Scan barcode
debicates's review against another edition
2.0
The author has stated publicly that his work is superior to any by women writers. Imagine my disappointment.
It took me over a month to read about the mild misadventures of Mr. Biswas and his efforts to gain a house of his own. (I'm reminded of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.) There were a few pleasurable episodes (especially during Mr. Biswas' early career as a roving, loose-with-the-facts journalist), but because the book is mostly about a querulous child-man, living in a house of equally querulous childish in-laws and their petty squabbles and name-calling, it was a chore. I suppose ultimately Naipaul was saying something about the simple dignity in having a place to call one's own and the indignity of poverty, and perhaps also how Colonialism made children out of men, but Mr. Biswas' personality was so off-putting that it's only now that I think of that message. While reading it mostly I thought, "How many more pages?"
Then, as I turned off the light, I thought instead of other writers I love, "Jane Austen, Willa Cather, Margaret Atwood, Edith Wharton, Marjorie Kinan Rawlings, Katherine Anne Porter, Dorothy Parker, Harriet Doerr, Toni Morrison,......."
It took me over a month to read about the mild misadventures of Mr. Biswas and his efforts to gain a house of his own. (I'm reminded of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.) There were a few pleasurable episodes (especially during Mr. Biswas' early career as a roving, loose-with-the-facts journalist), but because the book is mostly about a querulous child-man, living in a house of equally querulous childish in-laws and their petty squabbles and name-calling, it was a chore. I suppose ultimately Naipaul was saying something about the simple dignity in having a place to call one's own and the indignity of poverty, and perhaps also how Colonialism made children out of men, but Mr. Biswas' personality was so off-putting that it's only now that I think of that message. While reading it mostly I thought, "How many more pages?"
Then, as I turned off the light, I thought instead of other writers I love, "Jane Austen, Willa Cather, Margaret Atwood, Edith Wharton, Marjorie Kinan Rawlings, Katherine Anne Porter, Dorothy Parker, Harriet Doerr, Toni Morrison,......."
janey's review against another edition
3.0
Well, I feel sad that I didn't love this more than I did. I know so many people who loved it, and in fact I first heard of it years ago from a friend who said it was the best book ever written. But I couldn't stop thinking of [b:A Fine Balance|5211|A Fine Balance|Rohinton Mistry|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1386925449s/5211.jpg|865827] while I was reading this one, and Mr. Biswas just pales in comparison, even though there are many superficial similarities. I guess [a:Rohinton Mistry|3539|Rohinton Mistry|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1238081582p2/3539.jpg] is my guy.
nataalia_sanchez's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
caffee's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
hadeanstars's review against another edition
4.0
A remarkable work, not least because the central character is often so difficult to like. Mohun Biswas, a man with almost nothing in his favour navigates his unsteady, awkward path through a life almost completely devoid of privilege and ease. What few advantages he enjoys, he seems incapable of leveraging to any benefit, most of all because of an innate revolutionary tendency that pits him against his potential benefactors.
The benefactors in this case are the Tulsis, his wife's clannish family, whose overly matriarchal focus thwarts Mohun at every turn. In truth he is a tragi-comic figure who cannot escape his own self-sabotaging tendency. He is not an easy or a likeable character, but he is very often quite hilarious, sometimes intentionally, but usually not.
This makes him a singularly unusual literary creation. Mr Biswas is a person who seems all too plausible, and yet he is neither a hero nor even an anti-hero. Rather than a man with a fatal flaw who is otherwise redeemed in spite of his failings, Mr Biswas just seems a hopeless case. And even so, you are drawn in to his peculiar, lost, post-colonial world with a mix of sympathy and fascinated horror, like watching an accident in slow motion. And in spite of this, the book is a treasure, the prose so beautifully constructed and the observations so charming and delightful that you cannot help but want to read on.
The benefactors in this case are the Tulsis, his wife's clannish family, whose overly matriarchal focus thwarts Mohun at every turn. In truth he is a tragi-comic figure who cannot escape his own self-sabotaging tendency. He is not an easy or a likeable character, but he is very often quite hilarious, sometimes intentionally, but usually not.
This makes him a singularly unusual literary creation. Mr Biswas is a person who seems all too plausible, and yet he is neither a hero nor even an anti-hero. Rather than a man with a fatal flaw who is otherwise redeemed in spite of his failings, Mr Biswas just seems a hopeless case. And even so, you are drawn in to his peculiar, lost, post-colonial world with a mix of sympathy and fascinated horror, like watching an accident in slow motion. And in spite of this, the book is a treasure, the prose so beautifully constructed and the observations so charming and delightful that you cannot help but want to read on.
lilylanie's review against another edition
2.0
This would have been an excellent book if it was about half as long. No, make that a quarter as long. Naipaul is an exceptional writer, but his prose doesn't make up for the plodding, plotless story.
footnote304's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
heartofoak1's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0