and received a full track scholarship to the University of Notre Dame.

After breaking the Notre Dame school record as part of a relay team in 1985 as a freshman (a record which still stands), he was injured and spent the summer recovering. During that summer, he wrote his first novel, though it was never published. He majored in Business Finance and graduated with high honors in 1988.

He and his wife Catherine, who met on spring break in 1988, were married in July, 1989. While living in Sacramento, he wrote his second novel that same year, though again, it wasn't published. He worked a variety of jobs over the next three years, including real estate appraisal, waiting tables, selling dental products by phone, and started his own small manufacturing business which struggled from the beginning. In 1990, he collaborated on a book with Billy Mills, the Olympic Gold Medalist and it was published by Feather Publishing before later being picked up by Random House. (It was recently re-issued by Hay House Books.) Though it received scant publicity, sales topped 50,000 copies in the first year of release.

He began selling pharmaceuticals and moved from Sacramento, California to North Carolina in 1992. In 1994, at the age of 28, he wrote The Notebook over a period of six months. In October, 1995, rights to The Notebook were sold to Warner Books. It was published in October, 1996, and he followed that with Message in a Bottle (1998), A Walk to Remember (1999), The Rescue (2000), A Bend in the Road (2001), and Nights in Rodanthe (2002), The Guardian (2003), The Wedding (2003), Three Weeks with my Brother (2004), True Believer (2005) and At First Sight (2005) all with Warner Books. All were domestic and international best sellers and were translated into more than 35 languages. The movie version of Message in a Bottle was released in 1999, A Walk to Remember was released in 2002, and The Notebook was released in 2004. The average domestic box office gross per film was $56 million -- with another $100 million in DVD sales -- making the novels by Nicholas Sparks one of the most successful franchises in Hollywood.

The film rights to Nights in Rodanthe, True Believer and At First Sight have been sold, and Nicholas Sparks has written the screenplay for The Guardian, though he has not offered it for sale at this point.

He now has five children: Miles, Ryan, Landon, Lexie, and Savannah. He lives in North Carolina with his wife and children.

His ancestry is German, Czech, English, and Irish, he's 5'10" and weighs 180 lbs. He is an avid athlete who runs daily, lifts weights regularly, and competes in Tae Kwon Do. He attends church regularly and reads approximately 125 books a year. He contributes to a variety of local and national charities, and is a major contributor to the Creative Writing Program (MFA) at the University of Notre Dame, where he provides scholarships, internships, and a fellowship annually.

Review: Unbelievable (Pretty Little Liars: Book Four) by Sara Shepard

Title: Unbelievable

Series: Pretty Little Liars #4

Author: Sara Shepard

Publishers: Harper Teen

Date of Publication: 1st January, 2008

Genre: Young Adult, Suspense

Format: Hardcover

Length: 335 pages

My Source: Ebook

Synopsis

Behind Rosewood's grand facades, where the air smells like apples and Chanel No. 5 and infinity pools sparkle in landscaped backyards, nothing is as it seems. It was here, back in seventh grade, that five best friends shared everything--Seven jeans, MAC makeup, and their deepest, darkest secrets. For Aria, Spencer, Hanna, and Emily, it was a dream come true . . . until Alison, the most beautiful of them all, suddenly vanished.

Now someone named A has turned their charmed lives into a living nightmare. Emily has been shipped off to her hyper-conservative cousins in Iowa. Aria is stuck living with her dad and his home-wrecker girlfriend. And Spencer fears she had something to do with Alison's murder. But Hanna's fate is far worse than all of that--she's clinging to life in the hospital, because "she knew too much."

With A's threats turning dangerous and Ali's killer still on the loose, the girls must uncover the truth--about A, about Ali, and about what happened to Hanna--before they become A's next victims. But as they unravel Rosewood's mysteries and secrets, will it bring an end to the horror . . . or is this just the beginning?

Review

I finished this book just minutes before writing this book and I still have goosebumps on my skin. It is breathtaking and it is UNBELIEVABLE indeed!

Hanna Marin is in a coma, struggling to come out of the endless dreams of Ali the night before her death.  Spencer Hastings realized she has memory blanks - usually after something traumatic.  Like when she pushed Melissa down the stairs.  Or when she pushed Ali outside the barn the night she disappeared. Emily Fields is staying with her major conservative aunt and uncle in Iowa, and she just can't change who she is. Aria Montgomery is forced to live with her dad and his crazy artistic girlfriend - while Ezra is in jail for having sex with a student.  A's had her revenge...and it only gets worse.

