Customer Reviews

Seasons of Splendour: Tales, Myths & Legends of India

5 star:		(4)
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3 star:		(1)
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I admit it, I didn't read this book to a child...it was for me. The stories are enchanting, well-written and beautifully illustrated. Hindu mythology is very complex, but in this book the stories are clearly told. I especially liked the "personal touch" where the author has sprinkled in her own experiences and what the stories mean to her. The joint family system she grew up in was nostalgic for me (I also grew up in such a family) and would help explain this lifestyle to those unfamiliar with it. To sum up: a fascinating collection of stories and the pictures are pure eye-candy. I highly recommend this book.

I wholeheartedly disagree with the person that suggested that this book is only for very small children. This book is a wonderful "insiders" look at North Indian/Hindu culture, focusing particularly on the major religious narratives, festivals, and the culinary rituals surrounding them.

I grew up with this book (I'm 26 now) and periodically I sit down with it and re-read it because it is such a delight. The images of Madhur Jaffrey throwing chickpeas into the fire to roast them and scooping them out and eating them too quickly and scorching her mouth and fingers in her eagerness is just one of the delightful little moments of her childhood; the way she describes Holi (the paint-throwing day in India) is charming; and I will never forget how she describes her mother and sisters cooking fritters and sweet breads and other delicacies early in the morning before a fast, to tide them over for the rest of the day. The anecdotes are always beautifully linked in some way to the religious narratives, and it's a great way to gain access and insight into stories that might otherwise feel quite alien.

I highly recommend the book for parents who'd like to share with their children some non-western folktales/fairy tales, or for anyone who's interested in learning a little bit more about what it must have been like to grow up in India a generation ago.

So good a read-aloud book that it can be a life-long bonding experience for parent & child. A collection of indian stories soo good they've been around for 4000 years. They delight, enchant, inspire. Vibrant courage & valor! Big laughs! Illustrations are spectacular! A MUST!

The reading age for this book on the description page has been put in the range 9-12 years.Actually,6-9 would be a more apt range.While it is true that this book would be thoroughly enjoyed by children in that age group (to which the excellent illustration would have a lot of contribution),and also that it might be a book good for bedtime reading by parents to children ---it is certainly not meant for an adult audience.I decided to buy it for a non-Indian friend interested in Indian mythology.It certainly proved to be a big disappointment.For serious first-time adult readers of Indian mythology & legends, I would suggest the following : 'Ka:Stories of the Minds & Gods of India' by Roberto Calasso & Tim Parks, and 'Folktales of India :A Selection of Oral Tales from 22 Languages' by A.K.Ramanujan.When one reads translations of any mythology meant for an adult audience (Greek mythology,for example) what marks a good translation from the bad is whether the language has a cadence particular to the rendition of mythology,whichever part of the world it might be from.Also, a book of Indian legends read by adults should not be as supercondensed as this one, as to lose all sense of detail. So if you are looking for an adult perspective on Indian mythology or legends,please don't try this book--you will be getting a very trivialised picture of Indian mythology.Indian culture would suffer by comparision if you took this book to be the yardstick for its narration. However,it should be kept in mind that this book is indeed a good buy for children in the age group 6-9, & the site actually does a good job of officially recommending it for a readership almost similar to that.

Seasons of Splendour was a wonderful book. Many ancient tales were beatifuly woven together. My personal favorite was the birth of Krishna.