The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel by Deborah Moggach

From Goodreads

When Ravi Kapoor, an over-worked London doctor, is driven beyond endurance by his obnoxious father-in-law, he asks his wife: 'Can't we just send him away somewhere? Somewhere far, far away.' His prayer seems to have been answered when his entrepreneurial cousin, Sonny, sets up a retirement home, recreating a lost corner of England in a converted guesthouse in Bangalore. Travel and set-up are inexpensive, staff willing and plentiful - and the British pensioners can enjoy the hot weather and take mango juice with their gin.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a brilliant comedy of manners, mixing acute observation with a deeper message about how different cultures cope in the modern world.

My thoughts

I gave this a 5/10. 

This is the first book that I've read by Moggach  but I do have another on my TBR somewhere. I think I expected more from this book than it delivered. It was reasonably well written but there was something lacking that I can't quite put my finger on.

I've read some reviews that claim that the book is racist but I won't go that far. Personally, I feel that Moggach portrayed well the way that some older people feel about other nationalities, and how they can be tactless in the way they speak and their actions.

I liked the premise of the story but felt that it didn't go anywhere as such and felt that there could have been a better story in there. I did like the inter actions between the characters and thought they worked well as a cast of characters.

I finished this as it was a Library Reading Group read and others in the group enjoyed it better than I did. Having said that, it wasn't that bad that I would have given up on it though.