Can anyone recommend a good novel set in india? I have just finished Shantarm Thanks
Can anyone recommend a good novel set in india? I have just finished Shantarm
Thanks
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Can anyone recommend a good novel set in india? I have just finished Shantarm
Thanks
Shantaram
Loved this book!
Me too. Have you read sequel? I think its called Shadow of a Mountain
Denise Fuller I haven’t read the second one yet.
Second one ok but not a patch on the first. A Fine Balance by Rohan Mistry is wonderful
Shantaram was great book!
I’m reading it at the moment. It’s excellent
The Vish Puri Mystery books! I loved this one, there’s quite a few 🙂 search for Tarquin Hall
They are about an Indian private investigator, they have good comedy etc 🙂
Thanks. I will try it. Have you read Shantaram?
The space between us or behind the beautiful Forevers
I loved both of these books. Two great suggestions! Our library recently had Kathrine Boo speak about her book and I got my copy signed! I couldn’t help gushing since I was so moved by it. She was gracious and lovely. PS Not sure why someone laughed at your book suggestions??
The Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
The Windfall. Loved it! By @Diksha!
The ministry of utmost happiness, midnights children
Shantaram is in my top ten books ever
A Fine Balance, Family Matters, Sister of my Heart.
A Fine Balance, and Sister of My Heart, both immediately came to mind.
A Walk Across the Sun is a really great book
The God of Small Things
Part Star Part Dust – absolutely marvelous book
A fine balance
The God of Small Things, by Arundati Roy
A suitable boy by vikram Seth
One of my most favourite books ?
Nectar in a Sieve
Jewel in the Crown, A Passage to India
I loved Shantaram too. He made a squeal, but I never read it. Loved A Fine Balance too, in fact, more so.
I am planning on getting the sequel. It had a bad review in The Independent but I don’t take too much notice of those. Its one persons opinion! I like reading the reviews though.
@Denise i’d be interested to hear your review on it. I’ll keep an eye out!
Will let you know
A Fine Balance
A Fine Balance was exceptional and one of my fav stories. The Year Of The Runaways is also a wow book. Just finished The Ministry Of Utmost Happiness too.
Half Girlfriend by Cheten Bhagat is partly India, partly New York – easy read ?
The Colour of Our Sky by Amrita Trasi
White Tiger
One night at the call center!!
That sounds a laugh. Is it?
It may be, but not in the way intended! It was the most popular and most read book in India a while back…it may still be. I read it while in India, it was an interesting!
Fantastic. I’m planning to go next year. Probably to Delhi to do some medical work. How was your experience? Where did you go?
I also loved Shantaram.
One of my favourite authors is Jhumpa Lahiri. The Namesake or Unaccustomed Earth would be great ones to start with….everything she writes is superb.
You just beat me to It, Debra. Love her books
JL writes wonderfully, doesn’t she?!
Yes she does. I have loved everything she has written, especially The Namesake
Thank you for mentioning Jhumpa Lahiri! I’ve read all of her books as she is one of my all time favorites. Yes, she writes beautifully. I will read anything she writes.
Far Pavilions by M M Kaye. A book that has stayed with me for several decades.
She has several books set in India that are good
The sequel of shantaram is amazing ?
Is it? Great. What is it called ” In the shadow of a mountain”? Something like that?
Yep the Shadow of the Mountain. There’s a bit in it where it goes off on a philosophical tangent but if you enjoyed shantaram you will love it. It took me right back to India ❤️
I loved the philosophising. Made me think about my actions. Khan had a good point when he said an excellent starting place for deciding on good or bad actions is to ask yourself “what would happen if everyone did what I did”… And on that note I better get my arse in to gear! Or we would drain the national grid chatting. About books on social media. Nothing would ever get done and the world would come to a standstill. Lol x
Before the rains -Dinah Jeffries
A passage to India
Any of Vikram Seth’s books… A Suitable Boy particularly. Also; Of Marriageable Age by Sharon Maas, Family Matters and A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. All wonderful and evocative books, beautifully written.
The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar is a book that will stay with you forever! It is set in Bombay. I read it 3 years ago and I still think about it all the time.
I loved this book too!
I’m reading Shantaram now and am blown away by it. What an amazing and frightening life story and so beautifully written.
The year of the runaways – sunjeev Sahota
I have this one in my Yet To Read list. Have you read Ours Are The Streets by the same author?
no I haven’t, I’ll add it to my list, thanks.
Pretty thought-provoking
I liked The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga.
The House of Hidden Mothers by Meera Syal.
The Kashmir Shawl by Rosie Thomas. You could also try Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows – sounds saucy and it is a bit, but there’s more depth to the stories related by the widows of the title, and it’s a really good novel.
I’ve just finished erotic stories for Punjabi widows, it was a good read.
I listened to it, read by Meera Syal which is what brought me to her own book. I believe Reece Witherspoon may be showing an interest in Punjabi Stories also ?
i listened to it too! Really enjoy Meera Syal narrating books.