Ezra gets out of jail, but with Aria and her inability to let him go, there isn't very many choices left.  And the appearance of Jenna Cavennaugh in her art class at the campus is just weird.  Mona Vanderwall comes with a shocking truth that leaves the rest of the girls dazed - and she tries to make up for fighting with Hanna at her party.  Spencer is on her way to winning the Golden Orchid, and Melissa seems like she's forgiven her, but Spencer can't help but think that there's more going on than meets the eye.  Emily crashes a party in Iowa and meets a slut named Trisha - leaving poor Maya to ruin up in Rosewood.  Hanna finally wakes up from her coma - too bad she can't remember who hit her with the car.  A's just getting started with these girls, and with the completion of Shepard's first story arc, we see how things really go down in Rosewood.

Every review I do of this series, I always go back to the characters.  How catty and bitchy and surprisingly real they are.  Each and every one of them is believable in their drama, though in normal books this stuff would easily be thrown out as extra and barely even plausible.  While this book is a step down from Perfect for me in terms of excitement, I really liked what Shepard did with the characters.  Hanna is starting to fall for a guy that isn't popular at all, which is a really fun trope I like to see in these books - especially when the guy in question is adorable.  Spencer and her relationship with Melissa is also really cool.  I love the *zing* of their sisterly bond, even though it's really insane. Aria and her parents separation, the guilt of The Jenna Thing, and her father's new girl toy, are all really deep, and I like that Shepard doesn't shy away from what would happen in those situations.  It's also a really interesting way of A's punishment as opposed to some of the other girl's (like Hanna or Spencer's) almost twisted ones.  Emily is obviously supposed to relate to the set questioning their sexuality, and in this installment Shepard uses a trope of finding another love interest, which is one I don't really like.  Mostly because I felt like Maya and Emily had a great relationship beforehand.  In all honesty though, it would happen to a teenager, and while that's sad, I understand why Shepard was able to put that plot point in - though the ending was way too convenient for my tastes. 

The climax happens at Hanna's welcome back party arranged by Mona and Spencer! Mona kind of bonds with these 4 girls as she tells Spencer that she's been getting texts from A as well! Finally Hanna recovers the missing part of her memory of the night of her accident and instantly remembers who A is!

Guess who? I don't think you want me to tell you and ruin your suspense and urge to read this one! So I won't.

One question popped in my mind that why would A (when you get to know who A is, you'll understand what I mean to say) text Hanna from a familiar no.? Though Shepard gives an explanation for this later in the book, it wasn't quite convincing! After all the effort she has made to terrify these girls and establish her existence, how could have A done such a stupid mistake? Also it seems a bit queer that a single person kept stalking four girls, for what seemed to be 24*7, at a time! May be I'll get these explanations in the next books.

If you've have read the previous books of the series, you must read this (of course you'll even if I don't tell you to! :P)! And if you read this, you're bound to read the next and the series goes on!

One thing is for sure that despite of the little flaws, you're gonna love this book- after all it reveals A, it reveals who killed Ali!

About The Author

Sara Shepard graduated from NYU and has an MFA from Brooklyn College. She currently lives in Tucson, Arizona. Sara's Pretty Little Liars novels were inspired by her upbringing in Philadelphia's Main Line.

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Review: Perfect (Pretty Little Liars: Book Three) by Sara Shepard

Title: Perfect

Series: Pretty Little Liars #3

Author: Sara Shepard

Publishers: Harper Teen

Date of Publication: September, 2007

Genre: Young Adult, Suspense

Format: Paperback

Length: 298 pages

My Source: Ebook.

Synopsis

In Rosewood, Pennsylvania, four perfect-looking girls aren't nearly as perfect as they seem.

Aria can't resist her forbidden ex. Hanna is on the verge of losing her BFF. Emily is freaking out over a simple kiss. And Spencer can't keep her hands off anything that belongs to her sister.

Lucky me. I know these pretty little liars better than they know themselves. But it's hard keeping all of their secrets to myself. They better do as I say . . . or else!

Review

Honestly, I had to read this book. After reading the previous two it was mandatory to read this one! 

The story of Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer continues. Aria's family is in shambles, and her mother can't bear the sight of the daughter who withheld knowledge of her father cheating. Emily struggles with her sexuality and trying to get her parents to accept her. Hanna is falling out with her BFF, Mona. And Spencer perhaps has taken one too many things from Melissa.

These books have been marvelous fun to read. They are wildly entertaining, interesting, and actually quite a bit creepy. This book in particular kept me up WELL past my bedtime and I was continuously being rebuked by my mom (well, partly because she thought I was texting on my cell phone and not reading! Only if she knew this book is far far far more interesting than texting..well say even your BFF!!).

