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Such a Long Journey Paperback – 19 Oct 2006

by
Rohinton Mistry (Author)
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Rohinton Mistry (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 49 customer reviews
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Product details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Faber & Faber; Main edition (19 Oct. 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0571230571
  • ISBN-13: 978-0571230570
  • Product Dimensions: 12.6 x 2.2 x 19.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 36,305 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Amazon Review

Mistry does something that only the really natural writers can do: without apparent effort, manipulation or contrivance, he creates characters you like instantly and will gladly follow for as long as the novel leads. The book is about an Indian family during the years of Indira Ghandi's rule; it's also a study of the times, its politics and corruption, and was especially interesting for me, knowing so little about life in the rest of the world. It had to be a good book: after I read Such a Long Journey, I wanted to go right out and buy a plane ticket and see India for myself. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

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"'One of India's finest living novelists.' Observer"

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5.0 out of 5 starsFamiliar human nature in an unfamiliar setting
By laptoplou on 15 April 2005
Format: Paperback
This is the second Rohinton Mistry novel I have read ( also Family Matters) and I cannot recommend them too highly. In this novel ( which is about a bank clerk and his family; the doctor mentioned in the above synopsis is a minor character.)Mistry creates a group of characters and describes their interaction in an absorbing and convincing way. In some ways this is like a traditional 19th century English novel of family life, though set in India in the 1970s. When I read 'Family Matters', I had never been to India, but Mistry's descriptions enabled me to visualise it in a way few previous 'Indian' novels I had read had succeeded in doing. 'Such a long journey' I read during my first visit to India and I can now vouch for its authenticity and humour. The novel however is no travelogue; the characters are interesting because of their human nature. The ending was genuinely moving. A great writer.
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5.0 out of 5 starswonderfully human
By A Customer on 13 Nov. 2002
Format: Paperback
Though lacking the dramatic power and the pessimistic philosophy of his later masterpiece 'A fine balance', 'Such a long journey' is a wonderful, extremely compassionate account of a family's struggle to maintain unity and moral integrity in the face of extraordinary circumstances: both external (the Emergency) and internal (father-son conflicts, disease etc.).
The political agenda in this novel is much reduced compared to Mistry's later work, and that perhaps renders 'Such a long journey' a less pressing and controversial book, removing some of the urgency and the vigour to concentrate instead on a very human (and universal) 'journey', which eventually leads to a very human (and universal) catharsis.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and I rate it as highly as 'A fine balance' and perhaps higher that the latest, somewhat disappointing (to me!) 'Family matters'.
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5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent - fantastic characterisation
By BookWorm TOP 500 REVIEWER on 25 April 2009
Format: Paperback
Rohinton Mistry is a wonderful writer and 'Such a Long Journey' is another great example of his skill. Mistry creates characters that the reader can truly love and empathise with - we can see ourselves and those we know in all of his characters, and as a result we care about them and believe in them. I'd go as far as to say he is the best author around when it comes to characterisation.

The hero of 'Such a Long Journey' is Gustad Noble, a hardworking family man trying to make ends meet. In trying to help an old friend, he finds himself caught up in frightening events far beyond his normal unremarkable existence, whilst simultaneously his peaceful home life is shattered by a quarrel with his son and illness in his daughter.

Mistry relates the minutae of daily domestic life in a way that is absorbing and fascinating. The reader shares in every concern of the family and longs to participate actively in their lives. It's perfectly paced and surprisingly gripping, without ever being unrealistic. Even though it is set in a country I have never visited, in an era before I was born, and the characters are from a different faith to me, it honestly doesn't matter at all. Mistry finds the humanity that is common to us and as such writes in a way that truly transcends all cultural, temporal and geographical divides.

A superb book by a writer who deserves wider recognition.
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4.0 out of 5 stars"Luck is the spit of gods and goddesses."
By Mary Whipple HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER on 2 Jan. 2006
Format: Paperback
Sometimes compared to Dickens or Victor Hugo for the strength of his descriptions, Rohinton Mistry uses "ordinary" men and women as his protagonists and fills his novels with the sights, sounds, smells, and color of India. Depicting his characters as neither saints nor sinners, he involves the reader in their lives as they try to survive the complexities of their culture.
In this novel, Gustad Noble and his wife Dilnavaz, living in a congested apartment building in Bombay, try to lead good lives and inspire their children during Indira Gandhi's rule in the 1970s, with all its political, professional, and social upheaval. India is on the verge of war with the Muslims of Pakistan, and though Gustad, a Parsi, is aware of political chicanery, he is far more pre-occupied with having his son accepted at a school of technology, doing his job as a bank supervisor, and supporting his family. Constant blackouts and continually deteriorating conditions on the street add to the frustrations of Gustad's life.
Then Jimmy Bilimoria, an old friend, asks Gustad for help, claiming that he is training freedom fighters in Bangladesh to act on behalf of the Indian government against Pakistani "butchers." Gustad reluctantly agrees to use his position at the bank to deposit money to a secret account, but he soon finds himself enmeshed in a spiral from which he cannot break out, his life turned upside down.
Throughout the novel, the wall outside Gustad's apartment building symbolizes the larger world of Bombay and parallels some aspects of Gustad's own life. At the outset, it is used as a latrine, breeding illness in the neighborhood but keeping the noise and tumult of the street out of the apartment house.Read more ›
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4.0 out of 5 starsBrilliant book but 'A Fine Balance' was even better
By Royston Vazey on 26 Jan. 2012
Format: Kindle Edition
Having read 'A Fine Balance' a fair while ago and still talking about it today as the best book I've ever read, I was very excited to see another book by the same author. This was magnified by the fact that my delightful Dad had just bought me a Kindle for Christmas and I could enjoy the book on this marvel of modern technology!

Now then... about the book! It's incredibly well written, possibly too well for me as I had to look up the meaning of a huge number of words; I thought my English was pretty spot on 'til I read this book! On top of this there's smatterings of Hindi which adds to the atmosphere being set but was often incomprehensible to me despite having travelled all over India. However, there was never a point where I didn't know what was going on and it barely detracted from my enjoyment of the book. The characters and scenes are incredibly well described; this seems to be Mr Mistry's true forte. The personalities, opinions and attitudes portrayed in this book are very typical of Indian society. The story line was good, perhaps a little slow moving for me. It feels rude to take anything away from this book but I think 'A Fine Balance' was a much more interesting and powerful story; no book has ever clawed at my emotions so effectively. If you're only going to read one of Mr Mistry's books I'd recommend you read that one.

Thanks for giving me so many hours of entertainment.
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