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  <id>19659</id>
  <title><![CDATA[Swimming Lessons: and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag]]></title>
  <isbn><![CDATA[067977632X]]></isbn>
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  <description><![CDATA[Firozsha Baag is an apartment building in Bombay. Its ceilings need plastering and some of the toilets leak appallingly, but its residents are far from desperate, though sometimes contentious and unforgiving. In these witty, poignant stories, Mistry charts the intersecting lives of Firozsha Baag, yielding a delightful collective portrait of a middle-class Indian community poised between the old ways and the new.<br/><br/>&quot;A fine collection...the volume is informed by a tone of gentle compassion for seemingly insignificant lives.&quot;--Michiko Kakutani, <em>New York Times</em>]]></description>
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  <original_publication_year type="integer">1987</original_publication_year>
  <original_title>Swimming Lessons: and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag</original_title>
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        <name><![CDATA[Rohinton Mistry]]></name>
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      <review>
  <id>7523743</id>
    <user>
    <id>513443</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Calley]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Khartoum, Sudan]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Swimming Lessons: and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.79</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>252</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Firozsha Baag is an apartment building in Bombay. Its ceilings need plastering and some of the toilets leak appallingly, but its residents are far from desperate, though sometimes contentious and unforgiving. In these witty, poignant stories, Mistry charts the intersecting lives of Firozsha Baag, yielding a delightful collective portrait of a middle-class Indian community poised between the old ways and the new.<br/><br/>&quot;A fine collection...the volume is informed by a tone of gentle compassion for seemingly insignificant lives.&quot;--Michiko Kakutani, <em>New York Times</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1987</published>
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  <date_added>Wed Oct 10 06:53:37 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Oct 10 06:54:09 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I've read three of Rohinton Mistry's books and they are all spectacular - if I had to recommend one, it would be A Fine Balance, as such a sweeping tapestry of India.  I want to live there...]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7523743]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>73831383</id>
    <user>
    <id>215382</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Sandhya]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Pune, India]]></location>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">2</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Tales from Firozsha Baag]]>
  </title>
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  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178736618s/828698.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.18</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>11</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Firozsha Baag is an apartment building in Bombay. Its ceilings need plastering and some of the toilets leak appallingly, but its residents are far from desperate, though sometimes contentious and unforgiving. In these witty, poignant stories, Mistry charts the intersecting lives of Firozsha Baag, yielding a delightful collective portrait of a middle-class Indian community poised between the old ways and the new.<br/><br/>&quot;A fine collection...the volume is informed by a tone of gentle compassion for seemingly insignificant lives.&quot;--Michiko Kakutani, <em>New York Times</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1987</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Oct 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Oct 08 00:01:43 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Oct 24 20:17:03 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This was my first introduction to an author who made it to the elite club of NRI writers in the 80s--- all of whom made a definite impression in the world of literature and gave Indian Writing In English the prestige it enjoys today.<br/>Rohinton Mistry is primarily known for two of his works, Such...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73831383">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73831383]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73831383]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>80490005</id>
    <user>
    <id>695451</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Robertisenberg]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
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  <isbn>067977632X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780679776321</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">28</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Swimming Lessons: and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859m/19659.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859s/19659.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19659.Swimming_Lessons_and_Other_Stories_from_Firozsha_Baag</link>
  <average_rating>3.74</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>362</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Firozsha Baag is an apartment building in Bombay. Its ceilings need plastering and some of the toilets leak appallingly, but its residents are far from desperate, though sometimes contentious and unforgiving. In these witty, poignant stories, Mistry charts the intersecting lives of Firozsha Baag, yielding a delightful collective portrait of a middle-class Indian community poised between the old ways and the new.<br/><br/>&quot;A fine collection...the volume is informed by a tone of gentle compassion for seemingly insignificant lives.&quot;--Michiko Kakutani, <em>New York Times</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1987</published>
</book>

    <rating>1</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Dec 09 19:57:53 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Dec 09 19:58:59 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I couldn't even finish these banal short stories. One fart joke leads to another, and not even the exotic location -- urban India -- can spice things up. Too many characters, and each one more unbearable than the last.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/80490005]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/80490005]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>79882524</id>
    <user>
