SuitableBoy2024

Emotions run high & disparate narrative threads come together. Rupa‘s annoyance over being last to meet Haresh is overshadowed by everyone‘s concern for Pran‘s health. Are any of you reassured on his behalf by the words of Pran‘s masseur? Meanwhile, Kabir is near & Maan may have kissed Saeeda Bai goodbye by kissing someone else. (A good thing?) And what‘s the Nawab‘s secret in regards to Tasneem? I don‘t think Firoz will be found suitable for her.

azulaco, Leftcoastzen, KathyR, bekakins, squirrelbrain, RebelReader, jlhammar, RaeLovesToRead, kassandrik

Lindy #SuitableBoy2024 4h

tpixie Great reading challenge! 3h

jlhammar I‘m very worried about Pran. Seems like Maan may not have matured all that much in his time away. Though sabotaging that relationship might be for the best. Glad that Bhaskar is doing well. 2h

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Lindy @tpixie It‘s been a great experience all along 😁 2h

Lindy @jlhammar I‘m worried too. Pran is such a good guy. And speaking of Bhaskar, why can‘t his grandfather recognize the boy‘s mathematical genius? 2h

tpixie @Lindy 🌸🌸🌸 18m

10 likes6 comments

Lindy

Suitable Boy | Vikram Seth

Old landlords sue the state to keep their lands.
Crushed corpses rot upon the holy sands.

Holy smoke! Momentous moments in this chapter! I don‘t usually get on with courtroom drama but Vikram Seth managed to make even that compelling. But little Bhaskar is my main concern. I hope we don‘t have to wait to long for an update.
#SuitableBoy2024

azulaco, Leftcoastzen, KathyR, bekakins, squirrelbrain, RebelReader, jlhammar, RaeLovesToRead, kassandrik

jlhammar So tragic. “Within fifteen minutes more than a thousand people were dead.” 😭 I was so relieved when Bhaskar was found. Hoping he recovers. 7d

Lindy @jlhammar Yes, so very tragic. @KathyR mentioned elsewhere that Seth based this incident on a real event in 1954 at the Kumbh Mela: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954_Prayag_Kumbh_Mela_stampede 7d

KathyR Even though Bhaskar is a minor character, I was impressed with the way that Seth made him stand out as a lovable & talented kid whose disal 7d

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KathyR Oops. ...whose disappearance put me on edge, his possible death was a heartbreaking thought. Kabir is the hero of the day, in recognizing him, contacting Mahesh, and convincing his father to visit regularly, but nobody present know what Lata & her mother know about his feelings for Lata. 7d

bekakins Poor Bhaskar - that chapter had me with my mouth hanging open, thank goodness he was found! 7d

squirrelbrain Only just caught up today - #camplitsy spreadsheets mean no time for reading. Such a terrible episode, even more so that it is based on a true story. 6d

Lindy @KathyR @bekakins Yes, Bhaskar is a good example of the way Seth describes and deploys his minor characters to maximum effect. These people seem real to me. 5d

29 likes7 comments

Lindy

Suitable Boy | Vikram Seth

I could feel the boredom, heat and elasticity of time that Maan experiences in village life, and yet there‘s so much drama in this chapter too, not least of which is the wolf hunt. If Maan can control his temper, perhaps politics would be a good career path. But I am most curious and concerned about Rasheed‘s future.

Fellow readers, we have only 9 parts left to go! #SuitableBoy2024

azulaco, Leftcoastzen, KathyR, bekakins, squirrelbrain, RebelReader, jlhammar, RaeLovesToRead, kassandrik

tpixie Oh! A big classic!! 2w

Lindy @tpixie Yes indeed! Have you read it? 2w

bekakins Rasheed is a really interesting character - also enjoyed Maan trying to control his rage - this was a good section! 2w

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mcctrish A buddy read of this is brilliant 2w

Lindy @bekakins I think we are witnessing Maan‘s maturation from boy to man (even though he‘s already in his 20s.) 2w

Lindy @mcctrish Agreed! It‘s been a fantastic experience so far and we are only halfway through. 2w

squirrelbrain Only 9 parts to go - wow! We‘re doing well, but it‘s such a fascinating read it‘s the opposite of a slog. Poor Rasheed - we feared for him when he changed the deeds and it seems we were right to do so. 2w

Lindy @squirrelbrain It feels easy to keep motoring through because I haven‘t been bored yet. 😊 2w

jlhammar Yes, very concerned for Rasheed! I liked getting more of his backstory. It does seem like we are seeing Maan mature and come into his own. I find the music snobbishness that surfaced again (from Sandeep Lahiri) really interesting. “Good music is good music.” Good=western classical. Can‘t believe we are so far through already! Reading one part a week has been fantastic. 2w

