It is Bombay in 1971, the year India went to war over what was to become Bangladesh. A hard-working bank clerk, Gustad Noble is a devoted family man who gradually sees his modest life unravelling. His young daughter falls ill; his promising son defies his father’s ambitions for him. He is the one reasonable voice amidst the ongoing dramas of his neighbours. One day, he receives a letter from an old friend, asking him to help in what at first seems like an heroic mission. But he soon finds himself unwittingly drawn into a dangerous network of deception. Compassionate, and rich in details of character and place, this unforgettable novel charts the journey of a moral heart in a turbulent world of change.
Such a Long Journey
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Rohinton Mistry's fame has only increased with each of his novels, but his first remains his best. Such a Long Journey sees India's crisis with Pakistan in 1971 and the corruption of the Gandhi regime through the life of a Bombay bank clerk, with the attention to character and story that have made Mistry as popular a writer as he is admired.
From Publishers Weekly
Mistry, Bombay-born author of Swimming Lessons and Other Stories from Firozsha Baag , serves up an exotic feast with this novel. The year is 1971, and India is ready to pursue a war against Pakistan over the region that will become Bangladesh. This chaotic period is seen through the eyes of one Gustad Noble, a family man and Parsi bank clerk in Bombay. Gustad's fortunes have begun to change for the worse, with disappointments and bad luck sweeping through his previously secure way of life. When an old friend secretly recruits him to assist in a seemingly heroic mission under the aegis of Indira Gandhi's CIA-like operatives, he becomes enmeshed in a series of dangerous events, with tragic results. Mistry's prose displays the lightest of witty touches, and the narrative is often quite funny, particularly when it invites us inside the minds of the knowable, likable, somehow familiar men and women whose activities propel the plot. A writer of enormous range and shrewdness, Mistry delivers no manifesto, but an intelligent portrait of the corrupt aspects of Indira Gandhi's years in power. Throughout his byzantine scenario, he demonstrates empathy for and deep understanding of his characters. His novel evokes Rushdie in its denser, florid moments, and T. Coraghessan Boyle in its more madcap flights.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By ben white
Format:Paperback
Rohinton Mistry's novel, Such a Long Journey, is an engrossing and provocative tale. The main character Gustad Noble is aptly named, for here is a man of true nobility--not by birth, but by his being, his determination, and his goodness. This novel is truly a journey, and Mistry takes us by the hand, guiding us into the unfamiliar cultural landscape of India, taking us along with Gustad and his family as they struggle with all the assaults of being human, as they strive to sustain their way of life on the verge of a changing, evolving society.
Mistry's characters are real; they're developed as individuals and they stand seperatly--from the main character Gustad Noble to his upstairs neighbor who barks, literally, at the moon. When one of many of Mistry's characters dances their way onto this carefully wrought stage, he or she envelopes the reader--we don't wait for this scene to finish in order to get to the meat of the matter--we relax, we sift slowly with the writing as we're there with each of the characters' struggles.
This is a book of enormity. This is a book that when finished, regret sets in. The last few pages dangle themselves out, and when the last word is read and the book closed, the reader has a sense that this one is special, that there aren't many like this one, and that it's too bad, really, that it's over.
Mistry's characters are real; they're developed as individuals and they stand seperatly--from the main character Gustad Noble to his upstairs neighbor who barks, literally, at the moon. When one of many of Mistry's characters dances their way onto this carefully wrought stage, he or she envelopes the reader--we don't wait for this scene to finish in order to get to the meat of the matter--we relax, we sift slowly with the writing as we're there with each of the characters' struggles.
This is a book of enormity. This is a book that when finished, regret sets in. The last few pages dangle themselves out, and when the last word is read and the book closed, the reader has a sense that this one is special, that there aren't many like this one, and that it's too bad, really, that it's over.
By Brenmarr
Format:Paperback
The story is fantastic, all Mistry's books are so well written in my opinion. He is a natural story teller but my feeling is this is what India is! A vast place, with a government that cannot cope with the distances or population numbers. His protagonist is trying his very best each day whilst a series of events work against him, or his way of life. I enjoyed this book immensely. Recommend 100%
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Samira
Format:Paperback
The characters in this novel are so realistic and captivating, you will feel to compelled follow their daily lives in this excellent, heart-warming story. Mistry provides insight into the thoughts and actions of a middle-class,hard-working Indian family man with such depth, and the descriptions of the settings are so accurate and detailed. Every character, minor or major, has a story of their own and we see both sides of each conflict. Truly a must-read.
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4.2 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Neither Pretentious nor Formulaic
Rohinton Mistry's Such a Long Journey is one of those remarkable confluences of astonishingly beautiful writing, tightly crafted plot, and fully-developed characterization. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Lorina Stephens
4.0 out of 5 stars
Journey short of a Fine Balance
Having read "A Fine Balance" first, which is a masterpiece, I was hoping for an equally enthralling novel. "Journey" is a great read no doubt about it. Read more
Published on May 23 2005
3.0 out of 5 stars
A good debut
I read this book after I read "A Fine Balance", and it goes to show (happily) that Mistry's writing style has developed and become much more interesting. Read more
Published on Mar 9 2002 by Edward Aycock
4.0 out of 5 stars
Such a Beautiful Read
Mistry is a modern author whose writing compares to author's of "the Great Books". Such a Long Journey gives a stunning idea of life during Indira Gandhi's reign. Read more
Published on Jan 15 2002 by M. Harris
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Read
This interesting first novel tackles several long journeys -- India's transformation from the raj to a brawling, corrupt, mismanaged, constantly at-war democracy under Indira... Read more
Published on Dec 20 2001 by Robert E. Olsen
4.0 out of 5 stars
A delight
I was told that Mistry's other novel, "A Fine Balance" is a far better book than "Such A Long Journey". Read more
Published on July 31 2001 by MR G. Rodgers
2.0 out of 5 stars
Such A Long Waste Of My Time...
I found this book to be amazingly boring, not very captivating and hard to follow. The characters are developed too late in the novel and the storyline is blurred between all of... Read more
Published on July 5 2001
4.0 out of 5 stars
A long jouney, but pleasant
Rohinton Mistry's first novel provides a door through which to step into the lives of a Parsi community in early 1970's Bombay. Read more
Published on Oct 10 2000 by Alan Brown
3.0 out of 5 stars
Very Dissapointing
When I read Mistry's " A Fine Balance" I was totally captivated by his story telling and cast of characters. This book however was very dissapointing. Read more
Published on Sep 15 2000 by Narayan
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Masterpiece
A gem of the book about the trials and tribulations of the ordinary folk in India. This is also an intelligent commantary on Indira Gandhi's India
Published on Mar 16 2000 by Vali Nasr
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