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A Girl and a River
It is the 1930 and the fire of the freedom movement from distant Bengal and Delhi is warming the bones of the small town in Mysore, where Kaveri and Setu grow up. Theirs is a liberal, prosperous household and the family takes its privileges for granted.
336 pages, Paperback
First published May 16, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 21, 2019
Confession: I had no idea who Usha KR was when I picked this book up at my favorite bookshop. I was drawn to the idea of something set in Karnataka. What I got instead was a brilliant, aching and beautifully written portrait of familial tensions set amidst the backdrop of the Indian fight for independence. Sometimes, beautiful things happen when you least expect it. And this book was one of those. Quiet and understated, Usha KR draws the book with such magic that I left with a feeling of disquiet. Why the disquiet? Because we just destroy each other in our relationships, don’t we? The said and unsaid. The tug and pull. The ricochets and echoes. The ebb and flow. The mess and chaos. All we are left with in the end? Broken shards. A river that flows. And you flow away with it.
Ok. Morose. But I love this book. And now I need someone to explain the ending because I am confused.
Ok. Morose. But I love this book. And now I need someone to explain the ending because I am confused.
August 5, 2019
This is the first book I read by Usha K.R. and I was blown away. Sketched with meticulous detail, A Girl and a River is about Mylaraiah, an illustrious lawyer, and his family who lives in Mysore during 1930's British India. We are treated to delicious sepia-toned vignettes of pre-Independence India and little cultural tidbits that I wouldn't have known otherwise. For instance, I had never heard of a sweet with the very geographical sounding name of 'komberghat.'
I loved the sweep of the novel and the immense research that has evidently gone behind it. Although, I initially struggled to keep track of the characters I eased into the story later on. The unnamed narrator, Setu's daughter, is as intriguing as the person she is trying to piece together by looking through long-forgotten books and journals. To me, this was like a parallel quest that was masterfully brought out - Kaveri too searches for meaning in life and tries to find herself, and so does Setu's daughter.
I adored this book and I can't wait to read more of Usha's works.
I loved the sweep of the novel and the immense research that has evidently gone behind it. Although, I initially struggled to keep track of the characters I eased into the story later on. The unnamed narrator, Setu's daughter, is as intriguing as the person she is trying to piece together by looking through long-forgotten books and journals. To me, this was like a parallel quest that was masterfully brought out - Kaveri too searches for meaning in life and tries to find herself, and so does Setu's daughter.
I adored this book and I can't wait to read more of Usha's works.
August 4, 2008
It's been a while since I've read a book where the author displays such fine sway over her content and craft. Usha K R has been writing for more than a decade now (her last novel was The Chosen) and while she has always received rave reviews for her works, it is her latest book, A Girl And A River that has come in for some much-deserved critical attention. The author was the recipient of the Crossword Award recently, where she won in the Fiction category for the same book --- while William Darlymple received the award in the Non-fiction section.
On the surface (and as the book cover demonstrates), it is a straightforward story --- that of Setu and Kaveri's life -- a brother and sister duo brought up in pre independence Mysore and the unexpected turns their lives take. Nothing prepares you for the complex, ironic web of human relationships, emotions and the play of fate ---- influenced by circumstance as much as by character--- that the author so elegantly unravels.
Usha draws up an exhaustive social scape of the 1930 and '40s with meticulous detailing on every level, studding it with keenly fleshed out characters- their actions closely linked with the moral and social fibre of the time. So you have the patriarch, Mylaraiah -- running his prosperous household-- happy to be a beneficiary under the Britishers and hoping things will run as smoothly as they are. He’s surrounding by charismatic men like Narayana Rao and CG K Sir (the history teacher at school who writes anonymous letters in newspaper columns in support of the freedom struggle), who play a proactive role in getting rid of the British. Mylaraiah, if he feels a sense of inadequacy and guilt about supporting the English, quells these emotions by making donations to welfare projects (soft issues like Khadi and so on) undertaken by Narayana Rao. Mylaraiah’s teenage son, Setu is too overwhelmed by his father's aura to defy him and join any of the prevailing freedom struggle groups. He watches them from a distance - with a glint of envy.
