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Description edit
Vikram Seth's novel is, at its core, a love story: Lata and her mother, Mrs. Rupa Mehra, are both trying to find -- through love or through exacting maternal appraisal -- a suitable boy for Lata to marry. Set in the early 1950s, in an India newly independent and struggling through a time of... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Characters/People edit
- Lata Mehra: The central character of the novel who is caught between her self and her mother for having a better half of her life.
- Mrs. Rupa Mehra: an over protective perhaps a typical Indian mother of a daughter who is looking for a prospective bridegroom for her daughter.
- Kabir Durrani: Add a description of this character.
- Mann Kapoor: Though not the central character but indeed most interesting one.A spoiled son,an irresponsible brat ,a lover,a friend,in toto a truly emotional person.
- Saeda Begum: A beautiful singer and courtesan
- Amit Chatterji
- Pran and Savita Kapoor
- Bhaskar
- Arun and Meenakshi Mehra
- Malati
- Haresh Khanna
- Nawab of Baitar
- Firoz and Imran
- Tasneem
- Mr. and Mrs. Mahesh Kapoor
- Mr.L.N.Agarwal
- Rasheed
- Bibbo
- Kokali
Setting & Locations edit
India
- Brahmpur: Fictional town in India.
- Calcutta
- Delhi
- Kanpur
- Ganges River
- Nawab Sahib
- India
- Rudhia
- England
- Prem Nivas
- Salimpur
- Debaria
- Ganga
- Pakistan
- Lucknow
- Banaras
- Raja
- Ustad
- Zainab
- Pul Mela
- Hindi
- Rama
- Lahore
- Begum Sahiba
- Purva Pradesh
- Kachheru
- Prahapore
- Misri Mandi
- Bengal
- Ravidaspur
- Urdu
- Tarbuz Ka Bazaar
- Sunny Park
- Sanaki Baba
- High Court
- Bombay
- Patna
- Abba
- Ramlila
- London
- Agra
- Rajkumar
- Chowk
- Allahabad
- Baitar House
- Varun
First Sentence edit
'You too will marry a boy I choose,' said Mrs Rupa Mehra firmly to her younger daughter.
Series & Lists edit
This is book 141 of 1272 in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. (authoritative list)
Preceded by What a Carve Up!, and followed by The Stone Diaries.
This book is in Big Fat Books. (community list)
This is book 55 of 95 in Telegraph Top 100 Books, 2008. (authoritative list)
Preceded by Sense and Sensibility, and followed by The Shadow of the Wind.
This is book 55 of 196 in BBC 'Big Read' Top 200 Novels, 2003. (authoritative list)
Preceded by Anna Karenina, and followed by The BFG.
This book is in Random Synapses: 100 Book Reading Challenge (2011). (community list)
This book is in Guardian 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read. (authoritative list)
This is book 50 of 96 in Waterstone's Top 100 Books of the 20th Century. (authoritative list)
Preceded by Brideshead Revisited, and followed by Dune.
Authors & Contributors edit
- Vikram Seth (Author)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: HarperCollins (USA), Phoenix House (UK)
Country: India
Publication Date: May 1993
ISBN: 0060170123
Page Count: 1349
Publisher: HarperCollins (USA), Phoenix House (UK)
Country: India
Publication Date: May 1993
ISBN: 0060170123
Page Count: 1349
Awards edit
- Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best Book (1994: South Asia and Europe)
- Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best Book (1994: Overall)
- BBC's Big Read (April 2003, #55)
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: PR9499.3.S38 S83 1993
- Dewey: 813
Subjects edit
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