Bangalore Baloney

by Thomas Itty

From the enigmatic beginning to its surprising ending, Bangalore Baloney is a story of an enduring friendship that spans three decades and two continents. Swami and Venu are students in the 5th standard at Baldwin Boys’ School in Bangalore when George arrives from New York and joins their class. The three boys soon become good friends and call themselves The Scrimshankers. The novel follows the lives of these three characters... from their school days, first sexual experiences, and personal tragedies... to the separate paths they each take to pursue their dreams. Swami grows up to become a fearless journalist and newspaper publisher. George plays guitar, sings and writes songs from a young age. His journey takes him back to the U.S. After a traumatic childhood, Venu manages to get into a top medical college against all odds and ends up in Canada. After being away from each other for many years, a dramatic event in New York brings the three friends together once again. They realize the true depth of their friendship and how important they are to each other.

Bangalore Baloney is an exceptional work of fiction that is easy to read but profound in scope and content. Filled with subtle humor, vivid descriptions, universal experiences, heart-tugging moments, action and suspense, as well as 16 great songs (available on the author’s website), this is a novel that sets new boundaries in multi-cultural literary fiction and music.

Genres: India

377 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2013

About the author

Thomas Itty is a writer, musician, songwriter and marketing professional. He attended Bishop Cotton Boys’ School in Bangalore and began working as an advertising copywriter when he was just seventeen years old. He started his own advertising agency, The Ad-Pad, when he was twenty-two. A few years later, he left for New York City to continue his education. Since then, he has completed a Bachelor’s degree in Communications Arts, a Master’s degree in Media Studies and an MBA in Marketing Management. Thomas has worked in the New York region as a creative director, media specialist, marketing manager and business development manager for over twenty years. He currently lives in Westchester County with his wife Barbara and their children, Nathaniel and Alexandra. Bangalore Baloney is his first novel.

Reviews

[Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novel received courtesy of Goodreads.com giveaway

I must admit that I put off reading "Bangalore Baloney" for awhile because I was sure it wouldn't be something that I would enjoy. I'm so happy to report, however, that I was wrong!

I learned so much about Indian culture, family, and business from this novel. The main characters are boys when they meet at school and become lifelong friends. The author chronicles their lives from then until their careers take them in different directions.

While I learned much from this novel, in the end, it is a novel about the pull of friendship and how friends from childhood are best friends for life.

One of the main characters, George, is a singer/songwriter and his lyrics appear in the novel as well as at a website developed by the author.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have just deleted the review I wrote. It was a wishy-washy explanation of the story. The author tells the story much better than I

This is an interesting book. This is a story of friendship. How it begins, how it is nurtured, how it can endure. Swami and Venu were already friends when George arrived at Baldwin Boys' School in fifth standard from the United States. Swami and Venu go out of their way to meet him and soon a strong bond is forged between the boys in spite of the differences in their background.

It is impressive, the boys thoughts and conversations are so real. Most people have been through some version of what the boys experience as they grow. Few can write them, it is a gift. I like reading books set in a different locale if-and-only if they are well done, giving the story a sense of place. Bangalore became real.

The people in the book are just that, real people. That is put that way because I simply didn't want to label them characters. It mattered to me how they would deal with bullies and their exam results and more. In good times and bad they were there for each other, when tragedy stuck they did everything possible to hold each other up. When they are grown men their lives differ greatly but their bond is still present. It only grows when they must face tragedy again.

This is a great book I received through goodreads and this is an honest review. Read the book and see if you don't agree.

[Debbie kurtz · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a book about friendship. I enjoyed this book