Reviews

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth

lostgwennel's review

Though I loved some of the characters, the cultural authenticity, historical setting, style, and romance, after 500 pages the story felt stagnant and like nothing was really progressing - it wasn’t holding my interest enough to justify another 1000 pages.

mcgovnhm's review

4.0

This book… was well written. I will say that. The characters had a lot of weight behind them, and were woven together well. But that ending….I was just not a fan. And it took a very long time to get to that ending which I was not a fan of. Maybe that’s realistic, or a great metaphor for the way that real life happens. But for me, I was disappointed in the choices of the main characters. There was nothing inherently WRONG with the ending I suppose, it just wasn’t at all what I had hoped would happen. The whole of reading this novel was enjoyable, but I think the destination is almost as important as the journey when it comes to novels, particularly novels of this size.

daniblue976's review

challenging reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book was massive. There were a million characters to keep track of and the ending wasn’t satisfying to me. I felt it did a disservice to Lata and felt rushed, which shouldn’t happen with such a large book. It didn’t feel like much was resolved. 

candacesiegle_greedyreader's review

5.0

I read "A Suitable Boy" when it came out and loved it. I just re-read it, and actually loved it even more. The story is so engrossing, each character so completely developed, that is it hard to move on once you turn the last page. What else will give a reader such a sense of sitting in on a huge story with people you miss when the book is through? And then there are these questions: was Lata's choice the right one? What's going on between Maan and Firoz? Is the future going to be as tough on Saeeda Bai as it seems? What will happen to the Khans with the Zamindari act? Can Mrs. Rupa Mehra please have an admirer? She deserves something, and Jeez, she's only in her 40s.


Now I hear that Seth is working on a sequel (please pass on any additional info, fellow readers) Of course I'm filled with anticipation, but have a suggestion, Vik. Realize that you cannot wind up this story in a mingy 365 pages. You will need a large canvas to satisfy your readers and do your characters justice.

"A Suitable Boy" is recommended for anyone who relishes the transformative power of fiction and the joy of great storytelling.

Candace Siegle,
Greedy Reader

tara_pikachu's review

3.0

I haven't read a lot of books on India but I think this book does justice as far as culture and idiosyncrasy is concerned.

skan's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This audio version of the book was just very confusing to listen to as it had no actual narration, just the conversations between characters. Also considering how long this book is, I'm assuming that this audio version must be abridged to be only 6 hours. 

becca_clifford's review against another edition

challenging emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

ljutavidra's review

Moram biti iskrena prema sebi i priznati da nema teorije da čitam ovo dalje. Ovih 200 strana je bilo krajnje nezanimljivo, sporo, i iako se dosta stvari desilo, zapravo se ništa nije ni desilo. Kao indijske sapunice gde na kraju svake epizode imate klifhenger kako biste gledali i dalje. E pa tako se i ovde maltene svako poglavlje završavalo sa nekim pokušajem ubrzavanja radnje, ali stvarno nisam imala utisak da će se bilo šta epohalno desiti (a na kraju krajeva me ni ne zanima, ali mogu da naslutim).

Malo sam i razočarana jer ovo delo važi za savremeni klasik kad su indijski pisci u pitanju. Pored praktično nepostojeće radnje smetao mi je i neprirodan dijalog (koji je čudno i previše formalno zvučao čak i među tinejdžerkama), pa me je to dodatno izmeštalo iz radnje. Možda sam i ja previše očekivala, ali ne vidim zašto ova knjiga ima toliku (nezasluženu, ako smem dodati) ocenu.

P.S. Prodajem svoj primerak na engleskom, pa ako vas zanima ili znate nekoga koga bi zanimalo, javite se.

karinlib's review

4.0

This book was very good. I keep comparing it to War and Peace (which is about 100 pages shorter than A Suitable Boy). War and Peace was a great story; A Suitable Boy was good, but had several spots that downright dragged.

A Suitable Boy took place during one year in the life of a fairly new, independent India. At the core it is the story of a widow and her family trying to find A Suitable Boy for the youngest daughter, but the outer layers of this story included so much more. Politics, religion, family duty, city life, rural life and caste all crowded into this tale.
Bottom line, I'm glad I read this book.

liorehk's review against another edition

dark emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5