Lindy @jlhammar I‘m glad you mentioned the music snobbery. I noticed the Western authors also (EM Forster, for example). 2w

KathyR I thought that the preference for classical music over traditional Indian music was one of many examples of the trumpeting of English & Western superiority (in language, music, literature, food, etc) in the novel. Colonial administration has been replaced with an independent Government, but the attitude of English/Western superiority remains, now promulgated by the Indian upper classes and castes. 2w

33 likes11 comments

Lindy

Suitable Boy | Vikram Seth

“A desperate mother ventures to deploy
Fair means or foul to net a suitable boy.”
The more I get to know Haresh, the better I like him. He remembered Bhaskar‘s question! He was smart to hold back on his impulse to immediately propose to Lata, however. She needs time to warm up to him… if he is indeed the right man. Meanwhile, I fear for Rupa‘s cousin‘s daughter Kiran. Her father is evil. Kiran needs to hop a train and get away from him.

azulaco, Leftcoastzen, KathyR, bekakins, squirrelbrain, RebelReader, jlhammar, RaeLovesToRead, kassandrik

Lindy #SuitableBoy2024 3w

squirrelbrain Just realised, when I saw your post, that I haven‘t read this week‘s instalment! 🤪 Been too busy with work - I shall try to read it this evening. It‘s a slippery slope if you fall behind! 3w

Lindy @squirrelbrain ⏰🐇😁🍀 3w

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jlhammar So evil! This part was quite distressing. Lata having to fend off Mr Sahgal and poor Kiran. I enjoyed seeing Mrs Rupa Mehra through other eyes—hadn‘t realized earlier just how good-looking she is! 3w

Lindy @jlhammar Maybe Rupa will find a suitable man? 3w

squirrelbrain Phew - I caught up last night! I agree @jlhammar - rather an upsetting section. Poor Kiran - I hope we hear the end of her story, as long as it‘s a positive ending for her. 3w

bekakins I too was quite distressed by the chapters with Mr Sahel - what an awful man! Like @jlhammar I enjoyed the revelation that Mrs Rupa Mehra is very attractive - and a big fan of Haresh! 3w

Lindy @jlhammar @squirrelbrain @bekakins Over on Voxer, in our concurrent discussion, @KathyR pointed out that Lata‘s bad experience with Mr Sahgal might colour her overall view of the trip, including her feelings about Haresh. It‘s entirely possible. 3w

20 likes8 comments

Leftcoastzen

Suitable Boy | Vikram Seth

#SpringSkies #BookClubRead #buddyread My book club reads that I am behind on !Twilight Sleep , I almost caught up for #WhartonBuddyRead but I‘m only on part 7 for #SuitableBoy2024 everyone else is on part 9 . between all the drop every thing and go errands & other diversions hard time keeping up ! I‘m even late with this post! 😁

Lindy, Lcsmcat, Eggs, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks, Graywacke

Graywacke Can i send you free time to fritter away, between errands and commitments? I hope you‘re enjoying the reading. 4w

Leftcoastzen @Graywacke oh, I wish! I would be requesting buckets of time!😂 4w

Eggs I know the feeling😕 3w

Lindy Hang in there Linda! Be gentle with yourself. 🥹 3w

Leftcoastzen @Lindy THANKS! I hope to catch up soon, love the book, life stuff happens. 3w

51 likes5 comments

Lindy

Suitable Boy | Vikram Seth

“Beneath the neem the village children play.
Worn cattle churn the burning earth to clay.”

This chapter makes it clear why land reform is important. I admire and applaud Rasheed‘s passion for justice. I fear for the trouble it will cause him and others.

#SuitableBoy2024

azulaco, Leftcoastzen, KathyR, bekakins, squirrelbrain, RebelReader, jlhammar, RaeLovesToRead, kassandrik

squirrelbrain I found this chapter fascinating too - both for the land reform politics and for the look at a different social strata. 4w

bekakins Loved Rasheed‘s bold move at the end of this part… but worried about the consequences to come. Interesting section of the book! 4w

KathyR I thought Seth built up to the last scene in the chapter so well. By then, we had seen Rasheed's compassion in interactions with the labourers & the poorest in the village, we had heard about his vision for a more productive village, we had seen how hard Kecheru worked, and had heard his arguments with his father. So you're not surprised that his father is having the records falsified, or that Rasheed undermines his fraud to help out Kecheru. 4w

jlhammar Really interesting section. I enjoyed getting to know Rasheed a bit more. 4w

