The Weekenders: Adventures in Calcutta by Andrew OHagan

The Weekenders: Adventures in Calcutta Reviews

• 
  Stuart Crowther

  I knew I was buying a book about several authors experience of breaks in Calcutta. I did expect more from O’Hagan, but appreciate he was the editor. Was drawn to the book by the names of Welsh and Hawkes - the latters section was the best. A great concept but whether the output then resonates with the reader is pure chance. And in my case, the stories did not appeal to me.
• 
  Tito Quiling, Jr.

  The collection has a strong buildup, and there were some chapters which to me, read like fiction as opposed to a non-fiction piece. While the tone feels a bit alienating at times, because some of them tend to be frame the events in a colonial context and less of Kolkata's sense of place, no matter how "less polished" it is. I guess, what is a nice touch in these cases are the historical facts interspersed with the writer's experience and perception as he/she goes through the narrative. The ending could be a switched with another of the chapters, since I felt that the last sentence was a bad pun.
• 
  Ac

  I enjoyed this book for the most part, although I was somewhat annoyed by some of the stories desire to dwell on (predicatably) Kolkata's various problems with overpopulation, poverty, corruption, and pollution. Since all of these writers are British, some of them have a very colonialist attitude which some readers of South Asian persuasion may pick up on. That being said, I did enjoy stories like 'Mercy', 'Knife', 'Reality Orientation', as I think they tried to understand the soul of Kolkata outside of all the obvious stereotypes.
• 
  Cagne

  I think I bought this because Welsh partecipated. Informative, various level of engagement.