pja_gsh's review against another edition
5.0
Why don't more of us know about this book?
I will be honest- I am a Bengali. Yet, with a fellow Bengali I always feel out of sync- as though I love a version of Bengal that is so detached from the things people romanticize-eg the sweets, going to New Market etc. This book, though, absolutely tugged at everything that I love about Bengal and fear losing. It touches on the fears, vulnerability, megalomania and brokenness that makes Bengalis the way they are... at least in my head. The core that nobody talks about, the essence which is lost. I nearly cried and was absolutely swept away at how she addresses the pain in people's lives, the forms it takes. It is deeply emotional, a perfect monsoon read and i know every time I open this book, I will let it swallow me whole.
I will be honest- I am a Bengali. Yet, with a fellow Bengali I always feel out of sync- as though I love a version of Bengal that is so detached from the things people romanticize-eg the sweets, going to New Market etc. This book, though, absolutely tugged at everything that I love about Bengal and fear losing. It touches on the fears, vulnerability, megalomania and brokenness that makes Bengalis the way they are... at least in my head. The core that nobody talks about, the essence which is lost. I nearly cried and was absolutely swept away at how she addresses the pain in people's lives, the forms it takes. It is deeply emotional, a perfect monsoon read and i know every time I open this book, I will let it swallow me whole.
unshi's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I loved the first half of the book , it was great without giving out much every event seemed realistic and natural . Second half lacked for me a bit , for me there was so much potential of what it could have been but it wasnt that the characters were great including the side ones but the ending felt like a bollywood movie too many coincidences and not really believable
betweenbookends's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5
I picked up with book at a second bookshop for real cheap and it was one of those reads which I went into without any idea what the book is about. And I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.
At heart its a family saga across three generations shifting between Songarh, a town in north-eastern India and Calcutta, starting from the early 1900's to right about the time India got her independence. What stood out for me with this book is the way the different characters in this story are portrayed. Very real, believable and flawed. The trials and tribulations, the feeling of guilt, the longing for something not within reach, forbidden love, the inadequacies of life, and yet the fulfilling nature of it, desires and much more. She really captures the family dynamics, subtle implications of the caste system at the time, the inherent religious differences, incredibly well. I could picture all the scenes as I was reading, very clearly, like a running movie in my head. Anuradha Roy's prose is beautiful without being overindulgent.
While most of the novel is consistently a feeling of melancholy, it never gets depressing and Roy does manage to end it with an optimistic note. For a debut, I think it's absolutely well done!
I picked up with book at a second bookshop for real cheap and it was one of those reads which I went into without any idea what the book is about. And I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.
At heart its a family saga across three generations shifting between Songarh, a town in north-eastern India and Calcutta, starting from the early 1900's to right about the time India got her independence. What stood out for me with this book is the way the different characters in this story are portrayed. Very real, believable and flawed. The trials and tribulations, the feeling of guilt, the longing for something not within reach, forbidden love, the inadequacies of life, and yet the fulfilling nature of it, desires and much more. She really captures the family dynamics, subtle implications of the caste system at the time, the inherent religious differences, incredibly well. I could picture all the scenes as I was reading, very clearly, like a running movie in my head. Anuradha Roy's prose is beautiful without being overindulgent.
While most of the novel is consistently a feeling of melancholy, it never gets depressing and Roy does manage to end it with an optimistic note. For a debut, I think it's absolutely well done!
pearamour's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
emily_britton's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Not a bad story, not bad writing, but it's possible that I read this too soon after reading The Other Roy. Interesting but not perfect.
thebookishepicure's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
st4rlight's review against another edition
5.0
أطلس الحنين المستحيل .. أنورادا روي
تدور أحداث الرواية في الهند بين عامي 1920 و1950 .وعلى لسان ثلاث شخصيات تتواصل أحداث الرواية
الحياة في الريف والعلاقات العائلية ، التعقيدات الإجتماعية ، لاحقاً الحياة في العاصمة ، والعلاقات بين الطوائف الدينية والجو العام قبل الإستقلال وانقسام شبه القارة الهندية إلى دولتين : الهند وباكستان .
بما فيها الحياة الإقتصادية والبنية التحتية والتجارة والتاريخ والتعليم وغيرها .
وعلاقات طويلة ومعقدة حيناً حب صداقة واحترام وإمتنان ..وحيناً آخر كره وحقدٌ وغدر .
