Customer Reviews

The Conch Bearer

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Divakaruni's exotic adventure "The Conch Bearer" stands out among the many palid children fantasies out there. Her characters are fresh, vivid, and 3-dimensional, and she sucks you into the Indian setting showing you and ultimately making you appreciate their culture. Anand is not enjoying his life when the story starts. Ever since his father left for a job in America, every day that passes erodes the hope from Anand that he might come back. Money becomes short and soon Anand's mother can't afford to send him or his sister to school anymore and Anand has to go and get a job for the horrible Haru. One day, Anand is kind to a strange man, Abhaydatta, who ultimately whisks him away on a grand adventure and entrusts Anand with the task to safely return the all powerful Conch to the Silver Valley; a nirvana high in the mountains. Anand must do this all the while trying to keep the Conch from the greedy Surabhanu. This story may not sound all that original, but Divakaruni's Indian setting and vivid characters give it a fresh spin that left me clamoring for the sequel. Don't miss out on this magical adventure.

Characters to care about...food you can almost taste, weather you'd swear you feel...if you like Harry Potter-type stories (with magic and a boy with a destiny) and Lord of the Rings style adventure (a wise old man, a dangerous journey, the responsibility of bearing a powerful, sought after object) than you will love this tale. Author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has a way with words. Her descriptions are always rich and luscious and savory, at the same time her style also manages to keep you reading to the next chapter and the next. Be careful! You may miss your stop on the train reading her stuff! For children, this book and NEELA'S SONG are so exciting you won't want to put them down. Her work for adult readers is just as riveting and captivating.

The Conch Bearer starts with a young Indian boy named Anand in the middle of what starts off as a routine day. He is a 12-year-old boy who because of his circumstances has to labor for minimal wages under a mean and nasty boss named Haru. Anand and his family are coping as best they can after having lost contact and support from his father. He can no longer afford the luxury of going to school, which was difficult for his mother as well as himself. It also pains her that her son has to work and live in such difficult circumstances, but she also appreciates the help she gets from Anand working. Anand's love for his family is great and he is more than willing to work to help. Throughout the story the book touches on some difficult aspects about life in India. Though it would be a great read for all, perhaps it best relates to students with a background in another country or who are growing up poor having to make sacrifices for the well being of the whole family. Anand even recognizes that his own fate isn't as bad as his friend Nisha who knows no family and lives on the street every night. What helps Anand through it all is his desire to help people and a belief that things will change for the better. A self-sacrificing act of kindness sets this young boy on his journey as the conch bearer. It is not an easy journey, as Anand has to struggle mostly against his own self and through feelings of jealousy and distrust in order to successfully return the conch.

I read and reviewed this book for a book competition; the aim, to encourage young readers to read more.

The Conch Bearer is an imaginative, exquistely told narrative of adventure and fantasy. It is barrels of fun to read up until the last few chapters. Those chapters are not consistent with the rest of the story.

The Conch Bearer follows a poor boy named Anand who lives in a shack with his mother and mentally ill sister, Meera. Anand is laughed at by school children and has to work many hours every day just to earn a few dollars a month. Then one day, a sorcerer named Abhaydatta follows Anand home and heals Meera. Abhaydatta then invites Anand to follow him on a mystical quest to return the magical conch to the Brotherhood.

I love Anand and his family. I love Nisha, the adorable street girl who accompanies Anand and Abhaydatta to become the first Sister of the Brotherhood.

The one thing that absolutely ruins the story happens near the end when Anand forces his family to forget all about him so he can join the brotherhood without guilt. The story would have been so hopeful and good if it had not been for the conclusion.

The Conch Bearer is a good read, but the ending is not consistent with any of the story's values.

This was a really beautifully written novel that reminded me of A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park mixed up with Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance. A poor young boy is asked by a powerful sorcerer to help him bring back the sacred conch to the silver valley. A sweeper girl sort of tags along much to the dismay of both of them, but does wind up being an important asset. Along the way, they must decide who to trust as the evil sorcerer who originally stole the conch tries to get it back. At the end, the boy must decide if he wants to stay and be a healer and the bearer of the conch with the monks, or return to his loving family, reunited and healed since his absence.

