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8th out of 12 books
—
2 voters
Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard
by
Kiran Desai
Sampath Chawla is born into a family slightly off kilter, to a mother not quite like her neighbors, in a town not quite like other towns. After years of failure at school, failure at work, it does not seem as if Sampath is going to amount to much.Then Sampath climbs up a guava tree in search of a life of peaceful contemplation -- and becomes famous as a hermit.
Written with...more
Written with...more
Paperback, 209 pages
Published
1999
by Faber and Faber
(first published 1998)
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Kiran Desai has now written a serious book that shows off her deep thinking and writing skills - the inheritance of loss.
whatever. she had me at Hullabaloo.
this book is funny. Hands down funny. And the mother in the book, reminds me of my mother on her more insane days.
I just realized that in a lot of the books that I love, food plays a role. sometimes a big role. in this book, the mother, kulfi, is an amazing cook who knows no boundaries as to ingredients and spices. hm...
And the younger siste...more
whatever. she had me at Hullabaloo.
this book is funny. Hands down funny. And the mother in the book, reminds me of my mother on her more insane days.
I just realized that in a lot of the books that I love, food plays a role. sometimes a big role. in this book, the mother, kulfi, is an amazing cook who knows no boundaries as to ingredients and spices. hm...
And the younger siste...more
Chapter 3 +4 :
The life of the Indian family is told. The father who gives commands, the children trying to keep up with his demands and the crazy mother thinking of food.
All in all chapter 3 reads itself fluently and it gives a nice, but a bit strange and boring view over the life of a paysan family in the Himalaya.
In the next chapter the life in the city Shahkot is told, little, but interesting and funny things happening at the end Sampath looses his work.
The more I'm reading the more I come in...more
The life of the Indian family is told. The father who gives commands, the children trying to keep up with his demands and the crazy mother thinking of food.
All in all chapter 3 reads itself fluently and it gives a nice, but a bit strange and boring view over the life of a paysan family in the Himalaya.
In the next chapter the life in the city Shahkot is told, little, but interesting and funny things happening at the end Sampath looses his work.
The more I'm reading the more I come in...more
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I thought the story till now was interesting, though I'm still confused about the significanse of everything. However, I'm sure that they'll be revealed soon enough and that the story will have a mind-capturing pace and beat. I deeply appreciate the relation to nature in the story; the monsoon and the heatwave before. The authors descriptive language is really one to admire because of the use of metaphors and similies, especially the fashion in which the author depicted the rain, as peacockishly...more
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I'm not sure this really counts as a book I've read since I only made it half way through. It was that silly and slow that I just couldn't make it to the end. Set it India, it would make a great bollywood film and probably be quite funny and entertaining to watch. It's about a young man's quest to escape the chaos of his home and find peace and quiet. He ultimately does this turning into a guava and being taken away by a monkey. While there's great potential for a bollywood film, on paper, it's...more
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Aug 09, 2011
Vj Krishnan
added it
It was dragging to start with, where it looked like the author was padding out the narrative unnecessarily while the plot itself stagnated, but 1/3 into the book, things got a lot more interesting.
This book takes a light hearted approach to one of India's many charms: gurus, the individuals who pursue/have attained enlightenment, and how they can end up being one without claiming anything to that effect. Young Sampath is not successful at school nor work, hates being stuck in a post office job h...more
This book takes a light hearted approach to one of India's many charms: gurus, the individuals who pursue/have attained enlightenment, and how they can end up being one without claiming anything to that effect. Young Sampath is not successful at school nor work, hates being stuck in a post office job h...more
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Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard was lying in my office library and on a slow work day I decided to give it a read. Written by Kiran Desai, who even jointly won the Betty Trask award for it, Hullabaloo is everything that a book should never be.
It is pretentious, written in a direct vernacular to English translation style and has a story that I had to try very hard to stay connected to.
What is it about? About a Monkey Baba. A young boy from a village called Shahkot suffers from a madness gene pass...more
It is pretentious, written in a direct vernacular to English translation style and has a story that I had to try very hard to stay connected to.
