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tvemuganti's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
pinkballoon100's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
rufaiya_ahmed's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
gipsyt's review against another edition
3.0
परिचित प्रेम कहानियों की लीक से हटकर लिखी गई कथा है. उपन्यास के नायक का मार्मिक अंत प्रेम की सीमाओं और उससे पैदा होने वाले विकारों को बड़े क्रूर ढंग से चित्रित करता है. किन्तु कहीं कुछ खोया हुआ सा लगता है इसका कारण शायद बांग्ला से हिंदी में किया गया अनुवाद हो या शायद इस उपन्यास के लेखन के समय लेखक की मनोदशा हो. पढ़ने पर लेखक का क्रोध और प्रेम के प्रति रोष स्पष्ट झलकता है. श्रीकान्त की तुलना में मैं इसे कमतर ही मानूँगा.
magneto's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
As a long time fan of the movie since it came out, I finally picked up the book. I didn't expect it to be so quick but even though it was a fast read the story covered a lot of ground. It was interesting to see the differences between the 2002 film and the book. Guha's translation was really engaging and the story flowed well. It would be tough to say I liked Devdas as a character but he had his moments.
srkeya's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
thefauxwriter's review against another edition
4.0
Anybody who has watched the movie, will not believe how short this book is.
It was like a storytelling lesson for me. The Authors fills decades of story in mere 100 pages and there is no such moment when you feel rushed.
It is a beautiful poignant saga of friendship, love, family and morality.
I was in awe every page.
See, this is why I say books are always better than movies. The movie Devdas by Sanjay Leela Bansali is such a melodramatic cry-fest and he fails to capture the essence of the book! That time is fleeting and nothing is permanent.
Must read.
It was like a storytelling lesson for me. The Authors fills decades of story in mere 100 pages and there is no such moment when you feel rushed.
It is a beautiful poignant saga of friendship, love, family and morality.
I was in awe every page.
See, this is why I say books are always better than movies. The movie Devdas by Sanjay Leela Bansali is such a melodramatic cry-fest and he fails to capture the essence of the book! That time is fleeting and nothing is permanent.
Must read.
singh_reads_kanwar2's review against another edition
3.0
Some of the facts are over-exaggerated and other drinking is like living for him... Interesting play to read
isobel_shobs's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I cannot pin down the exact reason for loving this book. The tale is poignant and sad and I like it.
levendir1021's review against another edition
3.0
Actual rating: 3.25/5
"I know that love is one thing, and lust or the fascination of beauty, quite another, but they are often mistaken for the same thing."
Devdas is a story about love, unrequited love. And a man who is the orchestrator of his own misery.
Honestly, I didn't enjoy the start of this book at all. Devdas is mean and unlikely and I could not understand why Parvati likes him as much as she does. Someone else has suggested Stockholm syndrome and I would say that that isn't all to unrealistic.
I'm glad I pushed through though because in a way he gets what he deserves and so does she and I actually really ended up enjoying the ending.
Sadly this book is lacking all the brilliance of an actual Bollywood film. And I don't mean that we can't physically see it but that also the description gives nothing of the sort. The fact that it's a novella doesn't help in this regard as it's solely focused on the love story with very little around it, leaving a lot of room for interpretation. At many times is felt as if it was just the backbone of an amazing story that someone should eventually work around and bring it to life (and maybe that is what the films do) but it feels very rushed here. I constantly felt that I wanted more character depth and slower story progression which is why I'd say that this book suffers from serious pacing issues, especially at the start, it does get better as it goes on.
All that criticism aside, I felt that it was a lovely little story after we got over the protagonist's childhood and there were many moments that struck me as very realistic yet sometimes sad. And I was strangely satisfied (for lack of a better word) with how it all ended.
One little comment on the side, the eBook version has quite a few formating errors and I even spotted a grammar error or two, hence I would recommend reading a physical copy instead (in any case, avoid the translation by Devjani Huggins).
While I wasn't completely blown away by this story, it has certainly intrigued me to look more into Bengali literature.
"I know that love is one thing, and lust or the fascination of beauty, quite another, but they are often mistaken for the same thing."
Devdas is a story about love, unrequited love. And a man who is the orchestrator of his own misery.
Honestly, I didn't enjoy the start of this book at all. Devdas is mean and unlikely and I could not understand why Parvati likes him as much as she does. Someone else has suggested Stockholm syndrome and I would say that that isn't all to unrealistic.
I'm glad I pushed through though because in a way he gets what he deserves and so does she and I actually really ended up enjoying the ending.
Sadly this book is lacking all the brilliance of an actual Bollywood film. And I don't mean that we can't physically see it but that also the description gives nothing of the sort. The fact that it's a novella doesn't help in this regard as it's solely focused on the love story with very little around it, leaving a lot of room for interpretation. At many times is felt as if it was just the backbone of an amazing story that someone should eventually work around and bring it to life (and maybe that is what the films do) but it feels very rushed here. I constantly felt that I wanted more character depth and slower story progression which is why I'd say that this book suffers from serious pacing issues, especially at the start, it does get better as it goes on.
All that criticism aside, I felt that it was a lovely little story after we got over the protagonist's childhood and there were many moments that struck me as very realistic yet sometimes sad. And I was strangely satisfied (for lack of a better word) with how it all ended.
One little comment on the side, the eBook version has quite a few formating errors and I even spotted a grammar error or two, hence I would recommend reading a physical copy instead (in any case, avoid the translation by Devjani Huggins).
While I wasn't completely blown away by this story, it has certainly intrigued me to look more into Bengali literature.