Not surprisingly, the two women of the house –Mylaraiah’s wife Rukmani and their free-spirited daughter Kaveri grow up (since Rukmani too came to the house as a child-bride) finding the outside world with men like Narayana Rao and C G K’s son Shyam respectively irresistibly attractive. To their imaginative, idealistic minds, these were the men of real action, men who could change the course of history with their fiery speeches and ideals. These were local heroes who thought nothing of sacrificing their personal lives and comforts in the wake of the freedoms struggle.
The men of the house dismiss the rising nationalistic fervour in their women as something stemming from 'a vague notion of patriotism' and think it appropriate to nip such feelings in the bid.
Rukmani’s disillusionment comes when Narayana Rao marries off his 12 year old daughter, inspite of preaching against the practice of child marriage. To her mind, this is a breach of trust from the man she loved and respected. It causes her ill-health and she loses her vitality forever. However, the fate that befalls her daughter, Kaveri -- fed on stories of valour in novels-- is the more poignant one. Having lived in her own world of dashing heroes (and nearly found and lost one in Shyam), she is unable to bear the emptiness and drudgery of a loveless marriage - in some measure brought on by her own family.
The author explores all these threads using one common story - that of Setu's grown-up daughter (in the 1980s) trying to unravel the tragic mystery behind the woman who was not just her 'aunt' but something more too.
Usha K R - while recounting the story - gives a vivid picture of pre-independence South India -introducing characters like Dr King (an Englishwoman who treats patients in the town, riding from place to place on a bicycle) and her snobbish niece Ella. Then there other interesting ones like Rukmani’s flame-throwing, quick-witted cousin Shivaswami or Setu’s childhood friend Chapdi Kal.
It’s truly remarkable how Usha crafts this story, never hitting a wrong note once. Yet, for all its wonderful strengths, this is not the easiest of reads. Its language is impeccable but tends to get too wordy at various points. Also, the detailing can be a bit tiresome and heavy for those who want to get on with the story. This book could have easily been 25-30 pages short.
Also, the story keeps moving between two different time span and that can be confusing for the first time reader.
The book's true worth really unfolds with a second reading, if you ask me. The first time I found myself grappling to keep pace with the numerous characters and time-shifts. That's another thing--- this book seems to run at a stretch and it doesn't help that the words keep tumbling on each other. So while it's awe-inspiring to see the writer's command of her subject and language, I wished she’d allowed her narrative to breath easy at some points.
But again, to her credit, Usha constructs the story in a manner wherein some amount of tension pervades the entire story and the suspense is intact till the very end.
Finally, this is a riveting book, one that is dexterous and rich. More importantly, it respects its reader's intelligence by saying a lot and leaving a lot more unsaid.
-Sandhya Iyer
http://www.sandyi.blogspot.com/
On the surface (and as the book cover demonstrates), it is a straightforward story --- that of Setu and Kaveri's life -- a brother and sister duo brought up in pre independence Mysore and the unexpected turns their lives take. Nothing prepares you for the complex, ironic web of human relationships, emotions and the play of fate ---- influenced by circumstance as much as by character--- that the author so elegantly unravels.
Usha draws up an exhaustive social scape of the 1930 and '40s with meticulous detailing on every level, studding it with keenly fleshed out characters- their actions closely linked with the moral and social fibre of the time. So you have the patriarch, Mylaraiah -- running his prosperous household-- happy to be a beneficiary under the Britishers and hoping things will run as smoothly as they are. He’s surrounding by charismatic men like Narayana Rao and CG K Sir (the history teacher at school who writes anonymous letters in newspaper columns in support of the freedom struggle), who play a proactive role in getting rid of the British. Mylaraiah, if he feels a sense of inadequacy and guilt about supporting the English, quells these emotions by making donations to welfare projects (soft issues like Khadi and so on) undertaken by Narayana Rao. Mylaraiah’s teenage son, Setu is too overwhelmed by his father's aura to defy him and join any of the prevailing freedom struggle groups. He watches them from a distance - with a glint of envy.