What is it about? About a Monkey Baba. A young boy from a village called Shahkot suffers from a madness gene pass...more
Feb 08, 2013
Laura Zurowski
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
the-world-in-which-we-live
I finished this one just in time for a book club lunch discussion tomorrow (although I sometimes question my compulsion to attain this goal as many other attendees have shown a proclivity otherwise).
All in all, Hullabaloo is a good story. The characters are a bit out of central casting: the grandma with missing dentures, an overly controlling father, the younger status-crazed sister who dresses like a fashion model to get an ice cream, a band of alcohol-addicted wild monkeys... but they're ente...more
All in all, Hullabaloo is a good story. The characters are a bit out of central casting: the grandma with missing dentures, an overly controlling father, the younger status-crazed sister who dresses like a fashion model to get an ice cream, a band of alcohol-addicted wild monkeys... but they're ente...more
I found this book very disappointing. At the beginning I found it really hard to read, I would put the book down after reading a page or two. Yet, I decided to read the book since it was heavily recommended by one of my friends.
The story revolves around Sampath, who proves to have inherited his mother's 'insanity' genes. He could not withstand the everyday pressures of his social life and career, so he decides to escape by fleeing to a guava orchard and climbing up a tree: I find this very una...more
The story revolves around Sampath, who proves to have inherited his mother's 'insanity' genes. He could not withstand the everyday pressures of his social life and career, so he decides to escape by fleeing to a guava orchard and climbing up a tree: I find this very una...more
since the book was set in shahkot, north india(the capital of divine religious cultures and morals) one would expect the book to be have a wide range of religious themes, settings etc however desai employs a much different setting. she completely turns around and lowers the prestige pattern of hinduism as a religion and culture that was set in books known for this such as 'a passage to india'.
the book's main genre is comedy and that is the device she uses in potraying the indian beliefs. the au...more
the book's main genre is comedy and that is the device she uses in potraying the indian beliefs. the au...more
May 30, 2010
Will Byrnes
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
religion-and-sprituality
Chauncey Gardener in India, Sampath is a slacker of the first order, completely lacking in ambition and as distractible as an infant confronted with moving shiny objects. After losing his job in a rather dramatic manner, Sampath wanders up the road until he feels the pull of a guava tree and decides to take up residence. The unknowing manage to project onto him a fully undeserved holiness. A new cult is born as Sampath tosses out meaningless parables in answer to the many questions asked him by...more
At least two of my friends say that they don't like Kiran Desai's writing. I don't understand them. I read 'The Inheritance of Loss' before I read this, and I absolutely loved it. It spoke to an angst in me that I myself couldn't have given words to, and there are several passages in the book I hold very close to me.
'Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard' is a very different book; it's an incredible story and written with an amazing mastery of words.
It's not an easily believable story, there're elemen...more
'Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard' is a very different book; it's an incredible story and written with an amazing mastery of words.
It's not an easily believable story, there're elemen...more
Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard was a fun, quick read, full of self-deprecating humor and a sprinkle of fairy(tale) dust. There is a very small undercurrent of seriousness (for example the few pages on how to choose a bride, and how prospective brides should behave), but otherwise it's one big drama that reminds one of, for want of any better comparison, a Bollywood movie. As long as you don't go looking for hidden meanings, you will be able to sit back and enjoy it as a lighthearted, frivolous...more
The book is about a simpleton living in a town somewhere in the North of India. He works at the Post Office and leaves with his parents, sister and paternal grandmother. He is wont to reading the mails as they pass through his hands and is privy to many secrets of the townsfolk. One fine day he decides he is frustrated with his work and life and runs away to a nearby wood and ensconces himself in a Guava tree. He finds it immensely pleasurable to be in these peaceful surroundings bereft of any h...more
The author wrote the story in a funny way. How ridiculous that people treat a unintelligent 20 year-old boy as a kind of living god! Even more ridiculous is that people are reciting what he said as mortal. Also, in the end, everything was ruined by a group of alcoholic monkeys.
