"The Clifton Chronicles is Jeffrey Archer's most ambitious work in four decades as an international best seller" says the cover of the novel. I disagree. There are much better novels than the current one by Sir Archer.
It so seems that the author has tried to cash in on one of the plots of his previous novel "As the Crow Flies". The sub-plot is the previous novel tends to become the primary story in the current novel. You will also not be surprised to see that the narrative of the new novel is very identical to this novel. These "issues" need not be considered as complaints as they are good for the novel but you get the déjà vu feeling. Comparing the volume of "As the Crow Flies" with the new book, I can safely assume that the volume is cut short to bring it out as a series. I would always love to read a "huge" novel.
Coming back to "Only Time Will Tell", if you just read it as an independent work without comparing it with others, you definitely will like it. Though it is a slow starter, it grips its readers as it progresses. The story encompasses the life of Harry Clifton, the central character who is made to believe stories about father's death. The author deftly takes you through the lives of characters related to Harry in their own perspective. You "enjoy" the feelings going through the characters' mind during the same events.
Incomplete blog...
Friday, December 16, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
The Litigators - John Grisham
Buy it, read it and enjoy it! The latest book by Grisham is gripping. The beginning is new, ending is predictable but the journey in between is par excellence. Here is a book which has all the elements of a good story; hope, despair, crime, passion, failure, success, wit and deceit. The author deftly infuses laughter even during the unlikely situations.
The cast: A graduate from a highly regarded institute, a street cop turner lawyer and one other lawyer who specializes in hustling and chasing ambulances.
Welcome to Finley & Figg, a boutique law firm. It specializes in schemes (some of them shady) which help the partners in making a quick buck. The senior partner is a former street cop and the junior partner is an innovative advertiser (bingo card!!??). The partners have never worked on anything which requires them to face a jury. They handle petty cases and are happy with their job. The Harvard Law School graduate enters the firm. He is burnt by his past work, and has literally escaped from a high paying job and an equally nasty manager. Street law is different and the new employee has to learn it on the job.
Under such circumstances, the junior partner stumbles on to a case which he presumes is the right means to hit a jackpot. The original plan is to play second fiddle to another major law firm and reek in the easy moolah. Alas, this fails and the boutique law firm is pitted against a giant corporation with unlimited resources at this disposal. The trio, until now, has only worked towards building their plaintiff list, rather than the actual merits of the case. Now they face the daunting task of fighting against an impossible lawsuit. They have no option but to fight it out, or else they face another lawsuit for malpractice.
True to his style, the author never lets you down with the courtroom situations. I couldn’t help, but laugh out loud on many confrontations in the novel. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope you do the same. A must have inclusion in the library of every John Grisham fan.
The cast: A graduate from a highly regarded institute, a street cop turner lawyer and one other lawyer who specializes in hustling and chasing ambulances.
Welcome to Finley & Figg, a boutique law firm. It specializes in schemes (some of them shady) which help the partners in making a quick buck. The senior partner is a former street cop and the junior partner is an innovative advertiser (bingo card!!??). The partners have never worked on anything which requires them to face a jury. They handle petty cases and are happy with their job. The Harvard Law School graduate enters the firm. He is burnt by his past work, and has literally escaped from a high paying job and an equally nasty manager. Street law is different and the new employee has to learn it on the job.
Under such circumstances, the junior partner stumbles on to a case which he presumes is the right means to hit a jackpot. The original plan is to play second fiddle to another major law firm and reek in the easy moolah. Alas, this fails and the boutique law firm is pitted against a giant corporation with unlimited resources at this disposal. The trio, until now, has only worked towards building their plaintiff list, rather than the actual merits of the case. Now they face the daunting task of fighting against an impossible lawsuit. They have no option but to fight it out, or else they face another lawsuit for malpractice.
True to his style, the author never lets you down with the courtroom situations. I couldn’t help, but laugh out loud on many confrontations in the novel. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope you do the same. A must have inclusion in the library of every John Grisham fan.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Revolution 2020 - Chetan Bhagat
Revolution 2020 - Love.Corruption.Ambition screams the title!
