Winter is the perfect time to read the British murder mystery novels, though I have always wondered why this genre is so popular in England. What is this fascination with cold blooded murders in closed country houses? In The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher, Kate Summerscale explains how the murder at the Road Hill house caught the nations fancy and inspired an entire generation of literature and must have laid the foundation for the Golden Age of the detective fiction and some of the first detectives in England.

There is something very genteel about the British mystery novel. There is no gore or loud action or twists and turns. There is suspense and the plot peels off in oniony layers, but it’s never scary. As a reader, you can sip a cup of tea and breeze through a novel which engages your mind pleasantly for a few hours.

Death at President’s Lodging plot is very similar to any “closed house limited number of suspects” murder stories. The crime happens, as the name suggests, at the President’s Lodgings in St. Anthony’s college. Since this is a college campus and is open to public during the day, the murderer could be anyone in the village. However, the access to the lodging is limited and controlled by a set of keys which are in the hands of a few people. The access to the college in which the lodge is located is limited at night and controlled by a set of keys, which is again the in the hands of a few people. All the possible suspects have air-tight, strangely corroborative alibis.

Michael Innes, employs his favorite detective to unravel the case, Inspector Appleby. The detective on arrival at St. Anthony’s college realizes that the murdered man was clearly not popular man (uh, duh!) and that the suspects are a bunch of formidable intellectual snobs, who are extremely capable of planning a brilliant murder.
Why I recommend this book is, because after a fairly long time, I felt so absorbed in a puzzle. There is something mathematical about the issue of the keys, and the number of entrances to the college and the sequence of events of the night of the murder. The solution to the mystery is really one of the most imaginative though slightly improbable.

Verdict: Highly recommended

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery , but I am convinced that had Miss Austen been alive, she would have felt quite abused by the many versions this story has taken and how her favorite characters have progressed. Ofcourse, quality is not an issue with James, who is a credible writer in her own right, and she begins the novel quite rightly and humbly with an apology to Austen for bringing a sense of morbidity to a world created by her.

James sets the story in Pemberley, several years after the marriage of Darcy and Elizabeth, a few days before the traditional autumn ball. The Wickhams are still estranged from the family and on the eve of the ball, Lydia Wickham makes a dramatic entrance into the Pemberly driveway yelling “ My husband has been murdered !”

Now, one would expect that this would set up the tone for a juicy murder investigation where at least Darcy or Elizabeth would take up a sleuthing role and try to find clues and fit pieces together. But that is not the case.

Using P&P as the prologue to this novel really ties James hands down in terms of plot. A lot of the narrative is spent paraphrasing events from the original novel and explaining the context of the relationship of main characters. Even though she clearly has had fun imagining what happened to the lives of ancillary characters like Mary Bennet, Mr. Collins, Charlotte Collins, Kitty Bennet, Mr, Bingly after P&P ended, most of that has very little to do with the plot. The character growth of some the main players is constrained by what we already know about them and does not fit very well into a murder mystery kind of novel.

The third person narrative is slow, often introspective and has very little to do with the murder at most times.  There is a lot of focus on Darcy’s position in society, his relationship with Wickham, the relationships of the family in general.  PD James has introduced some new characters especially with respect to the Pemberely household but none of them interesting enough to leave an impression.

At the end of it as a reader, you don’t care who died, how he was killed, why he was killed and how was the murderer found out. Not much point to reading the book then, is there?

Unless, I am getting it all wrong and this is not a murder mystery and a period novel in which someone just dies.

In life, one wonders at least once, if one is going insane. Sometimes these doubts may last for a second or sometimes for days. The feeling of losing one’s mind can be a result of stress, anger, nervousness, anticipation and most importantly how others are treating you.

Made famous by the Hitchcock movie, “The Lady Vanishes”, The Wheel Spins is a story of a young girl Iris, who believes she is going crazy, because everyone around her says that she is. Iris is on the way to England in a train. She is all by herself and cannot speak any foreign languages. Just before she boarded the train, she was hit by a sunstroke which has left her disoriented. An English lady, Miss Froy, who is in the same compartment as her, befriends her for tea. Iris dozes off and when she wakes up Miss Froy is no longer there. Iris is convinced that something is wrong but as she tries to ask her fellow passengers they tell her they don’t know what she is talking about  – that there never was Miss Froy.

