Down and Out in Paris and London (Published in 1933) - Authored by George Orwell

Published in 1933, Down and Out in Paris and London is author George Orwell’s first full length work. A 2 part memoir on the after effects of financial crisis the world over, especially after the Wall Street crash of 1929, this book is very different from most in its genre. The reason being that Orwell did not spout about the hardships of poverty and financial difficulties from the sidelines; but was very much living the nightmare - first in Paris, as a teacher, and then in London, where he recorded his travels.
The first half of the book deals with Orwell’s experiences in Paris, especially when he finds that he has only 450 francs on him. After putting a down payment of 200 francs as rent, he tells himself that he will somehow manage on 250 francs till he finds a better job than his present work situation, which offered him only 36 francs a week for teaching students. However, disaster strikes in the life of Orwell, in the form of a robbery. His remaining measly 250 francs get stolen from his room, leaving him with 40 odd francs which he had on himself. To make matters worse his students quit, leaving him 36 francs a week short. He explains vividly how it felt to be poor and on the brink of starvation every day.
Orwell describes for the readers how there was an abundance of food everywhere, staring at him through windows, making him dream and plot of grabbing a hot loaf and running, maybe even putting some in his mouth before anyone could catch up to him. Poverty and hunger are almost always accompanied by idleness.




Orwell finally turned to a Russian friend by the name of Boris, for help. However Boris was in a far worse state than Orwell, surviving on 2 francs a day and sleeping on the floor. But, the two get together and start looking for jobs. They find some luck when they are both given jobs as “Plongeurs”, at Hotel X. Their job is basically to wash the dishes and help serve the patrons. Orwell describes with revolting clarity how the richer the patrons were, the more unhygienic and dirty their food would be. While everything looks clean on the outside, the kitchens and other areas which were not open to guests, remained filthy and pest ridden.
They barely scraped by on the money from Hotel X. Soon after, both Orwell and Boris went to work for a Russian hotel, which was even worse. From there, Orwell managed to score a job in London. However, he arrived in London only to find that his to be employer has changed his mind. Once again homeless and jobless, Orwell now provides detailed descriptions of what it means to be jobless in London.
London, where a jobless wanderer cannot even sit on the pavement to rest his heels for fear of being arrested, turned out to be much worse during unemployment and financial distress than Paris. Forced to wander the streets, Orwell provides a very constructive view of the homeless people in London, known as “Tramps”. He believes they should be given small plots of land to farm and grow their own food. He does not think them to be lazy but those who are stuck in unforgiving circumstances.
While all the events that occurred in the book are stated to be true at some point or the other, Orwell has definitely taken some creative liberty in the arrangement of the events. Though entirely factual, the sequence of events and their narration for a more dramatic effect does make the book part fiction. But, overall the book is an authentic read on poverty and hunger during the world’s financial crisis, especially since it is not a third persons point of view but written by someone who was surrounded by these challenges himself.
Except for a bit of racial slurring, particularly where he describes people, the book is a must read. But then again, Orwell has compiled his memoirs at a time when racial slurring was not looked down upon with the same hatred as it is today. A must read for anyone who wishes to understand what a majority of the world’s population went through after the Wall Street crash of 1929.

Burmese Days (Published in 1934) - A book by George Orwell

A fictional novel based on the Imperial rule of Burma in the 1920’s, Burmese Days is yet another fine piece of work by author George Orwell. Having lived in Burma from 1922 to 1927, Orwell has created a fictional story based on his adventures, exploits and experiences of Burma under the British rule. This book took particularly long to get published. First on account of the many years it took Orwell to write it, and then on account of the fact that publishers, including Orwell’s usual publisher, shied away from publishing something which could be termed as libel. Eventually the book was published not in London or any part of Europe, but rather in the U.S in 1934.
The book was termed as inaccurate on many accounts especially by the Burmese people, who felt that Orwell’s account let their people down. Orwell had replied to this general outrage and feeling, by saying that it may have been harsh ad unfair, but most of it is him reporting things through the means of fictional characters, just the way he saw it.
The story begins with 3 central characters, a local corrupt Burmese magistrate by the name of U Po Kyin, who has been scheming for a place in the prestigious British club. However he knows that as long as Dr. Veraswami, a man of great reputation, stood in his way, he did not stand a chance. To make mattes more difficult, Dr. Veraswami is shown to be good friends with a pukka sahib, John Flory. And as long as the good doctor remains friends with this European man, U Po Kyin cannot be a member of the club.




He schemes to malign the name of the doctor, and even attempts to send a letter to John Flory subtly threatening him. He spreads rumors about how the doctor holds strong “anti-British” feelings and is disloyal to the British rulers. Meanwhile, John Flory’s story unfolds. He feels lost and alienated because of the many years he has spent in Burma. He feels the British are not there to be good administrators but to plunder and seek out their own vested interests. When he voices his concerns to Dr. Veraswami, the doctor is concerned and tries to steer him away from these negative thoughts.
Flory has also kept a Burmese mistress. However, his preconceived racial notions make him feel that it would be best to have a British wife. His dreams seem to be coming true when Elizabeth Lackersteen, the orphaned niece of a local timber firm manager arrives. He rescues her from a supposed attack of a water buffalo and the two of them instantaneously get along. They bond over the next few days and even go out shooting together, where he shoots a leopard and promises to give her the skin as a gift.
However, Flory does not know all that much about Elizabeth and how she secretly hates the foreign country and all its locals. She chooses to hide these facts from Flory when he is about to propose. However, the proposal gets cut short when Elizabeth’s aunt learns that a certain military police lieutenant by the name of Verall arrives. Her aunt feels that Verall would prove to be a better match for Elizabeth and throws a deliberate wrench in the “love” of Elizabeth and Flory by telling Elizabeth of Flory’s Burmese mistress.
Flory tries everything to get her back but to no avail. In the meantime some incidents spark up a riot in the small town. The anti-British riot is only gotten under control because of the work done by Dr. Veraswami and Flory. As a result Dr. Veraswami is given a seat in the prestigious club. Verall leaves unexpectedly and without informing anyone, leaving Elizabeth heartbroken. Seeing this as an opportunity, Flory swoops in and proposes to Elizabeth. She is thrilled and agrees to marry him.
However, U Po Kyin who had been seeking an opportunity to destroy Dr. Veraswami finds his chance at the wedding of Elizabeth and Flory. He sends Flory’s old mistress to create a scene at the wedding, which results in Elizabeth storming away and telling Flory she wants nothing to do with him. Heartbroken and miserable, Flory kills himself and his dog. Soon after, Dr. Veraswami is also released from his post in the British club, which he relinquishes to Kyin. But before Kyin plans on how he will atone for his sins now that he has been given this position of power, he dies of apoplexy. An interesting read which has a strong basis in reality. Many of the characters described in the book are said to be true. Orwell uses his experiences in Burma in the 1920’s, to create a story about the colonial life in a way which is as realistic and unsparing in its view of people, cultures and races. The book is a fine example of social metaphysics, which explains that what other people think will contribute and create reality.

