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cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition
4.0
Recommended by Andrea. Read her review on the Cook Memorial Public Library blog, Shelf Life: https://shelflife.cooklib.org/2019/04/09/andreas-pick-of-the-week-professor-chandra-follows-his-bliss-by-rajeev-balasubramanyam/
Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sprofessor%20chandra%20follows%20his%20bliss__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold
Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sprofessor%20chandra%20follows%20his%20bliss__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold
myrdyr's review against another edition
4.0
3.8/5 stars. First of all, I think I was expecting something a bit more light-hearted based on the title. My main criticism is that I didn’t necessarily find Professor Chandra’s change of heart and experiences to be entirely believable. The entire plot seemed somewhat contrived. I don’t know if this crusty older man is capable of this kind of self-reflection and self-awareness at this point in his life. I especially had a hard time believing his openness to the processes and experiences at Esalen. I find it easier to believe he would have snorted, rolled his eyes, and feigned illness or something to avoid participating in the group exercises. Ultimately, I did enjoy this book, probably because I did believe that this man and this family really did care about each other even though they were all a bit of a mess.
Many thanks to Knopf Canada/Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC of this book and accompanying prize pack!
Many thanks to Knopf Canada/Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC of this book and accompanying prize pack!
laurarashley's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
hhm013's review against another edition
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
sarahl0726's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
katemilkshakes's review against another edition
2.0
Started slow. Picked up when he started following his bliss.
chursh's review against another edition
fast-paced
3.5
"Let me respectfully remind you, Life and death are of supreme importance. Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost. Each of us should strive to awaken. Awaken! Take heed! Do not squander your life." (pg 285)
colindac's review against another edition
5.0
The quest for bliss. Professor Chandra is such a wonderful character
thain's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable story of a curmudgeonly, workaholic economics professor who reassesses his priorities in life. Some humor and insights, but gets a bit bogged down in tedious arguments with a "liberal" daughter who's portrayed as completely irrational.
geolatin's review against another edition
4.0
I'm giving this 4 stars because I could see myself reading this again. Starting off, I wasn't sure I'd even finish the book, because the protagonist is a self-obsessed, unpleasant 69-year-old professor of economics at Cambridge who is never wrong. However, after a minor heart attack and being sent on an enforced sabbatical due to bullying students, he acknowledges to himself that he's unhappy and he isn't where he wanted to be in life. He is divorced and is estranged from 2 of his 3 children and he decides to figure out what went wrong.
What I really liked about this book is that there is no immediate change of behavior, but as the book progresses, Professor Chandra begins to see the patterns of behavior which create bad results and tries to start fixing them. He's not always successful and his fits of temper never really end, although he starts to be able to control them a bit better. He starts to reconnect with his family, including his ex-wife, and even is able to be somewhat harmonious with her husband, although he never really likes him.
This book felt very authentic to me. It doesn't end with everything resolved, although it's moving in the right direction. There really are no changes of heart...it's more that there are purposeful changes in behavior to better meet relationship goals. I don't know that I really liked Professor Chandra at the end of the book, but I respected his growth and enjoyed watching him struggle to become a better person, with varying results.
The only thing that really bothered me that almost made me stop listening to the audiobook was that the narrator sounded white during the non-dialogue portions, but the accents sounded authentic during dialogue. However, after investigation, the narrator is of South Asian descent.
What I really liked about this book is that there is no immediate change of behavior, but as the book progresses, Professor Chandra begins to see the patterns of behavior which create bad results and tries to start fixing them. He's not always successful and his fits of temper never really end, although he starts to be able to control them a bit better. He starts to reconnect with his family, including his ex-wife, and even is able to be somewhat harmonious with her husband, although he never really likes him.
This book felt very authentic to me. It doesn't end with everything resolved, although it's moving in the right direction. There really are no changes of heart...it's more that there are purposeful changes in behavior to better meet relationship goals. I don't know that I really liked Professor Chandra at the end of the book, but I respected his growth and enjoyed watching him struggle to become a better person, with varying results.
The only thing that really bothered me that almost made me stop listening to the audiobook was that the narrator sounded white during the non-dialogue portions, but the accents sounded authentic during dialogue. However, after investigation, the narrator is of South Asian descent.