There was something about the unreliable character of the narrator that really got to me here: Be it colonial India or the dsire eighties and nineties, he captures the ethos adroitly. Be the first to ask a question about The Alchemy of Desire. The desire of having something to desire. The oft-distracted narrator is trying, with minimal success, to write the Great Indian Novel, ot his search for inspiration other than that offered by the luscious Fizz is the impetus for decamping alcyemy the city and the Himalayas.
I am being a bit generous and giving 4 stars 3. Being a hardcore Journalist, Tejpal has showcased his craftsmanship at beautiful and refined writing. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website.
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This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Written from within the skin of India, The Alchemy of Desire is a novel quite unlike any other, with a power and weight of feeling one almost never encounters in. In turn-of-the-millennium India, a penniless would-be writer halts work on his novel only to feed his ceaseless desire for his beautiful wife.
Then a chance. The boldness may take you by surprise initially but the aesthetics are topnotch, lifting it way above the vulgar or the voyeuristic. Very recently he has published a novel.
The Alchemy of Desire Tarun J. Return to Book Page. Sep 14, Sehar Moughal rated it liked it. Published December 26th by Ecco first published January Soon he is alone, surrounded by the debris of his life and great love, confronting his unwritten magnum opus and the darkness that is threatening to swamp him. Mar 11, Jyoti Narang rated it it was amazing. The truth is no life is neat They need to tell stories to each other continually to keep themselves from disappearing.
A hindu woman crosses border with her money stuffed inside vagina. Sep 27, Shikhar rated it liked it. More back stories for characters in that back story. The book ends in a whimper and you w This is surely one of the most difficult reviews I have had to write in the recent past.
Aug 26, Nishant Bhagat rated it it desiire ok. The title of the book is so apt that its unbeatable. It was really a book containing soft aochemy with a little touch on homosexuality too but overall this book is a cocktail of sexual acts with various partners from the past the lead character finds some diaries on details of sexual acts and present of himself and partner.
Life for him seems to revolve around it. Slowly he begins to uncover dark secrets, until startling truths are laid bare and all certainties are overturned. May it be that those kind of novels are amongst my favourites.
Jun 15, admin Relationship. If I had to read one more time about someone's "musk", so help me It would be one thing if there had been a compelling story to back up the kink, but no. Save your rupees, this book is dumb. Aug 17, Carmen rated it it was ok. I am quite ambiguous about this book. The storyline is not linear which makes it interesting in my point of view. I enjoyed the rhythm and it seems to me that it takes the whole book for our want-to-be writer to truly appreciate his wife Fizz.
While the book has a high sexual content, I never thought that if could be considered as soft porn. Interested in reading his other book "The story of my Assassins. Jan 22, Preeta rated it did not like it.
I was excited by the first pages of the book and the amazing descriptions of the countryside in India. However, this long-winded book doesn't move beyond those first few pages - continuing in detail to describe the main character's writer's block and erotic obsessions of a ghost. While I was loathe to do so, I finished the book to see if there was a return to grace but with no satisfaction. Jul 24, Jennifer rated it did not like it.
Haven't picked it up in a week or so. Although the prose is beautiful the excessive descriptions are too long and my interest is lost. Decided to not continue with it. I believe Good Reads reviews were fairly accurate with this one but I do not have the patience to read it all the way through only to be disappointed. Mar 12, Sameer Rahman rated it it was amazing. I loved this book. From the start to the finish.
From the city to the hill station to the diaries to the sex to an attempt to move on. Brilliantly written, loved the language. Worth reading for sure. I have struggled to finish this book and I have my reasons! The book is over pages out of which at least half of it is just plain sexual content which is constructed in a way that after a point of time it just gets redundant.
That's where I felt like just dropping it half read but on the contrary there is some beautiful writing too. They need to tell stories to each other continually to keep themselves from disappearing.
Passionate love has nothing to do wi I have struggled to finish this book and I have my reasons! Passionate love has nothing to do with any obvious attributes of the lover - class, intellect, looks, character.
It has got to do with the stories the lover can tell. When the stories are stirring, complex, profound, - like great fiction they need never be crudely true- then so is the love. When the stories are thin - their grammar sloppy, their life- force weak, their plot tawdry- then so is the love. They can have the exuberance of Dickens or be spare like Hemingway; then can team as Joyce or confound as Kafka; they can be mad as Lewis Carroll or sad as Thomas Hardy.
They can be anything - grim, comic, philosophic, loony. But they must be true. Jul 24, Sharad Jain rated it did not like it. Its one of the most annoying and worthless novel I have come across in the recent past It seems Mr.
Tejpal was in dilemma how to write a thick novel and impress his readers. So, he chose a stupid plot and filled it up with too much of detailing of each abstract. At times you want to throw the book because it becomes too irritating to read too much of details. This book is dictionary of synonyms it seems. For instance, If Mr. Tejpal talks about trees, he mentions whole lot of paragraph just nam Its one of the most annoying and worthless novel I have come across in the recent past Tejpal talks about trees, he mentions whole lot of paragraph just naming those trees.
Similarly, mountains, desire, etc. Tejpal tries really hard to be funny at times but at the end it turns out to be too much repeatitve and complete waste!!! For people who love fiction, trust me dont even think of reading this. Its one of those read which you cant even remember even if you try to!!!! Aug 16, Meghana rated it it was ok. Tarun Tejpal is a masterful writer, and his gripping prose keeps the reader hooked until the last page.
I felt he could have done so much more with his novel's vivid characters and historical backdrop. Overall, not a book I'd recommend. Aug 12, Madhu rated it did not like it. There is such a thing as too much sex, and this book is a perfect example. Full of characters whose very lives are defined by the daily-multiple-orgasm producing sex they have. It's so unreal, it's stupid. Practical aspects of relationships were not visible anywhere.
Its like an unending wet dream. The only thing I sort of liked was the way the story unraveled. Mar 01, Lokesh Joshi rated it it was ok. Not much what I expected too, many times I had to skip pages which keep on stating same thing again and again. I will be starting next book from the person, story of my assassin, hope thats better Not much what I expected too, many times I had to skip pages which keep on stating same thing again and again.
I will be starting next book from the person, story of my assassin, hope thats better Apr 18, Penny rated it it was ok. I quite enjoyed thus book, but if I'd wanted to read porn I would have been better off buying a magazine. I am not sure how an author can write so much about sex and make it so dull.
It would have been a much better book with a bit of editing and losing pages. Oct 02, Aniket Patil rated it did not like it. Porn sugar coated in a flowery language. Jul 04, Racheal rated it it was ok. I really really tried to like this book. But in the end I had to accept it's mediocrity. Or my ignorance about erotic literature.
Or my ignorance about Indian literature. Not that good. Mar 21, Laila rated it did not like it Shelves: half-read. Too slow-moving and seemed to be nothing more than a string of sex scenes and not much else so I had to abandon it. Jun 04, Julia rated it did not like it. Nov 09, Zingsho rated it it was ok. Jan 09, Shilpa rated it it was ok. Too many descriptions of sex. The part that appealed to me was the basic concept of having a weekend retreat in the hills Jan 26, Prashant rated it it was ok Shelves: major-disappointment , mediocre.
I am glad I didn't read this before the other two books.
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