Chinaman, The Legend of Pradeep Mathew, A Novel
- Downloads：6130
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-10-19 06:57:10
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Shehan Karunatilaka
- ISBN：0099555689
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Retired sportswriter WG Karunasena is dying。 He will spend his final months drinking arrack， making his wife unhappy， ignoring his son and tracking down Pradeep S。 Mathew， a spin bowler who has mysteriously disappeared and who WG considers ‘the greatest cricketer to walk the earth'。 On his quest to find this unsung genius， WG uncovers a coach with six fingers， a secret bunker below a famous stadium， a Tamil Tiger warlord， and startling truths about Sri Lanka， cricket and himself。 Ambitious， playful and strikingly original， Chinaman is a novel about cricket and Sri Lanka – and the story of modern day Sri Lanka through its most cherished sport。 Hailed by the Gratiaen Prize judges as ‘one of the most imaginative works of contemporary Sri Lankan fiction'， it is an astounding book。
Reviews
PG
，
Wonderful。 No notes。
Dinesh
，
A book that gets better as the story progresses， peaking right at the end， this is a wonderful read for people who are interested in cricket history and who grew up in the magical 90s era。 But I think the story is gripping enough even for non cricket fans to appreciate。 In any case， the author makes an attempt to explain some technicalities of the game in short snippets now and then， without making them tedious。This book would've received five stars from me， but I'll dock one star for anachronis A book that gets better as the story progresses， peaking right at the end， this is a wonderful read for people who are interested in cricket history and who grew up in the magical 90s era。 But I think the story is gripping enough even for non cricket fans to appreciate。 In any case， the author makes an attempt to explain some technicalities of the game in short snippets now and then， without making them tedious。This book would've received five stars from me， but I'll dock one star for anachronisms and minor factual inaccuracies。 For instance， it's impossible that anyone would've been wearing a Kate-Leo-Titanic T shirt in 1996， as the film only came out in '97。 A conversation between two Indian cricketers， Nari Contractor and Polly Umrigar， as reported by the narrator， is unlikely to have been in Urdu， because both were from the （then） state of Bombay， and both were Parsis， meaning they were likely to have conversed in Gujarati。 Any connection they would have had with Urdu seems far-fetched （it would be like two Brits speaking to each other in Spanish）。 And talking of Urdu， the narrator states that it's the most harsh sounding language he's heard。 Whilst of course he's entitled to have an opinion， for anyone who has ever heard the sound of Urdu， it would be utterly baffling to think that it could be perceived as a harsh-sounding language。 Here I believe the narrator must've conflated Urdu with Punjabi， because he describes a conversation between two Pakistani cricketers; the average Pakistani cricketer is equally likely to speak in Urdu or in Punjabi。 And Punjabi， a language with much style， can sound a bit macho or bombastic， especially when peppered with swear words。 Finally the somewhat-sexist tone of the narrator was off-putting at times， but this seems to be a part of the picture the author is trying to paint， so can't really fault him for it。 All in all， a great read。 。。。more
Tarn Richardson
，
Utterly brilliant。 Laugh out loud funny， with moments of genuine emotion， quite possibly one of the best books I have ever read。 The perfect book about cricket for anyone who doesn't like cricket。 Utterly brilliant。 Laugh out loud funny， with moments of genuine emotion， quite possibly one of the best books I have ever read。 The perfect book about cricket for anyone who doesn't like cricket。 。。。more
Jane Fudger
，
An interesting debut novel。Although the plot is centred around Sri Lankan cricket which I know nothing about， the strength of the book is in the emotion and humour - without spoiling too much of the plot it isthe search for Pradeep Mathew a lost cricket spin bowler by a dying sports writerThe novel is peppered with cricket facts but this does not detract from the story as Karunatilaka portrays his characters with all their foibles and complexitieswhich are both witty ，emotional and amusing You d An interesting debut novel。Although the plot is centred around Sri Lankan cricket which I know nothing about， the strength of the book is in the emotion and humour - without spoiling too much of the plot it isthe search for Pradeep Mathew a lost cricket spin bowler by a dying sports writerThe novel is peppered with cricket facts but this does not detract from the story as Karunatilaka portrays his characters with all their foibles and complexitieswhich are both witty ，emotional and amusing You don't need to like cricket to read this book。 。。。more
Fiona Protheroe
，
This wasn’t for me， my interest in cricket is very limited， and this was too much。 Liked writing style and premise， but couldn’t get past cricket names/stats/references - dnf
Peter Brennan
，
great for cricket lovers - you really do begin to question whether Mathew was a real player - staccato style made it difficult to read in prolonged chunks but very easy to dip in and out
Gail Kennon
，
aamazing to find myself enjoying a densely printed tome set in the world of cricket in sri lanka。。moving and enjoyable novel。
Ian
，