Up to this point, as a reader your sympathies are with Iris who is clearly being taken for a ride. She enlists the help of an English professor and appeals to his sense of morality and justice to help her locate this missing woman. When other English passengers who had talked to Miss Froy in the dining car deny her existence, you start wondering. Is Iris really delusional and sick as everyone around her claiming to be? What ulterior motives could the fellow passengers possible have for lying about Miss Froy.

White creates a very vivid imagery of the train journey. As Iris rushes back and forth the length of the train – trying to find her Miss Froy, we are able to sense the motion of the train, the claustrophobic corridors, the heat of the steam and the overpowering sense of restless passengers. White continuously refers to the noisy and almost fatal movement of the train into the darkness, which emphasizes the abyss of insanity that Iris appears to be falling into and the complete hopelessness of the situation.

For me the most impressive part about the book was not its writing or characters but the very simple concept – what defines insanity? If everyone around you calls you crazy, and there is no one to disprove that, then is there a any hope ?

The focal point of the story is slightly unusual – a middle aged butler of a British household. Mr. Stevens ( Anthony Hopkins) has served at Darlignton estate almost all his life. However, the war stirs things over and his Lord’s Nazi’s sympathies have him out of his home. Mr. Steven’s new master is an American politicion Mr. Farraday( Christopher Reeves!) . The movie opens with Farraday suggesting that Stevens take a holiday – a road trip. Stevens decides to visit the former housekeeper of Darlington Hall, Miss Keaton, and on his drive he reminices about the times under his old Master, Lord Darlignton (James Cox) before World War II.

“The Remains of the Day” is essentially a character sketch of Stevens. The central theme of the movie is the core quality of “diginity” that Stevens possesses and must possess to become a great butler. This quality is so important that it defines his relationship with his master, his staff, his father, his ability to love – his very existence. His work comes above everything else and at the price of relationships and his own happiness.

Anhtony Hopkins performance as Mr. Stevens is spot on. Without moving a muscle, is face still expresses amazing depths. One can’t help but feel sorry for Stevens by the end of the movie. Emma Thompson is the bright light in this slightly gloomy production. There are two scenes that are to watch out for – one in which they discuss a book ( extremely riveting – watch it out to find out why), and the one where they end their evening conferences. Hugh Grant makes a fleeting appearance as the Darlington’s godson.

Directed by award winning James Ivory, the movie literally takes us into the world of stuffy but luxurious world of noble English households. The movie is mostly shot indoors where the world of the domestic servants exist but there are some beautiful visuals of the English countryside.

Verdict : High quality cinema – must watch.

If one is interested in his work and the following website is pretty comprehensive –http://benedictcumberbatch.co.uk/
I am going to do a short review on some of his work that I have had the chance to watch.

Sherlock – I have probably read all of the Sherlock Holmes stories, once and maybe few, several times. I would definitely consider myself
a Purist, so I was initially, extremely apprehensive of this modern version of Sherlock Holmes. Honestly, I was not prepared or even
inclined to like it. But its Steven Moffat’s and Mark Gatiss’s love for Conan Doyle’s detective and their off the charts writing which really makes Sherlock one of the best shows on television right now. The modernization is so natural that after the first 15 minutes you don’t even notice it.

So how did Moffat and Gatiss bring the famous detective into the 21st century? They retained the essence of the key characters of Sherlock, Watson and Lestrange and just transposed them in the modern landscape. So now we have advanced forensics, smart phone, internet and London black cabs. Sherlock, who himself was always a keen scientist fits in perfectly in this new era. He prefers
texting over talking and uses smartphones and internet to find information and calls his brain a hard drive. However, even with all the science technology and the wonders of forensic science, Sherlock is still the only man in the world who can put the pieces together with his remarkable powers of deduction. Then there is Watson, who in this version, like the original is a war veteran returned from Afghanistan, looking for a roommate. Watson now blogs instead of writing journals but essentially he is the same person. He tempers down Sherlock’s eccentricities and makes him more accessible to the average guy.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are the perfect casting. Cumberbatch’s Sherlock is ethereal, sharp, fast and almost coldly annoying which is very close to the original. Freeman’s Watson sincere, chivalrous ( within the context of 21st Century), trustworthy and perceptive. He may not be able to make the same leaps of logic that Sherlock can ( can anybody?)  but he is able to understand people, which is able to see through Sherlock, inspite all of Sherlock’s sociopathic behavior.

This show is really worth your time.

