Paths of Glory by Jeffrey Archer

Paths of Glory by Jeffrey Archer is based on a true story. It is the story of George Mallory who dreamed of conquering the Everest and perished on his third attempt. On searching about it in Google, I found that his body was found in 1999, and it still remains a mystery whether he ever reached the summit. He was last seen six hundred feet from the top.

Story Summary from the book:

Some people have dreams that are so magnificent that if they were to achieve them, their place in history would be guaranteed. Francis Drake, Robert Scott, Charles Lindbergh, Amy Johnson, Edmund Hilary, Neil Armstrong, and Lewis and Clark are among such individuals. But what if one man had such a dream, and once he’d fulfilled it, there was no proof that he had achieved his ambition?

Paths of Glory, is the story of such a man. But only after you’ve turned the last page of this extraordinary novel, inspired by a true story, will you be able to decide if George Mallory’s name should be added to the list of legends, in which case another name would have to be removed.
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The book summary speaks pretty much a lot about the content of the book. The cover page of the book also said, 'He loved two women and the second one killed him'. That was intriguing at first, but soon I figured out who this second lady was.

The book starts with George Mallory and how even as a kid, he showed his natural talent for climbing. He is married to the love of his life and is blessed with two daughters and a son. After his education is finished he takes up a job as a school master. But his passion for climbing never dims or dies. The novel also touches on the horrors of World War I and how life of common people were affected by it. What, I liked about the novel was the love Mallory had for his wife and how they wrote letters to each other when Mallory was off to his Everest expeditions. In fact, a good part of the novel is told in the letters they write to each other. But, in the end Mt. Everest proved to be tough lady to please and whether Mallory reached the top or not remained a mystery and a controversy. But, in the end, Archer made clear what he felt the truth was.

The writing style is average and Mallory is portrayed as a hero throughout even though there are other fellow climbers who seem quite good. There are some shallow details about the adversaries of nature on high altitudes, the preparation involved in mountaineering and the perils involved but all that did not make the story more convincing for me. To me it sounded more fictional than real.When you read something involving adventures, it should make you excited as well. This book failed to ignite that excitement. The book is different from all the other books I have read of the author. It is kind of rather slow paced than I would like it to be.
I was not amazed or annoyed by it. For me it falls into the average quick read.

To know more about the author and his works visit http://www.jeffreyarcher.co.uk/site/

Wordless Wednesday- Roses

#5 Teaser Tuesdays

After a break  last week, I am back with a teaser this tuesday. This comes from the book, The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks.

'Blaze studied the table top, toying with the pile of salt. When Ronnie didn't answer Marcus rose from the table and headed for the door without turning back' 
Page: 77

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!

Holi Wishes and little chit chat!

I know my wishes are coming a day late, but still its never late to convey best wishes on festive occasions. Hope you all had a happy, safe and colourful 'Holi'.

Holi is the Indian festival of colours. It marks the victory of good over evil and to celebrate it people play with colours. It stands for reaffirmation of hope and goodwill. To know more about it read this.

We had a holi celebration event here this weekend. There were a host of cultural performances followed by circus plays. Then, we played with colors and danced to holi songs and the recent bollywood dance numbers. It was great fun!

Holi is also a time for good and festive food. We also had our share as I prepared some festive dishes!

It was a fun week overall but it was a lazy week in reading. I am still to finish Miss Conceived by Emma Hannigan. Hopefully, I will finish it this week. Most of the time, I was cooking or watching cricket. A big match awaits India on Thursday when they play the Aussies. Fingers Crossed!

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga is the tale of two 'Indias'. One is downtrodden, poor, illiterate and neck deep into slavery and darkness and the other one - effluent, educated, modern and rich. The story in the novel revolves round the life of  Balram Halwai akka Munna akka 'The White Tiger' who tells his story in a series of seven letters which he writes to Mr. Premier, The President of China who is making a visit to India to understand the secret behind the success of Indian entreprenuers. In these letters he tells his rags-to-riches story, how he fred himself from the clutches of poverty and slavery and set himself up as an entreprenuer in Bangalore, the silicon valley of India.

Born in a village in the dark heart of India, Balram is the son of a rickraw puller. Despite the fact, that he is intelligent, can read and write, Balram is taken out of school to work in a teashop to earn a few bucks for his family. As he crushes coal and wipes table, Balram nutures a dream of geting away from the Darkness and make it big in life. His first chance comes when he gets a job of a driver to a rich family and finally when he makes a move to New Delhi with his master. It is then, in the capital of the country, his re-education begins. He learns that success often involves corruption, cruelty and any successful man must trod and trample the lesser men to make his way to the top.

The story is about how circumstances compel an innnocent and loyal person to be filled with hatred and wickedness and even if he knows it is all wrong and immoral, he goes at length justifying his acts by citing, 'Any successful man must spill a little blood on his way top'.

The author has dwelled on the widespread corruption that is prevalent in Indian politics, the ever widening gulf between the rich and the poor and how this contrast in the standard of living of the Indian people is making a mockery of 'The Great Indian Democracy' and shaping the future of the country. The novel provides a dark satarical view of modern day life in India.

What impressed me most about the novel is not the story but the way the author has narrated it.  Every Indian has come across this dark side of the country at some point of time in their life. It is a stark truth about India however hurtful it may be. Even if the politician may brag about the success of Indian democracy, its nuclear power, unity in diversity ,the truth is even today a sizeable population of the country is living below poverty line and cannot even earn their daily bread. Through the character of Balram Halwai, the author has expressed the angst of the down trodden Indians and he has done a great job at it.

The book is thought provoking and engaging. I will definately recommend reading it.

It is the debut novel of Aravind Adiga and has won the Man Booker Award in 2008.