Each girl has a vivid story. Aria knew about her father cheating, but never told her mother. Now, she suffers for that. Sure, it's kinda weird to see a mother so antagonistic to her own flesh and blood, but I still think it is nice to see Aria's mother behaving as a normal human being--flawed and somewhat selfish. Her relationships with Sean and Ezra are all over the place, and you totally won't expect how it ends.

Emily was far more interesting to me this time. She has feelings for Maya...but she can't show them, knowing how her parents would react. When the secret comes out, Emily is threatened with either attending Tree Tops (a homosexuality "reform") or moving to Iowa with her super strict aunt and uncle. Again, her aunt and uncle felt WAY overboard (keeping a list of sins? Eating Cheerios to avoid sexuality?), but then again, there are some WEIRD people out there. As for the conflict Emily has over family and Maya, it's very realistic and not all that unlikely.

Hanna is still one of my favorite characters. I really felt for her as she struggled to keep her relationship with Mona. The poor girl has lost so much--boyfriends, father, her independence and confidence--that she can't bear to lose the girl who stood by her 3 years ago when they both made themselves over.

And then Spencer. What is revealed about her...again, this is the reason I stayed up way too late. I love how her stealing comes to bite her in the butt, and I love the argument she has with Melissa. All too often in books, I feel the characters really hold back in what they yell at each other. Not here.

We meet some new and old characters. Ezra, Sean, Lucas (such a sweet boy!)...they all really grow and develop. They refuse to be 1 Dimensional characters and feel like they have hopes, dreams, and likes of their own. Even "evil" characters like Melissa and Meredith don't feel 100% evil.

But know what? My favourite character is A! If it sounds weird to you, I can't help it! But without A, the book wouldn't have been half as interesting as it is! I LOVE those texts, IMs, notes she sends to the girls! I highlight them all on my ebook reader (ALL of those!). 

And the last chapter of the book! It gave me goosebumps when Spencer recovered her missing memory of the night Ali disappeared. It was unbelievable! And I was like probably that's why the next book is titled "Unbelievable"! Well, I won't give too much details, grab your copy and start reading!

This is not some great literary work, but it is worth reading for sure! At least I'm glued to the series (I'm reading these even when I've lots of ARR books on my list!). If you love suspense, whoa, this series is surely for you. If you haven't already started it, JUST GO FOR IT!!

About The Author

Sara Shepard graduated from NYU and has an MFA from Brooklyn College. She currently lives in Tucson, Arizona. Sara's Pretty Little Liars novels were inspired by her upbringing in Philadelphia's Main Line.

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Review: Flawless (Pretty Little Liars: Book Two) by Sara Shepard

Title: Flawless
Series: Pretty Little Liars #2

Author: Sara Shepard

Publishers: HarperCollins Publishers
Date of Publication: March 15th, 2007

Genre: Young Adult, Suspense

Format: Hardcover

Length: 330 pages

My Source: Ebook (epub)

A Short Synopsis: In the exclusive town of Rosewood, Pennsylvania, where the sweetest smiles hide the darkest secrets, four pretty little liars--Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna--have been very bad girls. . . .

Spencer stole her sister's boyfriend. Aria is brokenhearted over her English teacher. Emily likes her new friend Maya . . . as much more than a friend. And Hanna's obsession with looking flawless is literally making her sick. But the most horrible secret of all is something so scandalous it could destroy their perfect little lives.

And someone named "A" is threatening to do just that.

At first they thought A was Alison, their friend who vanished three years ago . . . but then Alison turned up dead. So could A be Melissa, Spencer's ultracompetitive sister? Or Maya, who wants Emily all to herself? What about Toby, the mysterious guy who left town right after Alison went missing?

One thing's for certain: A's got the dirt to bury them all alive, and with every crumpled note, wicked IM, and vindictive text message A sends, the girls get a little closer to losing it all. (Link to Goodreads)

My Review: The events of "Flawless" occur immediately after "Pretty Little Liars". The four girls meet after the funeral of their deceased friend and share some of what the mysterious "A" has threatened. They separate, swearing to keep each other posted...but when "A" returns to taunt them, they find themselves unwilling to reveal their deepest secrets. Aria has her eyes on a boy who used to be Hanna's boyfriend. Hanna's actions in the last book come back to haunt her, and she is forced to work in a burn clinic. Her relationships are all over the place--Mona is feeling left out, her dad reappears, her boyfriend dumps her. Spencer's relationship with Wren is proving to be more difficult than she thought...how can she balance all her AP classes AND Wren? And what about how her parents have been ignoring her? And Emily is more confused than ever about who she is when she meets a really hot guy...Toby, the stepbrother of Jenna.

