The english teacher novel pdf

The English teacher Item Preview. EMBED for wordpress. Want more? Advanced embedding details, examples, and help! The protagonist, Krishna, is an English teacher at the same college he had attended as a student. Although Krishna has recently married, his wife Susila and their daughter live with his parents-in-law some miles away. The story opens with his immediate family deciding to join him in Malgudi. Feb 08, M Yeazel rated it really liked it Shelves: fiction , espionage-spy.

The English Teacher - Such a wonderful story about the dark, lonely, strange and secret life of an Israeli spy, told by her handler, 20 years older and always in love with her. He retraces her life as Mossad tries to find her.

Rachael fell in love with Rashid, an Arab, but walked out on him when the mission was complete. Not a romance. An intense story about espionage The English Teacher - Such a wonderful story about the dark, lonely, strange and secret life of an Israeli spy, told by her handler, 20 years older and always in love with her. An intense story about espionage and danger, a 5-star psychological thriller. On the one hand, this is a terrifically sensitive and detailed and nuanced exploration of what it must be like to live undercover in hostile territory.

So I thought the first 80 percent or so of the book was marvelous. But I thought the climax of the book both sexist and unbelievable. I cannot imagine that the author would have written this about a male spy. Without giving away the plot, at the end of the book, the English teacher does something so crazy, rooted in a hope that was entirely irrat On the one hand, this is a terrifically sensitive and detailed and nuanced exploration of what it must be like to live undercover in hostile territory.

Without giving away the plot, at the end of the book, the English teacher does something so crazy, rooted in a hope that was entirely irrational and carried out in a fashion that makes it appear that she has totally lost her memory of how a spy agency would view and react to what she proposes to do, that it simply is unimaginable that anyone would behave this way.

The author apparently thinks that women, no matter how intelligent and highly trained, would allow emotion to overcome any vestige of common sense in the most dangerous of situations. I ended the book feeling highly annoyed. Jun 15, Pam Mooney rated it it was amazing. A psychological thriller! I was drawn into this life of intrigue and suspense immediately. The author is obviously drawing from real world scenarios and feels true compassion and a sense of comradery toward those who live double lives.

The reality seems to be that aside from physical perils the agents face their psyche can become permanently damaged - and that can't be fixed or can it? It feels real and scary - I have no doubt this story plays out in some form everyday A good read. Oct 20, Jenny rated it did not like it. An interesting book that is ruined by the dumbest, most obvious, least dramatically satisfying ending possible. I felt like the entire book was build up to a plot that abruptly forgot to happen.

Oct 01, Julie rated it really liked it Shelves: women , spies-and-espionage , fiction , contemporary-fiction , israel , middle-east , mossad. Thorough in its detail and compelling in its story, The English Teacher will cause the reader to think a lot about the human consequences of an ongoing intelligence war between two countries, where spies suffering from loneliness and compromised identity are unable to forge intimate relationships, afraid of betrayal, and concerned that making the slightest mistake might imperil their missions.

The protagonist, Rachel, emotionally damaged by a poor relationship with her father, seems like just th Thorough in its detail and compelling in its story, The English Teacher will cause the reader to think a lot about the human consequences of an ongoing intelligence war between two countries, where spies suffering from loneliness and compromised identity are unable to forge intimate relationships, afraid of betrayal, and concerned that making the slightest mistake might imperil their missions.

The protagonist, Rachel, emotionally damaged by a poor relationship with her father, seems like just the kind of loner a recruiter might seek out - an intelligent only child looking for a father figure. It may have been hard to relate to her motivation at some points, but when she finds love and human connection, the story lights up in unexpected ways. Equally intriguing is her relationship with her handler, Ehud, who lets his unspoken love for Rachel cloud his judgment and, ultimately, compromise her identity and her career.

Both are fascinating characters, and because we hear much of the book from Ehud's perspective, it's easy to picture Rachel as enigmatic, never revealing all of her secrets to him or to the reader. Written by a retired IDF intelligence officer who leads the reader through this tragic story with a deft hand, clearly knowledgeable and influenced by his own extensive experience in this world.