I’m one of those readers who is in the habit of trying to read more than one book at a time。 Usually I try to have one work of fiction and one of non-fiction on the go， （and I often have an audiobook underway as well）。 This is a 400-page novel and I found the first 150 pages or so were， to use an appropriate metaphor， bowled at medium pace。 I found my non-fiction reads more appealing and the result was slow progress with this one， until I gave the book the attention it deserved。Set in Sri-Lanka I’m one of those readers who is in the habit of trying to read more than one book at a time。 Usually I try to have one work of fiction and one of non-fiction on the go， （and I often have an audiobook underway as well）。 This is a 400-page novel and I found the first 150 pages or so were， to use an appropriate metaphor， bowled at medium pace。 I found my non-fiction reads more appealing and the result was slow progress with this one， until I gave the book the attention it deserved。Set in Sri-Lanka in the 1990s， W。G。 Kuranasena is a retired， alcoholic and terminally ill sportswriter who decides， as a last project， to find out what happened to a （fictional） cricket player called Pradeep Mathew， whom he regards as the best spin bowler he ever saw， but who disappeared after playing only 4 Tests for Sri-Lanka。 He is assisted by his close friend and neighbour Ari Byrd， and by another friend， an Englishman called Jonny Gilhooley， who works at the British High Commission。 Jonny is one of several characters in the book about whom the truth is unclear。 Another is a man called Kuga or Kugarajah， who may be a gangster， a government agent or a senior commander with the Tamil Tigers （or all three）。In general， truth proves a difficult thing for W。G。 to get hold of。 In his attempts to trace Pradeep， he encounters all sorts of stories from people keen to make money out of his interest。 Pradeep is a Tamil and， this being the 1990s， there is a backdrop of the civil war between the government and the Tamil Tigers， and W。G。’s enquiries also lead him into the murky world of sports betting。 The novel also touches on the role of sport in society， as well as Kuranasena’s relationship with his wife and his difficult relationship with his son。 This is really a multi-layered story。I enjoyed the use of Sri-Lankan English in the spoken dialogue。I would say that knowing a bit about cricket would probably help with the enjoyment of this novel。 I’m not a particular cricket fan but I know the basics， so for example I know the difference between Third Man and Fine Leg， or what cricketers mean when they talk about bowling a maiden over。 （Fnar！ Fnar！） The novel does explain the game to the uninitiated， but the author also makes references to both real and fictional players， and to real and fictional matches。 It might help to know which is which。 The book’s title is derived from a particular type of delivery from a spin bowler， although the term is now no longer used for obvious reasons。So， after a slowish start （mainly my own fault） I got to like this， and went through the second half of the book pretty quickly。 On one level a novel about cricket and cricketers， and another a novel about what we decide to do with our lives。 。。。more
Ankit Patil
，
Loved it。
Sanduni
，
What a lovely read！ The book explores a variety of topics that are extremely relatable to many Sri Lankans including me; Sri Lankan Cricket， politics， society and its culture。 It's a blast from the past and a highly enjoyable read。 What a lovely read！ The book explores a variety of topics that are extremely relatable to many Sri Lankans including me; Sri Lankan Cricket， politics， society and its culture。 It's a blast from the past and a highly enjoyable read。 。。。more
Emmanuel Harel
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Dragged this book on way too long; expected to finish it while in Sri Lanka， but ended up dragging it across 4 countries。 Definitely a unique and comprehensive view into Sri Lankan culture， society and history， via satire。Witty prose; thought the cricket references wouldn't be a distraction but it is heavy on cricket。 So much so that it can be a significant distraction to the plot （which I guess is a nod to the main characters own wandering lifestyle。。。but still heavy）。 Don't read if you're not Dragged this book on way too long; expected to finish it while in Sri Lanka， but ended up dragging it across 4 countries。 Definitely a unique and comprehensive view into Sri Lankan culture， society and history， via satire。Witty prose; thought the cricket references wouldn't be a distraction but it is heavy on cricket。 So much so that it can be a significant distraction to the plot （which I guess is a nod to the main characters own wandering lifestyle。。。but still heavy）。 Don't read if you're not mildly interested in Cricket。 The Vonnegut style of writing was endearing， but while it works in a short （Kurt） novel， across a few hundred pages it becomes exhausting。Would've given it 2-stars， but the powerful introspection of the last 80 or so pages saved it。Quotes:"I spend a month in Unawatuna， editing chapters， chopping down tall stories and changing names。 It's a wonderful place to be。 Each day I eat crab curry and drink Portello and watch the bay change colour。""There was a time when I felt like a corpse try time she left the room。 But that fades。 Who has not lost his head at the feet of a woman？""As much as Keegan hates Ferguson， he doesn't refer to him asbelonging to a different species。 But sadly in Sri Lanka， that is exactly what we do。 