Beautifully written, rich stories that take place in India.

Indian writers are hot right now, but no one comes close to Desai's fine blend of realism and romance. A child of a German and an Indian, Desai probably is able to synthesize a cultural viewpoint all her own. Her unique (often satirical, always witty) eye sees much, and her writing is a bafflingly brilliant mix of poetry and economy.

Not a bad story in the batch... you'll want to read them again and again!

I think Ms. Desai would capture the heart of any woman of Indian origin. The book does start of very slowly but nevertheless beckons your patience. Bimla, Tara, Raj and Mira Masi are not the most admirable characters, yet they touch you so. Despite the underlying depression, I could not help but smile!

This was a book that kept my interest from the beginning, in large part because of the expert characterization of the central characters. It is both depressing and optimistic; the characters mostly are constrained by their personality and history, yet at the end are able to transcend themselves. It seems that in returning to what they are attempting to escape from - the family - they are finally able to become whole. Their flashes of insight and the author's analysis may seem contrived at times, but it's difficult to imagine how it could be expressed better.

The main character is a manic depressive woman who is very annoyed with life because it is unfair, and she ended up in the wrong side of the table. So she resents everyone that happened to be lucky enough to avoid life traps and despises those who fell on them. Eventhough the book is beautifully written, the dark mood that the author impress on its main character, permeates to the reader and you become up caught in an atmosphere whereby reading is an effort, so each page develops slow, very slow.

Were it not for the inevitable dampening effect of translation from Urdu to English, this book deserves at least 5 stars. Ismat Chugtai was a brilliant writer, expressing her views with candor, vivid imagery, and a wickedly sarcastic sense of humor. She dares to address and expose seriously taboo topics at a time when the role of women in society was so suppressed and inhibited it makes the present day seem utopian. Like a true iconoclast, she probes questionable societal norms that most followed blindly, and still do. The only disappointment in this book is that it reads like someone's paraphrasing of Chugtai's stories; the translation, although mostly accurate, erodes the true flavor of her writing and really misses the mark sometimes.

The book takes a look at the society of her times and provides a witty, inciteful look at it

Salman Rushdie's "Midnight's Children" appears to be an allegory, spiced with satirical commentary, on the political course of modern India and the in-fighting of its various social and religious factions. It is an endlessly inventive book with a cheeky sense of humor and wild, exotic imagery, but it does not eschew somber moments. Rushdie presents this novel as the autobiography of Saleem Sinai, writing from his current residence at a Bombay pickle factory under the critical eye of his frequently interruptive lover/fiance Padma.

Saleem was born on the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, the precise moment of India's independence from Great Britain and Pakistan's formation. He and one thousand other babies (the Midnight's Children) born in India throughout the hour each has some supernatural power such as witchcraft, time travel, gender alteration, etc., or otherwise is simply a mutant. Kind of like the X-Men, except they're too self-serving to band together and fight crime (and too bad, as there is a lot of narrative potential in this idea).

Saleem routinely hides in a washing-chest in his house to find inner peace away from neighborhood kids who taunt him for his large misshapen nose and other odd facial features. One day in the chest, he has a strange accident -- he sniffs a pajama cord up his nose, triggering an effect which causes him to hear voices in his head and realize he has telepathic powers. By telepathy, he establishes communication with the (heretofore unknown to him) other Midnight's Children, but they prove unwilling to unite. An operation performed on his nose to stop his severe dripping snot problem clears his nasal passages to reveal an uncanny olfactory ability, enabling him to sniff out emotions and ideas as well as smells.

Saleem also gives an extensive background on his family, beginning with how his maternal grandparents met, up to his pyromaniac-turned-singing-star younger sister. After his (Muslim) family relocates to Pakistan, almost all of them are killed in the 1965 India-Pakistan war, and in the 1971 war for the independence of Bangladesh, Saleem is conscripted in the Pakistani Army as a human bloodhound.

Eventually, Saleem marries Parvati, one of the Midnight's Children, the witch, who bears a child fathered by his arch enemy Shiva, another of the Midnight's Children, whose special attribute is his ability to crush people with his overdeveloped knees. Shiva works as an agent for the government of India, who demand to know the indentities and whereabouts of all the Midnight's Children, and Saleem is the only one who can tell them...

Like E.L. Doctorow's "Ragtime," "Midnight's Children" blurs the line between historical fact and fiction, weaving fantastic events against a realistic backdrop of a land in turmoil. Saleem is an extraordinary character, not a hero in the traditional sense but a deformed symbol, a vessel for carrying and displaying the problems and hopes of the people of India.

