In The Financial Expert , R. K. Narayan once again transports readers to the southern Indian town of Malgudi. This story centers around the life and pursuits of Margayya, a man of many hopes but few resources, who spends his time under the banyan tree offering expert financial advice to those willing to pay for his knowledge. Margayya's rags-to-riches story brings forth the rich imagery of Indian life with the absorbing details and vivid storytelling that are Narayan's trademarks. "The novels of R. K. Narayan are the best I have read in any language for a long time."—Amit Roy, Daily Telegraph "The experience of reading one of his novels is . . . comparable to one's first reaction to the great Russian the fresh realization of the common humanity of all peoples."—Margaret Parton, New York Herald Tribune Book Review "The hardest of all things for a novelist to communicate is the extraordinary ordinariness of most human happiness. . . . Jane Austen, Soseki, a few bring it off. Narayan is one of them."—Francis King, Spectator