The Great Indian Novel Paperback – 26 July 1990

Oned of the most interesting and amusing books I've read. Had to read it a second I enjoyed it so much.

Excellent description and service. I did find a couple of bits and pieces stashed away in the pages (flight boarding cards for example) but these actually added to the experience!

Great book for anyone who wants a reminder of partician and independence from the Raj

A good friend recommended this and I said, "Sure, Sure," and forgot about it for six months. When I finally felt sufficiently obligated to read it I sped through this alternate history of India; intoxicating is too small a word.

I finished the book recently, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, which is saying a lot because my paperback edition is around 600 pages. I wouldn't consider the book a "literary" work, and I'm not sure what genre it can be categorized under (historical fiction?), but it's certainly a one-of-a-kind book, and a masterpiece.The concept behind the book is ingenious. Tharoor uses the great Indian epic, The Mahabharata, as the ground for writing a book on 20th-century Indian history and politics, like a Greek writer using The Illiad as the basis for a novel on modern Greek politics. The importance of that is two-fold: It shows the continuing relevance of this ancient epic in modern times, and it places the history of Indian independence and modern India within a mythic framework, like a continuation of the mythical history of India. The narrator is the original storyteller of the mighty Mahabharata, Vyasa, and, of course, his scribe is a representation of the original scribe, the deity Ganesha.Tharoor weaves the story of the great, mythic Indian struggle for freedom from the largest, most powerful empire in the history of mankind using characters from The Mahabharata to represent independence leaders and modern leaders (you can easily pick out Indira Gandhi). I thought the blending of historical and mythical events to be a really original conception for a novel. The characters are fleshed out well, and Tharoor shows his knowledge of Indian politics and the motivations and flaws of the people enmeshed in it. I also appreciated his empathetic characterizations of the poorer and more downtrodden in Indian society.The book was a masterpiece of satire and wit, and I liked Tharoor's prose style, particularly his penchant for alliteration. For a long novel, the story was well-paced and not difficult to read through. In fact, it moved pretty fast for me. I loved the ending (so Indian or Hindu). Perfect.Personal note: I enjoyed the fact that Tharoor made the character who represented Krishna a Malayali, just like Tharoor is and just like I am. Cool.

It is rare to find such imaginative and well-constructed storytelling ✨Tharoor reimagines The Mahabharata in the setting of India’s freedom struggle, with political leaders recast as characters from the epic. This being a work of fiction, Tharoor never explicitly mentions which character is based on which leader, which makes it all the more fun to find out for yourself.Overall, this was a thoroughly entertaining and insightful read, filled with moments of clever wit that made me chuckle.

Was curious about how this would translate. So far so good! Excellent condition and fast shipping

Un capolavoro letterario poco o nulla conosciuto in Italia. Per apprezzarlo al meglio occorre però conoscere qualcosa sulla storia e i miti dell'India

Great novel.