The Prodigal Daughter by Jeffrey Archer

After reading Kane and Abel, I could not resist picking up The Prodigal Daughter which is the second book of the Kane and Abel series. While the first book revolved around the rivalry of Richard Kane and Abel Rosnovski, The Prodigal Daughter centers around Abel's daughter Florentyna.

Florentyna is a smart and intelligent child. She shares her father vision and love for America and secretly wishes to become the first lady president of the United States of America. The novel takes us through her birth, childhood, education, love, marriage, motherhood, career, politics and finally her rise to the highest office of America.

A good part of the first half of the book is just a re telling of what happens in Kane and Abel. So, if you have read Kane and Abel, this book will seem monotonous in the beginning. Even though the author has tried to put the facts from Florentyna's perspective, I felt as if I was reading a summary of Kane and Abel. The pace of the story quickens in the second half of the book when Florentyna steps into politics. The author has provided the readers with ample insights of how things works and happens in politics. I am not really a big fan of political novels and hence there were times I felt like skipping a few pages! One of my favorite and memorable character in this novel is Florentyna's governess, Miss Tredgold. She is her friend, philosopher and guide. She contributed a lot to the making of Florentyna's personality. The bond of love they shared is awe inspiring

This book actually fell short in my expectation. I was looking for something as compelling, if not more than Kane and Abel. Kane and Abel was fast paced, had a lot of twists and turns in plot, there was always an air of tension and apprehension through out the book which kept me glued to it. I found it lacking in this book. From the beginning I knew Florentyna would make it big in life. Although there had been a lot of ups and downs in her life too, I could guess where she would end up.

The book is written in such a way that even if you have not read Kane and Abel, you will be able to follow the story easily. That becomes a demerit for one who has read Kane and Abel, as a good part of the first half seems to be lifted from it. I would have enjoyed the book more if I had read it as a stand alone book.

Sweet Lime Soda

When ever I listen to Indian news these days, there is always some piece about the relentless heat that is scorching most parts of India. Luckily, I live in a country where the temperature barely soars over mid twenties. Most of the time it varies between pleasant to cold(or to very cold). I have almost forgotten how it feels to be in 40 degrees and I have no wish to experience the same.

To beat the heat, most people like to have chilled drinks and one of the most popular drink in India is Sweet Lime Soda. I will rank it only second to fresh sugar cane juice. Sweet Lime Soda is nothing but sweet lemonade that uses soda water instead of plain water. A special blend of spices is often used and the resultant is often termed as Masala Soda. Here I have used a blend of roasted cumin and black pepper but, I have strained it as I don't like bits of spices in my drink. You may however choose not to strain it. Lets see how I make this summer delight drink.

500ml of soda water ( I use half plain water and half soda water)
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar (Adjust to taste)
1/2 tsp black salt
1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
1/4 cup lemon/lime juice
1/4 cup water
Slices of lime/lemon and mint sprig to garnish
Ice cubes as needed


Process:
1. Mix all the ingredients except the soda water. Stir till all the sugar is dissolved. Strain and divide equally in 4 glasses with ice cubes.
2. Top it up with soda water. Stir and serve immediately if you want to enjoy the fizziness of soda water. Best served chilled.

Linking it to my event - Cool Summer Sips. The last date of the same has been extended to 30th July.

 

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Andy Leelu - a runaway boy by B L Gautam

The story is set in 1962, in a sleepy little village named Sehore in the state of Punjab. The main protagonist is a rebellious teenager who lives by his own rules. He detests any authority over him and does what his heart wills. Because of his audacious nature and dare-me-if-you-can attitude, he is labelled as a bad boy.

The novel is semi autobiographical in nature. It draws inspiration from the  author's cousin Leelu who disappeared mysteriously and died at a young age. This book is a tribute to him. Through this story, the author takes us to his own childhood and reminisces his days spent in the company of Leelu and the various escapades he had been a part of.

Leelu comes to live in his maternal uncle's place after his mother, unable to bear the cruelties and abuses of his husband, leaves Mohindergarh to return to her maternal home. It is then the companionship of the author with Leelu begins. Radhe (the author), son of Masterji is in awe for Leelu for his audacity and carefree nature. Radhe has the image of an quintessential good boy and Leelu is incorrigibly bad boy. Their companionship and camaraderie is not approved by Masterji, who has a reputation to live up to. The author dwells upon many of their secret missions, some of which finally put them in real trouble. There is also a liberal dose of a teenager's sexual fantasies as he discovers his own body and desires. Also there is a tiny love story in the making.

