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mariekeroos's review against another edition
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, War, and Colonisation
nuts246's review
5.0
I am not a big fan of Amitav Ghosh, but still picked up this book because it came highly recommended by friends. I started it twice, but abandoned it after a few pages both times. This time, I was hooked and when I wasn’t reading the book, I was thinking about it.
A must read for anyone who likes ‘Indian literature’.
A must read for anyone who likes ‘Indian literature’.
samranakhtar's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
nlkdonahue's review against another edition
3.0
Probably 3.5 stars. While interesting, I found it somewhat tedious.
illiteratebookclub's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
k5tog's review against another edition
3.0
The Glass Palace is a Burmese/Indian version of a Ken Follett novel. It basically follows the life span of Rajkumar, an Indian orphan boy growing up in Burma after the death of his entire family due to illness. Rajkumar is by no means the main character of the story - there are many main characters, which allows the author to explore many different aspects of the time period, but at the same time left me wishing I knew more about some and how the historical changes (Burmese subjugation to the British, WWII, the Indian independence movement) affected those specific people. The book did open my eyes to some of these historical aspects that I was unaware of, so that was a plus.
sourav_sinha's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
marilynsaul's review against another edition
3.0
Half-way through this book, I was vacillating between one or two stars. I pride myself about being adept at keeping multiple characters with unfamiliar names recognizable. I've mastered Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Victor Hugo - all of the greats who are renowned for their confusing (to others) casts of characters. But Ghosh has me stymied in The Glass Palace. The problems I am having have to do with 1) total lack of character development; 2) use of characters solely for the purpose of flitting among countries and historical periods; and 3) there's no character upon whom to latch, no one to like, love, hate, follow.
That being said, the second half proved to be an in-depth description of the political upheavals in Burma, beginning with the British Empire colonization through the post-WWII-Japanese occupation and subsequent coups. I feel that I have learned much about the turmoil in this area of the world, and I certainly, at least, now know the geography of the area, thanks to the detailed map supplied in the book.
But I wish there'd been a genealogy chart of characters, as even through to the end I found myself asking "now who was this person and how do they fit in - a son? brother? cousin?....".
That being said, the second half proved to be an in-depth description of the political upheavals in Burma, beginning with the British Empire colonization through the post-WWII-Japanese occupation and subsequent coups. I feel that I have learned much about the turmoil in this area of the world, and I certainly, at least, now know the geography of the area, thanks to the detailed map supplied in the book.
But I wish there'd been a genealogy chart of characters, as even through to the end I found myself asking "now who was this person and how do they fit in - a son? brother? cousin?....".
bg86's review against another edition
2.0
After a hopeful first part that covers the unlikely rise to wealth of Rajkumar this book completely collapses. A few of many flaws:
- the timing of the story is dizzying in a sickening way: Now the tempo is slow and then you skip through decades within two pages. Generation after generation fly by.
- this also concerns the point above: where rajkumar is someone you know and care about after 150 pages, the others have no depth and I found myself wondering during the penultimate chapter: who the f*** is doh sah?
- as the story progresses the writing gets corny and the author for some reason deems it necessary to explain every metaphor, implicit action and pieces of dialogue. Gives me the shivers when I think back at it
- there are millions of - nay over a billion people in that region. The amount of coincidental encounters in this book is incredible, literally.
All in all, a very disappointing read that I would categorize as a crossover between Birma’s Wikipedia page and a Hollywood script that didn’t make it.
- the timing of the story is dizzying in a sickening way: Now the tempo is slow and then you skip through decades within two pages. Generation after generation fly by.
- this also concerns the point above: where rajkumar is someone you know and care about after 150 pages, the others have no depth and I found myself wondering during the penultimate chapter: who the f*** is doh sah?
- as the story progresses the writing gets corny and the author for some reason deems it necessary to explain every metaphor, implicit action and pieces of dialogue. Gives me the shivers when I think back at it
- there are millions of - nay over a billion people in that region. The amount of coincidental encounters in this book is incredible, literally.
All in all, a very disappointing read that I would categorize as a crossover between Birma’s Wikipedia page and a Hollywood script that didn’t make it.
ilariarogers's review against another edition
Rather long with excessive detail in places and too many characters.But history is interesting. A bit preachy on colonialism but makes some calid points with some level of nuance.