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