Rusty series book-2 Rusty Runs Away

 


Rusty Runs Away is the second book in the Rusty series. This is the book that I wished never to end. The book has only seven stories, but all are so good that you want to be a part of them. All stories depict unlikely friendships, where the two persons differ from each other in age, ethnicity, or behavior. The book opens with one of my favorite stories by Ruskin Bond- The Window. The story is short, simple, and sweet. It is a story of a lonely boy, and a new girl in the neighborhood, and how a like-minded person changes your life. Then there's 'The Prospect of Flowers', the story that is a part of several anthologies by Ruskin Bond. The sweet relationship between a teenage boy and an old woman Miss Mackenzie is the love to savor. And then a hilarious account of Rusty's getting rid of his stepfather makes the story 'A Job Well Done'. The fourth story of the book is the one that is among the most popular stories of Ruskin Bond, and that has changed a lot of lives and has increased the number of fans of Ruskin Bond. This story is 'The Woman on Platform No. 8'. It is a story of love and affection, and the manifestation of Rusty's unfulfilled childhood, where there is a loving mother who cares most for nothing but her child. The most exciting account of Rusty's life that I have always enjoyed is 'Running Away', where Rusty runs away from his boarding school along with his friend Daljeet, and their adventures during the whole journey keep you glued to the book. 'The Playing Fields of Simla' is also a tale of friendship and affection, and has a pain of partition of the country. The last story in the book is 'It Happened One Spring'. I was amazed after reading this story. It is none but a re-writing of the classic novel 'Room on the Roof'. 'Room on the Roof' was written from a third person's point of view, but it is written in the first person. This story is a fragment taken from the original novel, and also includes a touch of his other famous story 'The Hidden Pool'. Overall, the book is a gem. It presents 12 years old Rusty in the first story and moves up to the part of his life when he is a grown-up of 17 years old. All through the book, Rusty is taken care of by his guardians after his father's death when he was 10 years old. And the book moves ahead with Rusty becoming a rebel, and ends when 'Rusty runs away'. The book is simply amazing and never fails to warm the heart.

-Ekta Kubba

Comments