The lively discussions that filled our book club room this month covered a wide range of feelings and emotions. Some members just loved their chosen book and felt they had gained a better understanding and appreciation of its country, people and culture. Others were pleased to put their book down, unfinished, never to return! As always we all enjoyed listening to each others views. Here are our condensed comments.
JOAN - THE WHITE TIGER by Aravind Adiga. A debut novel by Adiga that won the Man Booker prize in 2008. Highlights the caste system and the quest for freedom by those who are suppressed and oppressed by the system. The story is narrated by an impoverished village boy from a lowly caste who is a sweet maker. The boy calls himself "white tiger" as this is symbolic of power and freedom. He is bright, works hard and has well developed entrepreneurial flair which sees him succeed in rising above his social status. Along the way though he has to make many tough, unpleasant decisions, his morality highlighting social, cultural and political issues. The story is told through a series of letters, using satire and dark humour. The author notes he wanted to show the massive underclass of India not as 'just weaklings' as they are often portrayed. He wanted to give them a strong voice. Joan thought the book came alive and was easy to read.
ED - couldn't attend on the day but sent a report that Julia read out. She too read THE WHITE TIGER. Ed didn't like the book at all, and thought it depressing. She thought India came across as a dirty, horrible place to be.
WENDY - THE WHITE TIGER. Wendy struggled to read the book. She said it was very descriptive with the themes of class struggles plus rapid changes in technology evident. Wendy thought the secondary characters were clique's, plastic and stereotypical. The main character threw away his relationships in order to rise out of poverty. Wendy didn't like the way the novel was written as a series of letters - she found it confusing however came to realise the writing style was really a vehicle in order to tell the story.
CLAURINE - THE WHITE TIGER. Claurine had read this novel some years ago and loved it. She thought the use of the 'letter' was a clever way of structuring the storyline for the reader.
PRU - THE WHITE TIGER. Pru has nearly finished the book. She felt the struggles for the main character in the book would be true in real life. Pru said the book was a rollicking good yard that revealed many social injustices. It could be compared to China, hinting that many of the social obstacles would be true there as well.
JUDY D - THE WHITE TIGER. Judy didn't like the letter format of the novel. She thought it improbable that someone so lowly born could or would write this way. Judy thought it would have been better if the boy had just 'spoken' or told his story directly. The graphic descriptions eg being in the sewer, were very gritty and were perhaps an allegory for having to take charge and get out of deeply unpleasant situations yourself. Reading about amoral conduct, corruption and social injustice led Judy to dislike the book.
BETH - A FINE BALANCE by Rohinston Mistry. Didn't engage Beth, she struggled to stick with the story. It was about the extreme difficulties of living in crowded cities.
TAMMY - A FINE BALANCE. Tammy loved the book. She thought the characters were so real. It was set in the 1970's where 4 unlikely characters all end up being drawn together, their 'stories' and fates becoming linked. The author showed how political decisions, made up high, have serious impacts upon those much lower down the economic and social chain. There were back stories of arranged marriages, tailors who fortunes rise and fall as political changes impact on their lives, moments of hope followed by depressing events. The balance was like a chess board where life was a game - who wins? An ongoing theme was a quilt made using the scraps of materials from the tailors. The quilt was like the pieces of life, rich, thick and colourful at times then drab, rough and harsh. Rich v poor, village life v city, hope v despair.
JO - A FINE BALANCE. She thought it a depressing novel full of sad events. It seemed like 'rush hour' never ended in the lives of the characters.
DIANNE F - MIDNIGHTS CHILDREN by Salman Rushdie. She didn't like what she read and found it very wordy.
PAULINE - MIDNIGHTS CHILDREN. Set in 1947 at the moment India gained independence from British Colonialism. The children born close to midnight on this day all had special powers such as the ability to read minds. Stories are told about the ancestors thus providing the outline for how and why India has emerged. The chapters seemed to be randomly placed with no overriding story. A strange novel but Pauline does intend to persevere with it.
LESLEY - MIDNIGHTS CHILDREN. Salman Rushdie born in India, and educated in England. He now lives in USA. This book won the Man Booker Prize in 1981, and gained further awards for the 25th & 40th anniversary celebrations of the Man Booker Prize. Penguin listed Midnights Children as one of the great reads of the 20th century. Saleem is born at midnight on 15th August 1947, at the time of Independence of India plus the partition of India - both significant moments in India's history. He has special powers and as he grows decides to contact all the children also born at midnight. There are 1001. He brings them together to see if they - the future of India - can bridge the troubled gaps of gender bias, social injustice, political/religious/economic/cultural differences and statehood. The plan is to use these children positively so India can move forward so all will prosper. The book is verbose and written with a very "Indian" voice. It is a historical fantasy novel and tends to jump around in time. Not an easy book to read.
KRIS - HEAT AND DUST - by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Won the Booker Prize in 1975. Written in 1st person the story is about a young woman who goes to India to find out more about her late English step grandmother Olivia. The time is the 1920's when Britain's influence & power in India was strong. Olivia, stifled by English society and norms, and married to a weak husband, becomes mesmerised by Indian culture and meets a lowly Prince with whom she had an affair. A scandal follows when she discovers she is pregnant to the Indian Prince. Kris thought the book needed to resolve the many issues raised during the story telling. It was unsatisfactory as it didn't seem to 'go anywhere'.
ROSEMARY - HEAT AND DUST. Rosemary had little to say about this book as it wasn't riveting at all.
CONNIE - HEAT AND DUST. Like the others, she too was waiting for the book to go 'somewhere' but it didn't. The issues of suppression, underlying concerns for women's welfare, male dominance etc were displayed but nothing concluded.
JULIA - HEAT AND DUST. She agreed with the others that the book didn't seem to go anywhere.
ANNE - AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED by Khaled Hosseini. Anne loved this book, set in Afghanistan. She enjoyed it and thoroughly recommends it.
MEL - PHOTOGRAPH by Ringo Starr. A conversational book by Ringo, describing his life, filled with many photographs. Really well done.
PAMELA - A BACKWARD PLACE by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. An ironic text about aspirations v truth, appearance v reality. About 5 expats - 2 Germans and 3 older English women who all make India their home. The reasons for them being there are varied - a fading beauty but with little money who has previously relied on her looks to attract men with money, an English women married to an attractive artistic Indian, one who wants glamour and another who just wants a simple life. Set in the 1970's, the characters weren't very nice people so Pamela just didn't care about them!
Lesley