One of the things I like about this series is the characters- all five girls and the subsidiary characters as well. Each girl has her own struggles, her own style, her own likes and dislikes. I love how each one makes excuses for hiding her secrets; I love how each one has a different take on who "A" is; I just love the diversity that is brought to the table.

The thing I find most impressive is how Shepard is able to push the story forward while still keeping it interesting. This is a mystery at heart; to keep the mystery of "A" shrouded for even this long is impressive. And not once does it feel forced. We get to learn more about "The Jenna Thing"--and there is a revelation about "The Jenna Thing" that I expected, but was still shocked to see. And yet, while we learn more about this mysterious event in the girls' past, not once was I bored or no longer interesting in reading more. Instead, I am more curious...I want to know who "A" is!

I don't want to provide every little detail of the book and ruin your interest in reading the book, my review is just a synopsis of why you'll enjoy reading the book.

Also the little flashbacks of past at the beginning of each book is adorable. The story has its own pace. You've to have guts to write a series of 14 books! And Sara Shepard has done that remarkably well! Though sometimes, I repeat, only sometimes things get boring but you can't simply put the book down because of the curiosity like you have to know what happens next! 

And the best part is its such a fast read (all the books of the series actually)! You're just carried away by the flow of events and you're deep inside it without realising! You'll finish reading much sooner than you can think! 

So yes, I'm in love with this book an the series. It may not be perfect but its good enough for sure. I'll recommend it strongly for all YA and suspense lovers! You're gonna cherish it.

About The Author: Sara Shepard graduated from NYU and has an MFA from Brooklyn College. She currently lives in Tucson, Arizona. Sara's Pretty Little Liars novels were inspired by her upbringing in Philadelphia's Main Line. 

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Review: On Two Feet and Wings by Abbas Kazerooni

Title: On Two Feet and Wings

Author: Abbas Kazerooni

Publishers: Hachette India Children's Books
Date of Publication: January, 2011

Genre: Biography

Format: Paperback

Length: 240 pages.

My Source: Paperback

A Short Synopsis: He is in a foreign city, he is alone, and he is just a boy...

Close to his tenth birthday, Abbas has to leave his parents and friends, and flee Tehran. The Iran-Iraq war is at its bloodiest. The Ayatollahs, the rulers in Iran, have reduced the age of recruitment into the army. And if Abbas doesn’t leave soon, he will have to go to war.
In the strange and often frightening city of Istanbul, Abbas has to grow up faster than ever. He has to learn difficult things – how to live on his own, how to make his way around, and most importantly, how to judge who is a friend and who an enemy.
Living alone for fifteen weeks in a run-down hotel, Abbas finds a friend in Mourat, the owner, while he waits to get his dream-visa to England. Meanwhile, he has to deal with his new life and work at several jobs to make ends meet. Most of all, he has to guard against being manipulated, and watch his back at all times.
This is young Abbas’s remarkable story of innocence and wisdom, and survival against the worst odds. Like all stories, this one is often happy and sometimes sad. But unlike most others, this one is true.

My Review: When I first read the description of the story at the back of the book, I was like Come on! This CAN NOT be true! Little did I know what awaited inside the covers!

Abbas leaves his family when he is 9 years old to escape being drafted into the army. He's alone on the streets of Istanbul, trying to survive. His journey is aided by the kindness of strangers and his innate uncanny sense of who is trustworthy and who is not. 

In a strange country where he doesn't speak the language, Abbas strikes it lucky with the first person that he meets, a taxi driver called Ahmed. It is only a brief encounter, but Ahmed ensures that Abbas finds a decent hotel, and it's here that he will spend the next 3 months.

The hotel is reasonably priced (saving his money has been drummed into his mind by his father), but the area is not great and the room has cockroaches and his sheets are always a little dank. The one saving grace is Mourat, the owner, who takes Abbas under his wing.

The time Abbas spends at the hotel would be quite an adventure for anyone, let alone a nine year old boy. He manages to navigate his way through the city, find the best rates to exchange his money, make his way to the British Embassy, wangle himself a job at the hotel, learn backgammon and make a friend.

If you didn't know this was a true story you would find it hard to believe. This boy, who is so mature in so many ways is also just a 9 year old boy who cries himself to sleep and misses his Mum (Maman, as he calls his mother). As much as I found this book so sad, it's not actually a sad story, Abbas is a funny and courageous character and as he has written the book, you know it will not end all that badly. One other thing that I think of when I read books about children living such difficult lives, is how lucky I am to have been born where I was. The one reason Abbas had to go through this is because he was born in Iran, for those of us living in countries not surrounded by war and conflict, we should be forever grateful.
Where this book ends, is the beginning of a new chapter in Abbas' life. He starts studying in a boarding school in England and a new path of his life is paved. 

