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Book Review of Half a Life

Half a Life
Half a Life
Author: V.S. Naipaul
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Paperback
reviewed on + 813 more book reviews


This is an interesting character study of an Indian student in post-war London as he breaks from his parents past and the caste system. There are no extraordinary events in the first two parts of the book, unless you consider that the protagonist only beds down his friends partners. Not exciting, but somehow the book moves right along. Until the third and final part. He marries and moves to a plantation in Portuguese East Africacountry unnamed but in constant upheaval from guerilla groups. Guess where? Why cant he name it? He names every other location. Anyway, this is where I bog down. The story drones on and on and nearly loses me. I cant wait for the end. Maybe I should have skipped to the last few pages, but Im a die-hard. You wont miss anything if you omit this from your reading list.