Riotous Assembly (Published in 1971) - Authored by Tom Sharpe - Satirical look at South Africa during apartheid

Published in 1971, Riotous Assembly is a novel by Tom Sharpe. A novel which showcases the Apartheid era of South Africa in a satirical and humorous way, Riotous Assembly is about a murder committed by a white woman of her Zulu cook. The murder that has taken place in South Africa at the time of apartheid and the local police who enforce it, is Tom Sharpe’s way of speaking out against the atrocities that were committed at the time. His knowledge on the subject was vast as a result of his staying in South Africa from 1951 until1961.
Tom Sharpe had shifted to South Africa and had worked as a social worker and teacher. The apartheid era inspired him to write 2 novels, and a play, one of the novels being Riotous Assembly. Like every phase of his life, this one too, resulted in the publication of a serious issue in the form of satire and mockery. However, it did not go down well, and he was arrested for sedition, and later deported to London in 1961.
The novel opens in a fictitious town by the name of Piemburg in South Africa. The police chief, Kommandant van Heerden, has risen to his current rank, only because of family connections. His work and merit leave much to be desired. So when this baboon of a Police Chief, who also happens to be pro-apartheid, is told to go an investigate a murder, involving a certain eccentric British lady by the name of Miss Hazlestone, there is bound to be some blow up.




It turns out that Miss Hazlestone has murdered or rather blown to smithereens her Zulu cook with an elephant gun. But since the murder was that of a Zulu and the one committing the crime was a British “white” woman, van Heerden seems it only fair to brush the entire matter under the carpet. However, when Miss Hazlestone divulges the fact that she and her cook were lovers, van Heerden panics. In his endeavors to try and contain the matter, he creates so much confusion that it all blows out of proportion on a nuclear scale.
He attempts to try and control the matter and also stop this news from spreading, by placing the lady, Miss Hazlestone under house arrest, and calls reinforcement to guard her, while he goes to try and make matters “better”. His assistants are stupider than him. When he posts the bloodthirsty but completely senseless Konstable Els as a guard outside Miss Hazlestone’s home with an elephant gun, Els manages to somehow kill over 20 police officers in his over exuberance to guard the house and its secret.
Not sure what to do, Els plants a wallet found nearby at the scene of the crime and then flees. The wallet turns out to be that of Bishop of Barotseland, Miss Hazlestone’s brother. He is then arrested and interrogated in a not so legal way, after which a trial is held and he is sentenced to death by hanging at the ancient gallows for a crime he did not commit.
Not a political novel, and a bit predictable, but yet, as always an entertaining read by Tom Sharpe. The book from the word go, puts light on everything that Sharpe found wrong in Apartheid South Africa. He uses all that and comes up with a story which is hilarious and yet a slap in the face of all racism, savagery, stupidities, juridical perversions and misunderstandings that took place in South Africa.

Porterhouse Blue (Published in 1974) - Authored by Tom Sharpe

Published in 1974, Porterhouse Blue is one of Tom Sharpe’s finest works. Tom Sharpe of the Wilt Series fame wrote an even more satirical and farcical book than Wilt, namely Porterhouse Blue. This book was made into a TV series, which was adapted by Malcolm Bradbury. The sequel to the novel is Grantchester Grind. However, Porterhouse Blue is a novel with a standalone plot.
Porterhouse Blue is based on a fictional college called Porterhouse in Cambridge. The novel’s central characters include the Porterhouse Head Porter called Skullion, the only research graduate student named Lionel Zipser and the object of his affections, Mrs Biggs, who is his bedder, Sir Godber Evans- the master and his wife, Lady Mary.
The book opens with the death of the present master. In what may be 500 years, for the first time the college faces what they call Porterhouse Blue, which is a situation where the previous master fails to announce the name of his successor before his death. As a result Sir Godber has been named the master of Porterhouse. However, for a college that has been traditionalist to its very core, there are now rumors that the new master and his wife plan to introduce changes.
This is a source of major concern for Skullion and the Fellows. They plan to counter attack the proposals for contraceptive machines, women students and canteen. Meanwhile, the only research graduate student-Lionel voices his fixation on the buxom Mrs Biggs on the megaphone for the hard of hearing Chaplain. Consequently, the whole college hears about it. Mrs Biggs who did not hear this realizes something is fishy when Lionel starts acting awkward around her.
So as to divert his fixations from Mrs Biggs, Lionel is suggested to pick up foreign students. And in his attempts to remove a few condoms from the vending machine, he lands up removing 2 boxes full. What follows is completely bizarre. Afraid he has stolen them, he tries to get rid of them, the best approach according to him being, inflating them with gas and floating them up the chimney!




If the already bizarre situation was not astounding enough for the reader, here’s more! Some of the inflated condoms get stuck in the chimney and the rest float down into the quadrangle! So as to uphold the values of the school, Skullion (who finds the floating condoms!) spends the night bursting each and every one. The same night, Mrs Biggs makes advances on Lionel and lands up in bed with him. Only in the process she lights the gas fire in the chimney, which leads to the stuck inflated condoms catching fire, which leads to an explosion in which they both are killed!
If the reader could stop laughing on such an inexplicable situation, Tom Sharpe then takes the story towards even more astounding heights. The fire brigade are called to put out the fire, but Skullion who was busy bursting inflated condoms, refuses to open the gates for the fire brigade until all the condoms are burst! As a result, he loses his job. After getting fired, he visits the bank and finds out that he has actually been left a large sum of money in the form of shares, by the previous master.
After, some revengeful tactics, he goes to Sir Godber and pleads with him to let him have his job back. But when Sir Godber refuses the two get into a fight, and Sir Godber is fatally injured. Skullion flees from the scene. 2 academics that happen to be in the vicinity see Sir Godber and rush to his aid. Close to dying, Sir Godber whispers just one word - Skullion. And of all the things!!! The 2 academics agree that Sir Godber meant to name Skullion as his successor.
They go to Skullion to tell him the good news. But, guilty conscience, Skullion feels that they are on to him and are going to turn him in. As he is being told the news he suffers from a paralytic stroke. But even so he is named the new master, and his vast fortune is utilized in rebuilding the Tower which was destroyed in the explosion.      
The novel if full of puns and wit, which do not seem superficial but rather integrated into the plot. In typical Tom Sharpe fashion, the book is one long string of hilarious situations which seem completely absurd. An extremely entertaining read, the book is a must for not only Sharpe loyalists but all who feel like having a good hearty laugh. It is to be taken lightly and as a brilliant piece of satire.

Wilt in Nowhere (Published in 2004) - Wilt traveling - Authored by Tom Sharpe

After a break of more than 2 decades, Tom Sharpe returned with the fourth novel in the Wilt Series. Tom Sharpe acknowledged that the reason for such a prolonged absence in his publication was the lack of poison in his system as it was the period he was forced to give up smoking. Other reasons mentioned by him for the prolonged absence was that the ballpoint pen he used had gone out of production! And that he had even written to his readers to send him their pens!
Whatever the reason be, the introduction to Wilt in Nowhere feels timid and as a reader one worries that Sharpe might have finally gone soft. However, upon further reading it is clear that Sharpe has upped the antics and adventures of the anti-hero of his series, Henry Wilt.
In “Wilt in Nowhere”, there are 2 plots that start of simultaneously after Wilt’s wife receives plane tickets from her Aunt and Uncle who live in Tennessee, for the entire family, to go visit them. Eva, Wilt’s wife, see this as her opportunity to try and worm her way into the will of her Aunt and Uncle, who incidentally have more money than they can spend. However, Wilt tries and eventually succeeds in getting himself out of this trip.
From there on there are two plots. One involving Eva and their quadruplet teenage daughters, who have grown up to be sex starved, foul mouthed kids; and Henry Wilt, who as always takes the poor decision to try and take a walking holiday through London to once again find the romantic and nostalgic side to it. Wilt plans to do that with nothing but his walking shoes and ill advisedly, a bottle of whiskey!    




