Book info

• Title The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
• Author Deborah Moggach
• Year 2004
• Genre Contemporary

Enticed by advertisements for a luxury retirement home in India, a group of strangers leave England to begin a new life. On arrival, however, they discover the palace is a shell of its former self, the staff are more than a little eccentric and the days of the Raj appear to be long gone. But, as they soon discover, life and love can begin again, even in the most unexpected circumstances.

Thoughts

It’s lovely to read the source material for the film adaptation of this book, but I wonder if it didn’t taint my experience somewhat. I love the film enormously, and the characters are so vivid and wonderful that it was hard to see them split amongst several other characters in the book. There was a more sprawling cast in the book, which left me veering about a little bit.

However, I did like that it focused also on the younger generation and how they dealt with their own issues - guilt, abandonment issues, even their own failing marriages. It was nice to see two generations dealing with similar situations in very different ways.

Overall, a good read, I devoured it very quickly so no complaints at all, but it did just make me want to watch the film again.

Rating: 3 / 5