Here's what I wrote in 2008 about this read: "This was a really fun read. Contrasts Indian and American culture, while teaching a lot of Indian history. Recall cover photo; Monkey at the typewriter." ( )

This novel flip flops between early 19th century India, and 1990s India and California/Texas. It is about coming home and what is home, family and what is family, and identity. The cover is not lying, there is a typing monkey.

Many of Chandra's early 19th century characters were real people. I am not well-versed in Indian history (especially Indian military history), so I spent a fair amount of time reading about James Sikander Skinner, George Thomas (Jaharai Jung), Begum Sumroo, and more on Wikipedia. I looked up foods and places and wars. I am sure that someone with good knowledge of Indian history and culture would get a lot more out of this book than I did.

But I did enjoy this. Stories within stories, characters across time, gods, cricket in Houston, college in LA, driving long distances, characters in the 19th century and the 20th century wondering who they are and where they belong. ( )

I found it at the Salvos and it looked interesting and had good reviews on Goodreads. A monkey in India is shot and nearly dies, which give him the ability to recall his past lives and communicate them on a typewriter. He makes a deal with the God of Death that he can live as long as he can entertain an audience with his tales, and so begins to tell stories.

I normally can't stand this kind of thing but I like it so far.

Nah, gave up for now. Too many characters to keep straight. This needs to be read in long chunks and I can't do it justice right now.

Fascinating! And dense with characters and events. I found it a bit hard to follow -- so many characters, some mythical, and the writing is rich with detail of all kinds. It's a story of stories, narrated mostly by a god-like monkey who used to be human. I'd like to read it again sometime, as I was less confused after reading half the book and I'd get more out of it the second time. This author has boundless imagination! I couldn't tell how much was historical, if any. It's a complex book and richly so, as I said. There are many long, run-on sentences, so the reader must pay close attention. There is much to admire in the book and writing. There are several comical scenes of the monkeys running off with clothing from the clothesline on the roof, and more. Most of the stories interlock, revealing a saga of the life of the monkey as a human and other key people and their adventures, trials, lives and loves, and foes. I'd recommend the book for more sophisticated readers and perhaps for those living in India or who have lived there or visited at length. Though I have heard of the Gods in the book, I know nothing about them. ( )

I could not bring myself to read this book. I rarely read fiction and when I do, it's hard for me to gulp concepts of yama, death, mythological characters springing up and down the sentences. This was the most disappointing read of 2015. Me and my girl pal were excited to read a book whose title drew such a beautiful imagery in our heads and so I gifted her a copy along with buying one for myself. By the time I went home I had read about 40 pages during the train journey. The entire plot of a monkey recollecting his previous birth seemed absurd to me even by an imaginative reading style. I just couldn't believe that I bought this book based solely on its title. The jacket explains part of the concept in luscious words and there I fell. I couldn't make myself read this book again. Now it lies on my shelf and I wonder if I should gift it to someone or will they curse me for giving them such a boring book? I understood something well- I am not cut for fiction and that never am I ever going to get fooled by a book title or its cover page. I am not rating it because I couldn't finish it.