SLICKR392 Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 Please read some other writers and you will realize how utterly mediocre, even crap, Chetan Bhagat is. To start off with read the book in my signature. +++++ I have got no idea why people rate this guy so much. Immature language and just pure nonsense. Could you suggest me some good books of A.Camus? I've been told from some friends that his books are amazing but some may not really like it. I would love to give it a shot.
rkt.india Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 +++++ I have got no idea why people rate this guy so much. Immature language and just pure nonsense. If you enjoy reading Dickens or Jane Austen for pleasure, don't even bother picking up this book. Chetan Bhagat is not for you. He is for all those who stopped reading Englit the moment they stepped out of school. You will learn nothing from this book. For it is not meant to teach you anything. Neither English nor literature. And certainly not anything about life as it ought to be lived. Then why do millions of young people read Bhagat, follow him on twitter? Why does Time magazine rate him among the 100 most influential people in the world? Why does Fast Company, one of my favourite magazines, list him among the 100 most creative people in business? The answer is actually very simple. Bhagat has successfully deconstructed the idea of literature, and demystified it as well. In the great tradition of Indian pulp fiction. (Yes, Gulshan Nanda would have loved him.) Some years ago, I wrote about a charming anthology of Tamil pulp fiction translated into English and published by one of India's most innovative publishing houses out of Chennai. The book did so well that they brought out a second volume which they asked me to inaugurate at the next Kala Ghoda festival. That too was a huge success. Not because it was great literature but because it pushed back the boundaries of fiction as we know it and brought many more readers into the fold. This is exactly what Chetan Bhagat is doing. You could well conclude that he is desecrating literature as we know it. Or you could simply sit back and have fun reading what he writes with such amazing conviction, and commercial success. You can also marvel at the kind of readership he is bringing to Indian fiction in English. No, these are no longer old fashioned lovers of literature like you and I. These are real people looking for a quick, fun read that does not test your intelligence but artfully tells you a story that you can easily identify with. Yes, Bhagat is doing exactly what Salman Khan is doing to our movies. Salman is not teaching people to appreciate good cinema or great acting. He is giving them what he believes they would like to watch. It doesn't exert him. Neither does it exert his viewers. And, voila, in the process our cinema has suddenly found itself a whole new audience ready to spend Rs.40 crore on an opening weekend. There's no rocket science here. Just a canny business sense and publishers who are ready to go that extra mile to promote a book they think will not only sell itself but will ensure Bhagat's next book will do even better. And that's exactly why Bhagat's books translate so easily into movies. They may not be written for the movies but they cross over effortlessly. Three decades ago readers may have spurned them and snooty reviewers would have stayed miles away from such stuff. But, in the Age of the Parvenu, no one really bothers what the purists think is literature, cinema, music or even cricket. What works is what the consumer wants. And Bhagat's books are now part of the fmcg industry, not publishing. R2020 is a delightful read. I read it in one shot. Bhagat has made it impossible not to like his books. The story telling is easy, almost casual, as it ought to be in this age and time. It's a typical love story, two guys and a girl, trapped between greed and idealism. It will make a great movie too. No, not Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, which had the same premise but chose to walk a more difficult route. The route of the great classics. R2020 has no such pretensions. It is there to sell copies and make Bhagat and his publishers very rich. The choice is exactly what Aarti faced. And ultimately, like movies are now judged by their box office take and music by the number of paid downloads, books will be judged by their sales. And in that sweepstake, Bhagat has made sure that he leads the pack. Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/revolution-2020-love-corruption-ambition-by-chetan-bhagat/1/157050.html This was the review by Pritish Nandy.
Debutant Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 The only book I really like was "Five Point Someone". Then I read "3 mistakes of my life" and "2 states". I did not like them at all. So decided not to read any of Chetan's book any more.
PriyankaSR Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 Two of my fav Indian authors wld be Vikram Chandra and Suketu Mehta. You got any other Indian authors in mind? Arundhati Roy Khushwant Singh
Sachin=GOD Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 This was the review by Pritish Nandy. from the review - "Yes, Bhagat is doing exactly what Salman Khan is doing to our movies. ". Exactly my thoughts. I ignore both BTW :giggle:
Lord Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 Hes good for people like me whose English isnt that good and just want time piece.Obviously if you read more you'd find it ordinary.If I were to read Camus,I'd spend more time reading dictionary:giggle:
Sachin=GOD Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 Two of my fav Indian authors wld be Vikram Chandra and Suketu Mehta. You got any other Indian authors in mind? Arundhati Roy Khushwant Singh read books by Amitav Ghosh, Shashi Tharoor, Ruskin Bond, Anita/Kiran Desai, Ramchandra Guha, Jhumpa Lahiri etc. Also, early works by V S Naipaul and Salman Rushdie were brilliant.
Sachin=GOD Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 Hes good for people like me whose English isnt that good and just want time piece.Obviously if you read more you'd find it ordinary.If I were to read Camus' date=I'd spend more time reading dictionary:giggle: but you will also see a marked improvement in your English by doing reading such books.
Lord Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 but you will also see a marked improvement in your English by doing reading such books. yeah but thats not what I want from a novel.I'd rather read specific English tutorial books for that.From a novel,I just want an interesting story to pass time n CB provides that
Sachin=GOD Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 yeah but thats not what I want from a novel.I'd rather read specific English tutorial books for that.From a novel' date='I just want an interesting story to pass time n CB provides that[/quote'] fair enough. BTW if you want all 6 of his ebooks, I can give you a link :secret:
Lord Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 fair enough. BTW if you want all 6 of his ebooks, I can give you a link :secret: sure.If you have any other intesresting fiction story e-books,provide that too:icflove:
CSK Fan Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 This was the review by Pritish Nandy. So he is basically the IPL of books, huh?
CSK Fan Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 yeah but thats not what I want from a novel.I'd rather read specific English tutorial books for that.From a novel' date='I just want an interesting story to pass time n CB provides that[/quote'] None of his stories are interesting. His stories are easy to read and follow for an Indian though
Lord Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 None of his stories are interesting. His stories are easy to read and follow for an Indian though Thats subjective.I found FPS and Revolution 2020 gripping
veer Posted May 30, 2013 Author Posted May 30, 2013 I am in the same boat as Lord.. English wasnt my 1st, 2nd or 3rd language in my growing years so when it comes to reading i want easy to read English and story that I can connect to.. That's what CB provides in his books.. But I knew 'well read' and well literate people wouldnt rate CB's books very high.
Sidhoni Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 Completely agreed with Lord. I don't read Novels to improve my English, just for some good fun and time pass and Bhagat's books have plenty of that. His best IMO was in 3 mistakes, because I could connect to the character Ishaan being a big cricket fan.
Lord Posted May 30, 2013 Posted May 30, 2013 Completely agreed with Lord. I don't read Novels to improve my English' date=' just for some good fun and time pass and Bhagat's books have plenty of that. His best IMO was in 3 mistakes, because I could connect to the character Ishaan being a big cricket fan.[/quote'] FPS is his best book imo.3 mistakes was a bit OTT.The movie was better
Recommended Posts