Literary Mystique

To use the past to justify the present is bad enough—but it's just as bad to use the present to justify the past. Introduction  :   Amitav Ghosh’s ‘The Glass Palace’ is a monumental work of historical fiction that spans over a century, traversing the complex and tumultuous landscapes of Burma, India, and Malaysia. Published in 2000, the novel is not merely a historical chronicle but a profound exploration of the human condition under the pressures of colonialism, war, and displacement. Ghosh, known for his richly textured narratives and deep historical insights, creates in ‘The Glass Palace’ a tapestry where personal lives and historical events are inextricably intertwined. This review critically examines the novel’s exploration of colonialism, identity, and displacement, while also analyzing Ghosh’s narrative techniques and his ability to blend fact with fiction.  ‘The Glass Palace’ is not only a reflection on the past but also a commentary on the present, inviting read...

"There’s always a bit of enchantment in the world as long as you know how to look for it. Synopsis :  Saint Louis, 1923.. The golden age of flight has just begun, and pilot Mattie McAdams refuses to cede the skies to cocky flyboys. She longs to perform daring stunts in her family’s flying circus, but the men in her life stand in her way—including the show’s star performer, Leo Ward. They can wring their hands all they want; Mattie won’t stay grounded for long. In the Great War, Leo Ward watched his best friend and Mattie’s twin brother, Alfred, perish in the skies over German territory. Since then, he’s vowed to protect the McAdams family, taking on the most perilous stunts himself. But the skies are too big for any one man. Mattie joins a female-dominated flying circus, kicking off a tantalizing aerial dance as the two pilots make efforts to one-up each other in the skies across America. As planes and passions soar, can Mattie and Leo look beyond their egos to see the great heigh...

"Perhaps we only ever have one true chance at anything and the rest, if offered, is always second best.." Review : Loss is integral to life – from birth, we lose the safety of the womb. Often we lose our position in a family to another sibling. Change is all encompassing. We lose the three-legged races of childhood and later career-driven and consumerist ‘races’ imposed by a success-driven world. When we age, we lose our looks and our health. Ultimately, we die. Always, we are at the mercy of progress, risk and accidents; often we are victims of war. Set in 1920, against the background of Poland’s tragic and tumultuous relationship with Russia, through war, revolution and invasion, until 1954 in the Snowy Mountains of Australia, The Tulip Tree revolves around two brothers - Henryk and Adam and their families faced with the struggle for existence. Brothers Henryk and Adam Radecki’s relationship is fraught with love and jealously. Henryk, unhappily married to Lucia, is a clever...