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Review
‘This novel, so vast and so amiably peopled, is a long, sweet, sleepless pilgrimage to life… Such writing reminds us that there are secrets beyond technique, beyond even style, which have to do with a quality of soul on the part of the writer, a giving of oneself… His novel deserves thousands of long marriages and suitable readers.’
Guardian
‘Vivid, evocative and beautifully written, A Suitable Boy casts its net far and wide across the country… Seth has a wonderful sense of place and the (fictional) city of Brahmpur is almost a character in its own right… The cast of A Suitable Boy is as vast and various as that of any 19th century novel.’
Literary Review
‘A Suitable Boy modulates unawkwardly from moments of delicate emotional and psychological accuracy to scenes of panoramic drama… it lines up with its eminent 19th century predecessors in combining depth of imagination with breadth of appeal.’
Sunday Times
Book Description
The classic Number One bestseller from award-winning author Vikram Seth.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
When I finally finished this mammoth book I have to admit feeling a sense of sadness as if I would "miss" the characters that I had become to enthralled by for so long.
Seth portrays India in an endearing and charming way and each character is created brilliantly, be it the self-centered Meenakshi, or the charming yet wastrel of Maan. Yet the story is basically a love story and set against the backdrop of the politics in India of 1951/2 it is a captivating read. Being of Indian origin this was even more significant for me, but it will appeal to readers of all backgrounds.
I shall miss reading this book fondly!
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was slightly dubious when I first purchased the book due to the sheer bulk of it - sometimes writers have a habit of droning on an on writing over 10 pages when something can be described concisely in half a page.
Not so with a Suitable Boy, the characters feel so real, by the time I finished I almost felt a sense of loss, like I had made friends and wouldn't be seeing them again. Each character is so different yet their traits conveyed so perfectly.
An excellent book, the attention to detail is impeccable and you feel as if you are in 1950s India and in the characters lives. Vikram Seth is without a doubt a gifted writer and I look forward to reading other work by him.
Not so with a Suitable Boy, the characters feel so real, by the time I finished I almost felt a sense of loss, like I had made friends and wouldn't be seeing them again. Each character is so different yet their traits conveyed so perfectly.
An excellent book, the attention to detail is impeccable and you feel as if you are in 1950s India and in the characters lives. Vikram Seth is without a doubt a gifted writer and I look forward to reading other work by him.
49 of 52 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book, reputed to be the longest written in the English language, is a total immersion experience, and you can almost smell India at times. Anyone who has read their share of English classics will hear echoes, from George Eliot, Dickens and Austin, as the old concerns about marrying well are analysed in newly-independent, post-war India. Whom should our girl marry, the poet or the cobbler? Should we marry one we are enthralled by or one that lets us be ourselves? These things are asked but not always answered, against a background of politics and religion. What made it for me were the totally loveable and some equally repellent characters you meet along the way. These seem like real people, which is the delightful triumph of this epic work. There are plenty of blank pages at the back of the book to write your own glossary of the many Indian words you will come across. A book to savour, as you lie on your charpoy, sipping a cool nimbu pani.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good
The book is good but it is too long and too heavy. I am reading it little by little. I have not finished it yet. Read more
Published 1 month ago by M. Nisbet
a book for life
This is a wonderful book, although probably not for everyone. This is definitely not a book for the IPAD\Tablet generation. Read more
Published 3 months ago by luxman
a great read
A Suitable Boy is the second novel by Vikram Seth. It is the story of Lata Mehra and her mother Mrs Rupa Mehra (Ma to her friends), who is intent on finding for her daughter "a... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Cloggie Downunder
Well worth your time
A Suitable Boy has been on my "must read" list for many years - finally I have got round to it. For the past five weeks I have been immersed in the fictional town of Brahmpur,... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Julia Flyte
A wonderful bridge between the foreign and the familiar
What impressed me was the author's skill to override my scant knowledge of Indian history, culture, and language, to create a story so readable and comfortable that when the book... Read more
Published 5 months ago by G. Dickson
One of my top 100 books of all time.
This is a novel that begins as a study of one family and then widens its scope and by looking at the relationships of the family members encompasses a diverse society at a time of... Read more
Published 7 months ago by KAW
If a book could be a best friend...
I first came across this book which someone had left in a holiday apartment. It was not the kind of book I would normally have read, but once I started it I could not put it down. Read more
Published 7 months ago by MH
a suitable boy by vikram seth
This was a book I found very difficult to put down ( even though it was rather heavy). I was most interested in finding out how other religions dictated peoples lives so... Read more
Published 8 months ago by melissa
Strong wrists needed!
A Suitable Boy is, if nothing else, an epic accomplishment. Seth has created and populated a world in such detail, astutely developed numerous characters and maintained a written... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Clumsyart
Disappointing
Romantics will be disappointed by this book. At times it is heart-warming and at other times utterly dull. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Bluebird
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