Meanwhile, Eva is caught in the middle of a drug trafficking racket, with her as the main suspect. This in no way helps her to worm her way into her Aunt and Uncle’s fortunes, on the contrary finds herself further away from it. Her foul mouthed daughters only add to the confusion by leaving behind them a trail of destruction, insanity and angry drug enforcement agents.
Incase everything seems to spiral out of control on Eva’s front, things are no better in England, when Wilt, who was supposedly backpacking is seen drunk and unconscious in the back of an arsonists’ pickup truck. If that isn’t complicated enough, Wilt wakes up in the hospital not sure how he got there, or why he is being accused of arson, robbery and murder! And for all the mess he has gotten himself into, his worst problem then appears in the form of his old friend, Inspector Flint who would only be thrilled to investigate Wilt for all the above mentioned crimes.
A brilliantly funny read, with all the crazy plot elements in place, the book reminds Sharpe’s loyal readers of past misadventures. But, the jokes do feel ever so slightly forced. Known as the king of slapstick, in this novel Sharpe has shown himself as not just that but also someone who is vengeful and wildly amusing in his writings.

Wilt on High (Published in 1984) - More fun with Wilt - Authored by Tom Sharpe

Wilt on High, is the third installment in the Wilt Series written by comic novelist, Tom Sharpe, who made a bawdy and vulgar style of writing into an art form. His writings are quite similar to those of Wodehouse, from whom he took great inspiration. But funny is where the similarity ends. Tom Sharpe takes funny and adds more crass and vulgarity to the story. Even though he started writing comedy only by the age of 43 years, his stories were an instant hit, and found a large loyal reader base.
Wilt on High, follows the exploits of Henry Wilt, a mild mannered teacher, who always gets involved in sticky situations which make for an extremely entertaining read. In this book, Wilt is shown to still be teaching at Fenland Tech. His attempts at drilling English into the minds of plasterers and dozing his way through drab committee meetings is all rudely disrupted when a dark cloud hovers over the college in the form of drug dealing. And invariably like a magnet for bad things, the cloud of suspicion finds its way to Henry Wilt.
Henry Wilt goes about his mundane life, when suddenly a departmental inquiry is conducted. Someone in the department at Fenland Tech is dealing drugs. Wilt’s friends all find themselves resenting Wilt, as they all feel that he is the reason that the department has come under such investigation. Inspector Flint, an old adversary of Wilt, takes charge of this investigation. Seizing the opportunity to try and pin everything on Wilt, Inspector Flint goes about his job with double vigor to leave no stone unturned. Knowing that Wilt is guilty of something, he sets about to try and settles a number of old scores.




Wilt’s wife is of no support to him. Like every wife, she has her doubts about Wilt, and this does not help his cause. To make matters worse, Wilt only complicates matters for himself with his talent for creating new enemies. Wilt’s inborn talent to make people hate him, starts off with an allegation of voyeurism in the ladies staff lavatory, and ends at a showdown at a US airbase, with forces of law and order on both sides, and is Wilt as always, right in the middle of this messy affair!
The book is a constant topsy-turvy journey through oddities. And where Tom Sharpe’s brilliant writing shines through is how all these eccentricities come together to make sense. From situations involving a group called Mothers Against The Bomb, to the set of murderous quadruplets and a thermonuclear war that could be set off all because of the misusage of Spanish Fly, the book is a classic Tom Sharpe novel where things just keep getting worse and as a reader we wait for it to collapse in on itself. Only it doesn’t collapse, it just keeps getting better.
Tom Sharpe is known as P. G. Wodehouse on acid! He has more or less the same comic style of writing, but with loads of vulgarity and crude humor and bold satire. Wodehouse’s influence maybe visible in Sharpe’s plots and settings, but it’s the absurd and completely unbelievable twists and turns in the story that involve the reader.  A thoroughfare of absurd situations which grips the reader to follow the simple yet odd ball character called Henry Wilt.

Wilt (Published in 1976) - Comedy of errors - Authored by Tom Sharpe

Born in 1928, Thomas Ridley Sharpe was a British novelist, who favoured satire in all his writings. Best known for the Wilt series, and Porterhouse Blue, Thomas Sharpe, better known as Tom Sharpe was an alumnus of Pembroke College, Cambridge. His novels have been well acclaimed globally and the Wilt Series along with a few other books have also been adapted for television.    
Wilt is one of the first critically acclaimed novels of Tom Sharpe. Based on the life and misadventures of a professionally underrated assistant lecturer, Henry Wilt, the book is a comedic novel which was first published in 1976. The story starts off with Henry Wilt, who has a daft job and an extremely domineering wife. Wilt has just been passed up for promotion yet again and is shown to be a guy who always takes the easy way out in life. As a result he never gets what he wants. He teaches literature to uninterested construction workers and thugs at a Community College in the South of England.
Frustrated with his job, Wilt finds no respite even at home. With a wife who is physically larger than him, but emotionally and mentally behaves extremely immature, Wilt is desperate to find a way out of his troubles. Even though he cannot do anything about his job, he loves to walk his dog and fantasize about doing something to his wife, Eva. Eva is shown to be massive, with unpredictable fits of over enthusiasm. Wilt is tired of being hen-pecked and harassed all the time by Eva, and starts day dreaming about killing her in gruesome ways.




But, then a string of unfortunate events put Wilt in an unenviable position. These events start at a party hosted by some “horrible Americans”. When his wife runs off with a college professor, Wilt seizes the opportunity of carrying out some of his more vindictive fantasies. He inflates a life size plastic doll and dresses it up in his wife’s clothes. He then proceeds to dump the doll down a 30 foot hole. And by doing something so stupid he has now started a chain of events in which suspicion and blame soon find their way back to him, when his wife goes missing.
What follows is a hilarious tale of confusion and mayhem. Everything that can go wrong does go wrong. And Wilt only makes matters worse when he attempts to make things better. Along the way he is subjected to humiliation and turmoil as his life is turned upside down. But going through the ordeal, somewhere along the way, Wilt finds his strengths and some amount of dignity.
He seems to be assisting the police in finding his wife, but is almost all the time under a cloud of suspicion from the obstinate police inspector Flint. Gradually with all the pressure of the investigation burdening him down, he starts to find his strong suits and begins to flourish. While the police focus solely on the circumstantial evidence they have, Wilt puts in all he has into showing the world how the Law actually works, and how they can’t seem to differentiate a missing person from a hole in the ground.
A satirical and entertaining read overall, in which Tom Sharpe has created a character, which we can all identify with. Maybe we do not recognize Henry Wilt as ourselves, but, we do recognize him as someone we are afraid to turn into. Throughout the story, the reader experiences a sort of empathy for the protagonist.

Novel - Robots and Empire - A book by Isaac Asimov (published in 1985)

Isaac Asimov was a prolific writer of books, which included both science fiction and non-fiction science related books. Over the years, he has become extremely famous for the numerous science fiction novels he wrote, and the way he wrote about societies of the future. His societies of the future have a certain tinge of familiarity with the society that we can see now, but he also showcases societies which seem extremely warped in terms of how they operate (especially when you see the societies that he has described in the Spacer worlds).
Asimov was born in Russia and moved at a very early age to the US and settled down in the Brooklyn area of New York. Although he was associated with different universities including Columbia and Boston University and even spent some time in the army (having been drafted), his heart was always in writing. He became a contributor to the famous science fiction magazines of the time, and also moved into writing science rather than science fiction. Isaac Asimov is most famous for the series of short stories and novels he wrote on Robots (and played his part in removing the Frankenstein complex about Robots through his Three Laws of Robotics - although the development of military robots seems totally contrary to these law of robots and seems more fueled towards the Terminator kind of world).
He also wrote a series of books that are collectively known as the Foundation Series (the first three of which came in the early 1950's and the remainder were written after a period of 30 years). They explore a period in which the massive Galactic Empire that has kept peace in the Galaxy is decaying and will eventually die, causing a prolonged period of anarchy and a scientist attempts to reduce this time period to a much smaller interval.

