Ruskin Bond is back! This time, a collection of stories and anecdotes that you may have read in some of his earlier books like "Landour Days" and "The Lamp is Lit". Alongwith some new stories to rekindle the reading habit amongst today's school kids in portly format. A refreshing read as always. Ruskin Bond speaks with authority on the subject of what a child goes through at school and what endears him or her that no longer seems so easy to decipher in this age of multiple distractions like TV and mobiles and social media. Ruskin Bond recounts what it felt like to go to school, savour the school library, discuss literature with teachers and avuncular elders. A true lover of English literature, more than the English peers, Ruskin Bond gives a delectable excursion into the world of books and authors, of birds and bees (not the variety we now associate with) and what it means to grow up in the halycon years of Shimla, Dehradun , Mussourie and other stations his family caravan took him to.
Ruskin Bond is at his masterly best whether he talks about Wodehouse, Dickens, Walpole or others who left literary trails on his style - which still remains unaffected and distinctively simple. There are legions of his fans who like what he writes without an year's back since publishing his first novel at age 17 or early. I also find there are many others who don't relish his style of writing for whatever reasons - too rustic, too prosaic, too little variety, too much of autobiographical narratives, not so vigorous and sparkling. For all those who err on the hate-side of Ruskin Bond - pick this book or give it to your ward to read it aloud - and lets compare notes if the book doesn't hold upto its promise. I recommend this book for anyone who likes Ruskin Bond or English literature - and for those who don't like to read him too for the simple pleasures of life they forgot to relate to. For school kids, this book will be another sure-fire hit. Good to find a third publisher - Ratna Sagar - which publishes academic books - give a neat cover and an elegant font to highlight the stories that make Ruskin Bond India's best-loved English-born Indian writer in English. Its a nice gift for any parent struggling to get kids interested in books and the early trappings of reading.
At School with Ruskin Bond, price Rs.185, pub: Ratna Sagar.
Ruskin Bond is at his masterly best whether he talks about Wodehouse, Dickens, Walpole or others who left literary trails on his style - which still remains unaffected and distinctively simple. There are legions of his fans who like what he writes without an year's back since publishing his first novel at age 17 or early. I also find there are many others who don't relish his style of writing for whatever reasons - too rustic, too prosaic, too little variety, too much of autobiographical narratives, not so vigorous and sparkling. For all those who err on the hate-side of Ruskin Bond - pick this book or give it to your ward to read it aloud - and lets compare notes if the book doesn't hold upto its promise. I recommend this book for anyone who likes Ruskin Bond or English literature - and for those who don't like to read him too for the simple pleasures of life they forgot to relate to. For school kids, this book will be another sure-fire hit. Good to find a third publisher - Ratna Sagar - which publishes academic books - give a neat cover and an elegant font to highlight the stories that make Ruskin Bond India's best-loved English-born Indian writer in English. Its a nice gift for any parent struggling to get kids interested in books and the early trappings of reading.
At School with Ruskin Bond, price Rs.185, pub: Ratna Sagar.
