|
VIKRAM
SETH
|
A
Suitable Boy
Vikram Seth's novel
is, at its core, a love story: the tale of Lata's--and her mother, Mrs.
Rupa Mehra's--attempts to find a suitable boy for Lata, through love or
through exacting maternal appraisal. Set in the early 1950s in an India
newly independent and struggling through a time of crisis, A Suitable Boy
takes us into the richly imagined world of four large extended families
and spins a compulsively readable tale of their lives and loves. A
sweeping panoramic portrait of a complex, multiethnic society in flux, A
Suitable Boy remains the story of ordinary people caught up in a web of
love and ambition, humor and sadness, prejudice and reconciliation, the
most delicate social etiquette and the most appalling violence.
This is certainly one of the best books I have ever read and is an
astonishing achievement! Being of Pakistani origin, I found I could
empathise more with the Muslim characters in the book than with some of
the others but Vikram Seth's superbly detailed accounts ensured that none
of the characters were un-interesting. I was particularly enthralled by
the characters of Saeeda Bai, the courtesan, and Firoz and Maan as well as
the Ustad of classical music. This was what was so great about the book.
It seemed as if all of India was here, in front of me as I read this book.
Princes, businessmen, academics, paupers, villagers, tanners,
untouchables, priests, mullahs, imams, Urdu, Hindi, English...the
wonderful scents and colours painted a great and detailed canvas of Indian
life. Seth's erudition too becomes clear from his excellent rendition of
the ghazals of Ghalib and Mir into English during, perhaps, my favourite
section of the book which was the musical performance given by Saeeda Bai
in Mahesh Kapoor's house. Simply wonderful!
Ever since i saw this
book it took me long to gather courage to read such a book. And much
longer to complete it. The moment i completed the last page of throwing
oranges to a group of monkeys, it made me feel that it was worth reading.
The characters pictured here are really amazing. How all the varities of
human life can be stored in a single brain of Mr.Seth. That wonders me.
Till now. I can't escape the thoughts of Lata, Maan, Kabir, Haresh, Varun
, Meehakshi, Kakoli, Mrs Rupa Mehra, Arun, Pran and all those. I liked
Maan's heart, Lata's sensibilities, Malati's companionship, Mrs Mehra's
responsibilities, Pran's arguments, Kabir's Passion, Haresh's
practicability, Amit's poetry, Firoz's friendship, Arun's angriness,
Varun's simplicity, Mahesh Kapoor's politics, Saeeda Bai's Ghazals,
Meenakshi's cleverness, Bhaskar's calculations, Priya's talks, Kedarnath's
efforts and in the end Seth's picturisation of the whole of it. In the end
what wonders me more than anything else is the way it's composed. While
reading it if someone asks you where in the world are you ? You can't
escape unaswering it as Brahmpur, Cawnpur or in Saeeda Bai's concert no
matter wherever you are.
| ROHINTON MISTRY
| A Fine Balance
India, a country I knew
little about, haunts me since reading this book. The author captures on
paper the feeling of India on every page. The sounds, the smells and the
people stay with me well after the last page was turned. Unforgettable
characters that evoke every type of emotion!
Rohinton Mistry
meshes the lives of four people of diverse backgrounds into a bond that
lasts a lifetime. The in-depth look at a culture and a people that I knew
little about has brought about an understanding that I previously lacked.
This unlikely group of people become dependent on each other out of
necessity, their lives entangling to create the basis of the story. This
book is written with much sadness as well as humour and has touched a
place in my heart. I look forward to reading more by this author in the
future. Bravo!
Don't start this book unless you intend to finish
it. Don't start this book without expecting to be haunted by it. As a
South Asian who has travelled to the subcontinent many times, I can safely
say that what Rohinton Mistry depicts is very very accurate. This book is
probably the closest many Americans will come to actually visiting India.
Every single character (and there are many) affects the reader and every
single character is unforgettable. Other reviewers have gotten themselves
caught up in the despair and the struggle faced by many of the characters
on a daily/hourly basis. Looking beyond the horrible things that happen,
however, its possible to the see the important message in the book: hope.
Oprah should be thanked for bringing this book to everyone's attention. It
certainly deserves all the praise its been
getting.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/140003065X/qid=1013739181/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/104-8636610-3947956
Such a Long Journey
A great book made into
a fantastic movie.
The book follows the day-to-day trials and
tibulations of a lower middle class Parsi family doing their best to get
by in Bombay. Some great character development, and vivid images of life
in Bombay.
This interesting first novel tackles several long journeys
-- India's transformation from the raj to a brawling, corrupt, mismanaged,
constantly at-war democracy under Indira Gandhi; Bombay resident Gustad
Noble's economic decline from a kind of family prominence and prosperity
under the Brits; and, most directly, Noble's rise in understanding,
breadth of spirit, friendship, and accommodation to what India has become,
warts and all.
Mistry is a modern author whose writing compares to
author's of "the Great Books". Such a Long Journey gives a stunning idea
of life during Indira Gandhi's reign. Besides the cultural lesson on India
you receive from reading this book, you also come away with the struggles
of loyalty a man faces with friendship and family. This book is not as
engaging as A Fine Balance, but a wonderful read nonetheless.
Such
a Long Journey is a brilliant first novel by one of the most remarkable
writers to have emerged from the Indian literary tradition in many years.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0679738711/qid=1013739181/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_2/104-8636610-3947956
HOME
PREVIOUS
NEXT
|
|