Start reading the book and you really wonder what made Chetan write such a mediocre "tale" (if you can call it a tale). There is no essence in the plot (if you can call it a plot), no soul in the message (if you can consider it as a message) and nothing to look forward to the narration. This book is full of crap, which has got nothing to substantiate the elements given in the tag line or the title. You have to put a deliberate effort to read the book because you have paid for it. The only saving grace (if you can call it grace) is that this book is better than One Night @ the Call Center.
The story revolves around three friends, two guys and a gal, begins from their school days, and culminates when the gal marries one of the guys. Why the gal chooses her husband is one strand of the story. The other strand is how both the guys succeed in their ambition, one who craves for money/power (the main protagonist) and the other who fights corruption. The supporting cast includes an ailing father who wants his son to become an engineer, a situation about the coaching classes and hostel life where the author is an expert, a politician who does his usual job, and Varanasi, where the drama (if you can call it drama) unfolds. Then there is the education system, a couple of escapades of the love birds and the major sacrifice (which was typical for Bollywood movies till date). What you don't have in the entire book (no, I will never call it a novel) is substance. There is neither wit nor humor, there is neither suspense nor drama and there is neither love nor passion.
If this piece of work can get the tag of a novel, then anyone with a little knowledge in the Queen's language can become a novelist. Sorry Mr. Bhagat, but the book is a complete let down. Let's hope that you deliver something to match the caliber of Two States if not Five Point Someone.
Start reading the book and you really wonder what made Chetan write such a mediocre "tale" (if you can call it a tale). There is no essence in the plot (if you can call it a plot), no soul in the message (if you can consider it as a message) and nothing to look forward to the narration. This book is full of crap, which has got nothing to substantiate the elements given in the tag line or the title. You have to put a deliberate effort to read the book because you have paid for it. The only saving grace (if you can call it grace) is that this book is better than One Night @ the Call Center.
The story revolves around three friends, two guys and a gal, begins from their school days, and culminates when the gal marries one of the guys. Why the gal chooses her husband is one strand of the story. The other strand is how both the guys succeed in their ambition, one who craves for money/power (the main protagonist) and the other who fights corruption. The supporting cast includes an ailing father who wants his son to become an engineer, a situation about the coaching classes and hostel life where the author is an expert, a politician who does his usual job, and Varanasi, where the drama (if you can call it drama) unfolds. Then there is the education system, a couple of escapades of the love birds and the major sacrifice (which was typical for Bollywood movies till date). What you don't have in the entire book (no, I will never call it a novel) is substance. There is neither wit nor humor, there is neither suspense nor drama and there is neither love nor passion.
If this piece of work can get the tag of a novel, then anyone with a little knowledge in the Queen's language can become a novelist. Sorry Mr. Bhagat, but the book is a complete let down. Let's hope that you deliver something to match the caliber of Two States if not Five Point Someone.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Investment (and Tax Planning)
First things first (read as disclaimer). Whatever written below is based on my personal experience, advices by my well-wishers and some tit-bits from various media. The contents of the blog are applicable only in India. Since the given information is not by a financial expert, the author is not liable for incurred loses if people feel complied to use the information. However, the author will gladly accept to share the profits (if any) from people who use the information to enhance their wealth. ;)
We as Indians generally "link" our investments to tax planning. This is not a healthy exercise. People should plan their investment to save tax but should never limit their investments around income tax exemptions. There is a thumb-rule for investing money based on your earnings (which I cannot recollect now, use Google for information). Plan your investments for the future. Your money (investment) should earn money.
The section 80C considers investment under the following options for income tax exemption. I have included a brief (pros and cons) based on my experience along with each option.
PF (Deduction from Salary): The reigning king of all safe investments at present. The Govt. of India has declared a compound interest of 9.5% for 2010 – 2011 and this interest will continue till a new interest rate is declared for 2011 – 2012. If there is an option of increasing your EPF contribution at your company then please do so. The advantage of EPF is that the returns are guaranteed and the investment is safe. Flip side is that this money is “linked” to your company. Without the company’s approval this amount cannot be used. The return on this investment is not taxable. Loan facility is available. My rating: 4/5.