Are you an audio book girl too, then? ?
@Morag yeah, I’m visually impaired so most stuff I read is in audio. A reader can really make or break a book though!
Yes, I totally agree. My father lost his sight to glaucoma over a period of years so listening to the radio and talking books was a boon to him. The availability and selection of audio books is much improved nowadays, with new titles coming into audio format almost immediately. I’m a fan ??
Sacred games by Vikram Chandra ; satyajit Ray books ; malgudi tales ; suitable boy by Vikram seth
The kite runner
And A Thousand Splendid Suns ?
A favourite ?
@Morag I loved this book but it takes place in Kabul, Afghanistan not India.
I loved The Kite Runner but it takes place in Afghanistan and not in India.
Yes, I appreciate that. I was replying to the original suggestion from Carol but didn’t point out that distinction ?
Oh! Sorry, forgot that ::blush::
Same neck of the woods, @Carol (no offence intended before I upset anyone out there… ?)
Yes! I’m reading The Accidental Apprentice & really enjoying it ?
Agree with Gill Levine, A Fine Balance.
I am reading A Long Way Home the book which the film Lion was based on.
F
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
Loved reading Shantarm
Some older historical books with romance are hard to find but great. Olivia and Jai, Zemindar, and M M Kaye’s books
Life of Pi?
An older classic I loved is The Peacock Spring by Rumor Godden. It has a forbidden love story. The movie was great too.
Remember A Greengage Summer by the same author? Book and film – think the film starred Kenneth More
Yes, I enjoyed that one too. Didn’t realize there was a movie though. I’ll have to look it up.
I went away to Google after I posted the comment. It was Kenneth More along with Susannah York and Jane Asher
@Morag I have no clue who any of those people are! Lol ?
Oh they have the entire movie on YouTube!
OMGOODNESS, @Laura, shows my age!! ? Kenneth More was in a very famous film about a WW2 RAF airman called Douglas Bader who overcame losing both legs during the war, called Reach For The Sky. Jane Asher was a very famous girlfriend of Paul McCartney of The Beatles, before he married Linda, and Jane married the artist Gerald Scarfe. Off to lick my wounds now… ??
Tigers Curse. It’s a YA novel if you can get past that but it’s really good. So far I’m only on the first one so don’t know about the rest of the series. Plus the authors currently working on the very last book so as if right now it’s incomplete
Passage to India
A thousand splendid suns. Best book l have ever read
I loved this book also but it takes place in Kabul, Afghanistan not in India.
What the Body Remembers by Shauna Singh Baldwin
The City of Joy
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. My favourite book EVER
A suitable boy
A house for happy mother’s
A walk across the sun
Life of Pi and The Namesake. Also, although not set in India, Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows is supposed to be really funny.
It is – but there are serious issues in there too
@Morag I haven’t read it yet and had only heard it was funny. Didn’t realize there was a serious tone to it….hope I didn’t offend!
Not in the slightest, my dear! I just wanted to point out that whilst there’s humour in it, there’s so much more to it than that. Sorry if it sounded as if I was jumping down your throat, definitely not intended ??
I can never read Life of Pi again. I still have the book. It broke my heart. Couldn’t stop crying. In fact it is the only book I have loved but never re read.
2 States by Chetan Bhagat- quick and funny read but talks volume about different cultures
LION
A friend really enjoyed “3 cups of tea” by Greg Mortenson
White Tiger.
Shiva trilogy
The space between us
The White Tiger
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Interpreter of maladies, the namesake, the lowland by jhumpa lahiri,
Shiva trilogy by Amish tripathi,
The god of small things, algebra of infinite Justice by arundhati roy
But if you want to read some classics start with any books by Rabindranath Tagore, Satyajit Roy, Sarat Chandra chattopadhyay, Bibhutibhushan Bandypadhyay, Ruskin Bond etc. They are the legends.
White Tiger. It’s great. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_White_Tiger
The Raj Quartet by Paul Scot.
The God of Small things, Arundati
A fine balance
A fine balance
There was the one that was similar to The Help but took place in India. Fabulous novel. Can’t recall the name however.
Give me a year. I’m editing a fabulous new novel by Sylvia Vetta set in India. It shold be out this time next year.
A Passage to India by E M Forster
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. One of the best books I’ve ever read.
A fine balance
The midnight rose
white tiger
Definitely A Fine Balance
❤️ The Midnight Rose!
You folks are really giving me a fantastic reading list! Keep it up! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Secret daughter.
A fine balance was amazing. Have you read the namesake? It’s a true classic.
Flowers in the Blood. Set in 19th Century India. Fantastic.
Midnight Rose
I also enjoyed The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh.
A Passage to India
A fine balance by Robinson Mistry
The space between us. Thrity umriga. Brilliant
glad to hear, it’s waiting on my kindle.
Secret daughter
Suitable Boy!
All by Anita nair
The kite runnner
I agree with A Fine Balance but top of the picks would be God of Small Things. Read it.
The Kashmir Shawl