The novel is the 4th novel in the series, starting with the The Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun, and The Robots of Dawn. The main difference between these 3 novels and this one is the non-presence of the team of Elijab Baley and his humanoid robotic partner, R. Daneel Olivaw. The time period is set around 2 centuries after the previous novel, which means that Elijab Baley is no longer on the scene, having died as per human timelines. However, the lady he met in 2 of the previous novels, Gladia Delmarre, is still alive since she is a spacer and spacers have developed a much longer lifeline than that of humans.
But there has been a great transition in the overall balance of power in the galaxy. In the time of Elijah, the spacers were very powerful while earth was a much weaker source of power. However, the movement started by Elijah and a few others and supported by the faction of spacers led by Dr. Han Fastolfe, who wanted the settlement of the galaxy to be done by humans rather than using humanoid robots, grew wings and the humans started spreading outwards, outpacing the spacer worlds and using the huge population of earth to settle new worlds.
Even though Dr. Fastolfe had died, his enemies were still in place and could not digest what was happening, and were not able to withstand the increasing number of worlds being populated by human settlers. They want to destroy Earth in a way that is not traced back to the spacers and they believe that this will ensure that earth is not able to achieve its aims. In all this, is present a descendant of Elijah Baley, called Daneel Giskard Baley, who is part of these groups of settlers. He wants the help of Gladia for help in figuring out why her now abandoned planet of Solaria is destroying spaceships that land there, and also wants to recover the robots that are now there, apparently without any owners. Gladia decides to help, and gets Giskard and Daneel (with their super strength) as companions.
The former opponent of Dr. Fastolfe, Kelden Amadiro has got a new supporter and helper, Levular Mandamus. Till now, Giskard has been able to use his telepathic powers to stop all efforts by Amadiro to stop earth, and now he and Daneel have to proceed on their most difficult fight as yet, the effort to stop Amadiro and Mandamus from destroying earth through an increase in radioactivity (the net result of which was displayed in a mostly radioactive earth, in Pebble in the Sky). However, while trying to stay in line with the Three Laws of Robotics while trying to stop these 2 is a big challenge, and Asimov tries to get more inventive, trying to create a Zeroth law of Robotics, which places humanity above individual humans, but this effort places a huge impact on the minds of the robots and causes a breakup of the minds of Giskard. And the earth does become radioactive, but not in a few years, but over the next 150 years.
Asimov tried to use this novel to link his robotic series with his Foundation series, using Daneel in the last of the Foundation series and also introducing the worlds of the spacers as dead worlds.

Novel - The Robots of Dawn - Isaav Asimov (published in 1983)

Isaac Asimov is known as one of the masters of science fiction, but he was more than just a writer of science fiction. In addition to science fiction, he wrote a science books and with a total book collection (books that he would have written or edited) in the hundreds. His books came out in a time when there were many other authors of science fiction, but Asimov has always been counted among the top writers in his field, along with other authors such as Arthur C Clarke and Robert A Heinlein.
Some of the most famous works of Asimov includes the Foundation Series (which takes a look at society during and after a massive galactic empire came to an end), and also includes the science of psychohistory (that seems to predict the future based on large masses of people, but is not usable on small scales). In addition to this, Asimov is also very famous for his many books on robotics, some of them set on their own and others in terms of their involvement with non-earth societies at a time when they were shunned on earth.
He is also very famous for his 3 laws of robotics which seek to provide safeguards on the actions of robots and prevent them from behaving in a Frankenstein manner.
And of course Asimov was also famous for his short story Nightfall, which took a society which has always every had light in its sky, and how it reacts when it knows that all those suns that light up the sky will vanish for a period of time and there will be night (a concept that people have never had).

Robots of Dawn is the next novel in the series of the earth-based plainclothes detective Elijah Baley (with the earlier novels in this series being 'The Caves of Steel' and 'The Naked Sun'). So far, the interaction with the spacers and with robots (primarily the detective partner, the humanoid R Daneel Olivaw) has led to changes in the attitudes of Elijah. He has started believing that it is the future of humanity to move out and occupy planets rather than the spacers doing so. For this, they have to start moving out from their caves of steel and become more comfortable with open spaces and with being under the sun. So, far because Elijah has been successful in his past investigations, he has managed to gain fame and also enabled some rights for earth.
But each time, he faces investigations where there is a lot at stake. If he fails, not only will he face demotion, but earth will also lose out. And now he is getting into a murder investigation where there is a lot more at stake. There is a tussle going on on the world of Aurora, which is seen as the chief spacer world, and where there are groups which are fighting a power struggle over whether new worlds would be settled by spacers or by people from earth. The group favoring spacers wants to use humaniform robots (which look exactly like humans / spacers) but the technology for them is only available with the robotist Dr. Hans Fastolfe. And the murder is that of one of the 2 humaniform robots in existence, R. Jander Parnell.
Because of the skill needed to create a mental block in such a robot, Dr. Fastolfe is the one who is blamed for the crime, and he himself admits that only he has the abilities, but that he did not do it. However, if he is proved guilty, then his faction will lose power and the group advocating spacers doing the resettlement using robots will win. And into this mess is inserted Elijah Baley, and since the winning of Dr. Fastolfe's group is so important to earth, he is again under a lot of pressure. He is partnered with R. Daneel Olivaw again, and this time, he comes into contact with another robot, not a humaniform robot through, with the name of Giskard.
So starts the investigation, and Elijah comes across a number of people, some in favor, and some against him But because he is doing the investigation of this important case, they also have to give him an audience. He comes into contact with a person from the previous book, Gladia Delmarre, who had the robot in her staff, and who had also taken the robot as her sexual partner and treated him like her husband.
How does Elijah Baley overcome all the problems placed in his path ? Does he manage to prevent Dr. Fastolfe from being proven guilty ? How did the robot get a mental block which effectively killed the robot.

Novel - The Caves of Steel - Isaav Asimov (published in 1954)

Isaac Asimov is one of the most famous science fiction writers of all time. The number of fiction and non-fiction books that he has written number in the hundreds, more than 500 books of different genres. Asimov is mostly famous for his science fiction novels, but he has written a number of others books, almost all of them on science. Along with other authors such as Arthur C Clarke and others such as Robert Heinlein, he was one of the most famous science fiction writers of all time. His most famous legacies include the 3 laws of Robotics (meant to ensure that humans have control over robots) and for the Foundation series of books. For many science fiction readers, Asimov would have been the first author whose books they may have read. He had also won many of the science fiction awards that were there, and one of his short stories, Nightfall was very popular with critics. For those who have read the books, there are many aspects of the books that are not science fiction per se, instead they are a beautiful description of the society of the future.
Asimov was born as a Russian Jew in the period just after the First World War, with the exact date of birth unknown (sometime between 1919 and 1920). When Asimov was very young, his family moved to the United States and settled in New York. During the Second World War, he was working in a Navy station stateside, and joined the Boston University School of Medicine. He started writing short stories in 1939, and also with novels in 1950. Within a couple of years, he also went into writing non-fiction books. Over a period of time, he wrote a large number of books, with an increasing concentration on science books rather than non-fiction. In fact, as he mentioned in the Foundation Series, he had to be literally forced by his publishers to write some of the later Foundation books. Unfortunately, after writing a huge collection of books, many of them incredible books, Isaac Asimov died in 1992.
The Caves of Steel was the first in a series of novels that starred the human investigator Elijah Baley and his humanoid robotic partner, Daneel Olivaw. The book was first published as a series in Galaxy Magazine, over the last quarter of 1953, with the hardcover editing being published in 1954. This was the book that showed a time when travelers from earth (using hyperdrive) managed to colonize external planets. However, these colonizers, over a period of time managed to control disease, developed the science to live much longer and grew very rich, comfortable with robots to help them with their lives. At the same time, on earth, there was a reverse process. Humans retreated into living in large cities of steel (and an aversion to open space or outside), with severe restrictions and control on all facilities, hating those who had gone outside (the Spacers) and hating the control they had on earth, and most of all hating their machines, the robots.

