Having read 'A Suitable Boy' previously, I was already aware of Seth's prowess as a writer and it was nice to see an author successful in other forms of writing than just traditional prose (since I'd also picked up his 'The Golden Gate') and this seemed a convenient prelude to the aforementioned novel.

'Beastly Tales From Here and There' is a compendium of poetic fables exclusively written in rhyming couplets and each about two or three 'beasts' whose lives are intertwined in various ways. The poetry is light and humourous and initially the novelty of the book's form is engaging and delightful. However, the effect and impact wanes a little through the 10 tales and since the last is the longest it felt a little bit of a chore to finish.

This is not to say though that there aren't snippets of brilliance, none more so than Seth's creative use of meter and rhyme throughout. Furthermore, he cleverly sews in plot twists and moral lessons which are entertaining and funny. We read this over a period of a few months, dipping into it every now and then, so perhaps if we'd have read it a bit more regularly it wouldn't have felt as one trick ponyish. It's definitely a nice little read for those who want something a bit different and it by no means does Seth's reputation any harm as a good and interesting writer. 3/5 stars. ( )

Brilliant verse, incredibly imaginative, with each line more delicious than the next. Devour these wickedly witty words now. ( )

I enjoyed "Beastly Tales". A bunch of fairly short, but quite amusing poems.

Some are Vikram Seth's retelling of stories and fables from other places and a couple are his own original ones.

All revolve around animals, with humans only in the background a bit, such as the king who unwittingly provides a home and meals for bed louses, until a mosquito joins them, or the humans in the last story who want to dam a river and upset the beasts' homes...

Very fast to read with consistent rhyming and amusing illustrations for each story.

It's rare that I enjoy poetry except for really long, epic sorts of poems (e.g. Beowulf, Dante, Vikram Seth's own The Golden Gate, etc.) but these were fast and funny to keep me entertained. Not unlike Shel Silverstein. ( )

This is the all time best book that i have read in my life... just plain genius... have read the stories to my sweetheart to bed.. Have re-read it severla times.. the size and the content is equally cute. ( )

'Crocodile, your wife, I know
Hungers after mangoes so
That she'd pine and weep and swoon,
Mango-less in burning June.'
Then Kuroop the crocodile,
Gazing upwards with a smile,
Thus addressed his monkey friend:
'Dearest monkey, in the end,
Not the fruit, but your sweet love,
Showered on us from above,
Constant through the changing years,
Shakes her grief and dries her tears.'
(This was only partly true,
She liked love, and mangoes too.)

Humorous verse renditions of ten tales about animals. Eight are based on Indian, Chinese, Greek and Ukrainian folk-tales, and two were dreamed up by the author. Cute. ( )