The Last Enemy – Another British TV series, that I watched because it had Benedict Cumberbatch in it. This is a sci-fi drama, based in the near future, where the UK government is the midst of mandating an ID card programme which will record everything about you – literally everything. It will capture your financial, educational, medical history, it will track your current location, who you meet and what you do. This information will be useful in tracking “terrorist” activities. In theory the concept is not far-fetched, which kind of makes it scary. However, the series was not that impressive. The problem is not with the performances which are really good but the script which is slightly mediocre and in some places and a tad unrealistic. If you are into conspiracy theories then you may enjoy this.

To the Ends of the Earth –  Based on William Golding’s ManBooker award winning trilogy, To the Ends of the Earth, this is  story of the young aristrocat, Edmund Talbout’s journey to Australia on a former war ship. The three part series explores the interactions of various class of people in a closed trapped environment which in this case is ship in the middle of the sea., the nature of humans and Talbout’s emotional growth. The story is disturbing to say the least, in a weird tragical comical way. Its not unlike other British period dramas, heavy on character development. Cumberbatch is quite believable as the bumbling, presumptuous aristrocat and gives a bit of a funny turn. He is strongly supported by Jared Harris who plays a mean Captain Anderson. I also like the performance of Jamie Sives as the morally conflicted Summers. If you like British literary adaptations, then this may be worth your time.

Anything else that I have watched after that is honestly a blur. However, one of the stay-at-home weekends, hubby and I decided to just watch “cartoons” for a change.  We incidentally picked two very similar movies. Here’s my brief review about both of them.

Despicable Me

This movie was brilliant. Non-stop funny. In this story, the world’s greatest villain Gru (brllliantly voiced by Steve Carrell)  has recently been upstaged by a pyramid stealing newbie. Clearly, he has to establish his supremacy and he hatches a brilliant plan, which is to – wait for it!- steal the moon! But moon-jacking equipment can be expensive and even a super-villain has debt issues. The underworld bank (Lehman Brothers! – I kid you not) will only loan him the money if he can procure a key weapon. To do that he must adopt 3 cookie selling orphan girls – why, what, how can be answered when you watch the movie.

It is hilarious to watch this evil but soft spoken villain, become a reluctant parent to these adorable girls. Even more entertaining are the minions  creatures that work in his factory . The movie is full of both in your face slaptstick as well as subtle understated humor. I was laughing throughout.

Megamind

The story of a special blue boy sent to Earth by his loving parents as their planet collapsed about them. They told him that he was destined for greatness. And no this is not “Superman”. At the same time, another boy was sent to Earth, by his loving parents, as their planet collapsed about them. Why is Earth the destination for all alien spawn, I don’t know.

Anyway, the blue boy obviously suffers from bad luck. He lands in a prison, and from childhoold all his attempts at greatness fail and he just appears to be making wrong, almost criminal choices. He is often upstaged by the other boy (who looks completely human), and is a savior of all humans. Frustrated by his unpopularity and his inherent destructive nature – he decides to be the greatest villain of his time – Megamind.  The good boy goes on to become the all American hero – Metro Man- the guardian angel of Metro city.

As I read back my synopsis, this is sounding like an extremely emotional and intellectual kind of movie. Its not. Its funny and sometimes hilarious, when you see Megamind’s attempt to constantly destroy  Metro Man in repeated almost cliched ways. Things go awry and the fun really begins, when Megamind actually succeeds in killing Metro Man, and taking over the city.

Will Ferrel, Brad Pitt and Tina Fey lend their voices to the leading characters. The script is okay but needed to pack more punch for an animation movie. I found myself yawning more than once. The twist in the tale is actually the movie–saver , and the twist-in-the-twist in the tale is just meh. Still, the concept is refreshingly different and sort of nice to see a cartoon where the villain is the hero.

Be warned! Spoilers Ahead!

IT ALL ENDS. Well not really, there is Pottermore coming up in October, so JKR ain’t done milkin’ this cow yet. But back to what would appear to be a graceful conclusion to this decade long saga…

It ALL ENDS. This summer’s biggest blockbuster release – the concluding part of the movie finale to the famous book series – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2– hit the theaters with all the associated mania. People lined up in mile long queues, dressed up in costumes, bought back to back tickets for the same movie and did a whole bunch of crazy stuff. Well, did the movie live up to the hype – I think yes!

