Francis Itty Cora by T D RAMAKRISHNAN

Well, this is a review, I am not sure I should be writing, for two reasons.

The first reason, I cannot honestly say I have read the book whole-heartedly because of the frequent distractions in the novel itself. I am not a huge fan of nudity/violence, and I don't usually get excited by the cooking-recipe of human meat pie. So I had to keep skipping few lines every now and then, which made me lose the story-thread many times. Second, the book has been recommended by a friend I adore too much, that I began to wonder what have I missed.

That being said, I shall try to be as honest as possible. The book might be a gem (as many claims it to be) but you have to be very patient, focused and determined to find that gem among all the stones with which it is filled. If it hasn't been for all the positive reviews (& recommendations), I wouldn't have gone past the second chapter. Many reviews compare this book with Dan Brown's Da Vince Code, maybe because it tries to connect many historical characters and events drawing a thin line between the history and fiction. But that is where the similarity ends. If Da Vince Code mesmerised you, this book leaves you disturbed as you have been thrown into a world of black magic, violence, rape, cannibalism, live burning, drugs, war, physical torture, adultery, nudity, prostitution and few more for which I don't have exact words in my vocabulary. Do you really need to fit all of these in a single novel? Couldn't it have been better if some details were left to reader's imagination, rather than forcing it down their throat?

If three women (with well-paid jobs) running a brothel deciding to welcome a cannibal, war-veteran, rapist from USA to their "School",and putting their life at risk to inquire about his ancestor (till one of them get burned alive) is not strange enough, everything else is stranger than that. But after all, this isn't meant to be a biography but just a fantasy thriller, so I guess all that is acceptable. What the author actually wished to convey to his readers, is what that isn't clear. May be I missed the actual message (if any) somewhere. Not a book that you did pick to relax, for sure

If you can tolerate these strangeness& violence, than the book could be a good read. The author brings a new angle to the history you might have known. Most of the events are real, and you might be lucky enough to meet some of your favourite heroes on the way. If history hasn't been your subject, make sure you have google access too. If this is the first of the kind you are reading, you might turn into a fan of TDR, the author. That is too much "might" out there. The book does have an element that makes you finish it in one go. But to get a thorough grasp you need to read it the second time.

The only intention of this review is to warn you so that you know what to expect. Don't get discouraged. The book apparently has more supporters than criticisers so it might be worth a try.  Not the same reading glasses, not the same veiw!