Most helpful customer reviews
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5.0 out of 5 stars
What's wrong with being a beast?, Jan 25 2003
The protagonist of this story is a tiger! He is young and ferocious (as we all fancy we are), he faces the cruelties of the world (being made into a show animal), he reacts through murder and carnage (as might be natural for a tiger), and he evolves into a philosophical and detached being, no longer quite " a beast." The story of his evolution into an enlightened soul is uplifting.
The message, I think, is that every soul, not just human, has a consciousness, and strives for something. The proof in the power of Narayan's crystal clear narrative is that the reader feels for the tiger, respects him, and admires him for the soul he has become. (Few lucky folks can attain the state of this smart cat!) Like many Narayan stories, he tackles a challenging premise and makes it appear effortless. READ THIS! READ THIS!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A different kind of classic, Sep 7 2002
Is it true than only human beings can think? Do not animals have the ability to think? Well, never mind; but what if they did? Well, if animals did think, then you get a classic book, 'A Tiger for Malgudi' by name. I picked this book up because R.K. Narayan is my favorite author. And when I read the title, I thought the story was about how a man-eater or something enters Malgudi and terrifies the townsfolk and the like. But the blurb bemused me. Wait a minute, this book is different, I thought. And it really was. The entire story is narrated by a tiger. It recounts its younger days, how it gets caught and is made to perform in a circus, how it escapes only to be captivated by the magical powers of a saint who leads it into the forest. An entertaining philosophical discourse follows, and finally the saint entreats the tiger to enter the protection of a zoo. The entire novel can be completed in a couple of hours, but when one recounts the tale, one will break into fits of laughter. The humor and sarcasm are so very characteristic of Narayan. And there is no better scene in the story as the one when the tiger enters a local school. If anything, you'll discover India in that one scene.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Narayan at his average, and he is still better than the rest, Feb 7 1998
By A Customer
Narayan at his average, and he still is way better than the rest of the world! Set in his beloved Malgudi, Narayan never ceases to amaze me!
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by Michael Gorra
