Midnight’s Children, Salman Rushdie. I was fully expecting not to like this but really loved it, in fact it was one of the top three books of the year for me. Rushdie has a gift for story-telling and a light touch with humour. A clear cut above your run-of-the-mill India novels.
White Gold, Giles Milton. If you’re a fan of Nathaniel’s Nutmeg and his others then this is for you. The subject matter – white slavery in North Africa – was fascinating but I couldn’t help thinking the same could’ve been said in an essay rather than a book.
My Brilliant Career, Miles Franklin. Interesting as much for being a novel of its time (1901) as for being written by a 16-year old girl, plus the setting of outback Australia makes for a good yarn. Ali found it a bit girly, I liked it!
Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens. His first and arguably most lightweight novel, complete with comedy, romance and farce aplenty.
A Wasted Vigil, Nadeem Aslam. The plot was a little contrived at first but more absorbing as it went along. Interesting perspectives on the old roots and current situation of the conflict in Afghanistan.
The Space Between Us, Thrity Umrigar. Absorbing and moving. Was she really that liberated at the end? And by the way could somebody please write an upbeat book about India?!
A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry. We both loved this one. Absolutely gruelling (if you thought some scenes of Slumdog were bad, you ain’t seen nothing) yet at the same time so compelling, it’s all about the fine balance between hope and despair.
The Siege of Krishnapur, J.G. Farrell. Another oldie, this one was the 1973 Booker Prize winner. It takes a delicate touch to write with comic flair about a life-and-death situation, and Farrell pulls it off brilliantly, with an entertaining account of the 1857 Indian rebellion in the fictional town of Krishnapur. The absurdities of the British class system are exposed as the garrison struggles to cope with life in the besieged Residency.
War & Peace, Leo Tolstoy. An epic in scale and scope, and surprisingly readable if difficult to hold with one hand. Details and character development are as well studied in the battlefield scenes as those in the ballrooms, and the near-equal measures of military plot, historical critique and romantic intrigue make for a captivating read from beginning to end (though it could’ve done without the two epilogues).
Kim, Rudyard Kipling. Young orphan Kim becomes a Tibetan lama’s chela or guide. Perhaps it was too subtle for me, or dated (first published 1901), but I would’ve liked to have more explicit Great Game excitement along with the low-key descriptions of espionage. Some good characters and descriptions of Amritsar, Lucknow, Simla…
The Mountain is Young, Han Suyin, set in Kathmandu, which makes for fun reading in Nepal. Not at all sure I (Ali) am a fan of the main character, who looks closely based on the author. Her husband is noxious too(!) But some of the side characters and quirky situations are delightful and hilarious.
The Far Pavilions, M. M. Kaye, how can a lady of seventy write such a compelling imagined account of the siege of the Kabul Residency, a thrilling blow by blow account of another battle in the Second Afghan War…and then such dripping Cartland drivel in the rest of it! She’s from a raj and military family herself, so apart from the Mills & Boon, it’s a very interesting read.
White Tiger, Aravind Adiga, last year’s Booker winner and a rapid and amusing read. While it has characters, this one feels like journalism again. Not a complaint really, just surprising that it won prizes as a novel. Does a valuable job of balancing all that India-and-China-taking-over-the-world commentary.
The Age of Kali, William Dalrymple, fascinating journalism from a man who’s spent enough time in India to really get under its skin. Not cheering, much of it, but a healthy balance to effusive travel guides and helps a lot with what we see in the papers.
A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth. A tour de force this one, we both thought it the best book we’d read in years. Exciting, absorbing, at times exquisitely funny at others weepingly poignant. The only thing I can think of that was wrong with it was that at about 1,000 pages – and being so captivating – it was very hard on the biceps.
A Division of the Spoils, Paul Scott (Raj Quartet) – Book IV. A very absorbing denouement and he resisted the temptation to tie up all the loose ends. Dashed to the end a bit? As did the Raj I suppose…
The Towers of Silence, Paul Scott (Raj Quartet) – Book III. We agree between us they seem to get better as they go along.
Day of the Scorpion, Paul Scott (Raj Quartet) – Book II, and a huge improvement. Written several years later, so a more practised author by then? Or more edited? Either way, much better pace and subtlety.
The Jewel in the Crown, Paul Scott (The Raj Quartet) – first in the saga. A rape and civil unrest in the dying days of the Raj. Some distinctly waffly discursive passages in reported speech, needed to be 100 pages shorter. Interesting and readable otherwise and much better for reading it actually in India.
A House for Mr Biswas, V. S. Naipaul – life story of the frustratingly, amusingly useless Mr Biswas and his Indian family in 1930s Trinidad
The Iliad, Homer – sitting on Olympos beach reading about the brave deeds of Sarpedon and his Lycians before hiking on the Lycian Way from Kabak. The bus ride flew by today to the tragedy of Patroklos´death. Tonight, read on the shores of Pergamum, Achilles will have his revenge. The day after tomorrow we´ll be in Troy itself. Sing, Oh Muse…
The Alexandria Quartet, Lawrence Durrell. Set in WWII Alexandria, Egypt. Four accounts of the same events, from different characters’ perspectives. A bit of a slog but some good twists in the plot
A Thousand and One Nights (trans. Richard Burton) – Sinbad the Sailor, Ali Baba, sultans, genies, crooks and saints – nearly 1,000 pages itself and all against a backdrop of so many of the places we´ve been. Wonderful. And the pleasure almost doubled by the outrageously politically incorrect and occasionally pornographic footnotes of Burton, an extraordinary Victorian polymath – linguist, spy, adventurer and seemingly a very poor diplomat.
Seven Pillars of Wisdom, by T.E. Lawrence – must-read account of Lawrence’s exploits in the 1918-19 Arab Revolt.
A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini – moving and memorable story of life in Afghanistan under the Taliban.
Arabian Nights & Days, by Naguib Mahfouz – magical tales inspired by the Arabian Nights fables, by a Nobel prize-winning Egyptian author.
The English Patient, by Michael Ondaatje – fantastic descriptions of the Egyptian desert including Siwa, and a wonderful love story too.
The Penelopiad, by Margaret Atwood – modern take on The Odyssey.
Scribbling the Cat, by Alexandra Fuller – a follow-up to her fantastic first book Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, and equally enjoyable. Paints a vibrant picture of Zimbabwe and Zambia in recent decades.
Old School, by Tobias Wolff – interesting memoir/novel with strong literary and educational themes.
David Copperfield, the Dickens classic – caricatures par excellence.
To be continued…
Warrs Abroad 
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