Swami and Friends: Amazon.ca: R. K. Narayan: Books

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First Sentence
It was Monday morning. Read the first page

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Concordance

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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars a slice of life during the pre-independence days, Jun 29 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Swami and Friends (Paperback)

I bought this book based on my memory of the wonderful Indian series "Swami". while the stories from the series are not part of the book, I found the book to be absolutely fascinating. R.K.Narayan is surely one of the giants of Indian fiction!

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3.0 out of 5 stars Charming, but faulty, Jun 16 2001

By

MR G. Rodgers (London United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Swami and Friends (Paperback)

This is a charming book, depicting 1930s India as seen through the eyes of the schoolboy Swami. All the trials and tribulations of children's daily lives are there: strained relationships with adults (including of course teachers), and falling in and out of friendships with other children. Nothing remarkable or original in this subject matter, but of course there's the British Raj to add to life's complications: the strangeness of having Bible lessons in Indian schools, increasing political tensions and violence, and last but not least, cricket.

American readers who are not familiar with cricket have nothing to fear about the frequent references to it in the book - it's sufficient to know that cricket is a sport which was (and is) hugely popular in India - an added irony as its was adopted after the British brought it with them. However, it may help to know that Swami's nickname of "Tate" is after the famous England international cricketer, Maurice Tate (1895-1956), who was particularly famous in the 1920s and 1930s.

The book is generally well-written, but I found problems with the author's style. Swami's views of the world and the way he expresses himself are not consistently convincing - at times it reads more like the auther stating his own mature views rather than those that would be expressed by a ten year old boy. And, churlish though it may be, I couln't help a small laugh at a line like:

"The teacher came in and stood aghast. He could do little more than look on and ejaculate."

Though this probably says more about the state of my mind and sense of humor than about Narayan's writing.

"Swami and Friends" has a great deal of appeal, but many faults too. However, one must take into account that it was a first novel, and it certainly hasn't put me off reading more of Narayan.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Swami and Friends, May 16 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Swami and Friends (Paperback)

This Great book form R K Narayan made me remember my childhood and school days and those innocent years. Especially Swami's Grand mother, his friend Rajam and mani's characters touched the heart. This book has got lot of practical humor. Definately this book will keep you at a lighter mood and will make you to remember the stories for ever. Any guy born and brought up in India can find paralles between him and Swamy.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Children's book for the elders
An excellant presentation of child hood. The fictional autobiography of swamy, the little lovable mischievous boy from a small south indian villege is a true depiction of every... Read more

Published on Aug 31 2000 by Venkat Manthripragada

5.0 out of 5 stars The Indian equivalent of Tom Sawyer, only better
This fictionalized autobiography of a young Indian boy and his world is so charming and amusing that I have read it several times. Read more

Published on Nov 8 1999