No Man is an Island: Stories of Friendship and Bonding

by Ruskin Bond

And the land stretched out before me, and the years fell away,

And I was a boy again,
And the friends of my youth were there beside me,

And nothing had changed.
Told in Ruskin Bond’s simple yet poignant style, the stories and poems in No Man Is an Island thoughtfully explore the many shades of friendship and camaraderie. Featuring classic tales such as ‘The Woman on Platform No. 8’, in which a mysterious stranger befriends a young boy, and ‘The Crooked Tree’, in which a writer and a hawker form an unlikely bond, this heart-warming collection is a must-read.

Genres: Short Stories, India

194 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

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

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The typewriter is the repository of a writer’s loneliness. It stares unsympathetically back at him every day, doing its best to be discouraging.”

How far is this true??? I want to know…
But it made me think about the authors, debutants and all, how it must be for them to write books after books that most readers would read and enjoy.

Regarding this book, I would say it is a very underrated short story collection. Putting all short story collections put together, this book has become my top favourite!

Thank you, author Ruskin Bond, for believing in your writer soul, for writing these beautiful stories. I am quite surprised with the story that the author wrote when he was just sixteen years old. It is so good and best next to my all time short story favourite The Thief by the author.

Every story in this collection is a perfect five star read.

Love, love, love this book. Devoured the book cover to cover.

It’s perfect for everyone young and old. Go for it. Gift it. Read it. Flaunt it.

[Pooja Goyal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heart warming collection of stories that evoke nostalgia from get go, that elicit a yearning for the simplicity of the slow life marked by rustling of the wind or tweet of the sparrow rather than the beep of an incoming Whatsapp message.

This is the first time I read Ruskin Bond and I had high expectations. I felt a little let down after reading the first story because there was no twist in the tale or drama, just the simple recollection and reflection of life passing us by. But then the magic of simplicity began to envelope me with each passing story, I had to pause after each story to let the local Colors sink in.

Just loved it!

[Shoroli Shilon · Rating 5 out of 5]

প্রতিটা মানুষ
এক একটা দ্বীপের মতন!
একে অপরের সাথে আমরা সখ্যতা করি, বন্ধুত্ব হয়!
তবুও আমাদের এই স্বতন্ত্র দ্বীপ মাঝেমধ্যে খুব একা হয়ে যায়। আমাদের যে পৌঁছাতে হবে, একে অপরের সেই নির্জনতম দ্বীপে; অন্যের সঙ্গ উপভোগ করতে হবে, আত্মাকে চিনতে হবে। এই মানুষ নামক কোনো দ্বীপ যেন কখনো জনশূন্য না থেকে যায়!

বইয়ের প্রথম গল্প 'আনটাচয়েবল' পড়ার পরে দেখলাম লেখক মাত্র ষোল বৎসর বয়সে এ গল্প লিখেছেন। ঠিক কি পরিমাণ মুগ্ধতা নিয়ে এ বইয়ের প্রতিটা গল্প পড়েছি তা বলতে পারবো না ঠিক! এক একটা গল্প এক একটা লালাবাই ছিলো! Untouchable, The Thief, The Window, The Story of Madhu, The Woman on platform no.8. বেশি ভালোলাগার গল্প এগুলোই! নিঃসন্দেহে গল্পের শেষে, মাঝে, শুরুতেই বন্ধুত্ব, প্রতিশ্রুতি কিংবা ভালোলাগার উৎসর্গ খুঁজে পাবেন।

রাস্কিন বন্ডের বেশিরভাগ লেখাই অটোবায়োগ্রাফিক্যাল। এটাও তার ব্যাতিক্রম নয়। লেখকের লেখার ধরণ বেশ ঝরঝরে আর হার্ট ওয়ার্মিং! কেউ ইংরেজি সাহিত্য শুরু করতে চাইলে অবশ্যই তাকে রেকমেন্ড করবো! এই এক লোকের জীবনে এত এত সুন্দর ঘটনা আশ্রয় পেয়েছে ভাবতেই অবাক লাগে। কি সুন্দর কালিতে সেসমস্ত তিনি বন্দী করে রেখেছেন! "লাইফ ইজ আ জার্নি নট আ ডেস্টিনেশন" বইটা পড়া শেষে খুব অর্থবহ লাগছিলো এই লাইনটা!

[Namitha Varma · Rating 4 out of 5]

To me, a classic is a book or a short story that I can read again and again without it losing its capacity to be pleasurable.

Ruskin Bond is like that. If you read more than 3 collections of his, it's likely you'll read 1-2 stories from a previous collection, but it never ceases to make you feel fuzzy inside.

[Manish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruskin Bond belongs to a unique breed of writers who find timeless joy and beauty in the mundane and the ordinary. In this collection dealing with the theme of 'friendship', Bond talks of childhood friendships, school pals, loneliness and unusual companions. Most of them end on a sad note which make them all the more poignant and touching. Worth reading if you believe in the value of an unhurried way of living and thinking.

[Dhwani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Falling In Love Again by Ruskin Bond was the #MarchPick for @ruskinbondbookclub and it ended up being a really heartwarming read.
A collection of 21 stories, this book has a central theme of friendships, the usual and unusual. My favourite parts of the book were the introduction and the story titles And Now We Are Twelve.

Give it a read, you will enjoy it!

[Satyasheel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice true stories about Ruskin Bond and his personal life. Couple of stories have been repeated from Ruskin Bond's The Road To The Bazaar. Good book!

[Sanchita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ruskin Bond has a special ability to bring out the nicest stories in the most mundane situations. This book exemplifies that.

[Ashok Krishna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart-warming notes on human relationships and emotions.

[Maria Kiosi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐

[Shabdika Pandey · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an ardent fan of Ruskin Bond, it is next to impossible for me to jot down a review that isn't biased in its commentary. I had read only a few stories by Mr Bond in my childhood, and yet I formed an affinity with his characters that has lasted with me to this day. Later in the years, I would eagerly wait for Sunday to read his column in 'The Times Of India'. To read his stories, is to know and feel magic come to life. Here is the thing about Mr Bond's stories, he doesn't bludgeon you with the all-knowing hammer to be a good person, neither does he seek to inspire you to become courageous, nor does he alleviate any character to the moral standing of a God. He spins his yarns against the wit of a common man, who is both, intrinsically good and bad. For me, therein lies the beauty of his stories- the ability to accept people for who they are.

The world needs a little less judging and a lot more of accepting.

Of the 18 stories in this collection, it is very hard for me to single out a favourite one- all them being pleasantly beautiful in one way or another. Although, if I did have to choose, I would pick Madhu as my most favourite character followed closely by Kamal and Prem Singh.

To the ever present Himalayas, one day I hope to retreat into your embrace and read and write to my heart's pleasure, as I see the sunlight dancing on my study table :)

Leaving my favourite quote by Ruskin Bond here-

"And when all the wars are done, a butterfly will still be beautiful"

[Japneet (millennial_reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all tend to look for making a home in other people. People we love, people we call friends, people we think we connect with, people we think we have a special bond with and at the end of the day when we are tired, when we want to just breathe, just exist, sometimes vent, other times relax, and sometimes just sit in silence with, we go to those people and we feel like we have come home. We feel we have finally come back to what we left and every time we go back, it's a little more welcoming and warm. That is what this book felt like.
.
.
Bond writes of Bonding and Friendship here. A compilation of some of the best stories by Ruskin Bond, 'No Man Is An Island' is a book that you should devour slowly and maybe reading one story at a time is the best way to go about it. The book is beautifully written and the stories in here, some of which I had read during my childhood too are straight from the heart, raw and unfiltered. 'The Crooked Tree' and 'The Fight' are my favourites. I will take a moment to say this, if you are yet to start reading Ruskin Bond, start with 'No Man Is An Island' and you won't regret it.

[Natasha Borah · Rating 4 out of 5]

"No Man Is An Island" by Ruskin Bond is a collection of 21 short stories/personal essays/poems about friendship, companionship and bonding.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this compilation. I have read a few of them before though. My top picks from the book are:

💛My Father's Trees in Dehra: The author travels to Dehradun after several years and describes how things have changed, and how the trees planted by his father grew up to be a green island.

