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Riot: A Love Story Kindle Edition

by Shashi Tharoor (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 60 ratings
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Who killed twenty-four-year-old Priscilla Hart? This highly motivated, idealistic American student had come to India to volunteer in women’s health programs, but had her work made a killer out of an enraged husband? Or was her death the result of a xenophobic attack? Had an indiscriminate love affair spun out of control? Had a disgruntled, deeply jealous colleague been pushed to the edge? Or was she simply the innocent victim of a riot that had exploded in that fateful year of 1989 between Hindus and Muslims? 
Experimenting masterfully with narrative form in this brilliant tour de force, internationally acclaimed novelist Shashi Tharoor chronicles the mystery of Priscilla Hart’s death through the often contradictory accounts of a dozen or more characters, all of whom relate their own versions of the events surrounding her killing. Like his two previous novels, Riot probes and reveals the richness of India, and is at once about love, hate, cultural collision, the ownership of history, religious fanaticism, and the impossibility of knowing the truth.
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  1. Print length
    308 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Arcade
  5. Publication date
    December 3, 2011
  6. File size
    1424 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Shashi Tharoor was born in London and brought up in Bombay and Calcutta. He has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, the International Herald Tribune, the Times of India, and Foreign Affairs. A human rights activist and winner of a Commonwealth Writers Prize, he is currently a member of the Indian Parliament and lives in New Dehli, India.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B006C36QJI
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Arcade (December 3, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 3, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1424 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 308 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 60 ratings

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Shashi Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor

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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
60 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars an emotional and reflective thriller
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2017
Verified Purchase
I have a really hard time believing this story is fake because if the intense emotions that I feel throughout this novel. It is rare to see a book that for me has a glaring flaw and is still this emotional. The author has brought the explosive cocktail of history, love and identity together in a masterpiece of the modern novel.

Let's set the flaw first: the sexual imagery is jarring but superfluous. I don't need to know all the ways that two humans can touch each other. These parts feel like an elevation of Danielle Steele prose, which isn't great. So I'll acknowledge that this may turn off readers.

Finish the book. The fact-finding structure of the story, from multiple points of view at disjointed times is fantastic. The book still reads linearly, largely through discovery by the parents and reporter. The author uses the nonlinearity to provide a more complete story every time, whether it is of the affair, the charity, the work, or the cultural conflict. A great example is using the Hindu leader's statement in full before going back to the historian to say no no he's full of crap.

The diction is more poetic, to the point of using the DM's poetry and referencing other writers. This sets a fast pace so I had a hard time putting it down. It's not a marathon because the points of view change at proper intervals. The actual poetry sucks on purpose, which in a way elevates the prose to a near poetic level.

I cannot more forcefully recommend this story. You will not put it down and you will learn the strength of your emotions (distaste, excitement, rage, calm, pensiveness, reflection, impulsiveness, racism, etc.) through this novel.
2 people found this helpful
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anant pandey
4.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2013
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The writing style is fresh and unique: in the form of diary entries, letters, and newspaper articles. It does provide good insights about the history of Hindu Muslim relations in the context of India. It also shows how the political establishment exploits Hindu Muslim divide for political gains. Most importantly, it gives both the Hindu and Muslim version of the arguments. All this in the backdrop of an unlikely love story between an american NGO worker and an Indian IAS officer.
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Hitesh Rawtani
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Amazing
Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2013
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I loved the way the story was narrated - using newspapers articles, interviews, scrapbook entries, etc. and the different perspectives laid out by Muslim leaders, so-called Hindu fundamentalists as well as secular Hindu administrators.

My favorite paragraph from one of the character's journal is as follows:
Hinduism is the only major religion in the world that does not claim to be the only true religion. How can such a religion lend itself to "fundamentalism"? That devotees of this essentially tolerant faith have desecrated a shrine and assaulted Muslims in its name is a source of shame and sorrow. India has survived the Aryans, the Mughals, the British; it has taken from each -- language, art, food, learning -- and grown with all of them. To be Indian is to be part of an elusive dream we all share, a dream that fills our minds with sounds, words, flavors from many sources that we cannot easily identify. Large, eclectic, agglomerative, the Hinduism that I know understands that faith is a matter of hearts and minds, not of bricks and stone. "Build Ram in your heart," the Hindu is enjoined; and if Ram is in your heart, it will little matter where else he is, or is not.
3 people found this helpful
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foreside farm
5.0 out of 5 stars Novel told from a Variety of "Sources"
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2012
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Set in 1980's India, this novel tells of the events leading up to the death in a riot of an American aid worker. Rather than a traditional narrative, the author tells the story from different perspectives using newspaper articles, transcripts, journal entries and other "facts". The reader is left wondering about the characters, their motives and motivation until the end. A unique book told in a compelling and interesting way. This ebook read well on my Kindle Fire.
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars THAROOR DOES IT AGAIN !
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2017
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A captivating read by the always captivating Shashi Tharoor. Crisp ,true ,scintillating in all its glory. Priscilla Hart is s character I wouldn't forget for a long long time :)
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naveen nair
4.0 out of 5 stars Riot - a time when ideologies, emotions and beliefs are set aside!
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2013
A disturbing scenario, an engaging story, a mysterious plot and an usual style of narration greets the readers of Riot. The back-cover of the paperback I read, promptly posed a question as the first line about this book: who killed 24-year-old Priscilla Hart? The answer is not a straight forward one. Mr. Tharoor lets the reader be the judge! There are many whose actions might have led to the unfortunate event. There were few, who had motivations for the same. But then, who really did it?? Think, think, draw your own conclusions, cajoles the author. But, don't expect your answer to be right / perfect because the scenario / story may have a flip side.

