Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When I finished the book at 4:30 in the morning, I could not figure out what was this all about. It left me with questions, and questions only.
Normally I do not read the reviews on the book before reading. Usually certain spontaneous encounters about a piece somewhere leads me to pick up a book and then I go as it leads me forward. I'd heard of this in one of my friend's Instagram, saw some comments, and started on it.
The writing is smooth, and catchy. I liked the simplistic flow - no complex plot, no complex language, no complications at all. The author weaves the story with tiniest of details which bring you close to their lives, almost at the level of living their lives themselves. He describes the kitchen door once,
Right within the simple flow of story, it tells an intricate connections, tussle, love and hate of family dynamics.
You may feel nostalgic at times, if you identify with the story, such as instances like:
The absolute need of money management and planned spending clearly reverberated in my head. This is not a significant event, but still, it reflects a lot.
At one point of time, I was thinking, this guy has a lot of thoughts going on, such elaborate ones describing the world so meticulously, and yet he is wasting his work life in such a lousy manner. Why?
He seems such an intellectual fellow: why not find a better work, find better means to spend his time with. He doesn't seem to be satisfied with the money he has, not satisfied with the superseded image of himself, but still: why?
Then I realized, how many of us live our lives the same way? We know what we can do, what is the best we can do, what is the extent we can go in work (or in our life). And, and, how much do we achieve?
If you think, he's stupid person, you're wrong. He's not. He's an intellectual, with a deeper understanding of life, people and relationships. He observes a minuscule variation in people's reactions and understands what meaning the air is holding at the moment. He knows things. And yet, he's the way he is. He seeks opinions of Vincent, the waiter at the Coffee House, aka the oracle, which is nothing but random expressions in themselves. He somehow collates it with how he is feeling and find a meaning out of it. Not just a meaning, but deep philosophical meaning. He once says:
I don't know, may be the book brings out the thought revolving inside your own heads, you read what you want to read, you understand what you want to understand. And that's my take on it.
It's a novella, a short read, fun break between the long reads. Give it a go.
Normally I do not read the reviews on the book before reading. Usually certain spontaneous encounters about a piece somewhere leads me to pick up a book and then I go as it leads me forward. I'd heard of this in one of my friend's Instagram, saw some comments, and started on it.
The writing is smooth, and catchy. I liked the simplistic flow - no complex plot, no complex language, no complications at all. The author weaves the story with tiniest of details which bring you close to their lives, almost at the level of living their lives themselves. He describes the kitchen door once,
"No matter how careful one was, the creaking of all those doors was hard to subdue. When it grew loud enough to wake everyone at night, Amma knew she had to oil the hinges."
Right within the simple flow of story, it tells an intricate connections, tussle, love and hate of family dynamics.
You may feel nostalgic at times, if you identify with the story, such as instances like:
It became an occasion of sorts when Appa would tell us how much we could spend. A few weeks before the festival, when all of us were present, Appa might say to me, ‘Look here, didn’t you say you needed trousers? Let’s buy you a pair for Deepavali. See what you can get in three hundred …’.
The absolute need of money management and planned spending clearly reverberated in my head. This is not a significant event, but still, it reflects a lot.
At one point of time, I was thinking, this guy has a lot of thoughts going on, such elaborate ones describing the world so meticulously, and yet he is wasting his work life in such a lousy manner. Why?
He seems such an intellectual fellow: why not find a better work, find better means to spend his time with. He doesn't seem to be satisfied with the money he has, not satisfied with the superseded image of himself, but still: why?
Then I realized, how many of us live our lives the same way? We know what we can do, what is the best we can do, what is the extent we can go in work (or in our life). And, and, how much do we achieve?
If you think, he's stupid person, you're wrong. He's not. He's an intellectual, with a deeper understanding of life, people and relationships. He observes a minuscule variation in people's reactions and understands what meaning the air is holding at the moment. He knows things. And yet, he's the way he is. He seeks opinions of Vincent, the waiter at the Coffee House, aka the oracle, which is nothing but random expressions in themselves. He somehow collates it with how he is feeling and find a meaning out of it. Not just a meaning, but deep philosophical meaning. He once says:
"Had Vincent taken on a grand name and grown a long shimmering beard, he’d have had lakhs of people falling at his feet. How different are the words of those exalted beings from his? Words after all are nothing by themselves. They burst into meaning only in the minds they’ve entered. If you think about it, even those held to be gods incarnate seldom speak of profound things. It’s their day-to-day utterances that are imbued with sublime meanings. And who’s to say the gods cannot take the form of a restaurant waiter when they choose to visit us?"
I don't know, may be the book brings out the thought revolving inside your own heads, you read what you want to read, you understand what you want to understand. And that's my take on it.
It's a novella, a short read, fun break between the long reads. Give it a go.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Very entertaining point of view from the narrator though I don't think the ending paid off.
The gaining sense of dread I felt while reading the last few pages is unmatched! The writing is beautiful and very evocative. I was really able to relate to so much of this book. You can literally feel the tension in certain scenes seeping out through the pages, and that is a testament to the excellent writing, despite this being a translated work.
This book talks about the power of money in our lives and how it controls and changes us and how it makes us reformulate our morals. You can see the shift in the characters' actions and personalities as they come into money. Money equals respect, and the earning members of the family can get away with anything.
It was a short but very impactful read!
This book talks about the power of money in our lives and how it controls and changes us and how it makes us reformulate our morals. You can see the shift in the characters' actions and personalities as they come into money. Money equals respect, and the earning members of the family can get away with anything.
It was a short but very impactful read!
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes