A Gathering of Friends: My Favourite Stories

by Ruskin Bond

The twenty-one stories in the book are the greatest pieces of fiction written by Ruskin Bond. Chosen by the author himself, from a body of work built over fifty years (starting with his award-winning first novel, The Room on the Roof, and ending with Tales of Fosterganj) this collection includes well-known masterpieces like ‘The Night Train at Deoli’, ‘The Woman on Platform No 8’, ‘Rusty Plays Holi’ (from The Room on the Roof), ‘Angry River’, ‘The Blue Umbrella’, ‘The Eyes Have It’, ‘Most Beautiful’, ‘Panther’s Moon’, as well as newer stories like ‘An Evening at the Savoy with H.H.’ (from Maharani) and ‘Dinner with Foster’ (from Tales of Fosterganj). Taken together, the stories in A Gathering of Friends show why Ruskin Bond has long been regarded as one of the pillars of Indian literature. This is a book that will delight his legions of fans as well as those lucky few who are new to his fiction.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, India, Indian Literature, Classics, Collections

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Ruskin Bond is an Indian author of British descent. He is considered to be an icon among Indian writers and children's authors and a top novelist. He wrote his first novel, The Room on the Roof, when he was seventeen which won John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957. Since then he has written several novellas, over 500 short stories, as well as various essays and poems, all of which have established him as one of the best-loved and most admired chroniclers of contemporary India. In 1992 he received the Sahitya Akademi award for English writing, for his short stories collection, "Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra", by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters in India. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 for contributions to children's literature. He now lives with his adopted family in Landour near Mussoorie.

Reviews

[Trisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ruskin Bond’s writing is atmospheric and engaging. Like he himself says, there’s not much of a plot in his stories, instead the stories are character sketches of ‘everyday people’ around us, and have a feel-good quality to them. I’m yet to come across a work by Bond that I don’t like.

Actual rating: 3.25🌟.

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 4 🌟 read for me. It’s just that I am familiar with most of the stories from his other collections and novels.

In this collection, there are excerpts from The Room on the Roof and his other most loved short stories and novellas like The Blue Umbrella, Susanna’s Seven Husbands.

I love the cover so much!

If you are looking for a cosy weekend read, go for this collection 💯

[Lagwal · Rating 3 out of 5]

We will meet again don’t know where don’t know when but we’ll meet again some sunny day 🌞

[Dilip Chauhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the most beautiful stories collected together in the book. Take you back to the memory lane. Absolutely love Ruskin Bond and his stories his simple characters.

[Neeraja Sasidharan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazingly soothing read! I finished the book even before I knew. It took me by surprise to realize how I fell in love with his beautiful characters, and deep plots that once couldn’t catch hold of my interest. I found it extremely easy to get drenched in the sweetness of his words.

One interesting aspect of this anthology is that it is the collection of the author’s favorites amongst his own stories written over 50 years, arranged in the chronological order. For an incomprehensible reason, it made me happy. While I kept the book back, all I had was a huge regret for not taking up his books for this long a time.

Whoever who has not yet experienced Bond’s magic, do read and know it for yourself! It will definitely be something that would make you happy, if not fall in love with it!

[Pinky · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Apoorva Mittal · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first ever Ruskin Bond, which makes me wonder why have I spent almost two decades of my life away from such a pleasureful reading? Each and every word written in this hardbound book brings peace and wonderment to your heart. Time and again, I go back to devour these short descriptions of fictitious characters who are taken directly out of his life through the years.

[Pearl Khurana · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating: 8/10

[Surabhi Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story collection of the stories of Ruskin Bond. You may find some of the stories in his other collections of short stories and some were new to me. But I think you may also find them in other books and already read.

In short, a good gathering of stories.

[Ajumma · Rating 5 out of 5]

My name is Bond Ruskin Bond... The wizard of story telling... Climb aboard my magic carpet to glide to surreal worlds... A glimpse of shangri-la, a down to earth tale, a sigh here, a riot of laughter there, all the ingredients that will keep your vigour high, nostalgia I guarantee, laughter I promise, a poignant situation to make you shed a tear or two.. An assortment of fine tuned, humble human emotions are in store... This is what beckons me to the one and only Ruskin Bond... My utmost favourite Bond.. Even Bond James Bond doesn't hold my attention throughout as this, our very own, Indian Bond does... Long live sir, long live your legendary tales as well...

[Raksha Bhat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading a Ruskin Bond story over and over is as good as spending time with your 4 am friend. While ‘The Cherry Tree’ can give you enough shade, ‘The Blue Umbrella’ can guard you under all the rain. I could go on about each one of them because each time they have left me a happier and a better person. Aptly titled ‘A Gathering of Friends’, this book has the best short stories and anecdotes of his life. For me this book was more like a warm hug sent from the mountains, and now I am cuddled up with it.

[Aruna Kumar Gadepalli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of 21 stories, if I'm allowed to say so as author feels there is a thin line between fiction and non-fiction in his writings. These are his favorite stories. For those who read his stories some of them looks familiar.

[Abhilasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to believe that reading fiction was a waste of time. But I was surprised to discover that I learned things from fiction that I can't learn from non-fiction.
Maybe because the characters in fiction often resemble real people, making it easier to understand their thoughts, feelings and definitely much more. fiction takes my imagination to another level. I recently picked up this book by a legendary author at the T3 airport, regretting that I hadn't read any of his books during my childhood. To my astonishment, I wasn't disappointed at all. The way he expressed the stories was the best I've ever read. I felt like I was right there in the village or the middle of a river, or experiencing the longing of a cute girl for a blue umbrella. I think the story about the little girl stuck on Peepal tree was my favourite. I have truly become a fan of this author and will continue reading his books.

[tazmeen ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

This was a nice look into many of Ruskin's books.

My Personal Thoughts:
Ruskin is one of the best Indian authors and I am yet to find a book of his I despise. He narrates his stories in a way that is difficult to explain. He builds on the characters rather than the plot.

That is one main reason that I was able to enjoy all the excerpts of his books. I personally feel that these weren't his best works, I can think of a few better stories. But, it still was a great assortment of stories.

Writing

As I'd mentioned before, he builds on the characters, focusing on them. Although, it's been a long while since I read his books, I still understood the stories.

I've always been a fan of the Blue Umbrella and the Grandfather stories. But, these were nice regardless.

-taz

[Shreya Chandwadkar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was a trip down memory lane!
The eyes have it, The night train at Deoli, The woman on platform 9 were and still remain some of my favorite short stories. Reading them again just transferred me back to school days, reading these stories for the first time.
Ruskin Bond's stories are beautiful and are almost always filled with nostalgia, you get lost in the prose from the very first line :)

[Sonam Dubey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to the world of imagination. Ruskin Bond is the only author who can actually make you imagine what he has written. What a detailing of everything around as if I was watching a cinema. I am totally flabbergasted. From all the stories in this book, my favourite is “Angry River” . So beautifully told. A must read, not only for kids but adults too.

[Mauniera Samel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another delightful book of short stories from the author! As usual, loved the simplicity of the stories and the depth of most characters. Yes, I did skip 2 stories, but nevertheless, the book was a joyful experience. It's very easy to get lost in the beautiful forests and landscapes he describes!

[Manisha Baishya · Rating 3 out of 5]

My rating is 3.5.
An average reading. Characters seemed to be relatable though.

[Neer · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first read of 2021. Endearing. More here: https://ahotcupofpleasureagain.wordpr...

[ShradS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right off the bat... a confession...

Mr. Bond is my solace. His words have been a soothing touch to my sun-weary soul for a long time and he continues to do so with this latest one too.

A gathering is truly that... a gathering.

It's a collection of 21 stories by the Author selected by himself. The stories range from the known Rusty plays holi to the relatively new Hassan, the baker.

The hills of Himalayas are as much a part of his stories as people he writes about and the way they feature is simply BEAUTIFUL. Anyone who has a sense of longing for Hills will find peace in these lovely stories.

For me... it truly was "a gathering of friends"

[Param · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nostalgia

These stories made me Nostalgic about an India I haven't seen, but am experiencing through the world the author is creating for me. It's simple and fantastic at the same time. It's full of strange and relatable characters that can be found anywhere around you. Ruskin has a way of noticing and bringing alive the little quirks of people which usually go unnoticed.
Love this book.

[Anand Ganapathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful anthology. Quoting David Davidar's foreword where he has aptly summed up the book, ' the 21 pieces in A gathering of friends display an extraordinary power, vitality and what might be called luminosity'. Ruskin Bond's works have retained the same charm over a period of 50 + years.

[Aju Krishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of sweet little stories from Ruskin Bond evoking nostalgic memories of the mountains and the Jungle. Mussourie and Dehradun are the setting in almost all the tales. The narration is so evocative that when Bond derscribes a sunrise in the hills or the monsoon thrashing the hills, we feel the chill air in our nostrils, or the smell of fresh earth. Though there may not be a particular direction to the stories and the endings may seem abrupt, it is still very enjoyable. The mundaneness of directions and predictability is what we all try to escape from!
In many stories, bond himself becomes the narrator and his lost love Sarita becomes his sub-conscious longing, whom he tries to see in many a woman he meets. I particularly liked the descriptions of his little post-lunch reveries, in which he meets his sweetheart, who tells him tales and answers his questions about what separated them, etc. Nature lovers and nostalgia seekers will get thrilled at the vivid descriptions of sunset and the monsoons. I would like to post few excerpts here:

The sky there was bloodshot. The tall slim trunks of the eucalyptus tree were tinged with an orange glow; the rain had stopped, and the wind was a soft, sullen puff, drifting sadly through the trees. There was a steady drip of water from the eaves of the roof on to the window sill. Then the sun went down behind the old, old hills, and I remembered my own hills, far beyond these.

When the rain came, it was not with a preliminary patter or shower, but all at once, sweeping across the forest like a massive wall, and I could hear it in the trees long before it reached the house

All through the book, my urge to visit Dehradun, and Mussourie got fed and now I can't help but plan a trip to there.

[Madhuri Palaji · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book!

