From the very opening of the story to its end, I found myself entering the life of not only the main character but of everyone he encounters. We meet a young boy and his playmates, his family and other relatives, his schoolmates, friends of family, friends of friends, etc., each real and compelling enough to be able to spawn a whole story of his own. That is the magic of this book, which makes the reader desperately desire to know the fate of each and every character and follow the trail of each unfolding episode beyond the bounds of the printed page. If there is one fault in this book it is that it doesn't somehow enable us to follow the life of each character to its final outcome. Sri Lanka, which was to me a distant and unfamiliar place before reading the story, became a familiar and intimate part of my consciousness. More than the story of a boy who struggles to discover his sexual identity, it is a story of how human beings integrate with one another and their time and place in the world, to create a gripping and moving episode in the drama of life.

My suggestion to Mr. Selvadurai is that he give us a sequel to this book by picking up any one of the other wonderful characters he introduces and give us their story.

I was disappointed by occasionally stilted prose, and characters whose actions sometimes seem contrived. _Funny Boy_ was smaller in scope--a delightful, fascinating and careful study of a smaller group over a shorter time period--and I felt that in contrast, the author had taken on a bit more than he could deftly handle with _Cinnamon Gardens._ It hopes to be a sweeping multigenerational epic, but I felt that some stories got short shrift; some aspects were rushed through, and some characters seemed undeservedly underdeveloped--a smaller canvas seems better suited to the author's undeniably tremendous talent.

This doesn't mean that the book is not enjoyable--on the contrary I found it pleasant and interesting/informative. But to really see why Selvadurai is so worthy of admiration, and why his many fans will wait for his next book with the greatest anticipation, it's probably a good idea to read this....after you read _Funny Boy_ first.

Selvadurai's novels both deal with Sri Lanka (Ceylon during the 20s), politics, and the social constraints of Asian society. I've read a lot of books, but for some reason, Selvadurai's strike me as the most honest.

It's so refreshing to read a novel in which nobody is simply "Good" or "Bad". The people are real, rounded characters with dreams and fears, desires and regrets. The prose is written in the third person but there is none of the tiresome self-absorbed banter that often plagues novels about serious issues such as homosexuality, self-government, and women's rights. Reading Selvadurai's prose, you feel as though you are experiencing events, not being told that they are occurring.

I actually found "Cinnamon Gardens" more enjoyable than "Funny Boy" if only because it was a continuous novel, allowing for more character development than the six short stories in "Funny Boy". Somehow, with his plain style, Selvadurai made the characters real. I found myself sympathizing with them right from the very beginning.

It's too bad the book was double spaced and in large font, because I could have read a thousand pages of this novel and still felt like it was too short.

I can't wait until Mr. Selvadurai's next novel is finished. He told us it would be set in Toronto, which promises a very interesting perspective.

A real achievement.