وفي ما يزيد عن 500 صفحة دون أن تضعف للحظة أو يقل مستواها أو تجد أحداثاً وجدت لمجرد الحشو ..
أطلس الحنين المستحيل هو العمل الأول للكاتبة الهندية أنورادا روي ..
عمل من القوة والجمال بـ حيث لا تسعفني الكلمات لوصفه ...
تدور أحداث الرواية في الهند بين عامي 1920 و1950 .وعلى لسان ثلاث شخصيات تتواصل أحداث الرواية
الحياة في الريف والعلاقات العائلية ، التعقيدات الإجتماعية ، لاحقاً الحياة في العاصمة ، والعلاقات بين الطوائف الدينية والجو العام قبل الإستقلال وانقسام شبه القارة الهندية إلى دولتين : الهند وباكستان .
بما فيها الحياة الإقتصادية والبنية التحتية والتجارة والتاريخ والتعليم وغيرها .
وعلاقات طويلة ومعقدة حيناً حب صداقة واحترام وإمتنان ..وحيناً آخر كره وحقدٌ وغدر .
وفي ما يزيد عن 500 صفحة دون أن تضعف للحظة أو يقل مستواها أو تجد أحداثاً وجدت لمجرد الحشو ..
أطلس الحنين المستحيل هو العمل الأول للكاتبة الهندية أنورادا روي ..
عمل من القوة والجمال بـ حيث لا تسعفني الكلمات لوصفه ...
mountie9's review against another edition
2.0
The Good Stuff
* Beautifully almost lyrically written.
* The landscape feels so real you could reach out and touch it.
* You can feel the authors love for the countryside
* This is not my sort of book, so please if you think you will like it, go get it, the author has talent. Check out the more positive reviews from other people listed below
* Some light humour - enjoyed the swearing bird
The Not so Good Stuff
* This one was a painful read for me as I just couldn't get into it, but too stubborn to not finish it
* Very slow
* The men are self involved selfish misogynistic bastards and quite frankly just didn't give a rats ass about any of them. Mukunda had potential but he ended up hurting people due to his own selfish desires too
* I don't understand the choices made by many of the characters and it is in a world I do not understand
* quite depressing and bitter at times
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"Submerged just beneath the surface of their talk was the sense that his departure was a scorning of their lives, the redrawing of a pattern that had already been perfected."
"Bitterly she muttered "God's ways are strange, that he should give children to those who don't care for them and leave me childless"
"But Nirmal could not disguise it from himself. He had brought in the child when it was convenient for him, and now that Bakul was growing up it was no longer convenient."
What I Learned
* That I really am not a huge fan of flowery prose
* Seems I am a bit of a feminist after all
Who should/shouldn't read
* Not for those like me who need a more exciting storyline -- if you like character pieces this may be for you
* Probably better suited for those who are far more well read than I
2.5 Dewey's (This is based on MY enjoyment NOT on the talents of the author)
* Beautifully almost lyrically written.
* The landscape feels so real you could reach out and touch it.
* You can feel the authors love for the countryside
* This is not my sort of book, so please if you think you will like it, go get it, the author has talent. Check out the more positive reviews from other people listed below
* Some light humour - enjoyed the swearing bird
The Not so Good Stuff
* This one was a painful read for me as I just couldn't get into it, but too stubborn to not finish it
* Very slow
* The men are self involved selfish misogynistic bastards and quite frankly just didn't give a rats ass about any of them. Mukunda had potential but he ended up hurting people due to his own selfish desires too
* I don't understand the choices made by many of the characters and it is in a world I do not understand
* quite depressing and bitter at times
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"Submerged just beneath the surface of their talk was the sense that his departure was a scorning of their lives, the redrawing of a pattern that had already been perfected."
"Bitterly she muttered "God's ways are strange, that he should give children to those who don't care for them and leave me childless"
"But Nirmal could not disguise it from himself. He had brought in the child when it was convenient for him, and now that Bakul was growing up it was no longer convenient."
What I Learned
* That I really am not a huge fan of flowery prose
* Seems I am a bit of a feminist after all
Who should/shouldn't read
* Not for those like me who need a more exciting storyline -- if you like character pieces this may be for you
* Probably better suited for those who are far more well read than I
2.5 Dewey's (This is based on MY enjoyment NOT on the talents of the author)