I read 'A Gathering of Friends' by Ruskin Bond just now. Its a book with short stories personally picked by Mr. Bond from his previous writings. This would call this book a bouquet of short stories with each story resembling a unique flower in a bouquet. This is very easy to read. Lovely, in fact. I would recommend it to every age group, including kids. The stories majorly are set up in different Himalayan villages. Being an Indian, I've not heard of those villages myself. Each story is unique in itself. I heard Mr. Bond in one interview, saying that, a critic called his short stories plotless and Mr. Bond also agrees with him mentioning that his stories are majorly about the character. After reading this book, I can't agree more with Mr. Bond. His characters are very well defined and established and the story simply goes along with the character. I didn't see the need for the plot, as such. The book is very refreshing, given it is a collection of stories from the times of early days of independent India. The stories seemed ageless.

I loved all the stories and 'The Blue Umbrella' is my favorite in particular. The details were ravishing and I felt myself walking the through the streets of Mussorie and many other remote Himalayan villages. I totally enjoyed reading this book. There are many stories which I can relate myself to. Some are about friends, some are about kindness, while others are about first crushes and first kisses.

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[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2015, I walked into Oxford Bookstore on Park Street for a casual browse and walked out with A Gathering of Friends pressed to my chest like a secret. It had been released that very day, and the title alone tugged at something nostalgic: “My Favourite Stories.” Not best, not greatest hits, but favourite. A word full of warmth, chosen like a memory, not a metric.

The collection read like a reunion—of characters, places, and moods. The lonely boy on the train. The ghost in the window. The smell of pine needles and regret. These were the stories that had once walked beside me in different decades, now assembled like old friends returning for tea.

What struck me was how seamlessly Bond's writing aged alongside us. The prose remained gentle and uncluttered, but the emotions carried deeper shadows. Even the joy had a wistful glint, like laughter echoing off empty hills. Bond didn’t update his stories—he let them rest exactly as they were, trusting the reader to bring new eyes.

That evening, as Kolkata buzzed beyond the bookstore, I sat with the book open and the city momentarily silenced. It was one of those rare reads where you don’t feel like you’re turning pages—you feel like you’re turning inward.

[Pratikshya Mishra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruskin Bond's stories have the essence of the hills, the trains through the deodars, uninhibited exploration of childhood and other vagaries of life. They have such a universal appeal. They are 'rust-free'- they don't lose their importance with time. They never get corroded with the passing of the years. Stories spun with such warmth and delicacy. Heart rending tales.

In ‘Love is a sad song’ a 30 year old man falls for a 16 year old girl named Sushila. It’s a story of his remembering the time spent with her, their love, him trying for marriage and the elusive girl not confirming her love. She is a school girl after all. It’s set in the hills and in the busy city of Delhi.

“It’s not time that is passing by. It’s you and I.”

Above is one of my favorite quotes from this rather long short story.


http://www.magic-moments.in/2018/02/a...

[Shivani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, it took me back to my childhood. I recalled watching The Blue Umbrella on TV with my family during one summer vacation.

This is my first attempt at reading the work of Ruskin Bond and I am truly impressed. I loved the epigrammatic writing, the build-up and the simple but rich vocabulary used in the stories. Most stories were elementary without any climatic ending while few just caught my attention and kept me going.

The book is a collection of short stories some of which are extracted from Ruskin Bond's famous novels. Some of the stories that kept me on the edge of my seat or kept me intrigued were The Night Train at Deoli, Gracie, Susanna's Seven Husbands (the story that inspired 7 Khoon Maaf), Angry River, The Blue Umbrella, Panther's Moon, The Prospect of Flowers, and Most Beautiful.

[Harshita Kale · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars
I enjoyed this collection of short stories but was a little let down by some of the stories, especially since Ruskin Bond is a childhood favourite of mine. What I appreciated in this book, as is so very common in most of his other books, is the whimsical and lyrical style in which he pens his thoughts. I can always picture the scenes exactly as he describes them: hilly mountains, quaint cottages, sunny, beaten down tracks and roads and bubbling springs. His stories are always set in the real world but his charm adds a magic to them that I can't quite put my finger on. I'll always return to his dappled mountainsides and quiet spell of enchantment, no matter what.

[Jhelam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating : 3.5 stars.
True to its name this book indeed feels like a "Gathering of friends". The book has a collection of the favorite short stories picked by Ruskin Bond. These are simple and sweet stories which make you nostalgic. The stories revolve around regular common people and they are the plots for the stories. We meet a bunch of very different characters through all the stories. The specialty in Mr. Bond's work is that the characters themselves are the stories. He begins with the characters and ends with them as well. Some of the stories here are definitely more memorable than others.
All in all a good light read.

[Mohammad Zaved Siddiqui · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stupendous and enthralling


The book is a collection of different stories written by Ruskin Bond. Most of the stories are short (3-5 pages) and have hill stations and forests of Uttarakhand as their background where Ruskin spent most time of his life. The best thing about the book is the description of atmosphere, specially of jungles and mountains which is closely knit with the story lines. Sometimes you miss like being at those locations. Overall the book is worth spending 8-10 reading hours.