28 likes4 comments

Lindy

Suitable Boy | Vikram Seth

Part 7 by the numbers:
-1 grouchy dog
-2 new suitors for Lata
-2 main suitors for Kakoli
-2 lovers for Meenakshi
-2 faces of Arun (affable vs tyrant)
-9 eccentric characters in 1 major family (Chatterji) explored
-63 flagged passages in 127 pages
-and the fundamental construct of Indian civilization is 4… no, it‘s 3… no, it‘s 2… no, it‘s 1… no, it‘s 0…
-Uncounted chuckles

I loved this section! #SuitableBoy2024

azulaco, Leftcoastzen, KathyR, bekakins, squirrelbrain, RebelReader, jlhammar, RaeLovesToRead, kassandrik

Leftcoastzen So much going on! Of course on the surface one should be glad that colonialism ended , but it‘s easy to forget there are winners & losers in any reorganization.I know I‘m reacting from a different world view yet it infuriates me a bit that with Purdha , I would have to cover myself & hide away in my own home if the patriarch brought someone home with him. 😔 1mo

batsy Love your summary 😁 1mo

bekakins Really fun section - the Chatterjis are my new favourites love the dynamic between the different siblings and the rhyming couplets they throw around 😆 also Patricia Cox properly made me chuckle! 1mo

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jlhammar Awesome breakdown!😆 Probably my favorite part so far. @bekakins I also loved the Chatterjis and got a kick out of the Patricia bits 😂 I especially liked when Meenakshi declined a mango and Mrs Rupa Mehra “was confirmed in her opinion that [she] was extremely odd. To steel yourself against mangoes showed a degree of iciness that was almost inhuman.”🥭 1mo

Lindy @jlhammar That part gave me a craving for mangoes 🥭😊 1mo

Lindy @batsy 😘 1mo

Lindy @Leftcoastzen Yes! So much activity, one social event after another. I love it. The pro-British and anti-British sentiments are nicely contrasted in this section. In the novel so far, it‘s clear that colonialism has had a devastating effect on the country. 1mo

Lindy @bekakins The Chatterji family is a hoot! And so is Patricia Cox. I wonder if we will see her have the opportunity to drink shamshu. 🍶 1mo

kassandrik My maths and statistics heart is beating fast ❤️ 1mo

Lindy @kassandrik 💓 1mo

bekakins @jlhammar so funny 🤣 and @Lindy I would LOVE it if we get to see Patricia cox trying shamshu! 1mo

squirrelbrain Great summary! I agree @jlhammar - my favourite part so far too. 1mo

Lindy @squirrelbrain 😘👍 1mo

azulaco Oh my goodness, that Meenakshi. She is nothing but trouble! 1mo

KathyR I was not very enthuastic about this part but the comments of other readers has encouraged me to re-read it. (I'm retired ;) ) One of the great benefits of a readalong. 1mo

Lindy @azulaco Meenakshi is playing with fire 💃 1mo

Lindy @KathyR One of the many things I enjoyed about this chapter is the way characters are given depth via snippets of conversation. Also the humour; I was smiling all the way through this part. 1mo

34 likes17 comments

Lindy

Suitable Boy | Vikram Seth

“As a broad generalization, one might tentatively hazard a guess therefore, that, all other things being equal, one should not make particular generalizations when general particularizations are equally available — and available to far less idle effect.”
[I‘m still finishing up Part 7, but the blather in 7.35 reminded me of the scene pictured above in Mexikid.]
#SuitableBoy2024

kassandrik “Leave now“ - more frequently it was said by Arun, less I believed his words were to mean anything. 1mo

jlhammar Yes, it totally does! I hadn‘t thought of that. Cute graphic memoir. Loving the Chatterji siblings and their banter. Long (but excellent) part this week. Enjoy the rest! 1mo

Lindy @kassandrik @jlhammar I didn‘t even notice the “Leave now” correspondence until you pointed it out, Aleksandra! So true! Jamie, I also have enjoyed the Chatterji family banter. 1mo

25 likes3 comments

Lindy

Suitable Boy | Vikram Seth

The Chatterji family at breakfast presented a scene of cordial conflict. It was an intelligent family where everyone thought of everyone else as an idiot.
#SuitableBoy2024

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Lindy

Suitable Boy | Vikram Seth

Like magpies cackling over baubles—or discovering occasional gems and imagining them to be baubles—the excited guests chattered on. Despite the fact that they were shovelling in a great deal of food, everyone managed to shovel out a great many words. #SuitableBoy2024

marleed I once watched a magpie repeatedly dive bomb my father‘s cat. The cat kept running and crouching lower to the ground. When the cat was essentially moving in trench warfare, it waited for the next magpie pass, flipped on her back and met the magpie claws with her own clawed paws. The magpie flew off. It was truly amazing to watch this bit of nature. (I was perched on a deck with no ability to assist the cat.). 1mo

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