Rating: 
Summary: Penetrating and full of love
Review: The title of the book is apt for the content. Naipaul very delicately writes about the mutinies within and without in modern India. What best way to describe the struggle than to pick characters from different walks of life, explore them objectively and incisively. What you cannot miss is however his love for the country and a passionate desire to learn more about a struggle he could not be part of. This book to me is stripped free of pessimism towards India for which Naipaul seems to be criticized all over the place.I would recommend this book to anybody who knows fairly well about India. Its not a primer to Indian civilization, its deep and you'd appreciate it only if you can get into the skin of the characters.
Rating:
Summary: A personal view
Review: This is a big book about India and its people. When you start to read this book you indubitably bring your own baggage of views and expectations, which color your subsequent grasp of the book and the picture it presents. I am an Indian expat and like many other expats, I am often called on to present my take on my homeland. Having grown up in India I could relate to my immediate experiences and my family. I like most Indians had no sense of history(other than the post independence interpretation found in most books on India), how they came to be and where my people are in relation to the world. India is fragmented into so many religions, classes &castes it is almost impossible for an ordinary Indian to grasp the whole. This book by Naipaul attempts to paint a picture of the whole and define the crux of what it means to be an Indian(a very modern concept). Naipaul is perfectly suited to this task, with his curious mind and very sharp observations. After having followed India over three decades, he does have a handle on the mentality of an Indian, at the same time he relates to the wider world and has a sense of perspective. This book presents a collage of people from different parts of India, different classes, castes, religion. He attempts to find out what drives them within the wider social context and how they see themselves, their values and their expectations and how they are standing up to the changing times. His portraits are clear, sympathetic and samples the wide spectrum of India. The people we meet are a varied group, a lower caste former Naxalite leader from the south, to a former Nawab of Lucknow, gangsters from Bombay, a disillusioned Sikh, a Bengali Boxwallah... An access into the minds of such a wide cast of people is definitely the best thing about the book. You could take from this selection what interests you; strange cultural practices, triumphs and tragedies of a slum dweller or a struggling Brahman. Fascinating details that an Indian might not spend a second thought on are illuminated by this author of Indian origin. In spite of so many people and interviews, the narrative is for the most part easy going and does not leave you stranded. This is because there is the underlying theme to the book I talked about earlier and Naipaul's skills a great travel writer. Naipaul's quest is not truly an Indian one, i.e. it is not a quest that an Indian would undertake, as he/she is ensconced in a rich cultural mythology that gives a sense to every ones place which most people accept in the normal course of life or are frustrated by its limitations, but learn to accept it as part of the 'tension of living'. Naipaul's quest is an occidental mind's attempt to know India. That is not taking way from it any of its value, as from his unique perspective he sees things that others easily miss. At the same time in many parts of the book, he fails to grasp the underlying thoughts and world view of each of the Indians he meets. He is more in his element when he meets people of the educated class in the cities and towns but fails for the most part in getting to know the peasant. This is sometimes only too obvious when Naipaul meets some of the people to be interviewed in the plush surroundings of his hotel, which some of his interviewees are probably setting foot for the first time in their lives and which they would be talking about long after the author has gone. This is where his occidental mind fails, it fails to see the Indian peasant from how he sees himself and has a condescending respect for his hard life. In spite of its very few limitations, this is the best book on India I have read(I rank it higher than his earlier book, An Area of Darkness). It is sincere and sympathetic and you do come from it feeling you know the people of India better. This is also an important book that probes the Indian psyche in this time of change. Indians for the most part are opening up to the world and are bucking up to see a lot of changes in their lives & culture, mostly irredeemable.
Rating:
Summary: Insight into India
Review: This is one of the better books I've read on India. Set in the late 80s I think this book gives a very deep insight into India of that period. Naipaul sees things that very few of us Indians see (I am an Indian who has lived in India almost all his life). I believe one of the reasons Naipaul's perspective is so interesting is because he has the added advantage of someone who is not necessarily tied to the Indian psyche by being involved with India on a day-to-day basis. At the same time someone who has lived with the concept of India since childhood. The only drawback is that if an outsider hopes to understand contemporary India through this book it will give a good but not complete perspective since much has happened in the last decade.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating!
Review: This is the book I recommend to non-Indians when they ask me what India is like. Mr. Naipaul has successfully managed to convey India's order within its daily chaos. His interviews and characters brought back many memories of my motherland. A very good read
Rating: 
Summary: Very good but not as good as Area of Darkness
Review: V S Naipaul is one of the best writers that I have known. However being of Asian origin , I feel that he has a tendency to 'look down' on his ancestry. HEY Mr Naipaul ! If You're listening or come across this web page...take note..u have an INdian name and u look like an indian..be proud of it !
Rating:
Summary: Very good but not as good as Area of Darkness
Review: V S Naipaul is one of the best writers that I have known. However being of Asian origin , I feel that he has a tendency to 'look down' on his ancestry. HEY Mr Naipaul ! If You're listening or come across this web page...take note..u have an INdian name and u look like an indian..be proud of it !
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