tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30395167.post765650791568216245..comments2023-08-15T07:41:19.933-05:00Comments on <center>Slaves of Golconda</center>: The Yacoubian BuildingQuillhillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07601080339912553168noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30395167.post-6861069925379171412012-06-01T14:51:35.321-05:002012-06-01T14:51:35.321-05:00Rohan -- passive is a good word to describe much a...Rohan -- passive is a good word to describe much about the book. I suppose that "holding back" can get him in a bit of trouble, since it's unclear what his own stance is at points. The passivity in the characters makes sense -- when they AREN'T passive (such as Taha), their story ends badly.<br /><br />Stefanie -- interesting point about a series of interconnecting stories. I wonder what that would have felt like. It would probably have allowed me to feel more immersed in the story and perhaps to be more emotionally involved.Rebecca H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10825532162727473112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30395167.post-70617880026106694832012-06-01T08:05:03.472-05:002012-06-01T08:05:03.472-05:00I think he does a good job at showing how corrupti...I think he does a good job at showing how corruption in the way government and society runs affects people and changes them frequently for the worse. I think I might have liked the book better if the structure had been different, if it had been written as a series of interconnecting stories instead of a novel that jumps around because I didn't find the premise of the building to be enough to hold everything together as a novelistic narrative.Stefaniehttp://somanybooksblog.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30395167.post-9910939054925263262012-05-31T20:31:45.640-05:002012-05-31T20:31:45.640-05:00I like your comment that "he seems more inter...I like your comment that "he seems more interested in understanding why people are the way they are rather than in judging them" -- that's something I felt too, that there's a kind of holding back. Maybe this is a problem, as Stefanie suggests, in that there's a kind of passivity in the characters too, but I can see how that is connected to their life under a regime that is so corrupt and oppressive.Rohan Maitzenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12111722115617352412noreply@blogger.com