I'm looking forward to hearing what my book club members have to share about this novel. Feb 28, Moshe Mikanovsky rated it liked it Shelves: audio-book. This book is not exactly what I expected. Was ok for me but probably more than ok for people who are more into that. Jun 30, Rachel Koch Gonzalez rated it it was amazing.

I took notes as I read thinking they would be helpful as I reviewed this book, and very few of them actually are helpful now. Many parts in the beginning I marked as confusing or unclear, but those things became clear as I finished the novel. One concern I had when first reading this novel was an issue with the language. I think this is mainly due to the translation of the novel from Hebrew.

Because of the vast differences in the languages, a translation into English isn't going to be perfect. T I took notes as I read thinking they would be helpful as I reviewed this book, and very few of them actually are helpful now.

There are several parts throughout the novel where the point of view shifts, unintentionally unless I'm reading it incorrectly or places where the tense changes. However, as I read I got used to the language. As I got into the story it became increasingly difficult for me to put the book down because so many things were going on throughout the novel and I just had to know what happened. It is such a page-turner, and I recommend starting it when you have time to read the whole thing.

If the beginning is confusing, read to the end because everything will become clear. Page is one section which I wanted to point out specifically because I felt my heart shatter when I read that section.

Several times throughout, Atir is able to break my heart and make me feel with the stories he writes and the way he writes. It is a beautifully heartbreaking story, and I recommend it to everyone I know. It forces readers to think about things we may have never considered or cannot understand, and that is a great thing for an author to accomplish. This novel is very well written and very much worth the read. Jun 30, Nancy Scannell rated it it was amazing Shelves: favorites.

I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of this book. The English Teacher is so well written. This is just an example: "His steak was cold by now and the red fibers lacing the meat stood out like roads leading nowhere. This story is page turner. I loved the main character; "Rachel knew how to avoid answering unwanted questions she'd been trained for years in the art of leaving you satisfied but without an answer.

Ehud her handler, must track her down. Finding no leads, he must retrace her career as a spy to figure out why she decided to abandoned her position. In The English Teacher, the motive becomes clear Love. May 21, Laura rated it liked it. The English Teacher is billed as a thriller, but it's not.

Or mystery or suspense. It's very slow. Just an account of an intelligence officer stationed in "enemy territory" for years, focusing more on the spy's feelings than on details of missions. So if you're looking for something flashy, this isn't it. Feb 22, J. Whether cop story or spy story, the idea of undercover work is always compelling in novels. Generally handled from a first-person perspective, the unique view conveyed by an undercover operative is unlike normal narration, but yet-- not all that different from any interior monologue.

What are the impressions the narrator is making, will he or she stay safely behind the mask or be revealed What are the signs that the disguise is being penetrated, what clues are available for an effective count Whether cop story or spy story, the idea of undercover work is always compelling in novels.

What are the signs that the disguise is being penetrated, what clues are available for an effective counter-strategy Who notices what, and how will things turn out All very jolly, and properly implemented can tilt toward suspense, adventure, paranoia, dystopia, or even an evolving nightmare scenario, where norms and identities become uncertain. Your basic 'bleak landscape of moral ambiguity' sort of thing, where you get so wrapped up in the intersecting moral dilemmas that you may not even have time for the chase and the showdown at the end.

At its best, it's Kafka with concealed weapons and dead drops. And when emulated for form's sake because it's so trippy and cool--well, then it's the kind of thing we have here. Author Atir would like to do the moral ambiguity bit, and would like to frame it with an undercover-story-gone-wrong.

No problem there, sounds intriguing enough to hold up a novel. Surround that with atmosphere that is already electrified--the modern capitol of an Arab country in the Mideast, and that's a winning formula. But somewhere or other, author or translator has dropped a stitch or two; things don't evolve naturally, plausibly, never are we given the sense that anything is inevitably so. Characters are stiff and wooden for long passages but then go effusive and romantically purple on unexpected occasions.

Doing the deep-cover espionage narrative and doing it in cinematic, Hitchcockian logic-- is no simple matter, no matter how well the jigsaw seems to fit once assembled. Making it seem inevitable-- well, harder still. Reading the jacket blurbs on this book, you'd think this was Shakespeare In A Trenchcoat, a brilliant new conception of espionage thriller, but with scruples.