In this setting, Elijah Baley is a policeman, with some of these biases as well. He has a family, and due to his status as a policeman, he has some facilities that others don't have, but there are many that he does not have because of his current rank. And then, a disaster occurs. A Spacer, one who wants people on earth to start going outside again, to other worlds, is killed just inside Spacetown (the guarded location on earth where Spacers live, and where people from earth are only allowed after being disinfected). He has been killed using a blaster, but it is a proper murder mystery since it is not easy to detect as to who did the murder. The disaster and opportunity for Elijah is that his boss, the Commissioner, wants Elijah to take up the murder investigation, and his partner will be a robot who looks just like a human, called R. Daneel Olivaw (the R stands for Robot).

There is no evidence of how the murder occurred and it is now upto Elijah to do all the investigations to figure out why the murder occurred. He has to fight with unknown people, work against an organization that wants nothing to do with Spacers and with robots and is looking to implicate Elijah in a situation where he will be accused of destroying valuable property. How does he do it ? Is he successful ?

Novel - The Naked Sun - Isaav Asimov (published in 1957)

Isaac Asimov is one of the most famous science fiction writers of all time. The number of fiction and non-fiction books that he has written number in the hundreds, more like 500 books. Although Asimov is mostly famous for his science fiction novels, he has written a number of books on science. Along with Arthur C Clarke and others such as Robert Heinlein, he was one of the most famous science fiction writers of all time, most famous now for the 3 laws of Robotics and for the Foundation series of books. For many science fiction readers, Asimov would have been the first author whose books they may have read. He had also won many of the science fiction awards that were there, and one of his short stories, Nightfall was very popular with critics. For those who have read the books, there are many aspects of the books that are not science fiction per se, instead they are a beautiful description of the society of the future.
Asimov was born as a Russian Jew in the period just after the First World War, with the exact date of birth unknown (sometime between 1919 and 1920). When Asimov was very young, his family moved to the United States and settled in New York. During the Second World War, he was working in a Navy station stateside, and joined the Boston University School of Medicine. He started writing short stories in 1939, and also with novels in 1950. Within a couple of years, he also went into writing non-fiction books. Over a period of time, he wrote a large number of books, with an increasing concentration on science books rather than non-fiction. In fact, as he mentioned in the Foundation Series, he had to be literally forced by his publishers to write some of the later Foundation books. Unfortunately, Isaac Asimov died in 1992.
The Naked Sun was published in a magazine between October and December 1956 and was published in a complete form in 1957. It takes off from an earlier novel, the Caves of Steel, continuing with the same societal issues and the same set of characters, exploring the strange forms of society formed on Earth and on one of the Other worlds which was settled by people from Earth, and where society developed in such a way that people avoided contact with each other.

In the Caves of Steel, Elijah Baley was introduced to his partner, the humaniform robot R. Daneel Olivaw. Earth is the cradle of humanity but has started to live in massive caves, cut off from the sunlight, from the open air (in fact, people are almost never exposed to sunlight and would be scared and horrified if they did get exposed to such sunlight). In addition, there are vast powerful new worlds that were settled by people who moved out from Earth. These people are called spacers, who have lived in worlds where all forms of infections have been controlled, where they have eliminated the normal diseases which affect the people on earth. As a result, they have drastically increased their life spans, and also become much more powerful and capable of destroying earth and its people as well. But since they are no longer exposed to these diseases, they no longer have the same kind of immunity, and hence avoid any kind of connection to the people of earth; if they have to meet them, the person from earth needs to be disinfected, and the Spacers wear nose filters as well. Earthlings also have a strong distaste for Robots, not being able to stand being near them. In the worlds that the Spacers inhabit, their populations are far lower, and there is no such distaste for robots. They know how to utilize the robots, and use them for making their life better. However, with these comforts, their need for social interaction decreases, to the extent that on worlds such as Solaria, people live on vast estates, with a large number of robots (approximately 10,000 robots for every one person), and yet cannot stand to be in the physical presence of other people. They meet each other through video interactions and shun the company of others. The population is also controlled for the exact number that is seemed right for each estate. Elijah Baley is now famous ever since he managed to resolve the murder that happened in Spacetown on earth along with Daneel, and hence has been called for the investigation of the murder of a famous fetologist and robotocist, Rikaine Delmarre on Solaria. This assignment is significant, since with the power equations, any failure of Elijah can be very dangerous for Elijah and for Earth, but success can increase the power of those Spacers in favor of Earth. He is again partnered with R. Daneel Olivaw, and now has to work in an environment where many Solarians look down upon him and consider him as an inferior person. The main suspect in the case is that of the wife of Rikaine, Gladia. The book is an interesting murder mystery, set in a time when Elijah cannot even visit the various people involved in the case but has to view them from a distance. Further, he has to delve deeper into the 3 laws of Robotics, and how any changes in these laws can cause murder to happen, and what this means for the future. I really loved the book, and am not going to reveal more of the story. It is a must read from my perspective. I don't consider such a book dated even though it was published more than 50 years back.

A Stone for Danny Fisher (published in 1952) - The story of a fighter during the Great Depression

Harold Robins is one of the prolific writers of the 21st century. Born Harold Rubin, his parents were Russian and Polish immigrants. After dabbling in sugar futures he took up a job in Universal pictures which propelled his interest towards writing. Thus came out “Never love a Stranger” which courted a controversy for its graphic sexual content. Soon Robbins would become a prolific writer churning out innumerable best sellers. He had this knack of mixing up a thriller with sex and historical anecdotes to create a taut mystery. The worlds favorite author, Harold Robins would publish over 20 books which are translated into 32 languages and estimated to be selling over 750 million copies. Many of his books were made in to successful movies, the very first being “A stone For Danny Fisher” which was adapted as “King Creole” starring Elvis Presley. The stories were also made in to mini series and were part of documentaries. Robbins also lived a jet setting life style with cars, wine and women at his disposal. His decadent life style along with those of the high and mighty of Hollywood is often mirrored in his books. Robbins was one of the authors honored with a star on the Hollywood walk of frame. This prolific writer died of a cardiac arrest at the age of 81 in Palm Springs, California.
A Stone For Danny Fisher is the most accomplished book from the the Harold Robins stable. Many may not consider the Robins books as literary masterpieces, but the saga of the young boxer from the Brooklyn slums comes close to it. Even the critics consider this book as one of the best read stories of the time.



