The Painter of Signs (Penguin Classics)

Another R K Narayan classic! His inimitable style of humor and melancholy are so intricately woven that it leaves one's emotions oscillating like a pendulum! Like the legendary P G Wodehouse, Mr Narayan's doses of humour finds roots in the daily life and conversations of the characters and though it doesnt make one guffaw it definitely does enough to elicit a hearty cuckle every now and then. This particular book tends to be a tad monotonous in the central part compared to his other novels but there's no doubt about the twist in the end that leaves one spellbound long after the cover is turned and the book shut!

A good book, slow paced but interesting and easy to read. The ending will let you thinking about it for several days.

R. K. Narayan is such a good writer; his prose is effortless. Raman, our sign-painter, endears himself almost immediately and I can't help but cheer him on. The spiritual mirror between his Aunt and Daisy gives me a lot to think about. And those who champion the right of a woman to choose her own path will also find much to think about. Love this book.

One gets to know the protagonists well. Daisy and Auntie , they are settled into lives well grounded. Raman, not so much. He must figure out and accept who he is, not as a man, but as Raman.

Read the book almost 9 years ago. Even after 9 years the characters in the story never fail to amuse me.

Narayan's The Painter of Signs is considerably more than a charming travelogue or a narrow slice of provincial Indian life. While giving us all of that and with considerable charm, Narayan creates characters and situations that touch the heart and delve deeply into the essential contradictions of human life. While some, including Monica Ali, who wrote the informative introduction to the latest edition call Narayan a comic writer, he can more accurately be called a serio-comic one. This book, like many of his novels, has its tragic components. There is a basic dichotomy within Daisy, the committed family planner and sexually repressive young woman. Similarly, Raman yearns to be a rationalist but finds himself overcome by sexual thoughts. Thus, when the two young people inevitably get together, it creates a hopeless tension that finally destroys their relationship. The complications of their "modern" love story is played out against the tranquil life of Raman's aunt, who has her act together. This would all seem cheery if we didn't know that the aunt is leaving Malgudi to go to Benares, the holy city, to die, alone, separated from Raman, her surrogate child. (Raman's parents were victims of modern life--killed in a railway accident.) While the book gives us considerable insight into daily Indian life, it gives us even more into the lives of young people trying to find their way in a world changing before their very eyes. Narayan does not avoid the controversies of the times. Set in the days of Mrs. Gandhi's Emergency, Painter of Signs deals with the contradictory impulses of family planning: to make a good life for some, we deny potential life for others, an ironic opposition almost no one on either side of the issue is willing to confront, probably because it is basically unsolvable. And Narayan sees that. At the end of the book, Daisy is off on her Quixotic quest to limit births; the aunt is deprived of her home; and Raman is left with only his memories of the time with Daisy. He returns to the lesser life of The Boardless and his cronies , and his own business life as a minor artist, a painter of signs. Narayan has painted for us a very charming and deceptively simple picture of the complexities of Indian and human life.

I liked the book, but it was pretty creepy and there were no characters that were likeable.

Narayan's The Painter of Signs is considerably more than a charming travelogue or a narrow slice of provincial Indian life. While giving us all of that and with considerable charm, Narayan creates characters and situations that touch the heart and delve deeply into the essential contradictions of human life. While some, including Monica Ali, who wrote the informative introduction to the latest edition call Narayan a comic writer, he can more accurately be called a serio-comic one. This book, like many of his novels, has its tragic components. There is a basic dichotomy within Daisy, the committed family planner and sexually repressive young woman. Similarly, Raman yearns to be a rationalist but finds himself overcome by sexual thoughts. Thus, when the two young people inevitably get together, it creates a hopeless tension that finally destroys their relationship. The complications of their "modern" love story is played out against the tranquil life of Raman's aunt, who has her act together. This would all seem cheery if we didn't know that the aunt is leaving Malgudi to go to Benares, the holy city, to die, alone, separated from Raman, her surrogate child. (Raman's parents were victims of modern life--killed in a railway accident.) While the book gives us considerable insight into daily Indian life, it gives us even more into the lives of young people trying to find their way in a world changing before their very eyes. Narayan does not avoid the controversies of the times. Set in the days of Mrs. Gandhi's Emergency, Painter of Signs deals with the contradictory impulses of family planning: to make a good life for some, we deny potential life for others, an ironic opposition almost no one on either side of the issue is willing to confront, probably because it is basically unsolvable. And Narayan sees that. At the end of the book, Daisy is off on her Quixotic quest to limit births; the aunt is deprived of her home; and Raman is left with only his memories of the time with Daisy. He returns to the lesser life of The Boardless and his cronies , and his own business life as a minor artist, a painter of signs. Narayan has painted for us a very charming and deceptively simple picture of the complexities of Indian and human life.

Good quality of the book and RK narayan never upsets you. Smooth read, easy language, humour, sarcasm everything in one read.

Probably my favourite writer. Wonderful, magical stories for lovers of the sub-continent.

What makes you read an author more than once? What is it that arrests your attention? The concept of the plot or the narration? I’ve read several RK Narayan books over the years and loved most of what I’ve read. These books are like a life parallel to the one that flows alongside the reality, at the time I’ve read them. Though written long ago, these stories have a modern charm, seeking exploration in the plot through the mind and actions of the characters and a complementing landscape making them way ahead of the time they were written in. Having an affinity for the mundane and known makes me pick up an RK Narayan book every time I’m in a slump or a fix about my next read, and this experience brings a novel plot that is contemplative and uplifting. The Painter of Signs is another brilliant tale, of Raman, who is an artist or painter by profession. He paints sign-boards for a living and is a hardcore rationalist who plays his part in establishing “the age of reason” until he falls in love with who runs the government Family Planning Clinic in his town. Contrary to her delicate feminine name, Daisy is a woman on a mission, one who functions by the clock and not by emotions. Love is not a simple emotion and it’s reciprocation, even more difficult is what the reader explores through his journey with Daisy. Picturesque travels, a lovelorn male lead and his quest to get his true love to accept him make this book funny and empathizing. Having independent feminine characters with substance and they quest to bring a healthy change in the world make this book progressive and promising. This book is certainly not unique but comfortable with its simplicity in narration of a story that explores human emotions and ambitions that define them. Something I highly recommend!

A quick read about a short lived romance surrounded by India's growing population and the issues that follow. I liked the lightheartedness of the story. Not usually interested in the genre but would recommend if you are.

Wanted this for my collection , in good condition, no pages missing - happy with purchase