A former Mossad agent, who has served as a spy in "an Arab capital city", disappears years after she has retired. Since this cannot be allowed to occur, the novel explores along with her previous employers, where she might have gone and why she might have gone there, except as the reader it does not seem very mysterious where she might have gone or why she might have gone there.

I think more specificity and detail about the city she was in might have improved the book. The novel goes back and fo A former Mossad agent, who has served as a spy in "an Arab capital city", disappears years after she has retired. The novel goes back and forth through time and different points of view to portray her experience.

This constant shifting was somewhat confusing. The focus on the emotional trials of a spy was vaguely interesting. Jul 14, Shira Reiss rated it really liked it Shelves: israeli-novel. This was an unusual book for me to read since it is a spy fiction novel about a woman who poses as an English Teacher for the Mossad undercover for 4 years. Even though the book does not have a detailed type of characterization of the main character, Rachel, I felt there was room to imagine what she was truly feeling.

I felt sad for her and enjoyed the book. I would recommend it. Nov 17, Liane rated it it was ok. The Washington Post gave this a really nice write-up. So I was very disappointed when it had no great action nor an interesting plot or understandable premise.

I muddled through the whole thing and thoroughly disliked the ending. Just unsatisfying. May 18, Kelly McMillan rated it liked it. HATED the ending of this. Just way too quick to feel like there was a true resolution. Men wanting women 30 yrs younger Oct 10, Jennyb rated it it was ok.

A skeletal effort at storytelling, poorly written on top of all that. Skip this. Jul 10, Lisi Tesher rated it really liked it. Krishnan : So do you wish me to check thoughts of you at all other times?

Spirit of Susila : No no no. At stated hours sit for psychic development, that is, to enable me to get into touch with you directly without the intervention of the medium; this I will make possible.

Krishnan : Should I sit down with pencil and paper? Spirit of Susila: It is a secondary matter. The abandonment of realism in this realistic novel is complete. The whole thing weirded me out. It left whatever ball park I'm in. And such a shame because there were glimpses of some genuinely real thing lurking inside this novel which made me perk up and wish it was a different one. This education had reduced us to a nation of morons; we were strangers to our own culture and camp followers of another culture, feeding on leavings and garbage.

More of that would have been good, and a whole lot less of the astral plane. View all 5 comments. Jan 02, Rajat Ubhaykar rated it really liked it. Public toilets in India always leave me breathless, with relief and also with lack of air. They also bring to mind the subtle differences between oft misused words such as available and accessibile, by virtue of being inaccessible even when they are available, which is not very often. On certain busy days, I'm told one can catc Public toilets in India always leave me breathless, with relief and also with lack of air.

On certain busy days, I'm told one can catch sight of silvery fumes of ammonia dancing the Tango around the feet of relieved gentlemen.

A bold step inside one, as Voldemort will confide if you prod him hard enough, will blast your nose to smithereens if you're foolish enough to breathe while you're at it. However, they also reveal the haphazardly stacked quills of courage and mighty reservoirs of misplaced morality inside the most placid looking, puny-chested average Indian, who like a startled porcupine is ready to let go of his inhibitions and give in to the spirit of the moment by recklessly spraying around his deepest fears.

Desperately seeking relief from his miserable plight, the conscientious Indian, the model citizen who otherwise has the convenient option of watering and nurturing a young sapling, is ready to prance around puddles and stand in impromptu queues holding his breath to reach that unearthly place called a much-delayed piss.

The English Teacher taught me that some public toilets won't just haunt your dreams and permanently damage your sense of smell, they can kill you. If you don't believe me, you should talk to RK Narayan. He's dead but if you really want to, The English Teacher suggests you should be able to manage it. He'll tell you he wrote a lovely, life-affirming novel after an unfortunate woman who happened to be his wife visited your typical reeking public toilet and died soon after contracting typhoid.

It was called The English Teacher. View all 7 comments. The book is semi autobiographical in nature and deals with life of an English teacher with a young daughter whose wife suddenly dies from typhoid.

