Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
I was luke-warm about this novel for the better part of it, perhaps because of the eagle-eye view of the narrator and ambitious number of characters, generating a general lack of character development in my opinion. However, I was really interested in the historical and cultural aspects of the book, that spans more than a century and lays out age-old ties between Birma and India, something I virtually knew nothing of.
Eventually, as most (good) family sagas do, this book ended pulling me in and making me care for the characters whose life we follow, not so much because of them (as their personalities were rather superficially explored), but because of the long time that we spend with them, seeing them age, fall in love, birth children and die, and accompanying them through the low and high tides of their lives. And I would say that Amitav Ghosh did a fantastic job within the genre of laying out the historical events in his character's lifetimes, how it affected them personally, and how their world changed from an indigenous kingdom, to a colony of the British Empire, to a totalitarian military regime.
One star removed for lack of character development, 4 stars added for excellent historical context, the great family saga feeling and making me cry like a baby at one of the most touching endings I have ever read.
Eventually, as most (good) family sagas do, this book ended pulling me in and making me care for the characters whose life we follow, not so much because of them (as their personalities were rather superficially explored), but because of the long time that we spend with them, seeing them age, fall in love, birth children and die, and accompanying them through the low and high tides of their lives. And I would say that Amitav Ghosh did a fantastic job within the genre of laying out the historical events in his character's lifetimes, how it affected them personally, and how their world changed from an indigenous kingdom, to a colony of the British Empire, to a totalitarian military regime.
One star removed for lack of character development, 4 stars added for excellent historical context, the great family saga feeling and making me cry like a baby at one of the most touching endings I have ever read.
emotional
reflective
sad
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
DNF... what a drag... I really wanted to like this book.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Didn’t connect with this one at all! I got 1/2 thru and abandoned ship
I can really see this being made into a movie or even a TV show for that matter. I'm not sure if that's a good thing for some of you...
For me, being able to visualize every bit of a novel to a point where I feel like I have lived with its people and known them all their life? Is definitely a plus!
For me, being able to visualize every bit of a novel to a point where I feel like I have lived with its people and known them all their life? Is definitely a plus!
Burma, family life, the end of a ruler, colonialism, writing really takes you out of the present....an absorbing read.
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was strongly written. A real gem. It is more a niche book. So if you are interested in the colonial history and th struggle of being used by another country to defend theirs, this book is for you! It is slow paced, but really informative.