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readcraftdanceaway's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
kstim's review
3.0
To preface this review, it is not my place to make any commentary about the culture and particular regional and era specific aspects of the novel. What I can remark on is how the author's (and Bimal's for that matter) narrative portrays a conflict between a nationalist movement and a more slightly pro globalism attitude which is reflective of the country's current political climate. Moreso a discussion about what it means to be of India, to be Indian, and to what to defines Mother India. Rooted into the economic conflicts of its time, the storytelling is poignant in capturing a nation divided. It seems that even alike America, our old problems come back to haunt our doorsteps. The issues of nationalism coupled with commentary on cow lynching and anti-Muslim sentiment are a recurring theme throughout history. Be it that we look back on our past and learn from it.
joutha's review against another edition
if ur not reading the bangla version, its not worth reading at all
jackelz's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
“When her passion is roused she loses her sensibility for all that is outside it. When, like the river, we women keep to our banks, we give nourishment with all that we have: when we overflow them we destroy with all that we are.”
Originally written in Bengali and published in 1916, THE HOME AND THE WORLD reflects Tagore's own inner conflict between embracing modern ideas and rejecting Western domination.
Nikhil is a wealthy Bengali landowner, and Bimala is his traditional wife. He encourages her to venture out into the world, but she doesn’t really have a political awakening until she meets Sandip. Their love triangle unfolds against the backdrop of the 1905 Partition of Bengal, while the two men clash regarding their position on the Swadeshi movement (foreign goods vs. domestic production).
This was a very character driven story. I wanted to love Bimala, but Nikhil ended up being the only likable character for me. He seemed to be only level headed one, as he truly wanted what was best for his wife. But Bimala got swept away by the sweet talking Sandip, then betrays Nikhil, and look how that turned out.
I learned about the Partition of Bengal and the Swadeshi movement, so I still count that as a win.
kara999's review
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ohwildesoul's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.0
stephh's review against another edition
informative
reflective
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
2.0
kookie_arsh's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I liked Nikhil the best out of everyone and everything in the book.
maketeaa's review against another edition
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
the thing is, i think i'm always going to love the way tagore uses symbolism. it just itches a part of my brain like nothing else. and it's literally for that reason ONLY that i am giving this four stars, because otherwise it probably would've been much lower.
i think my main issue with this book is that it read less like a novel and more like an essay, or a speech, or a manifesto of sorts -- which does make sense, considering many of its lines were lifted from tagore's own existing lectures on nationalism. set during the swadeshi movement, the story follows the characters nikhil, bimala, and sandip through their journal entries, and their conflicting relationships to to the concept of indian nationalism. nikhil and sandip represent the opposing ideas -- the arrogant, fiery swadeshi activist sandip, and the peace-spreading nikhil, who despises the violence behind the protests. bimala is caught in between the two men. while aware of how purely her husband adores her and takes care of her, she is chagrined by his lack of fire, his incapacity to fight back, and is attracted to sandip's irresistible tenacity and leadership of his swadeshi followers. the story is evidently supposed to be a treatise against violent nationalism, framing it as a seductive, deceptive thing, seemingly liberated by its dismissal of morals while dragging those that are vulnerable under its own form of oppression. but i feel like, regarding the swadeshi movement and the fight for indian independence, this kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth. i think the analogy used in this story misses a lot of important factors that should be considered in the context of british rule in india before it can be considered a successful parable. this story was kind of a miss for me
but like, im bengali, we have a framed photo of tagore in our house, so still, four stars.
i think my main issue with this book is that it read less like a novel and more like an essay, or a speech, or a manifesto of sorts -- which does make sense, considering many of its lines were lifted from tagore's own existing lectures on nationalism. set during the swadeshi movement, the story follows the characters nikhil, bimala, and sandip through their journal entries, and their conflicting relationships to to the concept of indian nationalism. nikhil and sandip represent the opposing ideas -- the arrogant, fiery swadeshi activist sandip, and the peace-spreading nikhil, who despises the violence behind the protests. bimala is caught in between the two men. while aware of how purely her husband adores her and takes care of her, she is chagrined by his lack of fire, his incapacity to fight back, and is attracted to sandip's irresistible tenacity and leadership of his swadeshi followers. the story is evidently supposed to be a treatise against violent nationalism, framing it as a seductive, deceptive thing, seemingly liberated by its dismissal of morals while dragging those that are vulnerable under its own form of oppression. but i feel like, regarding the swadeshi movement and the fight for indian independence, this kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth. i think the analogy used in this story misses a lot of important factors that should be considered in the context of british rule in india before it can be considered a successful parable. this story was kind of a miss for me
but like, im bengali, we have a framed photo of tagore in our house, so still, four stars.