Sea of Poppies (Ibis Trilogy, 1)

There are four main reasons why Amitov Ghosh’s “Sea of Poppies” is an excellent book: the time period, the characters, the language, and storytelling.The book takes place in 1839. Although the Opium Wars are mentioned only in passing, it is their coming that sets the book in motion. All the characters’ lives revolve around opium in one way or another, whether it is growing poppies, working in processing factories, owning the land in which the poppies are grown, or running the trading companies that move opium into China. This is a time period and setting rarely explored in fiction. The story takes place on Ganges and Hooghly Rivers before moving to the Bay of Bengal. Historically, this is clearly an important region in world politics, but I know little about it.The characters are all real and believable. They are all strangely and plausibly pulled into one another’s lives. They span a diverse gamut: from an American carpenter whose mother was a slave to lower caste Hindus, from colonial entrepreneurs to sailors of murky origins. Even when their backgrounds are shown in the narrative, many of the characters remain mysterious.The language of the book is just beautiful. Ghosh mixes any number of foreign languages along with period words and slang to keep the book moving. Using context clues, it is very easy to see what each word or phrase means. The language serves to give the book color and depth. It is not necessary to understand every single word, although it is possible, because the characters always act in character, with logic according to their situation.Lastly, the storytelling is spellbinding. It is cliché to say that Ghosh “weaves” storylines together, but he does. He runs with one storyline and only in its last paragraph does the reader realize the connection with another story or character. This is artful, modern, and very poetic.I have recently tried to branch out and read more fiction. Ghosh shows exactly why I should be reading more fiction. I look forward to reading the next two books in this series.

There is certainly no substitute for holding this book in your hands and turning its pages with eager anticipation, but I urge even those who have read, are reading, or are about to read the book to listen to it also on CD or MP3. Phil Gigante's narration is flawless. His ability to create the right nuance for each one of the novel's many male and female voices is astonishing. Pigeon English, seafarer sea-language, various Indian dialects, French -- he masters them all.The book itself? A triumph of character development. And if you're the sort of reader who likes to finish a book with the satisfaction of having learned a great deal about cultures, religion, friendship, geography, history, and gratitude, this story is for you.

It is masterfully beautiful that all threads come together gradually in the first two thirds of the book. The last one thirds is equally brilliant, but the pace is too fast compared to the former. Final scenes are really too abrupt and the book ends suddenly and unexpectedly, leaving too many things unexplained and unanswered and it will force me to read the sequel.I like the book for its story, language and atmosphere, but it really makes me ponder that whether or not a book in a trilogy should be judged separately, and whether or not a book in a trilogy should be self-contained?

This is a must read for anyone who realizes they don't know much about history and want to get it via a delicious read. Sea of Poppies is the first of the now completed trilogy - (Sea of Poppies, River of Smoke, and finally, Flood of Fire). I am reading the final volume presently and find it somewhat bawdier than the earlier books. My friend and I have read Sea of Poppies and River of Smoke aloud, and are now reading Flood of Fire. The ribald scenes in this final volume are a sort of joyful unwrapping of a lot of Victorian secrets. I strongly recommend this trilogy to anyone who wants to get a picture of 19th century British, American, and Indian commercial adventurism in China. The story is captivating and one learns something one should have (but probably did not) become aware of in high school and college. China is an issue today, right? So we have history with them. It's about opium and tea - it's business history (politics being the mere shadow of business) and a great story.

Very challenging and interesting book; especially liked the use of Indian words with no translation - but the writing was so good that there was no doubt of the meaning. The story line flowed from an Indian village down the river to the sea and out to the ocean with all the difficulties of sail. My friends and I are planning to read the second and third books in the trilogy as the firstheld our attention from start to finish

I began reading this because a colleague mentioned it and at first I actually tried to use the "Glossary" at the end. I quickly abandoned that scholarly maze and just listened to the sound for the meaning. At the same time I went online to see what others thought of the book and was not surprised there's a large number of people who hated it because of the linguistic license (they're probably the same people who won't watch a movie with subtitles). Soon, after just listening to the sounds of the words they became self-evident and transparent. The story is wonderful. This is a new classic.

The Sea of Poppies, the first book in the Ibis trilogy by Anita's Ghosh is a magnificent novel of India and China during the middle of the nineteenth century when Britain was exploiting the opium trade. There is a blend of adventure and romance set against the struggle for personal independence from the caste system and national independence from British rule. There is great scope to this novel. I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy and everything else that Mr Ghosh has written.