    <id>1008153</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Tasnuva]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Toronto, Canada]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1008153-tasnuva]]></link>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">28</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Swimming Lessons: and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859m/19659.jpg</image_url>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19659.Swimming_Lessons_and_Other_Stories_from_Firozsha_Baag</link>
  <average_rating>3.74</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>362</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Firozsha Baag is an apartment building in Bombay. Its ceilings need plastering and some of the toilets leak appallingly, but its residents are far from desperate, though sometimes contentious and unforgiving. In these witty, poignant stories, Mistry charts the intersecting lives of Firozsha Baag, yielding a delightful collective portrait of a middle-class Indian community poised between the old ways and the new.<br/><br/>&quot;A fine collection...the volume is informed by a tone of gentle compassion for seemingly insignificant lives.&quot;--Michiko Kakutani, <em>New York Times</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1987</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Nov 22 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Dec 04 10:50:20 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Dec 04 10:52:19 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Not one to like short stories in general, I found Mistry to be quite great at them. He is particularly good with voices.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79882524]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79882524]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>1513046</id>
    <user>
    <id>97909</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Anamika]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[India]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/97909-anamika]]></link>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Swimming Lessons: and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag]]>
  </title>
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  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859s/19659.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19659.Swimming_Lessons_and_Other_Stories_from_Firozsha_Baag</link>
  <average_rating>3.74</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>362</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Firozsha Baag is an apartment building in Bombay. Its ceilings need plastering and some of the toilets leak appallingly, but its residents are far from desperate, though sometimes contentious and unforgiving. In these witty, poignant stories, Mistry charts the intersecting lives of Firozsha Baag, yielding a delightful collective portrait of a middle-class Indian community poised between the old ways and the new.<br/><br/>&quot;A fine collection...the volume is informed by a tone of gentle compassion for seemingly insignificant lives.&quot;--Michiko Kakutani, <em>New York Times</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1987</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2000</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue May 29 09:00:14 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Dec 16 20:17:51 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Parsi author Rohinton Mistry can be seen as twice-removed from his origins. The Parsis as a community have mingled with India and yet remained largely unchanged. When a Parsi moves to Canada and writes of displacement, this is someone worth listening to! He knows what he's saying, as a representativ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1513046">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1513046]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1513046]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>61160178</id>
    <user>
    <id>2358017</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Shashi]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Colombo, 33, Sri Lanka]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2358017-shashi]]></link>
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  <isbn>067977632X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780679776321</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">28</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Swimming Lessons: and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859m/19659.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859s/19659.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19659.Swimming_Lessons_and_Other_Stories_from_Firozsha_Baag</link>
  <average_rating>3.74</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>362</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Firozsha Baag is an apartment building in Bombay. Its ceilings need plastering and some of the toilets leak appallingly, but its residents are far from desperate, though sometimes contentious and unforgiving. In these witty, poignant stories, Mistry charts the intersecting lives of Firozsha Baag, yielding a delightful collective portrait of a middle-class Indian community poised between the old ways and the new.<br/><br/>&quot;A fine collection...the volume is informed by a tone of gentle compassion for seemingly insignificant lives.&quot;--Michiko Kakutani, <em>New York Times</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1987</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Jun 26 03:16:19 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Jun 26 03:17:04 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[The first i read of him.... liked his wit more than everything..]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61160178]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61160178]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>46306077</id>
    <user>
    <id>33771</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Tony]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Pittsburgh, PA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/33771-tony]]></link>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Swimming Lessons and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag]]>
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  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1061793.Swimming_Lessons_and_Other_Stories_from_Firozsha_Baag</link>
  <average_rating>2.00</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>1</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Firozsha Baag is an apartment building in Bombay. Its ceilings need plastering and some of the toilets leak appallingly, but its residents are far from desperate, though sometimes contentious and unforgiving. In these witty, poignant stories, Mistry charts the intersecting lives of Firozsha Baag, yielding a delightful collective portrait of a middle-class Indian community poised between the old ways and the new.<br/><br/>&quot;A fine collection...the volume is informed by a tone of gentle compassion for seemingly insignificant lives.&quot;--Michiko Kakutani, <em>New York Times</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1987</published>
</book>

