2 out of 4 stars
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Frozen Moments Revisited is an enlightening book written by Md Taslim, a retired Mining Engineer from Supaul, Bihar in India.
Aside from Acknowledgment, the book has eleven relatively short chapters. Though it is listed under Other Fiction category, it is more of a memoir in that except for Chapters 3 and 4, the rest of the stories are about the author, about his personal experiences and observations of the world around him, and his personal acquaintances. Regardless, all the stories feature various human behaviors, moral values and human virtues that teach moral lessons.
Though the entire book is filled with wisdom and other beautiful life lessons, it is primarily focused on love: love for family, friend, work, other people and even pet, which the author actually considers family. All of the stories are interesting. They leave behind a lasting impression on the readers’ emotions. Moreover, the author includes specific settings making the stories more realistic and easy to visualize. In addition, descriptions of the characters which include physical appearance and backstories make it easy for the readers to connect with them.
Chapter 2, the story about the Deputy Superintendent of Police in Aurangabad, is probably the best story in this short book. It features an extremely sick man and his insensitive, inconsiderate and, ultimately, unloving family. Chapters 3 and 4 are both interesting anecdotes. While Chapter 3 is about the ultimate power of God above everything and everybody, Chapter 4 tells the story of a once humble and God-fearing teacher who turns proud and arrogant.
One of the most important lessons the author imparts in his book is how insignificant man is compared to God, God’s power and God’s will. Moreover, the author writes about the beauty of sportsmanship and the gift of cheerfulness. Furthermore, the author shares his personal experiences on prejudice, bureaucracy and duplicity among other issues.
This is undoubtedly one good book written with deep passion and sincere and noble intention to teach readers about life. However, the problem lies in how the book is written. First, the book is obviously by a non-English speaker based on awkwardly constructed and choppy sentences (like What is matter? and Master Sahib uses to ask, is there any one greater VIP than I in this town am). Second, there are several grammatical errors including subject verb agreement, inconsistent verb tenses, incorrect word usage and capitalization of proper nouns. Third, there are numerous terminologies used in the book which may be unfamiliar to readers like sahib, sari, puja, thathri, which a glossary of terms can easily fix. Finally, the ending of the last chapter feels abrupt and gives the entire book an incomplete feeling. In that regard, I suggest that the author write another part for the conclusion.
I, therefore, rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. It is a good book with beautiful stories and life lessons. It is enlightening, inspiring and encouraging. If not for the editing issues I mentioned above I would recommend it to readers who enjoy non-fiction books and inspirational reading materials.
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Frozen Moments Revisited
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