J. G. Farrell (1935–1979)
Author of The Siege of Krishnapur
About the Author
Series
Works by J. G. Farrell
A man from elsewhere 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Farrell, J. G.
- Legal name
- Farrell, James Gordon
- Birthdate
- 1935-01-25
- Date of death
- 1979-08-11
- Burial location
- Cemetery of St. James' Church of Ireland, Durrus, County Cork, Ireland
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK
- Place of death
- Bantry Bay, County Cork, Ireland
- Cause of death
- drowning
- Places of residence
- Kilcrohane, County Cork, Ireland
London, England, UK
Dublin, Ireland - Education
- University of Oxford (Brasenose College|BA|1960)
Rossall School, Fleetwood, Lancashire, England, UK - Occupations
- teacher
novelist - Relationships
- Farrell, William (father)
- Awards and honors
- Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize (1971)
Booker Prize (1973)
Lost Man Booker Prize (2010)
Members
Discussions
December 2022: J. G. Farrell in Monthly Author Reads (May 27)
Group Read, December 2019: The Singapore Grip in 1001 Books to read before you die (December 2019)
Group Read, September 2015: Troubles in 1001 Books to read before you die (September 2015)
Troubles by J.G. Farrell: A Memorial Group Read in Honor of JanetinLondon in 75 Books Challenge for 2012 (April 2012)
Reviews
1 
Kristelh | 49 other reviews | Nov 11, 2023 |
Kristelh | 49 other reviews | Nov 11, 2023 | 
Fantastic read... I had this book my kindle for about half a decade but could never manage to go beyond a couple of pages. I decided to persist and finished reading it in a couple of days. I loved it. The book has all the hallmarks that would one expect from British Raj era and it is also a treatise on the White Man's Burden. This is the only time I sided with the British despite being an Indian :)
The Singapore Grip is the last of Farrell’s acclaimed Empire Trilogy. This one focuses on Singapore, from 1939-45. It follows the Blackett family. A wealthy British family and how they dealt with the approaching war and it’s aftermath. The book is incredibly smart and ambitious. I learned a lot about this part of the world and the trials of colonialism. It is also a big novel and requires much time and effort. I think it was worth it.
I started this book thinking it would be centered around The Troubles that plaqued Ireland after World War 1. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. The Troubles did play a role in the novel but for the most part, this novel was nothing more than soap opera with comic overtones. And while it was amusing at times; it was not at all what I expected. And in some sense, I felt it was a disservice to the people of Ireland who actually did suffer through The Troubles.
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My TBR (3)
Awards
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Statistics
- Works
- 10
- Members
- 4,609
- Popularity
- #5,460
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 144
- ISBNs
- 93
- Languages
- 6
- Favorited
- 19
- About
- 1
- Touchstones
- 865
I've owned this one for awhile and I liked the previous novel by Farrell that I read but never seemed to get around to reading this one.
This is the Lost Booker that was awarded for books of 1970 that never got a chance to win the Booker. Farrell wrote this Trilogy about the British Empire and the end of that empire. In this one, we are emersed in "the troubles" which was an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998 and perhaps it isn't completely resolved. The story is told around a hotel called The Majestic. We think grandeur but it is a decaying ruin. I saw the hotel as representing the British government in Ireland that was no longer grand and losing its hold on Ireland. I saw the two girls; Angela (protestant) and Sarah (Catholic) also representing "the troubles". One reserved and dying out and the other growing in strength from wheelchair to ambulatory. The story occurs at this hotel so in many ways it is isolated from what is happening outside the hotel but slowly the outside turmoil invades the hotel. Another great read by the author who died too young.… (more)