- 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: 890,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Calcutta Chromosome
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
PRAISE FOR SEA OF POPPIES
(****** )'Sea of Poppies Boasts a varied collection of characters to love and hate, and provides wonderfully detailed descriptions of opium production ... utterly involving and piles on tension until the very last page'
(Peter Parker, Sunday Times )'A glorious babel of a novel ... marvellously inventive ... utterly involving ... The next volume cannot come too soon'
(Sunday Times )'An utterly involving book'
(Sunday Times )'This is a panoramic adventure story, with a Dickensian energy and scope'
(Sunday Telegraph )'Ghosh's narrative is enriched with a wealth of historical detail ... as well as intricate characterisation that makes interaction among the diverse group truly absorbing'
(The Times )'There can be fewer more exciting settings for a novel than a sea-tossed sailing ship ... Ghosh piles detail upon detail in a rumbustical adventure'
(The Times )'Ripping post-colonial yarn ... Ghosh spins a fine story with a quite irresistible flow, breathing exuberant life ... an absorbing vision'
(Guardian )'A remarkably rich saga'
(Observer )'Each scene is boldly drawn, but it is the sheer energy and verve of Amitav Ghosh's storytelling that binds this ambitious medley'
(Daily Mail )'This is a corker' (Spectator )
'Ghosh turns the ship into something robustly, bawdily and indelibly real . . . a plot of Dickensian intricacy' (New York Times )
'A master of fiction'
(Economist )'A richly drawn cast of characters ... gilded with expertly-mined historical detail'
(Sunday Business Post )'The fantastic Anglo-Asian language they speak is infectious, and the sombre yet uncertain conclusion leaves one eager for the second novel in the trilogy'
(Daily Telegraph )'A captivating cast ... Ghosh's saga is enriched with a blizzard of Laskari- and Hindi-derived words that add irrepressible energy to the narrative'
(Metro )'Beautifully written, this totally absorbing novel will leave you eagerly awaiting a second instalment'
(She Magazine )'...this first volume in a promise trilogy is a gem.'
(Guardian ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.Product Description
A high-tech medical thriller, a scientific quest and a Victorian ghost story - as electrifying as The Hot Zone and as rich in its details as Possession.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
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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
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Concordance
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format: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!
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
Format: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!
15 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format: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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
How does it all come together?
This is not Amitav Ghosh's best book but it is well worth reading. It is one of his earlier works but the distinctive style is there. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Duncan Gray
average, very unlike Amitav Ghosh
I stumbled upon Amitav Ghosh and started with The Glass Palace followed by the The Hungry Tide, both of which were stunningly good; then I read In an Antique Land which I had to... Read more
Published on 28 Nov 2007 by harri181
Disappointing
I was quite looking forward to finding some time to finish this having been too busy to get past the first few chapters for weeks. Read more
Published on 22 July 2006 by Jens
How did he come up with that - wow
The Calcutta chromosome is an extremely interesting novel. Taking place in New York in the future, in India at present time and in Egypt in the past, reincarnating the characters... Read more
Published on 10 Dec 2001 by mariagrun@hotmail.com
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