Public Provident Fund: My personal favorite. At this point of time the returns on this investment is 8% compound interest. This is very similar to EPF except for the fact that it will be in the investor’s control. The account can be opened in some branches of nationalized banks or in post offices. The added advantage of opening this account in bank is that there is an option to do fund transfer using online banking. A very flexible option of investing, in the range of INR 500 to INR 70000 annually, is available for this scheme. The investor can deposit money up to 12 times in a financial year. One deposit for the minimum amount is a must during the financial year. The only catch in this investment is that the fund is “locked-in” for 15 years. Partial withdrawal is allowed after a certain number of years. This is the best plan for long term investments. The return on this investment is not taxable. Loan facility is available. My rating: 4.5/5.
Mutual Fund: This is a semi-safe investment and is prone to risk. There are various mutual funds available in the market with various options (growth and dividend). You also have the option of “dictating” where your funds should be invested (in terms of risk and returns) with some financial institutions. The risk and returns of your fund are directly dependent on this option. The mutual funds are mainly invested in share market and/or government institutions. Advantage/disadvantage is that as there is a certain amount of calculated risk the invested money can either grow or decline. The return on this investment is taxable. My rating: 3.5/5.
National Savings Certificate: Very moderate investment with not so encouraging returns of 8.12% compound interest. The returns are taxable, so the actual returns on investment will be less. The maturity period is 6 years. There is an option of premature encashment after 3 years. There is no risk involved. It is similar to fixed deposits. The certificate in various denominations can be “purchased” in post offices. My rating: 3/5
Unit Linked Insurance Plan: The worst form of investment, it is usually referred to as ULIP. All my investments in such plans are yet to reach the breakeven point. The only “person” seeing money in this scheme is the financial institution. They charge exorbitant fees; lump sum during the investment and substantial amount during every month. They take your units rather than the money. Never ever fall for such shams. My rating 0/5
Life Insurance Policy: Try not to link your life insurance with investments. The better option is to take term insurance wherein your life cover would be more for a nominal premium. The flip side of term insurance is that you will not get your premium back. The basic idea of life insurance according to me is to ensure that your dependants’ financial security is not compromised even if you are not around. Term insurance will very well take care of this condition. My rating: 3/5
Scheduled Bank FDS (5 yr lock): This is a safe investment. To get income tax benefit you need to get an FD with minimum lock-in period of 5 years. If it is within 5 years then you do not get a tax rebate. The disadvantage of an FD is that the returns are taxed. The effective return on a FD is seldom less compared to other investments like PPF, EPF, etc. There are options to withdraw FDs before their maturity date. The bank recalculates the interest and will impose a fine for premature withdrawals. My rating 2.5/5
Infrastructure Bond: This scheme can only be utilized after the investment of 1 lakh under section 80C. You get an additional exemption of INR 20,000 on your taxable income. This is good scheme to save further on your income tax. There are growth and dividend options for the returns. The rate of interest varies according to the institutions which come out with the bonds. The bonds are available only for a fixed duration of time or for fixed amount of investment. The return on this investment is taxable. These are long term bonds. The lock-in period varies from 5 to 7 years. My rating: 3/5
Equity Linked Savings Scheme: No comments. If anyone knows something about this then feel free to write your inputs.
Mutual Fund Pension: No comments. If anyone knows something about this then feel free to write your inputs.
Education Tuition Fees: No comments. If anyone knows something about this then feel free to write your inputs.
Housing Loan (Principal): No comments. If anyone knows something about this then feel free to write your inputs.
Senior Citizens Savings Scheme: No comments. If anyone knows something about this then feel free to write your inputs.
Post Office Time Deposit: No comments. If anyone knows something about this then feel free to write your inputs.
Definitions
Lock-in period: The duration (for an investment) during which the money cannot be withdrawn.
EPF: Employee provident fund.
PPF: Public provident fund.
Breakeven point: The investments made are not in loss or profit.
