- Paperback: 588 pages
- Publisher: South Asia Books (December 2000)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0140268529
- ISBN-13: 978-0140268522
- Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 13.4 x 3.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 458 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,494,442 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A magnificent novel,
By Paromita Kar (Fremont, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Those Days (Paperback)
Excellent reading. Makes me want to take a stab at reading the original in Bengali. Loved the way he weaves fictional characters with historical ones. Very descriptive, a book you can really sink your teeth into.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews) 6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful portrayal,
By Pratip Mitra - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Those Days (Paperback)
This work by Sunil Gangopadhyay is a piece of historical fiction located around the mid 19th century period of Bengali renaissance. The author is an excellent storyteller; and although I haven't read the Bengali original, I figure the translation must be pretty good, since it was excellent reading. The scope of characters ranges from the feudal landlords (zamindars) totally sunk in pleasures of the flesh and wine, to the peasant who invariably bore the brunt of either their cruelty or that of the English indigo cultivators. The novel includes all the major players of that period such as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Michael Madhusudan Dutt etc. One thing that comes out in the book is the plight of women, especially of widows in that age. Looking back now, it seems as if it was almost inhuman. This was a period when the Bengalis were beginning to get an English education. Partly it was this exposure to another culture and value system which caused them to question and re-examine their own systems. This was the primary reason which gave rise to movements like those for widow re-marriage, the Brahmo Samaj etc. Also realising that they had to find an identity within their own roots, this group of educated people started schools and set in motion the process of improving their own Bengali language and create a body of literature within it. However as with all kinds of change, there is an inherent resistance to it, both at the level of the individual and society; and this struggle the author is able to bring about very aptly in the description of his characters. While I think the book is largely accurate historically; by the authors own admission, it is mixed with imaginary story telling and one should remember that it is a piece of fiction. Nevertheless, the author is able to brilliantly depict the culture of those times in the book. I would strongly recommend this book to someone who is interested in getting a feel of this period of intense cultural change in Bengal; a period which has had significant consequences on later Indian history. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A magnificent novel,
By Paromita Kar - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Those Days (Paperback)
Excellent reading. Makes me want to take a stab at reading the original in Bengali. Loved the way he weaves fictional characters with historical ones. Very descriptive, a book you can really sink your teeth into.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent and Engaging Book,
By T. Hughes - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Those Days (Paperback)
I highly recommend this book! It provides a good window into nineteenth century life in India through various well-developed characters. Not a short read, but a good one!
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