Quando sono stato in Firenze, era una programme della cultura chiamata “Firenze porte aperte.” In the evenings, the museums would open their doors for free. Roaming the Uffizi at night while Andrea Boccelli sang in the courtyard of the Palazzo Vecchio is an exquisite memory of my time in Italy. You have returned that memory to me and opened a door. For that, I thank you. Grazie mille.
Reviews
From a certain point of view: Confirmation bias, narrative, and reader reception in the Gujarat Files
Rana Ayyub seems truly interested in discovering the truth of what happened during the 2002 Gujarat riots and in the encounters that followed. But the question remains: whose truth are we talking about here? That’s where Ayyub’s confirmation bias comes in.
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Reader reflections on control in Han Kang’s The Vegetarian
The Vegetarian isn’t really about a vegetarian or vegetarianism. This book is about control. Control of our bodies, our minds, our sexual desires, our identities, even our very existence.
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Review: Defiant Dreams
Editor's note Although I have never met them, I know several of the contributors to this volume, mostly through the online Facebook group For Writers, By Authors. I was a beta reader of Radhika Maira Tabrez's short story in this volume, Built From the Ashes. Anirban Nanda has beta read for me. When Rhiti Bose … Continue reading Review: Defiant Dreams
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I am a Chetan Bhagat fan, and I am not an idiot: A 2001-word editorial odyssey
Recently, I was involved in a discussion in a writer’s group about Chetan Bhagat. Unlike most similar discussions, this one did not degenerate into the vitriol that usually happens when Chetan Bhagat is mentioned. In part, because the discussion was not limited to Bhagat himself, but included Amish Tripathi, Durjoy Datta, Ravi Subramanian, and other bestsellers. … Continue reading I am a Chetan Bhagat fan, and I am not an idiot: A 2001-word editorial odyssey
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Blogiversary
Facebook has just reminded me that I started this blog one year ago today. Yah! That's something to celebrate.
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Book review: The Bestseller She Wrote
What happens when Ravi Subramanian, India’s bestselling author of banking thrillers, decides to write a romance novel set in the “glitzy world of bestsellers”? What insights would he give about becoming a best-selling author? Would switching genres work? Who’s the real Aditya Kapoor? Find out all this and more in this review of The Bestseller She Wrote by Ravi Subramanian.
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Book review: Scion of Ikshvaku by Amish Tripathi
The Scion of Ikshvaku book trailer set high expectations and left me wondering: Would the book manage to create such stunning visuals? Would the action live up to the excitement? Would Amish use this platform once again to air his political views about the environment and the evils of WMDs? Would I ever learn how to pronounce Ikshvaku properly?
Confessions of an Indian writer groupie: Child/God edition
Child/God is a riveting tale of a 35-year-old student learning the meaning of life from his six-month-old guru.
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Book review: Private India (2014)
When one of America’s best-selling crime writers joins forces with one of India’s best writers, the results are bound to take readers on a thrill ride through the city of Mumbai. From Marine Drive to Andheri and all parts in between, James Patterson and Ashwin Sanghi showcase the energy of the Maximum City in Private … Continue reading Book review: Private India (2014)
Jean Burke-Spraker 