The Vendor of Sweets Paperback – December 1, 2007

I took this book to India and was able to share it with the group. Very nice read and provided insights into the culture and lifestyle of the local people.

Great book in decent condition as described.

R.K.Narayan's books offer a wonderfuly detailed and intricate view of the South Indian world,and The Vendor Of Sweets fits into this mould to a T.In this novel,the life of Jagan, the vendor of sweets, and the trials and tribulations of his life are wonderfully captured. What is refreshing, however, is the description of the South Indian way of life that is provided by Narayan--the way Jagan runs his business, the views,opinions he possesses,the fears he entertains.Narayan also vividly portrays the confusions and fears that a person from such a conventional milieu would face when thrown into unconventional situations-- such as having a foreigner for a daughter-in-law, for example. Being a South Indian myself, I can truly appreciate the imagery that his writing evokes, and can also vouchsafe for the fact that it is no easy task to put across to readers whatever he has managed to convey in his books.On the whole,to summarize this review in one sentence:read the book;you will not be disappointed.

I decided to read The Vendor of Sweets because it was on a list of important books that should be read and having read all the Western authors I decided to read the Asian ones as well. I also lived in India for a year as an American visiting scholar in New Delhi. I disagree with the other review in that I do not think the book provides a comprehensive view of life in India. It focuses in a very limited way on one person and his son and their relationship. The basic story line is simple enough. The owner of a candy store has a son who drops out of an Indian college, goes to the United States, gets married, and comes back to India with his wife and a half-baked idea to produce a machine that will write stories. The son wants his father to invest a lot of money in this idea, but the father has reservations.I found the son to be a real jerk. He is totally self-absorbed, even at the start of the book, disrespectful of his father and just tries to use him to gain his own ends. The wife is minipulative. The father, for his part, condescends to the son, spoiling him along the way. I do not think this relationship is typical of Indian families.I am giving it three stars which means it is worth reading but not at the expense of reading other books about India that are far more engrossing and informative.

I had bought this book to familiarize myself more with Narayan's writing style and contribution to Anglo-Indian literature. It's delightful to have received this purchase in prompt time and to observe how its physical description reflected exactly what the seller stated online. In truth, I am happy with my purchase and will soon dive into reading this novel!

Page quality is very good.

『菓子屋』(1967年刊)が出版されたのは、ナラヤンが作家的成功をおさめた遥か後、六十歳になってからだった。「一度手にしたヒンデゥ的退行・安定はナラヤンが天性の作家であるがゆえにこの小説において揺らぎはじめた」とV. S. ナイポールは『インド傷ついた文明』において断じている。ナイポールの洞察は、きわめて明解で格好がいいけれども、実際に僕が『菓子屋』を読んでみた感想はナイポールのような断定からは遠い。　菓子屋の息子マリは、大学の学業を途中放棄しアメリカに渡る。マリは自動物語作成機(!?)なるもののビジネスと、朝鮮人とアメリカ人のハーフの彼女を連れてインドの故郷に帰ってくる。父親は、初め息子の行動に驚愕し、それから理解しようと努めやがて諦念する。マリは誉められた青年ではないとしても、僕はこの青年に自分と似ているような親近感を感じる。どこにでもいる若者の類型だ。息子がウィスキーの不法所持で逮捕される。父親は反英闘争の中でガンジー主義を奉じ傷つき監獄生活を余儀なくされたが息子はウィスキーの不法所持で逮捕されたのだ。父親は、菓子屋の仕事を親類にまかせ河の向こう岸にある火葬場の近くの祠に引きこもってしまうのだ(あの『英語教師』で、妻を火葬した場所だ)。ナイポールは息子が持ち込む新たな現実に対して父親のマリは何も抵抗しないと批判する。しかし、自分に理解できないものに父親はどう反撃できるというのか。　この小説でやはり一番読ませるのは、兄に付き添われて父親のジャガンがお見合いの旅にでた時の回想部分だろう。鉄道と牛車を使った旅の描写は南インドの豊穣な自然と穏やかで温かく自分たちを祝福してくれる人々を結びつける。ヒンドゥーのしきたり、作法、伝統は磐石である。しかし、美しく確固とした物に見えたものは今やすべて失われようとしているとジャガンは悟る。・・・僕は、父親の混乱、深い喪失感、そして菓子屋業からの退去も理解できるし、また息子が父親の菓子屋よりももっと格好のいい仕事をしたいという気持ちも分かる。つまり、僕は、V. S. ナイポールには徹底的に批判される側の人間なのかも知れない。

The book had a few blank pages at the beginning. I felt this was unacceptable. I had to apply for a refund and though I did get one, Amazon is better than this

Good to go back to olden days once in a while.This book shows how too much of affection for anybody can spoil everything. Also, how sometimes people take others for granted. Enjoyed reading it.