It is race and religion first， country last。。。。All this tells you nothing。 I can introduce you to a fair-skinned Tamil who speaks perfect Sinhala and follows the teachings of Christ and his Mother。 Or take you to Tamil places that end in vowels where you may visit a Sinhalese doctor named Kariyawasam。""The ambulance is only fifteen minutes late， which is not bad。 They say ambulances in Sri Lanka barely make it to the funeral。""Alcohol strips my mind of noise and helps turn my thoughts to words it keeps me smiling and guarantees me a dreamless sleep。 It stops me from thinking of things that thought cannot cure。""We post-justify our prejudice。 We respond to rats with revulsion as we do to certain people， without any idea why。 We gravitate towards humans with bushier tails for reasons we cannot fathom。""The term 'konde bandapu cheena' means a 'ponytailed Chinaman and is a Sinhalese expression for someone gullible。 'Go tell that to the konde bandapu cheena。" The implication being that the said oriental will believe anything。 You think I'm a Chinaman with a ponytail？ To accuse the Chinese， who invented paper and gunpowder and built great walls and forbidden palaces， of being stupid is itself an exercise in stupidity。""I believe the history of the world can be explained by climate。 Year-round sunshine makes you want to sit under trees or dance in loincloths。 Bitter winters make you want to invent heaters and guns and sail to warmer climes and scalp natives。 The comfortable get docile， the uncomfortable get busy。 Which is why， after centuries of European dominance， the pendulum has started to swing towards overpopulated Asia。" 。。。more
David - marigold_bookshelf
，
This is one of the books recommended to me when I visited the Oxford Bookstore in Delhi， just before the Covid pandemic put a stop to travel。 I wasn’t sure at first whether this novel would be a little too much cricket for me。 My previous understanding of the game was limited to knowing Sir Geoffrey Boycott was the greatest batsman ever （I was born in Yorkshire， and met him when I was a boy！） and that the best wicket keeper is Johnny Bairstow （he happened to be my mum’s next-door neighbour）。 Nee This is one of the books recommended to me when I visited the Oxford Bookstore in Delhi， just before the Covid pandemic put a stop to travel。 I wasn’t sure at first whether this novel would be a little too much cricket for me。 My previous understanding of the game was limited to knowing Sir Geoffrey Boycott was the greatest batsman ever （I was born in Yorkshire， and met him when I was a boy！） and that the best wicket keeper is Johnny Bairstow （he happened to be my mum’s next-door neighbour）。 Needless to say， my knowledge of cricket （and arrack） has been greatly expanded thanks to Shehan Karunatilaka’s charming debut novel “Chinaman”。WG Karunasena， or Wije， is a retired cricket journalist， active alcoholic and unreliable narrator。 Aspiring to add a crowning achievement to his faded career， he sets out with his friend Ari to track down the little known but legendary bowler Pradeep Mathew。 Wije claims that Mathew was a cricketing genius， expert at bowling the tricky left-hand spin “chinaman” delivery。 Their quest to find him appears to be constantly thwarted by cricket officials， coaches and ex-players and leads us to doubt whether he still lives in Sri Lanka， if he is alive or， indeed whether the elusive Mathew ever really existed。This is ultimately a novel that tells us as much about Sri Lanka， a country I love， as it does about cricket。 Apart from cricket coaches and officials， we meet seedy bookmakers， government ministers， gangsters and terrorists。 。。。more
Ramesh
，
The book was great。 Personally， I am just glad I finally read a book cover to cover after 12 months！
Viraj Kaluarachchi
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Honestly I am still confused about whether this story is real or not？ Has Pradeep Mathew really existed？ I have checked Cricinfo also。 :-） This is a wonderful book and amazing narrating。 can read in one go。 even you are not an avid reader still you will really fall for this。
Pradeep E
，
Shehan Karunatilaka's imaginative and ambitious funny work is the GREAT CRICKET NOVEL the sport needs。 An aging drunken journalist's search for one of Sri Lanka's greatest bowlers Pradeep Mathew who has disappeared is used as a metaphor to view the Island Nation。 Shehan Karunatilaka's imaginative and ambitious funny work is the GREAT CRICKET NOVEL the sport needs。 An aging drunken journalist's search for one of Sri Lanka's greatest bowlers Pradeep Mathew who has disappeared is used as a metaphor to view the Island Nation。 。。。more
Naren
，
Finally， a Sri Lankan book that touches all the aspects of Sri Lanka from brain drain to corruption to the civil war and even the spectacular sunsets， without sinking into the cliche tropes that most of the other books I've read from Sri Lankan authors。 I highly recommend this entertaining book。 Though the latter narration by the author （playing himself？） was a bit annoying compared to the main protagonist through the rest of the book。 Finally， a Sri Lankan book that touches all the aspects of Sri Lanka from brain drain to corruption to the civil war and even the spectacular sunsets， without sinking into the cliche tropes that most of the other books I've read from Sri Lankan authors。 I highly recommend this entertaining book。 Though the latter narration by the author （playing himself？） was a bit annoying compared to the main protagonist through the rest of the book。 。。。more
Denom
