Dead Poets Society- N.H. Kleinbaum
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I love reading books about books or reading. Though this one was more about poetry, I felt this would be right up my alley as I like to read poetry too (but more of Hindi/Urdu rather than English). However, as it turns out, I must be one of the rare few who did not find this an exceptional story.
The premise is simple – in the strictly goal-oriented system of a residential school, students feel stifled, as their teacher and parents push them to ‘achieve’ what they consider as success. To this rigid, suffocating system, the new English professor, John Keating, brings a radical way of thinking. It is a welcome change for students (or at least some of them), though not everyone views it in a positive light. As the students discover the beauty of language and poetry, they also find a brief interlude where they can dare to dream.
I loved the character of Keating, and the way he enables the students to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of literature. I could also identify with the plight of students, as children having to bear the burden of parents’ expectations is something very relatable in our cultural context. Parents and school management have been stereotyped, though that is essential to the storyline. I liked some of the quoted poetry quite a bit, especially the lines composed by the character of Todd (which I assume, would be the author’s own creation).
Yet, it did not work for me as well as I had anticipated. The plot was quite simple, to the point of being predictable. A good narration could have made up for it, but the storytelling was quite average as well. I felt it skimmed on the surface, and only a couple of characters were developed well enough to engage the reader. The biggest downside was the romantic subplot, which I feel does nothing but glorify stalking.
Of late, I haven’t been able to enjoy several books as much as I hope to, and I am not quite able to put a finger on the reason for this. It may be that the level of expectation is too high, buoyed by the glowing recommendations I see for the book. Or the fact that I still am not able to really enjoy reading on Kindle. Or the book genuinely didn’t appeal to me. I definitely expected to feel more deeply about this one. Altogether, a quick, easy read, I would rate somewhere between 2.5 and 3.