Through the pages one can glimpse the trials and tribulations of a Jewish Boy, Danny Fisher, living in post war America. Danny lives through the hate, race violence and the occasional skirmish, to become the lead boxer of the school. His relations with his father suffers progressively and the money issues compound it. Sam Goetlib his coach is the closest to a benefactor Danny has and he even pays the money for his coaching.
As Danny climbs the rungs of the boxing ladder, his bouts actually earn him the money and worse he gets offered absurd amounts to fix his matches. He holds on to his games till the time his father actually implores him to bail him out of bankruptcy. Danny pockets the five thousand dollars and tries hard to throw the match which he ends up winning. Thus on the run and disgraced, he returns to the fringes of the society. Shunned by all he loves he embraces brutality, first passively looking on, and later embracing it. With this new found brotherhood of pugnaciousness he gets the money, maidens and all his heart desires. But soon the castle of cards crumbles, and Danny is left naked to the harsh glares of life. His true friends, his childhood sweetheart and erstwhile coach bail him out and his son. This help Danny to start a new life.
A stone for Danny Fisher does pull your heart strings and unlike other Harold Robbins books, there is no graphic content to take you away from the story. This book was made in to a movie, King Creole starring Elvis Presley. This book is a great way to steal away some time for yourself.

The Betsy (published in 1971) - A book on the automobile industry, written by Harold Robbins

Harold Robbins is one of the prolific writers of the 21st century. Born Harold Rubin, his parents were Russian and Polish immigrants, although he claimed to be of Jewish heritage. After dabbling in sugar futures he took up a job in Universal pictures, which propelled his interest towards writing. Thus came out “never love a Stranger” which courted a controversy for its graphic sexual content. Soon Robbins would become a prolific writer churning out innumerable best sellers. He had this knack of mixing up a thriller with sex and historical anecdotes to create a taut mystery. The worlds favorite author, Harold Robins would publish over 20 books which is translated in to 32 languages and estimatedly selling over 750 million copies.
Many of his books were made in to successful movies, the very first being “A stone For Danny Fisher” which was adapted as “King Creole” starring Elvis Presley. The stories were also made in to mini series and were part of documentaries. Robbins also lived a jet setting life style with cars, wine and women at his disposal. His decadent life style along with those of the high and mighty of Hollywood is often mirrored in his books. Robbins was one of the authors honored with a star on the Hollywood walk of frame. This prolific writer died of a cardiac arrest at the age of 81 in Palm Springs, California.



A fictional take on the dwindling Detroit Automobile Industry, this book chronicles the days when American car makers had only past laurels to rest on to. With profits plummeting and the public taste leaning to low cost small Japanese cars, many had shut shop during the 60's and 70's. An ode to Henry Ford, Harold Robbins presents “Loren Hardeman I”, the patriarch who was the pioneer car maker presiding over a company which was once the premier automobile maker. Now his grandson Loren III has diversified and to the senior Loren's distaste is now a major Auto spare parts maker. Loren I enlists the talents of a race car driver Angelo Perino to once again make a car that the world would love. He plans to name it after Betsy, his Great Grand daughter.
Angelo, is the narrator of the novel and the narrative swivels back and forth in time. Being a race car driver Angelo is blessed with looks and money and with his shrewd business acumen steers the company to make “The Betsy”. True to Harold Robbins style the protagonist enjoys wealth, women and wine in copious quantities. The affairs and sex drives are graphically described, but still the story of the car Betsy focuses on all the emotions. It tries to understand the apathy among the Lorens and the distaste of Loren III for his grand father for having an affair with his mother. Angelo also tries to juggle the affections for a British lady and the real Betsy who would inherit millions of dollops from her grand father, not to mention the car named in her honor.
Unlike Harold Robbins' gritty dark novels, this book is a tad more cheerful. The tone and the plot makes it a pleasant read, the most important aspect being that you actually believe it. The same is made in to a wonderful movie with young Tommy Lee Jones essaying the role of Angelo Perino. So watch the movie and read the book.

Flying Finish (published in 1966) - By Dick Francis, a heir to an earldom becomes a horse groom

Richard Stanley Francis or Dick Francis was born in Pembrokshire, Wales, England on October 20th 1920. His father was a renowned jockey and Francis was catapulted in to the world of Horses, Jockeys and racing. He dropped out of school to train as a Jockey and was a fighter pilot in the Royal Air-force during World War II. After the war Francis became a celebrity Champion Jockey winning over 350 races. He was the lead Jockey for the Queen Mother. But he had to drop out of Horse racing after a serious fall and became a racing correspondent for Sunday Express. Dick Francis churned out numerous best sellers and most of his books deal with the mysteries in the realm of Horse racing and Jockeys. He wrote more than 40 international best sellers and is the recipient of numerous awards. Being a three time recipient of Mystery writer of America's Edgar Award he was made the Grand master of MWA. He is also the recipient of Britain's Crime Writers Association's Gold Dagger Award for fiction in 1979 and the Cartier Diamond Dagger lifetime achievement award. He also has the Gumshoe award to his credit. He was accorded in CBE in 2000. Dick Francis died in his Caribbean home on February 10, 2010 bringing down the curtains to an illustrious life.
Henry Grey in real life is a viscount and a very poor one too. A dwindling family fortune does not allow him any luxury to engage in his passions of racing and flying. Sleepwalking through his depressingly dreary desk job, he keeps his passions a secret. So just as any hero in the Dick Francis novels, Henry is sick of his life, struggling, but has great abilities with horses, mental toughness and determination. To compound his miseries, his family expect him to find a loaded wife who could bring in the money.



But Henry, tired of this life throws caution to the winds and takes up the job with a company which transports horses. He is the groom to the horses and this job albeit low in money and prestige takes care of his twin loves i.e flying and horse racing. But the company is not what it seems and Henry with his curiosity soon gets suspicious with the going-ons. As he goes on with his life he meets Gabriella in picturesque Milan with whom he feels a connection. But as he investigates the mysterious disappearances of colleagues and killing of horses he understands that, what he is transporting is more than equine cargo. This realization brings him face to face with a cold blooded ruthless killer. So Henry fights for his life, the horses and his love all while hanging precariously up in the air. After the fight sequences, the novel stops rather abruptly especially not resolving the romantic conflicts. These hanging loose threads may cause insomnia for a while.
On the whole the book is quite satisfactory with a great pace and action sequences. It also serves as a time machine which gives peek in to the past where the iron curtain ruled the political landscape. The villains are more blood thirsty and violence more graphic. The only disappointment is the ending, but many readers might wonder the fate of Gabriella. But a good book for all those who crave a mystery.

The Outcry (published in 1911) - A light comedy by Henry James

Henry James was one of the greatest literary figures of the 19th century and his works are considered mini masterpieces of the time. He was born in New York City into a wealthy and intellectual family. Young James was tutored in the many learning centers of Europe and also studied at the Harvard Law School for some time. But he liked his literary pursuits to the study of law. James preferred living in Europe than in America and even renounced his American Citizenship for its refusal to enter in to World War I. He was a regular contributor to literary magazines and started his first novel “Watch and Ward” in his early twenties. His masterpieces like “Daisy Miller” and “Portrait of a Lady” quickly followed. His protagonist are complex individuals battling personal and provincial prejudices and many a time bring about the complexities of American and European lives. Henry James died at the age of 65 and his ashes are interred at Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The Outcry is a humorous novel by Henry James about the collection of art by the wealthy irrespective of their knowledge and taste. This novel was intended as a play and therefore one can find the dialogues are more prominent than the background with better banter between the characters.
Lord Theign plans to sell his paintings to Breckenridge Bender, a wealthy American Magnate who plans to collect art from across the world. Theign's elder daughter has amassed large debts by gambling and he needs money immediately to cover these costs. Bender arrives and asks for the portrait of Duchess of Waterbridge by Joshua Reynolds which Theign is loath to part. Another common fixture is Lady Sandgate who hopes to find a buyer in Bender of her great grand mother's portrait by Lawrence.



