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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
Not finished - gave up after about 50 pages. So muddled, banal and uninteresting.
Is this a tome, or what? Hoo boy. I'm hoping I can get this done in one gulp, I can't renew it at the library. It's a good thing TV is terrible.
I'm enjoying the level of detail in this story. This is the first time I've read a novel about India that devotes equal time to Hindu and Muslim characters. The slice-of-life bits are good stuff, but I do get bogged down in the political discussions.
This ultimately took me two renewals, and on my last renewal I had three hours to go when I dropped it in the library's slot (I admit I don't have as much time for reading as most of you). The ending was terrific - it made me want to keep reading about these characters for anothe 1000 pages, if it didn't break my wrists first.
I'm enjoying the level of detail in this story. This is the first time I've read a novel about India that devotes equal time to Hindu and Muslim characters. The slice-of-life bits are good stuff, but I do get bogged down in the political discussions.
This ultimately took me two renewals, and on my last renewal I had three hours to go when I dropped it in the library's slot (I admit I don't have as much time for reading as most of you). The ending was terrific - it made me want to keep reading about these characters for anothe 1000 pages, if it didn't break my wrists first.
I gave a month of my life to this book and sometimes I enjoyed it and sometimes it was a slog. The writing is really excellent and the characters do come to life. The political aspects were sometimes interesting to me and sometimes overwhelmingly difficult to comprehend. That is on me. I didn’t leave a rating because it was both wonderful and occasionally tedious to read. I think it is funny that he quotes Voltaire on the front page: “The secret to being a bore is to say everything.” and also “The superfluous, that very necessary thing….”
I got 7% of the way through and gave up and watched the tv adaptation. It said it would take over 50 hours to read and it just wasn’t gripping enough for me to make that kind of commitment. Too many characters, and the attention to minute detail just felt too laboured. Well done to anyone who finished it but it wasn’t for me.
I can't finish this... its too long and heavy to tote around traveling. Might be a good ebook.
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is one of my top faves of all time. I'm a very slow reader and it took me three years to finish this thing, but I LOVE this book. Vikram Seth is so masterful about writing relatable/believable characters. Every scene feels like you're there. You don't even notice.
Rating 4/5
Seth's novel is impressive in scope. It's reminiscent of the epics of Dickens or Tolstoy - a narrative about place as much as a narrative about people. If this is a love story, it's less a love story about Lata and her suitors and more a love story about India in the early years of independence. Seth takes a more realist approach to the story of India than Rushdie does in Midnight's Children, and I must say I prefer Seth's approach.
Seth has a lightness of touch with his narrative. It draws you in immediately. That's not to say that there aren't a few slower parts - in such a long novel, you might get bogged down a little. I found some of the parts about Maan dragged a little, and I didn't feel that that story wrapped up all that well for me. The final three hundred or so pages weren't as satisfactory as I would have wanted, but there was a realism about the climax that I appreciated.
I liked Lata very much. Her struggles to choose a suitable boy were realistic. I was happy with the choice she made in the end. I also enjoyed the lively Chatterjis, especially Amit, who might be a stand in for Seth himself. Seth even pokes fun at himself through Amit when he talks about writing long novels. I also liked the industrious, warm-hearted Haresh, the man who was so accommodating and solicitous, but also proud. I liked how each of Lata's suitors represented a different aspect of Indian culture and society.
I was less keen on Meenakshi and Arun Mehra, and I wasn't all that interested in Saeeda either. There's a plot point about her that's really easy to guess early on. I also felt there were characters introduced who didn't really have anything to do, who were sort of superfluous to the plot.
Rumour has it that Seth is working on a sequel. I think the test of whether a story is good or not is to ask yourself if you would read more about the characters. I certainly would read more about Lata and company, so hopefully Seth gets that sequel finished soon.
Seth's novel is impressive in scope. It's reminiscent of the epics of Dickens or Tolstoy - a narrative about place as much as a narrative about people. If this is a love story, it's less a love story about Lata and her suitors and more a love story about India in the early years of independence. Seth takes a more realist approach to the story of India than Rushdie does in Midnight's Children, and I must say I prefer Seth's approach.
Seth has a lightness of touch with his narrative. It draws you in immediately. That's not to say that there aren't a few slower parts - in such a long novel, you might get bogged down a little. I found some of the parts about Maan dragged a little, and I didn't feel that that story wrapped up all that well for me. The final three hundred or so pages weren't as satisfactory as I would have wanted, but there was a realism about the climax that I appreciated.
I liked Lata very much. Her struggles to choose a suitable boy were realistic. I was happy with the choice she made in the end. I also enjoyed the lively Chatterjis, especially Amit, who might be a stand in for Seth himself. Seth even pokes fun at himself through Amit when he talks about writing long novels. I also liked the industrious, warm-hearted Haresh, the man who was so accommodating and solicitous, but also proud. I liked how each of Lata's suitors represented a different aspect of Indian culture and society.
I was less keen on Meenakshi and Arun Mehra, and I wasn't all that interested in Saeeda either. There's a plot point about her that's really easy to guess early on. I also felt there were characters introduced who didn't really have anything to do, who were sort of superfluous to the plot.
Rumour has it that Seth is working on a sequel. I think the test of whether a story is good or not is to ask yourself if you would read more about the characters. I certainly would read more about Lata and company, so hopefully Seth gets that sequel finished soon.