Tom鈥檚 Year in Books

What did you read this year?

Go to previous year

2024

11,895

pages read

books read

Tom Wyer

Rub谩iy谩t of Omar Khayy谩m by Omar Khayy谩m

Shortest Book

pages

The Mah膩bh膩rata by Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa

Longest Book

912

pages

Average book length in 2024

360

pages

The Prophet (Illustrated) by Kahlil Gibran

Most Shelved

682,270

people also shelved

Least Shelved

136

people also shelved

Tom鈥檚 average rating for 2024

4.0

really liked it

4.0

Highest Rated on 欧宝娱乐

4.88 average

Tom鈥檚 first review of the year

it was amazing

I don鈥檛 have a background in the tradition of the R膩m膩ya峁嘺; I was aware of the story in outline, but no more. As such, I can鈥檛 speak to the faithfulness of the translation, the quality of the abridgement, or the integrity of the way in which Arshia Sattar reanimates a story first told over 2,000 years ago.

What I can speak to is this: coming from an interested, loosely informed but otherwise non-expert background, this version does a superb job o I don鈥檛 have a background in the tradition of the R膩m膩ya峁嘺; I was aware of the story in outline, but no more. As such, I can鈥檛 speak to the faithfulness of the translation, the quality of the abridgement, or the integrity of the way in which Arshia Sattar reanimates a story first told over 2,000 years ago.

What I can speak to is this: coming from an interested, loosely informed but otherwise non-expert background, this version does a superb job of bringing a story first told over 2,000 years ago to a modern audience. The translation is contemporary without being contrived, authentic whilst being non-obtrusive; the vernacular is easy to follow, and doesn鈥檛 condescend to the reader by trying to translate Sanskrit concepts without a natural English translation (dharma, asura, r膩k峁sa). Indeed, half the joy is in reaching an understanding of these terms through the reading process itself. This editorial process allows the R膩m膩ya峁嘺 its own voice, and foregrounds the extent to which this is a text which explores timeless themes: what does loyalty look like when extended to those who do not show back? What is the price of a promise, and the cost of breaking one? What is the meaning of sacrifice? That it does so through a world populated by flying monkeys, (remarkably) conversant birds and immortal beings makes the joy all the greater - and the translation allows for such suspension of belief that the reader very quickly ceases to question the existence of any of these things. If the aim is to bring these themes through to a modern audience without disturbing our immersion in the world of the R膩m膩ya峁嘺, Sattar has succeeded.

What remains is a text that is familiar to readers separated from V膩lm墨ki by centuries. Much other epic literature is typically episodic in nature, and bare-bones in its treatment of characters (I鈥檓 thinking here, for example, of the Shahnameh); the R膩m膩ya峁嘺 might be magical realism, but it is most certainly realism. The narrative is dramatic and textured, displaying a remarkable focus on specific events (and the emotions of those experiencing them); S墨t膩鈥檚 capture is one of the most startling and memorable passages of the entire text. In doing this, the R膩m膩ya峁嘺 creates characters with real depth - who descend from the level of the mythic to have thoughts and emotions of their own.

This is perhaps the clearest means by which the story of the R膩m膩ya峁嘺 is rendered intelligible across time and space. We empathise with S墨t膩; we anger with Lak峁a峁嘺; we feel guilt with Da艣aratha. It is also, perhaps, the most interesting aspect of the tale. The R膩m膩ya峁嘺 derives some of its complexity from the nature of R膩ma himself, whose ambiguity (arising from, in particular, his treatment of S墨t膩) is surprising; but he is, after all, an incarnation of Vi峁ａ箛u, and there is only so much dimensionality that he can bear. Instead, it is those squarely mortal beings - both human and animal - that provide an outlet for our emotions, and a voice for the reader鈥檚 desires: see Lak峁a峁嘺 and Sugr墨va in particular.

The R膩m膩ya峁嘺 is at its most thought provoking when it leans into this nuance; I did not feel encouraged to empathise with R膩ma for his failings, nor admonished when I inevitably did not do so. In resisting this urge towards hagiography, V膩lm墨ki invites us to question whether Vi峁ａ箛u鈥檚 incarnation is therefore compromised in his assumption of human form (and all the fallibility that comes with it). Through this, the reader better reflects on dharma - perhaps the true subject of the story - and the way in which it can only be attained through struggle against our base selves. The R膩m膩ya峁嘺 is at its least thought provoking when it seeks to shortcut this type of discussion by mechanistically ascribing characters鈥� decision making to fate: R膩va峁嘺 is impelled to reject R膩ma鈥檚 peace overtures, because his end is determined. Given that, after all, this is legend, the few moments in which the text employs these kinds of tropes can be forgiven.

All of these things give the R膩m膩ya峁嘺 a notable pace. Ultimately, it is a story - 500 pages of charming, layered, continuous prose. It therefore reads almost like a novel; at points, I even found myself holding my breath. To the extent I had criticisms, these were of the tradition and not the text. The first and last chapters are later insertions, and the story is made weaker by knowing from the outset that R膩ma is an incarnation of Vi峁ａ箛u. That is no fault of Sattar鈥檚, who stays faithful to the story as it has been handed down to us whilst providing explanation of this point (and others) in the notes.

All in all - an excellent read. ...more

罢翱惭鈥橲 2024 BOOKS

it was amazing

The Forty Days of Musa Dagh by Franz Werfel

The Bhagavad Gita by Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa

The Last Days of the Ottoman Empire, 1918-1922 by Ryan Gingeras

Men in the Sun and Other Palestinian Stories by Ghassan Kanafani

The Conference of the Birds by Attar of Nishapur

it was amazing

it was amazing

There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak

Ibn Fadl膩n and the Land of Darkness by Ahmad ibn Fadl膩n

The City Always Wins by Omar Robert Hamilton

it was amazing

The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre

Tom鈥檚 last review of the year

really liked it

If you鈥檙e up to number 23 in the series, you know what you鈥檙e getting into - and you probably buy them by default each Christmas as I do. There鈥檚 therefore little to say other than that this book certainly doesn鈥檛 disappoint.

I hope that the next entry isn鈥檛 in Britannia, because the last few have been - and it鈥檚 getting a touch repetitive. All the same, it鈥檚 territory on which Scarrow is on strong ground - and it鈥檚 justified by the stories he鈥檚 t ...more

What did you read this year?