Trust me, there were many instances when I had hard times believing that all these things actually happened to a nine year old boy and he survived all these! All the time I kept asking myself What would have I done if I were in his place? Besides the incredibility of the incidents, the way of narration is appreciable as well. Abbas's language is simple and beautiful. 

The story is incredibly true, and it is amazing. I'd recommend it to everyone who loves reading. It's worth reading books like this.

About the Author: Abbas Kazerooni is a lawyer in California, USA. He is also a professional actor, writer and producer. Shows he has acted in include Sleuth on the London stage (lead role); the BBC's The Land of the Green Ginger (lead role); HBO's The Hamburg Cell; and the independent feature film Universal Senses. On Two Feet and Wings is his first book.

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Review: Pretty Little Liars (Pretty Little Liars: Book One) by Sara Shepard

How I Came to Know About this Book: After watching the TV show based on these books.

Format of The Book: Ebook (epub version).

Genre: Suspense, YA, Mystery, Thriller.

Length of the Book: 286 pages (paperback).

Characters of The Book: Alison, Spencer, Emily, Hanna, Aria, (and their respective parents), Mona, Toby, Jenna, Noel, Sean, Ezra, Maya, Kate, Isabel, Mike, Melissa, Wren, Ben, Wilden, Ian Thomas, Carolyn, Meredith and of course 'A'!

A Short Synopsis: Three years ago, Alison disappeared after a slumber party, not to be seen since. Her friends at the elite Pennsylvania school mourned her, but they also breathed secret sighs of relief. Each of them guarded a secret that only Alison had known. Now they have other dirty little secrets, secrets that could sink them in their gossip-hungry world. When each of them begins receiving anonymous emails and text messages, panic sets in. Are they being betrayed by some one in their circle? Worse yet: Is Alison back? A strong launch for a suspenseful series.


My Review: 

"Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead." 
-Benjamin Franklin. 

Once upon a time, there were five 'best' friends: Alison, Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer. Alison is the girl everyone loves, but secretly hates because they’re envious. She is what you could call the secret keeper of the clique, the one that holds the deepest and darkest secrets of each of the girls that nobody else knows and that they wouldn't dare share with another person. Then one day, Alison disappears mysteriously during a girls' sleepover night for celebrating the end of their seventh grade. And things change. Aria's family moves to Iceland and their friendship falls apart.

Three years later, the girls begin to receive threatening texts, IMs, and notes about their secrets- past and present from an anonymous source "A".  Aria is flirting with her English teacher Ezra; Emily is hanging out more with the new neighbour girl, Maya (in a way more than just friends do); Hanna has a dirty way of keeping thin, and Spencer is out for her perfect sister Melissa's boyfriend, Wren. 

Initially they begin to think that "A" is Alison and she is back (because the secrets "A" knows were known to Alison only, not even known by the other friends.) But as Ali's dead body is found out under a concrete slab in her house, things change and so do the girls' way of thinking! The four of them- Hanna, Emily, Aria and Spencer are brought together again for the "A" secret but they hesitate to share their 'pretty little' secrets with each other.

At the beginning, I had a hard time differentiating the characters from each other, but as I got further into the book, the characters became more and more alive. My favorite was Spencer. She was nerdy (like me), and that is probably where our similarities begin and end. I really felt bad for her, being overshadowed by her older sister, clamoring for her parents to see her and pay attention to her. Aria left to live in Iceland for three years and came back to Rosewood. Hanna's story pulled at my heartstrings. I can understand her desire to be perfect and thin. Lastly, we have Emily, she is the goody-two-shoes--she does everything her parents say and doesn't complain. But secretly, she wants to give up swimming and figure out how she feels about the neighbour girl, Maya. I thought the exploration of her sexuality was well-done. No over the top drama.

The other characters--the various family members and classmates--are seen through the eyes of these girls, and they are pretty well developed too (for secondary characters). I loved Mona's transformation from Outsider to Popular girl; Andrew was sweet (even if he seemed a creepy stalker); Maya was fascinating.

The story does get you hooked and make you interested in what happens to each girl. Instead of being aloof and unmoving, I found myself drawing closer to these characters and wondering what happened next, frantically turning pages. As for the texts from the mysterious "A"-- I highlighted them all and it was they were mysterious as hell, specially the last one: “I'm still here, bitches. And I know everything."

The book ends on not-quite a cliffhanger. It's a fairly well contained story with an obvious series sequel hook.

It was a quick enjoyable read. And if you're into YA and suspense, this book is recommended for you; this is a perfect combo of the duo!

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