Sacred Games: A Novel (P.S.)
by Vikram Chandra
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Book Reviews of Sacred Games: A Novel (P.S.)
Book Review: Visiting India
Summary: 5 Stars
I absolutely loved every moment of this book. Its complicated and messy at times, but I think that's why I felt like I was experiencing the real India. The writing is extremely evocative and I often thought that I could smell the place. There were times when just the smallest turn of a phrase made me stop so that I could just be with the words. I thought the characterizations were amazing and I love that even the smallest characters are fully created. Knowing each one's history so well really gave the reader insight into their behavior and motivation. Collectively, this gave me a great sense of the culture. I also thought that the novel had an interesting spiritual element about it and gave me insight into the different religions that have shaped the culture over time. I found it fascinating from the very first page and thought it was well worth the investment of time and energy.Book Review: a wonderful book
Summary: 4 Stars
I have to admit, I am a big Chandra fan. Red Earth and Pouring Rain is one of my favorite books. I also loved Love and Longing in Bombay. Sacred Games is a different sort of experience. It is slow to start. It takes about 3 weeks to get through the first 200 pages and then, it will take you two days to get to the end. You won't be able to put it down. I loved the ending....you just have to connect it. The sister was alive all along! I thought it was the last end that needed to be tied up. I love how at the end, we do not know if Gaitonde was a pathetic loser or a Don of epic proportions. Perhaps he is both. While the endings to Red Earth and Pouring Rain and Love and Longing in Bombay were somewhat of a let-down, here, Chandra delivers. We are left thinking. It is, as Hanuman says in Red Earth, like eating a good meal. :)
Book Review: Sacred City
Summary: 5 Stars
I am just a little over 100 pages into the book and am impressed with what I have read so far. The characters are very well developed and it is evident that Chandra has done his research well. To really appreciate this book it is helpful if one has lived in Mumbai or is exposed to Bollywood films about the city's underworld. Readers who are not familiar with the Mumbai underworld should watch three Bollywood films before they begin this book: (1) "Satya" (An excellent film on the Mumbai underworld - a must see)
(2) "Sarkar" (An Indian take on the GodFather)
(3) "Black Friday" (A dramatization of the events that led to the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai)
These three films (or Satya alone) should give you enough audio-visual grounding to really appreciate this book.
Book Review: Not even finished yet
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm not even finished yet (300 pages to go) but I love this book regardless of what happens. Mr Chandra gives us a story as messy and complex as India itself. I'm not Indian (although I know several) and have never been to India (hope to some day), but the major (and many minor) characters struck me as complex and all too human, and I'll be very surprised if I ever visity Mumbai some day and it isn't very much like the way Mr Chandra describes it. I'm struck by how many reviewers said that the ending fell flat. While I hope for some answers/conclusions by the end, this novel is very much about the journey--the destination for which is merely an excuse for the trip.Book Review: Not worth the time!
Summary: 2 Stars
A weak story of the intertwined lives of movie stars, underworld dons, shady police inspectors in the ever-evolving city of Mumbai. The characters are weak and events seem to be taken from newspaper clippings related to Dawood Ibrahim or even an infamous movie of Ram Gopal Verma.
The constant cussing and local slang is the only taste of Mumbai that the author cares to provide and nothing of the vitality that makes Mumbai ever comes on the surface.
Narrative skills are worthy of being compared to the skills of Jackie Collins!