Rastrent: If you even took a second to look at the books I read (which you can find under my reviews tag) you would see that my reading is not just genre fiction. Don’t insult me. I read some of the greatest literature out there – including many literary prize winning novels. Just because I happened to not like THIS book or THIS writer does not take away from my opinions in general about literature. Next time, if you choose to come here, be respectful…

This doesn’t take an inch away from Naipaul’s literary merits.

I’m rather with Timmy here.

I take a few issues with this review, other than the fact that it is very well written.

First things first, in no way would I ever condone the mistreatment of anyone, (esp. Woman) ,but you seem to completely miss the point of this book by focusing so sharply on the treatment/relationship of the women. To be honest, I think the relationships very well illustrate the overall theme or message of the book, that being, things are really, really screwed up. The sad reality is I don’t think it is an inaccurate depiction of the way women were viewed or were treated in that time period or location and I doubt it has improved much since then. The treatment of women in the book simply parallels the whole state of affairs whether that is politically or economically.

I think this book is an amazing piece of literature in that is a very honest, and to like this book does not condone the mistreatment of women.

So in my opinion, to say this is a sad, dark book and that it is a, one-star-out-of-five, and not worth the read, is to bury your head in the sand and not acknowledge that these things are happening whether we like them or not. I applaud the author for his attempts to take on so many delicate subjects.

I don’t think it’s a question of whether or not this is a good book. (It’s amazing.)
The question is whether or not we are making progress in the world, have we improved ourselves on a world whole in the thirty years since this book was written? Or do we just have nicer houses and cars?

Even in A House for Mr Biswas, women are treated badly (as in the other early Trinidad novels, Miguel Street, Elvira and Mystic Masseur). I personally never felt that Naipaul endorses this kind of treatment, but rather depicts what he saw happening. But i’m surely biased. (Treatment in the early novels is never as drastic as in Bend in the River).

I wouldn’t say at all that Naipaul’s majority of books mainly deals with Africa (even though a new one about Uganda seems due in October 2010). I wouldn’t judge a book i haven’t read.