Customer Reviews:
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 A great idea, a mediocre book September 12, 1997
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
Mr. Frater's work does not get to the richness or vivid color of India. Any book having anything to do with India should be rich and complex, stunning, dazzling, challenging and confusing. I found this work dragged
 A personal journey February 10, 1997
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Mr. Alexander Frater has not only written a book about India, the onslaught of the monsoon, and the colourful and hospitable Indian people, but conveys to us the events of a deeply personal journey through an intricate mesh of heartfelt personal relations to the subcontinent itself as well as to his family and friends. 'Chasing the Monsoon'is a modern adventure to the 'wettest' place in the world - Cherrapunji, near Bangladesh - starting from Bombay, proceding south through Goa and Kerala, to finally turn back towards the north, while in the process resorting to various adventurous means of transportation. All through the book the common theme is of course the massive and spectacular rains embracing and rejuvinating the soil, lending new life to the parched landscapes, restarting the yearly cycle of organic life and death. Mr. Frater cleverly and poetically shows us the vital and perennial bond between the Indian psyche and the monsoon itself, and at the same time lets the enourmous downpours refresh and replenish his own inner world, such that the reader witnesses as gradual transformation fuelled by the power of the monsoon itself. It is a greatly insightful book, reminding us of how outside events are mirrored in the soul of man, and will affect us deeply, if we allow them to, and are attentive to the movements of the heart. For all of us with an interest and love for India and its people, it is highly recommended, especially since the monsoon is largely - and regrettably - unexplored by Indian travellers.
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