Sometimes, a book that you thought would be a light read may end up making you think about a lot of other things beyond just the satisfaction of finishing a good book.
I am, like many other readers, plagued by a slight bias against light reads - the assumption is that a light, fluffy story equals to fluffy, superficial writing. I hate to admit it, but it does happen sometimes, that you read a couple of books that fit such description and skew your perception for the entire segment (if I can call it a segment/genre). Chick-lit is another category that gets such a treatment by many readers.
It is indeed the time to correct such biases and set the course right, else I might lose out on some good books. Mrs. Sinclair's Suitcase by Louise Walters was one such book. I am glad I read it. The book has two story lines told in parallel, one from the time of second world war, and the other set in contemporary London. It was smooth, although at times, I wanted the current story line to run a little more descriptive than the WW II one. But I guess, it is just a question of taste.
The book raised many questions on motherhood - why it is so important to some people and not to others. It wasn't preachy although the story definitely veered towards championing of the emotions and how sacred and essential it is for most women. It also made me think of my own situation. Do I like kids? Do I want them so badly like Roberta's grandmother Dorothy or is it more of a social function, like how Roberta's mother felt?
I still haven't found answers to it, and it bothered me - the many ways in which women react towards maternal instincts, motherhood etc.
Now a book that can make a reader think beyond just the story line, is definitely worth watching out for. It is another thing that the story itself was quite nice and romantic. Added to that was the fact that Roberta, the heroine of the book (one of the heroines, the other was her grandma, Dorothy) was thirty five plus, single woman working in a bookshop made it all the more charming, for me.
I am, like many other readers, plagued by a slight bias against light reads - the assumption is that a light, fluffy story equals to fluffy, superficial writing. I hate to admit it, but it does happen sometimes, that you read a couple of books that fit such description and skew your perception for the entire segment (if I can call it a segment/genre). Chick-lit is another category that gets such a treatment by many readers.
It is indeed the time to correct such biases and set the course right, else I might lose out on some good books. Mrs. Sinclair's Suitcase by Louise Walters was one such book. I am glad I read it. The book has two story lines told in parallel, one from the time of second world war, and the other set in contemporary London. It was smooth, although at times, I wanted the current story line to run a little more descriptive than the WW II one. But I guess, it is just a question of taste.
The book raised many questions on motherhood - why it is so important to some people and not to others. It wasn't preachy although the story definitely veered towards championing of the emotions and how sacred and essential it is for most women. It also made me think of my own situation. Do I like kids? Do I want them so badly like Roberta's grandmother Dorothy or is it more of a social function, like how Roberta's mother felt?
I still haven't found answers to it, and it bothered me - the many ways in which women react towards maternal instincts, motherhood etc.
Now a book that can make a reader think beyond just the story line, is definitely worth watching out for. It is another thing that the story itself was quite nice and romantic. Added to that was the fact that Roberta, the heroine of the book (one of the heroines, the other was her grandma, Dorothy) was thirty five plus, single woman working in a bookshop made it all the more charming, for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment