The Five Dollar Smile: And Other Stories

by Shashi Tharoor

Book Overview

This touching and funny collection of stories showcases Tharoor's daunting literary acumen, as well as the keen sensitivity that informs his ability to write profoundly and entertainingly on themes... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1559702257
• ISBN13: 9781559702256
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Arcade Publishing
• Length: 175 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

A must-read!

A very compelling read, this book by Shashi Tharoor is a collection of short stories written by the author in his teens and early 20s.This book is a beautiful collection of writings by Tharoor before the well-known "The Great Indian Novel" and is in a different genre from the author's other books.Each story starts with a note by the author disussing the mindset in which the story was written, and the age at which he wrote it, thus giving the reader a better insight into the story. The stories are diverse in nature and use the backdrop of India to give the reader a view of the country and the people from a youth's point of view. The title story is a sensitive portrayal of an orphan who is the face on the poster of a fund-raiser campaign for the orphanage. "The boutique" is another touching story revealing the discrimination that soceity imposes on its classes and its impact on a young boy.The stories in this book impress with their simplicity and subtleness. Most of all, it brought back memories of youth in me. A book I enjoyed immensely!