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Ramayana: Divine Loophole (2010)

by Sanjay Patel(Favorite Author)

4.67 of 5 Votes: 6

ISBN

081187107X (ISBN13: 9780811871075)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Chronicle Books

review 1: The great epic of the Ramayana is presented in this slimmed down version. This makes it more accessible to children, or those that do not have the time to read a 3000 page book. The word count may be reduced, but the author has provided something in exchange for this. Each entry is accompanied by stunningly beautiful art comprised of a geometric style which utilizes a wide range of vibrant colours. The author is an animator for Pixar, and although the style is unique to this work, the quality is just as good. The tale is told concisely in modern language (it does not sound transliterated), but does not suffer from this, as it is still easily understood, and children will surely enjoy some of the bold words and imagery (eg. "This is no ordinary bad guy; we're talking about ... morea ten-headed demon with bad teeth!" pg13).The author is conscious of his potential multicultural readership, so he takes the time to describe terms, the names/roles of the different beings, and certain cultural points. The illustrations are relevant to each page, proving helpful to these explanations in a visual way.The epic itself is about the life of Vishnu in his human avatar of Rama. The focus is his exploits against demons, his marriage to Sita (avatar of Lakshmi), and in general how he brought about an age of peace. Rama is clever, swift to action, dutiful and loyal, and along the way gained several companions, including his brother Lakshman, who is as brave and true as Rama, and Hanuman, a divine monkey of great size and speed.The final third of the book is devoted to listing and giving further information on the gods, sages, warriors, animals and demons that were named throughout. Pronunciations of names are also provided.If you are looking for a most faithful version of the Ramayana, this is not it. But if you are looking for a book that remains true to the lessons, and heroes, and does so in a way that is fun to read, than you will surely find this one worth a try.
review 2: A most excellent illustrated edition. Patel's artwork really gives his condensed narrative a lot of energy, amplifying the text's visual capabilities. The story itself is simplified, but Patel warns of this in advance. This is his interpretation, and how he envisions the world and characters of the Ramayana. I'd like to sample the full translation to get a better understanding of the story, but this was a marvelous beginning. less

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