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abisko's review against another edition
4.0
My first Ghosh book - not my last! Well written, actually beautifully done in parts. A huge encompassing story wrapped up in a somewhat compact book. One of those stories with characters that will linger on. Perfect- no. But very solid and an easy 4 star read. Enjoyed it!!
murray_m's review against another edition
3.0
Not a totally satisfactory book, unlike Sea of Poppies, which is nothing short of brilliant. But enjoyable none the less, not least for its portrayal of Burma and then India.
nomadjg's review against another edition
4.0
This is an absolutely fascinating novel which was meticulously researched so as to give it authority. It really tells the story of British colonialism in a intimate and very honest way. I picked it up after I visited Burma and had been amazed to find how much Chinese and Indian people and cuisine and religion existed in Yangon. This book explains it well really. Therefore, I would recommend it to anyone vaguely interested in the region. As much as I enjoyed it, it wasn't a 5 because the style of the writing didn't really grab me, though I really loved his use of Hindi, Burmese, and Malaysian languages in the descriptions. Secondly, some of the connections between the main characters seemed a bit too convenient. However, the main happening where a man finds a woman he had loved since boyhood was pretty logical. Finally, too much happened at the end too fast which disturbed the general flow of the storytelling. Otherwise, it is a book that honestly looks at the effects of colonialism in a way that Said would like, so it is really important.
shekispeaks's review against another edition
1.0
I am glad, I do not read much fiction. A book, with a lot of sex thrown in when, the story starts to weaken.
lechuga_amante's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
sieveblocker's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
molly_collins's review against another edition
3.0
This is an amazingly-researched work of historical fiction that spans three generations of a family in Burma, India, and Myanmar. While it is a dense read, packed with the facts that locate the characters in time and circumstance, it is almost too full... It is challenging to determine what characters are going to show up later in the book and which ones seemed to be thrown in as a device to incorporate a historical perspective the author wanted to illustrate. Also, if you pick this one up, read it closely! The author constantly dispatches characters with an uneventful "and then he died." And if you miss those words at the end of the sentence you're waiting for the character to return, and have to page back with a "WTF just happened to that guy?" I am only sort of exaggerating. But it was worth a read, and a lot of people seem to really like it, I just felt like it got to be too much of a good thing.
soniaturcotte's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0