A Suitable Boy (1950)

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A modern classic, this epic tale of families, romance and political intrigue never loses its power to delight and enchant readers. Vikram Seth's novel is, at its core, 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. Reviews 'This novel, so vast and so amiably peopled, is a long, sweet, sleepless pilgrimage to life…Such writing reminds us that there are secrets beyond technique, beyond even style, which have to do with a quality of soul on the part of the writer, a giving of oneself…His novel deserves thousands of long marriages and suitable readers.' GUARDIAN 'Vivid, evocative and beautifully written, 'A Suitable Boy' casts its net far and wide across the country…Seth has a wonderful sense of place and the (fictional) city of Brahmpur is almost a character in its own right…The cast of 'A Suitable Boy' is as vast and various as that of any 19th century novel.' LITERARY REVIEW About the Author Vikram Seth was born in 1952. He trained as an economist and has lived for several years each in England, California, China and India. He is the author of A Suitable Boy, which was an international number one bestseller, An Equal Music and several other novels. He has also written seven volumes of poetry including Beastly Tales and Summer Requiem