- Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
- Publisher: Penguin USA (P); Reprint edition (May 1990)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140133682
- ISBN-13: 978-0140133684
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.7 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
The Circle of Reason
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
Praise for The Circle of Reason
(- - )More accessible than Salmon Rushdie, more Dickensian, full of sound and fury, and with a strong narrative
(Lesley McDowell, Independent on Sunday )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 the Paperback edition.Product Description
A saga of flight and pursuit, this novel chronicles the adventures of Alu, a young weaver who is wrongly suspected of being a terrorist. Chased from Bengal to Bombay and on through the Persian Gulf to North Africa by a bird-watching police inspector, Alu encounters along the way a cast of characters as various and as colourful as the epithets with which the author adorns them. The reader is drawn into their lives by incidents tender and outrageous and all compellingly told. Ghosh is as natural a weaver of words as Alu is of cloth, deftly interlacing humour and wisdom to produce a narrative tapestry of surpassing beauty.
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
The boy had no sooner arrived, people said afterwards, than Balaram had run into the house to look for the Claws. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
The boy had no sooner arrived, people said afterwards, than Balaram had run into the house to look for the Claws. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I recently finished my second Amitav Ghosh book: The Circle of Reason. But there's no way to compare this to the other book, The Hungry Tide, for they have nothing in common.
The 'circle' was an interesting read... but it felt a bit disconnected. Everything and everyone had its story, but it didn't seem to fit so well together. About halfway through I had been getting more and more interested in the story, cause it had been building up for quite a while, but it seemed like the climax was at the end of the part called "reason", whereas the last two parts, "passion" and "death" only managed to contrast against "reason" but not make the story fully interesting.
The plot is centred on a young Indian, Alu, with a large and bumpy head, but the majority of things that happen in the book happen to the people around him, now and in the past. Alu is orphaned and adopted by his uncle with a passion for determining people's personalities by examining the shape of their heads. The uncle gets caught up in a personal war with another man in the village, ultimately leading to chaos and death, when the police storms the village.
Alu flees across India and to Africa, where he has an Epiphany that money is the cause of all disease and creating a community revolting against the use of money. Once again the authorities comes to clash with the people around him, and the final part of the book takes place elsewhere, but I won't reveal too much.
It's definitely an original book, and the language is quite good, evoking a sense of reality. But the story doesn't make much sense on the large scheme, and the books leaves me with the question, what did the author wish to accomplish? And did he really accomplish it?
The 'circle' was an interesting read... but it felt a bit disconnected. Everything and everyone had its story, but it didn't seem to fit so well together. About halfway through I had been getting more and more interested in the story, cause it had been building up for quite a while, but it seemed like the climax was at the end of the part called "reason", whereas the last two parts, "passion" and "death" only managed to contrast against "reason" but not make the story fully interesting.
The plot is centred on a young Indian, Alu, with a large and bumpy head, but the majority of things that happen in the book happen to the people around him, now and in the past. Alu is orphaned and adopted by his uncle with a passion for determining people's personalities by examining the shape of their heads. The uncle gets caught up in a personal war with another man in the village, ultimately leading to chaos and death, when the police storms the village.
Alu flees across India and to Africa, where he has an Epiphany that money is the cause of all disease and creating a community revolting against the use of money. Once again the authorities comes to clash with the people around him, and the final part of the book takes place elsewhere, but I won't reveal too much.
It's definitely an original book, and the language is quite good, evoking a sense of reality. But the story doesn't make much sense on the large scheme, and the books leaves me with the question, what did the author wish to accomplish? And did he really accomplish it?
1 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I am Amitav Ghosh's biggest fan and would write a rave review about his shopping list if I happened to pick it up in the supermarket. I love the way he writes and the depth and richness of his characters. I started with the Glass Palace a saga of interwoven lives, sorrows and hopes and I have not looked back. I only hope that he continues to write for a very long time indeed.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4 reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
A well woven story.
8 July 2009
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I became a fan of Ghosh after reading "Sea of Poppies." That was his most recent novel and "Circle of Reason" was his first. The two books cannot be directly compared - they're about different times and places.
This book, though a little rough, is very well written for a first novel. Typically Indian, the book has tons of detail and takes a while to make any point. What is untypical, though, is that you don't have to have a glossary at hand. There are a few words from Hindi, but compared with most books by Indian authors, this is amazingly "English" throughout.
The book is about the people. They wander from India to the Middle East and on to Africa. Their lives and relationships move the story along. Well developed, there is quite a mix brought together by the events.
I kept turning pages from start to finish. I don't think you should pass on this one just because it's not as polished as his later books. It's well worth your time.
This book, though a little rough, is very well written for a first novel. Typically Indian, the book has tons of detail and takes a while to make any point. What is untypical, though, is that you don't have to have a glossary at hand. There are a few words from Hindi, but compared with most books by Indian authors, this is amazingly "English" throughout.
The book is about the people. They wander from India to the Middle East and on to Africa. Their lives and relationships move the story along. Well developed, there is quite a mix brought together by the events.
I kept turning pages from start to finish. I don't think you should pass on this one just because it's not as polished as his later books. It's well worth your time.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Made me Cry...Up There With the Best Book Ive Read
1 April 2011
Format:Paperback
Yes, it is long, and for many, including myself, in largely a different language. However, the story is told to perfection. Ghosh displays his talents in this novel, Ive read some of his other books but the way he writes this one is just magnificent. The notion of the germ and how it realtes to humanity and post colonialism and all the other aspects is fascinating, but above all its the story of these people - Alu, Zinda, Balaram etc.. - that really make it. In the end I did in fact cry when I finished it, for the mere fact that it is a beautiful story. I would suggest this book to anyone who enjoys reading, it will really take you to your own place and youll find yourself not putting it down. Great book, very well written, absolutley worth your time and effort. Beautiful book.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Worthwhile Exploration
26 April 2012
Format:Paperback
After listening to him in one of his book launch at Bangalore, I decided to buy his first book purely from the experimental perspective and analyze how someone grows as a author. I took some time to read this book but each visit was a journey on its own. The vivid imagination of characters and details was something new to me and I had good time reading it. The language of the book is another reason I enjoyed it thoroughly. I would highly recommend to people who would like to give book reading a try and particularly non-fiction. After reading this book my perspective has changed regarding non-fiction, which I initially thought as total waste of time. Looking forward to reading other titles now.
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