The Iron Butterfly !

Since my childhood, I have ever wanted to, but had never cultivated my reading habit so far. In short, I am not a bookworm. But the last three days with too much of leisure time, fate had its chance to force me to read a novel to kill my time. So, I went to the old bookshop where various books on diverse topics were placed in the pathway. But the one which struck my eyes was Sidney Sheldon's "The stars shine down" - the reason was the beautiful lady (figure) in the book's cover. I have had no experience of reading novels, esp Sidney's, except for "If tomorrow comes". I know that he is the creator of many best selling books. So, I confidently chose this. After haggling with the old man (though I am not good at it), we settled for around one dollar (I am now getting used to Dollars rather than rupees :-) ).

I opened the book just to see that it was written in 1992 and that I have taken 17 years to discover this author's work. To brief the plot - it is about a girl named Lara Cameron and her accomplishment in the male dominated world of constructions. Having belittled by her own father, she vows to prove the world of her capability thereby confuting her father's belief "Thats the Fates.. It always work against you". She endures the hard, pitiless, egoistic men who already ruled the construction world, not just because of her allegiance to the work, but her ruthlessness which could offset her enemy's characteristics. The main character, Lara impresses the readers with her elegance, quick decisions, wits and occasional humor that even her antagonists call her 'The Iron Butterfly'. Having gained millions of dollars, she realizes that her journey has offered more enemies and few trustworthy friends.

Sidney takes us for a ride through various places such as Glay Bay(Nova Scotia), Chicago, New York, Reno, London and few others. The author has studied precisely on construction, lease and other details which are well reflected in the book. Lara's love for famous Pianist - Philip Adler is also shown meticulously by the author. Her relationship with Howard, Mafia Martin and the antagonists are shown maturely. In conclusion, it is a book worth spending a few hours. As a typical Sidney Sheldon novel, this kindles the curiosity of the reader to eagerly look to the next page.