，
Simply speechless。 Writing at its peak！！！！
Lakshit Singhal
，
Cricket fiction is a largely unexplored genre。 But also an exhilarating one。 There is a certain relatability when it comes to cricket， especially in South Asia， allowing it to act as a captivating tool to reflect on a plethora of diverse topics which found themselves seeking attention。 Shehan Karunatilaka’s ambitious debut novel Chinaman is one such ostensible tale of Sri Lanka in the late 20th century through cricket and its many characters。The novel is organized in five sections - each section Cricket fiction is a largely unexplored genre。 But also an exhilarating one。 There is a certain relatability when it comes to cricket， especially in South Asia， allowing it to act as a captivating tool to reflect on a plethora of diverse topics which found themselves seeking attention。 Shehan Karunatilaka’s ambitious debut novel Chinaman is one such ostensible tale of Sri Lanka in the late 20th century through cricket and its many characters。The novel is organized in five sections - each section titled after a cricketing nomenclature （First innings， second innings， close of play， follow-on and last over） and opens with a thought-provoking quote。 The author has taken significant effort in explaining cricket terminologies and references to make for a cohesive read， even to non-cricket audiences。 Fact and fiction， involving cricket incidents and personalities， are amalgamated with astute perfection。The narrative for most parts is based in Sri Lanka and keeps you on the edge at all times。 There are enough twists and turns in the chase to keep you hooked。 The inventive and engaging writing creates a fascinating world， elevating the reader's curiosity。 The finesse and honesty with which the author has carved out human relationships in a mystery thriller is commendable。 I thoroughly enjoyed the hilarious one-liners and found the book incredibly funny。The author cleverly highlights hard-hitting issues of corruption， ethnic division and terrorism in Sri Lanka - only to the extent which cater to the main plot。 Sri Lankan cricket and its cricketers remain at the core and drive the story forward。 The book also reflects on the apathy of those cricketers who are forgotten after a few magical appearances， only to be found suffering later in life。 Chinaman reveals so much that is unknown about the history and culture of the island nation。 It will leave you amazed by its imaginative capabilities。 You will root for the protagonist to succeed in his tryst against time， feel the characters and their endearing relationships and celebrate cricket。 Overall， I enjoyed reading the book and would highly recommend it as a great addition to your reading list。 。。。more
Mrigaen Kapadia
，
It's an absorbing book， no doubt。 It's the sort of book that you know is fiction， but still want it to be true。 I kept googling stats from the book， but found nothing about Pradeep Mathew。 But I am pretty darn sure Mr。 Matthew was modeled after a real person。 The book covers politics， Sri Lanka， homosexuality and some other heavy stuff， but it never goes over the top。 It's always true to its light tone。 Of course， cricket is at its crux， and I don't think it's meant for readers who do not unders It's an absorbing book， no doubt。 It's the sort of book that you know is fiction， but still want it to be true。 I kept googling stats from the book， but found nothing about Pradeep Mathew。 But I am pretty darn sure Mr。 Matthew was modeled after a real person。 The book covers politics， Sri Lanka， homosexuality and some other heavy stuff， but it never goes over the top。 It's always true to its light tone。 Of course， cricket is at its crux， and I don't think it's meant for readers who do not understand cricket。 There is a lot of cricket jargon in there。 。。。more
Hannah
，
Global Read 159 - Sri LankaThere is a lot of cricket in this book。 A lot。 All the reviews seem to say that even if you have no interest in cricket you will still love this book。 I liked this book a lot， but there was a lot of cricket and I found those sections dull。 It took me a while to get into the book （probably because of all the cricket） but liked the second half of the book far more than the first。 There was more plot and character development thrown among the cricket。 One thing this book Global Read 159 - Sri LankaThere is a lot of cricket in this book。 A lot。 All the reviews seem to say that even if you have no interest in cricket you will still love this book。 I liked this book a lot， but there was a lot of cricket and I found those sections dull。 It took me a while to get into the book （probably because of all the cricket） but liked the second half of the book far more than the first。 There was more plot and character development thrown among the cricket。 One thing this book did really well was paint a really well developed background picture of the culture and tensions of Sri Lanka with very little information。 I had to do some research， but overall I felt like I got a really good sense just from offhand remarks。 CW for racism definitely。 I did see that in my edition the name had been changed from its previous name which had a slur to this one， so I guess someone else realized it too。 But the slur does appear in the book。 W。G was a really fun if frustrating character， and overall the book was unique which is always exciting to find。 Just so much cricket。 。。。more
Angshuman Chatterjee
，
