"The Man Who Knew Infinity" and Books that Inspire

"You wanted to know how I get my ideas. God speaks to me." -Srinivasa Ramanujan, in the film based on a true story, "The Man Who Knew Infinity."


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We saw a good film last weekend that we had not ever heard of. "The Man Who Knew Infinity" is a movie about the life of a mathematics genius from India, Srinivasa Ramanujan. The part of Ramanujan is played by Dev Patel, one of my favorite actors who is also seen in "Slumdog Millionaire" and the Marigold Hotel movies. Patel is such an emotional actor, so he seems to be very effective when he plays the parts of intense, passionate characters. He does not disappoint in this latest film based on a true story, and he plays the part splendidly along side of Jeremy Irons who plays the role of G.H. Hardy, the professor at Trinity College in England who was responsible for bringing the genius, Ramanujan, to England for the first time. Hardy is mesmerized by the math proofs and other work that Ramanujan has done, and he mentors the young man and helps him get some of his work published. Ramanujan stays in England for a long five years, all the time trying to get some notoriety for his math work so that he can adequately support his young wife and mother back in India. I don't want to spoil the ending, so all I will say is that the ending is somewhat sad. I don't know why I have never seen a commercial for this movie, but I think people who like to read and learn will enjoy this movie. I imagine that it will be out on DVD soon because only one theater in this area was showing it last weekend, so look for it at the Red Box or get it from Netflix.

I'm almost finished listening to a good book, And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini, the author of A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Kite Runner. I find that Hosseini's writings are usually mesmerizing and works of art as stories. He weaves plots together masterfully and pulls in the reader so naturally that he feels he is right there in Kabul or Paris watching the action in person. And the Mountains Echoed is one of those books that I will be sad to finish. Let me take a moment here and say again HOW MUCH I LOVE MY PUBLIC LIBRARY, the North Durham Branch. I'm in the habit now of always having a book on CD from the library in my car so that I can enjoy more books. Our library has so many books on CD that it's usually a tough decision to select one, but most of them have been very enjoyable. And the Mountains Echoed is the story of an Afghan family who lives through wars, tragedies, and complicated relationships. The action begins in 1952 in Shadbagh, Afghanistan as we meet characters such as Nabi (a chaffeur), Nila (a poet), Mr. Wahdati (a wealthy businessman), Pari (Nabi's neice who is taken from her family and adopted out at a young age), and others. The story rolls on and on for many years so we actually get to meet the children and grandchildren of some of these characters as the story unfolds. If a character leaves the story for a while, you can be sure that many chapters later you are going to find out what happened to that person, where he/she went, what kind of life he had, etc. You will want to hang on to each and every part of the plot because Hosseini does not have anything in his plot that is not there for a reason. He wants you to be curious, he wants to leave you wondering why that person acted that way, why he ran away, and more. I don't want this story to end, but I know it must. I only have about 4 CDs remaining, so then it's back to the library I go to hopefully find another great gem on the shelf.

I'm also reading a wonderful, popular book that you may have already read, The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah. I have about 150 pages left to go, and again, I'll be sad when the book ends. I don't want to comment too much on the book at this point since I haven't finished the book, but there are some points that I would like to bring out. First, this book fits snugly on the figurative shelf of the many historic novels set in Europe that I've read in the past few years. It is set during World War II in the village of Carriveau, France. It's the story of two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, and how the war affects them and their loved ones. It's a story of perseverance in the midst of complete evil, a story that was all-too-true for all of the soldiers during WW II and the citizens of the war-torn countries involved. Truthfully, I doubt there was a single country in the world that was not affected by this war. I hope you will read this amazing book and find out what "the nightingale" actually is, because it does have something significant to do with the plot. At the risk of repeating myself in past posts, this book reminds me of some of two other books that I've read which were also set in Europe during WW II,  All the Light We Cannot See and War Brides. It also reminds me of movies that I've seen:  "Sophie's Choice," "Playing for Time," "Schindler's List," "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas," "The Hiding Place," and "The Diary of Anne Frank." 

As I close, I leave you with these words that we were able to sing when we were in Scotland two years ago, words that bring to my mind a beautiful trip we had while experiencing a taste of that beautiful country:

"The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond" (published in 1841)

By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes,
Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond,
Where me and my true love were ever wont to gae,
On the bonnie, bonnie branks o' Loch Lomond.

Chorus:

On ye'll' tak' the high road, and I'll tak' the low road,
And I'll be in Scotland afore ye,
But me and my true love will never meet again,
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond.

Our boat ride on Loch Lomond was an experience that I will never forget.


-Melissa Hill
Book Blogger
www.onegoodbookblog.blogspot.com