At times self-aggrandizing and unbelievable and with prose and style that isn't anything worth clamouring over, this is a good novel overall, an interesting plot and a quick and easy read, despite coming in at just over 900 pages.

My main criticism is that Roberts demonstrates throughout the novel that he is capable of a higher writing form, but he usually devolved back into a style that I found hurried, untimely, and sometimes sloppy. Too many plot twists were conveniently placed and pre... (show more)

At times self-aggrandizing and unbelievable and with prose and style that isn't anything worth clamouring over, this is a good novel overall, an interesting plot and a quick and easy read, despite coming in at just over 900 pages.

My main criticism is that Roberts demonstrates throughout the novel that he is capable of a higher writing form, but he usually devolved back into a style that I found hurried, untimely, and sometimes sloppy. Too many plot twists were conveniently placed and predictable. Some of the characters were simply flat with more emphasis on their physical descriptions rather than in the development of their peronsality and human traits.

Also, scattered with references to what I perceived as popular lollipop philosophy, Roberts does not do a great job of building and supporting his characters' philosophical assumptions on life, something the reader is bomarded with again and again. If this was a primary goal of the book then he would have done well to construct a more thorough and well-thought philosophy. Indeed he could have accomplished this as he certainly didn't seem concerned with the length of the book. Further to this last point, even though the read goes quickly, it was too long and redundant with repetitive sub-plots which only added marginal value to the overall work.

If there is a modest curiousity in this book then I would recommend it. Rumor has it that this is one of a possible 3 or 4 part series. If this is true then I am not convinced that I could commit myself to reading future installments unless Roberts mixes it up a bit and attempts to challenge his readership a bit more than he has with this first publication. (show less)

There is no disputing that Naipaul is condescending, caustic, orientalist, a colonial apologist for British rule, and downright offensive, if not racist in his presentation of India, his grandfather’s homeland. However, with all of this in mind, the book is actually enjoyable and should be read more as a narrative comedy than a serious work of cultural or historical analysis. Naipaul is first and foremost a writer of fiction and it is very obvious that many of the events in this book are dr... (show more)

There is no disputing that Naipaul is condescending, caustic, orientalist, a colonial apologist for British rule, and downright offensive, if not racist in his presentation of India, his grandfather’s homeland. However, with all of this in mind, the book is actually enjoyable and should be read more as a narrative comedy than a serious work of cultural or historical analysis. Naipaul is first and foremost a writer of fiction and it is very obvious that many of the events in this book are dramatized, if not embellished, for the sake of storytelling. I read this on a recent trip to India and, I’ll admit, I had to put the book down because it’s overwhelming negativity. The descriptions of his encounters made me fixate on all of those things a traveler to India may find annoying, distasteful, and even painful. However, it was finally worth finishing if only to gain a little insight into the mindset of a prolific writer, who seems to feel displaced as an outsider in the land of his cultural roots. If you are traveling to India and want a good travel read (and need to get away from Lonely Planet, etc.), stick to Nehru’s “The Discovery of India” or “India After Gandhi” by Ramachandra Guhu. If you do decide to read this or another one of Naipaul’s works on the subcontinent while traveling there, try not to take his experiences and claims so seriously. Between all the subtle insults and depressing commentary there is some good satire, focusing on the evolving contradictions and ironies that are the Indian travel experience. (show less)