SKU LS612117AU Category Fictions and Novels Language Sinhala ISBN Number 955-20-2159-6 Publisher Godage Publishers Author Name Ediriweera Sarachchandra Published Year 2016 Book Weight 240g Pages 136 Pages Description Malawunge Awurudu Daa by Ediriweera Sarachchandra
Continuing from the part where author abruptly stops in its pervious book මළගිය ඇත්තෝ, as its sequel , මලවුන්ගේ අවුරුදු දා is a continuation written with Noriko's voice. In its first few pages, author explains in Noriko's point of view some of her behavior that made Devondara puzzled, in its first book.
I sincerely believe the author did not do justice to Noriko's character. What happens in the end, left me devastated , as I did not believe Noriko deserved such an ending after everything she's been through. As I put down this book, after reading the last line, in my head I went through the regret, the sadness, confusion Noriko must feel for what happened, and I am pretty sure she feels it's all her fault too. She must feel, if she did not act with such anger , the way she did , or if she did things differently, this wouldn't have happened. The author tries to pass the blame to Noriko.
Devondara did love her , without a doubt , but he was full of uncertainty and looked at life in the mentality of a ascetic. He showed her that he cares, but instantly draws away from her, and this left Noriko confused and sad many times. There were countless times she wanted to say goodbye to him and escape but she was not strong enough I believe.
As readers, we also see , how women longs to be someone's wife and look after and care for him, from the moment an agreement of marriage is decided, and how some men like Devondara, tries to look gravely at life , and fears the commitment, leaving the hopeful , miserable.
I enjoyed the book, although I personally did not like the end , that Noriko had to accept, or what it made her feel. Maybe it was the price she had to pay for love....
This book is written from the perspective of Noriko San. I was lazier to read than the first book. As in the first book, little is said here about Japan. Many pages are devoted to describing Noriko's uncertain thoughts. But Devendro's behaviour is questionable. I don't think he really expected love from Noriko. There are many cultural barriers to the lives of these two here. Devendro was once a priest. I think it made his life problematic. Noriko is a traditional, inexperienced Japanese woman. On the other hand, Devendro is an experienced artist who has travelled from country to country. Did Devendra really cheat on Noriko like other foreigners? His last visit to Japan was not planned. He also has a lazy feeling about marriage. Is he committing suicide because he could not bear the injustice done to Noriko?
This book is hauntingly mesmerizing. I was a willing victim of this book's enchantment and I have no regrets. The writing style, the choice of words, and the whole story! Absolutely beautiful!
The story picks up (or rather starts offering a different perspective) on the events unfolded in මළගිය ඇත්තෝ, from the point of view of Noriko-San, who begins her tale of woe and relentless expectations with a fresh take on the encounters between her and Devendora-San, which he describes as those that made him indecisive about his feelings for her in the prequel that ended abruptly.
මළවුන්ගේ අවුරුදු දා is more or less Noriko's story, but the way the author portrays the character might lead the reader to believe that the ending was brought upon her by herself alone, given the fact that she often describes herself as naive, uneducated and a lesser human being than the love of her life. But in contrast, Devendora-San who is often kept on a pedestal by Noriko is not without fault; where it is evident that he has a deep affection for her but with his indecisiveness and mixed feelings that alternate between being transcendental and secular, often makes his intentions unclear, ultimately leading to the tragedy that befalls upon them.
In comparison to මළගිය ඇත්තෝ, මළවුන්ගේ අවුරුදු දා is a tale of closure to the reader, but not as eventful or an exploration into the beauty of Japanese culture as the former was. It is a harder pill to swallow, but not far from reality either. Definitely one of those stories you should read in your lifetime, but might not want to revisit.
I first picked up this book at age 11, expecting a horror story. Three pages in, I gave up. Years later, in my late teens, I tried again, but the themes of love and longing didn’t make sense to me. It wasn’t until my early thirties—tired and wearied after many unstable relationships—that I finally understood what this book was truly about.
Having lived in the same area the story describes, having walked in the shoes of both Devondara-san and Noriko-san, it struck me deeply. Some books demand the right time in life to reveal their full meaning. This is one of them.
The ending of the book left my soul shaken, even though I was anticipating it throughout the book. I feel that the last chapter is the strongest chapter of the story which is portrayed to the reader through two books. There are two main characters in the story, in which the author has given the perspective from the male character in his first book, and the perspective from the female character in his second book. The story is so real, reflective and depicts the truest nature of the human kind.
The sequel of Malagiya Aththo by the Author. An strange love story where the poor Japanese girl suffers a lot in the name of love. Very beautifully written though everything ends with a tragedy.
Now this is way better and complex than මළගිය ඇත්තෝ. I actually liked this book.
I liked how things came to an end. The whole uncertainty throughout the whole book ended with another massive uncertainty. Noriko with all her somewhat volatile nature, kept her hold on someone who was more volatile and uncertain than her. She reminded me of Catherine Earnshaw minus the married part. The flow of the story was quite painful and hollow. I think both of them loved each other deeply but their directions and intensions were not the same. Noriko's view of their future was totally different from Devendora's. I think that's where the whole feeling of abyss comes from.
I felt better after reading this. Unlike the feeling I got from the first book, I felt much better with this. I don't know why I felt like that from a complete disastrous story, but that's how I felt.