Reviews

A Rising Man by Abir Mukherjee

brendaentrelibros's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Un thriller muy entretenido, si bien toda la parte del asesinato, la investigación y la acción alrededor de todo ello ha sido interesante, lo cierto es que este libro se centra mucho más en todo el ambiente alrededor de este thriller
Ubicado en la India, en la ciudad de Calcuta a principios de siglo XX, recién terminada la primera guerra mundial, en la india comienzan las revueltas contra el imperio y existe un ambiente de mucha represión debido a esto.
Por parte de los ingleses está toda la parte de querer someter a la gente para que no se reúnan, para que no busquen o quieran siquiera la independencia, pero también está ese sentimiento de superioridad inherente a todo esto, la manera en que ven a los locales muy por debajo de ellos y por el otro lado está la injusticia y el rechazo inclemente de los ingleses hacia los locales.
A través de un comandante de policía recién llegado de Inglaterra, el autor pone en relieve todas estas situaciones algunas realmente repulsivas para mi gusto, pero que asumo están muy apegadas a la realidad de como estaba la situación en la India en ese tiempo.
San Wyndham es un hombre en la decadencia, pero un buen policía, que se topa con el asesinato de un inglés de alto rango gubernamental en Calcuta y en medio de toda su investigación se encuentra con revolucionarios, con insurrecciones y con una tremendo racismo, pero sobre todo con un gobierno que, estando lejos de la corona se ha convertido en casi un reinado aparte, con un poder ilimitado, con mucha corrupción y con unas maneras de hacer las cosas, donde siempre los locales son los menos favorecidos.
Ha sido una buena lectura, por parte del thriller tengo que decir que el conocer al culpable no me ha sorprendido, ya me lo imaginaba y aunque no me ha sorprendido la resolución totalmente, creo que de alguna manera me esperaba otra cosa, pero claro este libro esta hecho a manera de poner situaciones reales sobre la mesa y por lo tanto no podía uno esperar algo diferente.
Es verdad que la narrativa me ha parecido muy buena, me ha gustado mucho el estilo del escritor, ha sido además un libro esclarecedor para personas como yo que desconocía totalmente como era la situación de la colonización inglesa en la india, pero también la gestación de la independencia, sin embargo si tengo que decir que no es un thriller al uso, que el libro si que está mucho más centrado en temas políticos y sociales y que es algo lento en ocasiones, aun así ha sido una gran lectura.

ruggile's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

I loved the book, You could feel that you are in India next to the main character. It is beautiful written thriller.

mickey14's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

2.5 stars. The setting of this book was interesting: Calcutta, 1919, but that's about all. It started off ok with a detective newly arrived from Scotland Yard to Calcutta, India. You learn about some of the history of India and the tensions between the Indians and the British who rule them.

I didn't care much for Sam. There was nothing about him that made him special or worthwhile. I can understand Sam's reliance on opium but calling it an addiction seemed far-fetched. His views on Indians and the British were all over the place and seemed to change by the second. I liked Surendranath, aka Surrender-Not as he is called because the British can't be bothered to learn his actual name, and I think the book would have been much more interesting told from his pov instead.

I found the mysteries not that interesting and the conclusion woefully depressing.

sonacederquist's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

3.5 stars. Post WW1 colonial India is depicted through the eyes of a British police officer, so much of the description of the "natives" is through his eyes, which is colonialist but with moments of progressive thought.

deborahisreading's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

The first murder mystery for DI Captain Sam Wyndham in his new post in 1919 Calcutta.

karenchase's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

It was very interesting to read this book during my first trip to Britain. While it doesn’t take place there, but in India, it is infused with British colonial culture and tone. Sam Wyndham is a police detective and former military officer, taking refuge in India during the British rule there, just after WWI, escaping heartache and tragedy. Some of his demons follow him, but he manages to find his footing, throwing himself into a complex and perplexing case almost the moment he arrives. The murder mystery contains elements of occupation politics, post-war trauma, racial tensions and interesting details of time and place. It unfolds at a nice pace, with clues being revealed and added to the solution pile neatly. I figured out one piece (which is rare, for me), but didn’t spoiler myself entirely. I think this is the start of a series, so I’ll probably seek out further volumes, despite some niggly little editing errors that stood out for me, but didn’t wreck a strong and entertaining narrative.

subzerochi's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Fast, decent intrigue, selfaware without being brooding. has a bunch of very quotable lines.

_pauldenil's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

I loved spending time with this novel. Mukherjee blended different genres perfectly (historical fiction, crime/mystery) to create a well thought out, immersive storytelling experience. There are several non-english terms in the novel. I found that this helped to actualize the space and time of the text but caused the overall read to be slightly less seamless than I prefer.

kellyjreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Great start to a series! Awesome setting, realistic characters, good mystery...kept me 100% hooked for all 400 pages! Looking forward to reading more!

mrajan13's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

This was a weirdly boring book. I didn’t figure out who the murderer was and didn’t really care either.

The handling of race was weird. At times, it was forward thinking but at times (ex: surrender-not) completely bizarre/backwards.