Room - by Emma Donoghue

The Room is a book you will actually keep thinking about long after you have finished it. The book feels so real the characters are so life like that you immediately connect to them and are moved by the things happening in their life. It is actually a story of a son and his mother and how they survive in a room till he is 5 years of age. There is so much to learn from this book. This book is about how a mother can go to great lengths to make his son safe and happy. How she will do whatever is in her power so that her child sees a beautiful world around him. This is also about how a mother just knows how to be a mother the moment she knows of a life growing inside her .The story is told by the son how he sees the happening through his eyes and understands the world and the changes happening around him. For me the story was very uplifting yet depressing at the same time.

The room is story of Jack who has just turning 5.As he starts off telling about himself and his mama you can immediately see there is something wrong about what he is telling .As you learn more about his life you come to know that he is kept captive in a small room along with his 'Ma'. Yet his days are all filled up and he gives charming details of his day to day life. Jack does not know of the world that exists beyond the room and thinks whatever comes in TV is just all make believe. But one day his whole understanding goes topsy turvy when his 'Ma' admits that she lied to him and things in TV are real. This off course comes as a big shock to Jack because for one his 'Ma' lied to him and then to make out how much of TV is really real. And what happens once he starts to come to terms with the fact that 'outside'(as he calls everything out of the room) exists ?This is definitely a must read for everybody !!

When I was searching for this books review I came to know this book is actually based on the real life story of Elizabeth whose father, Josef Fritzl, locked her in underground caller of his house for 24 years. She gave birth to 7 children 3 of whom lived with her in the cellar with her and rest with Fritzl and his wife. She got released only when her elder daughter fell severely ill and had to be taken out of cellar by Fritzl to a hospital where police got suspicious. It is so shocking and heart wrenching to know such things really exists.

Read full story here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritzl_case

Rebecca

Rebeeca is a classic mystery novel (published in 1938) and considered by many as one of the best mystery novel ever written.Though it is a mystery novel but unlike mystery novel ,it does not start with a problem like murder and then tracing who killed the person a-la- Agatha Cristie or Shakespere.Reading this novel you will feel rather irrie and haunted thoughout ,till you come to know there indeed is a mystry or surprize element present.One very queer part of this novel is that the main protagonist of the novel is not named but still you will not miss her name throughout the novel.The novel is quite aptly written without her name coming even once

The story:
This story is of not just of its characters but also of the place where it takes place, Manderley.The place Manderley is vividly described and it forms a life of its own in the novel.The story starts in Monte Carlo where the young female protagonist (who is a orphan) works as a companion for wealthy and dominating Edythe Van Hopper.Since she is quite young and quite bossed about by Edythe Van Hopper,she has lost her confidence and is at ill at ease with other people.But when she meets Maxim it all starts to change.Everybody knows who Maximilian de Winter is .Maxim is the owner of a majestic place called Manderley.His history precedes him where ever he goes .He was married earlier to Rebecca who had died a year ago due a to storm in sea.Rebecca's death has shattered Maxim and from which he is not able to recover.The young protagonist does not think Maxim will ever be interested in her yet Maxim asks her out and proposes to the her eventually.Maxim is all that she could have asked for in a husband but as they head out to Manderley after their honeymoon, things starts to change.Maxim is not the same anymore.He seems to feel so far off and aloof once they are back.Also as new Mrs de Winters and head of big Manderley she finds herself totally out of place.She could feel herself being compared to Rebecca its previous mistress.Wherevern she goes in Manderley she is haunted by Rebecc's memory.To add to her misery she has to keep in inteacting with the head housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers who had taken care of Rebecca since childhood.Mrs Danvers does not misses any chance to compare the new bride with Rebecca.So what happens next ?

Review :
First time I had heard about this book was from my mother when she was watching a old Hindi movie based on the book.The climax of that movie is actually different from the book.It even has a Academy award movie based on this novel.Most of book is in flashback.It starts off with protagonist explaining her dream which she had seen last night.Then she starts off by explaining her present day to day living and then moves back to the past.
When the novel starts I was quite at a loss to figure out what the protagonist is talking about .It is only when she steps into her past you start to get a clear picture.Both the parts -past and present are quite disjoint and you need to read the complete book before you attach the present from the past.The starting is slow and its difficult to keep interest but once its moves to past it becomes quite engaging.The novel traces the anguish and emotional turmoil of the protagonist as a young second bride who is constanly been compared to deceased first wife. The mystery in the end comes quite unexpetedly and only then you understand everything clearly.I thought the end was a big stretched yet the end itself is quite surprising in itself.

