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elenab_m's review against another edition
4.0
Time was stronger than grief. Grief is the bank, Time the flowing river, heaping earth upon earth on grief.
andy_acid's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
3.75
The plot points and the character design portrayed a very executable dichotomy but one of our main characters, Broti's actions which sprouted the whole plot was not explored well enough, it felt vague and didn't hold much despite how important the whole trajectory was for several people.
3.75/5
3.75/5
brew_and_books's review against another edition
4.0
The 60s and 70s decade saw great political upheaval and the height of Naxalite agitation. The assailant communist uprising during this time was fiercely curbed by the West Bengal government, prompting widespread and rampant massacre of youth revolutionaries across the state. ‘Mother of 1084’ centers around the anguish and ordeal of a mother, Sujata, who wakes up one morning to the news of her son lying dead in the police mortuary, diminished to a simple numeral: corpse no 1084. Through her scuffle to comprehend her son’s progressive responsibility as a rebel, she comes in term to her estrangement from the smug, dishonest, and degenerate primitive society her child had so savagely defied. In her excruciating excursion, on both fronts: internal and external, Sujata is bereaved to learn so much about his son’s ethical conviction and commitments, only when she has lost him, only when a number marks him.
Heartbreakingly beautiful and well nuanced, the narrative doesn’t help but definitely shakes one out of one’s sheltered reality to endure and feel a mother’s pain. Sujata’s life is well portrayed in sharp contrast by highlighting her inner turmoil dealing with her carefree and unfaithful husband. This 130-pages long novella is narrated as events of one day, the day Sujata gave birth to her son, only to lose him on the same day 20 years later, with chapters being morning, afternoon, late afternoon evening.
A poignant portrayal of resemblance and contrast, with every turning page, exposes the opening of emotions layered underneath. The translation is impeccable, with words pouring in the correct profundity. Any individual who has cherished and lost would end up inundated in Sujata's story and Mahasweta's delightful work. This book only made me fall in love with Devi much more than with what I started with. A definite must-read masterpiece.
Heartbreakingly beautiful and well nuanced, the narrative doesn’t help but definitely shakes one out of one’s sheltered reality to endure and feel a mother’s pain. Sujata’s life is well portrayed in sharp contrast by highlighting her inner turmoil dealing with her carefree and unfaithful husband. This 130-pages long novella is narrated as events of one day, the day Sujata gave birth to her son, only to lose him on the same day 20 years later, with chapters being morning, afternoon, late afternoon evening.
A poignant portrayal of resemblance and contrast, with every turning page, exposes the opening of emotions layered underneath. The translation is impeccable, with words pouring in the correct profundity. Any individual who has cherished and lost would end up inundated in Sujata's story and Mahasweta's delightful work. This book only made me fall in love with Devi much more than with what I started with. A definite must-read masterpiece.
_arch_'s review against another edition
4.0
4.5
The way this book is written is just beautiful and heart breaking all at the same time. The difference in the perspective combined with the beautiful writing style makes this book a must read
The way this book is written is just beautiful and heart breaking all at the same time. The difference in the perspective combined with the beautiful writing style makes this book a must read
mmillerb's review against another edition
5.0
আমার এই বইটির পড়ার দ্বিতীয় বার, কিন্তু বাংলায় প্রথম বার। দু’বছর আগে বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের প্রথম বছরে গায়ত্রী চক্রবর্তী স্পিভাকের রচনা অনুবাদে কার্যের কারণে আমি মহাশ্বেতাদি আর তাঁর জীবনের ক্লান্তিহীন প্রচেষ্টার বিষয়ে জেনেছি। আমার বিভাজনোত্তর দক্ষিণ এশিয়ার ইতিহাস, আদিবাসী স্থলভিত্তিক আন্দোলনগুলো এবং পৃথিবীব্যাপী সাম্যবাদী ধারণায় কৌতূহল ছিল (আর এখনও আছে)। এই বইটি আমার সবাই বন্ধুদের সুপারিশ করতে চাই।
harini's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.75
__booksandanimes__'s review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Why is it that when you don't like a book you have so much to say (rant) about it but when it comes to a book you loved, you are left incapable of writing a proper review.
This book is such a beautifully, translucently written description of a mother's grief for the son she had loved so much and yet all that I have to say surmises in the words, "I love it!" And I do, I really love this book.
Set in the midst of the Naxalite revolution of Kolkata, this relates the tale of a mother whose son, Brati, is reduced to the mere number, 1084. I loved every bit of this book, from beginning to the end. The poignancy of the prose where it lays out Sujata's thoughts as she realises the hypocrisy of the world she lives in and fully comes to terms with her son's death and what it symbolises, it truly is so soulfully written, even though it's but a translation of the original work.
There were so many moments where I came close to crying because the way the author had laid out Sujata's emotions were just so soulful. And the way Devi has built her mc's character, how amazingly realistic it is. We see her change throughout the narrative as she slowly realises what the death of her son really means. I also loved the complex dynamic the author had built between the many characters of the story and their personal struggles that made them more into real people than mere characters on paper.
Like I said, I loved this book too much. Even though this book was built on the basis of a violent revolutionary movement, it also showcased the side that most people never really got to see, the other side of the revolution that led to so many senseless deaths. It truly was one of the most wonderfully written and artfully crafted books I have read in a long time.
Bottom line: A poignant dealing of loss and grief of a mother.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 stars)
This book is such a beautifully, translucently written description of a mother's grief for the son she had loved so much and yet all that I have to say surmises in the words, "I love it!" And I do, I really love this book.
Set in the midst of the Naxalite revolution of Kolkata, this relates the tale of a mother whose son, Brati, is reduced to the mere number, 1084. I loved every bit of this book, from beginning to the end. The poignancy of the prose where it lays out Sujata's thoughts as she realises the hypocrisy of the world she lives in and fully comes to terms with her son's death and what it symbolises, it truly is so soulfully written, even though it's but a translation of the original work.
There were so many moments where I came close to crying because the way the author had laid out Sujata's emotions were just so soulful. And the way Devi has built her mc's character, how amazingly realistic it is. We see her change throughout the narrative as she slowly realises what the death of her son really means. I also loved the complex dynamic the author had built between the many characters of the story and their personal struggles that made them more into real people than mere characters on paper.
Like I said, I loved this book too much. Even though this book was built on the basis of a violent revolutionary movement, it also showcased the side that most people never really got to see, the other side of the revolution that led to so many senseless deaths. It truly was one of the most wonderfully written and artfully crafted books I have read in a long time.
Bottom line: A poignant dealing of loss and grief of a mother.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 stars)
wesleylebakken's review against another edition
4.0
intriguing, powerful narrative of a mother coming more closely to terms with her son’s death two years ago as she discovers not only who he was, but who she herself is as well
_chonklord_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-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