First published in 1902, 'Typhoon' can be easily passed as pre-twentieth century literature. It's a short story depicting a ship experiencing a terribly destructive typhoon and coming out of it, but not without coming inch-close to death. As my previous experience has been, older classics are harder for me to read. They require patience and frequent visits to a dictionary. This was not an exception. It's a short story (I have a Penguin little black classics edition!) and even as I was pretty sure it would be over in a couple of hours but it took me three days to finish it. Though these classics test my patience sometimes but at the end, I'm almost always satisfied and content. This book shows the fight between the typhoon and 'Nan-Shan' ship's crew consisting Captain Macwhirr, Mr. Jukes and others. It's a story of hopelessness and finding hope through smallest of things; It's a story of the human will to survive. It's a must read for everybody.
After persistent recommendation by my roommate, I started this book. I was a bit apprehensive after reading 'The Calcutta Chromosome', which was not entirely satisfying per say. Any doubts about the author have permanently been cleared after reading this book, though. Amitav Ghosh is without doubt one of the best Indian authors I have read till date. 'The Glass Palace' takes you through a journey of more than hundred years starting with Rajkumar and then endless characters join in. The special thing about these characters is that each of them has a story. You can relate to each of them and feel their emotions. The ending is the sweet-sour kind, one which fits exactly for this kind of book. Some of the quotes and philosophies bowled me over. The death of its characters pained me personally. I guess you can say the was worth it when it leaves you with a whirlwind of emotions. You have lived a great story, you have lived through so many lives, when you read a good book.
Typhoon by Joseph Conrad
The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh