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bethandhertea's review against another edition
2.0
While I wasn't expecting a whimsical book (despite the cover and title) after reading some reviews, I was expecting something a bit more lighthearted. It just didn't do it for me.
margitc's review against another edition
3.0
An enjoyable novel about an elderly professor who doesn't win the Nobel Prize for Economics.
ewf's review against another edition
3.0
I'd like to give it more stars, but there are only five available. On a scale of 1-10 it would be a 6.5. PERFECT escape from current events. There is nothing in it about plagues, stupid government actions, or 400 years of racial injustice in the land of the (insert sarcasm) free. Doesn't go near the whole England/India history, although it certainly could.
I used it as my first effort to read an actual book instead of allowing any electronics into the bedroom. It worked.
I used it as my first effort to read an actual book instead of allowing any electronics into the bedroom. It worked.
larcher's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book. This was such a delightful read, about a man on the cusp of seventy after having an accident decides to take a sabbatical and find his bliss. All the hijinks that go along with and the tender moments he has re-evaluating his relationships with his family are just really good. Really enjoyed this one.
duffymn's review against another edition
4.0
Charming. Not quite a protagonist like Ove, but a stick-in-his-ways professor looking at the hindsight of his life and his faults. Well written, but maybe ended things too neatly.
bookhound's review against another edition
4.0
While I think the title is a little misleading (Chandra never goes wild or travels to exotic locations as I expected), I was pleasantly surprised by the contents. Much of the book is looking back instead of adventuring onwards. I loved Chandra's character- his humor, pragmatism, and growth. After failing to receive the Nobel prize and surviving a pedestrian collision with a bicyclist, he begins to look at how his life has fallen apart. He has several broken relationships (namely with his children and ex-wife) that mystify him. When coerced into attending a workshop on feelings, he has some revelations about himself that lead him to seek a new way forward. This is such a good, honest, funny glimpse of one person's attempt at rectifying past failures and trying to love with humility. Great one to read if you think your children hate you.
The audio is really good.
Thanks to RandomHouse publishing for the copy and goodreads for hosting the giveaway.
The audio is really good.
Thanks to RandomHouse publishing for the copy and goodreads for hosting the giveaway.
mmmmgreen's review against another edition
4.0
Books like this are why I hate not finishing books. It started out really slow but once Professor Chandra has an altercation with his ex-wife's new husband and it made me laugh out loud, I knew I needed to finish. I connected with it as an adult, as a parent of adult children, and as a divorced person. It's about having all those roles but continuing to learn and grow. My favorite line and I'm not going to put it in quotes because I'm sure I'm not getting it exactly right but: It's not about winning. I want you to be happy.
holtkaren's review against another edition
3.0
Good escapist story. Divorcee goes on spiritual retreat and deals with family crises.
booksinthemountains's review against another edition
3.0
This book is quite charming. Professor Chandra wants the nobel in economics and everybody thinks its going to be him, then he doesn't get it. He is disappointed and angry, he is taking out his anger on his undergraduates and his boss suggests he take a sabbatical in California (after suffering a mild heart attack). While in the USA, he realizes that he needs to change his life and get closer to his family and understand them.
This book is really quite a good book, it's a bit up-lit, so you watch a crumudgeny old man change his life and there is some sadness but it is mostly a good family story.
Pretty light and good palette cleanser after challenging reads.
This book is really quite a good book, it's a bit up-lit, so you watch a crumudgeny old man change his life and there is some sadness but it is mostly a good family story.
Pretty light and good palette cleanser after challenging reads.
lydysmitty's review against another edition
3.0
Appreciate being able to get in the mind of a conservative man's head in his path towards spirituality. The narrative is able to capture what it feels like to open up a narrow-minded mind--something we can all relate to