Scan barcode
b00kw0rm113's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
decent mystery book. didn't have any thriller aspect to it, but thats fine. but, god, the misogyny in this book made me want to throw it out the window.
anushkaarvind's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
riyasing's review
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
One must read these Bandopadhyay short story collections at least once in life.
ravipotter's review
4.0
I'm taken quite a liking to Byomkesh babu and Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. His finesse in constructing the stories only has increased as years progressed. I understand that the stories included in this volume are written towards the latter part of his career, and the refinement and evolution are evident. Well, without too many words, the simple statement would be to go and read it and enjoy!
However I've a small niggle over the translation. It seems that, at some places the translator was deliberately trying it up the ante with regards to the word game, almost as if replacing some words with their synonyms, just for the effect. I am not one for replacing a word with a synonym where it wasn't exactly needed. For example the translator says in context of refusing an invitation, 'but it would be churlish to refuse', now that's a phrase we don't hear often and also was rather unnecessary. A more simple rude to refuse would work very well, besides, it is more common in the language, to the extent that the phrase 'rude to refuse' appears around 76 times more in general than the phrase used by the author. The author's original style of writing in plain-speak is lost in such cases when the translated work picks the rarer word usage to the most common one. It would have been totally fine by me if the original text by the author was more about flowery language, but as I talked with my Bengali friends I realised that wasn't the case. That is my small quibble here.
Nevertheless a must read, and I am very thankful for the translator for giving us non Bengalis a chance to read the work of a great master.
However I've a small niggle over the translation. It seems that, at some places the translator was deliberately trying it up the ante with regards to the word game, almost as if replacing some words with their synonyms, just for the effect. I am not one for replacing a word with a synonym where it wasn't exactly needed. For example the translator says in context of refusing an invitation, 'but it would be churlish to refuse', now that's a phrase we don't hear often and also was rather unnecessary. A more simple rude to refuse would work very well, besides, it is more common in the language, to the extent that the phrase 'rude to refuse' appears around 76 times more in general than the phrase used by the author. The author's original style of writing in plain-speak is lost in such cases when the translated work picks the rarer word usage to the most common one. It would have been totally fine by me if the original text by the author was more about flowery language, but as I talked with my Bengali friends I realised that wasn't the case. That is my small quibble here.
Nevertheless a must read, and I am very thankful for the translator for giving us non Bengalis a chance to read the work of a great master.
sunnyhere's review
4.0
Byomkesh Bakshi is the absolute best when he is weaving the web of mystery surpassed only by Arthur Conan Doyle.
It is difficult to get the nuances when you are reading something translated and meant to be read in the original language it is written in. However Sreejeet Guha does a good job here and has tried to come as close as possible to the author's thoughts.
All in all a must read for Indian mystery lovers.
It is difficult to get the nuances when you are reading something translated and meant to be read in the original language it is written in. However Sreejeet Guha does a good job here and has tried to come as close as possible to the author's thoughts.
All in all a must read for Indian mystery lovers.
More...