Flame Tree Road

Flame Tree Road by Shona Patel is a novel set in Bengal at the end of the 19th century. The main character, Biren Roy, is a nobel man inspired by Gandhi, Tagore, Vivekananda, Ramakrisna and Sri Aurobindo. Those are big shoes to fill, and Roy does a good job, working ceaselessly for women's rights in India.

This is a beautifully written, yet tragically sad novel. All the women Roy cares for are lost to him. The novel becomes almost predictable and loses some of its early beauty.

A worthwhile read, but not quite as good as Patel's debut novel, Teatime for the Firefly.