Salman Rushdie's "Midnight's Children" has been honoured by book critics as the "Booker of Bookers" and no wonder ! It's one of the most original, brilliant and stunning novels I have read in years. How apt too that Rushdie's technique or genre of writing should be described as "magical realism", for MC dresses the telling of post-war Indian history with so much fun, humour and imagination from references drawn from such a deep ancient well, your senses reel from the rush and cultural overload. Granted, Rushdie's method with language doesn't make for easy or casual reading. Words meticulously chosen, assembled and invested with meaning tumble helter skelter onto the pages in dazzling and colourful rapid fire prose - "stream of consciousness" style - you really need to concentrate to understand and savour its riches. Its huge cast of characters evoke the sense of a grand pantheon of gods overlooking the lives of its divided people. Not surprisingly, these same gods (or God) - depending on whether you're Hindu or Muslim - connive to coincide births, deaths and marriages and the mercurial fate of these "midnight's children" who come from disparate social and religious backgrounds with the making of history. The use of the "switched-at-birth good Saleem/bad Shiva" as a central motif in the novel is also a masterful stroke conveying both irony and plurality that characterises India. "Midnight's Children" is one of those important novels that just has to be read by everyone who loves serious fiction. I'd be willing to bet that it'll get on the reading list of every literature student, if it hasn't already done so. A rare and genuine masterpiece. Make time to read it. You will be richly rewarded.

I am biased, and there is no two ways about that. I believe Rushdie is the greatest mordern writer in history, hence if he wrote the eqivalent of 'Amsterdam' I would probably rave about. If I had to name a favourite of Rushdie's written work, I would always name 'Satanic Verses' as my perfered, due to it's sheer brilliance and busyness, however it is closely followed by 'Midnight's Children.' I read it a couple of months ago, and my message remained unposted, hence my recollection is a bit blurry, however I remember raving in that review immediately after reading it. I think that Salman Rushdie, along with the 1997 Booker prize winner and the likes of Rohiston Mistry and the novel 'Flower Boy' have created a standard of writing that the rest of the world should to aim to match. I absolutely love Indian literature, much of it being as many have mentioned, being in the little known, but highly interesting genre of magic realism, along with the fabulous Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Love in Times of Chlorea. I plead for people to give this style of writing, and 'Midnight's Children' a chance. The later is an interesting, consistant and busy novel, which I enjoyed from every aspect, and will remember for much of my reading life.

A prolific Bengalese writer, Tagore structured this novel such that three main characters represent the turbulence of the Partition that was yet to come to India in 1947. Nikhil is married to Bimala, living in the traditional domestic manner; for herself, Bimala has no expectation of her life ever deviating from her wifely path. The concept of "Swadeshi", a renewed appreciation of everything Indian, and a denial of everything British, particularly British imported goods and grains, rages throughout the country. The egocentric Sandip, a guest in Nikhil's home, is a fierce proponant of Swadeshi. Sandip finds himself passionately attracted to Bimala; he idealizes her as the epitome of "Mother" India, and pursues Bimala without reservation. Flattered by Sandip's attention, Bimala begins to question the nature of her marriage, and the three embark upon an emotional journey that will forever alter their lives, just as India begins a lengthy period of upheaval and unrest. Of the three, Sandip is transparantly shallow, while Nikhil thoughtfully considers every aspect before embarking on a course of action. Both men indulge in lengthy discourses, but the introduction by Anita Desai does much to frame this novel in the appropriate perspective. The allegorical nature of this tale is evident as the characters plunge headlong into the future.

This book is largely a parable about the conflicts in Bengal in the early twentieth century. Tagore uses a triangle of husband and wife and outside suitor. Bimala, the wife is a sort of central figure as the novel largely revolves around her conflicting feelings towards both her husband Nikhil and Sandip. She feels excited by Sandip's passion but also has a bond with her husband. Nikhil is the reserved and dignified religious man who is not swayed by the mob mentality that was sweeping through the Bengal state. Sandip is the passionate, xenophobic leader pushing for the immediate gain. The narrative is written threefold. All three characters take turns telling the story from their own point of view. This is an interesting effect that adds dimension to the tale. Tagore obviously feels empathy towards Nikhil but he refrains from being too judgmental toward Sandip. Bimala becomes the most sympathetic character simply because she faces the most ambivalence in the book. There are many blatant political overtures in this book but I find that it works well as human drama as well. You needn't be knowledgeable about the conflicts in India to appreciate the moral dilemmas presented in this tale. Reading this book made it easy to understand why Tagore was awarded a Nobel Prize.

One aspect that non-Indian readers will completely fail to realise is the boldness with which Tagore used to weave his imagination based on stark solid reality. Tagore was socially ostracised for his depiction of the passion (always cloaked and shrouded in the garbs of the civilsation, norms of the society) of an honourable aristrocatic married lady, which acts as the metaphor for the passions the society was undergoing in those turbulent days of political upheaval against the British Empire. A brilliant picture of the torment of the human character caught in the web of desire of ecstacy and quest for contentment, peace and bliss, this narrative draws a beautiful parallel to the miopic frenzy of the mob in its quest for subversion with the destructive consequences of unbridled passion, and an individual's attempt to bring harmony and order in the chaos, attaining salvation. Technically brilliant, this disturbingly beautiful tale is another of Tagore's timeless creation.

Baumgartner, a German Jew, gets to India as a teenager, "escaping" the Holocaust. He makes a living there until his Indian patron dies, then retires at an early age into poverty. He never gets over the death of his mother, who refused to emigrate. He is a totally passive personality whose one joy is caring for stray cats in his small apartment. Not only is he a dull protagonist, but Desai withholds the few interesting parts of his life until toward the end. Is Desai investigating bigger themes, by looking at the world and Indian society through the eyes of such a character? Is she trying to prove that even such a person is worth exploring? More likely the former, since this is not really an in depth character study. The events pallidly reflected are interesting, Desai is a good writer, Baumgartner arouses some feelings of empathy, so book is readable.