Not surprisingly, the two women of the house –Mylaraiah’s wife Rukmani and their free-spirited daughter Kaveri grow up (since Rukmani too came to the house as a child-bride) finding the outside world with men like Narayana Rao and C G K’s son Shyam respectively irresistibly attractive. To their imaginative, idealistic minds, these were the men of real action, men who could change the course of history with their fiery speeches and ideals. These were local heroes who thought nothing of sacrificing their personal lives and comforts in the wake of the freedoms struggle.
The men of the house dismiss the rising nationalistic fervour in their women as something stemming from 'a vague notion of patriotism' and think it appropriate to nip such feelings in the bid.
Rukmani’s disillusionment comes when Narayana Rao marries off his 12 year old daughter, inspite of preaching against the practice of child marriage. To her mind, this is a breach of trust from the man she loved and respected. It causes her ill-health and she loses her vitality forever. However, the fate that befalls her daughter, Kaveri -- fed on stories of valour in novels-- is the more poignant one. Having lived in her own world of dashing heroes (and nearly found and lost one in Shyam), she is unable to bear the emptiness and drudgery of a loveless marriage - in some measure brought on by her own family.
The author explores all these threads using one common story - that of Setu's grown-up daughter (in the 1980s) trying to unravel the tragic mystery behind the woman who was not just her 'aunt' but something more too.
Usha K R - while recounting the story - gives a vivid picture of pre-independence South India -introducing characters like Dr King (an Englishwoman who treats patients in the town, riding from place to place on a bicycle) and her snobbish niece Ella. Then there other interesting ones like Rukmani’s flame-throwing, quick-witted cousin Shivaswami or Setu’s childhood friend Chapdi Kal.
It’s truly remarkable how Usha crafts this story, never hitting a wrong note once. Yet, for all its wonderful strengths, this is not the easiest of reads. Its language is impeccable but tends to get too wordy at various points. Also, the detailing can be a bit tiresome and heavy for those who want to get on with the story. This book could have easily been 25-30 pages short.
Also, the story keeps moving between two different time span and that can be confusing for the first time reader.
The book's true worth really unfolds with a second reading, if you ask me. The first time I found myself grappling to keep pace with the numerous characters and time-shifts. That's another thing--- this book seems to run at a stretch and it doesn't help that the words keep tumbling on each other. So while it's awe-inspiring to see the writer's command of her subject and language, I wished she’d allowed her narrative to breath easy at some points.
But again, to her credit, Usha constructs the story in a manner wherein some amount of tension pervades the entire story and the suspense is intact till the very end.
Finally, this is a riveting book, one that is dexterous and rich. More importantly, it respects its reader's intelligence by saying a lot and leaving a lot more unsaid.
-Sandhya Iyer
http://www.sandyi.blogspot.com/
January 10, 2015
'A Girl And A River' took me into a reverie of sorts, the writing for me was strangely poignant and intense. Characters like Kaveri and Setu seemed to be people with whom I can identify with, the similarity with a Kannada household to which I belong as well has something to do with it I suppose. It was therefore easy to get into the narrator's shoe. The story is a decent read if you are looking for something about people of Mysore pre and post Indian Independence.
May 28, 2020
I picked this book because the story is set in a small town in Karnataka. While I struggled to keep track of the characters initially, the story about Kaveri got me hooked to this brilliant narration of pre-independent India. I loved how the author has touched upon sensitive topics and taboos that prevailed then. All we read in our school textbooks was mostly about the struggle of few fearless men to get India it's independence. How often did we read about the daily struggles of a woman's fight for independence from her own family and society's prejudices during that period. We will never know of the many Kaveris that have been washed away without being noticed of their sacrifices.
January 20, 2018
Lovely.
A feeling of disquiet stayed with me long after I finished reading the book.
A feeling of disquiet stayed with me long after I finished reading the book.
January 12, 2014
The good read. The book is about an estranged girl trying to find her roots. Her parents have been almost silent through out her childhood. She had spent most of her time in a boarding school. She has seen incidents which aroused her curiosity. The parents trying to hide things from her further increased her curiosity.
