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The Glass Palace: a Novel by Amitav Ghosh
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The Glass Palace: a Novel (original 2000; edition 2002)

by Amitav Ghosh

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
2,713655,296 (3.85)149
Fiction. Literature. Romance. Historical Fiction. HTML:NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW AND LOS ANGELES TIMES

“A rich, layered epic that probes the meaning of identity and homeland— a literary territory that is as resonant now, in our globalized culture, as it was when the sun never set on the British Empire.”—Los Angeles Times Book Review

Set in Burma during the British invasion of 1885, this masterly novel tells the story of Rajkumar, a poor boy lifted on the tides of political and social chaos, who goes on to create an empire in the Burmese teak forest. When soldiers force the royal family out of the Glass Palace and into exile, Rajkumar befriends Dolly, a young woman in the court of the Burmese Queen, whose love will shape his life. He cannot forget her, and years later, as a rich man, he goes in search of her. The struggles that have made Burma, India, and Malaya the places they are today are illuminated in this wonderful novel by the writer Chitra Divakaruni calls “a master storyteller.”

Praise for The Glass Palace

“An absorbing story of a world in transition, brought to life through characters who love and suffer with equal intensity.”—J. M. Coetzee

“There is no denying Ghosh’s command of culture and history. . . . [He] proves a writer of supreme skill and intelligence.”The Atlantic Monthly

“I will never forget the young and old Rajkumar, Dolly, the Princesses, the forests of teak, the wealth that made families and wars. A wonderful novel. An incredible story.”—Grace Paley

“A novelist of dazzling ingenuity.”San Francisco Chronicle.
… (more)
Member:cgibson
Title:The Glass Palace: a Novel
Authors:Amitav Ghosh
Info:Random House Trade Paperbacks (2002), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 512 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:
Tags:None

Work Information

The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh (2000)

  1. 10
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    Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad (charlie68)
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    charlie68: Similar settings and themes.
  4. 00
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    charlie68: Why nòt?
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» See also 149 mentions

English (56)  German (3)  Dutch (3)  Spanish (1)  Italian (1)  Danish (1)  All languages (65)
Showing 1-5 of 56 (next | show all)
Read in preparation for a trip to Burma this winter. A good overview of history and culture. ( )
  jemisonreads | Jan 22, 2024 |
This book starts in Madalay and follows the exile of the Burmese royal family to India. This book goes across three generations and looks at tradition and Empire.[return][return]Enjoyable in parts, beginning was good, though later in the book lots of history was covered in paragraphs which was unfortunate......
  nordie | Oct 14, 2023 |
In 1885, Great Britain deposed the king of Burma and sent him into exile in India. During the subsequent looting of the palace a young homeless orphan named Rajkumar saw a breathtakingly beautiful young servant girl named Dolly. Unknown to Dolly, Raj vowed to become rich and then find her. Dolly went with the royal family into exile and Rajkumar kept the promise he made to himself.

So begins a historical fiction lasting through the generations and World War II. It’s wonderfully detailed about the history, politics and chaos in Burma, Siam and Malaysia, and of course, the impacts of British colonialism in these areas.

As we approached WWII, I felt the novel was beginning to drag a bit – but then the war begins and Burmese soldiers who have finally been allowed to fight proudly for India in the British army, are now faced with the choice of continuing to fight for the oppressor Britain, or fight with the Japanese soldiers against Britain.

It’s a highly nuanced historical novel with characters I felt sad to leave behind. ( )
  streamsong | Nov 7, 2022 |
This took me forever to finish. Part of the reason was that I go through audiobooks faster, because I can do other things at the same time, and this was not an audiobook. The other reason was that because it took so long, I started getting bored due to the difficulty of keeping up with all the characters. So, it took so long because it took so long?

There were a lot of good parts, and I learned a lot about the history of the area, mostly Burma, which was interesting to me because I know people from that area; my wife also grew up close to there in Yunnan, China. But to be honest, I was bored during a lot of the book, and just wanted to finish, but didn't want to abandon it. ( )
  MartyFried | Oct 9, 2022 |
Historical fiction at its best, this multi-generational tale starts off slow but sucks you in as each deep layer is unravelled gradually and precisely. At times the details can get exhausting, when you just want to know what happens next. However the author has really put a lot of research into this and we get to learn a lot if we give it time. Really amazing female characters written by a man and a gripping family drama set through pivotal moments in Asia's history. Amazing to read how the world wars had an impact on the eastern side for a change. ( )
  Joannerdrgs | Sep 22, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 56 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (7 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Amitav Ghoshprimary authorall editionscalculated
Besse, ChristianeTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Blommestein, AnkieTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Längsfeld, MargareteTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Maier-Längsfeld, SabineTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Nadotti, AnnaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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To my father's memory
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There was only one person in the food-stall who knew exactly what that sound was rolling in across the plain, along the silver curve of the Irrawaddy, to the western wall of Mandalay's fort.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Fiction. Literature. Romance. Historical Fiction. HTML:NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW AND LOS ANGELES TIMES

“A rich, layered epic that probes the meaning of identity and homeland— a literary territory that is as resonant now, in our globalized culture, as it was when the sun never set on the British Empire.”—Los Angeles Times Book Review

Set in Burma during the British invasion of 1885, this masterly novel tells the story of Rajkumar, a poor boy lifted on the tides of political and social chaos, who goes on to create an empire in the Burmese teak forest. When soldiers force the royal family out of the Glass Palace and into exile, Rajkumar befriends Dolly, a young woman in the court of the Burmese Queen, whose love will shape his life. He cannot forget her, and years later, as a rich man, he goes in search of her. The struggles that have made Burma, India, and Malaya the places they are today are illuminated in this wonderful novel by the writer Chitra Divakaruni calls “a master storyteller.”

Praise for The Glass Palace

“An absorbing story of a world in transition, brought to life through characters who love and suffer with equal intensity.”—J. M. Coetzee

“There is no denying Ghosh’s command of culture and history. . . . [He] proves a writer of supreme skill and intelligence.”The Atlantic Monthly

“I will never forget the young and old Rajkumar, Dolly, the Princesses, the forests of teak, the wealth that made families and wars. A wonderful novel. An incredible story.”—Grace Paley

“A novelist of dazzling ingenuity.”San Francisco Chronicle.

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