The Ramayana exists today in many forms (I read a lengthy version on-line, illustrated 'Action-figure' style.) Aubrey Menen's lyric recitation is fluid, and literate (after all, Menen is Menen no matter what he's writing!) It is amazingly reaiistic, tho we know it's not true. I found it wonderful to savor, and intend to reread it for the sheer pleasure of experiencing story-telling at its best. ( )

A retelling of the Ramayana by someone with nothing but contempt for Indian society. An interesting read for its dated-ness, and Orientalist hubris. ( )

Not having read the "official," Brahminic Ramayana I am simultaneously at a loss in the light of comparisons and unbiased in the same light. However, having read Candide, this is what I compare Menen's retelling to.
A third of the way through the book, a pamphlet titled, "A Report by Clifton Fadiman," apparently reprinted from the Book-of-the-Month Club News, fell out of my copy and stated the same comparison. I must not have been too far from the mark, then.

In any case, this is an easy book to get through because it is very engaging. It has none of the stuffiness of some other Indian works, which is what the author of course aimed for. The characters are likable and, if you are unacquainted with the story beforehand, unpredictable in rather funny ways (e.g., Luxmun's note to King Ravan). ( )