Feb 25, 2004 01:48 PM
4090 Views
(Updated Feb 25, 2004 01:54 PM)
I started reading this book only because I thought that I should read the longest single volume novel written in english. I'd then be considered great by my peers &c. What I did not consider while starting to read this book was the enjoyment the book would give me.
The book set in post independence India is perhaps the greatest book of fiction I've ever read.It is the story of Lata, the protagonist, who is being pressurized by her mother to marry a boy of her choice; a typical Indian mother. In course of the narration many people gets involved either directly or indirectly with Lata. The story which started off as a simple concept takes the shape of a huge tree.
A poem written in the book 'The fever bird' is a must read even if you do not want to read the book. Its simply great.
What struck me odd was the expertise and authority with which the author could write about the subjects of a time when he was probably a newborn. Also the professions of the characters has been discussed in detail. The author could, in the same book, give a detail account of everything from court proceedings to medicine to even leather manufacture and trade.
It is, as mentioned earlier the longest single volume work in english and so it takes time to finish. But, as the pages on the right side starts thinning, you shall be dismayed that the book will finish off soon.
It took me a month to finish the book. But, I'm sure there are many who'd do a better job.
