Book Review: There’s a carnival today by Indra Bahadur Rai

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  • Post last modified:April 9, 2018
  • Reading time:4 mins read

To face in the same direction while standing apart and keeping the same goal, that’s love.

Author: Indra Bahadur Rai
Translator: Manjushree Thapa
Publisher: Speaking Tiger
Rating: 5/5

Summary:Vidhya Thakkar- Indian blogger, Mumbai blogger, book blogger, Book blogger Mumbai, lifestyle, lifestyle blogger, product reviewDarjeeling in the 1950s. Janak, a prominent businessman and local leader, stares at professional, political and moral ruin. His store is failing and he has been sued by Jayabilas—a Marwari trader, once his friend and business partner, to whom he owes money. Bhudev—Janak’s partner at the party which is working to organize workers—has triumphed over him in a bitter struggle for leadership. Janak’s son Ravi, of whom he expected better, has become a schoolteacher and is involved in party work in the tea estates—Janak is convinced that Bhudev is using Ravi to further undermine him. And, despite being in a blissful marriage with Sita, Janak is drawn to the charms of Yamuna, the wife of an ailing friend.Then, tea-estate workers protesting the arrest of their comrades spontaneously march into town. They are joined by others along the way and the march quickly grows in size. But after the rally ends in a massacre by the police, Janak must find a way out of his morass to stand up and be counted once more.Capacious and prescient, There’s a Carnival Today is as much a panoramic view of post-Independence Darjeeling as it is of the sharply observed, flesh-and-blood characters who people it. It is also a foreshadowing of the issues of identity which still shape politics and attitudes in the region. Brilliantly translated by Manjushree Thapa, this seminal work by one of the tallest figures in contemporary Nepali literature is a modern classic.

Review:
There’s a carnival today is a book by Indra Bahadur Rai, translated from the Nepali by Manjushree Thapa. I loved the title of the book, it’s impressive, and the cover is wonderful. it depicts so many things about the story. This is a story of the post-independence period based in Darjeeling.  There’s a Carnival Today is as much a panoramic view of post-Independence Darjeeling. First of all, The blurb of the story is interesting, which made me pick this book. The writing style of the author is something I loved the most. Writing about history with such an engaging style, in perfect flow, is what I loved about the author. This is my first translated read and I absolutely loved it. They way the author set the plot is amazing. It’s out of the box. The way the author described relationships, how the family falls apart, portraying each emotion beautifully, along with the politics and war in one plot is mind-blowing and strong. The narration of the story is crisp, smooth and powerful. The language used by the author and the translator is interesting and connecting. One can easily connect to the story and can visualize the situations in the post-independence period. The way the story started and the climax was stunning. The pace of the story is also good and is medium paced. what I loved is the flow of the story, the story went smoothly, and crisply with lots of emotions portrayed. The characters that author made were strong, each having a different perspective and everyone had their own importance.  Each and every character played a vital role. The way each and every situation are described were astounding.

Strong characters, amazing plot, crisp narration, interesting Language makes this book one of the best read. If you are interested in reading historical fiction, do read this one.

Kudos! to the author and the translator for the amazing work. would love to read their books in future.

You can get your copy here.

*** I received this copy of the book from the publishers in exchange for honest and unbiased review***

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