This is the first epic instalment of the IBIS Trilogy. The story starts in 1838 on the eve of the first opium wars. Deeti is the initial character introduced to the story and she is the widow of an opium-addicted husband and avoids the immolation pyre (a tradition she should have undergone) to follow a vision of a journey on an ocean-going ship. The IBIS is that ship and she escapes, with help, to avoid her fate and establish a new destiny.On the Ibis' travels to bring coolies from Calcutta to the sugar estates of Mauritius, it assembles a group of characters, with Deeti, joined by Kalua a low-caste servant, Raja Neel Rattan a bankrupt landowner, Paulette a young French botanist and her Indian foster-brother Jodu, Zachary an American sailor, Benjamin Burnham an unscrupulous British merchant, and his agent Baboo Nob Kissin. The group face all sorts of adventures and trials and the caste system in India is challenging, especially with the Western world colliding with the native Indian culture. With the Raja, there is a wonderful erosion of his position as he becomes bankrupt and his social standing starts to disintegrate. How will other now see and deal with him, especially the low-caste Indians?The story is a powerful and dramatic tour through mid 19th century British-Indian history with fictional characters. The insight into the opium trade and the British global plantation and slavery trade are brought to life and are really quite shocking. The range of characters is diverse and creates great opportunities for very interesting clashes of culture and perspective.The details and language are incredibly authentic and a lot of research has gone into the traits of dialects and slang language from sailors to servants, and from merchants to Rajas. For many, the dialogue is what makes this book really stand apart. With dialogue such as “‘Malum had cuttee he head?’ He said ‘What you wanchee this-piece boy? He blongi boat-bugger – no can learn ship-pijjin. Better he wailo chop-chop.’” I can appreciate the authenticity of the language and terms associated with sailing and Indian colloquialisms, but for me, it does interrupt the story so much that it slowed my reading considerably. Others may find this a real positive – but now you know.

The first book in the “Ibis” trilogy, named after the sailing ship which is the setting for some of the action, “Sea of Poppies” focuses on the C19 opium trade operated by the ruthless East India Company. It begins in rural India, where Deeti struggles to make a living from the poppy harvest which has replaced the crops which at least guaranteed a level of self-suffciency. She is resigned to marriage with a man who has become addicted to opium to ease the pain of his wounds, gained in fighting for the British colonialists. The fact he is employed in an opium factory does not help.At the other end of the social scale is Neel, the unimaginably privileged native landowner, so complacent in his sense of entitlement that he has allowed himself to be trapped into debt by the hard-nosed employee of the East India Company, Mr Burnham. Aided by his eccentric Indian agent Baboo, Burnham is prepared to do whatever is necessary to gain full control of Neel’s lands.Flitting between an at times confusing horde of characters, some larger than life and stereotyped, reminiscent of a Dickensian novel, the storylines gradually merge to bring the main players together on the Ibis, a converted former slave ship, which is scheduled to transport a group of criminals and unlucky migrants rejected by their families to provide cheap labour for the East India Company.One of the most likeable and straightforward characters is Zackary Reid, the American carpenter-turned-sailor who, being the son of a slave girl and the master who freed them both, has a natural sympathy for some of the disadvantaged Indians he encounters. Another is Paulette, the spirited and frankly quite devious daughter of a deceased European botanist.There is a good deal of humour, often somewhat heavy-handed, along with considerable violence and degradation. Despite the frequently implausible, exaggerated to the point of ludicrous events, with people on the brink of death miraculously saved, the novel provides vivid descriptions and creates a strong awareness of the nature and implications of the opium trade, and the attitudes and values of the various parties concerned. For instance, with the risk of an imminent war between Britain and China, Burnham, despite claiming to be a devout Christian, has no understanding of why Chinese rulers might wish to end an exploitative trade which is wreaking havoc on their population, and is over-confident that the conflict will be short-lived.His Indian roots may make it easier for the author to identify with and portray a period perhaps understandably neglected by western writers. He has certainly undertaken an impressive amount of research on every aspect of the story, including opium manufacture and the operation of sailing ships. A downside of all this is that the presumably authentic language used by, for instance the Lascar and British sailors or even Burnham’s wife is so peppered with jargon or slang as to be virtually incomprehensible at times. I found this quite off-putting, and would have liked a glossary, together with a map and list of characters for quick reference.I do not mind the abrupt ending of the story, clearly akin to a cliff-hanger to encourage us to read on, although the novel could be regarded as free-standing, leaving one to imagine “what happens next”. However, for the time being, I do not feel sufficiently engaged to read the rest of the trilogy, I think mainly because I find some of the drama needlessly overdone.

I loved this book, it was so well written, you have to appreciate the effort with which it was created, everything was well though out and made to perfection. I was hooked from the start, the multi - level story, many separate live which eventually collide, it is well written and wonderfully constructed. It does have many Indian phrases but they are all immediately translated so I don't see why anyone would find it obstructive, actually it adds to the realism of the story. And the way sailors or English 'sahibs' speak - surely the meaning of their words can easily be figured out of context? I found it a lot of fun and enjoyed the challenge, it wasn't very hard either. If people expect 19th century characters to be speaking 21st century English they should probably find a much simpler, much less rewarding book.

Although wether a book has been nominated or won an award doesn't generally matter to me when choosing or reading a book, I have to say I'm surprised this was shortlisted for the Booker prize. Although this has some interesting passages I found this disappointing. I really like historical fiction as a genre and I have read and enjoyed books based around boats, opium, trading and the people that inhabit those worlds but I found this to be lacking in fully fledged characters and I found the book as a whole slightly lacking in depth, indeed in places I found it all a bit melodramatic. Oh, and the historical language ghosh uses, just doesn't work as for the lay person it makes no sense and it's impossible to find out what these words mean, the only effect this has therefore is to make these passages unreadable. I did debate whether to give this a two star rating or a three but I'm going to give it the benefit off the doubt as I'm feeling generous.

