The Ramayana: A Modern Retelling of the Great Indian Epic Paperback – May 26, 2004

This is a beautifully written book. I urge potential readers NOT to be put off by strange names and the foreign vocabulary-think of how many odd names (certainly not in common use in contemporary culture) the fans of The Lord of the Rings had to absorb for instance. What saved that work, is precisely what saves this to my way of thinking-the writing is simple and compelling, drawing the reader into the plot of the story, and carrying him through to the end, despite the barriers presented by the names. While Tolkien, drawing on his extensive knowledge of languages, fashioned the beautiful names in his books, Menon has had to shoulder the burden of history and a culture at some remove from the English language, and accept the names as a given. Despite this, he succeeds admirably. It is a shame to let biases against strange sounding names act as a barrier to an appreciation of this timeless epic. As a fan of Tolkien-having read The Lord of the Rings many many times, I can honestly say that fans of fantasy will find this a very enjoyable read indeed.It is of course a timeless epic from an ancient and rich civilization that still has the power to enchant and move the reader-its great age alone should be enough show that it is one of the great human epics. And here Menon's rendering is the best that I have encountered-I have read several others in English. The scenes are told very vividly, and I will be forever grateful to Menon for rekindling my imagination! In a work like this, the original, which is plainly very old, can be very difficult to transcribe for a modern audience, and other attempts have tried to circumvent this difficulty by veering into caricature, or have tried to adopt a formal and stilted prose. This is a remarkable book in the sense that strikes just the right balance-the author must have thought through these issues very carefully indeed. At any rate, he has succeeded admirably-at least for me! I can feel the events unfold in a very real way-the careful, precise, and simple use of language carries my thoughts into the heart of the events that unfold. (Isn't informality and precision the hallmark of fine writing?). As for complaints about digressions from the main plot, I find these quibbles frankly absurd. Indeed a great virtue of Menon's work is an attempt flesh the whole epic out accurately and carefully. To me, the side plots serve to situate the main events in a context that enables the reader to appreciate the beauty of this epic more fully. Those who find them boring are missing the more delicate nuances of this ancient classic. I find myself returning to the book often. I also read his two volume work on the Mahabharata. These books have rekindled in me an interest in the cultural history of the land of my birth! I would not have thought this possible before I encountered Menon's work. I have to say that I can never adequately thank him for this.

Gods, Demons and Heroes, locked in titanic battle in the mythical days of yore, and performing great feats of strength and/or self sacrifice ... what's not to love about that ?The Ramayana is one of the great literary epics of Ancient India, retold in this version in full-length and easy-to-read English prose form. It's the story of the life and trials of Rama, a mortal incarnation (avatar) of the great Hindu God, Vishnu. However, it's more than just a simple mythological adventure story ... it's also a morality play. Rama is an archetypal example of a perfect man, dutiful son and pious husband; and likewise his wife Sita is an archetype of the perfect woman/wife. Together they are sent into exile by an act of betrayal, and by fate, and face a series of challenges that mercilessly test their quality and character ... encountering, in no particular order, wandering holymen/beggars, murderous rakshasas, diabolical demons, Gods, Devas, and creatures and spirits of the forest.The thing that a lot of English & Western readers might otherwise overlook is that this epic is a revered part of Hindu literature, in much the same way that the adventures and trials of Jesus of Nazareth are told in the New Testament of the Bible.The book is very enjoyable, and can be read on a number of different levels ... as both a simple mythological fantasy, as well as literary classic that indirectly underlies one of the world's major religions.Some of the deeds and actions by the characters in the story might seem incomprehensible to some of us westerners, but that's just par for the course in grasping the deep seated psychological & religious differences between different cultures, with differing role models.The author, thoughtfully, included a helpful appendix which defines some of the hindi words that appear in the story (ex: "moksha" loosely translates as "embodied enlightenment"), but it's by no means complete ... but it's enough for a western reader to get by without too much trouble.In any case, it's a very enjoyable tale.

I love how detailed, descriptive and vibrant the book is. It really does set the scenes to engage the reader.

This was the first version of the Ramayana I ever read. Little did I know when I bought this book so many years ago that I would never find a better translation. Mr.Menon does such a great job with this book you will never feel you are working to read it. It just flows and ever read leave's you feeling uplifted. He brings you so well into the life of the avatar Rama that you wish you could have been part of this mistic tale that is said to have taken place some 432 thousand years or more in the past. The people in the Ramayana show so much respect and insight into life it saddens one to be living in this world of hate and repression. Such as when Rama's brother has so much respect for Rama's relationship with his wife he will not even look upon her face. A truly great great tale.