Golden Gate, by Vikram Seth

[lookfar]

I don't usually rave about a book until I've finished it, because a poor ending or decline in quality can change my opinion, but this one makes me think of so many people on my flist, and it's so good, that I want to jump the gun.

I was going to read Seth's other book, A Suitable Boy, as part of my pre-India program, and I took it off my shelf (

Comments

[lookfar]

Yes, and he takes a break about a third of the way through to talk about the horror shown by his friends when he described the project, and to promote Eugene Onegin! It's so funny and self-assured.

[hamsterwoman]

Oooh, thanks for pointing out this book -- it sounds fabulous! The novel-in-poetry approach, the SF connection, the Pushkin connection -- I definitely must read this! I love the rhymes in the section you quoted.

[lookfar]

Yes, I haven't even said that it's full of dazzlingly clever rhymes and references to other poems. Lmk what you think if you read it!

[lookfar]

I can only tell you that it's a rather quick read and the poetry doesn't require much processing. Maybe a read-over every few pages to parse something that's denser than usual, but I've been surprised at how well he builds characters while constrained to verse.