“The Magnificent Ruins” by Nayantara Roy is an intriguing family saga filled with complex relationships and rich cultural descriptions, set against the backdrop of Kolkata. When Lila De, a young Indian American editor from Brooklyn, unexpectedly inherits her family’s ancestral home, she finds herself navigating not only old family resentments and secrets but also her own identity caught between two worlds.

The novel does a beautiful job capturing the sights and sounds of Kolkata, immersing readers in the vibrancy of the city and the multifaceted Lahiri family. Roy’s descriptive prose brings the setting and family home to life, making it easy to feel the weight of Lila’s inheritance and the fractured family dynamics.

However, the book can feel a bit drawn out, with some side plots—like the love interests and a late mystery—seeming unnecessary for the main narrative. Though the story meanders at times, “The Magnificent Ruins” still offers a heartfelt exploration of family, legacy, and self-discovery. Fans of immersive generational tales will find much to enjoy here, even if the pacing is a bit slow.

Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin books for the advance copy. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

A wonderful family saga ,we follow Lila from her home in NewYork back to her family home in India.,after her grandpa dies.I was immediately drawn in to the story the family all the characters.I enjoyed this absorbing novel from beginning to end ,looking forward to more from this author.#netgalley #algonquinbooks.

Thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for this advance reader copy, in exchange for an honest review. I’ve just finished this book and all I’m just absolutely in awe— this book is definitely a contender for one of my favorites this year and I think it is one that I will enjoy coming back to over the years, just stunning. The Magnificent Ruins is the story of Lila De, a young Indian American woman who immigrated to the US with her father in her teens from Kolkata, still in the wake of her parents scandalous divorce and from her difficult relationship with her mother. Lila, now age 29, is a successful book editor in Brooklyn and her world is upended when she receives a call telling her that her beloved grandfather has passed away and left the historic, sprawling family near-mansion to her, along with the estate. This kicks off the events of the story, as Lila travels back to Kolkata to reckon with this and with her immediate family, all of whom live in the home she’s just inherited.

This book was absolutely lush with beautiful prose and vivid descriptions of the city of Kolkata including the homes, the people, the food, the clothes, etc. The author’s writing was so evocative and transporting throughout the entire book and so, even though it was long, it didn’t feel like it. I was content to just live with these characters and within this setting for the whole reading experience.

The characters were so richly developed, as well, and felt like they were truly real. The author breathed so much life into them, showcasing their flaws, quirks, positive characteristics, and complex behaviors in such a way that they were fully three dimensional. There were a lot of themes and topics covered in this story and through the slow, languorous plot, they had the opportunity to truly flesh themselves out and sit with you. Topics like domestic abuse, caste, and generational trauma revealed themselves through these characters and were given the space to exist here, with no easy solution presented to take away from the realistic harsh nature of these topics. Our main character, Lila, struggles notably throughout this book with the back and forth pull she feels being Indian and American, being part of her mothers family and her fathers family, and what all of these emotions mean for her future— romantically, professionally, and even geographically. I so enjoyed being on this emotional journey with Lila and the entire Lahiri family. There is a section in the book where the author talks about Kolkata days versus New York days and how they stretch out lazily, without rush or haste, but instead, filled with relaxation and moments of joy and warmth— that is how reading this book felt, like beautiful, enjoyable length of a journey with these characters. I loved every minute of it.

I would highly recommend this book to literary fictions fans, readers who enjoy multi-generational family stories, and readers who enjoy character centric novels. I can’t wait to see this book out in the world and look forward to revisiting it myself with a finished copy, once it’s published!

This is a long book but it never felt that way. I was totally engrossed from the start of the novel. The writing style reminds me a little of Elena Ferrante as it's internal yet still a bit at arms length. The relationships are intense and very complicated in the family and the drama about the house and the estate asks why the grandfather would choose her over everyone else was full of tension. The main character has a well intentioned sentiment about the house and yet she has a lot of growth to do during the book that she is unaware of. It seems that I'm reading a bunch of books with the common theme of trauma and it's effects on women. Or am I just picking that theme out since I read What My Bones Know, maybe. Either way, there is a lot going on in this book and I thought it was excellent.

India - Lila is an Indian American book editor living in New York who returns to Kolkata when she learns that she has inherited her family’s enormous ancestral home, and the secrets that lie within it.

There is so much Indian culture in this novel and I enjoyed reading about it - Roy provides a rich imagery of the streets of India, from the food, architecture to customs, while also examining the way Indian lives are impacted by colonialism and modernization. With fluid prose, what Roy does even better is to expose the Indian family dynamics, with all its complexity and messiness. Much like the mansion left to Lila, the complex layers of the Indian family are dissected by Roy in the most raw way and the reader is able to navigate through the struggles of (the child of) divorced parents, siblings' relationship and convoluted mother-daughter bond.

