Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

When I saw this book in the library, I instantly picked it up. I had a vague memory of knowing it being into a movie and probably, I had seen one of its trailer. But, I wasn't really sure what to expect from it.

I read a couple of reviews on Goodreads and found that many people classified it as a science fiction. After reading it, I really won't agree to that. The book indeed has a scientific backdrop, but overall it is a story about 3 friends Kathy, Ruth and Tom who were boarders at Hailsham. It is the story of their friendship, how it bloomed and survived the test of time and the haunting realities of life.

Hailsham is a fictional elite boarding school in England where children are brought in a supportive environment with a special emphasis being given on creativity and health. The students are treated special and told that they are going to be very vital to the world after they are done with their schooling and leave Hailsham. The seemingly idyllic boarding school seems like an ordinary school at first, but soon the readers get an idea of what exactly it is. One of the few things I noticed was that none of them talked about their home or their parents and infact said not to have an idea how the world was beyond the boundaries of the school.

The story starts with Kathy, now 31 years old, working as a carer reminiscing her school days at Hailsham. She reflects on her life and charts a slow progression of her growth, her friendship with Ruth and Tom. She tells how the knowledge of what lies ahead in life for them and what role they have to play in the outside world affects their life and personality. The readers get to know the story through the voice of Kathy through out the novel. The deep introspection in Kathy's narration leads to a monotonity in the story. I am not really very enthusiastic how the novel reveal itself to the readers. Despite, the fact that book has won apprecation and accolade and have been loved by many, I found it rather slow, inconsistent  and unengaging after a point of time. Having said that, I did love some parts of it, like when the narrator tells about her school and friends, I was transported to my own school days. Once Kathy, Ruth and Tom completed their schooling at Hailsham and left for the outside world, there wasn't much apppeal for me in the rest of the story.

This book was a bit too heavy for my taste and the ending left me a bit too uneasy. I didn't really get well with the whole scientific idea behind it and in the end found it a bit disturbing.

Kazuao Ishiguro is Japanese born British author. Never Let Me Go was nominated for 2005 Man Booker Prize.

Fruit Salad ~ Fruit Chaat ~ Colourful and Healthy!

 If you followed the few recipes I have posted here and I am sure you must have noticed they are mostly on the higher side, if you count calories and also higher if you count the indulgence and taste.

Well, that does not realy mean I love only high calorie food. Let me tell you a little secret of mine.. Well! not really a secret.. I am a fruit-o-holic!! I absolutely love fruits and can have lots of it. So, today I am sharing the recipe of a fruit salad. I won't really call it a recipe ~ it is simply a few fruits, spices and lemon juice. Toss it and ready to serve. Yeah really that easy and looks pretty colourful. Did I say super healthy? Let it bring little bit of sunshine to your day!

Ingredients:

Any fruits you like, I have used grapes, apple, banana, oranges, preferably cold. You can also add kiwis, pineapple, pomegranate pearls

Use 1/2 cup of each.

1/2 tsp chaat masala

a generous pinch of freshly ground pepper.

1/2 tsp sugar (optional)

1 tsp lemon juice.

Serves 2

Process:

In a bowl add all the fruits and other ingredients. Toss well and serve immediately!

Note:

If you don't have chat masala, add black salt/sea salt and pepper to taste.

Linking it to Fun N Sun & Kid's Delight -Heathy Meal Ideas.

Thanks for stopping by. Cheers!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Eiffel Tower at Night

#10 Teaser Tuesday ~ A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon

My teaser comes from 'A Spot of Bother' by Mark Haddon.

"It was always going to be a strange occassion, whoever their guest was. George didn't like other people in his kennel."

Page: 137

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title & author, too, so that others can add the book to their TBR Lists!

Room by Emma Donoghue

'It's Jack's birthday, and he's excited about turning five. He lives with his Ma in Room, which has a locked door and a skylight, and measures 11 feet by 11 feet. He loves watching TV, and the cartoon characters he calls friends, but he knows that nothing he sees on screen is truly real- only him, Ma and the things in Room. Until the day Ma admits that there's a world outside...'

Told from the perspective of a five year old boy, Room by Emma Donoghue is a remarkably endearing tale of survival, mother-child love and life. Jack's mother was kidnapped by a man  named 'Old Nick' and he kept her in a dungeon like soundproof room. Old Nick had created it in his garden shed. It is in this room, Jack was born and has grown up. He has never seen the world outside. To Jack, the 'Room' is like is his home, his world where he lives and plays with his Ma, but for his Ma, it is a prison in which she has been forced to spend seven long years of her life. Soon, after Jack's 5th birthday, she admits to him that there is a whole world beyond the walls of the room and comes up with a plan of rescue in which Jack has to play a huge role.

Emma Donoghue has crafted such a heart wrenching tale that is truly riveting and spell binding. The characters of Jack and his Ma are so well crafted and real that it will pain your heart to find the kind of misery and pain they have undergone. Jack is intelligent, loves playing and reading, hates green beans and loves his mother dearly. That is why he finally agrees to help her mother in her plan of rescue despite being unsure if he could really do it. Jack's Ma is loving and caring, an epitome of love and compassion, but deep down tired of her life in the room. It is only because of Jack, she has survived the seven long years in the room and has kept the hope of living in the outside world again alive.

I do not want to go into the details of the plot as I think it won't be possible to write about it without giving out spoilers. I was at first intimidated about reading this book as I had heard what the story was about and could not really imagine how could there be a story about a mother and a child living confined in a room.

I am proved so wrong!

It is a profound and beautifully crafted story that will take you on a journey of emotions - pain, misery, agony, love, exhilaration, joy and contentment. It will definately leave a indelible impression on the readers and will have a place in their memory for a long time. I found the story quite unsettling at some points. For a moment, I imagined myself in such a room and believe me, I had a feeling of suffocation. But, I loved the way it ended, there could not have been a better, profound and meaningful ending.

On doing some research on internet I found that the author was inspired to write the novel after hearing about five-year-old Felix in the Fritzl case. Emma Donoghue is an Irish born writer and currently lives in Canada. Room was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2010. To know more about the author visit http://www.emmadonoghue.com/

Thank you for stopping by. Cheers!