Given that I had never read something about India, it's interesting experience to read. It's good to understand other cultures by authors from that country, though the author is also biased by her or his own education, cla...more
Given that I had never read something about India, it's interesting experience to read. It's good to understand other cultures by authors from that country, though the author is also biased by her or his own education, cla...more
Fairly amusing and fairly brief novel about Sampath, an Indian adolescent, who really does not want to work hard and who would rather laze around. One day he suddenly decides he would like to sit at the top of a guava tree. He stays there and refuses to come down. He begins to be mistaken for a wise man.
There is an air of predictability about this and some of the characters are very formulaic.
There are some very funny moments though and the saga of the drunken monkeys is hilarious. Desai also...more
There is an air of predictability about this and some of the characters are very formulaic.
There are some very funny moments though and the saga of the drunken monkeys is hilarious. Desai also...more
Everything I want in a book: engaging characters, a bit of a plot, a little fun, a tiny bit of underlying seriousness. Sampath Chawla has grown up to become quite a disappointment to his family. He works in a post office where he spends most of his time reading the mail that comes through the office. His father is in despair; Sampath has no ambition. One day, Sampath leaves his job and, almost without thinking much about it, climbs up into a guava tree. He doesn't come down. As time passes, a my...more
A captivating book about what happens in a small town when a bored post office clerk does the unexpected, and how the town reacts - in equally unexpected ways. Living in India, I've been able to see just how entertainingly true some of these situations are (like immersion heaters made of electrical coils and wooden sticks, thieving monkeys, and the vastly important interactions of establishing and maintaining relationships). If you're unfamiliar with India, don't worry - Desai gives everything a...more
This book is comic satire with a fun touch of craziness thrown in. The story centers on a dysfunctional family whose son is a n'ere do well who retreats to a tree to live to avoid family criticism. Once in the tree, he becomes a holy man scattering pithy and prophetic sayings to those who walk below. Soon he obtains a following to which he family reacts by coming up with a business plan to extract cash out of the devotees. Next, a skeptic shows up to expose the holy man as a fraud. Soon, a troup...more
Dec 14, 2011
Smitha
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
those who love Indian fiction
Shelves:
solid,
india-via-books
This had an absurd storyline with eccentric characters. I never thought I would like it as much as I did because I am not inclined towards satire and silliness. This book made me realize that beautiful writing can surpass other faults. This is the story of Sampath, an eccentric young man born to a mad woman who has a long genealogy of craziness. He is overwhelmed by ordinary routine and the need for a steady paying job and just runs off to the forest one day and starts living in the branches of...more
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Wow. I did not expect "Hullabaloo" to turn out like that. It was so surprising and a page turner by the end of the book, much unlike the beginning. In the middle, the book was a bit confusing with all the new chapters being introduced but you seem to understand everything by the end which was clever of Desai, how she brang everything together at the end. Sampath is an unusual character trying to find himself so he climbs a guava tree an decides to live there. His father is against this but his m...more
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Preferred The Inheritance of Loss, which has a more elegiac tone. This is the story of Sampath Chawla, a diffident dreamer who drops out of society and climbs a guava tree one day. In short order, he becomes a venerated hermit, attracting crowds for his gnomic aphorisms. The novel is more than the story of Sampath however. Desai laces together tales of most of the family members, along with various officials and townspeople responding to the event that is Sampath. As the novel races to a close,...more
Everyone should read this absolutely delightful and very interesting novel that pulls you right in from the first chapter. Here's a little taste:
But Ammaji, who had just been handed a nice chocolate cone by the Hungry Hop boy, ran with the cone--not that this mattered, for he monkey ignored her and ran after Pinky instead, even though she was without any food products whatsoever. He grabbed hold of her dupatta and held tight as she screamed like a train and pounded down the bazaar street, follow...more
But Ammaji, who had just been handed a nice chocolate cone by the Hungry Hop boy, ran with the cone--not that this mattered, for he monkey ignored her and ran after Pinky instead, even though she was without any food products whatsoever. He grabbed hold of her dupatta and held tight as she screamed like a train and pounded down the bazaar street, follow...more
The beginning of the book was a bit interesting, and I wanted to continue reading to see if it will go anywhere. But, it went no-where. I was going to throw the book away because of how boring and pointless it was. But in the end, the book left me in tears. Books don't usually leave me laughing or crying, but this one did. I am so glad I continued reading, because there was a point where I was going to completely stop. But after I read some reviews about the book, it encouraged me to finish it.
