The Great Indian Novel

I finished the book recently, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, which is saying a lot because my paperback edition is around 600 pages. I wouldn't consider the book a "literary" work, and I'm not sure what genre it can be categorized under (historical fiction?), but it's certainly a one-of-a-kind book, and a masterpiece. The concept behind the book is ingenious. Tharoor uses the great Indian epic, The Mahabharata, as the ground for writing a book on 20th-century Indian history and politics, like a Greek writer using The Illiad as the basis for a novel on modern Greek politics. The importance of that is two-fold: It shows the continuing relevance of this ancient epic in modern times, and it places the history of Indian independence and modern India within a mythic framework, like a continuation of the mythical history of India. The narrator is the original storyteller of the mighty Mahabharata, Vyasa, and, of course, his scribe is a representation of the original scribe, the deity Ganesha. Tharoor weaves the story of the great, mythic Indian struggle for freedom from the largest, most powerful empire in the history of mankind using characters from The Mahabharata to represent independence leaders and modern leaders (you can easily pick out Indira Gandhi). I thought the blending of historical and mythical events to be a really original conception for a novel. The characters are fleshed out well, and Tharoor shows his knowledge of Indian politics and the motivations and flaws of the people enmeshed in it. I also appreciated his empathetic characterizations of the poorer and more downtrodden in Indian society. The book was a masterpiece of satire and wit, and I liked Tharoor's prose style, particularly his penchant for alliteration. For a long novel, the story was well-paced and not difficult to read through. In fact, it moved pretty fast for me. I loved the ending (so Indian or Hindu). Perfect. Personal note: I enjoyed the fact that Tharoor made the character who represented Krishna a Malayali, just like Tharoor is and just like I am. Cool.

Un capolavoro letterario poco o nulla conosciuto in Italia. Per apprezzarlo al meglio occorre però conoscere qualcosa sulla storia e i miti dell'India

Oned of the most interesting and amusing books I've read. Had to read it a second I enjoyed it so much.

Was curious about how this would translate. So far so good! Excellent condition and fast shipping

This was my first Shashi Tharoor novel and I was scared to choose, as it had a complex plot and I didn't know vastly about Mahabharata and Indian political history. I left this behind several times but when I started reading, I fell in love with the way of narration. Three decades of events in one book, with a complex plot, but Shashi Tharoor made it easy to understand and I never felt any sort of unrest while reading. This novel is a mythological retelling from Sasi Tharoor's perspective. He tries to transform Ancient Epic into Modern Politics. The mythical story of India is retold in such a way that the entire novel directs on how India has struggled against colonial rule. After reading this novel, it turns out to be my favourite mythological novel. A single book that entertains and gives us the kind of information we must have.