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sarahreadsaverylot's review
3.0
Blake would be proud. This was a lovely story about innocence and experience. (it even had the Tygers!)
There was so much potential for poetry and depth, but it felt a bit like young wine--immature and a touch too sweet. It needs to ripen a bit more to achieve a real kick. If I had to identify a specific fault, I would say the psychology was weak, but the characters were endearing and the motif of circularly perpetuated violence was effective. I would recommend this to people who don't have the patience to read [a:Rohinton Mistry|3539|Rohinton Mistry|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1238081582p2/3539.jpg].
There was so much potential for poetry and depth, but it felt a bit like young wine--immature and a touch too sweet. It needs to ripen a bit more to achieve a real kick. If I had to identify a specific fault, I would say the psychology was weak, but the characters were endearing and the motif of circularly perpetuated violence was effective. I would recommend this to people who don't have the patience to read [a:Rohinton Mistry|3539|Rohinton Mistry|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1238081582p2/3539.jpg].
jcbyrne71's review
3.0
This book was like the movie Slumdog millionaire - without the "millionaire". A good book but very realistic and some of the reality was a harsh - as reality tends to be.
ronaldhadrian's review
4.0
It is a brilliant book. Charles Dickens of India in a way. This novel is just like Oliver Twist but happens to be in Bombay. Poignant, and natural. One of the most underrated Indo-Canadian authors.
sarabenini1998's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
stargrace's review
4.0
You can read this review and others like it over at The Nomadic Reader.
A friend was giving away some of his books because he’s running out of room, and of course being the book lover I am, I decided to pick out a few to add to my own collection. One of them was this Canada Reads book from 2007 that I had never heard of.
The Song of Kahunsha is about a 10 year old orphan boy who lives in Bombay. One day he learns that the orphanage is going to be shut down, and instead of going that rout he decides to take his fate in his own hands, and sets out to find his birth father who left him on the steps so long ago.
One of the great things about this book is the innocence that Chamdi has, no matter how many hardships he faces. This comes across as a child’s method of coping, and it’s written in a magical way that pulls the reader through his world. His world is one of heartache, pain, and violence but also one of incredibly colours, hope, and belief. He learns that the world is rough, and even though he meets up with two children around his own age, Sumdi and Guddi, things are going to get a lot harder. Together they start collecting money for Anand Bhai, who “turns people into boxes”. Chamdi’s world is further shaken when on the day he is supposed to steal from a local temple, something terrible happens (as if enough had not already happened).
Still, Chamdi finds beauty. He sees things with the eyes of a child and he’s unable to completely give up his child-like ways, even though he sees evils all around him, evils that the reader understands but that the 10 year old Chamdi cannot.
This isn’t a happy ending book but sometimes you need something deeply emotional to shake you up a little and get you out of a reading rut.
4/5 Stars
A friend was giving away some of his books because he’s running out of room, and of course being the book lover I am, I decided to pick out a few to add to my own collection. One of them was this Canada Reads book from 2007 that I had never heard of.
The Song of Kahunsha is about a 10 year old orphan boy who lives in Bombay. One day he learns that the orphanage is going to be shut down, and instead of going that rout he decides to take his fate in his own hands, and sets out to find his birth father who left him on the steps so long ago.
One of the great things about this book is the innocence that Chamdi has, no matter how many hardships he faces. This comes across as a child’s method of coping, and it’s written in a magical way that pulls the reader through his world. His world is one of heartache, pain, and violence but also one of incredibly colours, hope, and belief. He learns that the world is rough, and even though he meets up with two children around his own age, Sumdi and Guddi, things are going to get a lot harder. Together they start collecting money for Anand Bhai, who “turns people into boxes”. Chamdi’s world is further shaken when on the day he is supposed to steal from a local temple, something terrible happens (as if enough had not already happened).
Still, Chamdi finds beauty. He sees things with the eyes of a child and he’s unable to completely give up his child-like ways, even though he sees evils all around him, evils that the reader understands but that the 10 year old Chamdi cannot.
This isn’t a happy ending book but sometimes you need something deeply emotional to shake you up a little and get you out of a reading rut.
4/5 Stars
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