Great Eastern Hotel

by Ruchir Joshi

A rich, teeming, involving epic of war, famine, love and culture-clash in imperial Calcutta during World War Two Joshi is The brand new experience after a megashow, Russian in size, Indian in soul' (India Today)This is the second novel from Ruchir Joshi, author of The Last Jet-Engine Laugh which many stubbornly continue to believe is a twisted, flawed masterpiece of a debut novel. In India that book was greeted as the most significant Indian debut since Rushdie's Midnights Children.Joshi is the real thing, and here to stay and thrive as a writer. This new book is a brilliant prospect, promising a rich, teeming, involving tale with an unusual, fascinating setting the fading imperial city of Calcutta in the 1940s, with world war, famine, culture-clash, colonial retreat, exile, rebellion, idealism and religious strife all in the mix.It will be less formally daring than his first (i.e. less jump-cutting time-wise), which, commercially speaking, is probably good news. And it will have all the epic sweep, resilience of the human spirit and war-torn romance that make for blockbuster success!

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, India, Novels

929 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 17, 2025

Reviews

[Debabrata Mishra · Rating 4 out of 5]

“History is never what happens. It’s always what someone tells you happened, after already smudged.”

Ruchir Joshi’s "Great Eastern Hotel" is an ambitious, panoramic tale of 1941 Calcutta, unfurling against the backdrop of World War II and the convulsions of India’s march toward independence. The book set on 7 August 1941 the very day Rabindranath Tagore dies, it portrays an unstable Calcutta with people filling the streets for the funeral and colonial authority that is starting to break down.

The history student "Nirupama" now leads Communist activism because her strong beliefs reflect the revolutionary spirit moving India during colonial times. The way the author portrays her speeches “licking the air like flame” captures both the intoxicating attraction and the distressed utopia of youth politics.
"Imogen",a daughter of Raj official, displays a rising contempt which reveals the strained state of British imperial power. Through her emotional inner speech the character challenges colonial authorities for believing that their advantages will remain everlasting despite their inability to see beyond themselves.
As "Kedar" (the Artist), he represents zamindar landlord lineage yet seeks to channel Cézanne’s painterly passion into his own work while struggling to reconcile his cultural detachment with his political obligations.
"Gopal (the Survivor) : From petty thief to wartime profiteer, his ascent into Calcutta’s underworld illuminates the ethical compromises born of scarcity and social collapse.

The author structurizes his story as a mosaic which effortlessly transits seamlessly among a dozen of perspectives. The chapters of the book operate like distinct tableaux where we see Nirupama delivering fiery speeches at illegal CPI meetings and Imogen having anguished moments in her colonial drawing room as well as Kedar’s painterly reveries before his canvas; while Gopal performs pickpocketing through busy marketplaces.

The author repeatedly underscores that grand narratives, be they patriotic, colonial, or personal are inherently selective. By privileging intimate voices over official dispatches, the book dramatizes how history is constructed, contested, and mythologized.
Through the jazz riffs of hotel's night club and Kedar’s paintings along with the chef’s elegant culinary creations all these stands as a creative resistance against wartime deprivation. He presents art through revolutionary pamphlets and newspaper sketches that fulfill the roles of protection and criticism.

✍️ Strengths :
🔸Vivid, precise historical atmosphere
🔸Richly drawn, morally complex characters
🔸Elegant, lyrical narration that balances grit and lyricism in the book
🔸Thematic depth—history, art, empire, identity

✒️ Areas of Improvement :
▪️ Several Fragmentary structure may make some readers disoriented
▪️Complex mixture of cast makes sustained emotional connections and attachments challenging
▪️Occasional pacing slowdown during extended political debates
▪️Certain subplots feel underdeveloped or undercooked

In conclusion, it is a dizzying, ambitious exploration of a metropolis perched precariously between past grandeur and imminent upheaval. His mastery of voice and historical texture makes the sprawling narrative both immersive and thought-provoking. Though its mosaic structure demands patience requiring readers to assemble a panorama from countless shards the payoff is a richly layered portrait of human resilience, political ferment, and the indefatigable pulse of art amid chaos.

[Priyadharsini Palani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review: Great Eastern Hotel by Ruchir Joshi

There are books that invite you to bolt through them; Great Eastern Hotel requested I plod, relish the ride, and get completely absorbed—sweet bites in hand for companionship.

Great Eastern Hotel whisks the reader into the richly layered world of 1940s Calcutta, a city poised on the brink of transformation. With India slowly making its way towards freedom, the city is a kaleidoscopic backdrop for an array of characters—students pursuing their dreams, struggling artists, street-smart pickpockets, and suave jazz musicians—all somehow gravitating around the fabled Great Eastern Hotel, which is the center of the story.

Ruchir Joshi’s writing brings this historical moment to life with remarkable authenticity. His attention to cultural and atmospheric detail makes the city pulse with energy and contradiction. That said, the storytelling unfolds at a deliberate pace—it’s not a brisk read, but one that rewards patience.

One of the most impressive aspects of the book is the way the decline of colonialism quietly creeps into the periphery of the characters' existence, influencing their decisions and experiences. The incorporation of Bengali terms lends a sense of regional depth, although readers may sometimes come across some more coarse, colloquial terms.

All in all, Great Eastern Hotel is like a long, eventful train journey—occasionally plodding, occasionally unpredictable, but with so many interesting moments and diversions to keep you hooked. Like any decent ensemble piece, there were some characters that stood out and won my heart, while others didn't quite resonate with me. But that only served to make the experience more human and real.

[Deepthi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The accomplishment you get after finishing a thick book cannot be matched. Great Eastern Hotel by Ruchir Joshi is one such book. The book literally takes you back to the Calcutta during World War II weaving together several characters and their stories within the luxurious Great Eastern Hotel. Through their interconnected lives, the author paints a vivid picture of Calcutta and delves into the complexities of the Indian independence movement, and the impact of the war on the city and its people.

