Ha!

Spoiler Alert

When I started the fourth book just after my Pune vacation, I was warned that I won’t have the stories of some of my favorite characters in it and I was OK with it initially. Well, we have so many characters, I don’t think I will miss them, I thought. Now that I have finished A Feast for Crows, I do miss not knowing anything about Tyrion Lannister 😦 Not even a clue about where he and Varys went and what happened. Among others, I liked following Arya Stark more than Sansa Stark, even though both of them had to become some one else to just live. And both make use of their own strength to survive. One person whom I have come to accept is Jaime Lannister, even though I still don’t feel comfortable forgiving him for pushing Bran (I just am not able to let that go, may be because that was one episode I saw and it just stuck with me) but I do feel sorry for him now. The one person I have always detested and probably will detest for ever is Cersei. Whenever I finish some chapter and I get emotional and rant to my friend, he would just say, wait till you complete the book and then let us see how you feel about her. you have to read her perspective to know her. You know what, after reading the whole book, I still hate her. I can accept no excuses on her behalf. She is such a hard core narcissistic person (I had to refrain from cursing at this juncture). Thankfully I didn’t feel emotionally very sad for any one in this book as I had for Robb and Catelyn during the Red Wedding. But if I had a Ha! moment, it was when Cersei’s plan backfires. Man, I was so happy 🙂 Couldn’t wipe off that grin from my face for quite some time. I really relished reading that chapter. And a double Ha! moment, when Jaime reads her letter and ask his squire to throw it in the flames. I could have given him a hug for that.

I am going to take a break and start the 5th book from this Sunday. (That was mostly for my sake, so that I will not give in and start early).

Reacting to a particular Wedding

Note: This post is not intended for those who plan to read the ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ book series. 

With respect to my ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ status update, I am already onto my fourth book ‘A Feast for Crows’.  Yes, that means I completed my third book ‘A Storm of Swords’ on Friday almost before the day we started back from my vacation. Just on time. And that was two weeks for the third book , just for the record. Thanks to my friend who loaned his Kindle with my book loaded so that I can keep on to my reading. At first I thought , wow is he chivalrous or what. (Spoiler Alert) And during one discussion over the lunch, he asked me which chapter I was and I told him that Robb was back and talks of wedding was going on. He was like, Edmure’s Wedding is it? I told him that, Edmure’s Wedding is being discussed but no, I was talking about Robb’s wedding. He was like, ok ok go ahead. And then we went to Alibagh and this wonderful resort had a room with the pool view and we had chairs besides the pool to lounge and relax. I was about to read the chapter of Edmure’s Wedding then and my friend told me that I should probably relax by the pool side and read and not get disturbed by the TV (they were watching Comedy Central…well that is what they watched all the time.. so). I was like , wow, he is being really really nice.

And there I went all happy that Robb is going to patch things up with the Frey’s and Edmure, even though I don’t like him much, was finally getting married and things will be rosy and stuff. Once I was done with the chapter, (sorry no spoiler alert here) I was wondering as if I was dreaming. I thought that may be I had really slept while reading because this cannot actually happen. WTF. I really made myself get up and sit straight so as to feel that I am really awake this time and re-read that chapter. And still it was the same scene. WTF again. There was this tightness in my chest that I couldn’t explain. I went to the room, looked in and said “WTF, What did happen just now ? Did I read it correctly ? or is it something else? ” He looked at me and said ‘Is that your reaction ? That is all ?” . “What do you mean ‘is that all’ ? “, I asked. “I don’t even know what I am feeling right now”, I said and then the tears started to come. A slow and late reaction but a reaction that was at last relaxing that tightness that was there in my chest. Because now I got the confirmation that I did read it correctly. I told them that I am going to stop reading for a few minutes and just relax and the tears wont stop.

My friend told me how he really had a panic attack on reading the chapter and was really really upset for a very long time. I wouldn’t peg him ever for getting panicked over anything at all. He is a ‘take it easy’ kind of person. And I was really surprised because even though I was emotionally blank for some time, I did not cry like I did for Dumbledore’s death. May be because with the way things were happening may be unconsciously I was not expecting their lives to be a bed of roses. Probably. I don’t know. I think I did make up some stuff to relax myself and to get going. They showed me a YouTube video of the reactions of various people who haven’t read the book and watched the series on TV. Wow.. I should say, some reactions were pretty strong, but very honest. I would have reacted by shouting, screaming, whatever. I am a very emotional person even though I am little private with it. If there are people around, I might control myself, but if I am alone and if you are living in the next or opposite flat, you will definitely hear my reactions.

And I should say that this book, as my friend said to me much before, was more interesting than the rest of it. Especially the way the last of the leech’s prediction coming true, I shouted a hallelujah and thanked all Gods. Pretty juvenile, I know. But I couldn’t help it. And the last Epilogue. Man, that was something. I was in the car coming on our way back to Pune from a local trip and I was so glad to read it. I jumped up and down in my seat. And why not, I was the only one in that seat and I might as well enjoy it. At this rate, I am sure to finish it soon I guess.

And no wonder, I ain’t that fond of weddings. Marriage, though, is another matter.