Hunger Games

The hunger games is a three part series books by Suzzanne Collins.The setting of the book is a place called Panem in North America.Panem consists of Capitol which rules over adjoining 12 districts mostly known by district 1-12.The story of the first book revolves around hunger games which is played by one boy and one girl selected randomly from each of the 12 district after they attain 12 years of age.Hunger games is a cruel from of punishment mented out by the people in capitol against the rebellion once raised by 13 districts
In Hunger games the 24 people chosen will we left in a specially created jungle where they have to survive and kill each other till only one member is remaining who will be the Winner.The games are broadcasted over full of Pamen but its mostly for the entertainment of people of Capitol.The winner gets ration for his district and himself/herself and his family a lavish life in return.The main protagonist of the book is a sixteen-year-old girl named Katniss who lives with her 12 year old sister Prim and mother.Her father had died in a coal mine explosion and since then she is the earning member of her family.She hunts in forest with her partner Gale and sells the catch to few wealthy people in district who can afford it and gets her family food on table.

The story starts when Katniss's sister ,Prim ,is selected to be part of Hunger Games.Katniss loves Prim so volunteers to go instead.Along with Katniss another person who is selected from her district ,district12,is Peeta Mellark.Peeta is the son of local baker as is the guy who gave her bread when she was small and hungry after her father's death and had lost all hopes of survival.But now they have to fight with each other till death comes calling for either one of them.Off course they will also have to compete with members of other district some of them who are trained for Hunger Games since childhood.
The book is all about survival.How Katniss survives and manages to feed her family after her father's death.How poverty makes her strong enough to hunt wild animals when free in District 12 and afterwords in Hunger Games.It is also a story of confused emotions of Katniss for Gale,her hunting partner and Peeta,the bakers son.It shows how Powerful people in Capitol play with the lives of poor and oppressed people of the districts and take fun out of seeing innocent teenagers killing each other for survival

There is lots of blood in this book which is little difficult to go through.But still there are soft parts where Katniss shows affection to her sister,Rue (another game 12 participant) and Gale .But the best parts for me were when Katniss tries to understand Peeta and goes through a whirl of emotions from hating,loving ,trusting and mistrusting him.How both of them still try and remain human in the midst of all the violence around them. Peeta are Katniss are the best in the book for me and keeps me hooked to it till the end.Can't wait to read the next part.

Catching Fire and Mocking Jay

Review -catching Fire

Now that Katniss has won Hunger games she is provided with all the amenities for a comfortable life.Because of which she has nothing to do and is having trouble figuring out what to do with her empty hours.She also keeps thinking of the problem which she knows will show up sometime soon --- the repercussion of what she (and Peeta)has done by defying Capitol.The problem presents itself soon in the form of President Snow himself coming to her home ?What does the President Snow want from her And how does she end up being part of hunger games again ?And who wins hunger games 2 ?

This books starts from where the first one ends,like you are continuing the same book.Though this book in not engrossing as book 1 which I found hard to keep down,still it is a great read.The triangle story of Katniss,Gayle and Peeta still continues with even Katniss having trouble deciding between the two.Yet it is so unlike other love stories as this track does not form the crux of the story.This book goes more serious with different districts stating a revolution against Panem.What is truly engaging in this book series is to see is how Katniss thought process works .How she seems to think practically yet she is pretty impulsive and in your face when some drastic situation arises.

Mocking Jay

In last and final part of Hunger Games series --Katniss finally becomes the face of revolution.Though all she ever wanted was the safety of her family yet she sees herself inadvertely driving the revolution.And now she has to decide to actually become movements 'Mocking Jay' or not.This books becomes more muddled with distinction between friend and foes becoming more and more blurred.You can see all the people/places you are familiar with from earlier books are changing as the revolt starts.

This book is quite good and ,like Katniss, you yourself cannot be sure of what is happening around her.You are drawn in her world yet again making it a quite engrossing read.The ending I found to be quite realistic and suitable.Only problem I found with this book is in between I thought there were some unnecessary deaths which could have been avoided.I truly loved the fact at the end of revolution everything is not shown rosy rather it displays how war leaves its mark on people associated with it .