The narrative of the book deserves all the attention, giving us a clear picture of that historical Calcutta interlacing the personal narratives painting a vivid portrait of the city. I took my sweet time reading this book as it can become overwhelming with the number of characters. However, it also provided a nuanced and multifaceted perspective.

If you love reading character-driven and captivating narrative books on Indian history, this book offers unique and skillful storytelling.

[Clown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving this three stars, though it honestly deserves less, because this was a book with... so much potential. The prose COULD have been amazing, the characters COULD have been compelling and unique, the plot itself, though I understand this book didn't exactly need a traditional plot, COULD have woven together beautifully. What this book needed more than anything was a good editor, and that didn't happen, so now we're left with this trainwreck you can't look away from.

Firstly, the prose. The first 200 pages? I was mesmerized, happily drowning in Calcutta, 1943. I thought 'in a few hundred pages, this book is going to talk about colonialism and the famine is going to hit- this is the calm before the storm. It's all intentional.' I was wrong. Now I'm never an enemy of winding, ornamental prose. We NEED more books written in that older Fitzgerald-Wilde style. This... is ornamental prose done badly. It tries to have that same breathless style as, say, the Great Gatsby, and if this book had had any sort of clear message it would have landed. It's clever. It's beautiful. But it forgets itself too often. In a scene where an emotional beat is supposed to hit, we'll get a five page description of a Calcutta gutter. You do not need to spend 17 paragraphs pointing out every vehicle and person stuck in a traffic jam, Mr. Joshi. I too am Indian. I see this every day. And that's the thing- I would have welcomed the traffic jam scene if it had served any sort of narrative purpose. It really, really doesn't. Take, for example, Nick's chapter-long description of a Gatsby party. Winding, beautiful, feels pointless in the moment, but serves to show the opulence that becomes rot and all those other fancy words I won't repeat because you know them from English class. The traffic jam scene, and many many many other scenes in this book, copy this in the most hollow way. The winding road has to lead somewhere when you're dealing with themes as heavy as this. It doesn't.

And don't get me started on the over-description of Calcutta. Like I said, the winding prose should have caved in on itself once the negative parts of the timeline came into play. Every single street of Calcutta, every car on the road, every streetlamp is described with excruciating detail. The author struggles to use descriptions in any way aside from "he saw this, he smelled that, this made him feel good." but it's all structured in the most fancy, thesaurus-y way possible. This is beautiful for 200 pages, and after that you just start skimming and skipping paragraphs. And you somehow don't miss a thing. This book could have been a minimum of a 100 pages shorter without losing any plot beats. Another thing he seems to struggle with is describing the intensity of, say, the riots or the famine. It's there, it's attempted, but compared to the usual density of his writing, it falls flat. Considering that by the time you get to the famine, you're exhausted because Howrah station got a 70 page description/introspective monologue, you don't care enough. When the book is supposed to be about Bengali identity, not caring enough is deadly.

The timeskips of this book are another crime scene. One second Kedar is seeing off Keya at the train station. The next second she's back. Oh, wait, no, this is the past before she left, okay. Now she's actually back. Another traffic jam. Great. This is a running theme, and it uses the excuse of "a timeless, floating story" to execute these god-awful beats. This story is not floating. This story is dealing with colonialism. You can float around when Kedar is painting, not when there's a riot going on. And the entire Saki side-story from 30 years later does the absolute WORST for pacing. The more the book progresses, the more time it wastes on this side-story. The first several chapters of this side-story were agonizing, because I DON'T KNOW WHO THESE PEOPLE ARE. I care about the very lovely characters you have just shown me in WW2 era Calcutta, Mr. Joshi. These random old people are deadweight until you reveal who they are, which only happens far too late. The reveal was a little rewarding, I guess? But again, trim down 50% of these chapters, most of which are just Elko and Missus drinking and being rude to each other while dropping vague hints about what happened in the past timeline, and you lose nothing.

Now let's talk about characters, because the potential lost here is nuclear. The "protagonist" of this book- Saki, I assume- I can't explain how little I cared about him. For the first half you have no idea who this man is, how he's relevant, or what he's doing. Even after you find out, he's incredibly drab. This is another issue of the side-story; it cuts in right as you're getting invested in something happening in the real timeline and bores you out of your mind. It constantly drops hints about Saki and his life, but because it revolves so much around Elko's art you never get a sense of Saki as a character- he has a few moments of genuine passion, but it's immediately stolen away by him acting as the author's mouthpiece. Saki as a character is here to narrate events that we should have been shown in the original timeline, and that makes him painful to read. He's here to violate the principles of show-not-tell beyond belief and not much else.

One of the few things this book did right was Nirupama. God, I loved this character- I personally think she's a perfect example of a properly executed Indian woman. Her political activism adds so much to her character, but it doesn't consume it- she still struggles with religion, she loves her family, and she's occasionally irresponsible- and that is an incredibly hard type of character to nail.
Unfortunately, I still have my gripes. This book makes a habit of meandering through mundanity and then letting any and all character arc-relevant events be told or remembered, never felt. Nirupama's "romance" with Byron Jones is hardly touched on (Byron himself gets maybe five pages of page-time) even though the man is an American soldier (Nirupama is a communist... How did she feel, falling for an American?) More importantly, her fight to keep the baby, the difficulty of being a single mother in the 1950s- barely there. We see them going to cafes and buying trumpets instead.