    <rating>2</rating>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Feb 14 04:15:06 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Feb 16 07:03:09 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Rather banal tales.  He does much better with the larger canvas of the novel.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/46306077]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/46306077]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>81162895</id>
    <user>
    <id>731881</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Marko]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Brooklyn, NY]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/731881-marko]]></link>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Tales from Firozsha Baag]]>
  </title>
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  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178736618s/828698.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.74</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>362</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Firozsha Baag is an apartment building in Bombay. Its ceilings need plastering and some of the toilets leak appallingly, but its residents are far from desperate, though sometimes contentious and unforgiving. In these witty, poignant stories, Mistry charts the intersecting lives of Firozsha Baag, yielding a delightful collective portrait of a middle-class Indian community poised between the old ways and the new.<br/><br/>&quot;A fine collection...the volume is informed by a tone of gentle compassion for seemingly insignificant lives.&quot;--Michiko Kakutani, <em>New York Times</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1987</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Dec 15 22:37:15 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Dec 15 22:49:46 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[impressive]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81162895]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81162895]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>268180</id>
    <user>
    <id>15631</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Mickey]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Philadelphia, PA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/15631-mickey]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1172890762p3/15631.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">19659</id>
  <isbn>067977632X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780679776321</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">28</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Swimming Lessons: and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859m/19659.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859s/19659.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19659.Swimming_Lessons_and_Other_Stories_from_Firozsha_Baag</link>
  <average_rating>3.74</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>362</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Firozsha Baag is an apartment building in Bombay. Its ceilings need plastering and some of the toilets leak appallingly, but its residents are far from desperate, though sometimes contentious and unforgiving. In these witty, poignant stories, Mistry charts the intersecting lives of Firozsha Baag, yielding a delightful collective portrait of a middle-class Indian community poised between the old ways and the new.<br/><br/>&quot;A fine collection...the volume is informed by a tone of gentle compassion for seemingly insignificant lives.&quot;--Michiko Kakutani, <em>New York Times</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1987</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
            <shelf name="post-colonial" />
        <shelf name="researchforprofessorb" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Mar 14 10:33:40 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Apr 04 08:58:46 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I finished reading Rohinton Mistry's Swimming Lessons last night at 12:40am. It was a B+ collection, with Jhumpa Lahiri's ponderous sensibilities and poetic details. He's got more humor than Lahiri (there's a story in there about an Indian immigrant who had trouble moving his bowels) and plenty of s...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/268180">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/268180]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/268180]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>58517018</id>
    <user>
    <id>2385757</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Ann]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Cambridge, MA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2385757-ann-o-connell]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">19659</id>
  <isbn>067977632X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780679776321</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">28</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Swimming Lessons: and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859m/19659.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859s/19659.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19659.Swimming_Lessons_and_Other_Stories_from_Firozsha_Baag</link>
  <average_rating>3.74</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>362</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Firozsha Baag is an apartment building in Bombay. Its ceilings need plastering and some of the toilets leak appallingly, but its residents are far from desperate, though sometimes contentious and unforgiving. In these witty, poignant stories, Mistry charts the intersecting lives of Firozsha Baag, yielding a delightful collective portrait of a middle-class Indian community poised between the old ways and the new.<br/><br/>&quot;A fine collection...the volume is informed by a tone of gentle compassion for seemingly insignificant lives.&quot;--Michiko Kakutani, <em>New York Times</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1987</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Jul 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Jun 05 04:25:18 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Jul 26 15:19:32 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Some of the stories, I loved  This collection of stories was written by Mistry during his first year in Toronto.   Although I was less than enthralled with the first stories in the collection, I converted by the middle of the collection.  The stories are linked by neighborhood characters and themes ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/58517018">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/58517018]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/58517018]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>57373291</id>
    <user>
    <id>652995</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Dayna]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Los Angeles, CA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/652995-dayna]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1196577005p3/652995.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">19659</id>
