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The Exiled Soul

This blog is dedicated to book reviews, literary travel, and anything related to literature.

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ABOUT ME

Welcome,

This blog is dedicated to book reviews, everything related to literature, travel as well as reflections on art and slow living.

I hope you will find some interesting book recommendations here and you will be inspired to read more.

Hugs,

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TOP POSTS

  • 10 Short Books You Can Read in One Day
    10 Short Books You Can Read in One Day
  • The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid | Book Review
    The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid | Book Review
  • Fresh Water For Flowers by Valerie Perrin | Book Review
    Fresh Water For Flowers by Valerie Perrin | Book Review
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    The Teacher by Michal Ben Naftali | Book Review
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    84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff | Book Review
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    The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri | Book Review
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    10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak | Book Review
  • Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov and Ukrainian Literature
    Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov and Ukrainian Literature
  • The Melancholic Soul of Fernando Pessoa | Reflections
    The Melancholic Soul of Fernando Pessoa | Reflections
  • Anita Brookner | Introduction
    Anita Brookner | Introduction
In Light of India by the Mexican poet and the 1990 Nobel Prize laureate, Octavio Paz is a rich collection of essays on India, packed with ideas, informative, well- researched and lived-through insights, deep ruminations on culture, history, religion, philosophy, society, architecture, languages, Sanskrit poetry and the notion of nationhood and statehood shown through the lenses of the Mexican sensibility. “But life went on anyway. It didn’t finish. Life never finishes, even if someone leaves it.” The Weight of Loss is a beautifully crafted debut novel by an extremely gifted writer, Sally Oliver. “The greatest mystery of my life: living in the aftermath.” Co-wives, Co-widows by Adrienne Yabouza is a real gem of a book and a wonderful literary gift to better understanding of diverse human experience. Sunken City by the Italian writer, Marta Barone is a spellbinding noir-memoir exploring the meaning of personal memory versus historical records, family relationships especially those between fathers and daughters, quest for one’s roots, nostalgia for missed opportunities and relationships with the backdrop of contemporary and especially the 1970s Italy. It is also a portrayal of a family, singular lives affected by the historic events. I remember reading Stoner by John Williams a decade ago or so when it was republished here in UK almost 40 years after it was first published in USA. It had a huge impact on me. When Stoner was published first time in 1965, it only sold 2000 copies and it did not achieve a wider recognition among readers. First going out of print, Stoner was republished in 1970s and then again in the early 2000s and translated to many languages when it became a huge bestseller reaching the status of almost a cult novel. Sadly John Williams died in 1994 and never witnessed the huge success of Stoner. As a part of a wonderful readalong organised by @tandemcollectiveuk and @simonschusteruk I have read another book to escape to, Anatomy of A Scandal by Sarah Vaughan which was followed by a watchalong of Netflix series @netflixuk based on the same book. Lucky Breaks by Ukrainian writer and photojournalist, Yevgenia Belorusets in translation of Eugene Ostashevsky is a collection of vignettes accompanied by a series of black and white photos taken by the author herself and placed carefully within the text. Even though these photographs do not illustrate any of the events described in the book, they do help to convey however the world in which the stories take place by adding an additional layer of depth and lyricism to the meaning of the stories presented. Lean on Me by the French novelist, Serge Joncour explores human connections, emotional struggles, and intimacy between two mature, seemingly different people, Ludovic and Aurore, who find unlikely love amid the urban landscape of the Parisian metropolis. This is a tale of uneasy relationship between two souls entering each other’s lives carrying the weight of their previous as well as current life experiences and obligations. Grey Bees by the great Ukrainian writer, Andrey Kurkov has become one of my all-time favourite books and its protagonist, one of the most beautiful solitary characters I have encountered in literature, Sergey Sergeyich is someone I would love to set off on a journey with across free, independent Ukraine one day. I cannot express how much I love this book. If you want to learn more about Ukraine, as well as to better understand the cultural and ethnic diversity of this land, including Crimean Tatars, I would highly recommend you get a copy of this novel. It is not a book about the war as per se; it is a book about those souls affected the madness of the war and misinterpretation of the history as a foundation for human rights violations. Reputation is a compelling crime novel providing a nuanced social and cultural commentary on a modern society.
  • HOME
  • ABOUT ME
  • BOOK REVIEWS
  • READING THE WORLD
  • BOOKS
  • LITERARY TRAVEL
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