A "beautifully written, richly textured, and haunting story" (Chaim Potok), BAUMGARTNER'S BOMBAY is Anita Desai's classic novel of the Holocaust er...
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reviews
Dec 24, 2011
KJ
rated it: 
The teen-aged Hugo Baumgartner is sent to Calcutta via Venice when his family's furniture business is destroyed by the Nazis, his father is sent to a concentration camp, and his mother has gone into hiding. His mother agrees to send her only son to India, but when he arrives he is imprisoned in an internment camp as a 'hostile alien'. After six years, he is released and ends up in Bombay where he befriends Lotte, the unhappy dancer, Farrokh, the owner of a cafe, and Kurt, the young Aryan druggie
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Jun 25, 2007
Tom
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I was pretty keen on Anita Desai in years past, especially after reading "Clear Light of Day." (It's superb.) But there are several of her books I hadn't read, and she had dropped off my radar. Her daughter's recent success (Kiran won the 2006 Man Booker Prize for "The Inheritance of Loss") prompted me to revisit her writing.
"Baumgartner's Bombay" draws on Desai's unusual heritage: a German mother and an Indian father. It's the story of Hugo Baumgartner, More...
"Baumgartner's Bombay" draws on Desai's unusual heritage: a German mother and an Indian father. It's the story of Hugo Baumgartner, More...
Jun 30, 2011
Elinedemoor
rated it:
Had to read it for a class which connects the Holocaust to other atrocities (which is the case here with the turmoil around India's independence). I liked her style but thought the main character Hugo was kind of annoying, very passive, think he could have changed some things if he were just up for it. Still don't know if I would pick out any of her other books to give it a try, but it was nice enough.
Sep 07, 2008
Teresa
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jan 03, 2010
Courtney
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Well, being locked away in a camp in India for the duration of WWII is not actually the worst thing that happens to the main character...it's not an uplifting book by any stretch of the imagination.
Jan 03, 2011
Julie
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A book about meaningless -- not exactly holiday fodder, but it deals with the Holocaust from a unique perpective, and I really appreciated that.
Feb 28, 2009
Apoorva
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great book, and one I almost missed reading because it had been on my bookshelf a little too long. Anita Desai is a gifted writer, far, far better than her over-hyped daughter. Part of the book is set in Bombay and Calcutta, between WWII and the 1980s, and part of it in pre-war Germany. Apart from the constant German phrases, particularly early in the book, it was a pleasure to read. this is one random sentence I picked out just now, but there are many others:
"He had had trouble recog More...
"He had had trouble recog More...
Oct 25, 2011
Joanna
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I've been on an India kick since my trip, and this one came very close to accurately describing the level of poverty I saw. The main character was intrinsically interesting as a perpetual outside (not at home as a Jew in Germany nor as a foreigner in India) but I didn't care about him at all. Maybe that was the point, but it was kind of a heartless read for me.
May 11, 2009
Bryn
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I don't care what Barry says--I found it a useful read, when faced with existential crisis.
Nov 21, 2010
Globalcook
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Boring. Pointless. No plot. I don't understand why people find this book intriguing.
Jan 28, 2009
Ellen
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this is a sad story of a hopelessly displaced person. hugo baumgartner flees nazi germany only to be imprisoned for being a german in still-colonial india. tragically ironic but beautifully written, desai tells a story of staggering loss and the perils of nationalism, but also one of friendship, and whatever kind of redemption can be found in small kindnesses.
May 22, 2009
Eva
rated it: 
Too slow-going. The author (a German-Indian non-Jew) did not do a good job at all of portraying the personal tragedy of the Holocaust. Also, I found myself not caring about any of the characters, since they all were sort of lifeless (although that was sort of the point, I guess). What I did like was the way the author started the book in a way that was confusing at the time, until you tied it all together at the end of the book. Still, I don't think I would recommend this to others.
Apr 15, 2007
Maria
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Absolutely loved this book. If you're at all interested in the Holocaust, trauma studies, or post-colonialism, you should read this.
Jan 29, 2008
Ryan
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The story of a man who just does'nt fit in any where he goes. I could relate a lot to this man.
Apr 13, 2007
karolyn
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Wonderful. Made me want to be back in Gubar's class to discuss this text that was so rich.
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