Currently reading
Roman Blood
Progress:
171/401 pages
Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child
Progress:
208/557 pages
Avant-gardes du XXe siècle: arts & littérature, 1905-1930
Caesar's Commentaries: On the Gallic War and On the Civil War
Les bûchers de Bocanegra
The Songs of the Kings
Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories: Volumes I and II
The Hobbit
The Marriage Bureau for Rich People
Charming, utterly charming. It will be exotic for Western readers and will fill the gentle romance reader expectations. Mr. Ali, retired Indian civil servant, sets up a marriage bureau in the veranda of his house in a coastal Indian city. It's a cross between a good Alexander McCall Smith novel and the gentle romance of a Austen type novel. We follow Mr Ali answering his customers demands of brides and grooms, his own family problems and the sweet romance of his young assistant. The style is a little dry and matter of fact. This is not poetic prose. It's more the daily life of people living in a modern India still ruled by traditions and castes. I enjoyed it greatly for what it was a gentle romance set in a country very foreign to me. It made me want to read more about this country and its traditions. What more can you ask entertainment, a little education and a desire to know more.
