River of Smoke
by GHOSH, Amitav (Calcutta 1956)
- Used
- first
- Condition
- Perfetto (Mint)
- ISBN 10
- 0719568986
- ISBN 13
- 9780719568985
- Seller
-
ROMA, Roma, Italy
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
John Murray, , 2011. Brossura (wrappers). Perfetto (Mint). . 8vo. pp. 522. Perfetto (Mint). Prima edizione (First Edition). Si aggiunge un secondo libro dell'Autore. Amitar Ghosh, Sea of Poppies. Murray, 2008
Reviews
On May 30 2015, CloggieDownunder said:
“Opium is like the wind or the tides: it is outside my power to affect its course. A man is neither good nor evil because he sails his ship upon the wind. It is his conduct towards those around him – his friends, his family, his servants – by which he must be judged. This is the creed I live by”
River of Smoke is the second book in the Ibis Trilogy by Amitav Ghosh. The story starts with an elderly Deeti Colver in Mauritius, visiting her shrine with its pictorial record of the family history. But another visitor is asked to make his not-insignificant contribution: soon the reminiscences of Neel Rattan Halder, also familiar to readers from Sea of Poppies, take over the tale. The reader learns the fate of some of the passengers of the Ibis after the storm in the Bay of Bengal, in particular, Paulette Lambert , Ah Fatt and Neel, with occasional mentions of Zachary Reid’s fate. But the majority of this book centres on Ah Fatt’s Parsi father, Seth Bahram Modi, whose opium-laden ship, the Anahita, weathers the same storm in the Bay of Bengal, en route to Canton, and on events there as the Chinese Emperor takes steps to eradicate the scourge of the opium trade on his people.
Once again, Ghosh gives the reader a tremendous amount of information: of course, opium trade features largely, but Chinese customs, trade and diplomacy, bird’s nest soup, the transport of live plants across the globe, Asian art, painted gardens and Napoleon all get a mention. And providing all this, as he does, in the context of an engaging story set against the backdrop of events leading to the First Opium War, he makes it easy to assimilate. His characters are all well-rounded: their backstories often forming interesting little tales by themselves. His (and his ancestor’s) fascination with the migration of words is apparent in the many different language forms that appear: local patois, pidgin and slang. The number of aliases that some of the characters have is another intriguing facet of this book.
As well as straight narrative, Ghosh gives the reader facts by employing the device of a newcomer’s first impressions and explanations. The letters from Robin Chinnery to Paulette, in particular, serve this purpose, as well as being a marvellous source of humour. This book, like the first, is filled with beautiful descriptive prose and insightful observations: “Nowhere on earth, I suspect, is the importance of portals as well understood as in China. In this country, gateways are not merely entrances and exits - they are tunnels between different dimensions of existence”. Another excellent read that will have fans looking forward to the third book, Flood of Fire.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Studio Bibliografico Marini (IT)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 231118
- Title
- River of Smoke
- Author
- GHOSH, Amitav (Calcutta 1956)
- Format/Binding
- Brossura (wrappers)
- Book Condition
- Used - Perfetto (Mint)
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10
- 0719568986
- ISBN 13
- 9780719568985
- Publisher
- John Murray,
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 2011
- Keywords
- literature: eastern,,
Terms of Sale
Studio Bibliografico Marini
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About the Seller
Studio Bibliografico Marini
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ROMA, Roma
About Studio Bibliografico Marini
The Studio Bibliografico Marini began his business in 1993. The firm focuses on literature and art of the twentieth century, with particular reference to the original editions, art books, illustrated books, art catalogs, photography and original graphic art. In its website provides a powerful search engine that, thanks to a careful and detailed cataloging of the editorial material, makes it possible to find rare documents of many Italian and foreign artists and writers, very well known or almost unknown, in books, catalogs and historical records of the literary and art magazines of the last century. Are also published periodic catalogs dedicated to the most current known contemporary art, poetry and fiction of the twentieth century.