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nypeapod's review
5.0
Why you should read this fantastic book:
1. If you want to expand your reading horizons to a new location (at least I have not read many books with an India setting).
2. Interested in only children and their relationship with their parents, mothers and daughters, fathers and daughters.
3. a wonderful writing style
4. a book set in current events
5. exploration of how sometimes people enter other lives thinking they are going to improve them and it just turns into a massive screw up for all involved.
1. If you want to expand your reading horizons to a new location (at least I have not read many books with an India setting).
2. Interested in only children and their relationship with their parents, mothers and daughters, fathers and daughters.
3. a wonderful writing style
4. a book set in current events
5. exploration of how sometimes people enter other lives thinking they are going to improve them and it just turns into a massive screw up for all involved.
readingwithathena's review against another edition
4.0
I reread a handful of books repeatedly because I glean something new from the text each time. I anticipated The Far Field being one of those books, simply because I'd consider myself more politically conscious than I was in 2019 (during my first read) or even 2022 (during my second).
Though I've tried to pick apart the text to find a greater, deeper meaning, I come up empty. Not because there is no meaning, but because I'm overthinking it.
The Far Field is a book about power, privilege, and trauma. What do you do with it? Can you ever be free of it? If you can't understand the trauma of occupation despite witnessing it firsthand are you ever capable of understanding? Our narrator, Shalini, is a self-described coward whose journey is well-intentioned, but ultimately destructive to everyone she'd come to love.
I originally rated this 5 stars, but have dropped it down to 4. Maybe if I read it again in a year or two, I'll raise it up again.
Though I've tried to pick apart the text to find a greater, deeper meaning, I come up empty. Not because there is no meaning, but because I'm overthinking it.
The Far Field is a book about power, privilege, and trauma. What do you do with it? Can you ever be free of it? If you can't understand the trauma of occupation despite witnessing it firsthand are you ever capable of understanding? Our narrator, Shalini, is a self-described coward whose journey is well-intentioned, but ultimately destructive to everyone she'd come to love.
I originally rated this 5 stars, but have dropped it down to 4. Maybe if I read it again in a year or two, I'll raise it up again.
dw33p's review
5.0
How does one manage to write something this inexplicably good, for her debut novel..?
googie_puvdan's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The first half of this book surprisingly captivated me, but I found myself disappointed the further I read.... It's like 70% of a great novel is there, but the wrap up didn't get the attention it should have.
theecurrent's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
helenw13's review
At 205 pages I felt I had waded through a lot and just didn’t really care to know anymore after a big reveal.
carolynu's review
4.0
This was slow reading at times, but a worthwhile read. I like feeling immersed in Indian culture, and learning a bit about different regions. The ending was intense.
ryner's review
emotional
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? Yes
3.0
Following her eccentric mother's death, Shalini can't stop thinking about a salesman who visited their Bangalore home frequently in her youth, entertaining her and her mother with stories, though they purchased goods from him but once. Figuring since she's just spinning her wheels out of college anyway, Shalini impulsively hops aboard a train to Kashmir in search of Bashir Ahmed, the salesman from long ago. Kashmir, with its religious conflicts and tensions, proves to be a very different place from Bangalore, especially for a privileged and naïve young woman.
This was an eye-opening story and a reminder that India is huuuuuuge, and almost like completely different countries from region to region with respect to language, culture and human rights. The book is beautifully written, but it is heartbreaking. Be forewarned: There is neither a happy nor even a hopeful ending.
This was an eye-opening story and a reminder that India is huuuuuuge, and almost like completely different countries from region to region with respect to language, culture and human rights. The book is beautifully written, but it is heartbreaking. Be forewarned: There is neither a happy nor even a hopeful ending.
piapaya's review
5.0
4.5. This was a beautiful book. I think it ended up a bit too long, but it deserved more recognition than it got and I wish it had reached a wider audience. Madhuri Vijay is an author I plan to follow. It is so important that these stories get told.
I’ve really only read one other book about the conflict in Kashmir— Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, so I feel like I don’t have enough footing to judge which one depicts it more honestly, but I found the story in Far Field more compelling. The narrative was skillfully crafted to illuminate the complexities of such a decades-long conflict. In a way, I saw a lot of parallels with the Troubles in Ireland: paramilitary groups at odds with each other, the role of religion, two nations throwing their stakes into the conflict. There’s some differences, of course. And one of those that Vijay explores so well in this book are the consequences of well-intentioned but terrifyingly consequential actions of outside meddling.
This novel told a big story and told it well. Lately, I’m really into books that move back and forth in time and Far Field does it well. Worth reading.
I’ve really only read one other book about the conflict in Kashmir— Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, so I feel like I don’t have enough footing to judge which one depicts it more honestly, but I found the story in Far Field more compelling. The narrative was skillfully crafted to illuminate the complexities of such a decades-long conflict. In a way, I saw a lot of parallels with the Troubles in Ireland: paramilitary groups at odds with each other, the role of religion, two nations throwing their stakes into the conflict. There’s some differences, of course. And one of those that Vijay explores so well in this book are the consequences of well-intentioned but terrifyingly consequential actions of outside meddling.
This novel told a big story and told it well. Lately, I’m really into books that move back and forth in time and Far Field does it well. Worth reading.