Hey fellow bibliophiles, how’s your day going? 📚
Mine is going smooth, with this review and reading three more books! 📚
Today’s review is of Himanshu Goel’s “The Thirteen Year-Old Monk”.
About the book
Ronnie Sharma is one of the most famous actors in Bollywood. Yet there’s something missing in his life, a purpose, an anchor. His life is completely set to change when he meets a 13-year-old monk in the mountains. From him, he learns the way of Wabi Sabi, a Japanese way of living.
…the valley had helped him before, he needed to have faith.
Review
The book, a reflective inspiration short story, has Ronnie Sharma as its main character, who’s unhappy even after being so successful in his life. One of the famous actors in the Bollywood, with an actress wife and huge fame, Ronnie feels lost and unhappy in his life. He goes to the mountains, where he had gone earlier, to meet his first master and find a solution of his lost and unhappy life. There, he meets a thirteen year-old monk, who, unbeknownst to Ronnie, becomes his teacher. Ronnie is perplexed at first, but gradually develops a bond with him.
The author has written this short story quite beautifully. With just 18 pages, and without any diversions, the author has woven the book in a straight-forward manner. What I loved about the book is its simplicity and emotional connection with readers. Every dialogue in the book has some hidden meaning, that has to be understood by the reader.
The vivid descriptions of monastery and serene mountains is also worth mentioning. The Valley of Silence, the place in the mountains where Ronnie goes, is very well described. Such descriptions get the reader make his/her mind for a visit to the written places, and I also wished to go to this calm Valley of Silence.
Without any confusing paths, the book talks straight to the reader, and teaches a new Japanese life concept by the name “Wabi Sabi”, that shows that humans should accept things as they are, with all the imperfections.
I learnt a few things from the book, which I’ll try my best to implement in my life. These are –
- People need to embrace things even if they are imperfect
- One should focus on inner satisfaction than societal pleasures.
- Humans need to find their ultimate anchor or a purpose that makes their lives worth living.
- The human potential and talent is boundless when coupled with passion.
These things/lessons made the book more special for me. Honestly, I enjoyed this book and learnt a new way of living life, the Wabi Sabi way!
The question took Ronnie by surprise. They had never talked about love in the monastery, most of the monks here were celibates.
Conclusion
The Thirteen Year-Old Monk shines incredibly on being an inspiration book, teaching us, the readers the Japanese way of accepting imperfect things, Wabi Sabi. I will recommend this book, for this book made me learn some new meanings of life! ❤️❤️
Title: The Thirteen Year-Old Monk
Author: Himanshu Goel
Publisher: Kindle Direct Publishing
Rating: 10/10 ❤️
You can check Himanshu’s book collection on Amazon.
Jupiter's Solo Bibliophile 
Wow, that sounds like really amazing and inspirational book! And I like those things from the book that you learnt from this book. I think those are something that many people need to learn.
Great review!
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Thank you! Really, people need to know their real self and follow those things that I learned from the book. 😊
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I’m a huge fan of short stories because they can make you feel so much in so little, and inspirational ones like this is always a gem waiting to be found. Glad to read this review, I can now look for this book ❤
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This story is really inspiring. You’ll enjoy it for sure! 😊
You can check it out at Amazon. I’ve added a author’s book page in the end of my review!
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