The story, as indicated earlier, is about the death Ms. Priscilla Hart and the events preceding and following this unfortunate incident. Ms. Hart is an idealistic American student who comes to India as a volunteer for women's health program and is due to return to New York after finishing the field work for her doctoral research. Having survived a disturbed childhood, Ms Hart's idealistic views take a tumble when hit with the reality that exists in the by-lanes of the 'ghettos' of Zalilgarh. Amidst these blossoms an illegal affair that turns to be true love for Ms Hart and her 'spineless lover'! The love that blossomed in that dilapidated 'sunset room' of the abandoned mansion - Kotli, eventually ends in the death of Ms Hart at the same place. It is almost prophetic when Ms. Hart, in her letter to Cindy Valeriani, writes "it's the only place I love in Zalilgarh, and I'll rather die than give it up....."

................. more at http://naveenknair.blogspot.in/2013/06/riot-time-when-ideologies-emotions-and.html
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arnab m hanra
1.0 out of 5 stars Politically biased book
Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2019
Sorry that book of an author who is main accused in his wife's murder is still selling on Amazon. Every book or article of this author is aimed to trying to appease one vote bank in india.
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Joyce Lebra
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent writing by one of India's premier novelists and observer ...
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2017
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Excellent writing by one of India's premier novelists and observer of the political landscape of his country. Relevant in its treatment of Muslin-Hindu tensions over the temple/mosque at Ayodhya. A poignant love story based on the actual murder of a young idealistic American woman aid worker in an Asian nation.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Enkidu
5.0 out of 5 stars Buen libro y mejor precio
Reviewed in Spain on February 10, 2019
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Llegó antes de lo previsto. Una buena lectura para complementar los ratos de ocio.
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JOHN PHILIP
2.0 out of 5 stars A long peroration by Tharoor about many of his own political opinions couched in a barely convincing love story. Not bad but not unmissable by any ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 7, 2017
Verified Purchase
Earlier reviews had me believe it was a Roshomon/My Name is Red esque exploration of a death.It is nothing of the sort.A long peroration by Tharoor about many of his own political opinions couched in a barely convincing love story.Not bad but not unmissable by any stretch.
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recluse
3.0 out of 5 stars 世代を超えて繰り返される「業」
Reviewed in Japan on January 22, 2013
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６０年代後半にインドにいたときに、コカコーラが突然入手できなくなる時が何回かありました。インド政府とコカコーラの会社との間の喧嘩が原因との説明でした。代わりに入手可能となるのは子供ながらにまずいなと感じる国産の代用品でした。主人公のlakshmanが娘に読んであげるenid blytonの作品 The Secret Seven: 1 も僕の英語の副読本でした。この種の懐かしいディテールは作品の雰囲気を盛り上げてくれます。よく見てみるとIASの官僚であるlakshmanは僕と同じ年に生まれた人物なのです。というわけで、事件の舞台である１９８９年という時点におけるlakshmanの抱える世代的な桎梏にも納得がいきました。
でもこの作品はどう読んだらいいのかな。ミステリーとうたいながらも不思議な形式の本です。謎は最初に提示されます。でも筋は第三者的な立場からは語られることはありません。主人公たち（lakshmanとprischilla)のプライベートな日記とアメリカの新聞の特派員が様々な人物たちと行うインタビューが二つの時間をはさんで生の形で提示されることにより、事件を取り囲む様々な様相が語られていきます。でも時間はわずか７か月と短いものです。この不倫も回数に換算してみると週２回の逢瀬ですので、実際にはもっと限られた時間の出来事なのです。インタビューはインドの現実にさまざまな角度からアプローチしていきます。
クライマックスはアユダヤでの寺院建設に絡んでのヒンズー過激派のデモです。そこにはlakshmanとpriscillaの不倫関係のクライマックスも重なっていきます。結論は、鴎外の「舞姫」のようです。太田の役回りを演じることになる人物も登場しますし。最終的には伝統が優位に立ちます。英語という共通項があっても最終的に西と東は出会うことはないのです。どちらも別な世界を背負ったままで一瞬の誤解に基づく邂逅を経て分かれていきます。でもこのデモによって引き起こされた「騒乱」がなければ別な結論があり得たのかもしれません。
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