I really looked forward to HP Part 2, not so much as it was the end of all the drama, but because I was really impressed by Part 1 and was quite eager to say how the rest of the more action packed half of the story will play out on the big screen. I oddly did felt a bit sentimental about it (though I was more emotional when the last book came out) and wanted to watch this quietly so decided to give the cinema a wide berth on the premier weekend. I waited for a week after the release and decided to catch an afternoon show. The wait paid off, I got excellent seats and an almost empty theater.

Now on to the movie – the first thing that hits you is the scale – everything is larger, darker, scarier and better. Every character has a permanent expression of impending doom on their face, except for Voldemort, who shows signs of megalomaniacal happiness. The whole movie can be basically seen as sum three segments of :

Now on to the movie – the first thing that hits you is the scale – everything is larger, darker, scarier and better. Every character has a permanent expression of impending doom on their face, except for Voldemort, who shows signs of megalomaniacal happiness. The whole movie can be basically seen as sum three segments of :

1. Harry, Hermoine and Ron continue their journey to find the remaining Horcruxes.  A brilliant scene to watch out for – Hermoine impersonating Lestrange (excellent performance by Helena Carter) that really lightens the otherwise dark movie.
2. Battleof Hogwarts – Very soon, the trio are in Hogwarts, and its here almost after 20 minutes into the movie, where the action really begins. It is also at this moment and onwards, that this movie truly belongs to Daniel Radcliffe’s Harry. I have always thought Radcliffe to be a bit of a wooden faced actor – but I think he really shows off his stuff here. He was extremely convincing in this intense performance – without the usual support of stronger adult actors in the same frame. Even Rupert Grint and Emma Watson had very little role in the final movie
3. Harry Vs. Voldemort – This is the most crucial part of the story and the logical conclusion to all those years of adventure, pain and sacrifice. The first confrontation was perfect – exactly as I had imagined it. My all time favorite scenes from this were the “after death” conversation with Dumbledore and the scene where Harry sees his parents. The second and final confrontation left lot to be desired. In the book, this is an extremely important “coming of age” scene for Harry where he finally confronts Voldemort in front of everybody but without their help in a very classic “just you and me in this till one of us dies” scene. The movie took away the grandness of the scene by making it a very long chase through Hogwarts, a random free fall and the final confrontation which NO ONE WAS WATCHING

I came across these riveting photos of the state of children’s education India

“That which can be purchased at a shop is easily left in a taxi; that which you carry inside you is difficult, thought not impossible, to misplace”

Penelope, being fifteen, is almost a child herself with stars in her eyes, and sometimes you can glimpse that when she lets her imagination run away with herself. For instance, in one instance, she is to be accused of stealing the almanac from the library and her thoughts go something like this -

“It had even occurred to her that the police might be summoned and criminal charges be filed, after which she would have to bravely defend herself in front of a stern, white-wigged judge. Her eloquence would earn a standing ovation from the dazzled spectators, who would find it impossible it to believe that this mere girl of fifteen was not a trained lawyer”

But things are not all as they seem in Ashton Place – Why does Lord Ashton insist the children attend the Christmas Ball when they are clearly not trained in social etiquette? Why does he himself disappear on the day of the Ball? Why were the children abandoned in the forest in the first place? Who are their parents? Why does Old Timothy keep appearing in the most unlikely places? These questions add a bit of gothic element to what I would consider a light, funny and entertaining children’s book.
Most of these questions remain unanswered in the first instalment of the series – The Mysterious Howling. Though not exactly a cliff-hanger, if as a reader you have invested enough interest in the characters, you are bound to pick the second book: The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place – The Hidden Gallery.
In the second book, we follow the escapades of the Ashton household into London. After the catastrophic Christmas ball, Ashton Place is undergoing major repairs. Lady Ashton convinces her husband the need to move to London till the renovation is completed. Penelope is extremely excited about this change in location – she has never been to London and only read about it in books. She sees this as an opportunity to expose herself and the children to some real art and culture. Once in London, Penelope is clearly overwhelmed by the city and is a bit depressed. Enter Simon, a young struggling playwright (obviously, for a young governess of fifteen, a romance is needed) who befriends her and the children and proves to be a valuable companion during their stay. The open questions from the first book remain unanswered and the plot thickens. First there is the gypsy soothsayer who warns the “hunt is on”. Then there is the hopeless Hixby’s guide to London- a gift from Penelope’s teacher and friend – which proves to be extremely useless in all regards with the exception of its directions to the hidden gallery no. 17 in British Museum. On top of this all, there is Judge Quinzy, whose unusual and unwelcome interest in Penelope and the children worries her. And most importantly is the mystery of the color of Penelope’s hair! While a lot more happens in the second book, as a reader you are really no further then where you started and that is a bit irritating. One has no choice but to look forward to the third book!!
Maryrose Wood is without doubt, a very good children’s storyteller. The writing is rich, witty and the language makes for very good “reading aloud” to kids. Some of my favourite sentences are as follows:

