Margitte's Reviews > A Suitable Boy
A Suitable Boy (A Bridge of Leaves, #1)
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Margitte's review
bookshelves: family-sagas, drama, historical-fiction, india, political-novel, romance, reviewed
Feb 08, 2014
bookshelves: family-sagas, drama, historical-fiction, india, political-novel, romance, reviewed
The book blurb says it all. I will only add my comments.
While reading this monumental novel of 1535 pages, I was wondering how much of the original offering was edited out to end up with this number of pages as the final result! I also wondered, while ploughing through it, how much of the existing book can be cut out and still leave the essential core. Probably half of it. Compared to Barbara Kingsolver and Yung Chang, Vikram Seth needed twice as much pages to tell similar stories as these two authors.
So yes, it was a long-winded journey: a story of India after Partition, that was told through the eyes of four extended families with each member profiled to the last red spot of paan on the teeth. This book really celebrates the good, the bad and the ugly of humankind. Mrs. Rupa Mehra, with her daughter,Lata, get the train rolling when it becomes time to find a suitable husband for Lata. India in all its colorful splendor is presented to the reader to almost the puking stage, to be really honest! But how fascinating the journey!
Enough! Enough! Enough! I often wanted to just run away, and I did, since it is the end of the financial year (February) and what is normally a quiet relaxed month turned out to be one of the craziest in recent history. But each evening I sneaked off to bed and grabbed the book as though my life depended on it.
In retrospect this book was amazing. The drama lasted the entire 1535 pages and that really makes this book outstanding! There's no villains, only ordinary people writing their own histories while living their lives.
I do not want to add too much spoilers and blow the plot, or give away the story. But I cannot leave out one of the most outstanding moments in the book, for me: it was the passing of a mother and it had me crying like losing my own.
(view spoiler)
Much of India's modern history could have been my own country's. Even the name of political parties, the titles of new bills, the speeches made in parliament, the way landowners got treated, sounded like it was written for South Africa. Much of the events are disturbingly similar. In fact, it is a blueprint and it turned my stomach upside down. Not that it is a surprise, but it is still upsetting to experience.
I liked this book. It was a brilliant presentation of Mother India and all her beautiful children.
While reading this monumental novel of 1535 pages, I was wondering how much of the original offering was edited out to end up with this number of pages as the final result! I also wondered, while ploughing through it, how much of the existing book can be cut out and still leave the essential core. Probably half of it. Compared to Barbara Kingsolver and Yung Chang, Vikram Seth needed twice as much pages to tell similar stories as these two authors.
So yes, it was a long-winded journey: a story of India after Partition, that was told through the eyes of four extended families with each member profiled to the last red spot of paan on the teeth. This book really celebrates the good, the bad and the ugly of humankind. Mrs. Rupa Mehra, with her daughter,Lata, get the train rolling when it becomes time to find a suitable husband for Lata. India in all its colorful splendor is presented to the reader to almost the puking stage, to be really honest! But how fascinating the journey!
Enough! Enough! Enough! I often wanted to just run away, and I did, since it is the end of the financial year (February) and what is normally a quiet relaxed month turned out to be one of the craziest in recent history. But each evening I sneaked off to bed and grabbed the book as though my life depended on it.
In retrospect this book was amazing. The drama lasted the entire 1535 pages and that really makes this book outstanding! There's no villains, only ordinary people writing their own histories while living their lives.
I do not want to add too much spoilers and blow the plot, or give away the story. But I cannot leave out one of the most outstanding moments in the book, for me: it was the passing of a mother and it had me crying like losing my own.
(view spoiler)
Much of India's modern history could have been my own country's. Even the name of political parties, the titles of new bills, the speeches made in parliament, the way landowners got treated, sounded like it was written for South Africa. Much of the events are disturbingly similar. In fact, it is a blueprint and it turned my stomach upside down. Not that it is a surprise, but it is still upsetting to experience.
I liked this book. It was a brilliant presentation of Mother India and all her beautiful children.
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Reading Progress
February 8, 2014
– Shelved as:
to-read
February 8, 2014
– Shelved
February 23, 2014
–
Started Reading
March 2, 2014
– Shelved as:
family-sagas
March 2, 2014
– Shelved as:
drama
March 2, 2014
– Shelved as:
historical-fiction
March 2, 2014
– Shelved as:
india
March 2, 2014
– Shelved as:
political-novel
March 2, 2014
– Shelved as:
romance
March 2, 2014
– Shelved as:
reviewed
March 2, 2014
–
Finished Reading
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![Deb](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1642833537p1/5276322.jpg)
![Margitte](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1650004119p1/7481492.jpg)
It is the genre you really like, and you are not intimidated easily by a book, lol. So yes, this book is for you. I am glad I bought the printed version. It really made a difference in the enjoyment of the book. So hang in there with the fork lift - it is a good idea. hehehehehehehe.
![Deb](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1642833537p1/5276322.jpg)
Hahaha! Right!Fork lift..pick up truck.. maybe I can arrange to have it air lifted to my door. I could try amazon but they might charge extra EXTRA for the shipping! (Jokes!)
![Lynne King](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1357126217p1/15736557.jpg)
I'm reading this book at the moment (it's absolutely wonderful!) and like you!
"But each evening I sneaked off to bed and grabbed the book as though my life depended on it."
I take it with me everywhere. The problem is as it's a paperback, it's beginning to look a trifle sad and worn...
![Margitte](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1650004119p1/7481492.jpg)
I'm reading this book at the moment (it's absolutely wonderful!) and like you!
"But each evening I sneaked off to bed and grabbed the book as though my life depended on i..."
Thanks, Lynne! It was a hefty hold in any position, lol. I did a few joga tricks in the process to get it nicely balanced :-))
![Anna](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1488562610p1/41878643.jpg)