Brilliant! =)

Coursework. :)

Beautiful read.
Awesome, through and through.

mine quickie humble musings (not a review, per se) on this read, yea:

Having just finished the read, i catch myself deciding, again, that i (still) prefer dear lady Lahiri’s short stories to her novel.

Her prose is still as beautiful, and Jhumpa Lahiri shall always be the one who redeemed my loyal faith (and interest too, perhaps) in Asian American writers, esp. after a not-too-pleasant experience of reading Arundhati Roy’s “The God of Small Things”. – An important note here though: I did enjoy Roy’s essays, replete with her sharp wit and candour, thoroughly. Definitely recommended to all friends. :)

So, although i felt that “The Namesake” is an okay read, to me, Lahiri still reigns as one of my fave authors who writes against a backdrop of the Indian diaspora, on vital (and beautifully real) themes as the immigrant identity, and its sensitivities.

An excerpt from the closing pages of Lahiri’s The Namesake (First Mariner Books: 2003, p.289):

“The givers and keepers of Gogol’s name are far from him now. One dead. Another, a widow, on the verge of a different sort of departure, in order to dwell, as his father does, in a separate world. She will call him, once a week, on the phone. She will learn to send e-mail, she says…
Without people in the world to call him Gogol, no matter how long he himself lives, Gogol Ganguli will, once and for all, vanish from the lips of loved ones, and so, cease to exist…”

Take care all & Wishes, minerva
p.s. Btw, for those who are interested in Russian lit., do check out the sadly beautiful short story, “The Overcoat,” by Nikolai Gogol – the namesake from whom Lahiri’s protagonist, (Nikhil) Gogol’s name is borrowed. :)

Not a review, again – just my ‘lil musings on Murakami’s “Norwegian Wood.”

Found it a tad too hedonistic for my preference, but it does have its poignant moments too.
Was amused by how Murakami manages to weave everyday struggles into the novel, even whilst the (adolescent) characters are stumbling through their amoral quests for love and happiness.
Liked the part where the protagonist Watanabe grows fond of his friend, Midori’s dad, as the latter lay dying on the hospital bed.

Read the novel, ‘cos it was recommended by a dear friend (who’s a big fan of Murakami), and also ‘cos i’d kept bumping into the author’s name in reviews & bookstores.
An okay read. :)

“Shinigami no Seido,” transliterated as ‘Accuracy of Death‘
- Yours truly’s first (full-length) Japanese movie, that i am blessed to watch with a dear soul. ;)

The movie’s a beautiful piece of work, with a softly nuanced treatment of a heavy-yet-pivotal theme as ‘death’ in humanity – or should i say “not special, yet very important” (as in the words of the lead cast towards the beautiful closure of the movie)?

Although the movie’s plot is deftly interwoven by (beautiful, i’ll insist) coincidences – which detractors may choose to pounce at – yours truly loved the way the directors & cast chose not to delve in extraneous possibilities the plot could have otherwise taken.

Lovely theme track, and laudably nuanced performance by the lead cast.
As in the words of my dear chum (Thanks, dear one!), it remains beautiful since it allows for much “depth” – and by this, allows for the deserved space for an exploration of complex issues of our identity as death.

Neat narrative on Trust, one’s belief in personal Justice and freedom of the Will. :)

Quite a softly, heart-stirring story.
Except for the fact that the audience’ll have to allow the characters their space and expressive potential as they reveal their innermost stories, over the course of the movie.

Was pleasantly amused by the careful reverence accorded to lovely (indian) mythological refs. (to the prodigious self-trained archer, Eklavya, who stands for unflinching loyalty to the ideals/people he loves) and even the literary refs. to Shakespeare’s Macbeth, (perhaps, even Hamlet, yes) and the Bard’s sweet Sonnet XVIII.. ;)

Music-wise, mine humble pick’ll be: Hamsika Iyer’s rendition of “Chanda Re” (The Moon Song) ~ sweetly sung to the request of the prince who’s mourning his own (Queen) mother’s demise in the movie. Neat effort, on the whole. :)

Beautifully moving story: Tribute to great Friendship & humanity
transcending cultural boundaries and such
arbitrary limitations.

*Thank you, dear SW, for sharing this gem with me. :)

Well-known literary classic, of the colonial era.
Been on my To-do List for q awhile now, and have just figured out a way to take this read – One Part at a time – as here. :)
Altho’ am admittedly elbow-deep in closing work affairs, i do need a neat read in this ‘lull period’ (havin’ just finished Crichton’s “Next”).. And it’s been quite a cute read so far.. Enjoyably witty, hmm. ;)
Wishes all, minerva*