#Review: Song of the Forest by Ruskin Bond

Song of the Forest
Author: Ruskin Bond
Publisher: Aleph Book Company
Rating: ⅗

Ruskin Bond’s gentle humour and innocent romance is quite visible in his words. In this short collection of 15 stories, he presents the readers with another set of tales that are laced with imagery and have enough mention of the beauty of the hills and the forest.

Song of the Forest is an anthology that comprises stories- new and old- that range from mystery and magic to nostalgia and reminiscence of the past. The titularl story is more like a narrative about the mellifluous sounds that keep the forest alive. Various animals and birds come to life through Bond’s words and he doesn’t fail to describe his elated spirit whenever he has a chance to revisit nature. The book has famous stories like A Man Called Brain, The Garden of Dreams, The Old Suitcase and Breakfast at Barog. Simple and short, some stories are quite personal and the author’s love for Landour and its people is evident in those pieces. Sher Singh and the Hot-water Bottle and The Shadow on the Wall are two of his stories I read recently; hence, this collection didn’t quite stand out from the rest of the anthologies.

Ruskin Bond is loved and adored by all. His stories have take-aways for both adults and children. Hence, this collection (not forgetting to mention how beautiful the cover is) could be devoured over a rainy weekend.

Best wishes to the author!

Buy this book here: Amazon