The early sixties were a tough time for India. It was still a young nation and there was too many things to cope up with. The wounds of partition were still fresh, wars with neighbors were looming, there was a constant fight against cholera and famine, the nation was still learning to cope up with hard earned freedom. The back drop of this time is intricately woven into the story. As one reads the story, one knows not only the story but also the socio economic issues India faced at that time.

What I was intrigued at first was the name of the book itself - Andy Leelu. It seemed a very English name and wondered why would one be named such in 1960s even after fighting against the English for freedom. The answer was not very far in the novel. Leelu won himself the title of Andy after showing heroic courage and saving a life, while other onlookers were finding themselves helpless in the situation. The named Andy was apparently after a freedom fighter from Sehore.

The story builds up slowly at first and picks up momentum by half way. A few times I found the description monotonous but many a times I could relate to the village life and incidents. When finally Andy Leelu disappears, there are a string of unanswered questions that will leave the readers baffled. I wished if only he would return just once to solve the mystery behind. The author has put his heart in the story, that is evident when one reads the book. It is a compelling, multilayer-ed tale of love, companionship and rebellion.

 

To know more about the author and the book visit http://andyleelu.com

This review was requested by the author.

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Updates! Updates! Updates!

Well, the title of this post was just to catch your attention. I have been missing from here for quite long so, I was not sure if you will stop by to read this.

I don't want this post to be full of excuses as to why I have been away from this space  and blogosphere for so long. Things had been busy till a few days back. After our trip to Ibiza, my in laws came to visit us for a couple of weeks. Days passed fast and what is left now is memories of great time spent with family. After they went back last Sunday, the house seemed so empty. For two days, I didn't feel like doing any thing. Slowly I am sinking back into my old routine and blogging is a part of it. So, hopefully I will be regular from now on.

There are a lot of things I want to write about here. But, I am not feeling inspired enough to put my thoughts into writing. I have not been reading much lately and although I have a dozen of recipes in my draft to keep this space going, I don't feel like posting them. May be I am suffering from blogger's block. I am sure many of you understand what I mean. Hopefully, it is just a passing thing.

While I have been away from this space, I read 2 books, Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri and The Prodigal Daughter by Jeffrey Archer. Enjoyed both of them and will post the reviews soon. Currently, I am reading Andy Leelu by B L Gautam and A Dangerous Inheritance by Alison Weir. I received book review request for both of them.

I feel guilty for not giving adequate attention to the ongoing food event in this space - Cool Summer Sips. I have received many entries but have not sent any acknowledgement mail. The credit goes to my laziness! In fact, I have not even posted one entry for my own event. That's why I am extending the event's last date by a month i.e. to 30th July. So, don't forget to send in your entries.

This much of update is all for now. I will be back tomorrow with some more. Stay tuned.
Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

A simple and easy double chocolate banana muffins recipe made with whole wheat flour. Perfect with a cup of coffee. Have a ripe banana lying around, you should definitely try this recipe.

For Egg less Bakes this month Gayathri chose this Banana Muffin recipe. The recipe had eggs and all bakers had to try out the eggless version. As I have already tried a variation of banana muffin, I decided to play with the flavours. So, I added some cocoa powder and some choco chips and for a healthier option used whole wheat flour and oil. The muffins came out very moist and the flavour of banana was not very overpowering.

Double Chocolate Banana Muffins:

Ingredients:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 large banana mashed
3/8 cup sugar
4 tbsp oil
1tsp lemon juice
4 tbsp choco chips
3 tbsp yoghurt
3 tbsp water

Process:

1. Sieve all the dry ingredients and set aside. Coat the choco chips with 2 tbsp of the flour mixture.

2. Preheat the oven to 175 C. Line a six-hole muffin pan with muffin liners.

3. Make a hole in the centre of the flour mixture and add the mashed banana, oil, yoghurt and water and mix with a whisk. Add lemon juice and choco chips and stir with a spatula. The batter should not runny but of whipped cream consistency.

4. Bake at 180 C for 15-18 minutes. When done, a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

5. Enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee.

Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!