Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard
3 journalers for this copy...
From a charity shop in Leighton Buzzard.
My second Kiran Desai, and another good book by her. The narrative follows an eccentric Indian family, from a mother obsessed by food, to a son who decides to leave his normal life and live in a guava tree.
Sampath Chawala is a grown man, but not necessarily a grown-up. He lives with his family, his down-to-earth father wants him to knuckle down to his work, whereas his mother comes from a family line with more than its share of madness. One day, Sampath snaps, leaving the mundane life in the post office behind to go to the guava tree. The tree provides him with food and shelter, supplemented by the gifts his devotees start to bring him. One of gatherers is not what he seems, rather he is an undercover officer trying to catch Sampath out.
From Desai's pen comes a small village full of character and characters, and when a troop of alcohol-loving monkeys are added into the mix, you get a book that is both evocative and funny. Another LibraryThing reader recommended this for fans of Like Water for Chocolate, and I agree, though this book has more humour. Recommended.
My second Kiran Desai, and another good book by her. The narrative follows an eccentric Indian family, from a mother obsessed by food, to a son who decides to leave his normal life and live in a guava tree.
Sampath Chawala is a grown man, but not necessarily a grown-up. He lives with his family, his down-to-earth father wants him to knuckle down to his work, whereas his mother comes from a family line with more than its share of madness. One day, Sampath snaps, leaving the mundane life in the post office behind to go to the guava tree. The tree provides him with food and shelter, supplemented by the gifts his devotees start to bring him. One of gatherers is not what he seems, rather he is an undercover officer trying to catch Sampath out.
From Desai's pen comes a small village full of character and characters, and when a troop of alcohol-loving monkeys are added into the mix, you get a book that is both evocative and funny. Another LibraryThing reader recommended this for fans of Like Water for Chocolate, and I agree, though this book has more humour. Recommended.
Released into the Asian Bookbox.
Just taken from Soffitta1's Asia bookbox - many thanks.
Journal Entry 4 by Fellraven at The Crab Mill in Morton Bagot, Warwickshire United Kingdom on Saturday, August 24, 2013
Released 10 yrs ago (8/24/2013 UTC) at The Crab Mill in Morton Bagot, Warwickshire United Kingdom
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
Recently read and enjoyed. Left on a tree stump bench just inside the door.
Journal Entry 5 by AnonymousFinder at Henley-In-Arden, Warwickshire United Kingdom on Friday, December 6, 2013
Picked the book up at the Crabmill in Preston Bagott same day it was left in August. It is now travelling to Germany. Really enjoyed reading it!
Journal Entry 6 by AnonymousFinder at Bochum, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Saturday, June 21, 2014
The book was sent to Germany from England and it is still here, travelling around in the Ruhr Valley.
It was fun to read, I instantly fell in love with each of the eccentric characters Desai created.
It was fun to read, I instantly fell in love with each of the eccentric characters Desai created.