Auf ein Miniaturbild klicken, um zu Google Books zu gelangen.
|
Lädt ... A Burning: A novel (2021. Auflage)von Megha Majumdar (Autor)
Werk-InformationenA Burning von Megha Majumdar
   Top Five Books of 2020 (109) Books Read in 2020 (322) Books Read in 2021 (2,134) » 2 mehr Asia (4) Indie Next Picks (121) Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch.   ) ben_r47 | Feb 22, 2024 |   ) GordonPrescottWiener | Aug 24, 2023 | This is told in alternating voices with some random interludes of other peripherally related characters making a somewhat disjointed but affecting story. The problem was it felt a bit contrived and stagey. Despite contextual detail and empirically good prose, it was not always compelling. Certainly, Lovely, the Hijra, was the best character -- but I felt her arc fell flat. Oh, that is it. Many of my favorite Indian novels are thick with details and plot. I guess I wanted more. While I appreciate the aesthetic, there has to be an overarching reason to tell such a depressing story. What was the point? Doomed. Hopeless. People are shit, I guess. I understand this is her debut novel and there is definitely promise. I feel like this could have been so much more if the author had not been trying too hard to be restrained. Even if not a Bollywood ending, the reader still wanted more for Jivan. Wanted her to at least mean more in the end. (  ) jhowell | Jun 10, 2023 | An innocent social media post lands the girl in trouble. Megha wrote the book in the first person when telling the tale of the Muslim girl and the hijra. She writes in the English both girls would have used in real life, which makes the book compelling. The teacher's tale is told in the third person. It is a book of how one innocent person is prosecuted for her faith, how people abuse her innocence for their own career, and how everyone but the hijra abandons her. It is a book about the loss of conscience - the loss of a person's soul. Everyone moves on - including the hijra. She defended the Muslim girl and profited from it (without design). In the end, if we are sensible and alive, we will ask ourselves what society we are building. Read the book. Put it aside and let the implications sink into you. It will burn. This book is brilliant. (  ) RajivC | May 31, 2023 | Author: Megha Majumdar Format: Kindle My Thoughts: When religion and blind beliefs overpower the common sense, the ability to think becomes difficult. And there are times when people's lives are at stake for a simple reason. If that reason is entangled with many shades of religion, then the aftermath of wrath is impossible to even anticipate. For some years, this kind of discrimination against religions is very rampant. There are many incidents where some people are tortured for eating the authentic food that belonged to their community. Likewise, there was also an incident when two young women commented on social media on a mass leader's death and the country knows how those were tortured. The basic freedom of speech is many a time tormented with such polluted ideologies. And, this holds good to every belief system in the country which is very painful to accept. This is a small intro to the very important aspect on which author Megha has penned this book. This book, 'A Burning' by Megha Majumdar is a very complex read in terms of a strong story and great narration. The book deals very pragmatically with the things everyone is aware of. There are sometimes where each one of us wants to raise our voice and voice our opinion, but back off due to the ' pressures' we foresee. But somewhere one's the inner voice which when arrested for a long time keeps thrusting to come out. In such cases, visual or print media take a great place. In such circumstances, with such incidents and events, this book acts as a face. A quick look into the story The story is about a 22-year-old Muslim girl, Jivan who for her livelihood who works at Pantaloons outlet is falsely accused in a train burning incident that happened near Kolabagan slum, the place where she stays. She gets arrested for the same without any proof and is alleged fr the activities carried out by the terrorist groups. Out of rage, she comments on Facebook which makes the noose further tight for her. “If the police didn’t help ordinary people like you and me, if the police watched them die, doesn’t that mean that the government is also a terrorist?” The false arrest, accusations, and attempts to come out clean are what the whole story is about. There are also sub-plots in the main story which are all interlinked. Jivan's presence at the Railways station which was under threat creates more mayhem for her to prove her innocence. How does she come out with a clean chit is the story in gist! What to expect from the story? The story deals with many aspects like economical status discrimination, judgmental attitude of people by looking at the dressing and physical attributes, and discrimination based on food habits and false assumptions. The incidents mentioned in the book rekindles the sidelined incidents that happened during the recent reign of the existing governments. The book doesn't have a new story but it has stories that are often muted but are to be addressed at some point in time. Who can read the story? The story is one of the gripping ones in the recent past. Not in a single page do the readers find words that do not qualify the literary standards. Nowhere in the story readers find any dialogue or word that attributes to talk ill in terms of gender, religion, humanity or anything that makes readers uncomfortable. Though are acts of violence, it is very minimal compared to the mental torment the protagonist Jivan or the other two protagonists face. The book is a literary representation of many things that are often seen on the news that happens around every nook and corner of the country. Thus, this book can be read by readers of age from 15 who have a minimum knowledge of the happening in and around the country. My take on ¬the characters The story has three main central characters Jivan, Lovely, and PT sir. Everyone's story is intertwined with each other and is indirectly linked to the ghastly attack planned and implemented by the terrorists. Jivan's character