Baumgartner's Bombay is a memorable and haunting tale of the holocaust and the resulting new wave of the dispossessed and grieving let loose on the world--in this case cast adrift in India. Baumgartner neither understands nor feels at home in the East--an incomprehension that is amply reciprocated by his new colleagues and acquaintances. The ending is a bit disappointing but the novel as a whole reverberates in the mind long after you put it down...

This is the first book I have read by Anita Desai. It was memorable and thoroughly satisfying. One could not say that it was enjoyable as that would betray the emotions experienced on reading the book. I came away enthralled, though disenchanted with the world and its occupants, to say nothing of being more than a little depressed.

The eponymous character is a kindly, benevolent old man, a foreigner in India, who is totally out of kilter with the world in which he lives. His fondness for cats betrays his need for relationships, given the evident absence of personal contact in his everyday experiences. In many ways, the only satisfying aspect of his life is the past, where he spends much of his time reflecting. His sole relationship with any meaning is with another extremely unhappy, demoralised expatiate who hates everyting about the circumstances in which she now finds herself.

Together, they make a sorry pair. He is kind, mild-mannered, gentle, unassuming and much put upon. She is much more aggressive, though an anchronism, living very much in the better days of yesteryear. The world in which they now live is extremely unfogiving and unkind to them. The past they left behind, however, was equally unattractive.

The ending was in many ways a blessing. The misery of the surroundings and the leading characters will live in my mind for a long time, as will the conduct of the self-absorbed young foreigner who brought this tale to a climax. In many ways, he is the epitome of all that is unacceptable today. The small kindnesses he experienced are disregarded and his selfish demands take precedence over anyone else's needs.

If you are looking for a fast-paced thriller full of action, you have come to the wrong place. If, however, you want to enjoy a real story which challenges all of the emotions as well as having a beginning, a middle and an end then this book will deeply move you.

All in all, a very sad story, made all the sadder by some of the most beautiful, compact writing you will ever encounter.

This author is really good. She is a highly skilled narrator with a keen sensitivity to detail. It is, in fact, that detail which makes warrants the 4-star rating. It must be said, however, that this is not Ms. Desai's best work. The character development in this book is not up to par. Of the two characters in this book, Maya and Gautama, only that of Maya has been adequately developed. While it is true that the book is a study of Maya, - her self-absorption, her weakness, her narrow perspectives, her dependence on her husband and her father, her delusions about her love of life - Gautama's character needs to be better defined if only as a point of juxtaposition, to better describe Maya as it were. Desai does other things in the book very well though. It is a good trip through Maya's life and her mind, however shallow her character, because Desai alternately draws the reader into a complicity with Maya and also a distance from her.

A good, poetic book which evokes feminine fancy and reality with a blend of silky smoothness and coarse roughness. Maya is smooth and silky whereas Gautam is rough and coarse. This book makes you feel, perceive and then act. Anita Desai has a tragic vision of woman's life, and she has combined an intricate and sensitive style of her own with the quintessence of reality. The book explores the turbulent and emotional life of Maya, the character, and 'Maya' the illusion itself. Maya the character bends and breaks whereas illusion stays.

I read this novel for a class in British Orientalist literature. It's a series of letters written by a woman who travels to the East. Read it in conjunction with _Arabian Nights_, _Vathek_, _Rasselas_, and some other Orientalist tales, and you can get some interesting insights in eighteenth century England and the exotic/erotic elements of the East.

This book elaborates the difficulties that children from poor Indian families face in their struggle for survival. More so if they have a drunkyard as thier father.Further one gets a closer peep into the problem of migration from villages towards cities in search of prosperity and enhanced employment opportunities.The challenges,brutal struggle for survival of a city life has been clearly elucidated herein. In all its a very satisfying reading experience which promises economic salvation of India in the form of industrialization.

This is a story of a poor Indian family who are being torn apart by illness and alcohol. The children of the family work and fight to keep there family together. On the way they have to deal with change and tragedy. This book had a typical ending which is very easy to predict, and had no real surprises. However the characters in the book where strong and determined, they keep the reader reading by the way they got through life on so little. The book shows that if you want something bad enough it is possible to get it.

This book is a vivid story, about how happiness can flourish even among the poorest of people. The children in this family are not only struggling to survive, they are trying to be happy at the same time by adapting to the new things that come into their lives. Life is truly a rollercoaster - it has its ups and downs but this novel shows that there is always some way out of misery. The contrasts between city- and countrylife is also very vividly described by the author, she has captured the spirit of Bombay, India, in captivating words.

Village By The Sea Is A Touching Story Of A Poor Indian Family, Living In Bombay India. The Main Characters are the 2 oldest Children Lila and Hari, and how they raise the whole family and live through the hard times. At times you really feel Indian climate. One of my favorite parts is Desai's description of butterflys. It's beautiful.