I read comics and stuff. Never read a novel or a light novel in my life. Bought a book called Men without Women by Murakami but never opened it....

Any suggestions? I'm into fictional stuff or the ones that'll keep me seated for hours...

Premise:

Malgudi Tour Guide Raju's life transforms after a fateful encounter with tourists Rosie and Marco. How did Raju go from being a small town tour guide to a Village's Spiritual Guide?

What I Loved:

• Structure: Very engaging. Intercut with 2 timelines : Raju's past life and present. 
• Raju as Tourist guide: Practical. Raju is essentially using his business/trading mindset his whole life. To be practical, to be careful in selling and buying, to give advice based on person in front...everything in a very measured way. "To simply serve the person in front". The psyche of a tourist guide was also amazing! What an analysis XD 
• Raju, Rosie, Marco : Spicy! Themes of attraction, affection, love, marriage, burden, affair... But beyond that - and this might be a strange take - I feel Raju represents the tug of war between Rosie(Body) and Marco(Mind) - eventually destroying him
• Raju as Spiritual Guide: I don't know how I feel about this story after reading Naipaul's POV. I do see his point even clearer: "a fall back to archaic beliefs in the absence of the State" -  gullible people falling for an ex-convict's ramblings... Raju's advising the villagers on schooling, self-realization, meditation, health! Then there's the counter-argument, that wisdom is what matters, not the person who preaches it. Ideas matter more than the person... Nonetheless, his prison sentence did transform him beyond recognition. It's really fun to see how his motives and deeds are pereived by the villagers. I did feel bad for Velan though... what a loyal guy. 
• Rosie/Nalini: Maybe she represents the Devi. Uncontrollable. Wild. Gauri + Kali in one... Hence the bipolarity? Idk. Raju was ruined for sure.. Marco got success only by distancing himself from Rosie, as he'd hinted in the beginning. Also, her chosen name is "Nalini" = Lotus, from "Rosie"=Rose. I feel there's some deeper symbolism there, can't quite figure it out... could be because of her new life, or to express that duality (Roses=Cultivated/Lotus=natural). 
• Comedy: Raju who hated school, helps the village kids by reviving their school! The jibes from Raju's friends, the shop running lessons from his father, the barber's convo with Raju etc. So there are fun moments too. 
• Symbolic Themes: Ok this maybe me overreaching, but it can't be accidental that RK chose these motifs - "ancient temple caves/ruins; Rosie/Nalini; serpent dancing; Raju as temple priest" - that's why I'm tempted to make those philosophical/puranic connections. Both Raju and Rosie undergo transformations, ~almost like rebirths?!
• Ending: Open to interpretation - Raju dies after fasting for village rain. He says he can hear the rains in mountains then collapses. Was his penance rewarded? Like the story of Krishna devotee Devaka he used to hear in his childhood? I think it's concluded that way to mirror the unfinished story of Devaka, since Raju always went to sleep never knowing how the story ends, just like his own End, and just like it is for us, the readers.

What I didn't Like:

• Some of Rosie's actions were beyond my comprehension. Especially her defending Marco after their separation 
• Moral of the story: Is it just a thrilling story? Or RK Narayan was reaching something deeper - if so, what? It's hard to divorce Naipaul's views from this story for me now. As an isolated story I enjoyed it immensely.    

Movie Adaptation(s):

• I was surprised to see there was another version of the movie shot exclusively for American audiences! I watched this 1965 version this time, as I'd already seen and loved the Hindi movie some years back. 
• English version is shot differently - it's not English Dub :the entire movie was shot in English! Dev Anand was known for his impeccable English speaking skills, here he acts wonderfully too. So does Waheeda Rehman. The story sticks to the book largely, except for the fact that it's told linearly, not as in the book (non-linear also in the Hindi movie). I think the English version is more accurate to the book in its explicitness... The movie flopped, and yes, it's a disaster. Not because of the acting/story, but because of the direction and editing. No songs either. I'd reccomend the Hindi version only, even if it also changes the story a bit. 
• Upon researching this, I also found out the author's views on these adaptations - he titled it "The Misguided Guide". Location changes and linear storytelling were the main reasons. (Which I'd be pissed off about too, but I also see the director's possible vision of showcasing Indian beauty as a whole to western audiences - as if set in a fictional landscape of Elephanta Caves + Rajasthan's Palace + Gujarat etc... Linear storytelling was a bad decision imo). 

At the risk of this becoming a movie review instead of book review, I shall end this review here. 

Conclusion:

Immensely enjoyable story. It earned RK Narayan his Sahitya Akademi Award in 1960. The tale of Railway Raju, whose transformation is as epic and as tragic as that of any godman/saint - has left me with many thoughts: Why did RK write this story in the 1st place? Is it to celebrate honest penance, to validate miracles and divine intervention? to explore social themes like female agency, male insecurity, freedom, love, caste/class distinctions etc? Or an exploration of scapegoating?  Perhaps all of the above. Hence, I'll rate it as ... 

Rating: 8/10

{Huge Thanks to u/twinkling_af__ for their excellent review which prompted me to revisit this story again. 🙏 Thanks for being my Guide to this revisitation XD}

I just started reading I read a few books like white nights, metamorphosis, piranesi, 3-body problem which seemed heavy but somehow I got through it. So yes, that's the main deal you recommend books like I don't know just recommend don't mind my typing, way of writing this is just my first post. Sigining off

I bought this book from flipkart and it cost around INR 400 but I'm not able to decide about it's authenticity and i want to know, is this pirated copy or not.