"Chinaman" by Shehan Karunatilaka is the finest cricket-based fiction that I've read by a country mile。 Although it was cricket that first drew me to this beautiful novel， what got me hooked was the story of late-twentieth-century Sri Lanka， a country ripped apart by civil war and corruption。 "Chinaman" by Shehan Karunatilaka is the finest cricket-based fiction that I've read by a country mile。 Although it was cricket that first drew me to this beautiful novel， what got me hooked was the story of late-twentieth-century Sri Lanka， a country ripped apart by civil war and corruption。 。。。more
Abinash
，
Who’s the greatest bowler the world has ever seen？？ Probably Shane Warne， or Muttiah Muralitharan or Richard Hadlee， or Sydney Barnes， but who is the greatest bowler the world has never seen？ There’s only one answer to that and it’s Pradeep Sivanathan Mathew。 W。G。 Karunasena（Wije）， the veteran Sri Lankan sports writer， introduces us to Matthews in the book Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Matthew。Pradeep Matthew is a left hand chinaman bowler， who had a brief international career with the Sri Lan Who’s the greatest bowler the world has ever seen？？ Probably Shane Warne， or Muttiah Muralitharan or Richard Hadlee， or Sydney Barnes， but who is the greatest bowler the world has never seen？ There’s only one answer to that and it’s Pradeep Sivanathan Mathew。 W。G。 Karunasena（Wije）， the veteran Sri Lankan sports writer， introduces us to Matthews in the book Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Matthew。Pradeep Matthew is a left hand chinaman bowler， who had a brief international career with the Sri Lankan team during the late 80s and early 90s。 During the mid nineties， when Wije and his neighbour Ari， go on to find him to make a documentary about him， they realize he has not only disappeared from Sri Lanka， but from all the record books。 So this book is mainly about them trying to find him， and make a story out of the greatest lost talent of modern times。 Pradeep had perfected 14 different variations: The Chinaman， The Orthodox Delivery， The Undercutter， The Doosra， The Carrom Ball， The Top Spinner， The Arm Ball， The Leaper， The Lissa， The Darter， The Floater， The Speed Ball， The Double Bounce。 The writer， Shehan Karunatilaka， using the narrator’s POV takes us through the various cricketing events that happened to Sri Lanka from the late 80s to the early 90s。 The narrator， who’s an alcoholic， is fighting a lost battle with death and completing his work on the life of Pradeep Matthew。 This is one of the greatest fictions written about cricket， but it’s not a book about cricket per se。 There are some diagrams， and descriptions about various cricket jargons throughout the book， however， it’s a book about a normal working class suburban Srilankan family and alcoholism。 It’s about a small island nation and its people who are crazy about this one sport that most people seem to have a hard time understanding。 It’s also an ode to sports， with the writer/narrator reminding us how one particular sporting moment can bring a country of people together on a standstill throughout the book。 The book is based on the backdrop of Srilanka toppling the cricketing giants and conquering all odds to win the world cup in ‘96。 The writer asks his readers what they were doing in the summer of ‘96？ He then goes on to explain that he was hugging a very sweaty stranger when Sri Lanka won the world cup Finals。 It’s funny how we can associate one entire summer to a single moment of time when something significant happened in our lives。 I was born in the summer of ‘96， but I remember that I bunked my classes for the first time to see Nepal Qualify for the world cup in 2014 defeating Hong Kong， and hugged a stranger at Devi’s Falls when we defeated Afghanistan in the eventual world cup。 It’s frustrating to see a massive sporting talent not make it to the big stage。 The unfulfilled talents often get forgotten in history and only the people who saw them play remember them for their brilliance and spark。 Pradeep is a representation of such unfulfilled talents， who got lost in the history books。 I wonder how many such players we might have missed out on in Nepal as well， and feel that someone should write a similar book from Nepal as well。 Did I like this book？ No。 I loved it。 Did I Recommend it to friends？ Yes。Should one have any knowledge about the game to read this book？ Not necessarily。Is it the best sports book that I have ever read？ Yes。 Does this book have my favorite book excerpt？ YES。 Rating: 4。5 Stars out of 5Favorite excerpt of all time: My wife asks me why I love sports more than here。 More than I do my son and our life together。 I tell her then that she is talking nonsense。 But perhaps she isn’t。Some people gaze at setting suns， sitting mountains， teenage virgins and their wiggling thighs。 I see beauty in free kicks， late cuts， slam dunks， tries from halfway， and balls that turn from off to leg。When the English toured in 1993， their supporters arrived in droves and formed a jolly beer-swilling troupe called the Barmy Army。 A t-shirt of theirs read as follows: One day you will meet a goal you’ll want to marry and have kids with。Anyone who saw Diego Maradona in 1986 will agree that the t-shirt speaks the truth。 To be in the right place at the right time and to watch a gifted athlete is one of life’s true pleasures。In sport， has-beens can step onto a plate and smash a last ball into oblivion。 A village can travel to Manchester for a cup tie and topple a giant。 Villains， can heroes become。In 1996， subcontinental flair overcame western precision and the world’s nobodies thrashed the world’s bullies。 