Thursday, March 08, 2012

And Rahul Calls it a day

The news today claim that, Rahul Dravid will call it a day tomorrow. Hats off to you. No one had to ask to you to hang up your boots. Nor was there any pressing need. Just after one bad season, he decides to call it off, especially being one of the best batsman in England, where India has a bad series.

This is strange, considering the fact that, the others who are in line for retirement and have been performing quite badly, are still wondering. We would let me wonder for sometime, but then just as Dravid's speech before the start of the Australia series was great, he ended it up with a note that people will never forget. The respect only grew.

As another of my friend pointed out today to me, another Rahul, (Gandhi), who has failed miserably in the recently concluded elections, still feels that, the future of the country still is with him. Not that, I have a say in that, but something should be learned from that debacle. Coincidently, both the Rahul's are almost of same age.

Here is the link of Dravid's speech , just before the commencement of the Series. We would miss you. (Thankfully you stay quite close to my apartment :) )

http://www.mid-day.com/sports/2011/dec/151211-Rahul-Dravid-speech-Bradman-oration.htm


Sunday, March 04, 2012

The Sins of the Father - Clifton Chronicles Part 2

Book Name: The Sins of the Father
Author : Jeffrey Archer
Price - 350
Pages - 386

Finally got my hand on the long awaited book yesterday(3rd March 2012), through flipcart and for a book, which I have been waiting for a year.


This books starts from the point where Harry Clifton reaches Newyork, trying to escape from his past life. He gets a new name Tom Bradshaw, only to find out that, he is a bigger problem than the one he was trying to escape with. The next part of the story revolves around how he gets into Prison and his life over there. There seems to a resemblance of the life of Jeffrey Archer when he was in prison. In the prison , he does show a few acts, which earns him respect of the cons but then he chooses to get a job in the prison library. The head of the library reads his daily diaries with his permission and has a good liking to them, so much so that, even when he(Lyold) completes his term in the prison, he asks Harry to send him his diaries at home. Apparently this person, makes a copy of them and writes a book and publishes as his own story and gains lots of readership and is also in the best sellers. What I don't seem to really understand is how could someone like Harry be so dumb to send his personal diaries to a person, whom he didn't really like.

Further the story continues where Emma(Harry's Fiancee) starts to look for a Harry in New York, and coincidences make her read the book. Once she realises that these are indeed Harrys books, she goes on a hunt to find Harry, getting clues from each link she finds.

The later part of the story revolves around the World War II, where Harry is released from the Prison to offer his services and so does Giles (His best friend and Emma's brother). They both excel in their new roles. I would mention anything more, as there wouldn't be any predictable suspense also.

There are parallel short stories of Hugo(Giles dad) and Mrs Masie (Harry's mom), and they kind of run in parallel.
For a change, I was not really impressed with this book. The book was pretty much predictable and the story revolved as one likes to predict.
There is a small court room scene which is in place, to find the actual heir to the Barrington. Though the court room scenes are good, and Jeffrey Archer is always good, somehow this was up to his level. It did lack something.

The story hangs with the Court Room scene and we would need to wait for his next book, for an year. But frankly, I dont see any dramatic change expected further.

Definitely a read if you have read the first part ie 'Only Time Will Tell'.  You can definitely read this book as a stand alone, as some of the earlier part of the story has be narrated so that the link is not missed (considering this book is released after an year, and one tends to forget the characters).

But am a little disappointed with this book,being a big fan of Jeffrey Archer