A Suitable Boy

Rating:
Summary: Anyone who's ever lived in India can relate to this book
Review: This book certainly deserves five stars for the simple fact that any author with an imagination that can hold the reader's attention for some 1400 pages deserves a high rating. This book isn't for everyone. If I hadn't spent six years of my adult life in India, I would not be able to relate so well to the story and the characters. A soap opera for sure, it is still captivating and covers all social levels in India, from old rich to new rich, from poor villagers to artists, and how their live's intertwine. I was particularly impressed by Seth's knowledge of classical Indian music and the captivating world of the baijis. It is also a story of how in traditional India, life begins and ends with marriage, and how Lata's final choice of all her suiters was the one you didn't want her to choose, but would expect, if you know India. This novel, in a sense, is true. It is a master piece in defining the social strata of India.

Rating:
Summary: A long straight road
Review: This book is utterly BORING. The only thing it has going for it is Seth's description of Indian culture and society, especially the references to the caste system. Seth's prose was too heavy with fine details and it really takes no less than total concentration throughout the 1400 or so pages to get the full picture of what he is trying to say. As a reader, I felt isolated from what the characters were feeling as their emotions were strictly locked within the pages of the book and fails to diffuse into the reader. The thick novel reads like a long soap-opera and gives the feeling of travelling endlessly down a long straight road with few twists in the plot interesting enough to make the reader sit up. The way Kabir fades away from Lata's life is also a great disappointment as most readers, I'm sure, would have much appreciated a union between the couple, regardless of their castes. The novel is, I must say, a good effort that gives any reader interested in India's culture and politics a detailed insight. Seth should remember to hold the poetry the next time he writes a novel.

Rating:
Summary: Highest praise, with reservations
Review: I too must ultimately endorse the eulogies printed here, but would further urge readers of this novel to explore the works of other Indian writers (cf. those anthologized in "Mirrorwork: 50 Years of Indian Writing, 1947-1997") as a means of deciding whether or not Seth's book isn't just a bit like a big puff of cotton candy...

Rating:
Summary: A very long story that leaves you wanting more.
Review: Some writers have changed my life, the way I look at things, they way I think about people. Kundera, Rushdie, Homer, even. To this list I have added Vikram Seth.

Rating:
Summary: A magnificent read!
Review: This is easily the finest new novel I've read in the last ten years. Don't be put off by its mammoth length. A writer of major talent; a novel of remarkable skill and breadth. This Tolstoyan saga of four families teems with characters and action that are compelling and utterly convincing; the novel is of such scope that by the end we have a living portrait of a whole society. This is a novel you will be sorry to see come to an end. Do yourself a favor and don't miss it. Highest recommendation.

Rating:
Summary: A vacation to India
Review: I just finished reading A Suitable Boy, and like others before me was very disappointed to see it end. While the story isn't packed full of action and adventure, it nevertheless grabs hold of you in a quiet and subdued way. I loved the characters and turned each page aniously waiting to see what would happen to them next. While I loved the richness of detail Seth used, I was disappointed and frustrated by the lack of explaination regarding the customs, holidays, foods, and even style of clothing in the story. I think my experience reading the book would have been much more enriching had Seth included some definitions. All in all , this is a lovely story and I highly, highly recommend it to anyone who has ever longed to travel to India!

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've ever read
Review: I read 3 to 6 books a week,and I've never found another book that so involved me in an entirely new and fascinating world. I keep checking bookstores (and Amazon) to see if Seth has written a sequel--I really want to learn more about Lata's future.

Rating:
Summary: I read it in five days.
Review: Vikram Seth could very well be a literary genius. Among the many novelists now emerging from India and South Asia, he is a bright star. Once you overcome the intimidating length of the novel, you will find that it is well paced and thoroughly enjoyable. The best part is that Seth opts for reality rather than romance when it comes to Lata and Kabir even though this leaves the reader curiously desolate and empty. At the end of the novel, one realizes that one has grown rather attached to the characters, perhaps it is because we all know a Lata, Kabir or Haresh. Magnificent!

Rating:
Summary: Very close to being the perfect book!!!
Review: The first time I read the book I couldn't get in to it. I attempted it again and loved it. I'm almost at the end of the book (last 40 pages) and don't want it to end. I'm looking forward to reading more of Vikram Seth's work. Great book!!!

Rating:
Summary: Oh My. There is a LOT in this book!
Review: This is a very interesting and rich book. It reminds me of Anna Karenina--not in its characters, but in its smorgasboard of ideas and details and coverage of so many aspects of life and society. Do stick with it, and keep a dictionary handy. I occasionally did not recognize some words the Indian author took for granted. Looking them up helped a great deal.