Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful
Review: The book is beautiful! Suri has an amazing sense of description. Each word in the novel is beautifully painted, and very realistic- the characters, the land of India, Hindu mythology, the food, everything comes alive!
Rating: 
Summary: Too many vocabulary words
Review: I was so excited to read this book. I thought it would give me some insight into Indian culture. I did get almost halfway thorugh before I gave up. Obviously he wrote for his Indian audience. But for Joe or Jane American, unless you like looking up vocabulary words all the time, it's cumbersome. Mercifully, there is a glossary in the back, but any novel that needs PAGES of glossary is not a joy to read, it felt more like school work--having to refer back there sometimes several times on a single page of text. And several words were not included. After a while, I just gave up. I only hope this is made into a movie...the story was great, just didnt have the patience with all the unfamiliar words....
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful
Review: Suri's novel is compelling and enthralling. I almost wanted to believe, with Vishnu, that his destiny was predetermined by his mothers assurances. The writing was so exquisite that I could close my eyes and see it all. This is the kind of book I'll pass around from person to person and insist that they read it. Make sure you do!
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting literary device
Review: By far my favorite Carlos Fuentes novel uses the same literary device as Suri. It is: The Death of Artemio Cruz, Alfred J. Mac Adam (Translator). I have read an even earlier Brazilian novel that used the same device before Fuentes or Suri, but I can't remember the author or title. At any rate, the device gives the most interesting character an excuse to tell his story in a way more coherent than temporal, and at the same time it allows lesser characters to show their true natures by their relationships to him and their reactions to his impending death. Fuentes was giving a view of Mexican history. Suri has a less grand vision, but I enjoyed his novel very much. However, of the two, I would not hesitate to recommend the Fuentes treatment.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful - even for people unfamiliar with Indian culture.
Review: "Death of Vishnu" is a multi-faceted, beautiful story that can be read on so many different levels. THE CHARACTERS:
There is Vishnu, and bum sort of handy-man that sleeps on a landing in the apartment building. He is dying, and some of the scenes are his dreams/afterlife visions - whichever way you want to look at it. It flashes back, and you get to see some of Vishnu's life as a young boy & man in order to further understand his situation.
There are three married couples in the building - each of them with different marital problems, issues with their children, and religious standpoints. Two of the wives are always bickering, which makes for some comical scenes.
There is one widower in the building, who we don't learn much about until later, but his story reflects a lot upon the way Indians are married and how some deal with it.
All of the characters are wonderfully developed, and the narration is done by several of them, so the reader gets a glimpse into each of their thoughts. THE SETTING:
It is set in an apartment building. The neighbors are all fighting over whose responsibility it is to care for the dying Vishnu or who needs to remove his body when he dparts. THE RELIGIOUS UNDERTONES:
Vishnu is a Hindu god, and in his death, the character Vishnu begins to wonder if he himself is a reincarnation of the god. There are many references to Hindu folklore and mythology in the story - but even if one is unfamiliar with these tales, it is explained well.
One of the families in the building is Muslim and the rest are Hindu. One gets a glimpse of the ongoing rivalry and hatred between the two groups on a small scale as well as some of the differences and similarities between the personal lives of the two religions. The author does a good job of not making the reader prefer either of the two religions, especially by plotting for the son and daughter of the two families to maybe elope - and Romeo and Juliet type plot. INDIAN CULTURE:
Indian culture and flavor can be sensed from this novel - even for one who is unfamiliar. The foods, the cafes, the movies, the churches, the city, etc. are all touched upon. And bless the author for putting a comprehensive GLOSSARY at the back, for all of the Indian terms that he uses. It makes it informative and a pleasure to read. OVERALL:
This book was very enjoyable for both it's cultural knowledge as well as the family aspects that everyone can appreciate (well, everyone that HAS a family!)
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Oriental Journey
Review: Looking at the title and the profile of the author(he is a mathematician), I didn't expect this book to be anything what it actually came out to be! Not only it takes you through mundane daily chores of ordinary mortals like Mrs Asrani or Mrs Pathak bickering over shared kitchen and their tussle with husbands, but also it touches the esoteric subject of spirituality and one's quest to achieve something non material.
The profile of the characters naturally fits many ordinary mortals from middle class urban family in India. I couldn't stop laughing at the familiarity of the characters with many people I know of! The daily bickering over trivial things has been portrayed very comically.
Then on the other side, this book also brings to light the importance of spiritualism in oriental culture.
The book occasionally got a little dark but overall I had great fun reading it!
Rating:
Summary: An excellent novel
Review: I cannot remember the last book I read in which I smiled and laughed so much. I thought the author did an excellent job of creating each character; you get a very good sense of each person in the story. Suri descibes the scenes so well that you can easily picture what is taking place in the building. It is an interesting glimpse into life in Mumbai. While providing plenty of humor, it also is a good critique of human nature and social issues in India (as well as some issues that are global in scope).
Rating: 
Summary: Dwindling patience
Review: Normally I am a patient person who can sit through even the most daunting of books, but not this one. The book began quite well and seemed to be turning into quite the spiritual experience (in reference to Vishnu's "flashbacks"). Somewhere along the way the self absorbed inhumane characters began testing my patience at every turn. My anxiety increased until I decided that if I tried to read the whole book I may start believing that hitting myself over the head with it may be less frustrating than "watching" these people bicker over the mundane details of their hopelessly dead end lives instead of recognizing the true spirituality in life and death, as Vishnu is finally doing (in his death, which I guess is supposed to be the author's attempt at irony????). One the whole I would not recommend this book, save for the first half. (FYI I did read the whole thing just so I could write this and my worst fears became reality, it didnt get any better)
Rating:
Summary: Lots of randomness, beautiful yet disjointed
Review: I guess being Indian and having stayed in India for some time, I found myself laughing at the social commentary of this book and the inherent prejudices that it unveiled. At the same time, a lot of the book is flashbacks to points that are rather random. I found myself caring less and less about the characters, until finally the book's ending where little is resolved. I guess this could work as a trilogy, but I can't help but feel that there isn't much more to see from this author. I can't think of a character that was actually redeeming, and maybe that was meant to be a commentary in itself. Still, it was hard to stay engaged when everyone seemed so petty. I have to be honest and say the greatest commentary on Indian religion in recent times comes from Italy, in the form of Ka by Robert Calasso.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: This book is a must-read! I started reading it and the pages flew by. The ending was ironic but not as good as the rest of the book. I'm looking forward to the sequel.
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