Book Review: Early One Morning by Robert Ryan

Early One Morning by Robert Ryan is based on a true story. The timeline of the story goes back to the French Resistance, with the Second World War on. It is a wartime story. William Grover-Williams is a rich Englishman who sets himself free from the clutches of his parents and is next seen as chauffeuring William Orpen, a famous portrait artist. Here, he likes and falls for Eve Aubicq – the charming but little immature mistress of William Orpen.

Being a motor racer, William Grover-Williams gets the acquaintanceship of Eve Aubicq and a story of clandestine romance gears up. Robert Benoist, who hails from France, is a competitive rival to William Grover in the European race circuits and also has crush on Eve Aubicq. But still, they both share a sense of admiration for each other and subtly reckon each other in the band of friendship.

When Paris unwittingly falls in the grip of Germans, William Grover-Williams joins Special Operations Executive to work as an undercover agent in the French resistance. Upon reaching Paris, he asks Robert Benoist to join him in the services; their main task is to snitch on Nazis, and they with great bravery sabotage various set-ups of Nazis. However as the story moves forth, they are taken prisoners by Nazis and subsequently tortured to death.

The book is worth reading as it invariably throws light on friendship, love, betrayal and hope. It has a tragic end, as not all war stories are happily settled in the end. The writer has effectively used flashback technique to make things look clear and going, including their deaths. It is an extraordinary story of sacrifice of sporting people who while fighting against the devilish Nazism go through the test of time to leave a legacy of their friendship in the face of adversity.

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Book Review: The Blue Umbrella by Ruskin Bond

Among all Ruskin Bond books, The Blue Umbrella has, so far, gathered immense applaud from readers and critics alike. This is a short novel, but the kind of moral lessons it teaches to us are simply overwhelming. This is a story of Binya, a poor little girl living with her mother and an elder brother, Bijju, in a small hilly village of Garhwal. One day while herding her two cows back home, she stumbles upon some city people enjoying the picnic in the valley. She is enthralled to see them well-groomed and rich. She craves to be one like them and among many other things of their, a blue frilly umbrella catches her attention. She begins craving for it. On the other hand, the city people get attracted by her innocent beauty and the pendant in her neck. The pendant consists of leopard’s claw – which is considered a mascot widely in the hills. Binya trades her pendant off with the blue umbrella. The blue umbrella is so much beautiful that soon it becomes a topic of conversatio...

Poem Summary: Where The Mind Is Without Fear by Rabindranath Tagore

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Character Sketch of Binya from ‘The Blue Umbrella’ by Ruskin Bond

The Blue Umbrella by Ruskin Bond is a popular children’s story. It features Binya as the main character, though there are other important characters as well, but the story revolves around Binya and her little beautiful umbrella. The story is widely popular among children, thus it has also been included in the schools’ syllabus all across the country. Since it is often taught in the school, thus the character sketch of Binya is often demanded by students from year to year. Character Sketch of Binya from The Blue Umbrella by Ruskin Bond Binya is the main character of the novel ‘The Blue Umbrella’ by Ruskin Bond. Her full name is Binyadevi. As in the hills or anywhere in India it is a kind of trend to call children with their short nicknames. Binya’s elder brother’s name is Bijju, whereas his real name is Vijay. Binya aged eleven is a hilly girl. She lives with her small family in the hills of Garhwal. Her father died when she was two years of age. For sustenance, the...

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