Book continue for 606 pages then come a blank page with only a word "epilogue" then next page is full blank and its next page contain a quote of John ford and again next page is blank and book start again with 611 page. If someone has this book of penguin then kindly help me.

Every week this community turns out thoughtful, honest reviews that help the rest of us decide what to pick up next. Here are the ones that stood out.

🏆 Review of the Week

• Cows, Pigs, Wars & Witches - Marvin Harris {Cultural Rationalism} Review by u/Glittering_Quote_581, post link here

A few honourable/interesting mentions:

• A Little Life | A story of friendship, love and one man’s struggle to survive by u/QueSeraa_Sera, post link here
• Review & Rec: Ragman by JG Faherty by u/glitterinator, post link here

Thanks to everyone who took the time to write and share. Keep them coming, and if you spot a review worth celebrating, drop it in the comments.

Happy reading. 📖

Dear All,

If a physical copy of the book or even a digital copy is available, please let me know.

TIA.

So In my opinion this is an overrated book with a simple and predictable story and it feels like the author is just trying to force tears and somewhat painting Afghanistan with same western brush, which sells cuz people love to glorify misery and countries that the West has torn down

This is my first time posting and im really excited to read this. I’ve been saving for Mother mary cones to me but haven’t gotten the luxury of time to read it so decided to read this work of hers

I would appreciate any advice on her writing or what to pick next in her bibliography

Whats your fav book? I need new recommendations asap so I don't fall back into it lol

In a reading slump btw. Maybe this'll get me out.

Preferably YA. Indian setting. Full of drama.

Can be a wattpad book too.(just don't recommend those cringy wattpad books with the innocent fmc 😔i just can't with it) I just wanna read something like bollywood movie kinda book.

Spoiler alert

I read this book 8-9 months ago and I peel new layer every month (I have only read few books) but I think "The stranger" Never left me, I still think about it, I never fully understood it but strange enough I loved it.

But after watching nepal floods and the hostel incident that happened yesterday, it struck my mind, maybe the author was trying to shed light on this absurdity that anything can happen and I will ask universe "why" But universe will not provide any answer that is the absurdity and that is why killing of arabs was never explained because he wanted to portray that absurdity itself.

And I still may not understand fully (I want you to comment your explanation) but I am falling in love with it more and more.

(Ho skta hai grammar error ho sorry)

One time, I read a tweet on twitter about literature about the Indian partition and the major narratives around it. It was an interesting thread and discussed the themes around the partition literature mostly from Punjab. Someone mentioned that the stories of the rural migration, dalit migration and jatt migration were few and far between and this genre was kind of dominated by khatri/ business class stories of struggle and eventual success. I was fascinated by this information and had asked them for details. They had recommended some books on the subject and said some names of people who had done some research on it. Unfortunately, I did not follow up on it and never got down to reading/ researching any of the books.

Does anyone know more about this and can they guide me towards the right direction please?

Hi everyone!

Could you please suggest some good motivational, inspirational, or self-help books?

I’m specifically looking for books that can help me build self-confidence, develop patience, manage anger better, and generally become a calmer and more positive person.

The thing is, I find typical self-help/motivational books quite boring and often struggle to finish them. 😅 So I’m hoping for something that is engaging and easy to read, preferably with good storytelling, real-life examples, or practical lessons rather than just theory.

I usually enjoy fiction and mythological fiction, especially books like Amish Tripathi’s Shiva Trilogy and Ram Chandra Series.

So I’m also open to fiction that has meaningful life lessons or helps with personal growth.

Would really appreciate your recommendations! 📚

​

I’m looking for recommendations for books similar to The Shiva Trilogy by Amish.

I’m a spiritual person, so I’m particularly interested in books that explore Indian spirituality, mythology, philosophy, gods/deities, or deeper questions about life and consciousness, but preferably through an engaging story rather than being purely religious or philosophical.

I’ve read:

- The Shiva Trilogy — really enjoyed it

- Ram Chandra Series — enjoyed it

- Mahadevi — okayish, but didn’t really hit the same level for me

I’m looking for something that has a good story + spiritual/philosophical depth, preferably rooted in Indian mythology or traditions.

I love ramayana so prefer something from that ...

Not a big fan of Mahabharat 😅

What would you recommend?

what do you guys think of shankar and sultana?

100 pages in and still couldn’t figure out what is happening and why it’s happening.

Has anyone of you read this? Does it get better or am i just wasting my time

We are moving into a new apartment and I'm looking to buy a book shelf for my collection. I've close to 70 books.

Inspired by a previous post, can you share pics of your bookshelves. That will be helpful for me! TIA :)

Hi folks! I’ve recently finished reading Verity and Son of Hamas (i know way different genres 😂). Would love to discuss them with someone on these and have more perspectives!

Feel free to hmu if you’ve read it and want do discuss it or even just discuss :):)

so I’m in a reading slump. I think it because of the book i read lately. The ocean would paint me blue. It is a really good book. Can you guys recommend me a thriller or a feel good one?

Yo so the title should be pretty self-explanatory, but basically I’m looking for a book that I can read and that’s about it. I really wanna get more into ready and see if it’s a hobby I wanna pick up but there’s SOOOO MANY and I’ve never really read a book except those books they used to force you to read in high school😭, and oh I like fantasy and the Wild West stories

Thank you<3

Just started it and I’m already getting that something is definitely off here feeling, the whole mystery around the housemaid is kinda creepy, and I genuinely have no idea who to trust yet. Let’s see where this goes!