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miasbookyshelf's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
aleber's review against another edition
3.0
Was slightly disappointed after the first, but river a smoke still held up the standard that was set with the book before. While it did not continue with characters that I enjoyed, the new characters also brought about a part of the story that was important to tell. Looking forward to the next one.
fa_biene's review against another edition
2.0
Alas, the different parts and voices do not come together well in this novel. It feels stitched together, and many parts (Robin's letters to Paulette, the frame-narrative that is abandoned after the first few pages) seem unfinished, rushed and rudimentary.. Or, in the case of the whole Free Trade discussions, reptitive and very "in your face".... In short: show, don't tell!
Also, I felt that the characters were utterly changed between "sea of poppies" and this sequel.
Still, at times glorious writing and well-researched and lovely scenes, descriptions and characters.
Also, I felt that the characters were utterly changed between "sea of poppies" and this sequel.
Still, at times glorious writing and well-researched and lovely scenes, descriptions and characters.
thisotherbookaccount's review against another edition
What the fuck happened to the series? Sea of Poppies is one of my favourite books of 2019. It perfect blends high action and great characters with deep historical details. I purposely saved the next two books in the Ibis trilogy for 2020 because I didn’t want my experience with the story and characters to end. Again, what the fuck happened, Ghosh? Did the acclaim for the first book get to your head? Because the same person who wrote the first book, I can assure you, did not write the second. This sequel is overstuffed, underdeveloped and showcases a complete disrespect for its predecessor.
Let me explain.
Think back on the ending of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien. The Fellowship is broken, with Boromir dead, Gandalf dead, Merry and Pippin have been kidnapped, Frodo and Sam going off on their own and Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli having to go after them. This is textbook cliffhanger here, because these heroes, whom we’ve gotten to know and love over the course of 400-odd pages, have been separated. The task of book two, then, is to carry on these threads. Execution aside, you need to tell us what happens.
Ghosh doesn’t do any of that. In the last scene of Sea of Poppies, our characters, all eight of them, are split into two groups. One group is stuck on board Ibis, and the other is drifting away on a boat towards the nearest shore — also, there’s a storm going on at the same time, by the way. Does Deeti manage to escape from her pursuers? Does she forge a life in Mauritius? How about her protector and lover, Kalua, now that they are separated by a raging sea? How about Zachery Reid? Does someone find out about his mixed ancestry? How did he end up in a prison? And Neel! Does he seek revenge or does he begin life anew somewhere else in the world? How does Paulette forge her own path after escaping from an arranged marriage? What about her relationship with Jodu?
Look, if these are questions you had at the end of the first book, you can forget about all of them, because Ghosh doesn’t give a fuck. Deeti gets about three pages in the second book, Paulette and Neel become flat secondary characters, Ah Fatt disappears after the first 50 pages — and that’s it. I am halfway through the book, and the other characters — Zachery, Kalua, Jodu, Serang Ali and Baboo — are NOWHERE to be found.
Going back to The Lord of the Rings, it’s like Tolkien turning Aragorn and Frodo into boring side characters, forgetting about every other member of the Fellowship, then introducing two brand new characters — say, Ben and Rodrigo — and expecting the readers to give two shits about them.
The worst part about River of Smoke is that not only do the characters not show up, not only are their fates not addressed, not only are the remaining few relegated to sidekicks, we now have to contend with new, boring characters we don’t know and don’t care about. Every new character leads to about 10 more characters, all of them with 10–20 pages of back stories. There is even one character who writes excruciatingly long letters about nothing. And while Ghosh’s lush language is still there, it is unfortunate that they are used as fillers to describe Canton, where the story is set. After 100 pages, you start to realise that this is simply an excuse to write a history textbook. Every opportunity Ghosh gets, he is waxing lyrical about a historical detail that doesn’t mean anything to the characters or story, but he’s including it because he’s done all the research and, hell, why make them go to waste?
