Category: Novels

The Gist

The book “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” is a popular book that does not need a reason for a reader to pick.

The fictional novel written by John Boyne is based on the friendship of two nine-year-old boys, imagined during the incident of the Holocaust during World War II, where millions of Jews were incarcerated by German Nazis until they were killed.

This is the story of Bruno and Shmuel. The two boys of the same age, sharing the same birthday but living an entirely different life.

Bruno had to move from Berlin to Auschwitz along with his family because his father was in charge of the concentration camp whereas Shmuel was brought to the camp from Poland along with his father as a prisoner.

On moving from Berlin, Bruno had to leave all his old friends behind and there were no children to play with at his new home. He felt gloomy and bored all day.

Though he was prohibited to walk toward the fenced camp, he decided to explore the area where he found Shmuel sitting all alone near the fence.

The two boys can’t be on either side of the fence, can’t play together, can’t share their lives. Despite the weirdest situation, they became friends and they decided to keep their friendship a secret.

A lot was going around them but the boys were oblivious to the reality.

Read this book to know how the circumstances had brought the boys together. How friendship develops between them. How far they could hide their friendship and what were the consequences of their friendship.

My Review

The significance of the story is portrayed from the relationship between the two boys. Friendship does not understand status or standards. It does not see race or color. It just knows to care for one another, if necessary even sacrifice for one another.

Though in reality there could not be any possibility of two boys secretly meeting near the fence and were not found by any soldiers. But the story could not be criticized for providing such impossible incidents during the holocaust.

As the author is trying to educate us that in an attempt to sustain power and rule over the inferior, humans often forget the malicious activities performed by them. They snatch the livelihood of the common people. Their dignity is thrashed and they are left in a devastating condition. Thousands of innocent lives become victims of the situation.

The story takes you back to history, makes you ponder over the incident, and gives you a chance to introspect.

About Book

1. The book is written in very simple language and written from the perspective of a nine-year-old boy.
2. The book is about 216 pages with a read time of about 2 hours.
3. The book is available in Hardcover and Paperback on Amazon, ebook on Kindle, audiobook on audible.

The Gist

Robinson Crusoe is a fictional novel. It was first published in the year 1719. The book is popularly known for the distinguished work of Daniel Defoe. As “Adventure of Robinson Crusoe resembles a non-fictional writing.”

The protagonist Robinson Crusoe at the age of eighteen refuses to abide by his parents wish to live a normal life.

He followed his curiosity to explore the sea. During his voyages, Robinson becomes competent in the affairs of the sea and learnt many other skills like navigation, observation, life at sea and other ship’s course.

Later, he became a merchant and as well as a sailor. He dealt with the natives of Africa for his job. Once on his returning journey, he got enslaved by the pirates and then managed to escape along with other slaves and made his living by working at Sugar Plantation.

Subsequently, they needed more slaves to work at Sugar Plantation to expand the business. While an attempt to bring back some slaves from Africa, a violent hurricane engulfed the ship along with the crew, leaving only Robinson stranded on a lonely island. He survives on the island for many years on his own by his wits.

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The Review

Read the book to learn how Robinson Crusoe had survived 28 years on an isolated island and returned to England after so many years.

The story is completely absorbent. It resembles non-fictional writing as if a memoir.

Children would enjoy the abridged version with illustrations. If you are a reader then you must not miss out this book.

The novel teaches the importance of optimism in a man which makes him valour in the battle of life on earth.

About Book

1. Robinson Crusoe is a novel written by author Daniel Defoe.
2. The abridged and illustrated version is the production of Om Book International.
3. It is about 237 pages with a good font.
4. Both children and adult can enjoy the book.

My Review

“The Room on the Roof” is a wonderful book. This novel is about the story of a young boy whose name is Rusty. This story reveals how a young European boy who lived in a conservative lifestyle set by his guardian, breaks the rule, leaves the house, struggles to find shelter, makes friends, finds a job, falls in love, lives an ordinary life in a room on the roof.

Then in the second phase of the book, loses his love, loses his friends, loses his job, loses hope and loses his path. The author through his writing divulges all the feelings a young boy could have. In all of that, the room on the roof is described as beautifully as a character of a person could be described. It shows the boy’s attachment to the room.

The book is written in a very easy language. The words are threaded together so pleasantly that it sounds poetic and ornated.

My favourite lines in the book are:
“But now we walk back. We walk back to the room on the roof! It is our room, we have to go back!
They had to go back: to bathe at the water tank and listen to the morning gossip, to sit in the fruit trees and eat in the chaat shop and perhaps make a garden on the roof; to eat and sleep; to work; to live; to die.”

About the book

1. “The Room on the Roof” is the first novel written by Ruskin Bond when he was seventeen.
2. The novel is the winner of ” THE JOHN LLEWELLYN RHYS PRIZE in 1957.”
3. Published by Puffin Books- Penguin Random House.
4. The novel is of 184 pages contains 23 small chapters.
5. The beautiful front cover explains the title of the book.
6. Quiet illustrated to catch up with the novel.