And then there's Imogen. I literally have nothing to say about this character, that's how boring she was. I tried to like her, I really did. Looks like the author tried to make a ditzy, relatable type of character... who is also a British noblewoman living in Calcutta. You can see how that may not work. Most of Imogen's emotional or character beats- hers actually occur during the course of the main timeline and don't get narrated back by Saki like everyone else's- fail to hit. The transition of her vaguely liking Andrew to actually dating him is nonexistent. There's a decent reaction to Andrew getting drafted, but that too is overshadowed by her a) being very, very drunk, which should have added to it but somehow took away (?) and b) her getting platonically closer to Kedar. And finally, the reaction to Andrew's "death" is NONEXISTENT. You could argue she didn't love him at all- why is he even a character, then? Why mourn him leaving Calcutta? There's a throwaway mention of Nirupama's presence "softening the blow". Sir. What blow. She dropped a glass a few chapters ago and that was it. OH, and her friendship with Nirupama. God, where do I begin. Yes, this is an adorable, well-written friendship that made me go aww. Unfortunately, Nirupama is not any Indian girl, she is a political activist. Their friendship BEGAN because Niru was shouting at her for being racist. Once they were close, this should have invited serious discussion. It does not. They drink chai, they go to fancy British restaurants. The one time they talk about, you know, colonialism, Imogen barely takes it seriously. She agrees, but there's no deeper attempt to understand- and so their bond, too, feels half-assed. The last few beats, again, narrated by her in Saki's Flashback Corner. Her taking in Kedar, their relationship, her decision to work for women's rights (I think?), all once again told not shown. This is a pattern.

Rapid fire before we get to the real main character, Kedar- Gopal? He was easily the most interesting character in this. Should have been, I mean. He's a pickpocket getting promoted to real mafia/smuggling work, he's smart, and he's gay. There is a point in this book that I keep referencing, where it loses all the momentum it was building in the first part and takes a sharp left turn. Gopal is the character you feel this the most in. Part one, he's climbing the ranks, his boss adores him, he's getting somewhere with Bonnemaison, he's got a secret gun, he finds a stolen painting. Amazing, right? I was honestly hopeful for the love story of the decade when he fell for Kedar. Nope. There's never anything beyond lust for him. The second has exactly one significant scene that happens way too late into it- the rest is spent in his dreams, drooling over random men, or running odd jobs. None of which properly contributes to the arc being built. The ending ruined Gopal for me, a) because it features a detailed description of... a circumcision... I think? Not exactly a flaw of Gopal's, but I wondered if the author was okay. And b) He abandons his gang, which is slowly going under, and flees back to his hometown where he gets taken in by some nomadic performers. Great, fine. How, then, is he some sort of smuggling overlord (named Ganesh) 30 years later? Again strikes Joshi's habit of glossing over anything and everything interesting. And the pacing, which makes him disappear for 300 pages at a time does not help in the slightest.
Bonnemaison is a racist French chef working at the Great Eastern. No notes. His country is actively being taken over by the Germans and he's just racist about it. He cooks, he's gay. He disappears halfway through the book. This man is a POV character, not a side one. He's in the synopsis. No character arc whatsoever. No serious interaction with any of the other POV characters aside from Gopal and that's only because they're having sex. Why is he here.
Lambert... I need this man gone. British intelligence officer in Calcutta is an amazing premise for a character. He does not deliver. My eyes were rolling back in my head every time it switched to his POV, and I'm a military history fan. He flies a plane, he's miserable, he sits at a desk and hates his colleagues. Sure, give us war updates, but spare literally everything else. It's miserably British and none of it fucking matters. The only interesting thing about this man- the fact that he likes Indian street food- comes 600 pages too late, and is immediately shoved aside so he can lust over Keya. That also goes nowhere. He does end up a food critic. What the hell.
Eva? Yeah, she was fun I guess. Leaves by page 200. Keya? Again kinda fun, but this one overstayed her time if she was supposed to be the sidepiece. It's the fact that her literal death was, again, told and not shown. Some vague flashback. Niru's reaction is lukewarm and I don't think Kedar cares.

And now for the worst of the lot- Kedar. The author butchered this beyond belief. He's simultaneously the best and worst character in this. He's a spoiled lordling who likes to paint, wants to be like Cezanne, and he's in love with a European heiress fleeing the war. For the first few hundred pages, you hate-love his pretentious, whitewashed little ass. You think "this is going somewhere". There's the groundwork laid for him, being one of those high-society pricks, failing at blending in with the Brits and the Americans, embarrassing himself in front of Eva, slowly developing a passion for art. Eva leaves, he's heartbroken. And then you're hit by the fact that somehow, this man is Elko from the Saki side-story. Missus mentions that "the day of the riots changed him". On the actual day of the riots, what was this man doing? Looking at leaves, buying paint, casually saving Imogen, and going on with his life. The "change" never happens in Kedar's POV. The real observable change happens through his art, his struggles to draw the people dying in the famine, his letters to Eva about them. His reaction to the people on the streets and the need to capture them on paper, the fear of it, done pretty damn well. His romance with Keya takes up too much screentime for nothing of real consequence. Once again, and I apologize for sounding like a broken record, they don't bother showing Kedar getting kicked out of his house, how he struggles as an artist, or how he feels when Imogen takes him in. Major milestones for this spoiled brat. Nope, it's all Saki. By the end of it, this character with massive potential ends up slotted firmly into the "mad, lonely artist" archetype. He tries to burn and hide his own paintings, he's a drunkard, and Imogen is the only one keeping him alive. He meets Gopal at his art gallery after he gets kicked out, and this scene could have easily changed everything for Kedar. But instead the author nudges him gently back onto the easy path of mad artist. For a story centering Calcutta, there isn't a single character that seems to love it properly. Kedar, the artist, should have been the one this was highlighted in. No, he hates it too. It's maddening how utterly wasted every character in this was.