  <isbn>067977632X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780679776321</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">28</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Swimming Lessons: and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859m/19659.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859s/19659.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19659.Swimming_Lessons_and_Other_Stories_from_Firozsha_Baag</link>
  <average_rating>3.74</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>362</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Firozsha Baag is an apartment building in Bombay. Its ceilings need plastering and some of the toilets leak appallingly, but its residents are far from desperate, though sometimes contentious and unforgiving. In these witty, poignant stories, Mistry charts the intersecting lives of Firozsha Baag, yielding a delightful collective portrait of a middle-class Indian community poised between the old ways and the new.<br/><br/>&quot;A fine collection...the volume is informed by a tone of gentle compassion for seemingly insignificant lives.&quot;--Michiko Kakutani, <em>New York Times</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1987</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Jun 08 10:38:28 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue May 26 09:49:44 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Jun 08 10:38:28 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I didn't like this as much as A Fine Balance. I think I might not be a short story kind of gal.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/57373291]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/57373291]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>1709569</id>
    <user>
    <id>119404</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Zsiqbal]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Lyndhurst, NJ]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/119404-zsiqbal]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-U-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">19662</id>
  <isbn>0571218857</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780571218851</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">2</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Tales from Firozsha Baag]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19662.Tales_from_Firozsha_Baag</link>
  <average_rating>3.84</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>19</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[In these eleven intersecting stories, Rohinton Mistry opens our eyes and our hearts to the rich, complex patterns of life inside this Bombay apartment building. The occupants - from Jaakaylee, the ghost-seer, through Najamai, the only owner of a refrigerator in Firozsha Baag, to Rustomji the Curmudgeon and Kersi, the young boy whose life threads through the book - all express the tensions between the past and the present, between the old world and the new.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1987</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[South Asians and people interested in South Asia]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 1993</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Jun 06 08:12:54 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Jun 06 08:15:42 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is one of my favorite books - and definitely my favorite book by Rohinton Mistry. It is a collection of stories from Firozsha Baag - an apartment complex in Mumbai. Each chapter has different main characters - but they are all neighbors/friends and so characters from other stories are threaded ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1709569">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1709569]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1709569]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>32285836</id>
    <user>
    <id>854711</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Andy]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Marlton, NJ]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/854711-andy]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1207003585p3/854711.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1207003585p2/854711.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">19659</id>
  <isbn>067977632X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780679776321</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">28</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Swimming Lessons: and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859m/19659.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859s/19659.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19659.Swimming_Lessons_and_Other_Stories_from_Firozsha_Baag</link>
  <average_rating>3.74</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>362</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Firozsha Baag is an apartment building in Bombay. Its ceilings need plastering and some of the toilets leak appallingly, but its residents are far from desperate, though sometimes contentious and unforgiving. In these witty, poignant stories, Mistry charts the intersecting lives of Firozsha Baag, yielding a delightful collective portrait of a middle-class Indian community poised between the old ways and the new.<br/><br/>&quot;A fine collection...the volume is informed by a tone of gentle compassion for seemingly insignificant lives.&quot;--Michiko Kakutani, <em>New York Times</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1987</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Sep 07 17:25:48 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Sep 15 12:39:24 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[the author's writing feels very authentic.  each chapter is a story about a family in an apartment complex in bombay.  the people are neither well off or poor.  the culture is so interesting and though the book doesn't read like a story, it did hold my interest.  i read 'a fine balance' by the same ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32285836">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32285836]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32285836]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>41439555</id>
    <user>
    <id>1849544</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Meghan]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1849544-meghan]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-50x66.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">2963794</id>
  <isbn>0836458958</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780836458954</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">5</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Tales From Firozsha Baag]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2963794.Tales_From_Firozsha_Baag</link>
