A Suitable Boy

katie72925.tripod.com/553/characters.html - here is a link to the family trees - I have read it and feel none the wiser!

I love the music, including the singing. I am persevering with it for that and the costumes.

I do like it very much, music not my taste but it’s relevant so I put up with it. Good to see how they live and interact, the caste system seems so cruel though.

I'm recording the series and think I'm going to wait until all 6 episodes are finished before watching it. I loved the book, all 1400 plus pages of it, so hope the tv series has done it justice.

It's a bit War and Peace for me - I need one of those lists that were printed at the front of my copy of War and Peace, naming each character, with essential links recorded. I was 25 when I read W and P, my memory was much better then.

Jane10- I'm with you on enjoying sitar and tabla, less keen on the singing. The woman playing the courtesan is brilliant and manages to combine beauty with looking slightly worn.

I understand the drama is in 6 episodes and whilst the book is super huge. So that is a problem in itself. A bit like Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies in 6 episodes. They were 2 huge books. A recipe for trouble. I am enjoying it however, but mixing the people up somewhat.

I know it's cultural but I do find the singing hard to listen to, in fact, I fast forward through it. There's something painful about the voices. The instrumentalists are great though and I do enjoy the sitar and tabla music.

I haven't seen last night's episode yet but I enjoyed the first two. ruby song, I think the "Indian thing" you mention is because the cast is Indian. I've been lucky to spend time in India twice and find the way of speech and manners in the series so reminiscent of spending time in the country.

I’m really enjoying it, but just can’t keep track of the characters and relationships. I’d to google last night to find out more about the little boy (Bhaskar), but I’m not much wiser. He’s definitely Maan’s nephew, but some reviewers said he was Lata’s nephew and I don’t see how. Lata’s sister is married to Maan’s brother Pran, but they’re not Bhaskar’s parents.

I think the awful man who tried to rape Lata was her uncle? At least he said his poor daughter and Lata were cousins. If our library was open I’d be up there looking for a copy of the book just for the family tree at the front!

I can’t help feeling the adaptation of such a massive book deserves more episodes. It seems very rushed. Sometimes we get ten hours for a tale that could easily have been told in one.

Oh well last night lost me I can’t keep up with all the characters and found it very laboured at times it seemed to go on and on with little happening
Help me out who was the man who was hoping to rape Lata.? I presume a relation
Who was the child who was lost underfoot ? ( I mean what relationShip/connection) ?

I enjoyed the second episode just as much as the first. I love watching the beautiful people and the absolutely gorgeous saris. I used to work in a school with a percentage of Bengali pupils and around Eid we always threw an Eid party (not actually on Eid itself) and the lovely ladies used to dress any staff who wished in saris. I always wanted to dress in a sari. I loved wearing the saris, they are so elegant. When we visited Sri Lanka some years ago, I absolutely loved the beautiful saris the women were wearing. Of course, this programme is mainly about the Hindu religion but much of the culture is similar.

As regards the acting, I think that is an Indian thing. If you watch any Bollywood film it is the same. It is kind of stylised, not natural in our sense. Once I accepted that I enjoyed it more, but I'm still sorting out the characters.

I caught up with episode 2 last night and, as I was more awake, was able to follow it quite well. The main actors are good but I do enjoy the vaguely 'pantomime' acting of some of the lesser characters.
I'll stick with it. It's so lovely to see India.

I didn't enjoy it either craftyone typical over the top Bollywood.

Good Luck! Iam - I tried to read it once and lost the plot in a big way!

I haven't seen episode 2 yet but I enjoyed the first series.
I love India, have been lucky enough to visit twice and should have been going back to Northern India in February but that isn't looking possible.
The countryside, the colours, the music and the different faiths coinciding all so evocative. The recurring theme of love between Hindu and Muslim recurs because its just that, a theme in Indian life.
I haven't read the book but will do so.

I turned it off, ridiculous acting and I couldn`t make out half of what they were saying

Blimey I m really not drunk
cakcutter and sun ebony (where did that come from) Calcutta and suddenly

I went on line to try and sort out who is who and still can’t really remember I think there has been too many new characters introduce too quickly They went to the daughter in laws family in Cakcutter and sun ebony there’s about a dozen new people
I m finding it heavy going to be honest (and no I didn’t fall asleep this time) I will stick with it though
I too love the costumes and colour and the beautiful faces but is that going to be enough ?? Only time will tell
Some of the acting is not very good
I know the old boy lying around and abusing the singer girl is some kind of parliamentary chao but is he related to anyone?

I follow it for the scenery and music And the beautiful people of course. I can see trouble at'mill.

And who is the young man who held her hand in the garden? - is that her brother? - her cousin?

And the young man who crashed drunk into the dinner party? - same guy?

So the older guy there is her brother's father-in-law?

Am I creeping anywhere near?

Lata is now living with her brother and the faithless wife who melted down the medals for earrings.

I quite like the fact that it is a bit slow-moving - it gives me space to get my brain around who's who; made more difficult by the dark scenes where I can barely see what is going on. And then I have to turn the sound up as the accents make it hard to hear. Poor old crock!

Lata's move to Calcutta left me a bit confused - who the heck are the people she is now living with?

Costumes lovely.

Scenery and atmosphere is wonderful, acting average for me.
My, there are some beautiful Indian women and men!

I thought episode 2 was a programme of two halves. First half dragged, it got better in the second half. I’ll stick with it for now.

I am enjoying it for the costumes and scenery. To me some of the acting is rather unnatural by our standards and the story line predictable.

Im really enjoying it but then I do have an interest in the history of that part of the world and it would take a lot to make me lose interest in this series.

I have had to rewind it in a few places though to make sense of who's who and whether they're Hindu or Muslim. And as for Kabir saying he deserved and apology from Late - I hope he never gets one.

Im looking forward to next weeks episode as I think the time Mann spends in Rasheeds village is going to be very interesting.

Ive not read the book but I will now.