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16th out of 139 books
—
207 voters
The City of Devi
by
Manil Suri
A dazzling, multilayered novel that not only encompasses a searing love story but, with its epic reach, encapsulates the fate of the world.
Mumbai has emptied under the threat of imminent nuclear annihilation; gangs of marauding Hindu and Muslim thugs rove the desolate streets; yet Sarita can think of only one thing: buying the last pomegranate that remains in perhaps the e...more
Mumbai has emptied under the threat of imminent nuclear annihilation; gangs of marauding Hindu and Muslim thugs rove the desolate streets; yet Sarita can think of only one thing: buying the last pomegranate that remains in perhaps the e...more
Hardcover, 382 pages
Published
February 4th 2013
by W. W. Norton & Company
(first published February 2013)
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Sarita-Karun-Jaz. The triumvirate around whom the book revolves.
I've never been a huge fan of the love-triangle plot. I often find them highly contrived, far too predictable and lacking novelty. Having grown up in Bombay on a typical diet of Bollywood romcoms, I think can be blamed for my prejudice. That and those horrible bisections in Geometry class!
This isn't like any of those triangles though. It's refreshing, positively blatant in several aspects(loved the gay love-making scenes in the book...more
I've never been a huge fan of the love-triangle plot. I often find them highly contrived, far too predictable and lacking novelty. Having grown up in Bombay on a typical diet of Bollywood romcoms, I think can be blamed for my prejudice. That and those horrible bisections in Geometry class!
This isn't like any of those triangles though. It's refreshing, positively blatant in several aspects(loved the gay love-making scenes in the book...more
Weirdest love triangle ever. The first part of the book is told from the wife's point of view, knowing that her husband is missing after a series of bombs have gone off with the threat of a nuclear attack looming. Then the next section switches to the husband's lover, who is a guy. If you aren't expecting it, it's sort of off putting. One minute you think you're reading a love story and the next you wonder what the heck is going on. That being said, I did finish the book but found it went from w...more
A turbulent, vivid dystopia set in a future India, seen through the eyes of two characters - Sarita and Jaz - linked by a desperate search for their lost loves in the ruins and chaos of Mumbai, as nuclear apocalypse threatens, violent Hindu and Muslim gangs roam the streets, and the rest of the world is cut off by malicious computer viruses that have destroyed global communications.
Atmospheric, sensual and darkly funny, the tale veers both between past and present and the two protaganists to add...more
Atmospheric, sensual and darkly funny, the tale veers both between past and present and the two protaganists to add...more
I started reviewing books when I first read, “The Death of Vishnu” by Manil Suri. In fact, that review is also one of the first on this blog. From there on I have read everything that he has written, not because of the fact stated above, but because I admire his writing and his thought process. Suri has the uncanny ability to make so much sense of ordinary situations. His characters aren’t larger than life, however the circumstances are and with good reason – to move the plot ahead, to make the...more
When this book is good, it is very very good; and when it goes awry it's a train wreck (no pun intended). That being said, I did enjoy the read very much, fast paced, never dull, certainly entertaining. The plot got away from itself in the last third of the book and just really came apart. I'm not a fan of multi narrator books and while the technique succeeds on some levels here, I'm not convinced it was necessary; especially since one of the characters (Jaz) is by far a more compelling and well...more
When we think about the end of world as we know it, do India and Pakistan feature as the places that will start it all? We should: they both have nuclear capabilities. The City of Devi is set in a world where a movie, Superdevi, has inflamed passions to such an extreme that Pakistan has declared that they will bomb Mumbai. The Muslims and Hindus are fighting it out, bombs are exploding in cities far away from India and chaos is reigning.
In the midst of this is Sarita, relatively newly married t...more
In the midst of this is Sarita, relatively newly married t...more
Three days after I finished reading City of Devi by Manil Suri, I sat down to write the review and after twenty minutes of serious staring at the computer screen and getting a bad headache, I dropped the idea. I loved the book and the frankness of it all but to collect my thoughts and pen it, I admit that part needed quiet a bit of an effort. Let’s see if I can do some justice here.
