Fall

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, 2003
An odyssey through India.  Semi-autobiographic story of Roberts, an Australian who breaks out of prison & feels to Mumbai.  He talks about the people, how they are full of smiles and warmth, love of dancing and celebration.  Generous, good-hearted people.

The narrator goes by Lindsay, the name on the stolen passport, which is shortened to Lin in India.  Lin embraces the friendship of hustler-guide Prabakar and is invited to Prabakar's home village hours from Mumbai where he learns Marathi, the local language foreigners rarely learn.

Part of Lin's adventures include living in the infamous Mumbai slums, spending time in prison, joining the Abdel Khader Khan Mafia, pursuing the love of American Karla Saaranen & embarking on a mission to deliver arms to Afghanistan.

Written while Roberts was serving time in prison, the story includes many insights on human characteristics and philosophical discussions, which to be honest, I found a bit tedious.  Regardless, the novel is magnificent.

Fully Alive: Using the Lessons of the Amazon to Live Your Mission in Business And Life by Tyler Gage, 2017
Fascinating story of how a young college student Tyler Gage wanted to bring guayusa tea to the western world.  A staple of Amazonian tribes, guayusa is a natural caffeinated tea with a pleasing taste.

After graduating college, Gage and fellow Brown student Dan MacCombie move to Ecuador to start working on manufacturing guayusa to eventually use in energy drinks, a $3.2B marketing in 2008.  The work these two do to start up the business in Ecaudor is incredible, not counting the work that must be done in the States to produce the end product.

A good general business primer, Gage discusses the need to listen to experts, swallow your pride, continuously prune & weed your team, focus on customers & know your numbers.

Although Gage was almost fired by Runa's Board of Directors, he did manage to stay on and make the transition from starting a company to the very different job of managing an established company.  Factoring in providing a livelihood of the Amazonian Kichwa tribe of Ecaudor, Runa is a pretty amazing story.

Fully Alive provides insight into the spiritual rituals of the Amazonian tribes, balancing the focus on profits and revenue with mindfulness and social responsibility.

Mrs. Fletcher by Tom Perrotta, 2017
I often find male authors lacking in capturing a woman's voice, and Tom Perrotta is no exception.  Although Mrs. Fletcher was very readable, I did not buy into the choices Eve Fletcher made.  A single mom whose only son Brendan has started college, Eve is left with an empty house.

She takes a class on gender, taught by transgender teacher Margo Fairchild.  She agrees to meet her employee Amanda for a drink outside of work.  None of these decisions seem odd, but the habit Eve embarks on & the wild night that ensues after having her classmates, including her son's high school classmate Julian, over for drinks do not ring true to me.

While Eve adjusts to her empty house, Brendan is also having difficulties adjusting to college life.  In high school, Brendan was the popular, cocky, superficial lacrosse player.  In college, Brendan's jock behavior is no longer acceptable and while his roommate Zach outgrows the behavior, Brendan struggles to do so.

Three Sisters, Three Queens by Phillippa Gregory, 2016

Yet another 16th Century royal page-turner, Three Sisters is told from the viewpoint of Margaret Tudor, Henvy VIII's older sister.  Filled with political maneuverings, wars and constant plotting for the gain of power, the Tudors were not a boring family.

Betrothed to James II, King of Scotland, Margaret's union establishes peace along the English-Scottish border.  At the Tudor court, Katharine of Aragon lives in penury as the widow of Arthur.  Her father refuses to support her until Arthur's father, Henry VII pays her dowry.

With Henry VII's death, Margaret's brother Henry VIII becomes the King of England and marries Katharine of Aragon, making her Queen.  Katharine is restored to her proper place in the royal court & the two queens now focus on producing an heir for their respective thrones.

During Henry's reign, he attacks France, who has a treaty with Scotland, thus going to war with Scotland.  During Henry's siege of France, James II sees an opportunity to claim English lands given the lack of men remaining in England.

With Katharine Queen Regent during Henry's absence, she leads a decisive and brutal victory over James and his men.  She even orders the head of James, her brother-in-law, leaving Margaret a widow.

Margaret is seduced by a Scottish lord, Archibald Douglas, and marries him without approval from the Scottish lords.  Margaret writes to her brother & Katharine to send men and reinforcements, but none are provided. 

With no defense against the Scottish lords who turn on her, she is forced to flee to England.  She returns to Scotland to be with her son, but she and her son remain siege under the Douglas clan.  The Scottish lords who do rise to defend her are slaughtered by the Douglas clan.

Henry's and Margaret's younger sister is a renowned beauty betrothed to Charles of Castille, the grandson of Louis XII, King of France.  Before Charles becomes of age, his grandfather becomes a window and sends his men to the Scottish court to discuss a possible union between Scotland and France.

As Margaret considers the proposal and the powers he would have, she discovers that her brother Henry has been making arrangements and betroths Mary to the much older Louis XII to unite England and France.

With Mary's marriage, she becomes Queen of France.  The three sisters had all successfully ascended the throne, a remarkable political feat.