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Latitudes of Longing
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March BOTM - Latitudes of Longing by Shubhangi Swarup
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Great... definitely reading this one :)
I have started it and around 25%.I am liking it till now.. I loved the atmosphere set up in the book. The far away island Andamans which is described very beautifully.
I try find a calm silent atmosphere to sink the words in this book. Its kind of a book which will creep into you only if you sit for it specifically.
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At 13%; liking it more than I expected. Writing is good. Reminded me of Amitav Ghosh's The Hungry Tide but that didn't have this much drama packed in the first 10% itself. Till the part I have read almost has a certain closure like that of a short story. But I flipped to see if the characters continue to take the story forward n they do. So I guess it is not like that.
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just a couple of pages in and it looks like a very interesting beginning!
Gorab wrote: "started this today...just a couple of pages in and it looks like a very interesting beginning!"
👍
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while hungry tide characters were living in poor conditions, here the protagonist and his wife are affluent....
nicely written.
Gorab, I didn't mean they are similar in that way. Here, Andaman n its ecosystem is described in great detail like it is done for the Sundarbans in The Hungry Tide. Will read a bit tomorrow.
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Gorab wrote: "anyone else started or planning to read this month?"I am listening to the audio version and am liking it so far. This is my first book set in the Andamans and I too love the description of the place and the characters in it.
Yes very descriptive and pictorial.... Around 75%, story travelled to Burma from Andaman and then to India... And every country is described beautifully. As you read you get a sense of not only the place but also the people..
How intermingled it is, the human behavior and nature...
Nice review. Tied up with other work. Will resume today or tomorrow.
Read till 20%; I am mainly reading for the writing bcoz even the author doesn't care much for it. It is a series of vignettes of life presented along with historical facts, shades of magical realism and wry humour. Made a note of the following two instances for their humour.- I lost my most beloved daughter at Kumbhmela. Prayed to God to take my mother and give back my daughter. God didn't answer my prayers and I stopped going to the fair. More ppl get lost at the mela than finding god. ( Paraphrasing a bit here)
- They are baby volcanoes, rising no higher than a foot - proof that even the creator loses interest in tasks midway.
Dry humour but think I will complete the book mainly for such instances.
*author doesn't care much for the plot.
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Even I'm around the 20% mark - still in Andaman. I'm loving it for the beautiful prose. And the character build up of Chanda Devi! Simple, mystical, charming, dominating, engimatic!
Loved that crocodile episode. Also loving the dry conversations between the couple, loaded with meanings and interpretations.
Thought I'd be the only one remaining with my snail's pace :)
I am going at a snail's pace coz I am reading some easy reads/poetry too and I need to be in a certain frame of mind read serious stuff. Nice to have company though. Think I will pick up pace.
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"Humans: once bitten, twice shy. Centipedes: shy once, biting twice."
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"‘Ghosts do not live where they died. They return to the place where they felt the most alive. They have struggled, lived and enjoyed their time there so much, they cannot let go."
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"Life has shown Mary that grief is like water. Once it seeps into a crack, there is no way of draining it."
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"What happens every few hundred years, just happened yesterday and can happen again tomorrow. The shells embedded in the cliffs bear witness to the violence that also creates mountains as mighty as the Himalayas. The destinies of entire species, not just civilizations, can change with the course of a river and the tides of an ocean."
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"Plants are the most sensitive spirits in the web of creation. They bind the earth to water and air, and they bind different worlds together. They make life possible. Which is why they can see, feel and hear more than other forms, especially humans."
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People who read a book mainly for its plot, won't like this one much I feel.
Gorab, Apologies for not keeping company. Will pick up tomorrow. Some personal issues.
Gorab wrote: "‘Where did you find me, Papa?’ she will ask, mildly annoyed by his grip. ‘Why did you bring me home?’ Girija Prasad will weave a story from the embers of twilight to pacify her. ‘It was a beach jus..."Liked this one :)
Gorab wrote: "At 25%:"‘Ghosts do not live where they died. They return to the place where they felt the most alive. They have struggled, lived and enjoyed their time there so much, they cannot let go.""
Think at some place the author says "we ( the living ppl) are ghosts of the present while the dead are ghosts of the past"
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I am somewhere in the middle of Part 2 - Plato's story.
At around 50% of the book.
(view spoiler)
Might take another week or so for me to complete this.
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will discuss once you finish.
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at page 110 ( roughly 35%) I am just languidly absorbing it ...
I just love books where there isn't much of a story but the writing makes up for it ..
I am reminded of my joy while reading
God of small things
Inheritance of loss
Sea of poppies.
as of now a definite 5 starrer, but Gorabs 3 stars are giving me some concern.
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Glad to find the 4th person reading the BOTM! \m/ \m/ rock on!
Hope you enjoy it much more than I did.
I started reading this one and then realised it was based in the Andamans (at least the first part). I had a trip planned to the Andamans in mid-March, so I kept it aside until then. I absolutely loved the Andamans part. I'm in the "Valley" right now, which is almost over. While the prose continues to be magical, the setting is less so as we move away from the Andamans. I'm guessing the Snow Desert is Ladakh, and hopefully that will revive the magic of the setup. 4.5 stars for me at the moment.
"Many writers spend a lifetime writing, yet when they write, it's about their own life." This quote from the book on about 66% in is something that distinguishes Shubhangi Swarup's work for me. Usually when I read an author's debut novel, I find glimpses of their life in the novel. Or some inspirations from other authors' works. Latitudes of Longing is refreshingly original.
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I like a story well told , one which doesn't deviate and try to encompass as many issues and as many people as this one did.
I felt I was on a very disorganized world tour in the last quarter of this book, and was incredulous at the ending.
wouldn't recommend this one ..
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Had a difficult time finishing this off. Last part was pathetic.
In retrospect, I still love this book for Girija Prasad, Chanda Devi, Devi (and to an extent Mary) who will stay with me for a long time :)
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Same thing happened with Selva :D
Selva, how far you've reached? I hope you enjoy it more than everybody else on this thread :)
Gorab, It stands at 20%. I am juggling 2-3 books besides this one. But I think I will complete it in some time. coz the writing and the thoughts being thrown up made it a worthwhile read for me. Maybe it got worse in the later part. Let me see :)
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This is her debut work. JCB Prize Nominee for Literature (2018)
Latitudes of Longing offers a soaring view of humanity: our beauty and ugliness, our capacity to harm and love each other, and our mysterious and sacred relationship with nature.