Manil Suri completes his trilogy of Shiva, Vishnu and Devi with this irreverent look at the lives of three people i...more
Manil Suri completes his trilogy of Shiva, Vishnu and Devi with this irreverent look at the lives of three people i...more
I was chuffed to find a signed copy of Manil Suri's book at the Jaipur Literary Festival. Chuffed because his first was actually good, his second was not so good but I trusted him to get his groove back with the last of his triumvirate.
I am surprised by the raving jacket cover endorsements. This is a boring book. There is no character development. The story has no coherence. It is a bad book. Very bad book. When I begin to look at how many pages I have left to finish a book ( not in a good way)...more
I am surprised by the raving jacket cover endorsements. This is a boring book. There is no character development. The story has no coherence. It is a bad book. Very bad book. When I begin to look at how many pages I have left to finish a book ( not in a good way)...more
A bold and one of the strangest books I have read. Want to hate it but it was a compulsive read. I did enjoy the fast pace, never dull, and definitely entertaining story line.
It leaves me dissatified since Karun's final thoughts in this weird love triangle is not elaborated. How succesful is this trinity really going to be? Is Sarita so desperate to believe that this relationship with Karun and Ijaz (the real soul mates) would work? Would Ijaz who never bothered with loyalty or relationships for...more
It leaves me dissatified since Karun's final thoughts in this weird love triangle is not elaborated. How succesful is this trinity really going to be? Is Sarita so desperate to believe that this relationship with Karun and Ijaz (the real soul mates) would work? Would Ijaz who never bothered with loyalty or relationships for...more
What a surprise!!
This isn’t a book I would normally be drawn to. War between Pakistan and India, Muslims and Hindus, the sexual relationship between two men. There I’ve said it. When I read the blurb I put the book back on the shelf. A few minutes later the lady at the book store, “plug – Jeffrey’s Books Glenferrie Rd Malvern – unplug” encouraged me to read it, “it’s different but trust me you’ll enjoy it” she said. So not wanting to disappoint her I gave it a go. I’d never heard of Manil Suri...more
This isn’t a book I would normally be drawn to. War between Pakistan and India, Muslims and Hindus, the sexual relationship between two men. There I’ve said it. When I read the blurb I put the book back on the shelf. A few minutes later the lady at the book store, “plug – Jeffrey’s Books Glenferrie Rd Malvern – unplug” encouraged me to read it, “it’s different but trust me you’ll enjoy it” she said. So not wanting to disappoint her I gave it a go. I’d never heard of Manil Suri...more
India and Pakistan are on the verge of nuclear annihilation, hackers have made useless most forms of computer information, nations flounder under a sea of misinformation and threat. Into this apocalyptic scene Sarita wanders searching for her missing husband Karun. Pakistan has issued an ultimatum; October 19th they will blast Mumbai out of existence. Most of the inhabitants fled, including the rest of Sarita’s family. It is a surreal, dystopian landscape she must travel to find Karun, a Mumbai...more
I won The City of Devi as part of a firstreads giveaway. The story takes place during a countdown to doomsday in India. Leaks from Pakistan indicate a nuclear attack on India will take place in a matter of days. While the general populace is fleeing cities, taking refuge in basements, and seeking solace in a questionable appearance by the goddess Devi, Sarita is desperately trying to procure a pomegranate. It might seem silly at first, but our heroine seeks it as a sort of tribute to/stand-in fo...more
An imminent nuclear strike by Pakistan has resulted in an eerily abandoned Mumbai, where gangs of marauding Hindu and Muslim youth clash, as a reflection of the broader religious and ethnic tensions of the day.
Against this volatile backdrop, newly-wed Sarita is searching for her missing husband, Karun, a physicist by training. She soon joins up with Ijaz (or the Jazster) on her quest -- unbeknown to her, however, they are both searching for, and in love with, the same man.
