Though not exactly a page-turner for me, I became gradually absorbed by the book the more I read because of my appreciation of Vikram Seth's thorough research into the background and lives of his aunt and uncle. He spares no details and the richness of the word pictures he paints of his characters will stay with me for a long time.
I also grew to trust his perspectives and commentary on the historical happenings of the time he was writing (just before, during and after the Second World War in Germany, England and India). It is a multi-faceted perspective and I think he did an incredible job of bringing so many cultures into play through his personal interviews and letters written to and by his aunt and uncle. The sensitivity with which he writes of both the strengths and foibles of two unusual human beings was also admirable and helpful to me in my own writing.