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The Siege of Krishnapur
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The Siege of Krishnapur - Farrell
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Kristel
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rated it 5 stars
May 30, 2018 04:50AM
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3 Stars
Don’t get me wrong I did appreciate this novel I just don’t love it the way others seem to. Yes the author does a great job of describing the heat, the dust, the illness and the smells associated with a siege but I was never really invested in anyone.
I believe I was meant to root for the Collector and Fleury but that was more because they were the characters who we heard from most and to be honest they were both quite often fighting back lustful thoughts about the women under their protection something that doesn’t think comfortably with the #metoo era but is probably perfectly acceptable for the time.
To give him credit Farrell does use this novel to show the follies of colonialism and what happens when one group of people believe themselves to be superior and above another group but despite showing this through what happens to the British and to their eventual points of views there is a complete lack of perspective from the other side. The Sepoy’s are never defined individually and the reader is never told the reason for the revolt. As a result of this the reader is given a very one sided viewpoint whereas I would have liked a more detailed look at things from the other side.
The Indians we do meet are largely the servants of the British and are referred to simply as “the Sikhs” or “the Muslims” only 2 are named that I can recall the Prime Minister (an ineffectual man who seems to follow orders more than lead anyone) and Hari who was educated in the West and is seemingly enchanted by Western culture.
Along with the stereotyping of the Indians the women also fit into the traditional Virgin/Whore complex again typical of the time but not a well-rounded piece of storytelling.
A story of its time (1970s) and of its setting (1850s)
Don’t get me wrong I did appreciate this novel I just don’t love it the way others seem to. Yes the author does a great job of describing the heat, the dust, the illness and the smells associated with a siege but I was never really invested in anyone.
I believe I was meant to root for the Collector and Fleury but that was more because they were the characters who we heard from most and to be honest they were both quite often fighting back lustful thoughts about the women under their protection something that doesn’t think comfortably with the #metoo era but is probably perfectly acceptable for the time.
To give him credit Farrell does use this novel to show the follies of colonialism and what happens when one group of people believe themselves to be superior and above another group but despite showing this through what happens to the British and to their eventual points of views there is a complete lack of perspective from the other side. The Sepoy’s are never defined individually and the reader is never told the reason for the revolt. As a result of this the reader is given a very one sided viewpoint whereas I would have liked a more detailed look at things from the other side.
The Indians we do meet are largely the servants of the British and are referred to simply as “the Sikhs” or “the Muslims” only 2 are named that I can recall the Prime Minister (an ineffectual man who seems to follow orders more than lead anyone) and Hari who was educated in the West and is seemingly enchanted by Western culture.
Along with the stereotyping of the Indians the women also fit into the traditional Virgin/Whore complex again typical of the time but not a well-rounded piece of storytelling.
A story of its time (1970s) and of its setting (1850s)
finished July 3, 2021Well, who knew that novels about sieges were my ‘thing’. (Another siege read was ‘The Siege’ by Ismail Kadare.) God, this was good. It was so well told, interesting, human, and funny. Because of circumstance I read this novel slowly, which suited it. This is a book you want to savour. This book is about so many things, that to sum it up would spoil it. Definitely worth the Booker Prize + worth reading. 5*
I also loved this book and gave it five stars. It was well researched about what happened to the British as they changed their attitudes and aptitudes when confronted by a siege, during the Indian Mutiny (such a telling description) but the follies of colonialism were exposed in such a humanitarian and hilarious way that it was an absolutely delicious listen. Nuanced, vivid, full of interesting characters who are initially portrayed as self important society pawns, but who display unexpected resilience when faced with extreme hardship, it was a book I felt compelled to continue to listen to until it was finished.
A lot to enjoy and appreciate in this novel. I rate it at 4 and a half stars. The only Indian character to be fleshed out was "Hari" and he seemed to be quite an eccentric, so that is a minor shortcoming. Also I thought Fleury, a man very concerned with emotions and intellect, took to fighting and killing very readily, that was rather incongruous. I didn't mind that the male characters took a sexual interest in the attractive young women characters since they didn't behave inappropriately towards them other than the usual paternalism of the times.However, I was very taken by the skillful mix of humor and pathos, reminiscent of some of Shakespeare's best work.
I also rated it 5 stars. I fully enjoyed Farrell's balance of the dramatic events during the fictional siege and the character's evolving relationship to their cultural beliefs. I agree that he limited his full character development to only the British side of the equation, but his concern about the British side was very nuanced as they lost first their hierarchical structures, their societal niceties, their value systems, their provisions and for many, their lives. It was a very enjoyable read.
