First things first -- this is not an awful book. It was good enough that I slugged through 1,500 pages -- one of the longest English written books in history.

The characters are generally well developed. Some of the stories are interesting. It can often be humorous.

Now, on to my gripes:

1. I have read many post-Partition books and novels about India, and this novel did not seem to capture the sheer chaos and, well, filth of India.
2. Many of the stories were either uninteresting or utterly irrelevant.
3. There are many interconnections in the book -- but as a whole they weren't altogether clever.

And to the biggest gripes:

4. After about 1,200 pages, it felt as though the author said "ah the hell with it I'm sick of this book, let's wrap this up as quickly as possible." It was overdone all the way through, but towards the end nothing was developed and many storylines were left unresolved.
5. The obvious -- this book is WAY too long. The author could have easily cut 300-600 pages and it would have had NO effect on the book. From banal and never ending details about Indian politics to learning more than you ever wanted to about the bridge card game, this book takes you on twists and turns that put you to sleep instead of excite you.
6. It's all about finding a mate for Lata. The ultimate choice she makes was as anticlimactic and predictable as I could have imagined.

The book was decent at best, but far too long and in the end, immensely disappointing. I would never read another work by this author, and would strongly recommend against anyone reading this overwrought, self-indulgent work unless you're desperate to be led on a long winding road to nowhere.
First things first -- this is not an awful book. It was good enough that I slugged through 1,500 pages -- one of the longest English written books in history. The characters are generally well developed. Some of the stories are interesting. It can often be humorous. Now, on to my gripes:

1. I have read many post-Partition books and novels about India, and this novel did not seem to capture the sheer chaos and, well, filth of India. 2. Many of the stories were either uninteresting or utterly irrelevant. 3. There are many interconnections in the book -- but as a whole they weren't altogether clever. And to the biggest gripes:

4. After about 1,200 pages, it felt as though the author said "ah the hell with it I'm sick of this book, let's wrap this up as quickly as possible. " It was overdone all the way through, but towards the end nothing was developed and many storylines were left unresolved. 5. The obvious -- this book is WAY too long. The author could have easily cut 300-600 pages and it would have had NO effect on the book. From banal and never ending details about Indian politics to learning more than you ever wanted to about the bridge card game, this book takes you on twists and turns that put you to sleep instead of excite you. 6. It's all about finding a mate for Lata. The ultimate choice she makes was as anticlimactic and predictable as I could have imagined. The book was decent at best, but far too long and in the end, immensely disappointing. I would never read another work by this author, and would strongly recommend against anyone reading this overwrought, self-indulgent work unless you're desperate to be led on a long winding road to nowhere.