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A Suitable Boy

THE CLASSIC BESTSELLER AND MAJOR BBC DRAMA

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A Suitable Boy

By: Vikram Seth
Narrated by: Sagar Arya
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About this listen

 THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER AND MODERN CLASSIC: NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES

'A phenomenon, a prodigy, a marvel' Evening Standard

ONE OF THE BBC'S 100 NOVELS THAT SHAPED OUR WORLD

A modern classic, this epic tale of families, romance and political intrigue, set in India, never loses its power to delight and enchant readers.

At its core, A Suitable Boy is a love story: the tale of Lata - and her mother's - attempts to find her a suitable husband, through love or through exacting maternal appraisal. At the same time, it is the story of India, newly independent and struggling through a time of crisis as a sixth of the world's population faces its first great general election and the chance to map its own destiny.

'Seth is the best writer of his generation' The Times

'Fiction on a grand scale. By the time you reach the last page you will have absorbed a splendid story, full of the tangle and perfume of India' Sunday Telegraph

'The greatness of the novel, its unassailable truthfulness, owes less to research than to imagination, an instinctive knowledge of the human heart' Observer

'You should make time for it. It will keep you company for the rest of your life' The Times©1993 Vikram Seth Family Life Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Movie, TV & Video Game Tie-Ins Fiction Heartfelt

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Critic reviews

The best writer of his generation
This novel, so vast and so amiably peopled, is a long, sweet, sleepless pilgrimage to life . . . His novel deserves thousands of long marriages and suitable readers
No one, surely, could wish this novel shorter . . . the greatness of the novel, its unassailable truthfulness, owes less to research than to imagination, an instinctive knowledge of the human heart
Not merely one of the longest novels in English; it may also prove to be the most fecund as well as the most prodigious work of the latter half of [the twentieth] century
A quietly monumental novel . . . [Seth] has given that unlikeliest of hybrids, a modest tour de force
An immensely enjoyable novel which describes with unhurried pace the panorama of India . . . Everything appears familiar to us, yet in fact it is newly minted by a master artist
Conceived on a grand scale of the great 19th century novels - War and Peace, Middlemarch - A Suitable Boy grows to match them in breadth and depth . . . [A] massive and magnificent book
A phenomenon, a prodigy, a marvel of 19th century storytelling in the language of today . . . It is hard to believe that Seth is only one man. He writes with the omniscience and authority of a large, orderly committee of experts on Indian politics, law, medicine, crowd psychology, urban and rural social customs, dress, cuisine, horticulture, funerary rites, cricket and even the technicalities of shoe manufacture
All stars
Most relevant
I have just finished listening to this wonderful, brilliant audiobook. 68 hours and 44 mins and not one second too long. I have tried to read the paperback version several times but have given up simply because it was too heavy to hold for long periods! I begged Audible to produce an audio version for years and at last, after the TV series, my wish was granted.
It covers family relationships, friendships, political and historical subjects and all weaved within fictional stories so real that I felt I was in the novel itself. Set in 1951 in the newly independent India, it is about family duty, religious prejudice, loyalty, sacrifice and so much more. There is humour, tension and tragedy in this book. In fact, everything that is in real life with characters that live, breathe, suffer, enjoy happiness, love, hate.
I felt irritated with Mrs Rupa Mehra for most of the time; I grew with Maan, from being an irresponsible youth to a feeling, caring and ultimately suffering young man; I wanted to shake Lata (won't say why for fear of spoiler). I loved Firoz who, to me was just as perfect as anyone can be and I looked forward to Arun's arrogance to be squashed.
The narration was simply perfect. Sagar Arya’s different voices for each person enhanced Vikram Seth’s already dazzling cast of characters.
This goes to the top of my favourite books ever.

Every second a joy

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this was superbly read!!! I thought all the different accents put on for different characters was great. it's incredibly long but wonderful and I was truly devastated when it ended.

best audible I've ever listened to

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My only wish is that there was a family tree to keep track of all different characters . Fortunately I have the hard copy to refer to. As a small child my parents lived in India so it was especially nice to hear about the politics and democracy left by the English was valued at that time, Evan if not nowadays.

I have enjoyed the whole long book.

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Not only is the book a cracking read but Sagar Arya has done absolute justice by brilliantly delivering the book. I’m having withdrawal symptoms already

An absolute delight

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Wonderful story aid interwoven characters in post partition India.
The story telling is evocative and the narration is perfect.

Excellently narrated

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