It is only January, but this might be the most disappointing book I have read in a long time. It reminds me of the time when Dan Simmons perfectly set up Ilium for a sequel, only to squander it with Olympos, the dumpster fire of a book.
yaelshayne's review against another edition
4.0
The River of Smoke is the river through Canton during the beginning of the Opium Wars. Canton is open to foreign trade and with this trade comes the illicit smuggling of Opium into China. This is the third book I have read by Amitav Ghosh and he doesn't disappoint. His forte is bringing you into a world that is so descriptive and complete that you become part of it. My one disappointment is that it needed a little bit of editing. I am not sure that the story that bookends the novel is really needed and at times, I kept wondering when he would be returning to that story. It wasn't really needed except to set up the story of three different ships and the impact that a typhoon has on them which sets the stage for the story.
Richly detailed and filled with wonderful characters, Ghosh gives us a story to help us understand the history.
Richly detailed and filled with wonderful characters, Ghosh gives us a story to help us understand the history.
libdibs's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Enjoyable to be sure - still waiting for resolution
oscarhp's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nikkiacat's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
dvaruas's review against another edition
4.0
Sad fact -- just about one in every three who read the first part of the Ibis trilogy went on to read this one (statistics as per the number of ratings on Goodreads).
This is a huge statistical drop and something that was constantly bugging me when I started with this one. Divided, I started reading it with a bit of uncertainty as to whether I will be enjoying it or not.
Well, now I am at peace again.
The novel has a really solid start with a mysterious aura surrounding the characters. New characters slowly start entering the scene, set up in Canton - a small portly town in China - the main stage where the rest of the events unfold. For quite some time I was a bit annoyed with the lack of presence of my beloved characters from the previous book in the series. This was however a temporary feeling as the new characters who emerged out of the smoke was so incredibly interesting that I had to make way for them in my heart eventually. Notable among them is of course Bahram, who, to me, is undoubtedly the protagonist of this novel. Bahram is a complicated character and Neel recognized him correctly for who he was - a man with a noble heart faced with incredibly difficult choices. From the outside, he looks like just another shrewd businessman wanting to win at all costs, but that's not the whole story. Every human story has a bigger story hidden within after all.
Lastly, I want to congratulate the author on the names he has chosen for the books in this series. Especially this one with multiple allusions; and every one of them makes sense. This made me think back to the 'Sea of Poppies' as well and appreciate the meaning concealed within the beauty.
Long story short - this is definitely a gem from Amitav Ghosh and I would strongly encourage everyone to read it if you have enjoyed reading his 'Sea of Poppies'.
Don't be one of the two among the three, please. :)
This is a huge statistical drop and something that was constantly bugging me when I started with this one. Divided, I started reading it with a bit of uncertainty as to whether I will be enjoying it or not.
Well, now I am at peace again.
The novel has a really solid start with a mysterious aura surrounding the characters. New characters slowly start entering the scene, set up in Canton - a small portly town in China - the main stage where the rest of the events unfold. For quite some time I was a bit annoyed with the lack of presence of my beloved characters from the previous book in the series. This was however a temporary feeling as the new characters who emerged out of the smoke was so incredibly interesting that I had to make way for them in my heart eventually. Notable among them is of course Bahram, who, to me, is undoubtedly the protagonist of this novel. Bahram is a complicated character and Neel recognized him correctly for who he was - a man with a noble heart faced with incredibly difficult choices. From the outside, he looks like just another shrewd businessman wanting to win at all costs, but that's not the whole story. Every human story has a bigger story hidden within after all.
Lastly, I want to congratulate the author on the names he has chosen for the books in this series. Especially this one with multiple allusions; and every one of them makes sense. This made me think back to the 'Sea of Poppies' as well and appreciate the meaning concealed within the beauty.
Long story short - this is definitely a gem from Amitav Ghosh and I would strongly encourage everyone to read it if you have enjoyed reading his 'Sea of Poppies'.
Don't be one of the two among the three, please. :)
bloodyfool0's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent book, excellent account based on historical events. Even more relevant to me as I live in HK and my father born in Shamian (Xiamen), China.
Wonderful to read the hypocrisy of free trade and the trade in opium banned in England but permitted to endure in China. That England would declare war on the attempt to preserve this illicit trade.
Wonderful to read the hypocrisy of free trade and the trade in opium banned in England but permitted to endure in China. That England would declare war on the attempt to preserve this illicit trade.