Through the main character who grapples with the clash of cultures and at the same time, is trying to find her place whether in America or India, this book captures well themes of identity, family, generational trauma and belonging. Roy crafts often lost characters haunted by the legacies of their own stories, they are flawed and relatable in different ways. Lila, I have to say, gave me mixed feelings - as much as I wished to understand her as a whole, some of her decisions and actions can seem quite annoying which, alongside the side characters whose dynamics lack depth, they don't really leave an emotional imprint.

The plot acquires some dynamism when offering glimpses of the publishing industry, which I find these sections very engaging. Although I enjoyed the backstories in the Lahiri household which invite a further comprehension of the characters, the amount of side characters and side stories might distract the reader from the main plot. More often than not, there's a lull in the plot, which makes it lengthy, therefore detracting from one's full investment in the story. The ending felt quite convenient, which I found satisfaction in certain aspects while being unconvinced by other plot devices (especially regarding the closure of one particular character, the romance and politics).

THE MAGNIFICENT RUINS is for those wanting to read about realistic and chaotic family relationships and complexity of belonging. While this novel adds a unique perspective, I would have appreciated this book more with a better execution and editing.

3.5 stars rounded up.

This is a typical generational/family book filled with lies and secrets. The author's analogies are quite descriptive and lyrical, even poetic at times. However, sometimes, they are just a tad too much.

The main character, Lila, seems to have split personality disorder. One minute, I feel I should be totally on her side, and I love her. The next, she seems to have a personality turnaround, and I dislike her immensely. She also cannot seem to get over her feelings of dislike/hatred for her mother. However, her mother seems to have the same sort of disorder that Lila has. The author does a great job dealing with all the different types of hate throughout this novel. But it does get a bit depressing at times.

Several storylines were unnecessary to advance the plot, in my opinion. We didn't really need romantic interests when this was a novel about family. We also didn't need the death of a family member, and I thought it was a little too much, but because of who it was, I can see why it was necessary. I would have liked to see a little more of Lila deciding what to do about the house and why she chose the path that she did.

I did find it interesting to learn about India, its different factions, and political parties. However, I had a difficult time with the language. Kindle can't seem to translate this form of Indian into English, so I feel like I missed out on a lot.

It was a very good read, and I would recommend it to those who want something different, educational, historical, and, at times, fiendish.

This ARC was supplied to me by the publisher Algonquin Books/Hachette Book Group, the author, and NetGalley.

I had hoped to find this one a bit more exciting and interesting. I probably could have forced myself to finish it, but I chose to walk away because I was not able to stay engaged. To be fair, I read something similarr a few months ago, and that may be why this one was a struggle for me to get into.

After her grandfather dies and leaves her the family house, a young woman returns to India and the loving but dysfunctional family she left behind.

Beautiful writing from Nayantara, If I had this book physically, I would have been annotating it like a mad man! The pace was a bit slow for me, but overall I really enjoyed The Magnificent Ruins.

This felt like a family saga, without needing to be an historical fiction. Lila is at the centre of this saga, caught between two different worlds. The Magnificent Ruins makes the reader understand Lila's predicament, an immigrant returning to a home that is nostalgic and familiar but also not quite her own. It was interesting seeing this sprawling family, although at times a bit difficult to keep track of who was who and how they fit into the family.

What a story - This Indian-American tale has nothing on Bollywood!
Lila De is about to be promoted when she learns that she has inherited a behemoth crumbling mansion in her Indian childhood home. She rushes to her family and begins to unravel the many, many stories that make up Family Lahiri. Literally stories, as family members live on each of the five floors of the home!

There are almost two whole stories in this novel - the story of Lila De and who she is and how she became a rising editor at a house on the cusp of greatness and the story of Lila De's family in Kolkata. Lila navigates the requests of her grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins as well as what her estranged mother wants. And As most stories set in India (at least for me), the customs, the food, the culture itself is a character all of it's own.

The story is so incredibly beautiful and winding - much like the mansion itself, there are little stories within stories and it's easy to forget the main path of the novel. Before long you are completely enmeshed in the family's fears, wants and desires.
All in all, a favorite tale of mine and something you are sure to fall in love with. Even now, I wish I could zoom with Lila's family and have them tell me I need to eat more, change my outfit, get a husband :)
#algonquin #themagnificentruins #nayantararoy

The title certainly refers to not only the family "home," but also everyone's relationships! I was a bit tired of everyone's baggage and the book needs some editing. The protagonist did a poor job of navigating her personal/professional life and her familial situation was filled with landmines that few could navigate easily. 3.5

This family saga stars Lila, a young American who was brought up in India and moves to the US to live with her father and his new wife in high school. When her grandfather dies, he leaves the family home to Lila. This ‘home’ is 6 stories and houses most of the Grandfather’s decedents. While the family was once prosperous, their fortune is dwindling. I enjoyed learning about each of the characters and the author did a great job interspersing their backstories. These characters are richly drawn. There are a couple of love interests in the book that didn’t enhance the story neither did a mystery that was woven in at the end. I did enjoy the description of the politics. At ~450 pages, it was too long and these extra storylines detracted from the main story. The book kept my attention and I was always curious about what is next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin for the advanced readers copy.

