Customer Reviews

The Vendor of Sweets (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

R.K.Narayan's books offer a wonderfuly detailed and intricate view of the South Indian world,and The Vendor Of Sweets fits into this mould to a T.In this novel,the life of Jagan, the vendor of sweets, and the trials and tribulations of his life are wonderfully captured. What is refreshing, however, is the description of the South Indian way of life that is provided by Narayan--the way Jagan runs his business, the views,opinions he possesses,the fears he entertains.Narayan also vividly portrays the confusions and fears that a person from such a conventional milieu would face when thrown into unconventional situations-- such as having a foreigner for a daughter-in-law, for example. Being a South Indian myself, I can truly appreciate the imagery that his writing evokes, and can also vouchsafe for the fact that it is no easy task to put across to readers whatever he has managed to convey in his books.On the whole,to summarize this review in one sentence:read the book;you will not be disappointed.

I decided to read The Vendor of Sweets because it was on a list of important books that should be read and having read all the Western authors I decided to read the Asian ones as well. I also lived in India for a year as an American visiting scholar in New Delhi. I disagree with the other review in that I do not think the book provides a comprehensive view of life in India. It focuses in a very limited way on one person and his son and their relationship. The basic story line is simple enough. The owner of a candy store has a son who drops out of an Indian college, goes to the United States, gets married, and comes back to India with his wife and a half-baked idea to produce a machine that will write stories. The son wants his father to invest a lot of money in this idea, but the father has reservations.

I found the son to be a real jerk. He is totally self-absorbed, even at the start of the book, disrespectful of his father and just tries to use him to gain his own ends. The wife is minipulative. The father, for his part, condescends to the son, spoiling him along the way. I do not think this relationship is typical of Indian families.

I am giving it three stars which means it is worth reading but not at the expense of reading other books about India that are far more engrossing and informative.