Sixty years earlier a black man ridiculed the Nazi race theory with 5 gold medals in Berlin before Mein Fuhrer’s furious eyes。In real life， justice is rarely poetic and too often invisible。 Good sits in a corner， collects a cheque and pays a mortgage。 Evil builds empires。Sport gives us organisms that attack in formation， like India’s spin quartet and the three Ws from the Caribbean。 Teams that become superhuman right before your eyes。 Like Dalglish’s Liverpool， Fitzpatrick’s All Blacks， and Ranatunga’s Lankans。In real life， if you find yourself chasing 30 off 20 balls， you will fall short， even with all your wickets in hand。 Real life is lived at 2 runs an over， with a dodgy LBW every decade。In real life， as Sri Lankan cricket grows sweeter， your wife will get sourer。 The All Blacks may underachieve for two more decades， but your son will disappoint you more。 I hope you read this， Garfield。 I hope you forgive。The answer to my wife’s question is of course a no。 I would go down a hail of bullets for her and for Garfield many times over。 And while Aravinda de Silva has delighted me on many an occasion， I wouldn’t even take a blister for him。But the truth， Sheila， is bigger than both of us， whether it be written on the subway walls or on the belly of lager lout’s T-shirt。 In thirty years， the world will not care about how I lived。 But in 100 years， Bulgarians will still talk of Letchkov and how he expelled the mighty Germans from the 1994 World Cup with a simple header。Sport can unite worlds， tear down walls， and transcend race， the past， and all probability。 Unlike life， sport matters。 。。。more
Haresh Eranga
，
I'm more close to jokes than cricket。 Though I no longer follow cricket regularly， I always follow 'cricket comedy' and sports movies generally。 So I can be pretty much relatable to 'Chinaman'。 The first impacted cricket comedy I remember was a radio programme aired way back in early 2000s。 It was written and voiced by Suneth Chithrananda and Gaminda Priyaviraj and produced by Rossette Gamage。 A producer I couldn't find a noticeable reference when I searched later。 Ironical it is。 The programme I'm more close to jokes than cricket。 Though I no longer follow cricket regularly， I always follow 'cricket comedy' and sports movies generally。 So I can be pretty much relatable to 'Chinaman'。 The first impacted cricket comedy I remember was a radio programme aired way back in early 2000s。 It was written and voiced by Suneth Chithrananda and Gaminda Priyaviraj and produced by Rossette Gamage。 A producer I couldn't find a noticeable reference when I searched later。 Ironical it is。 The programme was called 'light enakal， gamata light and Arē saha Marē'。 Those are seasonal names for the programme I guess。 It was in sirasa radio and was just Suneth and Gaminda gossiping in elderly voices。 The characters were Aranolis and Marathelis。 Shortened as Arē & Marē。 There was one program where they talk about cricket。 They argue about the old times and new。 Improvised how a famous musical show announcer announces Kaluwitharana coming to bat like a singer coming to stage。 And from that programme I may have learned a thing or two about cricket。 After years， both Suneth and Gaminda who were then a famous brand after 'Api nodanna Live' did a small 15- 20 minute video segments called 'fan talks' with Sudu Malli for world cup series in 2010， 2015 and 2019 （not sure about the years。 look it up） sponsored by Mobitel。 Those videos are available in YouTube and to this day， some hilarious stuff I watch when I feel like。 It took a little more than 3 months for me to complete this book mainly because I read while I travel to work。 So just about an hour a day x 5 days a week give or take。 And there were some significant amount of leaves during covid19 pandemic but the book was able to keep being interested during the whole reading span。 I must say it was an amazing journey。 So once I finished the book obviously blown away， I sent my wife whom had already read the book years ago， a text expressing my excitement。I do not remember things if I don't write them down。 I didn't use my short note writing sheets while reading the book because I had no plan to write anything about it at all。 But boy I had some wonderful moments with this。 As I left being a cricket enthusiastic years ago and do not follow it now， I had doubts。 But I know how the cricket scene goes by because obviously there are memes and posts in social media。 I know SL Cricket sucks now and still it's something people keep their hopes on。 But even after realizing I'm no longer a cricket fan， there were a lot I could enjoy in this book。I loved the dialogs all the way。 As now I'm having my phone nearby to write this while reading， I thought of writing of a same kind of situation I faced years ago。 Just like how Sheila and WG had in the beach about limiting WGs alcohol intake。Well， I had an older friend who had a limitless life with alcohol and smoke and his wife argued towards stopping his smoking。 As I was like a child to them， she asked me to tell him to stop it。 I tried many times and he asked me for 'some time' for many times。 Then I said I'll take half of his smoke when ever he smokes and did so for some time。 We shared the same cigarette。 He became a cancer patient later and died few years after by a totally unrelated reason to both cancer and smoking。 I must say that he'd have enjoyed the 'Chinaman' to his maximum。 As for me， I became a considerable smoker my self。 Actually there's nothing to write。 