Lord John, a wealthy but slimy aristocrat is smitten by Lady Grace and plans to win her hand by smoothening out the debts. Lord Theign and his elder daughter are very much inclined to the match, but Grace declines as she feels John to be a lazy cunning man. To this convoluted scene Harry Crimble, a journalist cum art critic arrive to meet the perceptive Grace to view all the paintings at the hall. Soon he finds that the little known Morretto which Bender wants to buy is a real Mantavano who would command a higher price. He ventures his guess to Theign who is skeptical and agrees reluctantly for a expert viewing. Crimble also is against the selling of Britain's historical artefact's to the money bags of the new world.
He kicks up a storm about the sale in the British papers which sure rises to be a national thunderstorm. But Bender is only mildly amused and plans to buy if it is for sale. Lady Grace fights with Lord Theign about her rejecting of Lord John's proposal and stays with Lady Sandgate. John on the other hand hopes to make some money by brokering a deal between Bender and Theign. Grace and Crimble meanwhile realize their attraction for each other and seal it with a kiss. Theign is furious and asks Amy Sandgate for help. Slowly all things come to a clear verdict as Theign realizes the dirty game played by John. Crimble is vindicated as Theign agrees to donate the painting to the British Gallery. He persuades Lady Sandgate to do the same and marries her for her part.
This novel again takes up Henry James pet project of the clashes between the Old World Europe and the Young brash America. The trophy acquisitions were frowned upon by James and the book created a mild furore. The book compared to his other works is very short and humorous. So it is a much interesting fast paced story even thought he ending is pretty tame.

The Whole Family (published in 1908) - A collaborative novel, with one written by Henry James

Henry James was one of the greatest literary figures of the 19th century and his works are considered mini masterpieces of the time. He was born in New York City into a wealthy and intellectual family. Young James was tutored in the many learning centers of Europe and also studied at the Harvard Law School for some time. But he liked his literary pursuits to the study of law. James preferred living in Europe than in America and even renounced his American Citizenship for its refusal to enter in to World War I. He was a regular contributor to literary magazines and started his first novel “Watch and Ward” in his early twenties. His masterpieces like “Daisy Miller” and “Portrait of a Lady” quickly followed. His protagonist are complex individuals battling personal and provincial prejudices and many a time bring about the complexities of American and European lives. Henry James died at the age of 65 and his ashes are interred at Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The old adage “too many cooks spoil the broth” is a very apt signature line for this novel, The Whole family. It is a collaborative effort by twelve authors and is the brain child of William Howell. It was carried out under the direction of Harper Bazaar editor, Elizabeth Jordan. Apart from Howell the only other novelist of repute who participated in this effort was Henry James. Howell wanted to write a great novel about the effect of an engagement and marriage on the lives of different members of the family. This light hearted venture became a interplay of emotions and relationships with a black sheep of the family.



Howell starts the novel with the Talbert family who own the family business “silver plate works” which churns out mundane household items. Talbert's college educated daughter, Peggy Talbert joins the family after finishing the education and is promptly engaged to a Harry Goward. Harry is a weak person and somewhat unsuited for Peggy.
After this, the next author Mary Freeman careens off the novel from the intended path by introducing a sexually aware aunt. Howell had intended the twelve authors to explore the effect of Peggy's engagement in twelve different members of the family. The aunt was supposed to be a benevolent old maid. But Freeman gave her a bohemian touch and the aunt was a colorful attractive minx to whom Peggy's intended would be attracted to. The aunt encourages this dalliance and whole hell breaks loose.
Then the subsequent authors had to contend with the aunts effect on Peggy and other members of the family. So the confusion is much evident as each author grapples with sexuality and relationships. At last the loose ends are tied up, the aunt is exiled to New York city and the fiancée is sent packing. Peggy finds a soul mate in the staid Professor Stillman Dane. They sail for Europe for their honeymoon along with Peggy's brother Charles and his wife Lorraine.
This broth is a disaster from the word go. The characters suffer as they are constrained by the layout given to the authors. The imagination of the writers never work here and this novel feels like a amateur effort. A tame insipid ending does not help the story at all. There is no excitement and verve a novel should offer. It is better you pass this hotchpotch.

The Golden Bowl (Published in 1904) - A complex story by Henry James

Henry James was one of the greatest literary figures of the 19th century and his works are considered mini masterpieces of the time. He was born in New York City into a wealthy and intellectual family. Young James was tutored in the many learning centers of Europe and also studied at the Harvard Law School for some time. But he liked his literary pursuits to the study of law. James preferred living in Europe than in America and even renounced his American Citizenship for its refusal to enter in to World War I. He was a regular contributor to literary magazines and started his first novel “Watch and Ward” in his early twenties. His masterpieces like “Daisy Miller” and “Portrait of a Lady” quickly followed. His protagonist are complex individuals battling personal and provincial prejudices and many a time bring about the complexities of American and European lives. Henry James died at the age of 65 and his ashes are interred at Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The Golden bowl is a coming of age story of Maggie Verver who discards her childhood naiveté and assumes her marital responsibilities. She is the only child of Adam Verver, the wealthy financier and falls in love with an charismatic but impoverished Italian Prince Amerigo. Maggie's childhood friend Charlotte was the Prince's mistress during his early days in Rome. But Maggie unaware of this past connections introduces Charlotte and the Prince and deputes her to show the prince around. Charlotte and the Prince go shopping for a wedding present for Maggie. They see a gilded crystal bowl which Charlotte likes but the Prince declines it insisting on a secret flaw.



Maggie after her marriage is more concerned about her father's loneliness and asks him to propose to Charlotte. Charlotte and Adam get married and move with Maggie in Europe. Both the Prince and Charlotte feel left out between the Father and Daughter and soon start their own affair.
Maggie soon become suspicious about her husband and her suspicions are confirmed when she buys a gilded Crystal bowl. The shop keeper on visiting her house confirms the intimacy displayed in his shop by Charlotte and the Prince. Maggie takes stock of the situation calmly and proceeds to salvage her marriage with precision and tact. She persuades her father to move back to the states with Charlotte. Amerigo is impressed by her confidence and diplomacy, and he falls in love with her all over again. Maggie takes the threads of her life in her own hands and grows up from a daddy's girl to a responsible wife and adult.
The Golden Bowl focuses on the four characters and all others pale themselves in to obscurity. Henry James language and prose have their own separate signature style. The story is a very strong one about relationships and each incident is dissected and presented before the reader. No incident is insignificant in his style of writing. There is a heavy dose of symbolism which is a clear departure from his other novels. The golden bowl which ultimately breaks is taken from the biblical passage from the book of ecclesiastics 12:6, “the golden bowl be broken, then shall the dust return to the earth as it was". The dramatization stresses the need for the tactful resolution of marital problems which would go a long way in cementing a relationship.
Good book to read.