“ As you may know, travelling alone is quite a different kettle of fish from travelling with companions. It tends to make people anxious, especially when enroute to a strange place, or a new home or a job interview, or ( as in the case of Miss Lumley) a job interview in a strange place that might very well end up being her new home”

“ There is no alarm clock like embarrassment”, and by the time the conductor spoke the word luggage, Miss Lumley was far more awake than she wished to be. Had she really said something about bandits?”

“The truth is that one cannot go through life without being annoyed by other people, and this was just as true in Miss Penelope’s Lumley’s day as it is in our own. Annoyance is a fact of life; one ought not to lose one’s grip because of it..”

“Penelope had read several novels about such governesses in preparation for her interview and found them chock-full of useful information, although she had no intention of developing romantic feelings for the charming, penniless tutor at a neighbouring estate. Or-heaven forbid!- for the darkly handsome, brooding, and extravagantly wealthy master if her own household. Lord Fredrick Ashton was newly married in any case, and she had no inkling what his complexion might be.”

Penelope, Simon and even the children are good role models. The children though naughty also possess a grateful, kind and generous nature. The moral messaging of the overall story is sound. The Incorrigible.. is clearly written not only to entertain but also to educate children. Words and phrases are explained as a part of the narrative without breaking the plotline -

“This is called “selective truth telling” and it is frequently used in political campaigns, toy advertisements and other forms of propaganda”

“Viola – as you may know, is a French word that means “there you are”. Like “Eureka” or “By Jove, I’ve got it” is sometimes exclaimed by people who have figured out the answer to some sort of problem or riddle”

If you have kids who still like to be read at night or who are still a few years away from their teens, this is a really perfect book for them

The Boathouse –

The cuisine is standard American with some Italian on the menu. I think I ordered a pizza which was just okay. I have heard their sandwiches are pretty good and I may try that out next time. But really, The Boathouse, is for spending good time in a pretty place. Once you have had your meal, you can just sit in the rocking chairs by the dock and stare at the stars.

Food – Just about okay; Service-Efficient; Ambience – The reason why this place is so popular

 Mayuri  – Authentic Indian Cuisine

I generally dread eating in Indian restaurants when I am not inIndia. This cultural reinterpretation of what my cuisine should be like, can be pretty unnerving. Firstly there is no one Indian Cuisine – what is mostly served in restaurant is either “Spicy South Indian’ or/and  “Punjabi Mughal” which generally bypasses a lot of unique dishes and flavors of central, western and eastern India.  The other issue with the food that you get in Indian restaurants is that its really the  “high on spice and oil” version of what people actually eat in an Indian home. Trust me, if  the only experience that you have had of Indian food is an a restaurant, then get an invitation to an Indian home and see what they eat – you will be pleasantly surprised.  So when I try to experience “ true Indian cuisine”  in theUS, I limit my expectations to hoping to eat food that is similar to what is served in restaurants back home. What I mostly get, is the sweetened, spiced down and dare I say, tasteless version of most curries. There are only or two Indian diners that I really like in St. Louis– Mayuri, being one of them.

It serves a reasonable variety of North and South Indian cuisine in all its greasy glory. The lunch buffets have a tremendous variety, but I think ala carte has better quality. I have eaten there quite a few times and the food is always well cooked. I especially love the “chutneys” they serve if you order South Indian snacks like “dosas” and “idlis”. The only drawback of Mayuri is the ambience and service which is quite similar to the chaos of a “bazaar” in India and looks out of place in a dine-in, air conditioned restaurant in a US suburb. A popular choice for catering, Mayuri is a good place to take your non-Indian friends, provided they can stomach the grubbiness of the place and the greasiness of the food.

Food – Pretty Good; Service – Polite but not sophisticated; Ambience- What ambience?

Note : I have picked the images from different blogs.