Currently reading
Frackistan: The Promise and Peril of America’s Energy Revolution
Savaging the Dark
The End-of-Life Handbook: A Compassionate Guide to Connecting with and Caring for a Dying Loved One
Final Journeys: A Practical Guide for Bringing Care and Comfort at the End of Life
A Better Way of Dying: How to Make the Best Choices at the End of Life
Handbook for Mortals: Guidance for People Facing Serious Illness
Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success
S.
Dances in Two Worlds: A Writer-Artist's Backstory
Tigers in Red Weather
Nine Lives
I think I have a typical American viewpoint of India - romanticized by folkore and Bollywood with a drop or two of actual knowledge. I was probably hoping this book would give me a little more insight as to how the many changes in our new global society has changed the traditions of an ancient culture. I was originnaly intrigued by this book because of the parallels drawn to The Canterbury Tales and had been excited to read a modern version of another culture's pilgrimage toward spirituality and the sacred.I don't think that's what I got from this collection of stories. Not only did I not really see the similarities between this and The Canterbury Tales, with exception to the title of "The Monk's Tale", I rather wound up not really liking William Dalrymple's telling of other people's stories. While worship and ascending to a higher place were certainly the focal points running through each story, I did not get a real sense of what each person's religious beliefs and practices meant to them so much as I saw a brief illustration of what these people do. It was like reading about someone describing their job in one chapter. There was a lack of passion I found disappointing.
Regardless of my disappointment, I still enjoyed the book well-enough. I don't think I will read it again, but it was fun to travel throughout India, briefly dipping into Pakistan and Tibet & Nepal. I enjoyed learning about regional dieties and why they had been worshipped. I felt that little twinge of loss so common as we watch the world become homogenized, as we see unique traditions and practices merge into those that are more widely-recognized. I can't say my life was enriched with new knowledge and insight gained from these stories but I was left wanting to travel to these villages to see them for myself.