Through some of her distant relatives and through a couple of visits to her mother's place she pieces together her story.
The book swings between pre-independence era where a girl called Kaveri and her brother Setu are living an idyllic life with their father and their mother. The initial section of the book is a description of this life of theirs and their relatives.
The girl is married off to an important judge in the city. This proves to be a turning point in her life. She finds that the judge is already married to a Japanese lady and he has married him out of family pressure. Just before her marriage she also sees the only person whom she seems to be in awe of/in love with being shot during a patriotic meeting. Later she comes to know of the conspiracy behind his death. All this devastates her.
The girl in the post independence era, trying to find her roots, is her grand daughter. The book has a certain mystery to it, which opens up in the last few pages. Read the book to unlock the mystery of her roots.
Through some of her distant relatives and through a couple of visits to her mother's place she pieces together her story.
The book swings between pre-independence era where a girl called Kaveri and her brother Setu are living an idyllic life with their father and their mother. The initial section of the book is a description of this life of theirs and their relatives.
The girl is married off to an important judge in the city. This proves to be a turning point in her life. She finds that the judge is already married to a Japanese lady and he has married him out of family pressure. Just before her marriage she also sees the only person whom she seems to be in awe of/in love with being shot during a patriotic meeting. Later she comes to know of the conspiracy behind his death. All this devastates her.
The girl in the post independence era, trying to find her roots, is her grand daughter. The book has a certain mystery to it, which opens up in the last few pages. Read the book to unlock the mystery of her roots.
October 9, 2011
I loved this book for the writing -- the language, the humour, the characterization and the craftsmanship. The history of India is skillfully woven into the lives of the protagonists. The author skillfully juggles two time periods -- the 1930s and the 1980s. What happens in between, and why the fortunes of the protagonists are so changed is a mystery that is unravelled slowly through the book. The childish antics and concerns of Kaveri, her brother Setu and their friends, especially Chapdi Kal, are engrossing and delightful. Their dreams and awakening awareness as they grow up against the political backdrop of the Independence struggle are poignant (though one may feel a trifle cheated by Gandhiji's non-appearance).
In terms of literary quality, I would put Usha in the top five Indian novelists. But the unrelieved darkness of the latter half of this book and the helplessness of the characters rather detracted from my enjoyment of the writing.
In terms of literary quality, I would put Usha in the top five Indian novelists. But the unrelieved darkness of the latter half of this book and the helplessness of the characters rather detracted from my enjoyment of the writing.
January 8, 2010
I couldn't really recommend this book. It's not that it was bad - in fact I think the plot was pretty interesting, and I like novels which try to weave larger historical happenings into the characters' lives, among other good points about the book. But in the end, I didn't feel like I got to know the main characters very well, and the twist in the novel, which happened towards the very end of the book, wasn't predictable (at least for me) but I didn't feel like she made good use of it. And her writing style is OK... but not great. I'm left feeling lukewarm.
October 14, 2008
In prose more efficient than evocative, Usha K.R. tells of a time when pre-Independence nationalist frenzy was at its peak in India, and of the toll it extracts on the life of the protagonist in a small town in Karnataka. Would have been better had the frame story -- which is set in the present -- had been reduced, for all the emotional charge of the book lies in the narration of events of the past.
February 18, 2013
"...it is the real world created differently. And people are the same everywhere. The things that happen to them in books, their thoughts, their feelings, everything seems so much more enjoyable and more real too because you are sitting in a chair and reading about them and they are the ones getting wet in the rain and having problems and..."
http://roots-n-wings.blogspot.com/
http://roots-n-wings.blogspot.com/
July 6, 2015
Story of a brother and a sister, story that connects the dots very nicely, story of Setu and Kaveri. Story which hurts, makes you sad but touches your heart.
Sat in the backdrop of British era and explains how lives of two children, a boy and a girl changes with time. It has very nicely connected time span of almost 50 years.
Sat in the backdrop of British era and explains how lives of two children, a boy and a girl changes with time. It has very nicely connected time span of almost 50 years.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews