Adayalangal by Sethu

I started reading this award-winning novel with much anticipation. I had read only short stories of sethu before. The starting seems promising. But as chapters passed by I realised that this is not going anywhere. There were sub plots and new characters being introduced but the story is not moving. And then suddenly I realised that I am reading the last chapter. "Did I miss some chapter in between? "That was my reaction.

The story is about a mother and daughter who are living in their small world. Priyamvada, the divorced mother is an accomplished HR Manager who has handled many a crisis alone, both on the professional and personal front.  But suddenly she is faced with many personal hardships including her young daughter becoming her enemy. Most of the book describes this phase of priyamvada's life and how she tries to deal with it.

May be I am not mature enough to understand this kind of literature. May be I am reading so much of thrillers Somebody please tell me where I went wrong.
3 out of 5.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Dan Brown again takes Robert Langdon for an outing in this one. This time Langdon is in Washington D.C, trying to solve the mysteries of Freemasonry, the largest secret society in the world.

Robert Langdon arrives in Washington D.C to deliver a lecture as per a request which came apparently from his mentor, Peter Solomon. But on reaching The Capitol building, Langdon is greeted by a "Hand of the Mysteries" which symbolises an invitation to reveal the "ancient secrets". The invitation is sent by Mal'akh who has kidnapped Peter Solomon in order to know the ultimate truth of Freemasonry. There starts a cat and mouse game between the villain and Langdon. In this journey, Langdon is assisted by Katherine Solomon.

The book has all the ingredients  of  a Dan Brown best seller, but still it cannot be compared to Da Vinci Code in any way.Don't worry Mr. Brown, you can expect to deliver a book like Da Vinci Code only once in your lifetime.

The plot is not so exciting but carries the advantage of extensive research done for it. In some parts there is an overdose of violence and the last few chapters are pretty dragging. Still this makes an excellent read for those who loves puzzles, mysteries and thrillers.

In spite of an average plot and a boring last chapter, Lost Symbol gets my rating for good research and superb story telling. 4 out of 5.