Review- Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

Goodreads Summary: 

'For a salesman, there is no rock bottom to life. He don't put a bolt to a nut, he don't tell you the law or give you medicine. He's a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine.'

Willy Loman has been a salesman for 34 years. At 60, he is cast aside, his usefulness exhausted. With no future to dream about he must face the crushing disappointments of his past. He takes one final brave action, but is he heroic at last or a self-deluding fool?

This edition contains notes and activities to enhance your understanding and enjoyment of the play.

REVIEW:

I wasn't even aware of a play named Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller until my professor recommended it to me after we had a discussion on tragedies when doing Aristotle's Poetics. At that time, while I did agree that tragedy can strike anyone, I believed that a tragedy has an effect on a larger audience when it strikes someone of higher status in society. My reason was that catharsis has a greater chance of occurring when one person's tragedy doesn't just affect that one person, but an entire section of the population entirely. I now get when I was asked to read Death of a Salesman. The play did it's job in proving to me that when tragedy strikes common people like you and me, it has an even bigger impact because it makes everything so believable and real. 

Death of a Salesman was the first play or work even of Arthur Miller that I read. And it was meticulous. I absolutely loved the way it was executed. The language was simple and the plot, extremely easy to follow and understand. While I thought I wouldn't be able to fathom the basis of the play since I find it every difficult to understand plays in general, Death of a Salesman was, like I said, really easy and simple. It was simply outstanding and I can now understand why it has been touted as one of the greatest plays of its time. I admit that the characters were slightly confusing and at times, it got difficult to keep track of them all. The ending seemed a little off and vague to me, but I got what happened and that is what matters, I suppose. Keeping that aside though, whatever took place was necessary to take place and it made the play very realistic. 

WILLY (moving to the right): Funny, y'know? After all the highways, and the trains, and the appointments, and the years, you end up worth more dead than alive. 

How much more real can it get, huh? This time around, I also took notice of many, many aspects that I would have let pass without a second glance otherwise. That's simply because my brain has been trained to observe in a critical way now. The dynamics of the play made me question society in general and king or commoner, we are all subject to tragedy in whatever form it decides to come to us, economic, political, social, whatever. There was comedy in it but I didn't really feel like laughing. It was a family drama so to say. But I looked at it more as tragedy and the play gave me what it was supposed to. I can't seem to appreciate it as much as others have in the past and I am slightly at a loss for words, but I still loved Death of a Salesman and I am glad I read it. 

RATING:

Feature & Follow Friday #59

Feature and Follow is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

Today's question is: 

Social Share! What is your favorite social network and leave us a link so we can join you!

Favorite social network is definitely twitter!

Here are our links-

@justjanhvi

@SarikaP8

And do like our Facebook page here.

 

We also have a really cool INTERNATIONAL giveaway going on here.

What's your answer?

Follow us and we'll follow back!

Happy Friday everybody :)

Review- Break the Sky by Nina Lane

Summary-

A sizzling hot, new SPIRAL OF BLISS spin-off novel from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nina Lane 

“Do you ever let go, storm girl?” he asked. “Ever lose control? Ever surrender?” 
“Never,” I whispered. “I never surrender.” 
A smile of both promise and warning curved his beautiful mouth. 
“You will.” 

Atmospheric scientist Kelsey March is under siege. Her tornado research project is on the skids and she’s fighting conflict in her university department. So when irresistible bad boy Archer West suggests a hot, wild fling while he’s in town, Kelsey is unable to resist his sexy offer. 

Kelsey and Archer embark on a intense, exhilarating affair. But soon their differences and private battles encroach on their desire, and Kelsey discovers that Archer is a storm she can’t control.

Review-

I had really liked Nina Lane's Spiral of Bliss series so I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was a companion novel coming up which was Kelsey and Archer's story. Though I had liked Kelsey in the previous books, Archer was not my favorite. Still I ended up really liking Break the Sky overall.

Kelsey is an atmospheric scientist. She is trying to get her tornado research project off the ground and working hard for it. In the previous books Kelsey came off as a hard ass who went for what she wanted. She's the same in this book except we get to see her other sides and vulnerabilities as well. We get to see Kelsey's past and how it has shaped her to be the person she is now.

Then we have Archer. Archer is Dean's younger brother. He was always the fuck up in the West family never fitting in. I actually didn't think I'd like Archer but he has come a long way from the previous books. Archer is really attracted to Kelsey but he knows he's not meant for anything permanent. Still I liked how he always stood by Kelsey.

