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A review by david611
A Tiger For Malgudi by R.K. Narayan
3.0
3.5 stars
A good story, written by the famous Indian writer R. K. Narayan. I wanted to read this book, since I had seen and purchased it nearly ten years ago. The reason being that of a philosophical discourse taking place between a tiger and an ascetic, in the hills; and pretty much also for my love of felines.
The story was nice. The narration alternates between Raja's and a third-person. Most of the story is Raja, the tiger, narrating his past from his experiences in the jungle, the circus, and the film-shooting. It was interesting to read from a tiger's perspective, and that is well done. However, to me slightly disappointing was the philosophical discourse that was supposed to take place between the tiger and his ascetic master. This was too less, and is only a part of the last few pages in the book. Hence my lower rating, although a very strong three stars.
From this story we also come to know about how a ringmaster handles the training of a tiger, and also how animal interactions can take place between species in such moments. I was glad that the animals do not literally speak in English amongst each other or with humans in the course of the book, something that I do not really enjoy due to the nature of that kind of situation - something too unnatural I feel. Most of Raja's and other animal's feelings have been expressed in English though, for the sake of understanding to the reader.
Another reason why I enjoyed the book is due to my love for felines. My love for felines is due to my ability to connect with them and understand their nature, and not as much for their cuteness factor. With that said there has been a time when I used to dream of possibly keeping a tiger as part of the family. But as we all know that is a tough task to handle, as well as pretty much not possible in this era of their dwindling numbers. Reading this book satisfied much of this feeling.
This was only my second (non sci-fi) xenofiction title that I have read so far, the other being [a:Anna Sewell's|2530|Anna Sewell|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1201029065p2/2530.jpg] [b:Black Beauty|3685|Black Beauty|Anna Sewell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1578265482l/3685._SY75_.jpg|4639714].
A good story, written by the famous Indian writer R. K. Narayan. I wanted to read this book, since I had seen and purchased it nearly ten years ago. The reason being that of a philosophical discourse taking place between a tiger and an ascetic, in the hills; and pretty much also for my love of felines.
The story was nice. The narration alternates between Raja's and a third-person. Most of the story is Raja, the tiger, narrating his past from his experiences in the jungle, the circus, and the film-shooting. It was interesting to read from a tiger's perspective, and that is well done. However, to me slightly disappointing was the philosophical discourse that was supposed to take place between the tiger and his ascetic master. This was too less, and is only a part of the last few pages in the book. Hence my lower rating, although a very strong three stars.
From this story we also come to know about how a ringmaster handles the training of a tiger, and also how animal interactions can take place between species in such moments. I was glad that the animals do not literally speak in English amongst each other or with humans in the course of the book, something that I do not really enjoy due to the nature of that kind of situation - something too unnatural I feel. Most of Raja's and other animal's feelings have been expressed in English though, for the sake of understanding to the reader.
Another reason why I enjoyed the book is due to my love for felines. My love for felines is due to my ability to connect with them and understand their nature, and not as much for their cuteness factor. With that said there has been a time when I used to dream of possibly keeping a tiger as part of the family. But as we all know that is a tough task to handle, as well as pretty much not possible in this era of their dwindling numbers. Reading this book satisfied much of this feeling.
This was only my second (non sci-fi) xenofiction title that I have read so far, the other being [a:Anna Sewell's|2530|Anna Sewell|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1201029065p2/2530.jpg] [b:Black Beauty|3685|Black Beauty|Anna Sewell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1578265482l/3685._SY75_.jpg|4639714].