The initial synopses I...more
Against this volatile backdrop, newly-wed Sarita is searching for her missing husband, Karun, a physicist by training. She soon joins up with Ijaz (or the Jazster) on her quest -- unbeknown to her, however, they are both searching for, and in love with, the same man.
The initial synopses I...more
Was a fast paced read for me. I loved having the exchange of the points of view lay out the story. The ending was quite shocking. I enjoyed the religious and spiritual references threaded throughout the storyline, this made the story more interesting to me.
I found the book very witty. I enjoyed the characters and the adventure that entertained me throughout the story. The ending was a little shocking to me. Wasn't where I saw the story going. The setting of the book made me think what the end of...more
I found the book very witty. I enjoyed the characters and the adventure that entertained me throughout the story. The ending was a little shocking to me. Wasn't where I saw the story going. The setting of the book made me think what the end of...more
It's the future, and much of India has disappeared through war. A bomb will be detonated in three days, so most of the people left are trying to flee. Chaos rules everywhere, especially with the tension between Hindus and Muslims. Everyone believes that the goddess Devi has appeared among them and that she's the only hope for saving the country. Sarita, a Hindu, is busy weaving her way through the country trying to find her husband, Karun, who mysteriously disappeared a few weeks earlier. Along...more
When we crack open The City of Devi, we meet a woman who’s venturing across the city in search of her husband, who has mysteriously disappeared. As Sarita makes her way to where she thinks he is, we get flashbacks to when she and her husband first meet as well as a peculiar complication that hangs over their marriage. Later on her fate gets intertwined with another character whom we also follow around, both through the city and through flashbacks. This guy, Jaz, is also in search of his loved on...more
Starts out as a love story, slow and a bit plodding, in the midst of the future fictional bombing and end of Mumbai. As it moves on, it turns into an odd love triangle, but you don't get that until you're at least halfway in. You may suspect it, but I thought it was because it was written by a man and men often don't get women's mindsets and emotions. I had not read reviews beforehand, so I only suspected the sexual orientation. All in all, had to force myself to finish. Meh.
I enjoyed some aspects of the story (e.g., the author's take on its "road" element), but in the end I felt a bit let down. The characters are engaging enough, as is the story. Sarita is searching for her husband, Karun, who has gone missing as an apparent apocalypse unfolds. She crosses paths with Jaz, who is on a quest of his own. And they encounter some colorful characters (human and otherwise)while traversing the disintegrating city (Mumbai). For me, though, I think there may have been too ma...more
I have not read Manil Suri earlier but “The City of Devi” gives a good idea of the writer’s caliber. It’s ‘fiction fantastic’ and you will hardly find such fiction by Indian authors or set up in Indian backdrop (and what better city in India then Mumbai for this).
The way Suri has brought out love between Sarita and Karun and between Jaz and Karun is remarkable. I have never read such a good handling of a love triangle. The story goes on as to how Jaz and Karun met and fell in love and later brea...more
The way Suri has brought out love between Sarita and Karun and between Jaz and Karun is remarkable. I have never read such a good handling of a love triangle. The story goes on as to how Jaz and Karun met and fell in love and later brea...more
Mythology. Mumbai. Both of these subjects have lost their freshness since Manil Suri’s acclaimed 2001 literary debut with The Death of Vishnu, the story of an alcoholic odd-job man dying on the landing of a Bombay apartment block. Maximum city is now a weary muse, somewhat worn out after recent takes on it. And revisiting mythology is what makes for pulp fiction heaven these days, with titles inspired by it threatening to get as numerous as deities in the Hindu pantheon.
It is into this tire...more
It is into this tire...more
A quest novel set in a near-future Bombay. The city is emptying out as India and Pakistan are at war and set to exchange nuclear bombs in a matter of days. Religious fanaticism inspires violence throughout the city. The rest of the world is melting down too, from cyber-terrorism, etc. Two people, Ijaz and Sarita, travel through this chaos in search of Karun, who is Sarita's husband and Ijaz's lover.
