A Suitable Boy

Critics

• Indian Summa

  Forests have been slain, not only in the manufacture A Suitable Boy, but in the production of its review coverage. An unusual amount of the publicity has been statistical, with journalists dwelling on the size of the book (1349 pages), its weight (an ... (read full critics)

  lrb published on Tue, 7 Sep 2010

• Sitting Pretty

  The character Vikram Seth chooses in his novel A Suitable Boy to represent himself is not one of the central characters; it is Amit the poet who “was sitting pretty in his father’s house and doing nothing that counted as real work,” which happens to ... (read full critics)

  nybooks published on Thu, 26 Aug 2010

6 Reviews

• 1 person find this helpful

  

  Timeless, a modern classic

  Do not waste your time looking for Brahmpur on a map of India. The city, simply, does not exist. Nevertheless, looking, hearing, smelling and - last but not least - reading the pages of this wonderful book you will be surprised to discover how real this non-city is.
  Lata's search for the suitable bo ... (continue)

  Do not waste your time looking for Brahmpur on a map of India. The city, simply, does not exist. Nevertheless, looking, hearing, smelling and - last but not least - reading the pages of this wonderful book you will be surprised to discover how real this non-city is.
  Lata's search for the suitable boy in times of change - right after the independence, with the Parliament trying to rule a vast country and religious fights spreading all over - as she tries to keep the balance between her own model of life and the restriction of a way of living soon to become old and awkward will easily capture the reader, leading her to a land of hope, contradiction and faith in the future.
  So far my favorite book - not the most beautiful I've ever read, though for sure among the top three - Seth's writing remains fantastic, in a beautiful English which is surely second to none.
  A caveat, though: let the reader be not scared by the number of pages. As soon as you close the back cover, you will regret Seth did not make it much longer.

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  Nicolamenicacci said on Feb 4, 2010 | Add your feedback

• 

  A never-ending soap-opera. An all-embracing catalogue of post-partition Indianness, covering as wide and incongrous a range of topics as love, gardening, land reforms, poetry, Congress party corruption, funerary ceremonies, cast politics, religious pregiudices, food, ghazals, astrology and much, muc ... (continue)

  A never-ending soap-opera. An all-embracing catalogue of post-partition Indianness, covering as wide and incongrous a range of topics as love, gardening, land reforms, poetry, Congress party corruption, funerary ceremonies, cast politics, religious pregiudices, food, ghazals, astrology and much, much more. Wonder what else Vikhram Seth feels that, left behind, deserves inclusion in his 2013 sequel...

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  Pechorin said on Jan 8, 2012 | Add your feedback

• 

  One of the best novels I have ever read, and Vikram Seth is one of the best writers alive, I believe.

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  ilariainthelibrary said on Feb 18, 2010 | Add your feedback

• 

  A novel of enormous scope covering the period after Independence in India. It opens a great vista, a panoramic view of life in India with, I suspect, no equal. The characters are truly memorable, unsurpassed in literature which really has no plot or mystery but just an unfolding of life as it is. A ... (continue)

  A novel of enormous scope covering the period after Independence in India. It opens a great vista, a panoramic view of life in India with, I suspect, no equal. The characters are truly memorable, unsurpassed in literature which really has no plot or mystery but just an unfolding of life as it is. A magnificent story!

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  GraJon said on Mar 4, 2009 | Add your feedback

• *** This comment contains spoilers! ***

  

  Epic journey into the lives of four families in an India post-independence from Britain and post-partition with Pakistan. At almost 1500 pages this book is not for the faint-hearted, but nevertheless, I didnt find boring, slow or too long.
  At first glance it is the story of a the search for a ' ... (continue)

  Epic journey into the lives of four families in an India post-independence from Britain and post-partition with Pakistan. At almost 1500 pages this book is not for the faint-hearted, but nevertheless, I didnt find boring, slow or too long.
  At first glance it is the story of a the search for a 'suitable boy' for an arranged marriage with the main character, Lata. But is much more than that. From the political situation in India in the 1950s, to the fragile co-existence, sometimes erupting in violent disagreements, between hindus and muslim, to the division of hindus themselves into the caste system.
  I loved the well defined characters and the ways in which those families were linked together, and sometimes pulled apart. For once, given the lenght of this book, I was able to follow, for more than a month, the lives of these characters.
  Up to 200-300 pages from the end I was set on giving this book four stars. But the end was so abrupt and so many threads in the story where left hanging that I was felt disapponted.
  What happens to Saida Bei and her sister/daughter Tasneem? Could Maan really forget about her so easily? Why is Malati so shocked and saddened by the news of Rasheed's suicide, given that they had never met?
  Where did the homosexual relationship of Maan and Firoz came from? For more than 1000 pages, they both lust or are in love with different women, withouth any suggestion of their homosexuality.
  And finally, why does Lata decides to marry Haresh, the least suitable boy? What happens to Kabir, could she forget him, does she write to him at all?
  Given how long this book is, I feel that hundred or so extra pages to tidy up the end would have made this book truly a masterpiece.

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  Dylaniata said on Jan 26, 2009 | 1 feedback

• 

  An understated Indian epic. I really enjoyed the different characters, and ever since I read this book I've hoped for a sequel! A very satisfying read.

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  Andy Neads said on Jan 30, 2008 | Add your feedback

Book Details

• Rating:
  (52)
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• English Books
• Paperback
• ISBN-10: 1552780171
• ISBN-13: 9781552780176
• Publisher: McArthur & Co / Mcarthur (Tp,H
• Pub date: Nov 19, 1998
• Also available as: Hardcover, Audio Cassette and Others
• In other languages: other languages Livres Français, Deutsche Bücher, Libros en Español, Libri Italiani

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