You know that feeling once you finish a book? Even a mediocre one? Where you shut the book and stare at the wall for a bit because damn, you're gonna miss the characters and the sheer vibe of it? You're gonna miss the experience of reading it, even if it wasn't exceptional? That just straight up wasn't there. For a book trying to do what The Great Eastern Hotel does, that feeling should have hit like a truck. Instead, nothing. I miss the city of Calcutta more than I miss the characters, which is a sign of setting done well and characters done horribly. The few things which hit are not things that happen to the characters, they're historical events happening to the city. The boats being taken away, the looming threat of Japanese invasion (none of the characters actually care enough about this except the military guys somehow) the famine eventually hitting and the people lying on the streets.

And the most infuriating part of it all, somehow, was the conversation at the very end with Ganesh and Saki. The self-congratulatory "You should write a story about the people that aren't written about when talking about the war and the famines, it'll be so special and unique, wow." If this story wanted to focus on the characters over the actual goddamn history, congrats, you did the exact opposite. But because that was unintentional, it hits with maybe 40% of the weight it should have had.

TL;DR- This book needed a fucking editor. Should have been in my top 10 books ever, made me write this out of sheer disappointment instead. An enjoyable read if you want to skim pretty prose for 900 pages and like over-description of large crowds every three pages. This should have been stunning. This should have been stunning, man.

[Nakshatra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big scope, mediocre prose, great characters, familiar narrator

[Vaibhav Srivastav · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a certain tendency among Kolkata Bengalis, while being overtly loquacious as a people they tend to assume that everyone knows all the routes in Kolkata and when mapping it in narrative they presume you know half the way - 'Doverlane, Oei toh, Garia station ke paas'.

This book, written by someone who is head over heels in love with that great eastern metropolis is the opposite, it painstakingly reconstructs both a time and a place, 1940s Kolkata, the threat of Japan looming, and a truly eclectic mix of characters reflecting the cosmopolitan nature of a city which lead the engines of science and art but sadly under the yoke of communism is crumbling.

Ruchir Joshi's novel is monumental, and can vie for a place in the Great Indian English Novels, with a narrative that goes back and forth in time but centers around a the early 1940s.

[♡ Diyasha ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖: 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍 𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐋
𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑: 𝐑𝐔𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐑 𝐉𝐎𝐒𝐇𝐈

✨ Ruchir Joshi’s 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍 𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐋 is a sprawling literary epic set in the 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐖𝐀𝐑 𝐈𝐈 era in 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐚. It is not only just an 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥, but a 𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, chronicling the interesting lives of 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 and 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐫𝐬 at a time of profound global and local upheaval. The novel also takes the title from a real life hotel that stood as a symbol of colonial grandeur, using it as a central metaphor for the city's layered identity.

✨ Set in 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐚 during the early 1940𝐬, 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍 𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐋 weaves together the lives of a wide range of characters against the backdrop of 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐫 𝐈𝐈 - the 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚'𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. The GREAT EASTERN HOTEL once implemented as a 𝐬𝐲𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐮𝐱𝐮𝐫𝐲, serves as the central point where the paths intersect.

✨ 𝐊𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐫 𝐋𝐚𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐢, 𝐍𝐢𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐚𝐦𝐚 and 𝐆𝐨𝐩𝐚𝐥 - three individuals struggle in their 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥, 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 and 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐬 paint as a layer of 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. The novel doesn’t focus on a single storyline but creates a mosaic of Calcutta’s people, showing how their lives are shaped by 𝐰𝐚𝐫, 𝐩𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐲, 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 and 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 - all inside and around the walls of the legendary 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍 𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐋.

✨ 𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 & 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒

• 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬

The story features a wide cast, from privileged 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐢 𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐬 to pickpockets, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬, 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬 and 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐬. This kaleidoscopic style is echoing like 𝐌𝐈𝐃𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓'𝐒’ 𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐍, but distinctly grounded in Calcutta’s unique cultural and political environment.

• 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬

𝐊𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐫 𝐋𝐚𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐢, a privileged 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐢 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 torn between comfort and conscience is described as “𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫-𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥”. He represents the 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝, 𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 caught between 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞 and 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭.

𝐍𝐢𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐚𝐦𝐚, a passionate 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐭, is committed to communist ideals and embodies the fiery spirit of India's 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡.

𝐈𝐦𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐧, a British girl questioning her place in this colonial society, is growing up in Calcutta. She gives the voice to the 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐑𝐚𝐣. Her narrative reveals the colonial blind spots and emotional turmoil of expatriate life.

𝐆𝐨𝐩𝐚𝐥, a cunning pickpocket who rises through the city's underbelly, is a character with Dickensian colour who evolves into a 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬.

• 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐲𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐥

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍 𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐋 itself functions as a breathing character - “𝐚 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲'𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐨𝐬”. It is where the stories converge; from secret meetings to 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬, from jazz nights to quiet moments of loss. It mirrors the 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲'𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦 and 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐲.

✨ 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐒 & 𝐒𝐓𝐘𝐋𝐄

• 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲

While the backdrop is war and empire, Joshi focuses on the 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥. The grand events like the Japanese threat, the Bengal famine, the Quit India movement are always filtered through the lived experiences of individuals. As one character muses:

“𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐬𝐦𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐝”.

• 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐥

Despite its 900+ pages length, the prose is lean and vivid. Joshi doesn’t follow a 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭; instead, he constructs a “𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐜 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬”. The 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬, but reward immersion.

• 𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲

Joshi explores 𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐲. He 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞, nor 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐡. His characters exist in a moral gray zone.

“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐨, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐛𝐢 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲”.

This 𝐝𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭 and 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐲𝐞 are among Joshi’s greatest strengths.

✨ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍 𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐋 is a triumph of ambition and emotional intelligence. It's not just about the premise, rendered with intimacy and panoramic scope. The author invites readers into a world of contradictions where memory blurs into myth and history is rewritten with every generation.

✨ If you've loved 𝐌𝐈𝐃𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓’𝐒 𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐍, 𝐀 𝐒𝐔𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐘 and 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐖 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒, then don't think much to get your hands on this book. 𝐈𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭, 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐬.

