I usually don't read novels. But, off late due to my extended tour of Bangalore, thanks to the Bangalore traffic, I have made a habit to carry a book along with me. This way I make good use of the time rather than stare out of the window and hope my bus doesn't hit any of the two-wheelers beside.
One such book I started reading was Kane and Abel by Jeffery Archer. The book was recommended by a couple of my friends.
In short, the story is about two people, Kane and Abel, who are born and raised in contrasting environments but end up crossing each other's path. The common thing about both of them is: they are born on the same day and they are both very smart. They excel in all their endeavors but always come back to the little unnecessary feud they started. The book also shows how feuds are meaningless and don't serve any purpose than bringing all the parties involved down.
Pros:
The story is fast paced. The book covers the entire lifetime of the two people, hence, the story moves rather fast. The story also tries top include all the famous institutions at the time when the story takes place. This made the book even more interesting for me. In a way, the story of Kane is like a Hollywood movie, rich elegant and based on logic and knowledge, while, Abel's story is like a Bollywood story where luck overrides logic and the hero triumphs amidst adversary. The book made me to look up for few words on the dictionary. This is one of the reasons I read books- improve my vocabulary.
Cons:
The author doesn't really develop the environment; he just proceeds with the story. This is unlike few other authors like Dan Brown and John Grisham, who describe the situation as well as the environment which makes the story more enjoyable. The climax is very bad. The characters are built up so elegantly and they are killed so fast even before you realize it. I don't mind reading hundred more pages of the book if the story has the same grasping effect.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to enjoy a wonderful story. It's worth the time.
