noorthebookworm

A beautifully written BIOGRAPHY of a fabulous author, Katherine Mansfield.

“Katherine Mansfield created the only writing I was ever jealous about.”- VIRGINIA WOOLF.
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✨KATHERINE MANSFIELD- a novel.
Happy Pub Day!
10th Anniversary Edition.

✨”INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED AUTHOR Katherine Mansfield REVOLUTIONISED 20TH-CENTURY ENGLISH SHORT-STORY WRITING.

She died from tuberculosis in France, aged just 34..
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KATHERINE MANSFIELD is a biographical historic novel of the famous author’s life (1888-1923).

✨KATHLEEN MANSFIELD MURRY was a prominent mOdErNiSt writer who was born and brought up in New Zealand.
She wrote short stories and poetry under the Pen Name KATHERINE MANSFIELD.
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✨”Here then is a little summary of what I need—power, wealth and freedom.”
Katherine Mansfield Beauchamp, age 19—May, 1908
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from the author;

“The more I learned about her, the more determined I became to bring Katherine Mansfield back to life so that others might find inspiration in her remarkable story.”
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✍️ This is the story of the vivacious, wild- if I must say, girl, who had big, huge dreams of becoming a famous author, like her cousin..of living in England..discovering and living life to the fullest..who has the perfect zeal/ spark to enjoy this gift called life.. But alas an illness took her breath away, way before all her dreams could come true..before she could write all that was overflowing in her blood & stream.. Nonetheless, she fought & wrote some beautiful short stories & her work is remembered & idolized, till date.
She was a brave, free spirit unbound by any & every restrictions of body & soul.
A well researched piece of work, this book provides great insight into her life.
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Leaving you, with some lines by Katherine M. ;

Grant me the moment, the lovely moment
That I may lean forth to see The other buds, the other blooms,
The other leaves on the tree…

“It’s not where I write that stops me, it’s just not believing that I will ever have enough time to complete a novel. Short stories can be written between illnesses.”

✨Note: I was surprised to note lines from The Bhagwat Gita quoted in this book.
_____other quotes..
✨I want, by understanding myself, to understand others. I want to be all that I am capable of becoming.

✨Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinions of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself. Face the truth.

✨Make it a rule of life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy; you can’t build on it; it’s only good for wallowing in.

✨It is of immense importance to learn to laugh at ourselves.
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I am appalled at my ignorance of her work, better late than never, going to devour it now!

Women Empowerment + Forgiveness- to self

“ABSOLUTION, Regina Buttner’s CAPTIVATING Debut, draws back the curtain of a seemingly perfect marriage to reveal the dark and complex dynamic between a manipulative narcissist and a woman desperate to make amends for her past.
THE STORY REVEALS THAT WHEN WE SEEK FORGIVENESS, WE MUST ALSO ACCEPT IT FOR OURSELVES.”
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✨Happy PUB Day! ✨

✨debutnovel

ABSOLUTION means
(especially in the Christian Church) A FORMAL STATEMENT THAT A PERSON IS FORGIVEN FOR WHAT HE OR SHE HAS DONE WRONG.

✨Its a POWERFUL, EMPOWERING story of JEANIE, set up in the 90’s.. We go through a moment of nostalgia at the mention of pagers, cordless phones..
She is the youngest of her large, Catholic, down-to-earth, simple, Good fearing family.. & is doing graduation.
She gets pregnant by her prof., who uses her innocence & gullibility.. But she gets a feeling of GUILTY which she endorses & carries even after getting married & having kids.
The story shows the story of a young girl, who is naive, keeps on making silly mistakes in her life (although the mild signs are always there) , for which she has to pay a lot..
Even the life partner & in laws she chooses, don’t turn out well but it takes her two kids & a homemaker status to realise their real facets.
There’s a lot more to the story but it’s basically speaks for;
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
&
FORGIVENESS- OF LETTING GO of the past.

✨Beautifully penned, it’s an inspiring debut.
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”A poignant novel about a woman’s struggle to regain her power. Secrets and hidden agendas begin to unravel the already fraying marriage between a narcissistic husband and an ‘eager to please’ wife. “
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 “ABSOLUTION is a gripping, heart-wrenching story of a woman walking a tightrope between the traditional values she was raised with and a marriage that threatens to destroy her. A true page-turner; readers will find themselves rooting for Jeanie as she fights to find herself.”
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”In the End, ABSOLUTION teaches us Survival, Resolution, and Hope.”
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A thriller mystery which shows the beautiful bond, of sibling love & care.