Taxable income: The income on which the government imposes tax. This is calculated based on the investments made under section 80C, the HRA, conveyance, etc.
PS: Please use the comments section to criticize, correct and/or add information.
We as Indians generally "link" our investments to tax planning. This is not a healthy exercise. People should plan their investment to save tax but should never limit their investments around income tax exemptions. There is a thumb-rule for investing money based on your earnings (which I cannot recollect now, use Google for information). Plan your investments for the future. Your money (investment) should earn money.
The section 80C considers investment under the following options for income tax exemption. I have included a brief (pros and cons) based on my experience along with each option.
PF (Deduction from Salary): The reigning king of all safe investments at present. The Govt. of India has declared a compound interest of 9.5% for 2010 – 2011 and this interest will continue till a new interest rate is declared for 2011 – 2012. If there is an option of increasing your EPF contribution at your company then please do so. The advantage of EPF is that the returns are guaranteed and the investment is safe. Flip side is that this money is “linked” to your company. Without the company’s approval this amount cannot be used. The return on this investment is not taxable. Loan facility is available. My rating: 4/5.
Public Provident Fund: My personal favorite. At this point of time the returns on this investment is 8% compound interest. This is very similar to EPF except for the fact that it will be in the investor’s control. The account can be opened in some branches of nationalized banks or in post offices. The added advantage of opening this account in bank is that there is an option to do fund transfer using online banking. A very flexible option of investing, in the range of INR 500 to INR 70000 annually, is available for this scheme. The investor can deposit money up to 12 times in a financial year. One deposit for the minimum amount is a must during the financial year. The only catch in this investment is that the fund is “locked-in” for 15 years. Partial withdrawal is allowed after a certain number of years. This is the best plan for long term investments. The return on this investment is not taxable. Loan facility is available. My rating: 4.5/5.
Mutual Fund: This is a semi-safe investment and is prone to risk. There are various mutual funds available in the market with various options (growth and dividend). You also have the option of “dictating” where your funds should be invested (in terms of risk and returns) with some financial institutions. The risk and returns of your fund are directly dependent on this option. The mutual funds are mainly invested in share market and/or government institutions. Advantage/disadvantage is that as there is a certain amount of calculated risk the invested money can either grow or decline. The return on this investment is taxable. My rating: 3.5/5.
National Savings Certificate: Very moderate investment with not so encouraging returns of 8.12% compound interest. The returns are taxable, so the actual returns on investment will be less. The maturity period is 6 years. There is an option of premature encashment after 3 years. There is no risk involved. It is similar to fixed deposits. The certificate in various denominations can be “purchased” in post offices. My rating: 3/5
Unit Linked Insurance Plan: The worst form of investment, it is usually referred to as ULIP. All my investments in such plans are yet to reach the breakeven point. The only “person” seeing money in this scheme is the financial institution. They charge exorbitant fees; lump sum during the investment and substantial amount during every month. They take your units rather than the money. Never ever fall for such shams. My rating 0/5
Life Insurance Policy: Try not to link your life insurance with investments. The better option is to take term insurance wherein your life cover would be more for a nominal premium. The flip side of term insurance is that you will not get your premium back. The basic idea of life insurance according to me is to ensure that your dependants’ financial security is not compromised even if you are not around. Term insurance will very well take care of this condition. My rating: 3/5
Scheduled Bank FDS (5 yr lock): This is a safe investment. To get income tax benefit you need to get an FD with minimum lock-in period of 5 years. If it is within 5 years then you do not get a tax rebate. The disadvantage of an FD is that the returns are taxed. The effective return on a FD is seldom less compared to other investments like PPF, EPF, etc. There are options to withdraw FDs before their maturity date. The bank recalculates the interest and will impose a fine for premature withdrawals. My rating 2.5/5
Infrastructure Bond: This scheme can only be utilized after the investment of 1 lakh under section 80C. You get an additional exemption of INR 20,000 on your taxable income. This is good scheme to save further on your income tax. There are growth and dividend options for the returns. The rate of interest varies according to the institutions which come out with the bonds. The bonds are available only for a fixed duration of time or for fixed amount of investment. The return on this investment is taxable. These are long term bonds. The lock-in period varies from 5 to 7 years. My rating: 3/5
Equity Linked Savings Scheme: No comments. If anyone knows something about this then feel free to write your inputs.