[Dalia (book_o_creativity) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A city caught in the shimmering calm before the storm, a city which has seen many things. Set against the backdrop of a world on the brink of chaos, 'The Great Eastern Hotel' takes us to Calcutta in August 1941, as the city mourns the passing of Rabindranath Tagore. But beneath the solemnity lies a restless energy, and now the known world stands on the cusp of another great upheaval. As Calcutta smolders with tension and transformation, the hotel becomes a stage for the drama of a generation, a place where history is not just observed, but lived. Elegant, atmospheric, and richly layered, 'The Great Eastern Hotel' is a sweeping tale of love, legacy, and the quiet tremors that precede a nation's awakening.


'Great Eastern Hotel' is one of a kind narrative of a buzzing metropolis delving deeper into the underbelly of a continuing legacy. As life inside the opulent walls of the Great Eastern hotel thrums with feasting, jazz, secrets, and shifting loyalties, it’s here, amidst grandeur and looming catastrophe, that the author weaves a rich tapestry of lives converging at a historical crossroads. The book takes us through a fascinating ensemble, a student and Communist volunteer, an Englishwoman grappling with the contradictions, a privileged dreamer chasing art, and a street-smart pickpocket pulled into deeper shadows. Their stories intertwine with those of others at the hotel, an American jazz-playing soldier, a French chef with secrets, a European heiress on the run, and intelligence officers orchestrating covert missions. As we go further into the story, the narrative becomes more nuanced, and unflinchingly intelligent.


It’s been a while since I’ve taken on a thick book and it requires quite some mental patients for a thick book like this. Although hefty, its layered storytelling, atmospheric prose, and sharp historical insight kept me hooked throughout the book. Even though I found myself fully immersed in its world, I felt some areas unnecessarily dragging the book, making the interplay between the characters really hard to fathom. Coming to the writing, both the style and quality is commendable. This is more than historical fiction, it’s a meditation on art, love, identity, political currents and every aspect of a human life that shape us. I would recommended this book to readers who enjoy sweeping, character driven novels with historical depth and contemporary relevance.

[Prerna Shambhavee · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Great Eastern Hotel" by Ruchir Joshi is a sweeping epic that will transport you to the vibrant streets of Calcutta during World War Two. This book is a masterpiece, a rich tapestry of stories that will captivate and move you.

At its heart, "Great Eastern Hotel" is a story about people - their struggles, their passions, and their resilience. We meet Nirupama, a young history student with a fire in her belly; Imogen, a beautiful Englishwoman torn between her loyalty to her family and her growing sense of unease with the Raj; Kedar, a talented painter with a dream; and Gopal, a street-smart pickpocket who finds himself caught up in a world of danger and intrigue.

As their lives intersect with those of the guests and staff at the Great Eastern Hotel, we're treated to a kaleidoscope of experiences - from the jazz club to the secret intelligence operations, from the lavish parties to the desperate struggles of those living on the streets.

What I loved most about this book is its ability to balance the big picture - the war, the politics, the social upheaval - with the intimate, personal stories of its characters. Joshi's writing is masterful, weaving together multiple plot threads with ease and creating a sense of tension and anticipation that keeps you turning the pages.

What I love about this book is how it makes you think about the big stuff - like how we choose to live our lives, and what we stand for. It's like Joshi is holding up a mirror, reflecting our own world back at us, and asking us to take a closer look. It's not always comfortable, but it's definitely necessary.

If you loved the intricate storytelling of 'A Suitable Boy' or the historical sweep of 'The English Patient', or if you were captivated by the films 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' or 'Viceroy's House', then 'Great Eastern Hotel' is a must-read for you. With its richly detailed world, complex characters, and epic scope, this book is sure to transport you to another time and place, and leave you thinking long after you finish reading.

[Craartology · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit, whenever I encounter references to Calcutta and a grand hotel, my thoughts invariably return to Sankar's "Chowringhee." It was precisely this desire to relive that sense of grandeur and nostalgia that led me to Ruchir Joshi's magnum opus, "Great Eastern Hotel." I'm not complaining, read on to know more.

"Great Eastern Hotel" is set against the tumultuous backdrop of World War II and India's struggle for independence. The narrative commences on the day of Rabindranath Tagore's passing in 1941, a national tragedy occurring amidst profound societal shifts and the fervent desire for liberation. Ruchir Joshi has meticulously crafted a compelling ensemble of characters who truly stand out: Nirupama, a young student and member of the Communist Party; Kedar, a privileged heir with aspirations of becoming an artist; Imogen, an introspective English woman; and Gopal, a pickpocket who finds himself drawn into increasingly darker activities during these unsettling times.

The Great Eastern Hotel, with its vibrant jazz sessions and constant activity, serves as a pivotal setting throughout the book. The narrative, rich with the intricacies of espionage, angst, identity, love, and varying political ideologies, offers readers an unsettling yet profound journey. The meticulously interwoven stories of the primary characters encapsulate themes of morality and identity amidst the unfolding chaos. The narrative unfolds gradually, allowing readers to fully immerse themselves in and savor the experiences of pain, love, loss, pride, and disorder. The meticulous attention to detail, evident in both character development and event portrayal, ensures a comprehensive and immersive reading experience.

This book offers an extravagant narrative that sparks curiosity and encourages introspection into the pivotal choices shaping one's life. A fabulous attempt at recreating the past.

[Sumit RK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruchir Joshi’s “Great Eastern Hotel” is an engrossing historical fiction exploring different lives from the sprawling city of Calcutta. Set in the backdrop of WW II, the book is a story of the city and the city dwellers from all walks of life, in the midst of a social and political turmoil.

The story in 1941, on the day of Rabindranath Tagore’s death, with the threat of the Japanese invasion looming large. The story unfolds at the Great Eastern Hotel, a luxurious hotel with an assorted cast of characters from different walks of life. The story explores the stories of these different characters and the city as their lives collide in a critical moment of history.