It's like a medium hot dish of white rice， pol sambol and maybe a piece of karawala and a pinch of lunu dehi。 If you are a cricket lover who like to have a blast， this is a must read。 And remember， you must be a top 'rasthiyadukarayek' to enjoy this to it's core as well。While I'm reading， the characters materialized in my mind were as follows。WG - Joy Matthew from KeralaAri - Lucien Bulathsinhala （first， it was an IT professor who was in TV in late 90s to teach about internet from Colombo University）Pradeep - maybe skinny Dharmapriya DiasPradeep's sister - Nilmini KottegodaSheila - Maureen CharuniGarfield - Johnny DeppKugga - Bachi Susan （Or that funny， bold And brown presidential candidate in 2019 which I really don't care to look the name for）Danila - Sharmini Serasinghe （which I took time to send few queries to Google and lookup for the name）Pradeep's chubby girlfriend - L S Rupasinghe 。。。more
Kaustubh Dudhane
，
"Your children’s faults are always magnified in the same way that yours are invisible。"What a delightful book！ It contains all the stuff which I love - watching cricket with friends， discussing it， a lot of drinking， smoking， friendship， and love！ The book takes us into the mind of an old drunkard who is an average journalist but a passionate and knowledgeable cricket fan。 I have loved the way the author captures the emotions and the thought process from an old man's perspective。 Moreover， I "Your children’s faults are always magnified in the same way that yours are invisible。"What a delightful book！ It contains all the stuff which I love - watching cricket with friends， discussing it， a lot of drinking， smoking， friendship， and love！ The book takes us into the mind of an old drunkard who is an average journalist but a passionate and knowledgeable cricket fan。 I have loved the way the author captures the emotions and the thought process from an old man's perspective。 Moreover， I have cherished the crass dark humor， stereotyping different Sri Lankan ethnic groups， those drinking moments while watching the match and various scandalous stories。 "The café walls are adorned with cricketing memorabilia。 Autographed bats， framed newspaper cuttings， photos， caps。 The furniture is varnished wood and the menu is laden with pub food named after cricketers。 Sometimes the links are obvious （Allan Lamb’s Lamb Chops）， sometimes tenuous （Augustus Logie’s Caesar Salad）， sometimes unappetising （Merv Hughes’ Meat Balls）。" Just like this one， there were many moments where I laughed a lot。 The way the author has merged names to create fictional cricketers is brilliant - Mohinder Binny， Graham Snow， Hashan Mahanama， Pramodya Dharmasena。 We know all of them exists but with different surname or first name。 "People think it’s bravery that wins wars。 It’s not。 It’s cruelty。 But even that’s not enough。 You need to be cunning。" The book is an impartial book。 It equally covers the beautiful culture as well as the corrupt bureaucracy of Sri Lanka。 It captures both perspectives from Sinhalese and Tamil folks。 It bashes Pakistan and their maintaining the old ball to get reverse swing method where as it makes fun of Indian crowds at the stadium。"Unlike our subcontinental brothers， we do not throw bottles or light fires。 We save our barbarism for the north and the east。" Although the book digresses from the topic of the lost cricketer Pradeep Mathew just like me in this review， the diversions are mostly hilarious or heart touching。 I have never felt that even a word or an alphabet is wasted here。 Most of the chapters are small。 Even though the book in non-linear in timeline， I never felt disconnected with the story。 Additionally， the diagrams of cricket for dummy are fantastic。 Well， I still don't understand how the double bounce ball works。 The book is brilliantly edited。"Will the curse of drink never leave me？ When I couldn’t write， I drank in desperation。 When I wrote well， I drank in celebration。 I drank when I was bored and alone。 I drank when I was surrounded by loved ones。 I drank on the hilltops of Badulla， in the backyards of Kurunegala and in the verandas of Colombo。 I drank when I was an angry young man， a petulant father， and a sad old bastard。" I have loved the book because there were many things which I could relate with W。G。 even if he is twice my age。 And what a climax！ I was crying non-stop for 15 minutes after finishing the book。 I feel that this book might be one of the greatest books I have ever read from South East Asia！ 。。。more
Rajiv Jamkhedkar
，
Superbly written fiction involving Cricket， Sri Lanka， Politics， discrimination and a host of other issues。 Great sense of humour throughout the book。 The characters are unforgettable and prose just shines in its crafted punch。
Payne
，
