Vikram Seth

A Suitable Boy is, if nothing else, an epic accomplishment. Seth has created and populated a world in such detail, astutely developed numerous characters and maintained a written style of rich eloquence throughout. The vastness of his purview results in the plot having a disjointed flow (no more evident than in the slightly brusque ending). But in the attempt to encompass so many factors of life and society - quite rightly demonstrating how in reality they pervade the daily life of a family - it would be incredibly harsh to criticise the book for a lack of an adequate crescendo. The quote by Voltaire, Seth includes at the beginning of the book ('the superfluous, that very necessary thing') adroitly highlights his belief that it was indeed imperative to include so much - I would in fact argue that he didn't include enough as there was a palpable sense of abruptness in the ending almost like he couldn't take it anymore or that he was increasingly worried about the word count. This by no means takes anything away from the enjoyment had by reading this book. Take your mind through the romanticism of India proffered by Seth in his gargantuan novel/substitute pillow!… (more)

Having read 'A Suitable Boy' previously, I was already aware of Seth's prowess as a writer and it was nice to see an author successful in other forms of writing than just traditional prose (since I'd also picked up his 'The Golden Gate') and this seemed a convenient prelude to the aforementioned novel.

'Beastly Tales From Here and There' is a compendium of poetic fables exclusively written in rhyming couplets and each about two or three 'beasts' whose lives are intertwined in various ways. The poetry is light and humourous and initially the novelty of the book's form is engaging and delightful. However, the effect and impact wanes a little through the 10 tales and since the last is the longest it felt a little bit of a chore to finish.

This is not to say though that there aren't snippets of brilliance, none more so than Seth's creative use of meter and rhyme throughout. Furthermore, he cleverly sews in plot twists and moral lessons which are entertaining and funny. We read this over a period of a few months, dipping into it every now and then, so perhaps if we'd have read it a bit more regularly it wouldn't have felt as one trick ponyish. It's definitely a nice little read for those who want something a bit different and it by no means does Seth's reputation any harm as a good and interesting writer. 3/5 stars.… (more)