A Goddess in the Stones: Travels in India

I am a fan of Norman Lewis' writing, and was looking forward to this book, as I am inevitably drawn to books about India as well. This book also won the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award (1992) - which is usually an excellent sign. For me, this book didn't live up to my expectations. It had a lot going for it - travel in India away from the beaten track, it concentrated in three provinces with more depth than usual travelogues, and Lewis' usual careful observations. I am not sure what where the spark was missing, but I just wasn't held by it as I normally are by this author. Unfortunately I found it easy to put aside, and had to push myself to pick it back up, rather than another book.

Lewis takes in-depth travel through Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal. He mixes with the locals, visits out of the way places, and takes a particular interest in the tribal people of India.

Three stars.