pjv1013's review against another edition
4.0
COMENTÁRIO
⭐⭐⭐⭐
“A luz brilhante do dia”
Anita Desai
Tradução de Carmo Vasconcelos Romão
Anita Desai aparentemente "revisita" a sua infância e juventude neste livro dando-nos ao mesmo tempo um retrato fulgurante da no processo de pós-independência no final dos anos 40.
Este é um livro centrado na relação, nem sempre fácil, entre quatro irmãos. Em especial duas das irmãs - Bim e Tara – que mostram dois lados das vivências do feminino na sociedade indiana. Bim é a defensora de uma tradição ligada à casa da família e aos processo de ensino como professora. Tara é a mulher de um diplomata que pretende mudanças e transformações no seio familiar. Esta tensão é sentida desde os tempos da adolescência de ambas e culmina numa festa familiar a acontecer já nos anos 70 em que as duas irmãs demonstram essa diferença.
Desai envolve-nos neste romance no caminho do passado, do sentido que damos às memórias e à construção da história de uma família criando uma continua tensão que nos acompanha ao longo do livro. É uma história de desencontros e ressentimentos dentro de uma família. Uma história de recordações, mas também de remorsos!
Ainda que sejam apresentadas os diferentes membros da família, as personagens femininas deste livro são essenciais para compreender a trama e a intensidade narrativa, dando por isso um olhar intenso sobre o papel da mulher na sociedade indiana, em especial no espaço da casa de família.
Um outro elemento interessante deste livro relaciona-se com o momento político que nos apresenta, nomeadamente a tensão pós-independência entre hindus e muçulmanos que leva à independência do Paquistão e à perseguição da população muçulmana entre 1948 e 1950. O assassinato de Mahatma Gandhi, por um hinduísta fanático, é referido no processo de tensão das recordações do passado por parte do membros desta família.
A escrita de Desai é cuidada e cheia de imagens belas e tocantes que vão prendendo e encantando o leitor. O modo como descreve os espaços, as dinâmicas de interação familiar foram elementos do meu interesse na leitura deste livro.
(li de 19 a 21 de Agosto de 2022)
⭐⭐⭐⭐
“A luz brilhante do dia”
Anita Desai
Tradução de Carmo Vasconcelos Romão
Anita Desai aparentemente "revisita" a sua infância e juventude neste livro dando-nos ao mesmo tempo um retrato fulgurante da no processo de pós-independência no final dos anos 40.
Este é um livro centrado na relação, nem sempre fácil, entre quatro irmãos. Em especial duas das irmãs - Bim e Tara – que mostram dois lados das vivências do feminino na sociedade indiana. Bim é a defensora de uma tradição ligada à casa da família e aos processo de ensino como professora. Tara é a mulher de um diplomata que pretende mudanças e transformações no seio familiar. Esta tensão é sentida desde os tempos da adolescência de ambas e culmina numa festa familiar a acontecer já nos anos 70 em que as duas irmãs demonstram essa diferença.
Desai envolve-nos neste romance no caminho do passado, do sentido que damos às memórias e à construção da história de uma família criando uma continua tensão que nos acompanha ao longo do livro. É uma história de desencontros e ressentimentos dentro de uma família. Uma história de recordações, mas também de remorsos!
Ainda que sejam apresentadas os diferentes membros da família, as personagens femininas deste livro são essenciais para compreender a trama e a intensidade narrativa, dando por isso um olhar intenso sobre o papel da mulher na sociedade indiana, em especial no espaço da casa de família.
Um outro elemento interessante deste livro relaciona-se com o momento político que nos apresenta, nomeadamente a tensão pós-independência entre hindus e muçulmanos que leva à independência do Paquistão e à perseguição da população muçulmana entre 1948 e 1950. O assassinato de Mahatma Gandhi, por um hinduísta fanático, é referido no processo de tensão das recordações do passado por parte do membros desta família.
A escrita de Desai é cuidada e cheia de imagens belas e tocantes que vão prendendo e encantando o leitor. O modo como descreve os espaços, as dinâmicas de interação familiar foram elementos do meu interesse na leitura deste livro.
(li de 19 a 21 de Agosto de 2022)
sophronisba's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Maaaaybe a little bit pat in the end but I just could not get over how beautifully written it was. The kind of book that makes you want to just luxuriate in its sentences. For a 184-page book, that's enough.
romanticist's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
the_moody_marshmallow's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Nostalgia for a time I have never lived in. Another story set in the backdrop of partition, where partition truly remains just that - a backdrop (for the most part). It surprises me as to how relevant I found this book to people and relationships (of many kinds) for today's time. Clear Light Of Day is about four siblings - Bimla, Raja, Tara and Baba - dealing with conflict within, with each other and with the outside world.
It starts with Tara and her husband Bakul visiting her family home in Delhi which is now only occupied by her older sister (Bimla) and younger brother (Baba). Tara who is glad to be back home is also guilty for not being there for Bimla as she cares for Bakul who is autistic and their late aunt Mira who suffered from alcoholism. Bimla and Raja who were inseparable through their childhood, don’t talk to each other anymore. Bimla even refuses to attend his daughter’s wedding. Old skeletons are brought out as the story moves from present to past to present again, and each sibling looks back on the choices they’ve made, realising that what each thought they wanted probably wasn’t it. Especially, the two sisters. A story about a family coming together through scattered memories and bittersweet epiphanies.
What I particularly loved about this book were the character descriptions and arcs. Though I wish I could've gotten a deeper understanding of characters like Baba and Bakul, I loved the the way Anita Desai has fleshed out her female characters as well as Raja and Dr. Biswas. Bimla and Tara's relationship is an interesting one as each of them admires and envies the other but also come to realise that they are not that different from the other. I found myself relating most to Bimla and seeing a younger me within Tara. I also found myself comparing characters from the book to people I know in real life haha.
