A heartwarming tale of courage, determination and humane values that are being lost from the society with each day that passes. Also affiliated with the author's award-winning bestseller සෙංකොට්ටං which I absolutely loved, and in comparison, it feels like this could have been better. A great literary work, nonetheless.
The story begins from a couple who lived in Sri Lanka in the late 1800s. They built everything from scratch with the help of the nature and lived with the nature itself, being empathetic to all human beings around them.
People begin to gather around them for survival, and the couple, Ketihami and Pichchi continued to give what little they had earned.
With the passage of time, the higher ranking officers elected by the English Government appeared from time to time and abused the powers vested in them, ruthlessly acquiring what little the people had earned for themselves. The people, not knowing or being unable to stand up for themselves are left helpless. But time and time again, they learn to just go with the flow in order to survive.
The story goes on between happy and devastating events, much as life does.
The characters are beautifully narrated and the language used couldn't have done more justice to the plot.
A beautiful, yet heartbreaking story. ♥️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Very few books have made me feel the way I did when I read Manikkawatha. This is a beautiful story, a story so close to my heart, my childhood, and the people I grew up with. There are only a handful of writers in Sri Lanka who can convey ideas as beautifully as Masimbula does. He's just beyond amazing, and I love everything he has written so far.
The story is based on the earliest Sri Lankan society which depended on cultivation and it shows social transformation from generation to generation,Specially during the time of the British occupation. This story shows us dedication and commitment of a person (KETI HAMI) and emotional and physical battles faced in his life.
"Manikkawatha" is a captivating literary journey that skillfully spans several generations, offering readers a well-explained and immersive cultural exploration. What sets this book apart is its ability to seamlessly blend the richness of cultural nuances with the adrenaline-pumping experience of a thrilling action movie.
This book dives into life's twists with crazy-good storytelling. From ups to downs, it's a rollercoaster you won't wanna get off. Solid five-star material if you're up for a wild ride!
This book's story is a prequel to සෙංකොට්ටං . And also very addictive as සෙංකොට්ටං .The story tells a struggle of early settlers in today's province called "Sabaragamuwa" in Sri Lanka.
Despite the facts of poverty,lack of resources this story depicts the conflict,imbalance of power and what that power can do to rule over the working class of the society. But the common mans' (main character KETIHAAMI) own intuitions were neglected by the power and his next generation.
As far as the story finishes.... our hearts are heavy-weighted about the incidents happened allover and yet we forget we are also a part of this type of conflict.....
Simply the BEST Sinhalese book I have read so far. The writer has amazingly woven the story to reflect the man in early 19s in Sri Lanka, his life style and utmost kindness extended towards the fellow human beings and nature as a result of his simple life style which was influenced by Buddhism. Bravo!