Reviews for The rope in the water

The average rating for The rope in the water based on 2 reviews is 2.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-07-14 00:00:00 Charlyne Blomberg This book, while filled with lovely prose, rich description and interesting subject matter (traveling across India, experiencing many aspects of the local culture, etc.), was painful to read. The author constantly makes claims that undermine logical, rational thinking, spinning off into her own psychotic, absurd, "spiritual" view of the world. She and the others she portrays in the book vilify science as well as the Western world. I was rolling my eyes at least every ten pages and quite frequently got angry with the book. I nearly gave up on finishing it a number of times. Also, the literary device of an imaginary "guru" that pops up throughout the book to add banal dialogue and comic relief is absolutely obnoxious. She uses to show the two sides of her mind in conflict, but it is just so distracting and poorly implemented that the intended effect is lost. Two phrases in particular nearly made me put down the book for good: 1) "...I did some research into Darwinian evolution, and I found its scientific underpinnings are now considered very dodgy." Where was she doing her research? A young earth creationist propaganda site? 2) "By then my computer's spell checker had already spewed up Morris as a questionable word, offering Meyers as a first alternative. Though the linguistic connection between these two names seems remote, perhaps my software was accessing a pool of deeper karmic meaning, since my Maiden name is Meyers." Oh yes, that must be karma! Not something that the spell check program has programmed into it as a possible correction! Absolutely absurd.

Review # 2 was written on 2013-10-22 00:00:00 Shivanth Bhaskaran I'm reading this book for the second time; the first was before I ever visited India (now I've been three times). A professional journalist, and author of "In My Father's House", Fraser's work is interesting and well researched. She covers quite a range of places that she visits in India, in each offering us her personal emotional and psychological reaction that is triggered. Fraser uses an interesting technique to 'teach' about her spiritual path; an imaginary guru (I'm pretty sure he was imaginary) appears now and then throughout the book. An enjoyable and informative book. I didn't quite 'feel' the characters though. This is something I have found before when professional journalists chronicle their India trips (e.g. Holy Cow). Ellen Besso Author of "An Indian Sojourn" & "Surviving Eldercare" facebook.com/AuthorEllenBesso