Malgudi Days
R.K. Narayan
Short Stories
Read from 9/12/06 – 9/14/06
My grade: 6
I realized while grading this that I totally bump all the grades up for effort. I think “well, I didn’t like it, but he clearly tried and/or is talented, so…” I think that’s okay, but it does explain why I tend to average a 7, not a 5.
I read these on Jhumpa Lahiri’s recommendation. While I didn’t like her novel, I thought her short story collection was good, so I figured she was a good source. Alas, blah. At first I was charmed by the Indian locale and unusual characters (all American short stories contain a disaffected youth – prove me wrong). So that part was nice. But over the collection (and thus, over his life) the stories got dimmer, sadder.
Overall, not memorable, but a worthwhile read. I won’t go back for more, but I’ve been trying to exercise my short story muscles lately, so it was fine.