Professor Chandra is divorced and seems to find it difficult to connect with his children. A trip to America and he ends up at a retreat, tricked in to it but he learns something from it.

I have to admit this book wasn't exactly what I expected it to be, and as such, it did take me quite a long while to get into it. This wasn't helped by the fact that I didn't find any of the characters very likeable. This does actually change towards the end of the book, but it took a long time for me to feel much connection to them.

There was also a lot of economics mentioned in the book, which, with the main character being an Economics Professor is understandable but I think some of this may go over readers' heads, as it did with mine. However, if this is an interest of yours, I think the book would definitely be of more interest as many of the family arguments Professor Chandra has with his children centre around aspects of this.

It is a book that can make you think, and some of the questions raised are interesting. The observation of the differences between the generations is quite amusing at times and there is definitely humour sprinkled throughout the book which is a light relief from some of the tension.

At last an outstanding literary comic novel: clever, wry, sharply observed, but with a huge heart that prevents it tipping into cynicism. Highly recommended.

Professor Chandra follows his bliss by Rajeev Balasubramanyam

This is a gentle story about an economist who has yet again just missed out on the Nobel Prize who has to re-examine his life and choices in the aftermath of a health scare. It sits in the increasingly popular sub-genre of books about unique and quirky characters, not conventionally likeable or empathetic but subtly engaging and immersing the reader in their world view. Think of the success of Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine by Gail Honeyman and A man called Ove by Fredrik Backman – both great favourites of mine. Chandra sits very firmly in that company and is an equally thoughtful and interesting mind for the reader to inhabit.

Professor Chandra is also an academic and some of his experiences in and observations on higher education globally are also insightful and amusing. The fun in the book is gentle and the author manages both to poke fun at some of the wellbeing philosophies while also celebrating their benefits for Chandra. He certainly grows as a character and learns from his experiences.

Ultimately I really enjoyed reading Professor Chandra follows his bliss and long after I’d finished found myself thinking about the big questions the book asks of what matters and how we should respect others. Of what a life’s legacy is and should be. I would most definitely recommend the book to others. Overwhelmingly, the word gentle sums up the book for me and I did feel that the book rather drifted to a close and ended on an ever so slightly disappointing note.

This was an good read. I was expecting there to be more humour. The humorous bits were few but enjoyable. Overall a good read but average.

Prof Chandra has a lot to learn once he misses out on the Nobel prize, has a heart attack, turns 70 and realises he’s estranged from all his children. This is a coming of old age story, about making amends and finding redemption - it is very sweet and warm-hearted, quite funny in parts (especially if you are a little interested in economics), but never twee - Chandra doesn’t miraculously change into the perfect father after a make-over, he’s a cantankerous, opinionated, stubborn man to the end, but he also starts to open his eyes and ears to those around him. His character is well drawn and believable and there’s an interesting mix of side characters to liven up the journey. An easy, enjoyable read!

I didn't really know what to expect from this book. I continued not to quite know what to expect while I was reading it but it was compelling enough to keep reading.
Professor Chandra is economist and academic at the top of his game. He's waiting to hear if he was won the Nobel prize. When he finds out he has lost AGAIN, events make him reconsider how he has been leading his life, his relationship with his children and much more.

Not really my kind of thing.

This book starts very well. Professor Chandra is a lonely workaholic lecturing at Cambridge University. He is really hopeful of winning the Nobel Prize for Economics has been close in previous years. However yet again his hopes are dashed, and he begins to take stock of his life.

He is nearing his 70th birthday, he is divorced, and his ex-wife is living in America with her new husband, Steve. His eldest daughter has not spoken to him for three years, his youngest daughter is with her mother in America, and his son is running his own business in Hong Kong. Chandra has spent his whole life obsessed with his work to the detriment of his family and has no real friends. He suffers a mild heart attack and realises now is the time to re-evaluate his life and try to reconnect with his family.

He finds a position in a university in America and decides to try and change his ways. He stays with his ex-wife and her husband who recommends a place called Esalen where he can recharge his batteries and try to learn a more relaxed way of life.

At this point, I lost interest in the story as there appeared to be so much rhetoric about the meaning of life and how Professor Chandra could find himself. He also makes a trip to Hong Kong where his son is running courses at his Institute for Mindful Business, and again we are treated to how life should be lived and that anything can be done if you think positive thoughts.

