Rating: 
Summary: A good first
Review: Davidar is the President of Penguin books in India and this is his first novel, which he supposedly submitted to another publisher anonymously. Similar to Vikram Seth (Suitable Boy) and Amitav Ghosh (Glass Palace), the story follows the lives and generations of a Indian family. The story is centered around southern India, which gives it a very different feel compared to most other books which are set in the north. In fact, reading some of the Tamil was fun.I had a bit of difficulty getting into the book at first, but by about a quarter of the way into the story, I was hooked. The characters are very vivid and likeable and Davidar's ability to intertwine current events and Indian history into the lives of his characters is uncanny - withouth sounding like a history lesson. I was also interested to find out after I had read the book that Vikran Seth had edited it. I found the ending a little bit abrupt, but overall enjoyed the book very much.
Rating:
Summary: Sweet Sensation
Review: Family sagas are the form of fiction I like the most so I was expecting a lot from this novel and I'm glad it didn't let me down. I was happily engrossed in the travails (and occasional joys) of the Dorai family for several days. This is not to say this is a depressing book, on the contrary you come away from it feeling pretty good, not least because the author writes wonderfully well.
Rating: 
Summary: Of Mangoes and Tigers
Review: I suppose you could call me a partial Indophile. I love Indian food, Indian novels, hate Indian movies (the three I've been dragged to by an ex-girl-friend), and hate the politics, heat and poverty of the country. Not that I'm an expert I've only been there once on a business trip five years ago but that was plenty. Maybe it was because I went there at the height of summer and was roasted alive. But I found two things there that continue to exert their grip on me, which is why I'm writing this reveiw. The first was the first Indian novel I read, Arundhati Roy's THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS, the second was mangoes. I blitzed out on both and since then have read pretty much all the major Indian novels although the only mangoes we get here are from the Philippines I think. But I loved Davidar's book. Not since Roy's novel have I read any book about India that gave me such a visceral feel for the place (coincidentally both are set in India's South) and to my great delight I discovered the author loves mangoes almost as much as I do (did you know India has over 1000 varieties?). The book is chock-full of stuff designed to titillate the taste buds of even the most jaded reader -- tiger hunts, battles, family drama, tennis matches -- balanced by thought-provoking stuff on caste wars, India's fractured history, the treatment of women... Some of the stuff is unbelievable or perhaps not so unbelievable considering the stuff they show on TV. This is an absolutely engrossing book.
Rating:
Summary: LOVED IT
Review: I thought this was a very enjoyable book - very absorbing and well-written - not exceedingly wordy in descriptions or narratives that cause you to lose the thread of the story. He keeps a wonderful pace while still managing to create depth with his characters. The writing style is simple yet powerful, managing to evoke vivid images of the places and times described, and not pretentious at all. Took me a little bit to get into it but by the first 20 pages or so I was hooked. It absorbed me completely and pulled me into its world and when it was over I surfaced and felt a little disoriented!! :-) Wonderful bits of history woven into the story of the book seamlessly. A wonderful read.
Rating:
Summary: FABULOUS READ
Review: I took the House of Blue Mangoes with me on vacation to Hawaii and was transported instead to India,so wonderfully imagined was the book. Hawaii has mangoes alright, but I'm sure that the mangoes the author writes about (I learned that the mango is native to India, among dozens of other facts about the country)are much much better. Mangoes apart, the book is a brilliant read and tells the story of a dysfunctional family in the south of India who are also extremely endearing. Get to know them.
Rating: 
Summary: (3.5) House of Blues....
