Overall, what do you think of A Great Country? (no spoilers)

Overall, what do you think of A Great Country? (no spoilers)

I like A Great County. The story was thought provoking. What does one have to do to attain The American Dream? At what cost? What threatens that success? Those are just a few questions you will have as you read this book.

I liked A Great Country overall. I thought the author did a really nice job spotlighting a family who, by all means, is pretty ordinary, but is going through something extraordinary. By focusing on the Shahs and introducing periphery characters, the contrast between the Shahs' experience and the other characters like the Bakers is more highlighted.

There were times when I think Gowda's messaging succeeds and the discourse about injustices in America feels natural, but the writing feels heavy-handed at other times (particularly when characters like Deepa or Priya) are telling readers how exactly they should be feeling.

I think the book would have benefitted from a few more chapters to bring out more of the nuance in the characters and their struggles with what they believe the American Dream is and what they're experiencing.

The book drew me in immediately. The empathy expressed for the characters and their issues were genuine. I hope this book shows how we all want the same things despite cultural differences. It also shows the struggles, hopes, that many people don't realize. Perhaps this book will encourage everyone to get to know people that aren't like us and enjoy new friendships as a reward.

I thought it was a good book about an important subject. This family lived in America for many years. Their children were born in America but still they often felt like second rate citizens.

I thought the novel was absorbing and well written. It seemed like an all too familiar story for immigrants that come to this racially divided country. It’s unfair, and once again made me wish for more understanding, tolerance, and empathy in the world.

I loved it- a thought provoking book that is a a page turner. While prejudice, justice and race are themes of the story, it really is a universal story of family, parental love and navigating life’s twists and turns.

I would have liked a. more nuanced neighbor point of view. The characters portrayed did not try very hard to be part of the neighborhood despite overtures from some.
Difficult to be friends with people who are suspicious of you-

The book is great. No matter how much one tries to succeed in this country (or any country as shown in the book), there are elements always trying to restrict or stop any progress. A person must constantly adjust dreams to accommodate the challenges of the world.

I enjoyed the story, the challenges the characters faced and the message the author was addressing and wanted the reader to think about. But I think she was a little heavy handed in her background/historical sections. I thought as I read these parts, “Oh, she’s educating me again.”

I enjoyed the book and the look at life in the United States through the eyes of this immigrant family who have been in the U.S. for twenty years and whose children were born here. I liked the way the Gowda developed the characters throughout the book by revealing information during chapters centering on other characters. The treatment of immigrants and poor minorities is very relevant today, and even great countries need to have injustices and shortcomings challenged and brought to light so that they can grow and not decline.

I really enjoyed this novel. It was the first time I had read anything by this author. She wove several very compelling events into a believable, satisfying story. The issues of assimilation, dealing with children on the autism spectrum, corporate greed, teenagers sending inappropriate images on their phone, shoplifting, etc. Even though these events were condensed into a few weeks in the lives of the Shah family, they still felt believable.

I think the book showed how we all really see things from our own perspective/experiences and how difficult it can be to understand others who have different experiences and how easy it is to assume we are correct in our assessments.

Overall, I very much enjoyed A Great Country. The situation that Ajay got himself into was very realistic and believable. I thought the actions/reactions of friends and family were well drawn and interesting. Overall a thought provoking read with lots to discuss.

I enjoyed it. It really opened my eyes to the caste system here in this country though I never thought of it that way from on high with my white privilege. I was very thought provoking. I’m not a fan of the title; obviously this book doesn’t paint a picture of a great country. It felt a little sarcastic

I really enjoyed this book. Coming from a place of white privilege, stories like this one help create empathy. It's important and good for us to see immigrants are people just like us, but with a much harder time.

I loved this book! It felt a bit preachy at times, but in my case, the author was preaching to the choir. I took a lot of psychology/sociology/women's studies classes in college that opened my eyes to the systems of discrimination that keep the wealthy as such while keep minorities down. Institutional racism is very real & things like redlining are illegal now but they're still practiced regardless & only serve to perpetuate the status quo. Certain minorities cannot afford to live in areas where their kids would attend the best public schools (& cannot afford private school/tutors) & would thus have a more equitable chance of getting into the best colleges through merit or scholarship, & that continues in next generations. They don't have access to the best hospitals, might live in poverty-stricken areas with gangs & other crime problems, & very little access to upward mobility unless someone happens to be an incredibly talented athlete/musician/etc. It's not the fault of racial/ethnic minorities that the system works the way it does - specifically to keep them from gaining economic & political power & generational wealth. Anyone claiming white privilege doesn't exist is in denial. Even poor white people have huge advantages over poor minorities/immigrants in the US.