All three of Chandra's children have had a bad relationship with him, and this book is mainly about how he tries to change the way he speaks to them by re-thinking his views and thoughts. I found the explanations too long-winded, and I am not really sure that either Professor Chandra or his family found what they were all searching for.

The book was well-written, and I found it interesting when we were being told about the Professor's actual life, but it was too long and not really discussing ideas that I believe in. Apparently, other people might think differently, and if you are interested in changing your life by attending courses, this could be a book for you to read.


Dexter

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I found it funny in places but overall it was not my type of book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. I had hoped from the reviews that it would be funny, or at least have some humour, but I found myself bogged down in the minutiae of university life and economics and gave up after he got to the U.S.. Hopefully it was me rather than the writer and the book will do well.

Missing out on the Nobel prize for Economics pushes the respected and revered Professor Chandra to reassess his life... Divorced, an eldest son who seeks to professionally outshine him, a daughter who is not speaking to him and a youngest child who just wants to know the meaning for her life. Whilst I did not love the characters, I respected and appreciated their complexities and their efforts to live more harmonious and connected lives. You might need to look a little beyond the spiritual jargon and economic hyperbole that gets thrown around like ammunition at times, but at the heart, this book has a quiet sense of contemplation that I could only truly appreciate once I'd completed it.

This is such a sweet and funny book, I absolutely loved it. Chandra is not instantly likeable but you soon start to fall for his quirks. A lovely read, highly recommend.

Sadly this was not my cup of tea. Maybe it was me but I just could not connect with this at all.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Random House UK for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest unbiased review.

“Professor Chandra follows his bliss” is one of these absolutely uplifting, charming books. Feeling a little down and out or short in energy? This book will pick you up, make you chuckle and recharge your batteries. Peppered with humor and wisdom in equal proportions, the book addresses in a clever way such serious subjects as an failed family life, a broken marriage, estranged children and what changes could lead to a happier life.
Professor Chandra’s life goal has been to win the Nobel Peace prize believing this would put a golden glow over his unsuccessful private life. He is a self-righteous bastard who managed to wrack his marriage and drive away his three children. When he suffers a bicycle accident and a silent heart attack after learning the Nobel Peace prize in economics has surpassed him yet again, his doctor orders him to take time out and follow his bliss. This of course is all mumbo jumbo to a person who is deeply matter of fact and suspicious of emotions and anything that cannot be explained logically. An offer for a guest professorship in California, where his divorced wife resides with his youngest daughter and her second husband, helps him to change his mind and soon Chandra finds himself a guest in his estranged wife’s house with her New Age savvy husband Steve. It is soon decided that Chandra although nearing 70 should sign up for a course at the famous Esalen Institute to stretch his emotional limits. And so his journey of finding his bliss begins which often feels more like getting heart blisters …….
I really loved going back to this intelligent, funny novel which never failed to put me in an upbeat mood. The ending could have been less predictable but it did not spoil the quality of the book.

I was intrigued by the description of this book, and it really did not disappoint. Professor Chandrasekhar is tipped to win the Nobel prize for Economics again, and is disappointed when he fails to win it yet again. Following an accident which leads him to reassess his lonely life in England, he decides to pursue an opportunity in America, where his youngest daughter, his ex-wife and her husband live. His ex-wife's husband manages to manipulate the professor into agreeing to go to a Californian new age retreat, and the fun begins.

The dynamic of this story revolves around Professor Chandra and his three children, looking at the way he relates to his children, but also considering the pressure they each individually feel to live up to the success their father had achieved as one of the leading experts on economics in the world. Chandra assesses how he has acted as a father, and considers whether his behaviour as a parent was moulded by his own childhood, together with how his own parenting moulded his three children. The cover would suggest a light-hearted read, and although there is considerable humour throughout, particularly at the retreat, it is a deep and thoughtful book in which a learned septuagenarian looks back at his life, and looks forward to the things he can do differently. It was an enjoyable book, and I loved how my feelings towards Professor Chandra changed the more he begins to understand himself.

Thank you to Chatto & Windus for the opportunity to read and review this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.