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elenia's review
4.0
This was a fairly simple book to read, once I got myself into it. It is compelling and interesting, but it wasn't until I reached the final paragraph that I felt it was truly beautiful.
cheshta's review
4.0
The English Teacher by RK Narayan is a part of the many novels and short stories set in the fictional town 'Malgudi'. I have grown watching Malgudi Days on TV and reading some short stories by the author but this was my 1st time picking up one of his full length novels. It is partly autobiographical in nature and is dedicated to Narayan's wife Rajam, who had died young due to typhoid.
The book opens with Krishna wondering about his profession as a teacher at Albert Mission College. We know about his job dissatisfaction from page 1. He thinks, what he teaches his students is not what he should be teaching, that education is redundant (of course, the author critics the Western education system, a subtle attack on colonialism). His conversations with his fellow teachers made the 1st part of the book enjoyable. So, did the arrival of his wife and daughter in Malgudi.
We see how bachelor Krishna adapts to a married life. From being clueless about dealing with young children to start loving his daughter's company. Susila, his wife is a practical and responsible lady who takes care of finances and Krishna loves her very much for all her qualities. To me, however, Susila seemed a bit too 'nosy' at times, taking liberty to change Krishna's things without talking to him first. But their relationship is beautiful. Krishna finds joy and peace in his domestic life. But this isn't to remain so for too long as Susila's death will shatter Krishna completely, making him forget even his daughter and solely focusing on 'contacting' his dead wife. Many people have called it magical realism, however, it seemed totally normal to me.
Now, the 2nd part was relatively dull, his boundless attempts at spiritually connecting with his deceased wife became repetitive after a while and I became frustrated. However, things become a bit better towards the end. The book left me with quite a lot to ponder about. Its not all happy in here but it had its happy moments. The sadness, however, is looming large over Krishna's life and the reader cannot help but feel his pain.
Rating- 3.5/5
The book opens with Krishna wondering about his profession as a teacher at Albert Mission College. We know about his job dissatisfaction from page 1. He thinks, what he teaches his students is not what he should be teaching, that education is redundant (of course, the author critics the Western education system, a subtle attack on colonialism). His conversations with his fellow teachers made the 1st part of the book enjoyable. So, did the arrival of his wife and daughter in Malgudi.
We see how bachelor Krishna adapts to a married life. From being clueless about dealing with young children to start loving his daughter's company. Susila, his wife is a practical and responsible lady who takes care of finances and Krishna loves her very much for all her qualities. To me, however, Susila seemed a bit too 'nosy' at times, taking liberty to change Krishna's things without talking to him first. But their relationship is beautiful. Krishna finds joy and peace in his domestic life. But this isn't to remain so for too long as Susila's death will shatter Krishna completely, making him forget even his daughter and solely focusing on 'contacting' his dead wife. Many people have called it magical realism, however, it seemed totally normal to me.
Now, the 2nd part was relatively dull, his boundless attempts at spiritually connecting with his deceased wife became repetitive after a while and I became frustrated. However, things become a bit better towards the end. The book left me with quite a lot to ponder about. Its not all happy in here but it had its happy moments. The sadness, however, is looming large over Krishna's life and the reader cannot help but feel his pain.
Rating- 3.5/5
vankouseonfrostification's review
1.0
This book is violently boring.
1.The rigid adherence to realism in the first half of the book forgets why we have fiction: to GET AWAY from reality.The book seems like its cobbled together from diary entries. This isn't what we want. We want a story, a plot, descriptions.What does this have? Unending,monotonous narration.
2.Violates the most basic rule of description: show not tell. (As vague a rule as that is)It tells us what's happening, what the protagonist feels, etc. but utterly fails to allow the reader to visualize it. As a result, the author's attention to detail becomes a test of the reader's resilience to monotony.
- I hope to periodically add to this review-
Some thoughts:
1. I believe that the only way to derive any value from this book is to read it with a literary microscope, to drag out the hints of themes and ideas the author never bothered to develop properly. Essentially, the only possible use of this book is as an exercise in literary analysis. We must put in what the author left out.
EDITED after some (very delayed) reflection.
1.The rigid adherence to realism in the first half of the book forgets why we have fiction: to GET AWAY from reality.The book seems like its cobbled together from diary entries. This isn't what we want. We want a story, a plot, descriptions.What does this have? Unending,monotonous narration.
2.Violates the most basic rule of description: show not tell. (As vague a rule as that is)It tells us what's happening, what the protagonist feels, etc. but utterly fails to allow the reader to visualize it. As a result, the author's attention to detail becomes a test of the reader's resilience to monotony.
- I hope to periodically add to this review-
Some thoughts:
1. I believe that the only way to derive any value from this book is to read it with a literary microscope, to drag out the hints of themes and ideas the author never bothered to develop properly. Essentially, the only possible use of this book is as an exercise in literary analysis. We must put in what the author left out.
EDITED after some (very delayed) reflection.
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