Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different
River of Smoke: A Novel (The Ibis Trilogy, 2) (Signed)
by Ghosh, Amitav
- Used
- Hardcover
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- Like New
- ISBN 10
- 0374174237
- ISBN 13
- 9780374174231
- Seller
-
Boonsboro, Maryland, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011-09-26. First Edition. Hardcover. Like New. 7x4x0. Signed. Inscribed by Amitav Ghosh on title page. Hardcover and dust jacket. Good binding and cover. Light edge wear. Clean, unmarked pages. 522 pages ; 24 cm. *Autographed by author.* <br> Amid a cyclone in the Bay of Bengal, three vessels, and the diverse occupants within, converge on Canton's Fanqui-Town, or Foreign Enclave, which is a powder keg awaiting a spark to ignite the Opium Wars.
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.
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- SequiturBooks (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 2401040017
- Title
- River of Smoke: A Novel (The Ibis Trilogy, 2) (Signed)
- Author
- Ghosh, Amitav
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- New
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- ISBN 10
- 0374174237
- ISBN 13
- 9780374174231
- Publisher
- Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 2011-09-26
- Size
- 7x4x0
- X weight
- 27 oz
Terms of Sale
SequiturBooks
Customers may return ordered books for any reason within 14 days of receipt. We will pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error. Shipping fees and handling fees may be charged to the customer if the return is the result of customer error. Open box charges may be applied for new books that are opened by customers (i.e. the shrink wrap is removed or there is obvious signs of wear.)
About the Seller
SequiturBooks
Biblio member since 2008
Boonsboro, Maryland
About SequiturBooks
Sequitur Books is an independent academic bookstore. We pride ourselves on a thought provoking selection, with extensive collections in philosophy, history, social science, African studies, Near Eastern studies, and physical science. Our motto, "For every person, a good book!"
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Inscribed
- When a book is described as being inscribed, it indicates that a short note written by the author or a previous owner has been...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...