What do You think about A Division Of The Spoils (1998)?
Like my Mom, I now count The Raj Quartet as one of my all-time favorite series, and this, the concluding book of the series, was the most complex and possibly the best. I read it ahead of the History Book Club, and I'm looking forward to re-reading it more slowly with them because I know there are many subtleties I missed. Some may think it a silly comparison, but to me, The Quartet shares its best qualities with my other all-time favorite series, Harry Potter. Both feature immensely complex universes where details hidden early on turn out to be the linchpin of completely unpredictable plot twists. J.K. Rowling has the advantage of magic to dazzle and surprise us, but Paul Scott does it with plain old mundane reality, which makes him the even greater master. I would not be at all surprised if J.K. Rowling considers him an influence.This book is probably the most political of the series, and it's those parts that I most need to re-read. I'm ashamed to say that I followed the threads of the British characters' stories much better than I did the Indians'. And there was one more very pleasant surprise in this book: a minor character whose raunchy humor made me laugh out loud. So hats off to Paul Scott. Not only is he a brilliant wordsmith and worldsmith, he's got a sense of humor, too.Read the entire series. It's spectacular.
—Kressel Housman
All RIGHT. After the third book, which was a bit of a disappointment and which sent me off into a reading crisis of epic proportions, A Division of Spoils was not only a welcome return to the quality of writing and plotting that I had come to expect of Scott, but it was also a bit like I read the last one and then I brushed my teeth and everything's fine now. More than fine. The plot finally moves on past the events that made up two books in a row, Barbie Batchelor's dead, and Guy Perron, most a
—Jackie
I found this book to be annoying in it's repetition of previous events. At the same time it was compelling. The English of the Raj find themselves left behind from the politics of England. All of their sacrifices for the Empire seem forgotten by the very insularity of their lives. The internal conflicts between Indian States, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh were well captured by Scott. As were some great characters - Perron who brings the academic insight into the story of the Raj. Sarah seems so strong but at the same time seems constrained by her family duties and the evil Merrick is slowly built into one of the great villains of all time. So many lose threads though...did anyone live happily every after?
—Calzean
