Author: Ravi Subramanian
Publishing Year: 2012
Number of Pages: 364
Language:
English
List Price:
Rs. 250 INR
Ravi Subramanian, an
alumnus of IIM Bangalore, has spent two decades working his way up the ladder
of power in the amazingly exciting and adrenaline-pumping world of global banks
in India. He lives in Mumbai with his wife Dharini and daughter Anusha.
Ravi Subramanian maintains his online presence at the
following addresses:
·
Website: http://www.ravisubramanian.in
·
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Authorravisubramanian
·
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SubramanianRavi
·
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/AuthorRavi
Other Books written by Ravi Subramanian (not necessarily in
the same order):
- If God was a Banker
- Devil in Pinstripes
- The Incredible Banker
- I bought the Monk's Ferrari
This is the third book written by Ravi Subramanian that I
have now read. I started reading Ravi Subramanian with “If God was a Banker”, then moved on to
“The Incredible Banker” and now finally onto “The Bankster”. The reason I stuck
with Ravi Subramaniam was because in each of the two predecessors he brought
out the schemes and scams of the Indian Banking sector in the most remarkable way.
Theme and the Plot have always been the strength of all
Ravi Subramanian novels. This is again somewhere he does not disappoint. The
way he has done that is through an incredible exposure of India’s banking
sector. India is touted as one of the world’s safest places to bank and the plot
of this book with its potential & possibilities is a revelation, if not startling.
I am sure for people working in the Banking sector in India would get nostalgic
going through this piece of fiction. Also,
corporate employees from any background will be able to relate in one way or
the other to the story. And at one point everyone reading will ask
himself/herself ‘how much of this is fiction’. But that is up to the reader
again. The overall ‘Plot’ of the book and the tight suspense seem very convincing. The
way the plot deepens, darkens and destroys the seekers is remarkable and
must’ve taken a lot of effort from Ravi. My 5on 5 for it.
The narration and
storytelling is typical Ravi Subramanian style and it is not bad at all, infact it goes very
well. The very first thing that captured my imagination was the first few
paragraphs. The mention of an Indian CIA agent operating deep within enemy
lines caught my mind’s eye. It is an
unlikely area that not too many Indian fiction authors explore. The genre that
has sadly caught the fancy of Indian authors is ‘love, romance’ and this book
comes as a great overall package breaking that monotony and moving away from
the conventional to the unchartered. Ravi has yet again done a great job at
this. My 5on 5 for it.
Character has never
been Ravi’s forte. He unfortunately does not do much here. I would agree that
at most times you would feel that the characters are underdeveloped. The
characters apart from one or two of them will never grow on you. You will feel
a lack of depth and flatness of characters which is unwelcome and definitely
could have been better. My 2.5 on 5
for it.
The Good news: The
book still cruises through because of the thick plot and despite the
shortcoming of the characters. The suspense is well-balanced. This and the
overall pace of things picks up steam as we keep reading making this a
compelling read.
To sum up, this book is a good read. As always, you read and
decide! My final verdict: 4 on 5.
You may read the first five chapters as a free preview at http://slidesha.re/MDC5iT
You may order 'The Bankster’ at any of these online
retailers:
Indiatimes: http://shopping.indiatimes.com/books/miscellaneous/the-bankster/UMISC/p_U9788129120489
Flipkart: http://www.flipkart.com/the-bankster-8129120488/p/itmddehgcsy2bydc?pid=9788129120489
Infibeam: http://www.infibeam.com/Books/bankster-ravi-subramanian/9788129120489.html?track=india_bookstore
Crossword: http://www.crossword.in/books/bankster/p-books-9788129120489.html
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