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youshouldreadthisif's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
inlibrisveritas's review
emotional
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? No
4.0
quietnyx's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
belladonnashrike's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
this was lovely.
grief, identity, love, culture, loneliness … it was all beautifully woven against a magical realism backdrop. I loved this so much.
grief, identity, love, culture, loneliness … it was all beautifully woven against a magical realism backdrop. I loved this so much.
ridanwise's review against another edition
4.0
A story of melancholy. I find the blurb not so much misguiding as much as unjust to the piece itself. Magical realism, fantasy, and romance are nicely woven here.
geekwayne's review
3.0
‘The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar’ by Indra Das is a novella about a magical world that may exist in a very small part of the world.
Ru lives in Calcutta, but is different, or so his classmates tell him. His parents tell him they are descended from nomads, but he dreams it a bit differently. The dreams may actually hold some truth. His parents feed him a tea of forgetfulness to help stop the dreams. His friend Alice starts to realize that Ru may be more than he seems.
I enjoyed the writing of this book more than the book itself. The story was interesting, but I kept drifting while reading it. That’s never a good sign, but I would read other works by this same author.
Ru lives in Calcutta, but is different, or so his classmates tell him. His parents tell him they are descended from nomads, but he dreams it a bit differently. The dreams may actually hold some truth. His parents feed him a tea of forgetfulness to help stop the dreams. His friend Alice starts to realize that Ru may be more than he seems.
I enjoyed the writing of this book more than the book itself. The story was interesting, but I kept drifting while reading it. That’s never a good sign, but I would read other works by this same author.
book_goblin22's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
dhee_reads's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
One of the most original coming of age fantasy stories. Not about rebellion but cultural identify and acceptance whilst also being honest about loneliness rom isolation and being different
tjwallace04's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar" is a lovely, lyrical, heartwarming coming-of-age story with a relatable main character and delicate layers of fantasy. It was especially relatable to me, currently 41, as the novella takes place in the 1990s and early 2000s, and the cultural references brought me vsicerally back to my own "coming of age," although mine was sadly was lacking in dragon-y mysteries.
Premise: Growing up in Caluctta, Ru knows he is different from the other kids at his school, but he can't explain why to them or himself. He doesn't know where he comes from, and his parents keep things vague - they are nomads, wanderers, but from where? Ru has dreams...or memories?...of other things that can't be explained: a tree with tiny buds that open into dragons, a meal of a roasted dragon drake that turns into air in his mouth. With his friend Alice, Ru goes on a slow and open-hearted journey of self-discovery that introduces him to many possibilities and impossibilities.
The writing in this slim little volume is superb, and Ru and Alice are very lovable characters. The fantasy elements are oblique, understated; you feel like you are only seeing them out of the corner of your eye. And yet they transfuse the whole story with weird, skin-prickly magic.
I read "The Last Dragons of Bowbazar" for my #beyondthebestsellers challenge this year, and it is certainly proof of the joy that can be found in books that don't have all the hype or appear on all the buzz lists. I would recommend this book to any reader who loves fantasy or is fantasy-curious, as the mix of fantasy and realism makes it a gentle entry point.
Premise: Growing up in Caluctta, Ru knows he is different from the other kids at his school, but he can't explain why to them or himself. He doesn't know where he comes from, and his parents keep things vague - they are nomads, wanderers, but from where? Ru has dreams...or memories?...of other things that can't be explained: a tree with tiny buds that open into dragons, a meal of a roasted dragon drake that turns into air in his mouth. With his friend Alice, Ru goes on a slow and open-hearted journey of self-discovery that introduces him to many possibilities and impossibilities.
The writing in this slim little volume is superb, and Ru and Alice are very lovable characters. The fantasy elements are oblique, understated; you feel like you are only seeing them out of the corner of your eye. And yet they transfuse the whole story with weird, skin-prickly magic.
I read "The Last Dragons of Bowbazar" for my #beyondthebestsellers challenge this year, and it is certainly proof of the joy that can be found in books that don't have all the hype or appear on all the buzz lists. I would recommend this book to any reader who loves fantasy or is fantasy-curious, as the mix of fantasy and realism makes it a gentle entry point.
jakegray's review
emotional
hopeful
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? No
5.0