Skip to main content

Review: 1/7 Bondel Road by Gautam Benegal.


Book: 1/7 Bondel Road

Author: Gautam Benegal 

Pages: 123 

Read On: Paperback 

How Long It Took Me To Read: 2 days 

Plot Summary: A collection of short-stories all set in the same para (locality) of Calcutta. Stories of family, childhood adventures and growing-up in 1970s Calcutta. 

General Thoughts: I randomly came across this book when I was browsing on Amazon, and I got it primarily because it sounded cutesy and fun and nostalgic and it was for realllly, really cheap. I am so glad I did! 

Things I Liked: 

1. I read this book at an incredibly right time, right now I am in West Bengal, surrounded my family who constantly talk about their childhood and this book just was the perfect little read for me at this time. 

2. The stories also reminded me of my own childhood. Of having 'building friends', meaning friends who lived in the same apartment building as mine. It reminded me of the games we played and the little adventures we had. Anything that gets me all nostalgic is a good thing be. 

3. Though set in the same para, this book covers a whole lot. The range of these stories is rather remarkable. Some are funny, some poignant and others strangely tragic but I enjoyed them all equally. 

4. These stories are all told from the perspective of a child and when done well, I enjoy this way of story telling and it was done rather well in this book. 

5. This book also reminded me of childhood summers I spend in South Calcutta. So I had a particularly easy picturing the set up of this book. 

6. The characters in this book were all immensely likable and real. 

7. This was such a fun and nice read. I breezed through this book and wanted more from this world. 

Rating: 4/5 
Labels:

Comments

jyoti kerkar said…
Me too share the same view about the book , ain't there a story about baul music ? Read nearly 4 years back so.. wonderful book !!
19 January 2015 at 17:02
Pooja T said…
Yeah...there is, the very first story is about a baul singer.
20 January 2015 at 18:24
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book Review: The Gopi Diaries Finding Love by Sudha Murty.

  Book: The Gopi Diaries Finding Love  Author: Sudha Murty  Illustrator: Sandhya Prabhat  Publishers: Harper Collins India  Pages: 136  How Long it Took Me To Read: Under and hour.  Plot Summary:   Gopi, I can't believe a year has passed since I met you. You have brought me so much happiness!' In this second book in the bestselling Gopi Diaries series, Gopi is stronger, bigger, more confident than the little pup he was in the first book, but he is also cheekier and more mischievous! He faces new situations, new challenges, even new dog companions with endless energy and spirit. And then comes the day when he faces the biggest surprise of them all... Written in Sudha Murty's inimitable style, this simple story told from a dog's perspective shows us just why pets are so precious - for their love, devotion and boundless affection. This is a book for Sudha Murty's fans of all ages as Gopi paws himself yet again into the hearts of children and adults...
Post a Comment
Read more

Book Review: The Room on the Roof by Ruskin Bond.

Some snippets of the stunning art inside the book!  Book: The Room on the Roof Author: Ruskin Bond Illustrator: Ahlawat Gunjan Pages: 171 Read On: Hardback How Long It Took Me To Read: 3 days or so. Plot Summary:   Rusty, a sixteen-year-old Anglo-Indian boy, is orphaned and has to live with his English guardian in the claustrophobic European part in Dehra Dun. Unhappy with the strict ways of his guardian, Rusty runs away from home to live with his Indian friends. Plunging for the first time into the dream-bright world of the bazaar, Hindu festivals and other aspects of Indian life, Rusty is enchanted … and is lost forever to the prim proprieties of the European community.  General Thoughts: This book is super special. Not only this 60th anniversary edition an absolute beauty. This is also a signed copy I picked up from Mussoorie when I was in Landour earlier in the year. This is perhaps one of Ruskin Bond's mo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Grandma's Bag of Stories by Sudha Murthy.

Book: Grandma's Bag of Stories Author: Sudha Murthy Pages: 176 Read On: Paperback How Long It Took Me Read: 2 hours Plot Summary:   When Grandma opens her bag of stories, everyone gathers Around. Who can resist a good story, especially when it’s being told by Grandma? From her bag emerges tales of kings and cheats, monkeys and mice, bears and gods. Here comes the bear who ate some really bad dessert and got very angry; a lazy man who would not put out a fire till it reached his beard; a princess who got turned into an onion; a queen who discovered silk, and many more weird and wonderful people and animals. Grandma tells the stories over long summer days and nights, as seven children enjoy life in her little town. The stories entertain, educate and provide hours of enjoyment to them. So come, why don’t you too join in the fun? General Thoughts: I've read quite a few Sudha Murthy books this year and really enjoyed them. I find them soothing, simple a...
1 comment
Read more