geolatin's review against another edition
4.0
I'm giving this 4 stars because I could see myself reading this again. Starting off, I wasn't sure I'd even finish the book, because the protagonist is a self-obsessed, unpleasant 69-year-old professor of economics at Cambridge who is never wrong. However, after a minor heart attack and being sent on an enforced sabbatical due to bullying students, he acknowledges to himself that he's unhappy and he isn't where he wanted to be in life. He is divorced and is estranged from 2 of his 3 children and he decides to figure out what went wrong.
What I really liked about this book is that there is no immediate change of behavior, but as the book progresses, Professor Chandra begins to see the patterns of behavior which create bad results and tries to start fixing them. He's not always successful and his fits of temper never really end, although he starts to be able to control them a bit better. He starts to reconnect with his family, including his ex-wife, and even is able to be somewhat harmonious with her husband, although he never really likes him.
This book felt very authentic to me. It doesn't end with everything resolved, although it's moving in the right direction. There really are no changes of heart...it's more that there are purposeful changes in behavior to better meet relationship goals. I don't know that I really liked Professor Chandra at the end of the book, but I respected his growth and enjoyed watching him struggle to become a better person, with varying results.
The only thing that really bothered me that almost made me stop listening to the audiobook was that the narrator sounded white during the non-dialogue portions, but the accents sounded authentic during dialogue. However, after investigation, the narrator is of South Asian descent.
What I really liked about this book is that there is no immediate change of behavior, but as the book progresses, Professor Chandra begins to see the patterns of behavior which create bad results and tries to start fixing them. He's not always successful and his fits of temper never really end, although he starts to be able to control them a bit better. He starts to reconnect with his family, including his ex-wife, and even is able to be somewhat harmonious with her husband, although he never really likes him.
This book felt very authentic to me. It doesn't end with everything resolved, although it's moving in the right direction. There really are no changes of heart...it's more that there are purposeful changes in behavior to better meet relationship goals. I don't know that I really liked Professor Chandra at the end of the book, but I respected his growth and enjoyed watching him struggle to become a better person, with varying results.
The only thing that really bothered me that almost made me stop listening to the audiobook was that the narrator sounded white during the non-dialogue portions, but the accents sounded authentic during dialogue. However, after investigation, the narrator is of South Asian descent.
kdferrin's review against another edition
3.0
This book wasn't bad but of the half dozen or so "cranky old people" books I have read in the last few years I enjoyed this one the least. I just was never sure when he was being satirical and when he was being earnest.
Spoiler
Dr. Chandra's experience at the Esalen institute sounded horrible to me but I think it was meant to really be a turning point.black_girl_reading's review against another edition
4.0
This book is a bit hard to categorize. I was expecting an eat pray love (not my thing) but with a British South Asian right wing economics professor finding his zen (quite literally) in American spiritual retreats. And it was kind of about this. Except it was also about our relationship with our parents and how it impacts our relationships with our kids, and about mortality, and about humility, and about race, and about feelings of self worth. It was kind of a vacation read with lots of laughs, but it was actually also extremely introspective and at times powerful. I can’t quite pin it down, and I’m certain that neither the title nor the cover do it justice, but I’m glad I read it. Thanks netgalley for the arc, opinions are my own.
bibliobabe94's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable and thought provoking story about a very smart 69 year old man trying to figure out why his life has gone so wrong. Some really good lessons for all of us.
lauraa06's review against another edition
3.0
Sweet story about a professionally successful British professor from India who, after losing his chance for a Nobel Prize, realizes he has estranged everyone from his life and sets out to make amends to them and himself.
sawyerbell's review against another edition
4.0
Touching, enjoyable, often funny, always thought-provoking.
kaitsteak's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
3.75
cathy1665's review against another edition
3.0
This book was uneven. I was ready to quit until I got to chapter 5. Family dynamics....