A Suitable Boy

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.

'A Suitable Boy may prove to be the most fecund as well as the most prodigious work of the latter half of this century - perhaps even the book to restore the serious reading public's faith in the contemporary novel ... You should make time for it. It will keep you company for the rest of your life' Daniel Johnson, The Times

“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 - OBSERVERA long, sweet, sleepless pilgrimage to life ... such writing reminds us that there are secrets beyond technique, beyond even style - GUARDIANVikram Seth is already the best writer of his generation - THE TIMESA quietly monumental novel . . . [Seth] has given that unlikeliest of hybrids, a modest tour de force - TLSConceived 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 - Sunday TimesA phenomenon, a prodigy, a marvel of 19th century storytelling in the language of today - EVENING STANDARDAn 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 - Hindustan Times”

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 - OBSERVER

A long, sweet, sleepless pilgrimage to life ... such writing reminds us that there are secrets beyond technique, beyond even style - GUARDIAN

Vikram Seth is already the best writer of his generation - THE TIMES

A quietly monumental novel . . . [Seth] has given that unlikeliest of hybrids, a modest tour de force - TLS

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 - Sunday Times

A phenomenon, a prodigy, a marvel of 19th century storytelling in the language of today - EVENING STANDARD

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 - Hindustan Times

Vikram Seth has written five books of poetry, an opera libretto, and a book of other libretti. He is perhaps best known for his acclaimed novel, A SUITABLE BOY, one of the most beloved and widely read books of recent times, as well as his novels THE GOLDEN GATE and AN EQUAL MUSIC. He is the author of two highly regarded works of non-fiction, FROM HEAVEN LAKE and TWO LIVES.

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

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