My Favorite Book
Some read books to idle away their time. Some read books to widen their knowledge, while many others read books to enjoy it's content. I belong to this category. I enjoy reading good books particularly novels, short stories, plays, etc.
The world famous literary works of great authors such as Charles Dickens, Tolstoy, Dominique Lappiere, Rabindranath Tagore, R.k.Narayan, Arundhati Roy, Salman Rushdie, etc. have always charmed and thrilled me, giving waves of delight, leisure, relaxation and mental refreshment.
Among all, my favourite book is "City of joy" written by Dominique Lappiere. The book is a touching description of the lives of the slum dwellers of kolkata. The street urchins, cycle-rickshaw pullers, city vendors, coolies, pimp's, ordinary men and women are the real heroes and heroines of this story.
Their lives, their joys and suffering and their pitiable existance are vividly painted by the author. It is the story of the most unwanted people of the society's. But the author finds joy, courage, excellence, and fine qualities amidst this miserable existance. The story has touched me so much that I have read this book several times during the last few years.
The most attractive feature of the book, which impressed me most was the author's mention of minute details. The author does not give a picture of slums of kolkata from far but rather presents a realistic picture with its congested dwellings, dirty drains, narrow footpath, people's quarrels and fights, their feasts and festivals, etc.
The beauty of narration becomes all the more thrilling when it is realistic and true. No wonder why the book has won so much international acclaim. Secondly, the superb presentation of the scenes, characters and episodes whether important or unimportant in the story, keeps the reader spellbound throughout.
The language is simple and the style of narration is down to earth. The author's skill of characterisation is too exquisite to go unnoticed. When I read the book, a whole face of numerous lives open before me. Lappiere's art of story building is also most impressive.
Alsaba R Ansari.
Semester I ( Commerce )