Mutual Fund Pension: No comments. If anyone knows something about this then feel free to write your inputs.
Education Tuition Fees: No comments. If anyone knows something about this then feel free to write your inputs.
Housing Loan (Principal): No comments. If anyone knows something about this then feel free to write your inputs.
Senior Citizens Savings Scheme: No comments. If anyone knows something about this then feel free to write your inputs.
Post Office Time Deposit: No comments. If anyone knows something about this then feel free to write your inputs.
Definitions
Lock-in period: The duration (for an investment) during which the money cannot be withdrawn.
EPF: Employee provident fund.
PPF: Public provident fund.
Breakeven point: The investments made are not in loss or profit.
Taxable income: The income on which the government imposes tax. This is calculated based on the investments made under section 80C, the HRA, conveyance, etc.
PS: Please use the comments section to criticize, correct and/or add information.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
The Confession - John Grisham
Justice delayed is justice denied. But what would happen when the system, which imparts justice, fails? What if the judiciary "commits" a "crime"? Can you image a scenario when the fence put up to safeguard the farm starts "destroying" the farm?
Well, "The Confession" is all about this. The author takes the reader on a journey where the story is just a pretext of conveying a very strong message. An eye for an eye should not be the mantra for justice. People who follow "Gandhigiri" will readily agree to the message in the novel. It's not that I disagree, but I personally feel that every crime has to be punished. In the end, no one should feel that "crime pays".
The story is about an innocent Afro-American, Donte Drumm, who is awarded (see the irony) the death sentence for a crime committed by a felon. The felon comes forward at the nth moment to confess his crime. A major struggle follows this confession and every effort is made to conserve justice (rather stop injustice). People who believe that Drumm is innocent willingly take law into their hands. There are protests, riots, disruptions and solidarity expressed even in unusual circumstances. The struggle to save Drumm forms the crux of the novel.
(One other confession, belted out of Drum shows the extent of manipulation is a system.)
The author deftly guides the reader between the past and the present. He narrates the story in such a manner that the history presents itself in a trickle, never killing the curiosity of the reader. The ugly truth on how this carriage of injustice came into being makes the reader empathize with the central character. Though the story looses its fizzle towards the end, Grisham's literary skills compels the reader to finish the novel.
"The Confession" is more about conveying a message. The story just compliments this message. You do miss the courtroom situations and the wry sense of humor for which Grisham is famous. Nevertheless, the book is a good bargain and is definitely worth the money. Go immerse yourself in the message.
Well, "The Confession" is all about this. The author takes the reader on a journey where the story is just a pretext of conveying a very strong message. An eye for an eye should not be the mantra for justice. People who follow "Gandhigiri" will readily agree to the message in the novel. It's not that I disagree, but I personally feel that every crime has to be punished. In the end, no one should feel that "crime pays".
The story is about an innocent Afro-American, Donte Drumm, who is awarded (see the irony) the death sentence for a crime committed by a felon. The felon comes forward at the nth moment to confess his crime. A major struggle follows this confession and every effort is made to conserve justice (rather stop injustice). People who believe that Drumm is innocent willingly take law into their hands. There are protests, riots, disruptions and solidarity expressed even in unusual circumstances. The struggle to save Drumm forms the crux of the novel.
(One other confession, belted out of Drum shows the extent of manipulation is a system.)
The author deftly guides the reader between the past and the present. He narrates the story in such a manner that the history presents itself in a trickle, never killing the curiosity of the reader. The ugly truth on how this carriage of injustice came into being makes the reader empathize with the central character. Though the story looses its fizzle towards the end, Grisham's literary skills compels the reader to finish the novel.
"The Confession" is more about conveying a message. The story just compliments this message. You do miss the courtroom situations and the wry sense of humor for which Grisham is famous. Nevertheless, the book is a good bargain and is definitely worth the money. Go immerse yourself in the message.
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