is one of the strongest characters that which always looks for a strong stand to disprove her involvement in the train attack. Likewise, being a transgender the strength and courage that Lovely showcases are commendable. The character of P.T. sir is a complex one. Kudos to the author for portraying such a difficult character. His character reminds the readers of the wounded tiger which can pounce back anytime. How good is the Author's writing The first thought which will compulsorily strike every reader's mind is, this book doesn't look like a debutante's work. Author Megha Majumdar has won every reader's sensitive yet thoughtful part of the mind with her great narration. There are some places in the story where I, as a reader could not stop appreciating her writing skills. This book is a great start as a first-time author. The book however may not be welcomed by everyone because at times the story looks like complaining against the present government, but nowhere the author has maligned anyone with unwanted and derogatory language. Such are the issues she has dealt and hence they may look similar. How entertaining is the book? The book can be divided into two parts. If the part is about the allegations, the second part is the fight. The pace of the story starts precisely with the second part. With some amount of patience and mental reference to the news already known, the readers can comfortably pick up the speed after the initial pages. As some incidents are already heard and seen, the visualization of the story happens easily. With these factors, the book is a definite entertainer. About book title and the book cover The title in flames is extremely fascinating. The cover aptly complements the title. Final Verdict This book is strongly recommended and during these days of lockdown, this book definitely entertains the readers. Rating: 4/5 ( ) BookReviewsCafe | Apr 27, 2023 |
 Megha Majumdar’s debut novel, A Burning, begins with a terrorist attack at a train station in Kolkata that claims over one hundred lives. Jivan, a Muslim teenager who lives in the nearby slums, happens to witness the attack, but when she makes a post on Facebook that is critical of the government response, she finds herself under arrest as a suspect. Majumdar deftly weaves several narrative threads together in a novel that is fast-paced enough to feel like a literary thriller, yet also turns a wise eye toward the complexities of life in contemporary India..... In her debut, she reveals herself to be keenly attuned to the injustices of life in contemporary Kolkata, especially when it comes to issues of class and gender...., A Burning is not just a novel about India, but also a mirror through which American readers might contemplate the failings of our own increasingly degraded political system...The novel ends on a dark note, a stark reminder that those who rise to power often do so at the expense of the poor and the powerless. In this way, A Burning is very much a novel for our times. Megha Majumdar’s blistering debut novel, “A Burning,” unleashes her plight like a series of small explosions. As a Muslim woman living in poverty, Jivan must reckon with classism and Islamophobia, social media’s mob mentality, traditional media’s unquenchable thirst for clickbait and profit over “A Burning” is a penetrating exposé about how the possibilities of fame and fortune gradually erode one’s integrity. The book’s title may represent, on a literal level, the violent act in its opening pages, but it also evokes a dynamic metaphor for greed and the dark side of ambition. That Majumdar has chosen to illustrate this with Lovely and PT Sir, two seemingly well-meaning characters who hail from humble circumstances not too far from Jivan’s own, makes the book’s execution all the more unsparing.....What’s more, “A Burning” keenly illuminates the unfortunate reality that justice has limited reserves and a rigid expiration date. In a predicament that echoes Darwinism, someone must take the fall so that others may survive and thrive, regardless of innocence or guilt  In “A Burning,” the debut novel from novelist Megha Majumdar, lives intertwine in the wake of a terrorist attack at an Indian train station... Told through the viewpoint of three interconnected characters, tells a thrilling story that addresses class struggles, gender inequality, religious tensions and more in society....While this is a story set in India, Majumdar has been thinking about the book’s parallels to life here in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and the questions that “A Burning” poses. “How do we achieve a life that’s meaningful for us when we are caught in a society that does not serve us, when we’re caught in institutions and systems that don’t work for us?” Majumdar asks. AuszeichnungenPrestigeträchtige AuswahlenBemerkenswerte Listen
"After a fiery attack on a train leaves 104 people dead, the fates of three people become inextricably entangled. Jivan, a bright, striving woman from the slums looking for a way out of poverty, is wrongly accused of planning the attack because of a careless comment on Facebook. PT Sir, a slippery gym teacher from Jivan's former high school, has hitched his aspirations to a rising right wing party, and his own ascent becomes increasingly linked to Jivan's fall. Lovely, a spirited, impoverished, relentlessly optimistic hjira, who harbors dreams of becoming a Bollywood star, can provide the alibi that would set Jivan free--but her appearance in court will have unexpected consequences that will change the course of all of their lives. A novel about fate, power, opportunity, and class; about innocence and guilt, betrayal and love, and the corrosive media cycle that manufactures falsehoods masquerading as truths--A Burning is a debut novel of exceptional power and urgency, haunting and beautiful, brutal, vibrant, impossible to forget"-- Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
Aktuelle DiskussionenKeineBeliebte Umschlagbilder
 Google Books — Lädt ...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyKlassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt: (3.89)
Bist das du?Werde ein LibraryThing-Autor. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2