The back-stories were enjoyable, and the fanaticism was thought-provoking. But the whole last hal...more
The back-stories were enjoyable, and the fanaticism was thought-provoking. But the whole last hal...more
This is like a retelling of The Odyssey, but set in a Mumbai, India in a world on the edge of a nuclear conflagration. Sarita (Hindu) sets out in search of her missing husband Karun, and Jaz (Muslim) sets off in her wake, in search of his love; also Karun. Colorful, improbable secondary characters weave in and out in a story that is almost dreamlike as Sarita and Jaz search for their future.
I received this book through a Goodreads Giveaway.
While the world is at war and nuclear destruction is pending, all Sarita can think of is finding her husband who mysteriously packed up and left home. She's randomly encountered by Jaz, or so she believes.
I found that reading from both Sarita's and Jaz's point of views gave the story a nice change of pace. Understanding both Sarita and Jaz as well as their love for Karun was a necessary part of the story. At times the story seemed a little disjo...more
While the world is at war and nuclear destruction is pending, all Sarita can think of is finding her husband who mysteriously packed up and left home. She's randomly encountered by Jaz, or so she believes.
I found that reading from both Sarita's and Jaz's point of views gave the story a nice change of pace. Understanding both Sarita and Jaz as well as their love for Karun was a necessary part of the story. At times the story seemed a little disjo...more
Dystopian novel, Pakistan vs India, Muslim vs Hindu, man vs woman.
It started out very well, with good insights into politics and religion and society in East Asia.
Then it sank into an unfortunate and very lengthy digression of a fantasy, post-apocalyptic world and a love triangle.
I couldn't wait for the book to end.
It started out very well, with good insights into politics and religion and society in East Asia.
Then it sank into an unfortunate and very lengthy digression of a fantasy, post-apocalyptic world and a love triangle.
I couldn't wait for the book to end.
I am normally not one for end-of-the-world books, but really found myself enjoying this one. It's far from perfect, but the three main characters are all compelling and the writing style excels when focused on the nature of love. Parts of the plot lost me, but it's worth the read for the characters.
Perhaps I should rate this book with two stars instead of one, simply because I managed to make my way through to the end. Also, I came to like the two main characters, Sarita and Jaz. I agree with another reviewer who wrote that the story seemed disjointed with the characters in that it felt like two entirely different plots. I was borderline offended at the excessive and over-the-top homosexual love scenes. Also, too many events seemed way too coincidental to believe, even in a work of fiction...more
The way the plot unfolds in the book could easily make one believe that this is yet another racy thriller. But there's much more to it - brilliant satire, comic timing and a delightfully analytical approach to human relationships! This is what makes the book a winner.
Wry in its diagnosis of pre-apocalyptic Mumbai’s tensions (for political reasons, “Bugs Bunny has become ‘Khatmal Khargosh’”) and perceptive in its development of Sarita and Jaz’s identities, the first half of City of Devi is a pleasure to read. In Bombay native Mani Suri’s hands, the early scenes of a city in collapse are something to marvel at too. Suri’s taxonomy of factions and sub-factions that emerge as the city unravels is fascinating for its precision and detail.
But as the story reaches...more
But as the story reaches...more
Surreal depiction of a near future India engulfed in war and religion gone mad. Two disparate characters are brought together by their love for the same man and reach a surprising and satisfying resolution.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| symbolism of the trinity, India and the pomegranete in the book | 1 | 6 | Feb 02, 2013 10:31pm |
Manil Suri is an Indian-American mathematician and writer, most notable for his first novel, The Death of Vishnu.
He attended the University of Bombay before moving to the United States, where he attended Carnegie Mellon University. He received a PHD in mathematics in 1983, and became a mathematics professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
He still continues to hold this job even th...more
More about Manil Suri...
He attended the University of Bombay before moving to the United States, where he attended Carnegie Mellon University. He received a PHD in mathematics in 1983, and became a mathematics professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
He still continues to hold this job even th...more
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“Since the future's so iffy, I'll turn my attention to the past.”
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“Hadn't another wise man, the Buddha himself, warned about the evils of attachment?”
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Mar 31, 2013 04:34am