GENRE: mystery thriller

𝙉𝙀𝙑𝙀𝙍 𝙏𝙐𝙍𝙉 𝘽𝘼𝘾𝙆 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮, 𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨.

The bonds of a family never truly let go.

christopher swann is a critically acclaimed southern mystery novelist & this is his 2nd novel.

This southern set, domestic thriller about family vengeance, atonement comes out as a very intelligent and layered mystery, told in a very simple style of narration.

I liked the use of few Irish words, here and there, for amplifying the basic language and tone of “Ethan’s mother and her brother”. Also the author quotes robertfrost a lot, which I found, hit a spot, home.

The novel is total of 28 chapters long and is divided into 3 parts.

𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚:

This novel, is the story of ETHAN FAULKER and SUSANNAH, basically with supporting characters such as Wilson, his dog & his uncle, Uncle Gavin.

They lose their parents to a tragedy, that happened at their own home where their parents were killed and they themselves, were badly injured.

Ethan was 13 & Suzie, 10. Both of them hold themselves responsible, somewhere with “what if” things could have been different & the tragedy been averted.

Now Ethan is a school teacher and a very simple man with a few needs, by nature. On the other hand, Suzie has always been a go-getter & a tomboy.

“Susannah is like a rare and edgy bird of prey- say the wrong thing and she will either claw you or take wing and vanish. “

Uncle Gavin’s character is shown in negative light, as their parents did not talk much of him and even though he was their mother’s brother, they never really saw him arnd.

There are a few murders happening in a chain of events, further down the story & the end reveals the killer. Any further detail would act as a spoiler.

The story changes timelines to accommodate a background story, off and on.

𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧. 𝙎𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙫𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙩.

Do these words ring a bell? Being an elder sibling is so much work! You are protective & there’s a delicate bond bet. both.

Little things, like how Susannah tells Evan to call her Suzie and not otherwise..

How they still play games, which they used to play as kids..

How Suzie, although crude on the surface, is caring underneath and takes care of small but important things for Evan..

For me, personally, this novel was about sibling❤love & I loved it for that.

Rajmata Gayatri Devi.

Read on to know more!

Deeply RESEARCHED and COMPELLINGLY NARRATED, The House of Jaipur is a GRIPPING saga studded with unforgettable characters, their charmed lives often crossed by misfortune and tragedy.

REVEALED for the first time are the untold stories of life behind the palace doors.
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MY TAKE:

This bk, was on my tbr since it’s release on 15th Aug.
I have always adored, Rajmata Gayatri Devi. Her beauty, her aura, her grandeur..all exude grace & respect. The cover intrigued me..
BUT
The book is much more than her beauty & does not solely revolve around her.
It is true to it’s title, The House Of Jaipur.

This well researched bk talks about so much in mere 384 pages!
From history of this Rajput Clan, to their ascendents, their legacy, history, lavish lifestyles, wealth, jewellery, to indulgence in women & alcohol, polo, horses & affairs.
It talks about lawsuits, wills, bitterness in relations, politics, weddings and Britishers.
It scrapes down the outer facade & dogs deep.

Ayesha was the 3rd wife of Jai..how they met and how their love transpired into marriage..& what followed afterwards..was my favorite part of the book.
Why did Ayesha, marry Jai even after warning from her mother, brother & knowledge of his alleged affairs & heart-on-sleeve attitude..?
How did she cope with everything/ responsibilities that came with her marriage..is interesting to note..

The book provides a complete picture from scratch, including both facts & rumours, backed by solid investigation.

The later part talks about the family tree, the court cases, the property, the cold war & the sour relations..esp. after Gayatri Devi death..
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FROM THE AUTHOR:
The more I delved into the subject the more I realized there was a paucity of recent historical books on Jaipur aside from Giles Tillotson’s Jaipur Nama and Aman Nath’s Jaipur: The Last Destination. Quentin Crewe’s biography of Sawai Man Singh II has long been out of print and Robert Stern’s excellent monograph The Cat and the Lion hardly exists outside a handful of libraries.

I hope this book fills a much-needed gap, telling both the social and political history of Jaipur and the extraordinary family that shaped its evolution over the last century.
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READ IT if you want to know more about Gayatri Devi, about the Royal Family, their history, their adjustments post independence & their situation at present.
Read it if you like biographies.
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JOHN ZUBRZYCKI is an award-winning journalist and acclaimed author specializing in South Asia.
His books include The Last Nizam: The Rise and Fall of India’s Greatest Princely State, The Mysterious Mr. Jacob: Diamond Merchant, Magician and Spy and Jadoowallahs, Jugglers and Jinns: A Magical History of India.

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