STUMBLING THROUGH LIFE (PB)

The other day, at our local
bookshop, a young man came up to me and said: ‘Sir, tell me—what is the
secret to happiness?’It was hardly the time for homespun philosophy, as a
pretty young thing was trying to take a selfie of the two of us, so all I
could say was: ‘Signing books for young readers. It would make any writer
happy.’‘But I’m not a writer, ’ he said, ‘I’m a psychiatrist.’‘Well then,
make your patients happy, ’ was all I could say.For over sixty years, since
his award-winning debut the Room on the Roof was published, Ruskin Bond has
charmed and entertained us with characters ranging from the animal world to
humans to ghostly spirits and his magic touch has often presented to us a
world unhurried, tucked away in hills and valleys.What does it mean to be an
octogenarian loved by the young and old alike? To be synonymous with the
smell of pinewood and rambling mountain paths? in short, what is it that
makes him Bond?This book weaves together a selection of Ruskin Bond’s essays
and writings to bring to the reader the rich tapestry of his life, peppered
as it is with delightful eccentricities and a geniality rarely
found.Stumbling Through Life brings you Bond like never before.