Archer and Kelsey have incredible chemistry. Nina Lane knows how to write steamy scenes and Break the Sky was no different. Archer and Kelsey burn each other up while trying not to get emotionally evolved. It is no surprise when they both fail. I also liked how they both instinctively understood each other.

What I was super happy to see in this book was how Dean and Liv and baby Nicholas were doing. I liked how Archer and Dean's relationship reached an understanding by the end of the book. I can't say I was as attached to Archer and Kelsey as I was to Dean and Liv but I still enjoyed Break the Sky.

Waiting On Wednesday #97

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Falling into Place by Amy Zhang

Publication date- September 9th 2014

Goodreads Summary: 

On the day Liz Emerson tries to die, they had reviewed Newton’s laws of motion in physics class. Then, after school, she put them into practice by running her Mercedes off the road. 

Why? Why did Liz Emerson decide that the world would be better off without her? Why did she give up? Vividly told by an unexpected and surprising narrator, this heartbreaking and nonlinear novel pieces together the short and devastating life of Meridian High’s most popular junior girl. Mass, acceleration, momentum, force—Liz didn’t understand it in physics, and even as her Mercedes hurtles toward the tree, she doesn’t understand it now. How do we impact one another? How do our actions reverberate? What does it mean to be a friend? To love someone? To be a daughter? Or a mother? Is life truly more than cause and effect? Amy Zhang’s haunting and universal story will appeal to fans of Lauren Oliver, Gayle Forman, and Jay Asher.

This sounds quite interesting and honestly, the summary doesn't give away much so I'm very intrigued. 

What are you waiting on this Wednesday? 

Top Ten Tuesday #35

Top Ten Tuesday is a bookish meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Today's topic is:

top ten books we'd recommend to people who haven't tried historical fiction

I absolutely enjoy reading historical fiction every now and then. Yeah, most of mine are historical romances but I do enjoy the historical fiction genre overall. Here are my picks-

  

  

  

  

  

What are your picks? :)

Review- Suicide Watch by Kelley York

Goodreads Summary:

18-year-old Vincent Hazelwood has spent his entire life being shuffled from one foster home to the next. His grades sucked. Making friends? Out of the question thanks to his nervous breakdowns and unpredictable moods. Still, Vince thought when Maggie Atkins took him in, he might’ve finally found a place to get his life—and his issues—in order.

But then Maggie keels over from a heart attack. Vince is homeless, alone, and the inheritance money isn't going to last long. A year ago, Vince watched a girl leap to her death off a bridge, and now he's starting to think she had the right idea.

Vince stumbles across a website forum geared toward people considering suicide. There, he meets others with the same debate regarding the pros and cons of death: Casper, battling cancer, would rather off herself than slowly waste away. And there’s quiet, withdrawn Adam, who suspects if he died, his mom wouldn't even notice.

As they gravitate toward each other, Vince searches for a reason to live while coping without Maggie's guidance, coming to terms with Casper's imminent death, and falling in love with a boy who doesn't plan on sticking around.

REVIEW:

Kelley York is one of my most favourite authors. I've loved every book of hers that I've read and Suicide Watch isn't any different. It's a broken, sad and absolutely beautiful story about three teenagers who are fighting the battle between birth and death called life. Since the beginning of the year, I've been thoroughly into the whole absurdity of life phenomena. My hero Albert Camus, in his The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays says that there is no philosophical problem truly serious than suicide. Whether its alright or right even is for each one to decide for themselves. But trust me, Suicide Watch isn't a take on the philosophical battle that's been on the minds of intellectuals since centuries. It's just a simple story about complicated and messed up people who find acceptance, peace and solace amongst each other. 

In Suicide Watch, Vincent, Casper and Adam meet at a time in their lives when they don't know what to live for. They believe that no one would care if they disappear one day until they realise how wrong they were. Over a short period of time, they form a bond so strong that letting go of one of them becomes a painful and impossible task. They mess up. They manage somehow. But most importantly, they learn to value each other's presence in their lives since that's what's made all the difference in the first place. Kelley York is so gifted and talented and it shows in the way she portrays friendships in her books. Relationships- any of them- are never easy and she shows it for how it is. And she portrays same sex relationships beautifully. She shows people for who they truly are. When one reads the summary of Suicide Watch, one knows the story. But what one doesn't know is the powerful impact it will have on them after reading it. 

