The Circle of Reason [Paperback]

Amitav Ghosh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 3, 2005

Amitav Ghosh’s extraordinary first novel makes a claim on literary turf held by Gabriel García Márquez and Salman Rushdie. In a vivid and magical story, The Circle of Reason traces the misadventures of Alu, a young master weaver in a small Bengali village who is falsely accused of terrorism. Alu flees his home, traveling through Bombay to the Persian Gulf to North Africa with a bird-watching policeman in pursuit.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

A saga of flight and pursuit, this novel chronicles the adventures of Alu, a young master 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 colorful as the epithets with which the author adorns them. The reader is drawn into their lives by incidents tender and outrageousand all compellingly told. Ghosh is as natural a weaver of words as Alu is of cloth, deftly interlacing humor and wisdom to produce a narrative tapestry of surpassing beauty. Very highly recommended. L.M. Lewis, Social Science Dept., Eastern Kentucky Univ., Richmond
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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 an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books; None edition (May 3, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618329625
• ISBN-13: 978-0618329625
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #470,346 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #71 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Indian

More About the Author

Amitav Ghosh was born in Calcutta in 1956 and raised and educated in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Iran, Egypt, India, and the United Kingdom, where he received his Ph.D. in social anthropology from Oxford. Acclaimed for fiction, travel writing, and journalism, his books include The Circle of Reason, The Shadow Lines, In an Antique Land, and Dancing in Cambodia. His previous novel, The Glass Palace, was an international bestseller that sold more than a half-million copies in Britain. Recently published there, The Hungry Tide has been sold for translation in twelve foreign countries and is also a bestseller abroad. Ghosh has won France's Prix Medici Etranger, India's prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and the Pushcart Prize. He now divides his time between Harvard University, where he is a visiting professor, and his homes in India and Brooklyn, New York.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A well woven story., July 7, 2009

By 

Dick Johnson (Oklahoma USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Circle of Reason (Paperback)

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Made me Cry...Up There With the Best Book Ive Read, March 31, 2011

By 

Aaron J - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Circle of Reason (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.

5 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Keep Google handy, April 18, 2009

By 

R. Coderre (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Circle of Reason (Paperback)

After hearing the author, Amitav Ghosh, in a National Public Radio interview, I was eager to read one of his books. I chose to start with 'The Circle of Reason'. The phrase which best describes the experience for me is "could have been". The story could have been compelling for non-asian readers (I'm American), except for the regional vocabulary. The book is littered with clothing, descriptions, places, holidays, and foods that a native of India would probably recognize, but I was totally at sea. For example, in the book, a man pulls up his lunghi in front of a woman and shocks her. Was it his socks? His shirt? A body part? Whatever it was, is it considered rude to pull it up in front of a woman? I had to Google the term to find out it was a kind of skirt worn by men and women in India. I Googled dozens of terms during the reading of the book.

The plot could have been more exciting, but there wasn't enough drama. The book had the potential to be a kind of Indian 'Les Miserable', but instead meandered, concentrating on this inconsequential character and then that one. Meanwhile, the pursuer seemed to be perfunctory in his chase and the pursued didn't seem to be trying that hard to escape.

Perhaps in his later works Mr. Ghosh did, or will, consider his international readers by including some unobtrusive descriptions that explain the regional terms. For example, if I were to write that my grandmother enjoyed cooking in a spider, knowing that's a New England term, I'd mention that a spider is a large frying pan.

So, in summary, if you are very familiar with Indian culture, 'The Circle of Reason' may easily hold your interest. For other readers, see the title of this review.