The story is more of a character driven story and the different characters make it an really interesting read. From Lahiri, an artist with a feudal background to Nirupama, the communist activist and Imogen the British national, the story introduces us to a vast array of memorable characters.


As their lives intersect with each other, we get to experience the different historical and socio-political happenings through the eyes of these characters, offering you some unique perspectives. But undoubtedly, the central character is the city of Calcutta, with its vibrant culture and language, adding a unique dimension to the story.

Despite a string of multifaceted characters, the author does well to balance the different storylines. The writing is descriptive, bringing alive every sequence. What sets the story apart is the vast political canvas unfolding in the background.Having said that, beyond the politics and history, this is a story of common people and the struggle to survive a world increasingly crumbling world. The 900+ page length can be daunting but it rewards you with the engrossing storyline.

Overall, “Great Eastern Hotel' is one unique reading experience which should not be missed.

[Rounak · Rating 4 out of 5]

the big book of summer 2025

picture this: if midnight’s children, peaky blinders, and a soulful jazz solo had a love child—voilà, you’ve got great eastern hotel. ruchir joshi really took a bold step and infused this 400-page masterpiece of lyrical madness right into our tbr stacks.

set against the backdrop of the smoky, spine-tingling streets of 1940s calcutta, this isn’t just a book—it’s an experience. with war on the horizon, famines creeping in, and pickpockets lurking around every corner, there’s still space for secret romances, communist uprisings, and artists grappling with their existence. each chapter is like stepping into a new room of this enchanting, eerie hotel of history—and trust me, those rooms are always buzzing with life.

meet nirupama, the fiery revolutionary who could shut you down with just a few words. then there’s kedar, the brooding artist whose paintbrush carries more emotion than your last relationship. gopal is our lovable rogue, the kind you’ll adore or despise (or maybe both?). and let’s not forget imogen—british, introspective, and wrestling with her colonial past like it’s 2025.

joshi’s prose is rich yet incisive. it’s like biting into a ripe mango only to find a hidden blade. there are no straightforward answers here—just layers upon layers, like a biryani filled with betrayal, identity, and hope. it’s not a quick read, but it’s the kind that invites you to savor every moment.

just a heads-up: you might feel a bit emotionally colonized by the time you finish.if you enjoy your historical fiction served with a side of art, angst, and a sprinkle of anti-imperial flair—this book deserves a spot on your summer reading list.

chai-stained jazz records

[Kate Downey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is an Impressionist painting. Up close it’s a collection of fragments, splashes of colour, intersections of lives in staccato bursts splattered across the enormous canvas that is India (and France) from the 1940s through to the late 1970s, although the central (thematic) energy of this ‘painting’ is Calcutta from 1941 to 1943. The fact that one of Joshi’s main concerns is the ‘rendering’ of history/narrative via visual media creates an unsettling or maybe vexed friction between the obvious primary power of the painting which is to supplant the need for words and the very fact of the author’s ‘wording’ of what he sees. It makes for a fascinating reading experience. The assault on my senses was quite something. Joshi marks everything on the page from the cacophony of living, to the beat of the blues, the smells and aromas of the streets, the smatterings and peppering of language, and via language of attitude, opinion, and inevitably concomitant behaviours.
Around the 350-400 page mark, Joshi pulls us back a step and things take shape. His continuous reexamination of this splash of sound of colour, this or that event which he later highlights, the relevance of this slash or erasure weaves this story around us. He comes up with surreal imagery borrowed from a witnessed event then reimagined in a dream sequence and eventually on the canvas of his perpetually self-critical, Cézanne-worshipping Elko one of a small cast of main characters in this novel. Characters are placed at vantage points to give us a complete ‘all-sides’ version of these WWII years. Much thinking was done on ‘history’ and versions thereof.
I came to this book with a limited knowledge of these events and absorbed the story uncritically over several days, reaching on many occasions for historical facts through other sources. At first I was bewildered by the fragmentation but the writing held me in place. The visual impact of Joshi’s descriptions, the details of meals, of street sounds, the small acts with their ramifications, the ripple of meaning in snatched sentences, the sheer commotion of this book swept me along to a place of clarity, of seeing the/a whole that emerges from these seemingly chaotic juxtapositions.
Monumental!

[Rajendra Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruchir Joshi's "Great Eastern Hotel"🏨 is a sweeping, ambitious novel that transports readers to Calcutta during the tumultuous backdrop of World War II🔫. Ruchir Joshi expertly weaves together the lives of a diverse cast of characters, each representing different facets of society.

            The narrative unfolds on August 7, 1941, the day when Rabindranath Tagore, the revered poet in Bengali literature, passes away. Ruchir Joshi's 920-page epic deftly captures the vibrant tapestry of 1940s Calcutta, portraying the sociopolitical landscape with remarkable depth and nuance. The author's vivid prose paints a rich picture of Bengali life, steeped in culture, artistry, and the complexities of nationalism amidst impending chaos.

             At the center of this narrative are several compelling characters: Nirupama Majumdar, a passionate history student and Communist volunteer; Imogen, the English daughter of a Raj official; Kedar, an aspiring painter🎨🖌️; and Gopal, a skilled pickpocket. Through these interconnected narratives, Ruchir Joshi masterfully captures the vibrant culture, lifestyle, and political tensions of 1940s Calcutta.

        "Great Eastern Hotel" is a singularly ambitious work that invites readers to ponder the connections between then and now, making it a monumental addition to historical fiction. Ruchir Joshi’s meticulous attention to detail and character development ensures that this novel resonates long after the final page is turned, offering a poignant exploration of humanity in its many forms😍🌃

[Yamini · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took my sweet little time with this one—and a little overdose of sweetness to keep my energy high.