I am at a complete loss for words. I really have no idea what to say and most importantly, how to express the immense love I've developed for Suicide Watch over the course of the few days that I took to devour it. All I know is that this isn't the end. I'm sure I'm going to be contemplating over the characters and their lives for a very, very long time to come. And you know what? I love books that make me do that. And every book of Kelley York's makes me do that. That's why I love her books so much. Read. Relate. Realise. Attach. Contemplate. Remember. It's simple as that. 

Beyond what I have said and taking into consideration all that I would love to say but don't really know how to express, that's all I have to say. What I know and what I can guarantee is that Kelley York knows. It's very silly of me to say this but she knows how to write. By that, I mean that she knows exactly what goes into making a story unbelievable and unforgettable. The characters in her stories are flawed. The stories themselves are complicated. The compilation in itself is horrible and terrible up to a certain extent. But the way she does it is simply perfect. It takes courage to write that aspect of reality that we all know of, but none of us are bold enough to say out loud. That's the reason why I admire Kelley York and her books. Sometimes I feel like I praise the author more than the book, but the author writes the book so that makes sense. I loved Suicide Watch and I know that when others read it, they will too. 

RATING: 

Interview + INT Giveaway- Fade Into Red by Reshma K. Barshikar

Hey guys!

Today we have with us Reshma. She is the author of Fade into Red. I have read and thoroughly enjoyed the book. You can find my review of Fade Into Red here. So keep reading ahead for Reshma's interview and a fabulous giveaway at the end! :)

Summary-

Ayra always wanted to be an Art Historian. She saw herself flitting between galleries, talking Michelangelo and Dali with glamorous ease. At twenty–nine, life has decided to make her an underpaid investment banker juggling an eccentric family, a fading career and a long–distance relationship that is becoming a light-year one. 

On a monsoon day in June, she is suddenly sent packing from Mumbai to Tuscany to buy a vineyard for a star client. What should have been a four day trip turns into a two week treasure hunt that finds her in the middle of midnight wine deals, dodgy vintners, rolling Tuscan hills, a soap opera family and one playboy millionaire who is looking to taste more than just the wine. Towards the end she finds that the road to true happiness is almost as elusive as that perfect glass of Chianti.

AUTHOR:

Reshma Krishnan Barshikar is an erstwhile investment banker who, one fine day, fell down the rabbit hole and discovered a world outside a fluorescent cubicle. She is now a freelance travel writer and contributes to India Today Travel Plus, SilverKris, Harper’s Bazaar, Grazia, National Geographic Traveller and The Hindu Business Line, where she profiles entrepreneurs for the Life section. She is also co-founder of the literary blog, The Caterpillar Café. Reshma divides her time between Mumbai and the Nilgiris. Fade Into Red is her debut novel. 

INTERVIEW:

         Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Well, I am an erstwhile Investment banker who fell down the rabbit hole one day and discovered a world outside a fluorescent cubicle. So after 8 years of working in Corporate Finance and Investment Banking, I decided to take a year off and travel. I raided my bonus, my PF savings and latched on to my traveling husband very much like those pants and explored Europe, China and the US quite extensively.  The one-year stretched quite nicely into two. During my travels, I found that I travelled differently from others and realized that I loved to write about my experiences and so I began to contribute to Travel magazines. Now Travel writing is my excuse to travel and I contribute regularly to India Today Travel Plus, SilverKris, Harper’s Bazaar, Grazia, National Geographic Traveller and The Hindu. Interestingly enough I began my career as a Research Analyst for The Hindu Business Line, so it’s quite surreal how life has brought me back full circle. To keep in touch with Investment Banking, I teach Corporate Finance on the weekends – those poor unsuspecting students. I am also the co-founder of the literary blog, The Caterpillar Café. It’s the brainchild of Afsha Khan who was generous enough to share the blog with me. We talk about the books we love.  You might infer from the lack of posts that we haven’t read anything we love for a while, but honestly we’re just lazy bloggers. 

Tell us about your book, Fade Into Red.

