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Loading... Sea of Poppies (2008)by Amitav Ghosh
  
Best Historical Fiction (178) Booker Prize (86) » 23 more Top Five Books of 2013 (1,065) Best books read in 2011 (108) Books Read in 2008 (101) Asia (492) Journeys and Quests (69) Fiction - Asia (8) Fiction - Water (8) Alphabetical Books (194) I found a stack of Ghosh's novels at once and bought the lot. Sea of Poppies was broached that very night. This burgeoning trilogy unveiled itself as a middlebrow Pirates of the Caribbean. I kept cringing. I may well sell that stack. (  ) jonfaith | Feb 22, 2019 |  I read this book last year and it was a good summer read with an exciting plot, colourful characters, and humourous twists. Not sure what it is with all the nautical jargon though, do we need quite that much to make the book seem authentic? I think not since the author has obviously done lots of research to set his plot correctly in the era (although I'd be well inacapable to spot any inacurracies). The end leaves you on tenterhooks and wondering what next so I rushed to get the second copy (see my review of that one!). Still a recommended read if you want to get immersed in a dense story with many characters whose fates intertwine. (  ) ELAB1972 | Jan 2, 2019 | No idea why this book is lauded. It is hard to imagine a more contrived story, the author is like a hackneyed puppet master who shoehorns a disparate bunch of characters onto a boat for dramatic affect. They were also not complex or nuanced characters, nor was the writing playing with any interesting style or using allegory to convey some greater idea. Just plain awful. (  ) cabron55 | Apr 12, 2018 | A brilliant book with a myriad of characters and stories, set in 19th century India. It's the first part of a trilogy and I'm looking forward to reading the second book (although I notice most people who read it, rated it lower). Recommended if you like elaborate stories and characters. ( ) MGovers | Mar 15, 2018 | Historical fiction set in India at the time the British were promoting opium growth in India for export to China. While the history part seems well founded, the characters are largely fictional. Beautifully written with clear, flowing process that effortlessly carries the reader into a different world. The characters are not especially deep, but are realistic and believable. Read November 2017 ( ) mbmackay | Nov 16, 2017 | no reviews | add a review
Has the (non-series) sequel
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0312428596, Paperback)The first in an epic trilogy, Sea of Poppies is "a remarkably rich saga . . . which has plenty of action and adventure à la Dumas, but moments also of Tolstoyan penetration--and a drop or two of Dickensian sentiment" (The Observer [London]). At the heart of this vibrant saga is a vast ship, the Ibis. Her destiny is a tumultuous voyage across the Indian Ocean shortly before the outbreak of the Opium Wars in China. In a time of colonial upheaval, fate has thrown together a diverse cast of Indians and Westerners on board, from a bankrupt raja to a widowed tribeswoman, from a mulatto American freedman to a free-spirited French orphan. As their old family ties are washed away, they, like their historical counterparts, come to view themselves as jahaj-bhais, or ship-brothers. The vast sweep of this historical adventure spans the lush poppy fields of the Ganges, the rolling high seas, and the exotic backstreets of Canton. With a panorama of characters whose diaspora encapsulates the vexed colonial history of the East itself, Sea of Poppies is "a storm-tossed adventure worthy of Sir Walter Scott" (Vogue). (retrieved from Amazon Thu, 12 Mar 2015 18:25:16 -0400) At the heart of this vibrant saga is a vast ship, the Ibis. Her destiny is a tumultuous voyage across the Indian Ocean shortly before the outbreak of the Opium Wars in China. |
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