The descriptions of food were so vivid in this novel I actually went out to my fave Indian restaurant upon finishing it, and then bought some frozen samosas and some other Indian foods after it. It was really an enjoyable book, but I give it four stars because I just felt something was missing. The description of the culture was great, but I wonder if it would have been if I didn't know all about the food prior to reading it. The battles between good and evil should have been much more dramatic. It took me about a week to get halfway through it, and then I finally got hooked. I can't really explain what was missing, but there was a little something. Still, it was really an excellent book.

The Conch Bearer is a very interesting book. It captures the best of both the American and Indian lifestyles. The story takes place in modern day India. The main character, Anand, was once the son of a very rich and prominent builder in the busy streets of Kalkota. The business in Kalkota was taking a turn for the worst in terms of economic balance. Anand's father was one of the few men who went to work in a different area. He left Anand's mother in charge of him and his little sister. Anand was a very bright child and loved going to school more than anything in the else. For a few months his father sent the family most of the money that he acquired from his job. After some time though, his letters stopped coming in and Anand's mother had to sell the villa that they lived in. Anand had to stop going to school and start working at a nearby tea stall.

Just by reading these first few pages of the book, I sensed that it would definitely be a page-turner. The book showed that even in a world of total darkness and evil, there can still exist good. The story revolves around Anand and a mystical conch of which he trusted to keep safely. The main villain is an evil man named Surabhanu. He seeks to use the conch in order to rule the world and bring chaos to all those who oppose him.

I found that the story was very easy to understand and that it was also very exciting. The main message in the story was to believe in yourself and have faith in your dreams. Anand found that he had to believe in his dreams very early in the story. All of his life (especially while living in the slums) Anand hoped for something bigger and better in life. When Abhaydhatta came along and sensed this in Anand, he went and spoke to him. Anand, willingly enough, was dragged along and participated in helping the Brotherhood. Needless to say that the whole mission would have gone down the drain if Abhaydhatta was not there to help. Anand also found that believing in himself was the key to unlocking the Conch's hidden powers.

My favorite part of the whole story was when Anand was finally allowed to go to the Brotherhood's headquarters in the Himalayas. Anand was shown around the Brotherhood's entire base and he finally felt at home. Before he was truly "one" of the Brotherhood, Anand had to make a choice of whether he wanted to go back to his family or stay and learn the ways of these people. Before making his choice, Anand consulted Abhaydhatta on what to do. He then showed Anand what would have happened if everyone forgot who he was, and he was able to compare his two lives. In the end, Anand chose to stay with the Brotherhood and was made their newest Keeper. At first he was angered that everyone was able to see the Conch and that he would have to share it, but later, the Conch told him that it was more Anand's than any of the other's in the Brotherhood.

The book takes you to the Silver Valley in the Himalayas - full of fantasy, action and adventure. People of all ages will enjoy.

Excellent book for pre-teens and adults. As always the author delivers a great story with great character development, you feel as though you are right there with them during their adventure.

The setting of the story is in Kolkata, India. It is about a boy who works in a tea stall striving to help his mother and sister who is ill.
One day an old man walks in the store and the store owner yells and insults him to leave, But Arnand shows remorse and gives the man some tea and food. Seeing the compassion in Arnads heart the old man follows him home, and invites him to go on a journey with him to return the magical conch.
With this man he goes on a journey across the Himalayas to bring the "conch to safety." During his journey Arnad gets tested on his courage, honesty and loyalty. In the end when he reaches the Silver Valley he is asked which of these virtues he believes is most important. If he chooses the right one he can become a member of the brotherhood, but the wrong choice and he goes back home.
The purpose of this story is to teach people about courage and making choices for yourself. I think this was a well written story and I really enjoyed it.

Reading this kinda me of Harry Potter and LOTR but with its own ethnic quality, Hindi culture. The main character tought and acted with understandable weakness and has his own strength (not a superhero though) but sometimes he got me depressed by his ignorance. Well, I sometimes get depressed by my ignorance too.

What impressed me most is how fast-paced but full story it was without abandoning the feeling of its reader. I cried and smiled with Anand, Nisha and Abhaydatta and I really like the tied up ends though it is very open to be continued in the next sequence(s).