Amitav Ghosh - Sea of Poppies

[manu1991]

Sea of Poppies is a stunningly vibrant and intensely human work that confirms Amitav Ghosh’s reputation as a master storyteller. At the heart of this epic saga is a vast ship, the Ibis. Its destiny is a tumultuous voyage across the Indian Ocean to the Mauritius Islands. As to the people on board, they are a motley array of sailors and stowaways, coolies and convicts. In a time of colonial upheaval in the mid-nineteenth century, fate has thrown together a truly diverse cast of Indians and Westerners, from a bankrupt Raja to a widowed village-woman, from a mulatto American freedman to a free-spirited European orphan. As they sail down the Hooghly and into the sea, their old family ties are washed away, and they view themselves as jahaj-bhais, or ship-brothers, who will build whole new lives for themselves in the remote islands where they are being taken. It is the beginning of an unlikely dynasty.

Buy book Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh | 9780143066156 | Indiaplaza

highly enjoyable. initially, i felt that it was being dragged a bit by the intricate and detailed stories concerning each character but when they come together, the plot gathers momentum and it is fun to read. planning to read the next book in the trilogy soon.
http://www.amazon.in/Sea-Poppies-Amitav-Ghosh/dp/0143066153/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=indibroaforu-21&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0143066153

 

[agantuk]

I am a huge huge fan of Amitav Ghosh. Easily my favourite Indian author. The amount of knowledge he possesses shows in each of his works. Do read The Calcutta Chromosome, The Glass Palace and The Hungry Tide too. All of them might come across as slow, but they are brilliant.