I laughed - I cried - I discussed ( while laughing), this with my husband: things like: an ear - a toe - a thumb - a syringe - the scrotum - or even "remembering to comb your hair"..... and "remember where you are and what you've come here to do"..... The book has egregious errors, where family relations, quotes and names are simply incorrect. Here are some from the NY Times, but there are more to be mentioned: It reinforced my belief that Partition could have gone down a *very* different path if it was anyone but Nehru, Jinnah and Mountbatten negotiating. Each man's biases, insecurities and ambitions are critical aspects to why the subcontinent looks the way it does today.

I also felt like the author showed the human side of all the major players. He includes so much primary material like journal/diary entries, speech transcripts, newspaper articles, government documents, memoirs, letters, first hand testimonies, journalist's accounts and many others to convey the thoughts and perspectives of each person and to paint a picture of what was happening in that time and place. Other reviewers complained that he doesn't use primary sources which confuses me based on what he includes in the book, but I'll have to look at his references when I receive my copy to see what he lists. He certainly mentions a plethora of primary sources but I guess it's not clear how he came about them (whether in their original format or as a secondary source from others' research). Either way, he really made the people come alive in his narrative with the material he used. Women figure predominantly in both novels, Charlie being caught up in issues/problems/dilemmas involving women. (Not romantically or sexually, though he does have a woman friend who I'd like to see him get it on with more than he does!) Charlie Parker, former police, now PI working mostly out of a bar, takes on some seriously weird and unusual problems in both novels. In the first: Growing up in the second generation of free India, most of my knowledge about the partition and the last days of British Raj is mired with sensational patriotism and holier-than-thou emotions. The concept of Unity in Diversity is ingrained in young minds as soon as children understand the concept of a nation. The blatant discrimination on the basis of religion, caste, skin color, etc., and the violence that comes along, is always swept under the rug as an exception rather than a significant part of our history. The sacrifices by the martyrs of the freedom struggle are woven in beautiful prose and poetry, and glorified to the limits of truth and beyond, in movies and songs. But the senseless crimes of murders, rapes, and arson are left to the likes of the barbaric British rulers and Pakistani militants. The virtues of the peace loving nature of Hindus, Sikhs, and other major Indian religions are extolled by raising a few quotes from the Mahatma, instead of being questioned with cynicism on the basis of facts from Kashmir, Punjab, Delhi, Hyderabad, Gujarat, etc.

Non-fiction

Connolly does it again! While both of these stories are solid entries into the Parker mythos, I found The Sisters Strange to be the stronger of the two. Also, I feel slightly rewarded for holding out on reading the original publication as I knew it would eventually find its way into a future book or collection; I just didn’t expect it to be so soon and also to be expanded. As the story progressed, there were several big developments. Cyril eventually does find love and is able to live openly as a gay man. However, it was a long, slow journey. Other "big" events along the way, failed to elicit much interest for me. I barely batted an eye as Julian's kidnappers were sending home body parts. That was another clear indication that I just wasn't feeling it.

The result is a fast-paced, visceral account of the paroxysmal violence that erupted on the subcontinent in the wake of partition. While Hajari takes great pains to present his book as an even-handed assessment, it’s clear that his sympathies lie (perhaps justifiably) with Nehru, who is depicted as a charismatic, reasonable leader seen leaping into violent mobs in an attempt to deescalate the genocidal fury of his compatriots. Conversely, Jinnah comes across as a haughty, bitter opportunist, once a rising star within the Indian National Congress who found his status reduced to that of a peripheral community leader with the rise of Gandhi. In this context, his Muslim League’s strident demands for an independent Pakistan almost begin to seem more like a manifestation of personal ambition than anything else. This feels a dash unfair, but I don’t know enough to contest the portraits with alternatives of my own. Cyril is adopted to another couple who are very strange. I guess they loved Cyril in their own way and was never hurt but all of his life he seemed to miss out on something. A little clueless to things in the world.This was such an interesting book. The intense chain of events that lead up to the independence of India and Pakistan was beautifully told by Hajari. Some of it was so dramatic that it was hard to believe I was reading history and not the script of a movie. I don't mean to trivialize what happened, but I was amazed at everything that happened and, like other nascent countries/governments, drama and intrigue are to be expected. Well, boo-hoo you, I thought, considering the terrible trials and tribulations that were happening to people all around him, gay and straight. If only some of his birth or adoptive mothers' mettle had rubbed off on him! I was hesitant going into this book, mainly because of its length. But it has just become one of my favourite books of all time! This is an incredibly easy 5 stars to give.

The tone is a little more chaotic, with more of Parker’s dark humor shining through. I enjoyed the way this story ended. The book begins with up close and personal stories on the 3 leaders: Jawaharlal Nehru, Mohandas Ghandi and Mohammad Ali Jinnah. This warm and engaging part is followed by the politics and violence of the independence movement followed by the politics and violence of achieving independence. The book "Indian Summer" tells this story with emphasis on the British role, this book focuses on the role of the Indians. Baby Cyril is adopted by a wealthy but unconventional couple, and although he isn't badly treated, he's never shown any real love and is constantly reminded that he's not a real Avery and never will be.Neither the history of Ireland nor the history of LGBT rights is a particularly happy one, so the humour was a really great balance to this. The ending is absolutely perfect for this kind of story. It is happy in many ways, but it does carry a certain sadness with it. A bittersweetness to round off a life tale full of love, misery, heartache and hope. It was wonderful. The novel tells the story of Lotto and Mathilde Satterwhite. He is the darling of a prosperous Florida family – “Lotto was special. Golden”. She, an apparent “ice princess”, is the survivor of a past about which her husband has only the fuzziest idea beyond it being “sad and dark”, and above all “blank behind her”. The first half of the book offers Lotto’s view of their life together as he rises from charming but failed actor to celebrated playwright, thanks in no small part to Mathilde’s editorial finesse. The second half reveals that Mathilde has, through implacable willpower, transcended circumstances that read like a hotchpotch of Greek tragedy, fable and detective novel. Much of what Lotto takes for granted in his good fortune, it turns out, is due to Mathilde’s ruthless machination, right down to their marriage itself. She genuinely loves him, but she initially set out to win him for mercenary reasons.