  <average_rating>3.69</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>59</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Firozsha Baag is an apartment building in Bombay. Its ceilings need plastering and some of the toilets leak appallingly, but its residents are far from desperate, though sometimes contentious and unforgiving. In these witty, poignant stories, Mistry charts the intersecting lives of Firozsha Baag, yielding a delightful collective portrait of a middle-class Indian community poised between the old ways and the new.<br/><br/>&quot;A fine collection...the volume is informed by a tone of gentle compassion for seemingly insignificant lives.&quot;--Michiko Kakutani, <em>New York Times</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1987</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Dec 31 14:33:52 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Dec 31 14:46:23 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Hilarious! My favorite part is the culture shock when the Indian man moving to Toronto tries to learn how to use a Western toilet, and eventually adapts it to his own needs. These short stories are witty, weird and gross at times, but show the insight into humanity that I find in most Indian authors...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41439555">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41439555]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41439555]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>34014915</id>
    <user>
    <id>831835</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Debbie]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/831835-debbie]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1219343127p3/831835.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1219343127p2/831835.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">19659</id>
  <isbn>067977632X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780679776321</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">28</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Swimming Lessons: and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859m/19659.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859s/19659.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19659.Swimming_Lessons_and_Other_Stories_from_Firozsha_Baag</link>
  <average_rating>3.74</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>362</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Firozsha Baag is an apartment building in Bombay. Its ceilings need plastering and some of the toilets leak appallingly, but its residents are far from desperate, though sometimes contentious and unforgiving. In these witty, poignant stories, Mistry charts the intersecting lives of Firozsha Baag, yielding a delightful collective portrait of a middle-class Indian community poised between the old ways and the new.<br/><br/>&quot;A fine collection...the volume is informed by a tone of gentle compassion for seemingly insignificant lives.&quot;--Michiko Kakutani, <em>New York Times</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1987</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Nov 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Sep 27 22:20:24 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Sep 27 22:22:45 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count>1</read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[i am not a giant fan of short stories. i prefer to spend my limited reading time(i have 5 kids) on a novel. but since i am a hugh fan of mistry, i read this collection. as with many collections of shorrt stories by a single author, it got a bit redundant at times.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/34014915]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/34014915]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>629334</id>
    <user>
    <id>53157</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Nicole]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Newburgh, NY]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/53157-nicole]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-50x66.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">19659</id>
  <isbn>067977632X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780679776321</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">28</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Swimming Lessons: and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859m/19659.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859s/19659.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19659.Swimming_Lessons_and_Other_Stories_from_Firozsha_Baag</link>
  <average_rating>3.74</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>362</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Firozsha Baag is an apartment building in Bombay. Its ceilings need plastering and some of the toilets leak appallingly, but its residents are far from desperate, though sometimes contentious and unforgiving. In these witty, poignant stories, Mistry charts the intersecting lives of Firozsha Baag, yielding a delightful collective portrait of a middle-class Indian community poised between the old ways and the new.<br/><br/>&quot;A fine collection...the volume is informed by a tone of gentle compassion for seemingly insignificant lives.&quot;--Michiko Kakutani, <em>New York Times</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1987</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2005</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Apr 08 05:38:03 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Dec 16 17:42:14 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[short stories about various people all connected with the same apartment complex in india. its fun to see different perspectives of the same character when their stories overlap. this is a great book, and is a little less somber than the other Mistry books i've read.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/629334]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/629334]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>32116280</id>
    <user>
    <id>1448746</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Melissa]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Chicago, IL]]></location>
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  <id type="integer">19659</id>
  <isbn>067977632X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780679776321</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">28</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Swimming Lessons: and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859m/19659.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859s/19659.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19659.Swimming_Lessons_and_Other_Stories_from_Firozsha_Baag</link>
  <average_rating>3.74</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>362</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Firozsha Baag is an apartment building in Bombay. Its ceilings need plastering and some of the toilets leak appallingly, but its residents are far from desperate, though sometimes contentious and unforgiving. In these witty, poignant stories, Mistry charts the intersecting lives of Firozsha Baag, yielding a delightful collective portrait of a middle-class Indian community poised between the old ways and the new.<br/><br/>&quot;A fine collection...the volume is informed by a tone of gentle compassion for seemingly insignificant lives.&quot;--Michiko Kakutani, <em>New York Times</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1987</published>
