It has been well over a year since I've blogged. So much has gone on since I've been on last. I got a new job, will be graduating college and I have read lots more books on the 1001 Book List. Since I am not going to go all the way back on the books I've read in over a year, I will start with the last book I have just read, The Namesake by Jhumpa Lhiri. Apparently she is from Rhode Island as well so it's nice to see a Rhode Islander get some recognition.
Anywho, I just finished this book last Saturday during the snow storm and it was my day off. I read it on my Kindle, yes I know, I got a Kindle. That will be for another post on another day. Continuing on, I had started this book a couple of weeks ago but I was busy reading a whole bunch of other books that I never really got into this one but during the snow storm I decided to buckle down and finish it. I definitely struggled with trying to finish it but I did it! YAY!
So, this novel is about a family, the Ganguli's. The father, Ashoke, is a graduate student studying engineering at MIT. He has an arranged marriage with Ashima, and she moves out to Boston with her new husband. They proceed to have two children, Gogol and Sonali. The story is told in these short story forms and the time jumps. The story starts off with Ashoke and Ashima and how they were married and then it jumps to Boston and then it jumps to Gogol being born, then they buy a house. So, lots of jumping around. There is a whole back story about naming Indian children, including what is called a Good Name which involves Gogol.
It is hard to not get into specifics with this book however I will say that I am glad it was short. There were times when this book was too predictable.
It is about a foreign family growing up in America and ti was nice to get a different perspective but I did not love this book. I give it a 3 stars out of 5.
I am currently reading 1001 Arabian Nights as a inbetween but I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings will be my next blog! Very excited to start this up again. I am looking forward to a fantastic 2012!
Happy Reading!
Happy Reading!
Showing posts with label india. Show all posts
Showing posts with label india. Show all posts
Friday, January 27, 2012
Monday, June 7, 2010
A Passage to India
I just completed A Passage to India by E.M. Forster over the weekend. This book has definitely been one of the more difficult reads since I just could not get into the story. I kept getting lost in the wordiness of it all and struggled to get through. However, irregardless of the wordiness, the novel had a great message. It took me until I reached the end of the novel to fully appreciate what E.M. Forster was yapping about the entire length of the novel.
The novel is set in the British ruled India, in the early 1900s. Aziz is the main character, a physican working with his British boss. He is the central character whose image is tarnished by Miss Quested, who has come to India to become engaged to Heaslop, who is a magistrate in Chandrapore where the action happens. Miss Adele Quested is accompanied by Heaslop's mother, Mrs. Moore. These two ladied "befriend" Aziz and beg him to take them to the Marabar Caves.
This is where all of the trouble occurs. While entering one of the caves, Adele thinks she is assualted by Aziz, where he is later arrested but ultimately the charges are dropped because Miss Quested states she has been mistaken and will not testify against Aziz. While the trial and the result of it are some of the big actions in the novel, I chose here to discuss the racism that predominates the novel.
Everyone in this novel is racist. Aziz is a Muslim and thinks little of the Hindu Indians who he refers to as dirty, primative, stupid etc. The English are prejudice to all both Muslim and Hindu, and are also prejudice to their own if they become to "Indianized". One of my favorite characters, Mr. Fielding, tries to bridge the two worlds, as he wants so badly to be friends with Aziz, regardless of the trouble that has been caused due to Adele's accusations. However, Aziz tells him they can never really be friends until the British pull out of India. That scene tore my heartstrings. I wanted just as badly for them to be friends, but you can understand why. Forster really showed that everyone is racist, even amongst their own people, and the the ruling party cannot be true friends to the subjects, as their will always be issues. There were scenes throughout the novel where there were misunderstandings between the Indians and the English because they did not understand their customs or meanings. It was sad to see, as the Indians were just as racist to the English as the English were to the Indians.
Ultimately, thinking about the novel after I finished, I like it better. As in, I truly enjoyed the message of the book but the wordiness, definitely did not love.
The next book I am reading now is not on the 1001 Book List, but I'll probably review it anyway since I have to read it for one of the book reads. It's call The Map of True Places by Brunonia Barry and I am enjoying it so far.
Until next time, happy reading!
The novel is set in the British ruled India, in the early 1900s. Aziz is the main character, a physican working with his British boss. He is the central character whose image is tarnished by Miss Quested, who has come to India to become engaged to Heaslop, who is a magistrate in Chandrapore where the action happens. Miss Adele Quested is accompanied by Heaslop's mother, Mrs. Moore. These two ladied "befriend" Aziz and beg him to take them to the Marabar Caves.
This is where all of the trouble occurs. While entering one of the caves, Adele thinks she is assualted by Aziz, where he is later arrested but ultimately the charges are dropped because Miss Quested states she has been mistaken and will not testify against Aziz. While the trial and the result of it are some of the big actions in the novel, I chose here to discuss the racism that predominates the novel.
Everyone in this novel is racist. Aziz is a Muslim and thinks little of the Hindu Indians who he refers to as dirty, primative, stupid etc. The English are prejudice to all both Muslim and Hindu, and are also prejudice to their own if they become to "Indianized". One of my favorite characters, Mr. Fielding, tries to bridge the two worlds, as he wants so badly to be friends with Aziz, regardless of the trouble that has been caused due to Adele's accusations. However, Aziz tells him they can never really be friends until the British pull out of India. That scene tore my heartstrings. I wanted just as badly for them to be friends, but you can understand why. Forster really showed that everyone is racist, even amongst their own people, and the the ruling party cannot be true friends to the subjects, as their will always be issues. There were scenes throughout the novel where there were misunderstandings between the Indians and the English because they did not understand their customs or meanings. It was sad to see, as the Indians were just as racist to the English as the English were to the Indians.
Ultimately, thinking about the novel after I finished, I like it better. As in, I truly enjoyed the message of the book but the wordiness, definitely did not love.
The next book I am reading now is not on the 1001 Book List, but I'll probably review it anyway since I have to read it for one of the book reads. It's call The Map of True Places by Brunonia Barry and I am enjoying it so far.
Until next time, happy reading!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)