Sea of Poppies (September 2011)

[Erin]

I had no idea what to expect when starting this book. A few chapters in, I'm enjoying it. I'm really surprised to find that so far I have no trouble keeping the characters straight, even though Ghosh seems to be introducing them rather rapidly.

How is Sea of Poppies going so far for you?

[Virginie]

I just bought my copy (first thing I did this morning), and read just a few pages on my way home. It looks promising!

[Erin]

I agree, it seems like it's going to be good!

[Erin]

I hope it does, Christina! I'm about 200 pages in now and am enjoying it very much.

[Virginie]

I just finished the first part (Land). I do like the book, but I have to say it is a bit hard for me to read it in english, especially when it comes to characters like Serang Ali, who speak a mix of english/bengali or bohjpuri!

[Erin]

Virginie, I'm struggling with the same thing. Doughty is another issue for me -- every other word seems like nonsense, even though I know it's just another language! I find it a little tough, even, the way Ghosh tosses around foreign terms (like for the different positions on the ship) without ever giving equivalent names I'm more familiar with. I'm liking the story and the characters, though, so that's keeping me going. I definitely understand, though!

[Erin]

This'll be a bit of a spoiler if you're not through Chapter 13 yet, but if you are, I have a question:

What do you make of the story Paulette tells Zachary about what happened with Mr. Burnham? I was shocked -- I'd just finished reading about how she wanted to escape marriage to Mr. Kendalbushe and had assumed that's why she'd run away. Is she lying to Zachary, do you think?

Of course, this may be revealed soon. I've only just read this chapter, but I'm intrigued. If she lied, why? And if she didn't, why don't the stories seem to match?

[Erin]

If anyone has finished: what did you think of the ending???

[Virginie]

I'm not finished yet! I just began the third part this morning and plan long evenings of reading for the coming week :). I still enjoy the novel, though I still have difficulties with the language. Maybe I should have read the french translation ?

[Erin]

Virginie, honestly, I had trouble with the language, too. Sometimes I felt like half the words weren't English! The last 75 pages or so really pick up as the stories come together, and I stayed up late last night to finish the book. I hope you like the third part!

[Virginie]

Thanks Erin! Those are exactly the words I needed to read! I'm slowly getting used to Amitav Ghosh's rich and colorful language and definitely want to know the last words of these many stories!

[Erin]

Final post is up on Erin Reads!