Seemingly out of nowhere， 'The Legend of Pradeep Mathew' has become my number two all-time favorite sports book， behind Fever Pitch （Nick Hornby， not Jimmy Fallon）。The book is about cricket （the baseballish sport popular in Britain and former British colonies， not the little green guys making noise in the backyard during summer nights）， which probably doesn't sound all that interesting。 It's also about an alcoholic middle aged dude with a failing body and an unreliable memory。 That probably does Seemingly out of nowhere， 'The Legend of Pradeep Mathew' has become my number two all-time favorite sports book， behind Fever Pitch （Nick Hornby， not Jimmy Fallon）。The book is about cricket （the baseballish sport popular in Britain and former British colonies， not the little green guys making noise in the backyard during summer nights）， which probably doesn't sound all that interesting。 It's also about an alcoholic middle aged dude with a failing body and an unreliable memory。 That probably doesn't sound all that interesting either。 The thing is， 'Pradeep' so completely transcends its topic and plot that to call it 'about' either of those things is completely missing the point。The brief "Scorpion Kick" chapter was so hauntingly brilliant that I read that one part six or seven times， and then got chills randomly thinking about it as I drove around the next day。 If any two pages of a book can have that impact on me， that alone would be worth it。 My second time reading the book， I found myself stopping to scour YouTube for mid-90s greatest moments of Sri Lankan cricket。 Any author that can get an American football fan on a binge of Arjuna Ranatunga highlights has worked some sort of crazy alchemy on the page。 That is exactly what Shehan Karunatilaka does throughout with Wije's quixotic search through the subcontinent for Pradeep。I'll admit it， Karunatilaka's 'scattershot vignettist' approach （that's a made up term， don't use it， and definitely don't cite me if you do） can take some patience to get through at times。 If you can though， the payoff is worth it five fold。 Sometimes the greatest plot twist is just a simple change of perspective。 。。。more
David
，
Not for the cricket novice， despite what the narrator claims near the books beginning。 If you are like me， and have followed international cricket from the periphery for many years， this book can serve as a useful jump start to that cricket obsession brewing beneath anyone who has sat through a full days play - even if only from your armchair。 I am just that kind kind of armchair fan， and this novel sent me down a Wikipedia rabbit hole that I have yet to climb out of。 This book is long。 It reads Not for the cricket novice， despite what the narrator claims near the books beginning。 If you are like me， and have followed international cricket from the periphery for many years， this book can serve as a useful jump start to that cricket obsession brewing beneath anyone who has sat through a full days play - even if only from your armchair。 I am just that kind kind of armchair fan， and this novel sent me down a Wikipedia rabbit hole that I have yet to climb out of。 This book is long。 It reads long。 Like a drawn out fifth day of a test with no result in sight。 Be prepared to get yourself heavily invested in the Sri Lankan Civil War， its cricket team's history， the urban layout of Colombo， arrack， Sinhala slang， and impossibly long surnames。 If any of that interests you， then dig in。 There will be times you will want to end it。 But just as you begin to lose interest it will drag you back with some cricketing anecdote from the 1950s that is just too good leave， you have to dive deeper。 The fictional elements of the mysterious Pradeep Mathew are interwoven so seamlessly with actual cricket history that by the novel's conclusion it is difficult to dissect the two。 I found myself checking historical scorecards for a mystery spinner that exists only in the mind of the author。 If you are looking to reinvigorate your interest in cricket， this is the book for you。 But if you never followed a World Cup， read a Wisden Almanack， or scrolled Cricinfo for hours， I would advise to stay clear until your cricket knowledge is up to snuff。 。。。more
Peter
，
This is clever， particularly the last fifty-or-so pages， although the story of the search for the near mythical 80s and early-90s Sri Lankan spinner， Pradeep S。 Mathew， is not as engaging as expected。 Aging alcoholic sportswriter， W。 G。 Karunasena and his friend， Ari， set out on their quest in the mid-90s and much of modern Sri Lankan history， race relations and cricket， with very thinly disguised real names for many protagonists， are covered in an unusual style with plenty of subtle humour whic This is clever， particularly the last fifty-or-so pages， although the story of the search for the near mythical 80s and early-90s Sri Lankan spinner， Pradeep S。 Mathew， is not as engaging as expected。 Aging alcoholic sportswriter， W。 G。 Karunasena and his friend， Ari， set out on their quest in the mid-90s and much of modern Sri Lankan history， race relations and cricket， with very thinly disguised real names for many protagonists， are covered in an unusual style with plenty of subtle humour which hits the spot occasionally if not consistently 。。。more
Daivat
，
I love cricket and I love books。 And the way this one was executed， I love it too。Its funny and its intriguing and it has its moments of serious ponderings。 There was one chapter where he talks of Sri Lankan politics and how violence has been rife。 That is the most poignant one。Anyway， I can only gush about this book and suggest it to anyone who doesn't ask， but the thing is — this is a book worth reading not only because it is funny， but it is thoughtful， meandering and pointless， like life and I love cricket and I love books。 And the way this one was executed， I love it too。Its funny and its intriguing and it has its moments of serious ponderings。 There was one chapter where he talks of Sri Lankan politics and how violence has been rife。 That is the most poignant one。Anyway， I can only gush about this book and suggest it to anyone who doesn't ask， but the thing is — this is a book worth reading not only because it is funny， but it is thoughtful， meandering and pointless， like life and unlike， as Shehan Karunatilaka says， sports。Good book。 。。。more
Flawed H
，