Magic Seeds Audiobook

" Maybe this story was too deep for me but I never got interested. The characters were unlikable and I never really understood any of their motivations. "

" I liked this book and in general, Naipaul's style. Detailed and full of the awareness of lifes uncertainties. He wandered a bit too much in this book and I was never sure where it was heading....perhaps underlining the books theme. "

" Interesting read - however he lost me a few times on Willie's journey but enjoyed all the additional information on the various countries "

" As I began reading this book, I realized that this was a book that I had given up trying to read a few years ago. The main character Willie is portrayed to be a person who is drifting in life and searching for a cause to make his life more meaningful. He is pushed by his sister Sarojini to do something, make up his mind. He goes to India to join a guerilla movement, wanders around in forests with the wrong group. No one knows what the cause is, what the goals are, and in this process in between murders, lands into jail. Willie makes mental notes of his impressions of people in India and places he visits, the roads, the foods, his feelings...he spends all his time outside of himself, as an outsider. His introspection is infuriating and it was nothing but will power that made me force myself to complete this book. From the jail, Willie manages to extricate himself back to London where, typical of his drifting nature, he accepts the hospitality of his old-time friend Roger and starts living his house. In the middle of the book, he confesses that he has never acquired any skills to work because his father as a temple owner also did not have one. He realizes that not having to work, the only thing his sister and he were good at was finding faults, criticizing what others did. He enters in an extra-marital affair with Roger's wife for no reason but because he is bored and this was something that he had fantasized about 20 years ago. There are no moral pangs for any character in this book. Roger has been having an affair with Marion, Rger's wife is sleeping with the banker, the banker's wife is sleeping with someone else. The book ends with a marriage that Roger and Willie attend in which Marcus, a black man has invited them. Marcus's son is marrying a white girl and Marcus's wish was to have white grand children. The bride and groom are marrying after they have already had some kids. The book brings across decaying values in the moral area and nothing seems to surprise Willie. I probably do not wish to recommend this book unless you are a very patient kind of person. Will you get something out of this book? Yes, every book has something to offer - there are statements that can have profound meaning, reflections, Willie's musings as he drifts in his life. "

" I'm going to put it down.... I'm just not in the mood for a book like that. Yes, it has deep thoughts, but I'm not enjoying the prose and I'm not drawn into the characters' (brother and sister) discussions on revolutionary ideas. It's depressing. I was expecting something more from Nobel price winning author. "

" Compared to Bend in the River or House for Mr. Biswas, this is not Naipaul's most perfect work by any means. The book's structure wobbles. But even an imperfect offering from Naipaul is worth twice most other books on the market. "

" After reading most of Naipauls books and being a loyal fan, I was disappointed in this book - it seemed to have been written in a hurry or perhaps the great writer doesn;t care as much anymore? "

" interesting - how an innocent becomes a terriorist; very bleak social commentary on English society "

" Impressive meditation on contemporary anomie. "

" Book on CD - bah humbug "

" A mix of many: anti-revolutionary and a quest for one's identity and place. "

" Angry, stodgy, reactionary, and completely lacking (with a few exceptions), any of Naipaul's usual brilliant prose. "

" Bored to death though some part of the story is nice. Took me two months to read. "

" Like a new-age Siddhartha. And I fiercely disliked the original Siddhartha. "

" I just love the man's prose. Doesn't seem to matter whether I care for the story opr not - I simply love reading his words. "

" A bit less captivating, but it might be because I am reading about India with a lot of generalizations used as a base{maybe because I am Inidan, I tend to be overcritical}. The narrative also suffers on account of the weight of the embedded philosophy. "

" bit boring in the beginning but you would appreciate the book if you read it through the end . thought provoking "

" Interesting read - however he lost me a few times on Willie's journey but enjoyed all the additional information on the various countries "

" Maybe this story was too deep for me but I never got interested. The characters were unlikable and I never really understood any of their motivations. "

" nice book to read, but not of my taste "

" Book on CD - bah humbug "

" bit boring in the beginning but you would appreciate the book if you read it through the end . thought provoking "

" say goodbye to idealism and integrity during your midlife crisis because in india it'll only throw you in jail. pretty great fast read. "