Ratings19
Average rating4.1
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK “Dazzling...Finally free from the book’s grip, now all I want to do is get others hooked.”— The Washington Post “Cinematic…A luxe thriller…As a storyteller, Kapoor is a natural.”-- The New York Times "Sensationally good — huge, epic, immersive and absorbing ... certain to be a book of the year." —Lee Child This is the age of vice, where money, pleasure, and power are everything, and the family ties that bind can also kill. New Delhi, 3 a.m. A speeding Mercedes jumps the curb and in the blink of an eye, five people are dead. It’s a rich man’s car, but when the dust settles there is no rich man at all, just a shell-shocked servant who cannot explain the strange series of events that led to this crime. Nor can he foresee the dark drama that is about to unfold. Deftly shifting through time and perspective in contemporary India, Age of Vice is an epic, action-packed story propelled by the seductive wealth, startling corruption, and bloodthirsty violence of the Wadia family -- loved by some, loathed by others, feared by all. In the shadow of lavish estates, extravagant parties, predatory business deals and calculated political influence, three lives become dangerously intertwined: Ajay is the watchful servant, born into poverty, who rises through the family’s ranks. Sunny is the playboy heir who dreams of outshining his father, whatever the cost. And Neda is the curious journalist caught between morality and desire. Against a sweeping plot fueled by loss, pleasure, greed, yearning, violence and revenge, will these characters’ connections become a path to escape, or a trigger of further destruction? Equal parts crime thriller and family saga, transporting readers from the dusty villages of Uttar Pradesh to the urban energy of New Delhi, Age of Vice is an intoxicating novel of gangsters and lovers, false friendships, forbidden romance, and the consequences of corruption. It is binge-worthy entertainment at its literary best.
Reviews with the most likes.
Apparently this is the first in a trilogy, will definitely read/listen to the next one! The audiobook was very well-acted. Also I love this book cover
A sweeping and ambitious story of power and corruption in India that failed to impress. There was a lot of potential, the plot was exciting and the multiple POVs helped build up the mystery around the Wadia family. I could see this easily transformed into a TV show.
Unfortunately the execution was rough, it was repeatitive and filled with backstories for minor characters. The book is split into 5 different parts with each part focusing on different characters. In parts 1 - 3 we're introduced to our main characters Ajay, Neda, and Sunny and cover the same pivotal events from their perspective. Each perspective revealed more about the criminal Wadia empire, but covering the same events multiple times felt very repeatitive. Before we reach the conculsion to the events set in motion in the first half of the book, we're introduced to minor characters and get their entire backstory. Backstory is not a replacement for character development. Honestly I could have skipped half the book and been fine.
I should have DNF'd this but my desire to complete a book over 500 pages was too strong.