subject: The Story Of Ramayana Summary [print this page] Content: Content:
This book, is Book - I of the three part series. Called the "Age of Seers", it deals till the time Rama goes into exile.
Even before we pick up this book, the idea of Rama telling his story incites curiosity in us. I received this book as a part of BlogAdda's Book Review program. And I grabbed this opportunity, all eager to know what Rama had to say about himself.
Beginning
The book starts slow, let me warn you. And you might be disappointed in the beginning, because it takes some time before things fall into place. Basically the story builds on you, gradually. It takes time before you settle down to the pace and the style of author. That's not good. I consider this one of its negative points. Casual readers might get turned off.
Writing
The writing's good. I am no expert but the material seems well researched. It is, at most times, a joy to read. I must give a special mention of Mother Kaikeyi's character. This was the most surprising and most adorable part of this book. Ramayana short stories The author has made me rethink Kaikeyi's image in new light. To do that in such a short span of few chapters, is really commendable. I loved it ! That was truly the best part of the book for me. Kudos to the author on that !
Size
The book is relatively small and makes you wonder why the author thought of making it a three part novel. If the rest of the parts are of similar size, he could have easily made it into a single volume. I am sure he has a reason, if not creative then may be marketing/branding. But I couldn't really see a creative reason for it. How wonderful it would have been if he would have made it into a single volume ! But yes marketing-wise, it makes sense to build a market first and then launch the next product. Anyways, I'll stick to the literature part for now because that's none of my business. :)
Chapters
One thing that specifically came to my notice was that the chapters' names seem to completely lack creativity. All names started something like "My Tale : ", "Rishi's tale : " or similar. I was unimpressed ! *Dislike*
The Best parts
As I said the beginning was a bit unimpressive. But the flow picked up really well from the place where Vishwamitra's character takes Rama and Lakshman to the jungle. The author has successfully made it from thereon.
Kaikeyi's character was shown as a warrior princess who makes the ultimate sacrifice of being the cursed woman in return for the eternal glory of her son, Rama. It was an extremely interesting angle to the story.
The next best part of the book was Sage Vishwamitra's character. There is a part where he shows himself as fallible and hopelessly in love with Menaka. If we put ourselves in his shoes, he is one of the most powerful Sage, has a impeccable image of being all-powerful, omniscient. But he speaks of his follies and shows Rama and Lakshman his weaker and more mortal side. He was completely blunt & honest.
That's amazing because it takes courage to tell anyone of your weaknesses and past mistakes esp. when you are at such respected and highly revered position. The Story Of Lord Rama It tells me that everyone makes mistakes. But it is important that you accept it as a part of life, not be ashamed of your past. You should rather learn from it.
Conclusion
The book will keep you hooked. That might be more because the story of Ramayana continues to keep us in awe but nevertheless, the author also deserves credit for keeping it up through a good narration.
Overall, a worthwhile book to read.
Score : 3.5/5
This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!
