A River Sutra

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Summary: A River Sutra lacks closure
Review: A River Sutra by Gita Mehta is a fantastic and well written story of one man's journey toward personal enlightenment. The figures the narrator meets along his journey are realistic: each portrays a certain aspect of the human nature. One character is longing, another desire, yet another is sorrow. However, the narrator and the characters provide no sense of closure for the reader. He/she leaves the novel with no great understanding, no secret truth, or even an understanding of what eventually happens to Gita's characters. Overall, it is a well-written work that needs expansion on its key ideas. Ms. Mehta might want to consider writing a follow up to this work.

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Summary: The book contains several interesting stories.
Review: A River Sutra is a collection of stories centered upon the Narmada River. It describes the cultures of Jainism, Hinduism, and Islam and is very effective in portraying those cultures. Most of the stories carry a theme relevant to love, suffering, or self-awareness. The narrarator is a passive character who listens to different people relating their stories. He has isolated himself from society and feels that in that way, he is achieving higher enlightenment. However, he soon realizes that in order to be happy, one must life life and experience things such as love or suffering.

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Summary: Excellent literary work that examines many lifelong themes
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading "A River Sutra". The manner in which Ms. Mehta presents the ideas of the book, through the various experiences of several others, which ultimately leaves an impact on the main character, the narrator. The lessons of love and the attainment of self-fulfillment are very uniqueing dipicted. The text is also very rich in Indian culture and imagery which enhances the experience. This book was a pleasure to read and I recommend it to anyone interested in exploring another culture while learning universal truths.

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Summary: A good read if you have the time
Review: For the first time, I read a book for summer reading that I actually enjoyed. The book is set up like a bunch of shorter stories which captivate your attention throughout. This book is definitely worth checking out.

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Summary: not too shabby
Review: i was forced to read this book for school... and it wasnt that bad! the book was a good read for the casual reader and for the hardcore readers among us, it actually meant something cool (or at least i think it did... i havent gotten my paper back). Read it!

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Summary: This was a great book!
Review: The beginning of the book started off pretty slow as the narrator described the landscape around his retreat house. The story of the monk was the story that really got me into the book and made me want to read on. I think the intriguing aspect of the book can be attributed to its riveting stories involving love, sacrifice, suffering, and death; all inevitable aspects of life.

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Summary: This book is well written and extremely insightful.
Review: A River Sutra is a good book. It provides insights to another culture and another world. The characters are very approachable. The themes are ones that people of all ages, all races, all religions, and all cultures can relate to. Whenever parts of the book started to get a little dull or monotonous, Mehta added a little spice. Everytime I was ready to put this book down, something happened that kept me wanting to read more. Mehta's timing was impeccable. I would recommend this book to anyone who can read.

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Summary: Mehta looks at love with satisfying ambiguity.
Review: Ashok, who once lived a rich, comfortable life, becomes an ascetic. A music teacher, who finds a talented disciple, only to lead to misery. A Naga, who renounced the materialistic world, only to reenter as a prominent archaeologist. These characters (and others in the book) are unified by the single thread of love, a profound issue into which Mehta probes. Ashok lacked a love for life and decided to renounce the world. The Naga was in the same predicament. The music teacher found love which lead to misery. Thus, Mehta suggests that love leads to misery or is it that misery leads to finding love? This is an exemplary example of how Metha offers a set of stories that has a number of different interpretations. The reader decides which way to lean, fostering individualism which again is a theme in the text. This highly subjective text provides a great satisfaction for the reader. The concepts and tales addressed in the text relate to the reader, for Mehta deals with issues common to all but handled differently by each. Whether for a pleasurable read or a strict criticism, Mehta's A River Sutra provides the best of both worlds.

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Summary: easily loved and easily hated
Review: This book can be easily loved and easily hated. Because of its simplicity, I personally found it to be an enjoyable read. Each separate short story has its own interesting plot and meaning. They each express deep themes of enlightenment and love. I especially enjoyed the story of the Naga Baba, as it expressed the power of humans, instead of spirituality. That is the one thing that bothered me about the book. It was all about the spirituality of the river and every character's spirituality. I found it exhausting to read at some points, because of the dependence on gods. Rarely did she explain just how the river helped these characters. However, it is an easy read, and I would recommend it to readers who enjoy reading about spiritual enlightment and love.

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Summary: Several stories about the different forms and effects of luv
Review: A River Sutra shows the many types of love that people can feel in an interesting and suprising stories. The characters are funny and sometimes tragic. The stories not only give insights into love but they also give insights into the Indian culture but the meanings of the stories are universal and are understandable by people of any class, race, or religion. The novel is usually easy to read but some stories force you to reflect to find the true meanings. The narrator is a forgetable character because characters of the different stories steal the show. Whether it is the child musician or the young courtisan, you are drawn to them. Mehta adds little twists to the stories to keep them interesting and you are never sure how the story will end. Even though the book gets a little hard to read at times, it is worth your time to read it. Mehta deserves all the praise that she has been given.