Vikram Seth's novel is, at its core, a love story: Lata and her mother, Mrs. Rupa Mehra, are both trying to find -- through love or through exacting maternal appraisal -- a suitable boy for Lata to marry. 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.
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Publisher:
New York ; Toronto : HarperPerennial ModernClassics, 2005
ISBN:
9780060786526
9781552780176
9781552780176
Branch Call Number:
F SET
Characteristics:
1474 p. : geneal. table ; 21 cm
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Add a CommentHavent started it yet. Still debating if its worth the effort.
The library had only the paperback version, which was 1535 pages of small print. However, I read the rave reviews and looked forward to reading it. Immediately the reader is hit with a plethora of characters and it wasn't long before I was lost, so gave up.
Maybe i missed out on a good story, but the library and my kindle are full of terrific books which are a lot more reader-friendly than this book.
Don't let the size of the book let you back out; once you start its really difficult or almost impossible to stop. there may be a moment or 2 when you will be a little tempted to stop but there is something that keeps nagging you to go on. And the effort is worth it.
And by the time you are done you will almost feel you are living with all the characters and may actually miss them too.
With great insight and humour, this massive Booker Prize-winning novel presents the loves, ambitions and misfortunes of four families and dozens of other characters in the post-independence India of 1951/52. The author writes convincingly about national and provincial politics, Hindu spirituality, traditional Indian music and poetry, manufacturing and village life, and leaves the reader waiting for a sequel.
Quite a saga, but does it really need to be 1300 pages? Anyway, the novel remains entertaining and often enlightening for much of its length; a blend of Shakespeare and Jane Austen!
I was somewhat daunted when I saw the size of the book 1474 pages! But decided to read it anyway. Unfortunately the Indian names and so many characters made it too hard to follow the story. I needed to keep referring to the various family trees to sort it out. I just couldn't get into it,which is too bad because I really enjoy Indian music,dancing, documentaries,movies.
Seth begins by introducing us to Lata, a nineteen year old woman with a mother who is looking for a husband for her. The story expands to include a cross-section of the population of India in the 1950's just after separation and the establishment of Pakistan. It is the year of elections. Will the Congress party return to power, or will the factions split the vote. By the time the year is out, we are back full circle to Lata and her life. All the characters are both entertaining and interesting on the personal level, as well as quite revealing of the social group they represent. A very good story but you have to be determined to read it. At 1349 pages and with a lot of politics and a lot of characters thrown in, it is a challenge. I enjoyed it and had marathon reading sessions so I could finish it in two weeks.
My favorite novel about India. Well worth the time!
well portrayed characters; engrossing
Recommended by Michelle Musgrove