3.5* Nope... 3 stars

Vikki, baby... Listen to me what I say: Put down that manuscript... you know, the sequel, that "Girl" story... and run, do not walk, do not pass Go, do not collect $200, go directly to Bollywood and write the effing screenplay to this book. This would make such a good mini series, and I mean you've had almost 20 years and everything. What are you waiting for!?!

Think of the possibilities!

The beautiful women.
The handsome men.
The fabulous stories.
The lush costumes.
The incredible locations.
The complex history.

And after all those adjectives you could get some great comic relief with a scene like this one from Bend It Like Beckham to balance out the politics and the sexual tension:



There is even some scope for song and dance...



The complete Bollywood show!

Well, maybe not, but I'm sure you can change things around a little bit to work in a big musical number like this one. Everyone likes a big production number. I think it would add to the enjoyment... you know: Sex, drugs and raaga!


But seriously.

I'm glad I read it. (I confess that I did not read every single word. I did lots of skimming through several of the story lines.) I'm not sure if I should recommend it. I like to sleep easy at night... who knows who might come after me if I made an actual recommendation.

Having said that:

The story is gorgeous. It is four family sagas woven together, in all its complex glory. I recommend taking notes on each of the characters right from the start, however. I made the mistake of thinking that the little family trees at the beginning of the book would be enough to keep everything straight in my mind, but by the time I got to page 500, I had forgotten who the hell that character was and what happened to him on page 200 and, damn, I bet he'll turn up again on page 1175.

The writing is gorgeous. Seth has a way with prose, and it's a good thing too, otherwise I wouldn't have made it to the end of this monster (who am I kidding: I wouldn't have made it past page 100!), although the book does wander off topic a bit. Several times in fact.

The cultural history is gorgeous, but there is just too much of it. There is a lot of discussion about traditional music, which is swell if you know the difference between a raaga and a tappa, or care, but I do not and found this part to be obscure and tedious. There were several discussions about politics--post partition, regional elections, national political committees--which play a part at the end of the story, but I found them tiresome and felt that a summary could have been used to better effect. And finally there was the whole "love story" between the courtesan and the not-quite-rich-enough young man, which went on and on (and on!) and even has a side story or two which branch off from it. It also plays a part in the last 300 pages of the book, but 1100 pages to set up the finale is a bit rough, Vikki. Next time call me for some editing advice before you publish, 'K?

Thank heavens for the search engine. I spent half my life looking up Indian vocabulary (where was the editor?), historical references, cultural points. The book should have been 600 pages shorter with 300 pages of notes. Period.

Now where is that mini series, Vikki?