Rating: 
Summary: An imperfect but majestic book
Review: I felt I should write to correct the impression left by the last reviewer, as her criticisms may turn people away from this gripping account of the daily lives of people in a slum in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India.
The previous reviewer accuses the author, French journalist Dominique Lapierre, of spreading a sentimental gloss over the poverty described in his book. As an example, she describes a scene in which, she claims, a healthy woman is married off to a leprous slum dweller. Lapierre, according to the reviewer, ignores the horror of the situation and callously celebrates the colorful wedding: "gee, if you look at it in just the right light, folks, it's an affirmation of the life force!"
First, the woman who is married off already has leprosy. She is also already married to another leper, is 27 years old, and has three children. Of course, the fact that her present husband marries her off to someone else for 500 rupees disturbs the reader. But Lapierre doesn't shy away from this at all: he notes that the woman has no choice in the matter, cries during the ceremony and seems "ill at ease." The book does marvel at life and vitality the lepers display during the wedding ceremony. But it is clear that Lapierre is actually conveying the thoughts and observations of a character who is taking part in it, a Polish priest (the priest is Polish, not French as described above on this page). Lapierre actually quotes the priest several times. The priest, for his part, is simultaneously aghast at how the wedding came to be and inspired by the anarchic glee displayed by a group of people who are more often thought of as a "collection of derelicts resigned to their lot."
The wedding chapter in fact captures a strength of the book: Just as the fulsome jacket blurbs (from Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa, among others) promise, Lapierre tells stories of extraordinary courage and humanity amidst wretched poverty, ignorance, and oppression. He obviously worked long and hard to strike the right balance, and succeeds more often than not. As a European, he tends to reserve moral judgments, and leaves them for the reader to make. This approach enables him to understand the alien culture he describes more fully, and to approach it with nuance and understanding.
So, facile this book is not. Neither is it a literary masterpiece. It's more a collection of anecdotes than a carefully-structured analysis. The English translation is credited not to a person but to a French company called "Pressinter." It's apparently not by a native English speaker, since it often uses words in a way no English speaker would. (Note to Warner Books: this book deserves a better translation.)
Still, Lapierre's gift for narrative and description -- and his feverish urgency to tell these amazing stories -- shine through. Most importantly, he allows his characters to speak for themselves. The book was the product of thorough research and insightful interviews. The characters thus drawn, especially the Bengali peasant driven into the city by drought, and the Polish priest who chooses to live among the poor, are genuinely unforgettable.
In addition to introducing you to some remarkable people, City of Joy depicts the causes of the poverty it describes, and the challenges faced by those trying to alleviate, end, or escape it. And, for all its occasional excesses of sentiment, it does so in a direct, lively, disarming style.
Rating: 
Summary: A formulaic piece of garbage
Review: I just finished reading The City of Joy. Normally I would be embarrassed to admit that I had been stupid enough to actually finish such a terrible book, but it was required for school that I do so.
The premise of the book isn't so bad - a bunch of poor people on a farm lose their land and possessions, and go to live in the city of joy, Calcutta's famed slum. However, the book is written terribly and uninterestingly, by some French imbecile who couldn't write his way out of a medicine cabinet. In addition to that, the plot that he decided on was formulaic and uninteresting (they faced hardship and perservered, wow!! so original and so interesting!!), thus meriting a 1-star rating.
In conclusion, don't read this horribly formulaic, boring, poorly-written, and ultimately overrated, piece of garbage.
Rating:
Summary: A formulaic piece of garbage
Review: I just finished reading The City of Joy. Normally I would be embarrassed to admit that I had been stupid enough to actually finish such a terrible book, but it was required for school that I do so.
The premise of the book isn't so bad - a bunch of poor people on a farm lose their land and possessions, and go to live in the city of joy, Calcutta's famed slum. However, the book is written terribly and uninterestingly, by some French imbecile who couldn't write his way out of a medicine cabinet. In addition to that, the plot that he decided on was formulaic and uninteresting (they faced hardship and perservered, wow!! so original and so interesting!!), thus meriting a 1-star rating.
