Tuesday Reviews Day - Books

I always find it interesting how two people can read the same book and have vastly differing opinions on it. Same with movies, I guess.

So up first up today is —

My Grandmother sends her Regards and Apologies by Fredrik Bachman

A story about 7 year old Elsa — going on 30, in my view — and how she adores her Grandmother and sees her as a superhero. Elsa is very close to her Grandmother but not so much her mother.  Elsa is bullied at school on top of dealing with her parents divorce. To get Elsa's mind off her troubles, Granny tells many fairy-tale-like stories about the Land of Almost Awake and the roles that she and Elsa play in the kingdom. In a roundabout way, this helps Elsa deal with the hard times she is facing. When Elsa's Grandmother is no longer around, she tasks Elsa to deliver letters of apology to the people who live in the same apartment house. As she delivers the 'sorry' notes, Elsa begins to see the connections between the fairy-tale and the people who cross her path.

My thoughts - This book got a lot of five star ratings but I was so bored to tears. I found the back-and-forth between the fairy-tale world and reality to be somewhat confusing and a real annoyance to me.  I wanted to like this book because I enjoyed A Man Called Ove so much...written by the same author. Yes, there were some touching parts but, for the most part....I found it boring! I gave this book only 1 star.

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Next up, The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga 

Balram Halwai, also known as The White Tiger, is the smartest kid in his village. He is born into a very poor Indian family where the caste system is designed to keep you in the poorer classes. He is sent to work in a tea shop and is later hired to be a rich man's chauffeur. He ends up moving to Delhi with the rich man and sees a whole new world which is out of his reach due to his own poverty. Balram hatches a plan to change all that and, shockingly, part of that plan involves murdering his master. 

My thoughts - This book is written in the form of a confession by Balram to a visiting Head of China. It delves into the seedy parts of life in India and the genuine struggle to survive if born into the poorer castes. It also shows how the actions of one can bring about consequences that effect their whole family.  It was interesting enough but I found it hard to connect with the characters and it was also on the boring side.  Maybe I'm used to reading the more romanticised versions on life in India. However, I did read 'A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley' and loved it.  Anyway, I gave this one 2 stars.

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I'll be back next Tuesday with more reviews....