Anita Desai's style of writing is slow and beautiful yet the kind that teases. There are pages which are written in stunning language as she describes every single aspect in a scene almost like she really wants you to feel like you're in that world with her characters. It can be painfully slow sometimes. Then, she'll grab you with the tiniest detail and quicken pace like a summer storm before going back into a lull.
I recommend this book if you're someone who enjoys exhaustively descriptive writing and character driven stories. A book that will demand you to savour and absorb each and every word.
It starts with Tara and her husband Bakul visiting her family home in Delhi which is now only occupied by her older sister (Bimla) and younger brother (Baba). Tara who is glad to be back home is also guilty for not being there for Bimla as she cares for Bakul who is autistic and their late aunt Mira who suffered from alcoholism. Bimla and Raja who were inseparable through their childhood, don’t talk to each other anymore. Bimla even refuses to attend his daughter’s wedding. Old skeletons are brought out as the story moves from present to past to present again, and each sibling looks back on the choices they’ve made, realising that what each thought they wanted probably wasn’t it. Especially, the two sisters. A story about a family coming together through scattered memories and bittersweet epiphanies.
What I particularly loved about this book were the character descriptions and arcs. Though I wish I could've gotten a deeper understanding of characters like Baba and Bakul, I loved the the way Anita Desai has fleshed out her female characters as well as Raja and Dr. Biswas. Bimla and Tara's relationship is an interesting one as each of them admires and envies the other but also come to realise that they are not that different from the other. I found myself relating most to Bimla and seeing a younger me within Tara. I also found myself comparing characters from the book to people I know in real life haha.
Anita Desai's style of writing is slow and beautiful yet the kind that teases. There are pages which are written in stunning language as she describes every single aspect in a scene almost like she really wants you to feel like you're in that world with her characters. It can be painfully slow sometimes. Then, she'll grab you with the tiniest detail and quicken pace like a summer storm before going back into a lull.
I recommend this book if you're someone who enjoys exhaustively descriptive writing and character driven stories. A book that will demand you to savour and absorb each and every word.
noorak's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
sanfordc11's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
prakruthi's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
kdominey's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
samdalefox's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Ok ok I've said it a few times now, I'm tired of reading classics from the middle class perspective. I've drawn the line in the sand for British writers, American writers, Nigerian writers, and Russian writers, however I haven't read any Indian classics so despite me feeling exasperated at that aspect I made an exception for 'Clear Light of Day'. It's one of those stories that doesn't really have a plot, it's a character study. Only in this story, it's a character study of four siblings and their relationship to their wider family, friends, and neighbours. Despite focussing on the four siblings (Raja, Bimla, Tara, and Baba), the narrative is told in third person only from three perspectives; the two daughters Bimla, Tara, and their Aunt Mira. Published in 1980, but set in the lifetimes of those who lived through the 1947 India Partition in Old Dehli, I suspect focusing the voices of the women of the household was a concious and bold choice. I certainly recognised and appreciated the feminist aspects highlighting everyday sexism and misogyny and the highly gendered culture of acceptable dos and don'ts and especially the care taking roles and invisible labour. I identified with many of their struggles, though most accutely with Bim, the eldest daughter. I believe more India-specific references were made to patriarchy, caste, colourism, and perhaps even commentary on Hindu far right-nationalism, but I'm not familiar enough with India culture and politics to know for sure. I did see, though did not fully understand the significance of, references to the impact of the British Empire and the historic relationship between Hindus and Muslims through the various poetry references e.g., T.S. Eliot and Iqbal respectively.
The story moves between present day and the past, and steadily builds a picture of each of the characters. Although nothing really happens and the story gently ebbs and flows, there a definitely moments more poignant or startling than others. I didn't feel bored reading it, but I didn't feel convinced by 'the clear light of day' revelation at the end either. This is a story about imperfect familial love, of feeling stuck and trapped, about how people respond and develop to challenges, and the ending felt a little too neat.
Favourite quotes:
The story moves between present day and the past, and steadily builds a picture of each of the characters. Although nothing really happens and the story gently ebbs and flows, there a definitely moments more poignant or startling than others. I didn't feel bored reading it, but I didn't feel convinced by 'the clear light of day' revelation at the end either. This is a story about imperfect familial love, of feeling stuck and trapped, about how people respond and develop to challenges, and the ending felt a little too neat.
Favourite quotes:
"They pranced around in their trousers, feeling grotesquely changed by them, not only in their appearance, but in their movements, their abilities. Great possibilities unexpectedly opened up now thye had their legs covered so sensibly and practically and no longer needed to worry about what lay bare beneath ballooning frocks and what was so imperfectly concealed by them. Why did girls have to wear frocks? Suddenly they saw why they were so different to their brother, so inferior and negligible in comparison: it was because they did not wear trousers. Now they thrust their hands into their pockets and felt even more suprior - what a sense of possession, of confidence it gave one to have pockets, to shove one's fists into them, as if by simply owning pockets one owned riches, owned independence."
"Isn't strange how life won't flow, like a river, but moves in jumps, as if it were held back by locks that are opened now and then to let it jump forwards in a kind of flood? There are these long still stretches - nothing happens - each day is exactly like the other - plodding, uneventful - and then suddenly there is a crash - mighty deeds take place - momentous events - even if one doesn't know it at the time - then life subsides."
Content Warnings
Minor: Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Bullying, Violence, Classism, Chronic illness, Animal death, Misogyny, Car accident, Colonisation, and Death of parent
child neglect, India Partition