Fade Into Red is a multicultural women’s fiction novel based in Tuscany and Mumbai. Ayra Krishnamurthy is a dusky, slightly neurotic, convent educated, pretty girl’s sidekick that always wanted to be an Art Historian. At twenty, she saw herself flitting between galleries and calling out “Going thrice!” to high maintenance curators and talking Michelangelo and Dali with glamorous ease. Instead at twenty-nine, life has conspired to make her an underpaid investment banker in Mumbai juggling an eccentric family, a fading career and long –distance relationship that is soon becoming a light-year one. But on one monsoon day in July, she is suddenly sent packing from Mumbai to Tuscany to buy a vineyard for a star client. What should have been a four day trip turns into a two week treasure hunt that finds her amidst midnight wine deals, dodgy vintners, rolling Tuscan hills and one playboy millionaire who is looking to taste more than just the wine. Towards the end she finds that the road to true happiness is almost as elusive as that perfect glass of Chianti.

       What inspired you to write your book?

I had just returned from my maiden trip to Tuscany when it crossed my mind how wonderful it would be if I could go back for a wine transaction. That led to me thinking how it would be perfect for a romantic liaison of some kind because Tuscany is made for romance- wine, music, beautiful surroundings.  I told my mother this and she told me to write me a chapter and I began. 

 Are any of the characters in your book inspired by someone you know or are they complete results of your imagination?

The kitchen scene and Ayra’s grandmother have been literally lifted off my childhood memories and transferred onto paper; both the house and her ‘pati’ are an ode to mine. Beyond that however, the characters are a combination of a lot of people. Sandeep doesn’t exist anywhere but my head but my friends seem to think that it’s their respective bosses. Kartik’s looks were modeled on Sendhil Ramamurthy from the American TV show Heroes. 

         What kind of research went into writing your book?

Once I wrote the first few chapters, I realized that I needed to know a lot more about wine than just how to drink it. While much of the plotline is dedicated to Ayra sorting out her complicated personal life, she’s doing it while executing an M&A transaction and that had to be authentic. So I visited a couple of vineyards in India and then spent three weeks in Tuscany visiting vineyards, wine cellars and taking part in a harvest. I wanted to immerse myself in the environment to make is as authentic as possible. With regard to Art History, I love the history of art myself and so used my time in Italy to understand the art as well as I could. 

         Tell us about the whole publishing process and how it went.

Aah, the publishing process. I honestly think it starts off with a great query letter – the letter you send to the Publishers or Literary agents. I spent a fair bit of time on that. I also read up on the process and knew what to expect. Once I had finished half the novel, I began to send the query letter out to publishers. You know that whole story about rejections? It’s all true. I got quite a few from publishers until I realized that I needed to find myself a good agent. I was lucky enough to find three agents that wanted to represent me and I chose Siyahi. They took the manuscript on from there and found me Random House India.

         Who are some of your favourite authors and what are some of your favourite books?

My all time favorite authors are P D James, John Connolly, Helen Fielding, Stephen King, Ursula K Guin, George RR Martin, Robin Hobb, Neil Gaiman, Susan Hill and Hilary Mantel. I deeply admire Shakespeare and force myself to revisit his plays. Some recent novels I have loved include Hilary Mantel’s Bring up the Bodies, Rachel Hartman’s Seraphina, Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor & Park and The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan. My comfort reads would be Lord of the Rings, the Harry Potter series, The Song of Ice and Fire, any of the P D James books, Bridget Jones Diary, poetry by Carol Ann Duffy and the Charlie Parker series from John Connolly. Honestly, I can go on for quire a while. 

         What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Between my teaching and my writing I rarely seem to find very little spare time. I try to take time out to learn a few new songs on the guitar, repeatedly play the theme tune of Downton Abbey on the piano, catch up on my favorite shows like Midsommer Murders or go horse riding.

        What are the three things you’d like to have with you on a deserted island?

The entire PD James, Harry Potter or John Connoly series as well as a MY copy of the Lord of the Rings. Oh dear, is that three already? Books count as one item. Writing materials. I would need food I suppose and a sattelite phone so that I can call in for more books, food and writing material. I don’t think I know how to play this game.

         What advice would you give to aspiring young writers? 

Read a lot and read everything because ideas come from everywhere. Read Stephen King’s ‘Ón writing’- I think it’s the best book on writing there is. Find out what inspires you to get into a creative frame of mind, for me it’s music. Don’t be self-conscious when you write. And remember that writing is work. It might be work that you love but it’s still a job. Being quite new to the writing life myself, this last piece is something I have to tell myself everyday. 

GIVEAWAY:

Reshma has generously offered to giveaway FIVE signed copies of Fade Into Red to FIVE lucky followers.

The giveaway is OPEN INTERNATIONALLY.
May the odds be ever in your favor!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks Reshma!
Happy reading guys :)