A Suitable Boy (1993)

I think good writing is as much about the choice of what to leave out as much as what to include. This would have made two or three excellent books -- in this form, with everything crammed in plus the kitchen sink, a bag of chips & a cherry on the top, it was just TOO MUCH! Contrast with "War & Peace", where in spite of the length not a word is superfluous, & ithe shortcomings of "Suitable Boy"are hugely apparent. Some interesting characters & history, but overall gave me a giant headache. ( )

It's an interesting story of the choices faced by a young Indian girl and the trials and tribulations of growing up. At it's heart it discusses who knows what is likely to be best in the long run, a young girl or her family - is passion or duty more important - and can love be something that is separate from passion. It's not a culture I have a great deal of information about, but this describes it in exquisite detail.
It's been sometime since I read this one - but I'd certainly revisit it. ( )

I started this book in...maybe January 2007? Read 500 pages or so (of about 1400, I think), put it down for a month, picked it up again, literally cut it in half so that my friend and I could share the weight of dragging it around India in our backpacks.

This is not a page-turner, but that's not a criticism. The plot wanders around in many different directions, never with any clear end in sight.

I kept picking it up again because I wanted to stick with these characters, see what they would do next, what would happen to them. The backdrop of newly independent India is also really interesting (and informative).

To be honest, I never quite finished it. I still fully intend to read the last 300 pages at some point. I know I'll be able to slip right back into the story when I'm ready. If nothing else, I have to find out if Lata ends up with a suitable boy, and if so, which one. ( )

The story revolves around four families-the Kapoors, Mehras, Chatterjis and Khans. The backdrop of the story is the political upheaval in the post independent and post partitioned India of the 1950s. Lata Mehra's mother, Rupa, is determined to marry off her second daughter. The book opens at Savita and Pran Kapoor's wedding, where Lata decides that she does not want an arranged marriage like her sister. As the year passes three suitors come into Lata's life. While Lata chooses among a handsome Muslim classmate, a writer friend, or the self-made business man her mother wants for her, family drama and Indian history unfold around her. Life changes for Maan, Pran's brother, when he falls for an unsuitable girl. Savita and Pran begin domestic life together and start their family. Lata's brothers clash in Calcutta. A story about everyday life in India.
Small text and a really long book. Lots of different characters with Indian names makes it hard sometimes to follow the story. For advanced readers only ( )

Another of my all-time favourites. Follows several families and the story of how to find a suitable husband for the daughter of one of the families. Somehow even the less pleasant characters are sympathetically written. The crush beside the river still haunts me.

After reading the other reviews, I have to add that although it was long, I didn't want it to end! ( )