First Impressions
WHEN Helen Fielding invented Bridget Jones, little did she realise the phenomenal success her character would turn out to be. Here was the 1990s girl, alone, with plenty of panache, never mind if it bordered on the ridiculous. Of course, like in all good fairy tales, Jones is swept off her feet by prince charming on a white horse. Jones was today's girl and over a hundred million British and American girls identified with her. But now the plot has gone awry and though Fielding reintroduces her original spunky heroine in shades it's a bit of a flop show.
Olivia Joules is a journalist who is given to a hyperactive imagination that has a distinct tendency to land her into rather odd situations. Joules is willing to do anything to get her hands on a story and sometimes that means behaving like a perfect idiot. The situations that Fielding tries recreate with her central character borrows heavily from Bridget Jones Diary but somehow does not seem to have the same punch and fresh innocence of the original character that left you grinning no doubt over her sheer idiocy and rather cute effrontery.
Olivia Joules, Helen Fielding, Picador, price not stated.
THE murder of Brenda and Erica Lafferty some years ago was the stuff that headlines are made of. It left middle class America in a state of shock. While there were murmurs of the deaths being part of some ritualistic killing, there was no proof till the police caught up with Dan and Ron Lafferty. While they did not deny their guilt, neither seemed repentant. It was only then that most Americans discovered that within their midst a silent religion was growing where blind faith and unquestioned obedience were a part of life.
The history of the Mormons has, for the first time, been documented with proper records and conversations with many who finally had the courage to break away from its bizarre existence. Under the Banner of Heaven describes in cold and clinical detail, the rise of the Mormons, their role in American society and of course the gruesome death of two young people. In conversations with the murderers (one is now dead), the author painstakingly recreates the jarring scenes of horror inflicted not only physically on the victims but also mentally. An exhaustive compilation of news reports, interviews and various analytical data, this book provides a rare look at the workings of the Mormons.
Under The Banner of Heaven, Jon Krakauer, Macmillan, price not stated.
THROUGH the eyes of two mythical characters from the folklore of Orissa, author Manoj Das has reconstructed some of the stories from the Panchatantra and the Jatakas. Master and slave are travellers through the universe with the slave always being smitten by curiosity. As he asks questions of his knowledgeable master, he learns of the different ways of the world. In a bold experiment, Das has used this new form to not only tell the original story as it were but has also used his creative licence to imagine a scenario after the event. While many of the short stories in this collection are part myth and part folklore, most of them have used satire to make a serious point.
The Lady Who Died One and a Half Times and Other Fantasies, Manoj Das, Rupa, Rs. 150.
THIS is the story of an ordinary woman. She marries at the age of 10 and has her first child at 15. Who is she? By her own admission, not someone special — not someone connected to any earth-shaking event in this country. But Sethu Ramaswamy is representative of scores like her. Those women who quietly went into their adulthood without ever being given the opportunity to express and do what they wanted to do. She is no exception. Except that, at 79, she flowered giving birth to her dreams. She studied, and got herself a degree. Then she wrote a book. Writing about her life as she remembers it was not too easy, but then she writes as she recollects. A candid observation of her life and times as well as some telling comments on the many people she met makes this an interesting memoir.
Bride at Ten, Mother at Fifteen, Sethu Ramaswamy, Roli Books, Rs 295.
SUCHITRA BEHAL
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