This is my second story collection by Ruskin Bond. I had read The Elephant and the Cassowary. I liked some stories in the collection, disliked some. This book is no different. And I hate what Bond lovers are going to think of me! I am expecting hate comments already, but since I said I will give an honest opinion, here it goes!
Cover page
It is nothing great. There is a hazy crayon coloured image on the cover from the story that is also the title of the book. The image is hazy and yellow color repulsive. The font on the top only suggests how we are supposed to read the book because it is from Bond but not for its title since the title can be easily missed in the crowd.
There is nothing in the cover to like.
Characters
The stories in the collection are legends, epics and folklore retold by the author. There are stories of parrots and crane. There are epics such as Shakuntala and Surabhi. There are folklore’s such as ‘The Green Man of Sinai’ that still roams around the earth.
Content
The collection caught my interest after I decided to read one story each day for #365stories but soon I got bored of them. I read ‘The Green Man of Sinai’ for #365stories. After this, the stories seem repetitive. Many also feel come across as those meant for children.
I am not very disappointed with the collection but I had to take enough breaks to finish this collection.
Some of the stories I loved were ‘The Green Man of Sinai’ and ‘A Battle of Wits’ where a trickster gets tricked and how! In ‘Sindbad the Sailor’ The sailor talks about his adventures on water. In ‘The Crane and the Crab’ wits win over cunningness. In ‘The Wicked Guru’ we see the defeat of the wicked and triumph of goodness.
All the stories are moral based and give you happy endings.
Language
The language here is very simple. Bond makes his book accessible to all, that is the beauty of his writing.
Good points
The stories are short. They come from legends across the world, therefore they are a good mix. The language is very simple, as is Bond’s signature style.
Reasons I disliked the collection
After a point the collection got monotonous for me. The stories started feeling too preachy. The collection was not challenging enough to read.
Overall
I liked the book, but not enough to keep it with me for eternity. I am definitely interested in a swap!
Whom do I recommend this to
Those who like stories of epics and legends. Those who grew up reading Panchatantra are going to love this collection too.
Go ahead, grab yourself a copy of The Wise Parrot and tell us what you think about the book! If you are a Kindle person, ensure to select the Kindle edition of the book.
Looking to buy a Kindle?
The frontlit, high-resolution Kindle Paperwhite seems to be the officially preferred Kindle at Meraki Post; Veena, Gazala and Ram have one each. And while Pooja may claim she is more of the “Love the new book smell” kind of person, she may be secretly deciding between the premium Kindle Oasis and the simple and efficient Good Ol’ Kindle.
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