Review: I wanted this book to be as fascinating as the first hundred pages. Certainly all of the elements are present: the family patriarchy, feuding neighbors, an entrenched caste system in precarious balance. Three generations of Dorais act out this familial drama, male characters predominant, from Solomon Dorai to his sons Aaron and Daniel, and Daniel's son Kammel. In each generation, at least one son is banished to make his way among strangers. In Daniel's case, because he could not fight to preserve the family's honor, and was sent away with the women and children before the battle that cost the lives of many important Dorai men. Much later, Daniel returns to accept his birthright. But later, Daniel's own son willingly leaves, unable to make peace within the family hierarchy. Yet all roads lead to the Dorai compound, where relatives live together in common purpose, keeping the land intact. In a tribute to Solomon, who first had the dream, Daniel names the enclave The House of Blue Mangoes. Years later, as David lies dying, Kamman returns to assume the role of his father's successor, with the same purpose, the continuation of the family name and property. There is plentiful material to fuel the plot, particularly the political unrest prior to the Partition in 1947. There is no question that the British trampled the land and the people, Her Majesty's representatives bloated with their own importance and dreams of Empire. But Davidar's characters are difficult to understand, seeming cutouts before the vast panoply of social change, who only parrot historical facts, often with little interest. I wanted a sense of the people themselves, their passions, dreams and fears, not an explanation like a school primer. For example, Daniel becomes a physician, trained by a charitable benefactor to help the poor and indigent; he passes the clinic on to Daniel. But Daniel makes his fortune on patent medicines and moves back to his home village to establish the family colony, never looking back. Then Kammal, Daniel's son, works on a tea plantation after marrying an inappropriate woman chosen in a romantic stupor, she part Indian, part English. On the English run plantation, Kammal's wife is never accepted, but he toady's to his bosses, believing himself part of their society. In fact, he is their pawn. Kannan deals with his self-concept and particular circumstances in an almost simple-minded fashion. He has no substance, obsequious and self-effacing. I have enjoyed many finely written Indian novels, among them The God of Small Things and A Fine Balance, and Cracking India, and love to immerse myself in this country and its history. Unfortunately, House of Blue Mangoes does not meet this standard. Davidar writes such muddled sentences as: "Michael drove very carefully, but the road was a familiar one, and there was no other vehicle about, so they made good progress." Yet the first chapter begins: "...as the lonely violence of dawn sweeps across the sky", with vivid imagery. Perhaps the story just got away from him, but in the final third of the novel the wooden dialog of the British literally put me into a stupor, bludgeoned by idiotic conversations. Because of Davidar's descriptive and poetic abilities, I believe this author has the talent to write about what he knows so well. All the stories and history are locked within him, perhaps more approachable on a smaller scale or more intimate characterization.
Rating:
Summary: Good Read
Review: In the past two decades there have been some wonderful novels written by Indian authors, but none of them were based/set against the background of Tamil Nadu's history. Vikram Seth's tome, "A Suitable Boy," was set against the backdrop of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, while Arundati Roy's "God of Small Things," was set in Kerala. Publisher turned writer David Davidar's book "The House of Blue Mangoes," nicely fills that lacuna. Davidar deftly weaves South history and culture into the narrative that is set in the fictional town of Chevathar located in the southern most tip of India. The novel chronicles the tragedies and triumphs of the powerful Dorai family: Solomon, Daniel, Aaron and Kannan. The panoramic story begins in the close of the 19th century and ends in 1947 when Indian became independent. Davidar's skill as a storyteller is evident and the novel makes for an absorbing read. Also his interest and keen eye for research is reflected in this historical novel.
Rating: 
Summary: wannabe
Review: Mr Davidar thought he was writing the great Indian novel. Unfortunately, what came out at the end was a schoolboy effort, characterized by Raj cliches, prose that sounds like it is translated, and occasional paragraphs containing personal views on India and Indians which dont mesh with the main text at all. I am glad I borrowed this free of cost from the library and did not waste my money - though I did waste my time reading it. All I can say is that it would make good reading on a long flight - at least the story has tempo and keeps you mildly entertained.
Rating: 
Summary: Waste of time
Review: Some are comparing this to God of Small things...Are you kidding? Blue mangoes pales in comparison. Am I sitting on high school session here? The novel is like dealing with cutout characters in the school hallway in a break between a georgraphy lesson and history lesson on India. The characters sounds like a mouthpiece for the author to air his opinion about the Colonial British (White man?), India, caste system, Christianity, Hindu mythology. I understand this is a fiction but the novel is full of contrived settings detailed in superficial tone and filled with aritificial dialogues. If you liked of Arundhati Roy and Vikram seth..it is better to stay away from this...
Rating:
Summary: Tropical Saga
Review: The character I found most interesting in the House of Blue Mangoes a three generational saga set in the extreme south of India, was the one who anchored middle section--Dr Daniel Dorai, a physician who makes a fortune from formulating a skin whitening cream. I thought that was an inspired idea that nails my native country's hypocrisy. But the novel is not a negative take on India,rather it's shot through with brilliantly described colours, smells and textures of a country that has never left me although I have spent twenty years in Vancouver. I try and read a fair amount of Indian fiction and this novel must rank with the best.
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