Hi all!
This is going to be a bit of a learning experience for me as far as an on-line discussion goes. As I haven't done this before, I'm guessing that you may need to refresh your page as you go along to see new comments - as the set-up isn't as immediate as Instant Message or something similar. Anyway...we'll see how it goes!

So, to kick the discussion off...

Did anyone else's opinion of Jagan radically change by the end of the book? If so, when and why?

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I hope you've enjoyed reading 'The Vendor of Sweets' this month. I really enjoyed it and can see why R.K. Narayan was shortlisted for the Nobel Prize for Literature several times.

You will have noticed that I have changed the date and time from 8pm on the 30th to 9pm on the 31st. Sorry about this. We've just been allocated a new fixed position in Borough Market (which we're very excited about!) and I need to spend Tuesday trying not to do a 'Chuckle Brothers' impersonation with my sister as we attempt to spruce it up with a bit of paint and lots of elbow grease! I also thought 9pm might be better for those with children; to ensure there is time to tuck them up in bed, pour a glass of something nice and relax into a warm, unrefined book chat! (Hopefully the 'Trick or Treaters' will have gone to bed by then too!)

So, now it's time to mull, ponder and have a good old think about why you liked/ didn't like the book.

As a general pointer, I have listed some general questions below to maybe consider before we have our group discussion:

What was unique about the setting of the book and how did it enhance or take away from the story? Does it seem a particularly Indian story or are the themes more universal?

What specific themes did Narayan emphasize throughout the novel? What do you think he is trying to get across to us?

Do Jagan, Mali, Grace, the cousin seem real and believable? Can you relate to their predicaments? To what extent do they remind you of yourself or someone you know?

How do characters change or evolve throughout the course of the story? What are the turning points

I hope you can join us on the 31st!

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Ok, so I've learnt the first lesson when starting a book club...choose a book that people can actually get hold of! The postal strike didn't help either (for those of you who thought Amazon might be the easiest way to get the book!) So... I hope at least some of you have managed to get hold of a copy of this month's book choice 'The Vendor of Sweets'. At least it's not a long one - so when you do get it you'll be able to catch up before the on-line discussion on the 30th at 8pm.

So, get reading, get commenting and enjoy being part of the sweetest book club on the internet.

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"While the colourful sweetmeats are frying in the kitchen, Jagan immerses himself in his copy of the Bhagavad Gita. A widower of firm Gandhian principles, Jagan nonetheless harbours a warm and embarrassed affection for his wastrel son Mali. Yet even Jagan’s patience begins to fray when Mali descends on the sleepy city of Malgudi full of modern notions, with a new half-American wife and a grand plan for selling novel-writing machines. From different generations and different cultures, father and son are forced to confront each other, and are taken by surprise..."

Although it was tough choosing our first ever book for The Unrefined Book Club…this was a bit of a no-brainer with a title like ‘The Vendor of Sweets!’ And it’s a Penguin Classic so it must be good! I’m really looking forward to reading it and hearing what you all think of it too.

If you’d like to find out a bit more about the author, take a look at this link...http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1327831.stm

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