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30th March 2003
The peddler of soaps
Anand Kurien
WLI foundation, India, 2002
-- I got worked up so much while and after reading this book that it deserved a separate page!
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28th March 2001
The Alchemist
Paulo Coelho
HarperCollins India, 2000
-- Expected it to read like Carlos Castenada - but Nada. The book is kind of contrived and I feel that the author was in a desperate hurry to finish the book off (much like what Churchill said about writing books) - after it hit, say 150 pages! This story of the shepherd Santiago - who is supposed to be hunting for some undefined / unidentified treasure and since he really wants it, 'the universe conspires' to get him that. And then, I expected the treasure not to be a rapacious conquistadore's loot.
But then, I should acknowledge that this novel made me think about chasing (away?) my dreams, anyway. No seriously, one is reminded of Joh Ruskin - 'the kingdom of god is within you,' when one reads this. To sum-up the book, as the Novel says, 'Maksud!' (or) 'it is written' ;-)
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