Transporting you to the era of 1940s Calcutta, the book introduces the complexities of that time. A chaotic city in a transforming nation-in-the-making, we get to see the impact it brings upon our characters’ lives. From students and aspiring artists to pickpockets and jazz musicians, you have a wide array of people looping through a tense time with one common rope tying them together—this magnificent hotel!

The author creates an immersive era, capturing the most native details that make you feel like you’re present in the same city. Now, details take time, and as a result, the pacing drops a notch often—so don’t go in expecting an expedious journey. Another beautiful element was the fall of colonization, reflected in the backdrop of these characters’ stories.

The haunted glory of Calcutta is explored best with patience and a taste for historical incidents that have set the narrative to a tone unlike any other. There is certainly a presence of Bengali lingo that I enjoyed discovering, but I also want to warn my fellow readers that you may come across some local abusive terms too.

Overall, reading this book was like a long train journey—it demanded energy and attention, but also presented a large variation of subplots that managed to keep you entertained. And like a normal human, I liked a few characters more than the others (also disliked a few).

[Bindu · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I read a book that is more than 400 pages. But this book seems to have broken the curse. I was intimidated by the size of this book. But the moment I flipped the book and read the blurb, I wanted to read the book, and I'm glad that I ended up reading this book.

Beginning from the genre and timeline that is written as historical fiction and around 1940s Calcutta. The time when so much was happening within India and, of course, in the world, from India's struggle for independence to our course. The Eastern Hotel was a testament to the luxury when it was built but stood tall when the world intersected with so much in the world.

The author has weaved the tension between the characters from the moral compass to political turmoil really compelling. The narrative doesn't show only linear format, but it has a maze of multiple voices in the book. The symbolism of the Eastern Hotel in the book makes the title of the book apt. The attention to detail in this book really amplifies the reader's experience, which also justifies the number of pages of the book. The author didn't limit himself to the historic view of Calcutta but the book also explores the typical classism and impact of War on the people of their region. Every element in the book weaves the experience for the reader and also allows rewriting the history from a different lens. Despite almost 900 pages book I still recommend this to everyone.

[Bibliophile Bliss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Eastern Hotel by Ruchir Joshi is a rich and thoughtful read set in 1940s Calcutta, during the chaos of World War II and the last years of British rule in India. It brings together a wide mix of characters—freedom fighters, artists, lovers, soldiers, and even pickpockets—each connected in their own way to the legendary Great Eastern Hotel.

One of the things that stands out the most in the novel, is the setting. Joshi creates a vivid image of Calcutta that you can almost feel its culture, struggles, music and art of that time. His writing style is detailed and lyrical with small historical bits that make the world seem real and complex. The story revolves around different timelines and characters, showing just how complex that period was.

The book includes several sad and emotional moments that show people dealing with their personal problems during those difficult time. The book does move at a slower pace but that actually gives you time to sit with the characters and understand them deeply. Each chapter adds something meaningful to the bigger story.

It’s not the kind of book you breeze through—it takes its time, and it asks you to do the same. But if you enjoy immersive stories with strong characters, rich details, and a real sense of history, this one will definitely leave an impression.

[Anjali Anil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not at all a fan of big, chunky books but this book was indeed an exception.
Great Eastern Hotel by Ruchir Joshi is a powerful and immersive novel that is set in Calcutta in 1941. As the world is at war and India is inching closer to independence, the iconic Great Eastern Hotel becomes the heart of this story. This is where the lives of very different people intersect like a young communist, a privileged artist, a British girl questioning her place, and a street-smart pickpocket rising through the city’s underworld. Through their stories, we get to witness a city that is filled with jazz, secrets, love, and revolution just before everything is about to change.

Why I Liked It:
•The hotel feels like a living character that holds laughter, music, secrets, and grief all at once.
•The writing is very rich and atmospheric and it instantly puts you right in the middle of 1940s Calcutta.
•The characters are complex, unique and unforgettable, each of them with their own struggles and desires.
•It doesn’t follow a typical plot, but that’s what makes it feel so real just like you’re living through history.

So if you are someone who loves character-driven stories set against big historical moments and
books that explore politics, identity, and emotion without being preachy. This should be your next read.

[Sindhu Vinod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruchir Joshi’s Great Eastern Hotel is a expansive, go-getting novel that immerses readers in the vibrant yet unrestrained backdrop of Calcutta during World War II. I was initially shocked while I opened the book. But as I read past, it completely changed my opinion.At over 900 pages, the book is a literary feat, weaving together historical events, political ideologies, and deeply personal narratives.
The novel’s central figure, Kedar Nath Lahiri, is a painter, playboy, and zamindar navigating the complexities of colonial India. Alongside him are a Marxist revolutionary, an Englishwoman, British intelligence officers, and a street-smart orphan, each contributing to the novel’s rich tapestry. How their lives intersect with people at the Great Eastern Hotel, its gives you an amazing reading experience. The author’s writing is filmic and refreshing, capturing both the grandeur of Calcutta and the intimate struggles of its inhabitants.
One of the book’s strengths is its ability to balance individual stories with larger historical currents. The book explores themes of patriotism, art, survival, and political commitment, making it more than just a historical novel—it’s an observation on cultural identity and transformation. The inclosing of a first-person narrator logging these events decades later adds another layer of depth, connecting past and present.

[Abinaya Annadurai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Eastern Hotel by Ruchir Joshi is a captivating book which transports the readers to 1940s Calcutta. The story was set against the backdrop of World War Two. The pace of the book starts steadily as it consists of multiple characters showing their struggles and their passions.

The story is vividly immersive and entertaining. The author's writing style is unique and flawless. This book is brilliantly executed with a mix of World War II, famine and colonial retreat. Every character is connected to the Great Eastern Hotel in their own way. The detailed writing style helps us to understand the characters and the complex timelines. There are more emotional moments in this book, which shows the personal struggles of characters in difficult times. The story is bigger yet meaningful.