</book>

    <rating>2</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Sep 05 14:02:29 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Sep 05 14:02:36 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I have only read the first story in this book so far, and found it depressing (even for a book about life in India) and difficult to get through. I've heard great things about it, and loved A Fine Balance, so I'm expecting it to get better! <br/>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32116280]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32116280]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>1045826</id>
    <user>
    <id>60473</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Zahreen]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Chicago, IL]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/60473-zahreen]]></link>
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  <isbn>067977632X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780679776321</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">28</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Swimming Lessons: and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859m/19659.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859s/19659.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19659.Swimming_Lessons_and_Other_Stories_from_Firozsha_Baag</link>
  <average_rating>3.74</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>362</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Firozsha Baag is an apartment building in Bombay. Its ceilings need plastering and some of the toilets leak appallingly, but its residents are far from desperate, though sometimes contentious and unforgiving. In these witty, poignant stories, Mistry charts the intersecting lives of Firozsha Baag, yielding a delightful collective portrait of a middle-class Indian community poised between the old ways and the new.<br/><br/>&quot;A fine collection...the volume is informed by a tone of gentle compassion for seemingly insignificant lives.&quot;--Michiko Kakutani, <em>New York Times</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1987</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sat May 05 08:10:20 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat May 05 08:11:05 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Another Rohinton Mistry book, but this is short stories.  Definitely a good thing to read when you are busy, read one story and put it down, and come back to it when you are ready for another small gem.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1045826]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1045826]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>7590408</id>
    <user>
    <id>503065</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Ranjit]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Brooklyn, NY]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/503065-ranjit]]></link>
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  <id type="integer">19659</id>
  <isbn>067977632X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780679776321</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">28</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Swimming Lessons: and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859m/19659.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859s/19659.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19659.Swimming_Lessons_and_Other_Stories_from_Firozsha_Baag</link>
  <average_rating>3.74</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>362</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Firozsha Baag is an apartment building in Bombay. Its ceilings need plastering and some of the toilets leak appallingly, but its residents are far from desperate, though sometimes contentious and unforgiving. In these witty, poignant stories, Mistry charts the intersecting lives of Firozsha Baag, yielding a delightful collective portrait of a middle-class Indian community poised between the old ways and the new.<br/><br/>&quot;A fine collection...the volume is informed by a tone of gentle compassion for seemingly insignificant lives.&quot;--Michiko Kakutani, <em>New York Times</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1987</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Oct 11 12:54:01 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Oct 11 12:55:31 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Rohinton Mistry has always been one of those authors who has managed to capture the spirit of a community in gripping prose and catapult it across the world....read this one...you'll love it!]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7590408]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7590408]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>2841617</id>
    <user>
    <id>177927</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Victoria  Patterson]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/177927-victoria-patterson-patterson]]></link>
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  <isbn>067977632X</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780679776321</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">28</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Swimming Lessons: and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859m/19659.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167274859s/19659.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19659.Swimming_Lessons_and_Other_Stories_from_Firozsha_Baag</link>
  <average_rating>3.74</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>362</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Firozsha Baag is an apartment building in Bombay. Its ceilings need plastering and some of the toilets leak appallingly, but its residents are far from desperate, though sometimes contentious and unforgiving. In these witty, poignant stories, Mistry charts the intersecting lives of Firozsha Baag, yielding a delightful collective portrait of a middle-class Indian community poised between the old ways and the new.<br/><br/>&quot;A fine collection...the volume is informed by a tone of gentle compassion for seemingly insignificant lives.&quot;--Michiko Kakutani, <em>New York Times</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1987</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Jul 08 17:17:19 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Dec 16 23:58:45 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I loved these stories.  The title story &quot;Swimming Lessons&quot; is my favorite.  I read these stories twice, just to figure out how he managed to evoke so much emotion without being sentimental.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2841617]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2841617]]></link>
</review>
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