In conclusion, don't read this horribly formulaic, boring, poorly-written, and ultimately overrated, piece of garbage.
Rating:
Summary: Loved the book, hated the movie
Review: I read this book as part of my education about India before going there with my 19-year-old son to immunize children against polio with the Rotary Foundation. It was an excellent story, although I do agree with some of the other reviewers' comments of glorifying poverty. Since coming home from India, I read the Indian weather reports and think: It is miserable there and I am comfortable here, yet it is not because I am "more worthy." I hate temperatures over 85F, let alone being hot AND dirty AND living on the street, as we saw many times. Despite the poverty, though, what my son and I found amazing was the incredible hospitality --- and concern for us! --- by even the poorest people we met.
Please also read "Gdaan: The Gift of a Cow" and Elisabeth Bumiller's book of India.
Rating: 
Summary: If your life gets boring, read this book !
Review: If there was a single biggest lesson to be learned out of "The City of Joy", it was the lesson learned by Max Loeb after his first weeks in Anand Nagar: Life and the Wealth of Culture will not flourish through Father Christmas but if people are forced to struggle for survival
Rating:
Summary: Moving
Review: In Dominique LaPierre's book, "The City of Joy" we learn of the struggles of every day families trying to survive in the abject poverty of Calcutta, India.The streets of Calcutta come alive in "The City of Joy" as we read about the struggles of a rickshaw driver and his family and an American priest trying to become accepted into the culture of Calcutta. We learn of the efforts of people like Mother Teresa to help the poorest of the poor in Calcutta, the lepers. I have not seen the movie based on this book, but if it is half as good as the book , I am sure it is great. "The City of Joy" is a book the explores the depths of the human spirit, the strength of human emotion and the desire of a few good people to help. In all of the glory of his other books, LaPierre scores another hit with "The City of Joy." I recommend this book, you will be a better person for having read it. Plus, a percentage of the profits from the book are donated to the ongoing effort to help the lepers in Calcutta.
Rating:
Summary: Moving
Review: In Dominique LaPierre's book, "The City of Joy" we learn of the struggles of every day families trying to survive in the abject poverty of Calcutta, India. The streets of Calcutta come alive in "The City of Joy" as we read about the struggles of a rickshaw driver and his family and an American priest trying to become accepted into the culture of Calcutta. We learn of the efforts of people like Mother Teresa to help the poorest of the poor in Calcutta, the lepers. I have not seen the movie based on this book, but if it is half as good as the book , I am sure it is great. "The City of Joy" is a book the explores the depths of the human spirit, the strength of human emotion and the desire of a few good people to help. In all of the glory of his other books, LaPierre scores another hit with "The City of Joy." I recommend this book, you will be a better person for having read it. Plus, a percentage of the profits from the book are donated to the ongoing effort to help the lepers in Calcutta.
Rating:
Summary: A celebration of humanity
Review: In these days of cruise missiles and stealth bombers,we need to read and read a book like this to return to humanity.A wonderful book that lifts you up on to a pedestal of great joy.If you plan to read only one book this year,this is the one to read.The goodness of this book is simply overpowering.
Rating:
Summary: Optimism Through Poverty
Review: Lapierre portrays the optimism of the poverty-stricken inhabitants in a real and almost identifiable way. The book takes you on a journey through a whirlwind of emotions. It moved me to tears also at many points in the book. I would reccommend this book to anyone that is willing to experience the lives of the people taking each day as it comes, not knowing where their next meal is coming from, or if they will live to see another day. It made me realise how different I am to them, and that I am extremely lucky to be who and where I am.
Rating:
Summary: Oh Calcutta! City of Saint, City of Love, City of Surviors
Review: Lapierre takes us into the heart and soul of Calcutta, by taking us into the hearts and souls of the people that keep it alive. He introduces us to well known saints like Mother Theresa as well as unknown ones like a Polish priest named Stephan Kovalski. He writes about their daily struggle to make through the day, but never losing hope for a better future, hope for a better and always keeping alive their belief in God and Love
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