I gave this one 4 stars. At first I thought ‘does this story really need to be told by centering the mostly upper class British?’, but then realized this was a great idea. By centering the British people involved and not the native people, it really conveys how the hubris of empire brings ruin not only to the people who are entitled to be living there in peace, but also the colonizers themselves. And it does so through their hubris and assumptions about the place they’ve occupied. It could be easy to not have empathy for these people, but really they are just people too- fed and believing the lies the more powerful forces of the empire instill in them. It is not only the native people who are cogs in the imperial machine- everyone is disposable in the pursuit of gains for the empire. It is a parasitic system that destroys others, its own, and eventually itself. This book did a a really good job of exploring that.
Amanda wrote: "I gave this one 4 stars. At first I thought ‘does this story really need to be told by centering the mostly upper class British?’, but then realized this was a great idea. By centering the British ..."Great analysis Amanda. I initially felt the sole focus on the upper-class Brits was a shortcoming, but I agree with you now. If it had brought in more on Indian characters it would have needed to be quite a bit longer to do that justice.
George P. wrote: "Great analysis Amanda. I initially felt the sole focus on the upper-class Brits was a shortcoming, but I agree with you now. If it had brought in more on Indian characters it would have needed to be quite a bit longer to do that justice"Thanks George! I've been watching a few tv series/movies that use this as well, so I've grown to like this a device that lays bare the kind of ouroboros/consumption/cannibalistic aspect of imperialism.
If anyone is interested in other historical dramas that do this well: there is the miniseries The Terror about the British Franklin Expedition to find the Northwest Passage that ended in cannabalism, everyone else disappearing, and profound effects on the resources the Inuit had to draw on (this is conveyed somewhat through supernatural elements). As well,, the movie Ravenous- about an American army outpost on the Western frontier during the 1800s than well , also ends in cannibalism, uses this idea to look at the internally destructive cost of Manifest Destiny.
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1001shelf wrote: "I have The Terror on my list of books to try and read next month. How much horror is in the mini series. I find I can't watch horror even though I can read it. This is Kristel).."Oh Cool! I would say it's low-moderate on the suspense/jump-scare front (there is some monster and murder based suspense but not too bad imo), and moderate-intense on the gore front (there are scenes of cannabalism, leg mauling/amputation, coughing up blood, fire based deaths, skulls being cleaved off etc).
I actually haven't read the book yet but have heard almost unanimously from people who've both read and watched that it's a rare case of the show being better. Apparently there's more male gazey sex scenes/descriptions (none in the show), including of an underage Inuit girl (who is an adult with more autonomy in the show), more supernatural elements that don't always play well, more flat characters, and the anti-colonial themes are less obvious/well done. (I'm just putting that out there in case you don't really care for the book).
I expected to like this more than I did, but something did not fully click with me. I was initially wondering while reading it if it would have been improved by having a "native" perspective but I grew to like the fact that it didn't as the author's anti-colonial perspective still clearly comes across and it does so with more subtlety. I totally agree with Amanda's review above.
3 stars.
I enjoyed reading this novel. It’s a fictional account of the Indian Mutiny against the British in 1857 and focuses on a small selection of British society taking shelter in a small cantonment. I wasn’t expecting to like it but Farrell somehow tells this story of being trapped in a terrible siege in an entertaining and amusing way. Based on the strength of this novel I am looking forward to reading his others on the list.
A small British settlement in rural India is besieged after a massacre at their local garrison during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. A few soldiers have escaped the rebellion, and with the civilian men they construct defenses and try to repel the attacking Indian soldiers. The reader only sees the British point of view so we don't know why the rebellion happened any more than the besieged people do. First they are brought from their homes to a central point (which I couldn't quite picture in terms of size or appearance - this detracted from the story for me), then everything shrinks - their possessions are used for firewood or defences, the food stores start to run out, their space is reduced as they have to retreat further within their defences, their numbers fall as people are shot by the attacking Indian soldiers or die of disease, and those who are left get thinner.
I felt the characters were being pared down to their essentials and this brought out their character strengths and flaws. This book seemed less about empire and colonialism than the other two in the trilogy to me - it was mainly a study of a group of people under intense and increasing pressure, which could have happened in other circumstances (people cut off by a natural disaster, spaceship running out of air, whatever).
