What readers think of The Far Field, plus links to write your own review.

Storyline/Overview -
The Far Field is a heartbreaking beautiful page turner. The debut novel by Madhuri Vijay (Pushcart prize winner) is an amazing coming-of-age narrative of Shalini’s life. The plot takes her from southern India to Kashmir in the quest of truth and ultimately lands her to the edge of political and personal reckoning. The uniquely flawed characters bring out the best of the story.

My opinion -
I felt the story took a slow start and long buildup time but then sucked me in the frame later on. A little anger in me rose at times due to the foolishness and restlessness of the naive protagonist; oftentimes, I felt that the story was dragging the description of a scene for long (which could be a good thing for someone not acquainted with the Indian lifestyle/setting)
There are some scenes where hardcore opinions about the political turmoil of Kashmir politics have been expressed.
I was disappointed that the story switched between past and present intermittently.
At the end of the story, there is an illegitimate sexual scene described between two unmarried individuals.
Since, I am from India - the book was very special to me and I especially enjoyed and could relate to most of the scenarios described and they also made me nostalgic.
Even though being aware of Indian politics, this was an eye-opener to the conflict from local Kashmiri people point of view for me.
The book transported me to the world where I have come from.

Conclusion -
The biggest appeal for me was the fact that the story was engrossing, wonderfully written, had strong characters and a perfect mix of love-war-family drama. The book also gives an amazing critique of Indian politics for an outsider.