Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Guru of Love : A Novel by Samrat Upadhyay ISBN: 0-618-24727-0 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co Pub. Date: 16 January, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $23.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.55 (11 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Terrific Novel
Comment: The Guru of Love is a terrific read. It is entertaining, engaging and well-written. The story concerns a middle-aged school teacher, Ramchandra, living in Katmandu. He has a wife he loves, two children and annoying in-laws who don't seem to like him that much. Ramchandra has middle class dreams of owning a house, but his realities keep him from that dream. To pick up some extra money, he tutors on the side. One of his tutees, Malati, is a young single mother with whom Ramchandra beomes a bit obsessed with. He begins an affair with her and ultimately, his wife finds out. His wife's behavior, while a little unconventional, makes for interesting reading. Ramchandra is not the most sympathetic of protagonists, but he is all to human and most readers will see bits of themselves in him, if not in his actions. The final resolutions of various parts of the novel (why Ramchandra's wife married him in the first place, what happens to Malati) are particularly satisfying. Not neat, tidy endings, but an excellent, and a bit amusing, ending. Enjoy this well-written novel.
Rating: 3
Summary: Enjoyable Setting
Comment: Despite an uncreative plot, Upadhyay's "The Guru of Love" is an enjoyable book. The story centers around a married character named Ramchandra who finds himself attracted to one of his young math students named Malati. Ramchandra's wife Goma senses the attraction and she tries to teach her husband a lesson by letting Malati move in with their family and sleep in Ramchandra's bed. Unsurprisingly, Ramchandra struggles with his physical desire for Malati and his emotional desire for his wife. Unless the reader has never seen a soap opera or is too young to recall Bill and Hillary Clinton's marital saga, he or she or she will conclude early on that Goma stands by her man.
This novel is notable not for the boring love triangle but for its descriptions of Kathmandu and the many Hindu holidays and festivals that the family celebrates. The reader is transported to a city where an extramarital seduction in a temple means having monkeys wander in on the scene to watch Ramchandra and Malati consumate their desire for one another. There are also a number of descriptions of Hindu religious practices which include animal sacrifices, prayers to goddesses, and funeral services. Most interesting are the descriptions of modern Kathmandu as Ramchandra tries to adjust to his life in an overcrowded city that is on the brink of a political revolution.
You won't walk away from this novel having learned ancient Nepali love techniques like the title implies, but you will have been transported to another culture and it may leave you feeling so intrigued you find yourself planning a vacation to this region of the world. Overall, this is a very quick read and I believe that many people will enjoy this novel if they look deeper than the basic plotline.
Rating: 2
Summary: Not so impressive
Comment: I had heard some big comments about this book. I think thats because readers were expecting to read more interesting novel by The Auther. But, when i read the book i didn't find anything to impress me. The character build up in this novel is not impressive. Auther tries to relate the story with contemporary events in the country but that has nothing to do in fact with the title and mean theme of the book. Goma in this novel is shown so wide and kind hearted, which of course doesn't represent the women from Nepal. Goma is a nepali women and nepali women can't act that way. The character of Malati is also not understandable. Readers can't get enough from her. Her actions in the story simply don't make any sense!
However, there are some good things to get from this. Auther tries to tell the reality of a middle class teacher in Kathmandu. It, more or less describes the life standard of such persons even though they are educated.
 |
Title: Arresting God in Kathmandu by Samrat Upadhyay ISBN: 0618043713 Publisher: Mariner Books Pub. Date: 02 August, 2001 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
 |
Title: Brick Lane: A Novel by Monica Ali ISBN: 0743243307 Publisher: Scribner Pub. Date: 09 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
 |
Title: The Namesake : A Novel by Jhumpa Lahiri ISBN: 0395927218 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co Pub. Date: 16 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
 |
Title: Darjeeling: A Novel by Bharti Kirchner ISBN: 0312316062 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 16 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
 |
Title: For Matrimonial Purposes by Kavita Daswani ISBN: 0399150706 Publisher: Putnam Pub Group Pub. Date: 19 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