The Ambassadors (published in 1903) - A dark comedy, written by Henry James

Henry James was one of the greatest literary figures of the 19th century and his works are considered mini masterpieces of the time. He was born in New York City into a wealthy and intellectual family. Young James was tutored in the many learning centers of Europe and also studied at the Harvard Law School for some time. But he liked his literary pursuits to the study of law. James preferred living in Europe than in America and even renounced his American Citizenship for its refusal to enter in to World War I. He was a regular contributor to literary magazines and started his first novel “Watch and Ward” in his early twenties. His masterpieces like “Daisy Miller” and “Portrait of a Lady” quickly followed. His protagonist are complex individuals battling personal and provincial prejudices and many a time bring about the complexities of American and European lives. Henry James died at the age of 65 and his ashes are interred at Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The Ambassadors is one of most fulfilling book penned by Henry James and chronicles again the American and European way of life. Here Young America is portrayed as a puritan stiff culture which stifles the lives of its citizens, where as European Paris with its Joie de vivre, is completely satisfying.



Lambert Strether is a Puritan New England citizen who is engaged to a wealthy industrialist widow Mrs. Newsome. But his fiancée agrees to the wedding only if he can bring her wayward son, Chad from Paris. So Strether leaves for Paris and alights in London where he meets witty Maria Gostrey, whose opinions leave him shaken. He leaves for Paris and meets Chad who to his amazement is a young man with impeccable manners. Through Chad he meets Madame Marie de Vionnet whose beauty and sophistication allures him. Strether feels the air changing around him and the fun and beauty takes hold of his being. He enjoys the sights and actions in the new city accompanied by many of his friends. All the more his attraction for Marie, questions his commitment to return to New England to marry Chad's mother.
Strether drinking in the new experiences confides in Young Bilham, Chad's friend that he has missed many life defining moments and makes up his mind to be part of the Parisian scene. Mrs. Newsome dispatches a new set of Ambassadors who involve Chad's sister, Sarah and her husband. They are invulnerable to the charms of Paris and even behave like uncouth sailors upon their arrival.
Strether meanwhile comprehends that there is a amazing romantic relationship between Marie and Chad and is forced to check his feelings. He feels bad to break them up and make Chad return to the stifling atmosphere of New England. He advises Chad to stay loyal to Marie in Paris and plans his way home.
Ambassadors is again a typical Henry James novel, long, verbose and defining. Each situation and decisions are weighed through the pages and requires a lot of patience and dexterity to stay on course. But the story and prose is bound to hold your attention and you grow in to it. It is definitely not one of your slam bang novels which holds you at the first word. Love for Henry james comes at a leisurely pace and therefore is long lasting.

What Maisie Knew (published in 1897) - Written by Henry James

Henry James was one of the greatest literary figures of the 19th century and his works are considered mini masterpieces of the time. He was born in New York City into a wealthy and intellectual family. Young James was tutored in the many learning centers of Europe and also studied at the Harvard Law School for some time. But he liked his literary pursuits to the study of law. James preferred living in Europe than in America and even renounced his American Citizenship for its refusal to enter in to World War I. He was a regular contributor to literary magazines and started his first novel “Watch and Ward” in his early twenties. His masterpieces like “Daisy Miller” and “Portrait of a Lady” quickly followed. His protagonist are complex individuals battling personal and provincial prejudices and many a time bring about the complexities of American and European lives. Henry James died at the age of 65 and his ashes are interred at Cambridge, Massachusetts.
What Maisie Knew is an account of a child growing in a dysfunctional family. This novel was initially serialized in the the monthly called Chap book and later taken up by the New York Review. Henry James follows the travails of Maisie from childhood to adulthood totally abandoned by her biological parents.



Maisie is the daughter of Ida and Beale who are an estranged perpetually squabbling couple. After their divorce the judge decrees the custody of Maisie to be split and the poor child shuttles between the parents, six months a year. Both Ida and Beale use her for furthering their hurt and are hardly sensitive to her needs.
Both her parents marry, Ida to Claude, a bumbling simple man, and Beale, to Maisie's pretty governess. Maisie gets a new governess, the funny, klutzy but devoted Mrs. Wix. Ida and Beale settle down with their spouses and their extramarital affairs, Maisie is all the more neglected. Many a time her own parents abandon her in the most heartbreaking manner and the lonely Maisie becomes the responsibility of the bumbling Mr. Claude. As her parents alienate their new spouses, both Claude and Mrs. Beale start having an affair. Soon Maisie must make a choice to remain with her parents or with Claude. AS she is holidaying in France, Maisie realizes that Claude's marriage would also end up in a divorce as they do not have a firm standing on values. Maisie chooses her frumpy but devoted governess Mrs. Wix as her new guardian.
Henry James was never a father but he portrays the fear and tribulations of a dark childhood very earnestly. Through this book James lashes out against the growing erosion of values in family life and gives the ultimate sufferers in a broken marriage, the children, a voice. When this was published initially the critics were of mixed views. But this book is also relevant in our contemporary society where divorce and single parent homes are more common. This book gives the dos and dont's for child rearers and the need for bringing up a child in a balanced environment.

The Awkward Age (published in 1899) - Written by Henry James

Henry James was one of the greatest literary figures of the 19th century and his works are considered mini masterpieces of the time. He was born in New York City into a wealthy and intellectual family. Young James was tutored in the many learning centers of Europe and also studied at the Harvard Law School for some time. But he liked his literary pursuits to the study of law. James preferred living in Europe than in America and even renounced his American Citizenship for its refusal to enter in to World War I. He was a regular contributor to literary magazines and started his first novel “Watch and Ward” in his early twenties. His masterpieces like “Daisy Miller” and “Portrait of a Lady” quickly followed. His protagonist are complex individuals battling personal and provincial prejudices and many a time bring about the complexities of American and European lives. Henry James died at the age of 65 and his ashes are interred at Cambridge, Massachusetts.
This novel was published in the Harpers Weekly and is about the coming of age of a sweet unspoilt girl Nanda. Mr. and Mrs. Edward Brookenham are parents of Harold and Nanda and are upwardly mobile and part of a decadent and corrupt social circle. Harold resembles his parents, but Nanda is sweet and knowledgeable. Mr. Longdon, a family friend of the Brookenham's, while attending one of the family functions is pleasantly surprised to see the grown up Nanda and her resemblance to her grandmother, a long lost love. He is but very critical about the hypocrisy and decadence developing around to spoil Nanda's innocence.



Mr. Vanderbank, an upcoming civil servant showers his attentions on Mrs. Brookenham and also notices Nanda. Mrs. Brookenham wants to have an affair with Vanderham but slowly Nanda grows on him. Nanda's mother wants her to marry Mitchy, a very rich but a naive guy from their social circle. Nanda persuades him to pursue Aggie, a step-niece of their friend, the Duchess.
Longdon, disturbed by the loss of values at the Brookenham household assures Vanderbank of a dowry if he agrees to marry Nanda. Vanderbank continuously hesitates in his proposal and Nanda sees her mother's attraction towards Vanderbank. Mitchy marries Aggie and Nanda rejects Vanderham. She realizes the values and stability in Longdon and agrees to stay with him as an adopted daughter.
Henry James while writing this novel was disturbed by the loss of values all around the English society. He derides the irresponsibility and immorality pervading everywhere. In the Brookenham household, all visitors and the host are never saints and have immorality, hypocrisy and deceit running through all their actions. Nanda rejects all of them for Longdon who epitomizes the old world charm of values.
This book is not the critics favorite, but still holds a charm of its own. It presents the effect of a disruptive forces on the mind of a growing child who ultimately craves stability. Nanda is more mature than her years and therefore can reject the society of party animals. But Henry James does not guarantee a happy ending and definitely does not say how her life would pan out with the influence of her parents. A real thinking family's book -definitely!!