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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
slow-paced
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
medium-paced
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-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:
Complicated
For maybe the first half of this book, I would have given it 4-4.5 stars. It alternated between telling a fictional account of the true story of the exile of the Burmese Royal Family in the 1880s and the story of a young Indian boy, Rajkumpar, living in Burma who witnesses the war and the exile and has a memorable encounter with one of the Queen's maids, Dolly. Hearing about Rajkumpar using his wits to become successful, and Dolly forming new relationships while in semi-captivity, was interesting, and it was clear that their life trajectories would eventually meet again. Even the part about their early life together as a young couple was engaging. But then the book became sprawling and unwieldy, until it eventually became a complete different story, alternating between what one of Rajkumpar and Dolly's sons was doing on a rubber plantation and what their good friend's nephew was doing in World War II, and eventually jumping ahead 40 years to yet another story about their granddaughter as an adult in the 1990s. And the very end I found to just be odd and unnecessary, as if the author had been so determined to end the book that way that he couldn't see that it no longer made any sense.
It seems, based on the author's note, that Ghosh set out to write his family's story and it eventually turned into something else, which is fine. But what it turned into seemed to be a desire to explain an entire 100-year span of history in Burma, and where the history initially informed the story, the story eventually ended up being driven by the history. More and more characters were added as if to make sure that every possible opinion on the current events of that day would be represented by at least one character, and it became almost too many people to keep track of, and some dialogue became somewhat unrealistic as characters would go on for a long time about their particular political viewpoint.
I enjoyed the book for what I learned about the history of Burma and associated histories of India and Malaya, where many parts of the story take place, and the story itself was engaging for a good chunk of the book. Unfortunately it just dragged on so long and became so sprawling that I'm less enthusiastic about recommending it than I was partway through.
It seems, based on the author's note, that Ghosh set out to write his family's story and it eventually turned into something else, which is fine. But what it turned into seemed to be a desire to explain an entire 100-year span of history in Burma, and where the history initially informed the story, the story eventually ended up being driven by the history. More and more characters were added as if to make sure that every possible opinion on the current events of that day would be represented by at least one character, and it became almost too many people to keep track of, and some dialogue became somewhat unrealistic as characters would go on for a long time about their particular political viewpoint.
I enjoyed the book for what I learned about the history of Burma and associated histories of India and Malaya, where many parts of the story take place, and the story itself was engaging for a good chunk of the book. Unfortunately it just dragged on so long and became so sprawling that I'm less enthusiastic about recommending it than I was partway through.
Beautifully written epic book of multiple intertwining stories. Somehow, all the characters manage to be sympathetic, which is a nice break from the chaos that surrounds them, as the book winds its way from the fall of Burma and exile of their king, the rise of the independence movement, the start of WWII, the Japanese invasion of Malaysia, liberation of Burma and subsequent military dictatorship...It's a great book to lose yourself in over a long long weekend.
Beautiful prose but incredibly long-winded. What begins as the story of one man devolves into the stories of every single member of his widely extended network of family and friends. The main events of the book are interesting, but, due to the author's desire to include even the most mundane of details (I'm so glad I know the exact height and positioning of a mirror in a minor character's room), appear increasingly farther apart. This book is intensely tedious and I unfortunately could not continue with ~75 pages left. I tried to maintain my interest in the detailed writing, but just could not bring myself to care about continuous barrages of unnecessary information.