The plot is a good insight into the social customs and general life in a small town in India in early s. The author also challenges the traditional teaching pedagogy and makes a strong pitch for reforms. Average read. Jul 30, Laysee rated it really liked it. A gem of a book. Elegant prose. It tells the story of Krishnan's grief over the loss of his wife and his desperate attempts to commune with her beyond the grave. On another level, it explores what gives meaning to work.

Krishnan's lack lustre role as an English teacher is contrasted with the passionate commitment of the poor school master who runs a preschool for the neighborhood children. Teachers of literature would be able to identify with the exhilaration of seeking to enthuse students about A gem of a book. Teachers of literature would be able to identify with the exhilaration of seeking to enthuse students about great works of literature as well as the soul numbing throes of dissecting literary texts to prepare them for exams.

Through the travails of Krishnan, Narayan takes us on a quest for the things in life that truly matter. Feb 21, Anie Gpn rated it it was amazing.

This book is a masterpiece that can be considered an intensely human book. It demonstrates the perspective of a normal person in his life. It reveals the sorrow of the husband at the death of his wife and the way he attempts to connect with her outside the grave. The reader laughs during the good days of the couple, and then his wife gets sick, it causes a negative feeling. As she shows signs of healing, she looks strong again.

Again, when he loses his wife, we can sense the desperation of the h This book is a masterpiece that can be considered an intensely human book. Again, when he loses his wife, we can sense the desperation of the husband. It reveals the great truth of life that you have to face prosperity, pleasure, worries and defeats on your own, and no one can feel the same for you. Apr 04, Bina rated it really liked it. The English Teacher is set in India of the s and we meet Krishna, our protagonist, as he is living in a college hostel and teaching English at the school where he himself used to be a pupil.

Despite living in this enclosed environment, he is married and has a young child. We see Krishna taking small steps, making preparations for his wife and child to join him and so setting off to find a good house, where they can be together as well as have a space away from each other. The discussions with The English Teacher is set in India of the s and we meet Krishna, our protagonist, as he is living in a college hostel and teaching English at the school where he himself used to be a pupil.

Well, it was but it took a decidedly darker turn quite soon. Since these events can be found in summaries and even the goodreads description, I will not regard my thoughts here as spoilers. Nevertheless, if you truly wish to go into reading this novel blind, then please stop reading here! The first chapters show us how Krishna deals with leaving his prolonged bachelor life in the hostel to become a family man. Although this does not leave him any more time for writing poetry than his somewhat unsatisfying job, he reaches a stage of contented domesticity.

It was such a shocking twist and I was not at all prepared for the heartbreak and felt for Krisha and his sudden grief. It is one continuous movement. They move away from us as we move away from them. All struggle and misery in life is due to our attempt to arrest this law or get away from it or in allowing ourselves to be hurt by it. The fact must be recognized. The English Teacher is not autobiographical but it may as well be. And as such the sudden turn the novel took towards the spiritual made me react with compassion rather than dissatisfaction or skepticism.

So even if Narayan was always trying to contact his wife in the spiritual realm, I was happy it worked out for Krishna and gave him a the possibility for closure. He also finds his place in caring for his daughter Leela and working in the nursery, learning from the way children interact with the world.

View 1 comment. I swear that if anyone else, any other author would have crafted the story line similar to this book, I would have hated him. Must have cursed him with all my heart and would also have made an attempt or two to leave the book midway. But no sir, not Mr. He won't let me do it. Every time my thoughts went awry he built a new wave of ideas to bring me back.

The reader is coaxed and cajoled as much as the characters to keep going and take it all head on. A little bit too literally, I must s I swear that if anyone else, any other author would have crafted the story line similar to this book, I would have hated him. A little bit too literally, I must say.

We are incorrigible morons if we look to Bhagats and like for inspiration when the master has already left him most precious gems behind. What is left is to find them and admire them. I wasn't able to do anything more than that. Just stand by and see the master at work. The magic of Mr. Narayan lives and with it lives my love for the one who is for the masses.

Narayan is an absolute favourite of mine and some of his works are undoubtedly masterpieces. The first part of this particular book is brilliant and extremely touching but the second part moves into very unexpected territory, leaving one a bit confused. Yet, if you are a Narayan fan, I would still go ahead and recommend this book to R.

