Friday 31 May 2013

Hero on a Honda - Revisited



I came across this REVEW of Hero on a Honda on Amazon. I don't know Judy Appleby but she's caught the mood (s) exactly right.

Should you know someone going to, or has been to, or just loves India, perhaps they would enjoy Hero as well.

Here's what Judy thought:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good to read if you're going to India, 5 Mar 2013
Amazon Verified Purchase(What is this?)
This review is from: Hero on a Honda : Reflections on India (Kindle Edition)
This is a gentle and evocative account of the complex experiences that face anyone visiting India for the first time. Tony Farmer tried to blend in and observe, to learn rather than to judge. It is an admirable model, but the contradictions of modern India would challenge anyone. It is hard to avoid criticism when you encounter breathtakingly beautiful countryside polluted with industrial waste and urban garbage. Difficult to ignore the contrast between the gentle kindness of traditional life and the brash, noisy pace of a young middle class that desperately wants to ignore tradition and become American.

Tony warns that you should go to India NOW if you want to see it before the old values disappear. I have been fortunate to spend about half of the last twelve years living in India and I think that he is right. It is changing fast. The light, the dazzling colours, the lush vegetation, the bright green of a rice paddy, the dusty ochres of a dry plateau, these are always a source of pleasure. Even the incessant noise and the apparent chaos of traffic become part of the enjoyment of the place. Gradually you learn that there is a system, a logic in it all, even the traffic does follow some rules, and you can adapt to them.

But India has a rapidly growing middle class that wants its villa in Mumbai or Delhi, its holiday home in Goa or Kerala, its smart saloon and a four-wheel drive and cars for the kids. The built environment that is changing with such speed and such insensitivity that beautiful heritage areas are disappearing as landowners rush to grab their share of development profits. A few conservationists are putting up a fight but money talks in India. So go as soon as you can, don't worry that they do things differently, and that many things would be unacceptable at home, don't look for Health and Safety or a Benefits system, just enjoy the whole wonderful experience of being part of India.

Thanks Judy

Thursday 30 May 2013

More Writing Success

Hello friends and readers

Today Marble City publishers have launched KNIFE EDGE, an anthology of 23 short stories in the genres crime, thriller, mystery and suspense. I'm thrilled my story Soft Eyes was selected from a national  competition.
It's a story described by the judges as, 'revenge delivered double expresso style'. 
I enjoyed writing it and visiting a virtual Milan in the modern age.

A proportion of proceeds go to the Charity Booktrust.org.uk

I attach links for you. Note the discount code from Smash, though It may be cheaper to buy from Amazon and get free postage. Available on ebook and book formats.

Hope you enjoy all the stories
Tony




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