This is hands down one of the best books I’ve ever read. I can’t believe it’s over! Lata is one of my new favorite characters and I loved learning about the history and politics of Indian during this time as well. The book is long but worth every page. 10/10

Too much. Too long, too many characters. Too many plants and trees. Too much about Indian music that I found inaccessible. Too many unfamiliar (to me) Indian words not defined. Too many rhyming couplets. Too many subplots.

Not enough. Not enough character development -- could not tell you any differences between the two wastrel-brothers-of-main-characters Varun and Maan, for instance. Not enough that drew me in. Not enough to make me glad that I slogged through all those pages.

2.5 stars - 3 stars.

A massive book which took me a while to read. I really liked a few of the characters in there, mainly the Mehra family characters, but the truth is there were to many to keep track of. The family trees at the start help, but there are many political names and other families which come into it which are eventually confusing and spoil the flow of the story.

The whole of the political storyline didn’t make sense to me, because I don’t know so much about these political factions and names from 1950 in India. Of course, my ignorance isn’t a criticism of the book, but giving a brief overview of the historical context would have worked wonders.

All in all, for a 1500 page book, not a lot really happens. There’s no big dramas really, no Game of Thrones style deaths or twists, it’s all just a little simple and slow.

That being said, it feels good to have read it after being on my shelf for so long, and I don’t regret reading it.

4 stars. I believe Vikram Seth set out to write a novel that described and represented India after British colonization and occupation, examining the changes in culture, language, and, quiet simply, the humanity of people, after the first few years of independence. To do all of this, Seth diligently created a plethora of characters that experienced hardships and tragedy, and love and prosperity. Without such characters, each so fleshed out and alive, this novel would have deteriorated. They were the driving force for me to continue this book. I became so interested and entertained with their daily lives that I couldn’t stop reading. As I mentioned, the scope of this novel was quite large, and to encompass what was necessary to describe India post independence, Seth spent a lot of time, and pages, dealing with the politics that were happening in the country. And while some of it—I would argue only the first part that deals with politics—is necessary, the others just aren’t. During the parts where politics are discussed, argued, and explained, the novel slows down to an incredibly boring pace. The writing is seemingly more dull, we drift away from the characters were attached to, and we’re almost forced to listen while lawyers and politicians argue over whether or not bills are constitutional or not. While I can understand why they were important, overall it did drag the novel down a bit for me. However, it was still a lovely read.

It was LONG, but good. It was the kind of book I could - and did - put down from time to time, and still pick back up. Worth the effort, especially for getting a sense of the history and culture of mid-century India.

Honestly, horrible book.

I am so upset with how it ended. There were so many interesting threads and stories that started that were not finished. Lata’s choice at the end was stupid. There was so much left out and instead horrid and boring political affairs that did not make sense were put in.