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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
In 1975, in an unidentified Indian city, Mrs Dina Dalal, a financially pressed Parsi widow in her early 40s sets up a sweatshop of sorts in her ramshackle apartment. Determined to remain financially independent and to avoid a second marriage, she takes in a boarder and two Hindu tailors to sew dresses for an export company. As the four share their stories, then meals, then living space, human kinship prevails and the four become a kind of family, despite the lines of caste, class and religion. When tragedy strikes, their cherished, newfound stability is threatened, and each character must face a difficult choice in trying to salvage their relationships.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"'One of India's finest living novelists.' Observer" --Observer
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
169 of 170 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a truly great book. It chronicles the story of 4 individuals from very different sectors of the Indian Caste system.
Not only does it accurately portray the political and social situation in India in the 1970s,it reflects the predudices within the upper castes and the fatalistic attitude of the lower castes, formed from their religious beliefs that suffering is their destiny and the reward will be in the afterlife.
This story is overwhelmingly sad and also shocking as the reader can identify the ethical question of human suffering for a possibly laudable goal (in this case it is population control). However, the novel is also uplifting in a peculiar way; that individuals who struggle so hard to exist in appalling conditions can find joy in their lives is humbling. It also allows the reader to identify with the predudices and to see a situation from another side. Maybe at the end of the book, the reader feels that they have grown a little in spirit and have the capacity to be a 'better' person as a result.
For me, the mark of a great book is one that remains with you long after the back page is read. This is such a book.
Not only does it accurately portray the political and social situation in India in the 1970s,it reflects the predudices within the upper castes and the fatalistic attitude of the lower castes, formed from their religious beliefs that suffering is their destiny and the reward will be in the afterlife.
This story is overwhelmingly sad and also shocking as the reader can identify the ethical question of human suffering for a possibly laudable goal (in this case it is population control). However, the novel is also uplifting in a peculiar way; that individuals who struggle so hard to exist in appalling conditions can find joy in their lives is humbling. It also allows the reader to identify with the predudices and to see a situation from another side. Maybe at the end of the book, the reader feels that they have grown a little in spirit and have the capacity to be a 'better' person as a result.
For me, the mark of a great book is one that remains with you long after the back page is read. This is such a book.
61 of 61 people found the following review helpful
Format:Perfect Paperback
This novel is really fabulous. Mistry is a spectacular storyteller with a wonderful way of writing about the minutiae of daily life and weaving it into a wider picture of what was happening in India in the mid 1970s. The story is incredibly depressing - I kept turning the page in the hope that things wouldn't get any worse, but they inevitably did - but the ending provides some sort of closure and a sense of the main characters gaining some happiness in their lives. I cannot recommend this novel highly enough. Please read it!
50 of 50 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
By far the best novel I have ever read. It is a joy to envision the milieu for this epic novel. You cannot help but be drawn to the characters and their plight. An often moving and emotional insight into the lives of India's street beggars and an excellent reminder of how deeply the caste system is embedded in this lost society. The portrayal of corruption, inherent at every juncture of 1970-80's India, leaves the reader with a sense of injustice and an added impetus to read on in the hope things may get better. A marvellous and compelling book, and a must on any bookshelf!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A Fine Balance
This is the best written, thought provoking piece of literature I have ever read! If you only pick up one book in your lifetime, make it this one. Read more
Published 3 days ago by J Fortescue
Brilliant inspiring book
This book is brilliantly written with excellently drawn characters who you really care about. The characters' hope and positive outlook in the face of such extreme adversity... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Gemima G
A vision of poetic truth
I finished this book while on holiday in Spain. I may as well have taken a holiday on the sofa for Mistry's epic tale of hope, corruption, loyalty, and above all the strength of... Read more
Published 1 month ago by bathsheba
Unforgettable characters and story.
A beautifully written story which encompasses a troubled era of Indian history seen from the point of view of four wonderfully drawn characters whose lives come together in... Read more
Published 1 month ago by R. Fulton
A "must" read book!
Akthough at the beginning one wonders where the description of all the separate characters is leading, it all becomes clear as the story progresses. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Andrea
Earth shattering
This is an earth shattering novel, the impact of which I still feel seven years after I first read it. I don't say this lightly. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Karen McCartney
Depressing but uplifting at the same time
I love the way the 4 stories are all linked together and especially how a character is introduced and then you jump back in time to see their story unfold. Read more
Published 3 months ago by CoolJules
Well Worth the Read
Have just finished reading this book and I really enjoyed most of it. It opened my eyes to how cruel some people can be towards their fellow men. Read more
Published 3 months ago by HappyMama
A real good cry !
Absolulutely heart rendering. Pathos, comedy and interest. Very sat to think that the story is based on reality. I loved it and recomend the book without hesitation.
Published 4 months ago by Mr. K. Wareham
Depressathon
This was my book club's choice. It's a monster of a book: 600+ pages of small print and reading it is like running a marathon. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Murray Size
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