This is a long book with a lot of detail that is unpacked throughout. It's written very well, but I found it to be slow. The cover is gorgeous. The character's journey is interesting and captivated me. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I think this will be good for book clubs to read and discuss.

So many thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin books for the opportunity to read The Magnificent Ruins by Nayantara Roy. The story follows Lila, a young woman of Indian descent currently living in New York working as an editor. Born in Kolkata to Indian parents who divorced when Lila was young, she lived 16 years there with her mother and extended family in their huge ancestral home. At sixteen she moves to New York to live with her father and stepmother (who is white) and her two half siblings.
Now an adult living in NYC, Lila is finding success in her career when she receives a call that her beloved grandfather has died and left the family mansion to her. She takes a leave of absence from her job and travels to Kolkata and immerses herself into the lives of her extended family once again. She must decide what to do with the massive home that tho once grand has fallen into disrepair, help plan for her cousin Biddy’s wedding, face her first love who is now married, but most of all she must face her mother and the rest of her complicated family.
I loved the setting of Kolkata and I’m fascinated with Indian culture. Reading Roy’s rich descriptions of the city, its people, their way of living, the food and the customs there drew me in and brought it all alive for me. I could see the people and places she describes in my mind and felt that I was climbing the many steps to walk the floors of the Lahiri family home.
The characters are vivid and real, brought to life by the author’s hand. Their different personalities and backgrounds and Lila’s interactions with them propel the story forward.
I believe at its heart this story is Lila’s struggle to understand herself amidst the backdrop of her family’s ancestral home and the people that inhabit it. She has had a complicated relationship with her mother her whole life. Her mother is often cold and harsh, manic even, going long periods where she will not communicate with Lila. The family hides many secrets and even relatives that Lila has always deeply loved prove to be enigmas as she spends more time in close proximity with them. Lila is torn between the culture and customs of her native India and those of her adopted home in New York City. Is she “the American” as her family calls her or is she truly Indian? I loved seeing Lila confront her long held beliefs about these different family members and herself as she rises to the role of manager of the family home and all that entails. Her struggle to understand herself amd her relationships with those close to her kept me invested until the very last page.
Roy has written an extraordinary debut in The Magnificent Ruins that is rich and deeply felt. I will definitely recommend this to others as a wonderful read!

Lila, a career-oriented Indian woman with a bright future, learns of the death of her grandfather and his bequest to her of her extended family’s home. She travels to India and struggles with old family dynamics as she grapples with her evolved self vs. her old patterns with her family. This was a well written character driven book. Although it was a good read, I felt it could have been shorter. A character driven novel with a very authentic immersion into Indian society and life. However, there was a lot of insignificant minutiae which made me impatient for the story to progress. She created a very authentic telling and I learned a lot about modern Indian society learning to integrate with the old, ingrained ways. She definitely immersed me with Indian life, but sometime I felt there was too much unnecessary depiction of insignificant actions. I think it could have been edited and streamlined better, but it didn’t detract too much from the story. Thank you NetGalley and Algonquin Books for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

In this very readable novel, Lila is a 29-year-old living in Brooklyn and working for a publisher. Her Indian grandfather dies and to her shock (and that of her family) he leaves Lila the ancestral home in Kolkata, a massive, crumbling historic pile that is also home to her huge extended family. The Lahiri family's alarm in having their communal home in the hands of someone who left India at the age of 16 to live in the US with her father runs deep. Lila is estranged from her mother and her parents' divorce continues to be a scandal that taints the Lahiris to this day.

Lila deeply loved her grandfather and immediately arranges for an eight-week leave to manage things in Kolkata. She's lovingly welcomed by her family, even though they are concerned that she'll sell the house and leave them without means to find a new place to live. You's think that they'd be reassured by the improvements Lila has made it clear that she will not sell the house because it would not bring enough for everyone to be able to buy new housing. They question. Will they counter-sue, saying that her grandfather was not in his right mind when choosing her as his heir? Will they work with her? There's a lot going on, her cousin's wedding, possible romance with people her family would not approve of, her mother's brilliance and temper, authors to edit and manuscripts to read in a completely different time zone. Can she wrangle all this in eight weeks? Will she even go home to Brooklyn?

Up until the final quarter of "The Magnificent Ruins," the POV has been Lila's. Now there's a terrific chapter where outsiders view and comment on the Lahiri family with a completely different lens. Gathered in are the corps of maids, watchmen, beggars, and tea stall waiters, who have lots to say regarding Lila's "modern" behavior with men and the family''s general attitudes.

Nayantara Roy creates memorable characters, bound tight by the ties of family. Lila is particularly complex. She lived in Kolkata, in the house, until she was sixteen and understands the vibe and expectations, yet she chooses to dress inappropriately for special events, poking at traditions she knows better than to disrespect. She's sympathetic in how she manages to maneuver between worlds and personalities, absorbing revelations about family secrets. This novel is an engaging read that will keep readers eager to find out what's next.

Many thanks to Algonquin Books and Net Galley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.