A Suitable Boy

[cerealqueen]

I have this huge thing on the bookshelf. I started it, did not get far, then got pregnant, no time etc. I now have a kindle and see it on Kindle and think it may be more physically manageable on buses etc.

Is it good and worth a re-buy?

I really enjoyed it. It's a proper long tale! Have you read any of his other books? If you have time to read I would give it another go.

I am 80% through this right now.

In between studying it has taken me weeks to get this far and I am looking forward to finishing it because I have so many others to read.

I hate the political stuff but love the story of Mann, Lata et al. A bit too much political stuff for my liking but it is still a good story or I would have put it down a long time ago.

I do think it could be shorter and not lose its meat, so while I have some complaints about it I do recommend trying it again.

I also want to know if what I think about Maan is true! I sense a twist coming up but not sure if its in my head.

I haven't read any other, don't have lots of time but fancy getting really stuck into something! Is it a page turner or a slow burner?

Not sure I could read it on a kindle - i'd want to be able to flick back and recheck characters/events, as it's such a dense book.

(and flick past some of the rhymes)

I enjoyed it, it's beautifully written, but it's not a book you would describe as a page turner. If youre in the mood for something that you just can't put down then I'd look for something else

I loved it. It's a long, gentle story. Perfect for bedtime.

I loved it too. I haven't touched it for years but it's on my "read again in hard copy" list for this winter (although it is finally available on kindle too). One of those books you get really immersed in

That is what I want, to get immersed! I think I'm sold. I'll go with the hard copy at bedtime and get the kindle version when I've got some spare money.
Thanks everybody!

It is a brilliant brilliant book. Read it years ago. I will read it again sometime.

Read it when it first came out and loved it so much I took myself off to India for a month (oh, to be young, free and single again).

I agree about the shortcomings of the kindle for flicking back to chek things though.

Indrid we are going away in the October half term. I've decided I'm going to read it again then.
I remember never wanting to finish the book the first time I read it. it

Celtic although I read it such a long time ago I can still remember some parts so clearly, yet I have still managed to forget enough to make it worth reading again.

Enjoy your break!

I read somewhere that he's working on "A Suitable Girl".

Thanks Indrid

Hope that's true losing

I loved it too. I missed and mourned the main characters for some time after I finished. That was 20 years ago, and sometimes the names pop back in my head and I think "I wonder what they are doing now". Before I remember the obvious...

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry is also good, in a similar vein.

A suitable girl is meant to be coming out next year I think (is on my amazon wishlist)

Amazon says 2nd April 2015

I loved it right up to the end which was so utterly unsatisfactory that I threw the book across the room.

It's a stellar book but then I am Indian so the social/political context is extremely familiar to me. The Calcutta sections are outstanding as is the poetry in them. My favourite Seth book is Golden Gate and my husband's is An Equal Music. Both are wonderful books.

Also loved this book and missed the characters when I was finished. Very excited to hear about 'a suitable girl'!