💛From Small Beginnings: The author's tale of his life in Mussoorie and how he came about his adopted family.

💛The Pool: A story of two young boys fighting about a beautiful pool in the forest but end up becoming friends.

IN A NUTSHELL: A beautiful read about friendship and bonding.

[Jp112 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.1 / 5.0

First of all, if you have read a few short story collection of Ruskin bond, you may find many of these (almost half) stories repeated here.

A short story collection is about two things. Short stories and Collection. And from both of these aspects this book is really good. Somehow i got this book but after checking the list i saw that many I've stories already read before. But the stories of these collection are beautiful. They're about friendship. The selections are wise too.

So, if you read only 2-3 collection of stories of bond then you can definitely go for it. Indeed, it would be rewarding. But if have read dozens of bonds collection, then i think you should think twice before doing so.

[Surelee Dulloo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt like I am reading an autobiography of Ruskin Bond. I would imagine myself living those moments with him. All the stories are written beautifully. Some so many people think that they are better alone but everyone needs someone to talk to or to listen to. And even though the man in all the stories is living alone but eventually he finds someone to share his life with. He has so many people to remember from his school friend to his chosen family that he lives with now. All the stories justify the title so well. Indeed No man is an Island!

[Rajesh Goradia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read several of Ruskin Bond’s short stories and I always find them a pleasant and light read. He has an uncanny ability to find poetry in the mundane and the subtle humour of his stories will keep you entertained.
With his charming, often witty and sometimes poignant stories about simple lives, Ruskin Bond makes you feel nostalgic even though you may have never left city or experienced the rustic life that he talks of.

[Ridhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruskin Bond will forever be one of my favourite authors. I've grown up reading his short stories and I've always loved them. His stories have the magic to enchant you and take you to the places he describes so beautifully.

My favourite in this collection is, 'Our Trees Still Grow In Dehra'. A classic is a book that one can read again and again without it losing its capacity to be pleasurable. And, this book by Ruskin Bond is it.

[Malang Mutasir · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly heart warming collection of simple and yet real life stories. Takes me the simple world of yesteryears and I feel as if I'm part of the plot.

What an amazing writer Bond is... He has expressed a mix of human emotions from day to day lived of simple unassuming characters.

A beautiful read and an all time favourite.

[Abhirami Rao · Rating 5 out of 5]

“In telling you my relationship with people and the natural world, I hope to bring a little pleasure and sunshine into your life”

And he truly does. Ever the quiet and observant writer, Ruskin Bond reaches into his boyhood days to narrate heartwarming and heart wrenching stories of unique characters.

[Swarna Ramnath · Rating 5 out of 5]

From stories of friends who lasted a lifetime to stories of friends who were not even friends. It’s a collection of stories of authors friends and also fictional mesmerizing characters who leave a deep impression on you forever.

Want to go back in time? To a pre electronics era and feel life again ? read this book ❤️📖

You’ll cherish all stories.

[Princessofbookaholics · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories were really sweet and I enjoyed each and every one of them.

[Tanishqa Trivedi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was nice. Smooth short stories of love and friendship irrespective of age.

[Aruna Kumar Gadepalli · Rating 5 out of 5]

21 writings including fiction, poetry from the master storyteller.

[Kadambari Sahu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very beautiful book. A must read.

[Mahendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful collection of small stories. loved reading all of them! I read few to my 7 year old who loved it.

[Dr Hanif Hassan Barbhuiya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always refreshing to read Ruskin Bond

[Soumya Aggarwal · Rating 1 out of 5]

Now I read it as a school compulsory and in 7th grade I don't think you can expect a kid to lovee this book so it was eh.

[Madhumitha Ashokkumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruskin Bond makes us realise that it's not only the rich and famous who's stories should be told but also the stories of people who lived a humble and meaningful life.

[Archana · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many small stories with lots of teachings!

[Ufaque · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet and heartwarming collection of short stories and poems, with a feel of nostalgia. Ruskin Bond is a master in the art of story-telling.