- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Harper Perennial (28 Feb 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0380813947
- ISBN-13: 978-0380813940
- Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 12.5 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 879,988 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Calcutta Chromosome
and over 900,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
From the Publisher
A novel of Fevers, Delirium and Discovery
In the not-too-distant future, a computer-bound desk clerk in New York City unearths an abandoned ID card which leads him to investigate the truth of what happened in a tropical laboratory in the 1890s, a truth in which the past, present and future all play a mysterious part. "Devilishly readable" Daily Telegraph; "Ingenious...combines the suspense of a Victorian melodrama with the fascination of a scientific thriller" Guardian --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
In the not-too-distant future, a computer-bound desk clerk in New York City unearths an abandoned ID card which leads him to investigate the truth of what happened in a tropical laboratory in the 1890s, a truth in which the past, present and future all play a mysterious part. "Devilishly readable" Daily Telegraph; "Ingenious...combines the suspense of a Victorian melodrama with the fascination of a scientific thriller" Guardian --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
If the system hadn't stalled Antar would never have guessed that the scrap of paper on his screen was the remnant of an ID card. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
If the system hadn't stalled Antar would never have guessed that the scrap of paper on his screen was the remnant of an ID card. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An intriguing, exciting and unusual book,
By
This review is from: The Calcutta Chromosome (Paperback)
This is a remarkable book. Those who have read some of Ghosh's other books will know that he has a talent for combining impressive knowledge of history and a wide range of other subjects with very readable narrative and well-defined characters. All of this is present within this book, along with a hefty dose of sci-fi and thriller.
The story is incredibly imaginative and has some complex and facinating ideas in it. I won't reveal too much, as I think part of the joy of the book is finding out things as the story goes on, but the plot centres around the man who discovered how malaria is transmitted, Ronald Ross. One of the main characters, Murugan, is a huge Ross enthusiast, and devotes much of his life to studying the great man's work. But then he discovers something far more intriguing that puts him in danger of knowing too much... My only problem with the book is that I thought the ending was a little muddled, and I was left with a vague idea of what had happened but was still bit fuzzy about some points. However, I still very much enjoyed reading it, and hopefully a re-read might make things a bit clearer!
15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A novel (!) possibility in medical research,
This review is from: The Calcutta Chromosome: A Novel of Fevers, Delirium & Discovery (Paperback)
Switching between present day New York, India, and the India of the late 19th century, a highly original conspiracy to cure a disease via a route which forces various protagonists to meet in unorthodox fashions for the purpose of which eludes them. Amitav Ghosh has provided a fun book with enough twists and surprises to satisfy the most cynical reader. The most interesting question is its genre, some sci-fi, much thriller, a fusion of fact/fiction.
14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Simmering but never quite getting to the boil,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Calcutta Chromosome: A Novel of Fevers, Delirium & Discovery (Paperback)
What a disappointment! Having read The Glass Palace and being recommended Calcutta by Amazon, I read the blurb and suggested it to my reading group. We all thought it sounded excellent and read it for our meeting this month. We were unanimously disappointed. Our ranking ranged from 2/10 'because it's probably got some depth if anyone could be bothered to read it twice' down to 1/10 'because it's got a lovely cover and it is a book, after all.' The title of my review sums up our collective view. We felt the whole book had been carefully and elaborately constructed but it never seemed to achieve its potential. We all read to the end of the book, deluded that it would all become clear and the conspiracy would be revealed in the end. We were disappointed. We are all educated professionals who read avidly. Many of us have studied English literature and so it seems astonishing that the entire novel appears to have gone over all our heads. We are sure that there must be more to this book than any of us could find. If there is anyone out there who has read the book more than once (with the exception of the author and the editor!) we'd love to know what you think!
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews |
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