Yet, if you are a Narayan fan, I would still go ahead and recommend this book to you. Dec 31, Mehwish Mughal rated it it was amazing Shelves: favorites.

Reading R. Narayan is like time-travelling to another dimension. Hypnotized and disconnected from reality. The English Teacher is no exception. It is a journey towards understanding life and death! Aug 24, Shivakukatla rated it really liked it. Through his excellent narration the author takes you through the experiences of significant years of Krishnan life, who has different roles to play as a Teacher, Husband, father, Son, and friend to the various people in his life.

In some pages, the author's writing makes you feel as if you were present in the situations that goes in the story. The story touches lot of aspects such as love and affection of the Kith and Mr. The story touches lot of aspects such as love and affection of the Kith and kin, pangs of pain and suffering, reality of life and death, spirituality, beyond world after the death. After reading this book, it will leave a profound impact of its story on you.

A worthy read. Jul 18, ArZo rated it it was amazing Shelves: favorites , english. My beloved brother Shadman Hasan has suggested me about this precious book and posed that R.

Narayan will take me a different universe perhaps a private realm created by his touch of ink. After going through of the book I am acceding that contemplation regarding this book is quite approvable.

This story is not about mere the intuition of an English lecturer from Albert Mission College named Krishna but the nectar of life he discovered through the candour of belief. He longed to have a new start or might expect himself having a new personality as an author or poet. At that time a letter from his parental house turned around the circle of his past ten years. A instruction was provided there that he had to be ready to receive his wife and newborn child and set up his family with a view to ending his forlorn bachelor life.

Though he was married and already have a baby, he was scrupled as he had no experience of running domestic life. Yet his wife, Susila with the baby had arrived accompanied by his father-in-law.

In course to time they set their own world not a bit unlike king, queen and the little princess. Susila waited for Krishna at the afternoon but never recognized the sense perception of waiting. Everything was going so perfect. But in an abrupt incident all the settlements of their universe was turned around. His beloved wife got Typhoid. Krishna fetched his every effort vehemently to cure her and found her smile again.

But all lost in vain. Susila passed away perhaps the world created by them either. When she was placed on the pyres for funeral, burned and turned into ashes, He was wordless and quiet undecided to accept the reality. But present always echoes. Father and daughter tried to recollect the broken world again.

Krishna thrilled to rear his daughter and being very rigid to observe his duty of his daughter. Krishna destroyed the belongings of Susila, thinking he was destroying her memories. But he never found a relief to forget her for a single day. But one day a boy having a cluster of papers came to meet him at college. He became baffled after having the news from the boy. The boy accompanied him to a man and a pyol beside a Shrine by whose he got her beloved wife Susila back. But how?

To know you must read this illusive creation of author R. Personal Opinion: Initially I wanna say I am longing for a wife and a baby after reading this book.

The materialistic Susila was visualized as character not for a long time in the story, yet her personality attracts me most both as a wife and a mother. Love is not a impulse to demonstrate. If it exists, it occupies. Susila never said that but presented. Besides one character readers may find interesting. So he built a school without regulation but affection for children. Jul 04, Cheshta Choudhury bookbeliever rated it really liked it.

I have grown watching Malgudi Days on TV and reading some short stories by the author but this was my 1st time picking up one of his full length novels. It is partly autobiographical in nature and is dedicated to Narayan's wife Rajam, who had died young due to typhoid. The book opens with Krishna wondering about his profession as a teacher at Albert Mission College.

We know about his job dissatisfaction from page 1. He thinks, what he teaches his students is not what he should be teaching, that education is redundant of course, the author critics the Western education system, a subtle attack on colonialism.

His conversations with his fellow teachers made the 1st part of the book enjoyable. So, did the arrival of his wife and daughter in Malgudi. We see how bachelor Krishna adapts to a married life. From being clueless about dealing with young children to start loving his daughter's company. Susila, his wife is a practical and responsible lady who takes care of finances and Krishna loves her very much for all her qualities.

To me, however, Susila seemed a bit too 'nosy' at times, taking liberty to change Krishna's things without talking to him first. But their relationship is beautiful. Krishna finds joy and peace in his domestic life.