First, I have to say I have been a huge fan of Shilpi Somaya Gowda, especially after reading her book, "The Shape of Family". Truly, "A Great Country" showed her incredible ability to develop authenic characters and dialogue during such an important time in our country, where being "different" needs to be, not only discussed, but celebrated. It is no greater duty of a writer than to bring issues of race, class, and differing abilities, plus our civic and governmental responsibilities for respect and protection, to the forefront. Gowda does this with style and grace, making us, the reader, feel deeply, impelled to DO something instead of standing in indignation, merely wringing our hands. I hope "A Great Country" is read widely. Our world will be better off for it!

I really enjoyed reading this book. I found it to be very engaging and thought-provoking. I couldn't put it down. It will be perfect for a book club discussion as it covers a wide range of themes such as prejudice, justice, ableism, and race. In addition to these themes, the book also explores the themes of parental love and navigating family life, which I found to be very relatable. Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an interesting and thought-provoking read.

Overall, I was captivated by the book. The story covered a variety of topics from a new and fresh perspective. Sometimes I felt the story was over told or that too much was being forced into a scene. The topics of immigration, neurodiversity, the American Dream, police brutality were covered very well. There were some conclusions that I would have liked to see some accountability for.

I really liked this book. I am appreciative of comments from many of the participants above because they articulate so well why this book was so appealing, and one that I have already recommended to friends. Unlike Meg J I was not familiar with the author so I decided to put the book she mentions, "The Shape of Family" on my "to read" at my local library. Turns out it was already on there so clearly I must have heard something about the author and/or book in the past. I will now move it up on my list.

Overall, I loved this book. It was interesting and thought provoking. I learned a little bit about a culture not my own, but also in how family dynamics can be alike regardless of nationality or background.

I really liked this book. It portrayed the immigrant experience from so many different angles. Each person has their own way of dealing with the challenges of being a minority in America. Very eye opening.

I enjoyed this book very much. It captured my attention from the first page and continued throughout. So many subplots and all were thought provoking and important to the story.

I liked the book, it was very thought provoking. I am still thinking about it. I think books like this are important because give us a new perspective of immigrants today.

Gowda clearly knows how to move a story forward. Her writing has an easy flow. The character development is sufficient to give the reader everything needed to understand each one completely. But therein lies the downside for me. Each character was a cliche. There was no mystery to the characters. There was no emotional investment on my part in the characters. After a short introduction to them I had all the understanding that the author was going to provide. There were no surprises to engage me. This was not a page turner. A Great Country is a three star average book. The ending pleased me. I thank Gowda for the positive ending. When I finished the book I thought about what my experience might be if I relocated to India.

I saw that Meg J. had read the author's previous novel; has anyone else read her other work, or was this the first book you've read by Gowda?

I was totally engrossed in this book today and could not put it down until I turned the last page. I loved the time structuring of the alternating segments. Being able to see what all of the main characters were doing on the first day at the exact same time just stretched your level of anxiety. It was like watching a runaway train and you cannot do a thing to change what you know will be a horrible disaster.

This was a book that I will be thinking about all week and one that I want to recommend to friends, family and my book club.

One thing I would want to get other opinions about was the quick wrap up of everyone's problems at the end of the book. I am certainly a reader who loves a somewhat happy ending, especially for a family I liked as much as the Shahs, but was it too easy. This question needs to be examined in my book club. Can't wait!

This book was captivating from the moment I started reading. The characters were immediately interesting and the tight family bonds evident. It was an intriguing story of racial biases in a community that one does not often hear about in California. Featuring a neurodiverse character was also quite refreshing to see, as we are all somewhere along the spectrum. A beautiful story of family, differences, and common bonds.

I agreed with the commenters who said the writing was heavy-handed at times. Although I agree with the message, I wish it had been presented more subtly and the characters developed in a more nuanced way so I would feel like I was coming to my own conclusions instead of being instructed. I found myself losing interest in the book because it often felt predictable.

I enjoyed this book. I have read quite a few books recently about immigration/immigrants but this one had a different perspective. It really described the reality of trying to succeed when there are still so many biases against Americans who are seen as "foreigners".

I thought the story was well told with a good pace. At times it was too preachy with the social messaging. Show, don’t tell.

I, too, enjoyed this book. The author’s writing immediately pulled me into the story and I could sympathize with the Shah’s. I can understand Mr. And Mrs. Shah’s panic and dismay at their son’s innocent mistake which seemed to spiral out of control. When some of the neighbors’ attitudes seemed to shift a little, I couldn’t help but think that their lack of sympathy was due to religion and country-of- origin biases. In comparison to so many overly long novels on the market today, I enjoyed this quick read but actually felt some extra pages would have helped in a few places.

I did not really like the book but not because of any particular thing. The narrative was thought provoking and the characters were believable. But, it was cold. I couldn't care about the characters nor did I ever care what happened to them. Sorry!