Such a well-curated read with strong and unique characters. I loved Nirupama's character arc. I adored her political activism. The author, with his enchanting and intricate storytelling, keeps us hooked till the end. Ruchir Joshi effortlessly blends espionage, history and romance. The beauty of this book is I felt like I was in Calcutta during World War Two. This book demands our time and attention, but it is worth it. After finishing this book, I missed Calcutta. That is the beauty of good writing. Overall, I loved this book and would strongly recommend it to all.

[Sudeshna Banerjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruchir Joshi's 'Great Eastern Hotel' is an ambitious and absorbing saga that graphically recreates the eventful years of World War II Calcutta. In the microcosm of the legendary hotel, The author skillfully intertwines the destinies of a multi-colored cast, from revolutionaries and spies to artists and lovers against the background of a city on the verge of change.

The writing skills of the author are flawless and through his captivating writing style I could visualise the plot unfolding little by little in front of my eyes. Though the book was really huge but I was engaged throughout the book without getting bored at all.

The book is a triumph of vivid historical detail and atmospheric writing, making 1940s Calcutta feel deeply real. While the sheer breadth and complex story may require perseverance, the payoff is a riveting exploration of political devotion, nationalism, and the human spirit in the face of disorder. It's a gripping read for fans of richly detailed historical fiction and strong sense of place.

I will highly recommend this book to everyone. Grab your copy today and you will definitely enjoy reading it as much as I did. Being a girl from Kolkata this book really helped me to understand the culture of that era. Beautifully written.

[Booksandlife · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Great Eastern Hotel takes us to Calcutta in 1941, just as the world is about to change forever.I picked it thinking it was going to be a serious historical one; instead, the tale unfolded in a much more personal manner.
I didn't think I'd enjoy a story set during such serious times, but the different characters and different stories kept me hooked.

I particularly enjoyed the way each person was so different from every other person—Nirupama, who wishes to bring about change in her society; Imogen, who is a stranger to all that surrounds her; Kedar, who dreams far more than he speaks; and Gopal, whose mind finds everything to be street-smart, but with those qualities brings him in trouble with bigger issues. All their lives are slowly played out in conjunction, and that is what made me think about how people cross each other's paths in real lives-too often by chance.

The hotel itself feels like a character—full of music, food, secrets, and stories. While everything was slowly falling apart , people still laugh, dance, and find time to love. And the way author has portrayed every scene with so much passion and so much detail is what makes this book unique . You won't even realise it until you've reached the end and finished 900 pages .

[Shubhra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruchir Joshi apparently took 25 years to complete this book. When I saw the size of it, it seemed like something one soaks in. Initially though, I felt that there was a whiff of inauthenticity, the characters just too much of what editors/ publishers/ global audiences want and all been there, read that. But some way in it got excellent, the spiral story arcs coming together and then gaining weight, everything a little more familiar and appealing and by the end you are invested in these lives and then after so many pages, it’s done and there is a real sense of loss. I loved it the time I spent in this world. Is the book historically accurate? Parts of it you know are true and the rest is intriguing imagining whether it all really happened. Real life at the end of the British empire in India. Calcutta of course looms large - the places, food, lives, adding familiarity, so you realise how much is now lost/ changed. Almost a classic.

[Anya Räsänen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a monster of a novel but certainly draws you in--eventually. It was very slow going the first 200 pages (out of 899), but I surprisingly kept on reading mainly because of the inter-weaving of different characters' stories was really well done, and the history of the 1940s fascinating. Even the saddest or most brutal of events were delivered in such a detached author's voice that it allowed me, the reader, to also become an almost equally dispassionate observer. Almost but not completely dispassionate as there also is strung throughout the novel something like a soft song of sadness in all the characters' lives and the melody is always present but yet not depressing. This novel also celebrates life, and in the end, I could hardly put it down by the 400th page as I wanted to hear more about each characters' tale.

[Purva • readwithpurva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Eastern Hotel is set in 1941, on the day Rabindranath Tagore passes away, capturing Calcutta in its final moments before disaster and wartime tension take over. Through the Great Eastern, the city’s most luxurious hotel, the story brings together Nirupama, Imogen, Kedar, and Gopal, whose lives cross paths with soldiers, artists, chefs, and intelligence officers.

The author creates a striking picture of a city balancing glamour and fear, where political ideals, identity, and shifting loyalties shape every choice. The slow, absorbing pace lets you sit with each character’s struggles and the pressure of the times.

What stands out is the way personal stories blend seamlessly with historical events, making the book both engaging and reflective. Great Eastern Hotel is an ambitious, atmospheric read that stays with you.

[Jayashree Chakravarti · Rating 5 out of 5]

A 900 page sprawling epic characterizing a time in history, the city of Calcutta caught in its flux amidst war, freedom movement, displacement and famine, and a sweeping set of societal beings grappling with the uncertainties, the scarcities, the politics and the ethics (or lack thereof) of the city and the world around it! Innumerable characters, multiple tumultuous timelines of true events that rocked the world, different narration perspectives gradually unlayered that keep colliding and moving apart, this fascinating documentation of resilience remains non-judgemental, incisive, breathing and a page turner even at its densest!

[Prayash Giria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Needlessly long and complicated, with overblown use of cockney and cultural tropes, and some passages that truly deserve the bad sex in fiction award. I can see this working as a Netflix period drama, but as a book, it left me extremely disappointed - it felt like it came from the table of an over-enthusiastic school child wanting to show off rather than a seasoned, restrained writer. This could have been a far better story with a third of the length and character sprawl.

[Ash]

a

[Uttiyo Sarkar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enchanting. Vivid.

[Alison Lockley · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF - I don’t think I’m the intended audience.