M...more
M...more
The first two chapters of “Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard” by Kiran Desai caught my attention, and left me eager to know how the story will unfold. As I progressed I started to find the book completely meaningless, and felt like the novel was getting nowhere. While reading I thought all the mischief the monkeys were causing we quite humorous but stupid at the same time. I disliked the book so much to an extent that if reading it wasn’t obligatory I would of given up on the book ages ago, but I’...more
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this book is very captivating.It has all that a good book should have.A crazy and greedy mother,a father who likes passing commands and orders all the time, a sister who is deeply in love with the ice-cream seller and who at first hated the very sight of a man gazing at her.The old typical type grand mother who thinks like old people(rightly described),Ms joshi who is fond of her own beauty,the d.p.s and his story.(sampath starts dancing in front of the guests and humilates the d.p.s).the effect...more
Excitement, ruckus, turmoil, Hullabaloo. Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard by Kiran Desai is an extremely eccentric novel. My first thoughts on the novel were that it was pointless, a waste of time, really all made up “Hullaballoo”. As the novel progressed, however, I realized that Desai has done a remarkable job of conveying the Indian culture in an appealing way. Usually a book is written to convey a message through an evident lot leading up to its climax. Throughout this novel I kept reading on...more
This very charming story, set in the Indian village of Shakhot, centers on Sampath Chawla. Born on a magical night when a terrible drought comes to an end and food accidentally drops from the sky, it seems that he is destined for greatness. Fast forward about twenty years, and he is disappointing his family with a string of failures and disgraceful incidents which cause him to seek an escape by climbing a guava tree. He is then mistaken for a holy man, sending his town into chaos. Oh yeah, the t...more
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How would I have reacted to it if it were a book I had to read for school? The thought comes to my mind mainly because a colleague of mine has to teach this book. Many students were apparently angry with the portrayal of India, finding it almost insulting. That did not occur to me at all. It is comical, yes, but not insulting. It is exaggerated, but with a gentle tone to it that takes away any sense of insult. I enjoyed reading it, but took my time over it. I sometimes even forgot that I was in...more
This book is the most unusual book i have read, and not at all bad. It seemed slow and a bit confusing in the beginning and towards the end but a great page turner at the end . the point of the book remains a mystery to me and other people.What i liked about this book were definitely the monkeys! they added humor and excitement to this book and gave us a reason to keep on reading and discover where they end up.It was very shocking for me when i read about the plan of killing them and was definit...more
From the beginning of the book to the middle I found the book boring. However as I continued to read the book, it slowly but surely became interesting. To be honest if I was given this book by a person and they told me to read it, I would have put it down by the first chapter.I think that the monkeys getting drunk was nothing big but just an idea to add a bit of humor into the book.
No one believes the grandmother when she tells them that Sampath will be successful but he is taking a bit more tim...more
No one believes the grandmother when she tells them that Sampath will be successful but he is taking a bit more tim...more
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Kiran Desai is an Indian author who is a citizen of India and a permanent resident of the United States. She is the daughter of the noted author Anita Desai.
Desai's first novel, Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard (1998), gained accolades from notable figures including Salman Rushdie, and went on to receive the Betty Trask Award. Her second novel, The Inheritance of Loss (2006), won the 2006 Man Booke...more
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Desai's first novel, Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard (1998), gained accolades from notable figures including Salman Rushdie, and went on to receive the Betty Trask Award. Her second novel, The Inheritance of Loss (2006), won the 2006 Man Booke...more
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“You can catch more flies with honey than with sour milk”
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3 people liked it
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Kiran has completely changed the life of the typical indian into a funny and hilariu...more
Jun 21, 2012 11:29pm