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Something Black in the Lentil Soup
 
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Something Black in the Lentil Soup (Paperback)

by Reshma S. Ruia (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 250 pages
  • Publisher: BlackAmber Books (1 May 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1901969142
  • ISBN-13: 978-1901969146
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 1.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 287,877 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Book Description
Both comical and political, this is an irreverent portrayal of three parallel cultures: British, Indian and British-Indian. The emotional predicament of the self-deluding central protagonist, Mr. Kavi Naidu, may be familiar, but what is refreshing is the cultural reversal of the frame of reference in which it occurs.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A very good book, 8 Jul 2006
Reshma S. Ruia's first novel "Something Black in the Lentil Soup" (Indian saying meaning "All is not what it seems") is a narration about Kavi Naidu - a young and talented Indian poet (in the tradition of Wordsworth and Shelley) who craves to become famous. He is 25 years old, lives in Delhi with his parents (he is the only child in the family) and leads the simple lower middle class Indian lifestyle, eats usual Indian food, goes to an Indian college and never dates girls. One day he flies to London to win the prestigious Commonwealth Poetry Prize which is what he was dreaming about. While being in India and reading Jane Austen he imagines England just like in the books of his youth - well mannered lords, posh crème parties, blushing and shy rosy cheeked English girls, luxurious houses and hotels but what he experiences in England shocks and confuses him a lot. Reshma S. Ruia depicts Kavi Naidu's "journey to fame" in a very humorous and sarcastic way, the novel is written in a very strong "Queen's English" language which I didn't like at first because it made me feel as if reading a classical English literature work which is about the modern Indian guy who hangs around with his Bohemian friends in Delhi. At those moments I was expecting the language that those youths would use in real life. But Reshma S. Ruia's language is only what makes the book different and it's great. The novel consists of 30 pretty short chapters. Also, details and the very process seemed to be more important than the storyline. I loved the storyline though, because it was "the way it happens in real life" so the reader can get more attached and feel more sensitive about it. There are lots of bits of poems included in the book and they were really good - I liked them a lot. All the way I doubted if I really liked this book because I couldn't quite compare it to anything I've read before but loads of things happened at the end of the novel and the depth of the idea made me love it. The author Reshma S. Ruia being an Indian, brought up in Italy and educated in London depicts India through British frames of mentality and Britain - through Indian ones. The differences between the cultures and usual things in Britain (woman in short skirt and "bare knees" or "spiky shiny yellow hair" or "man with earrings") look embarrassing to Naidu and the fact that Kavi is from India and doesn't eat meat, has certain oaths to his grandfather ("never drink alcohol") make him look like a yogi or guru for the British he met. "Something Black in the Lentil Soup" is very simple, warm, sincere, deep, touching, humorous, and funny novel with great verses of poetry in it. Highly recommended.
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