How refreshing is it to read history, especially Indian history that is not written by an English writer. One of the way's in which Amitav Ghosh accentuates this is in his playful and often very funny use of language, shifting from, Hindi, Bengali, Pigeon English, Anglo Indian, Indian slang, not to mention Mandarin, French, German often untranslated so we are constantly reaching for translation apps and the words are often without translatable definitions. This may sound confusing but no more than it would have been to be surrounded by such languages as would have been the case on those extraordinary journeys he describes. I found myself going along with it and enjoying the guessing game of understanding.The research behind these books is phenomenal and what we initially think is pure fiction we later realise is often based on historical documents and archives.The one challenge with this trilogy is that you need a lot of time to read all three of them but this is made easy by the pure page turning readability of them. The characters and developments so vivid I could hardly put it down.

I was supposed to be doing some research on Indian history when I fell over ‘Sea of Poppies’ by Amitav Ghosh. Feeling a little jaded I decided to take a break and, having convinced myself that reading a novel was justifiable (in that this one is historical and has Indian characters), I polished my specs, made a brew, and settled down in a comfy chair. It’s a long book and I am a slow reader so this was quite an indulgence. Being a sucker for nineteenth century history, especially of colonial India, and for likable characters it gripped me immediately and held me in thrall to the final full stop. Thanks to Ghosh I have enjoyed a luxurious mental spa-treatment. His skillful combining of archival material and fictional narrative is thoroughly engaging. In the archives, data on opium cultivation, production, revenue and the opium wars are relatively easy to access, less so the impact of opium cultivation on the peasant farmers of north India. Ghosh paints the stark reality through the fortunes of a single family. Nor does he neglect the effects of opium addiction; one of his characters dies and another suffers the nightmare of withdrawal. The lives of lascars, though admirably researched by a few historians, are vividly animated here by a dramatic journey across the black water and Ghosh’s use of contemporary nautical slang. Much of this language has fallen out of use and its multi-lingual origins add further to its opacity but that does not matter; its meaning is usually clear from its context and its use breaths life into his lascar crew. It’s a lovely book, entertaining and educating and, after two days reading its 544 pages, I couldn’t wait to read ‘River of Smoke;’ the next installment of the ‘Ibis’ trilogy.

I was both pleased and daunted when I received this book. Pleased because it looked to be an interesting read and daunted by the sheer size of the book.The leading characters are a disparate collection of travellers drawn from all castes of India, including a disgraced Raja, a Chinese opium addict, a mulatto from America, and a young French girl who wishes to escape the confines of European society. By various means, they are all drawn to embark on the Ibis to begin a new life away from their Indian homeland on the island of Mauritius.I enjoyed this book very much indeed and have no hesitation in recommending it. The book is very well researched and the historical details are intriguing, leading to what feels like a true description of an earlier way of life. I knew nothing about the history of India or the involvement of the British Government in the production of opium, which led to a life of hardship for so many people. There are many other historical references which colour the plot of this ambitious novel, the first of a planned trilogy.I have one small criticism – there is a lot of dialect, slang and words from different cultures – I would have found a glossary useful, particularly in respect of the shipboard slang.Overall, I found the book an engrossing read, with an unexpected cliffhanger at the end.I have also bought the next volume "River of Smoke" which continues the story with the same characters, but the action has now moved to Canton - I am about a third of the way through and and finding it just as enthralling as "Sea of Poppies".

An immensely enjoyable novel featuring a great host of characters and several interlaced plotlines.Set principally in British-occupied India in the 1830s it centres around the boat Ibis, owned by Benjamin Burnham, a British merchant based in Calcutta who has, hitherto, made the greater part of his fortune from trading in opium which he has exported to China. Now faced with a crackdown by the Chinese regime this lucrative line of business is under threat, and Burnham decides to diversify into trafficking labourers from India to Mauritius to work in plantations, to replace the slaves whose use has now been made illegal.There are four principal characters:Deeti is a young Indian woman who was married, against her will to an opium addict. When he eventually succumbs to his addiction and dies, Deeti is left penniless and with no feasible options in life after she has bestowed her young daughter with her brother's family, and resolves to commit suti, throwing herself on her dead husband's funeral pyre. However, at the last moment Kalua, a physically imposing but intellectually challenged labourer whom she once rescued from grotesque (though hilariously-described) ridicule, charges in and plucks her from the pyre, and sails off down the River Hoogly.Paulette is the orphaned daughter of a celebrated but impecunious French naturalist who has been taken in by the Burnham family. However, despite the Burnhams' attempts to foster some gentility in the young Frnech girl, she remains a tomboy at heart, though completely innocent of many of the more unseemly aspects of life. Eventually the joint impact of the shock when Benjamin Burnham reveals some of his personal idiosyncrasies, coupled with his attempts to marry her off to an aging judge, drives her to run away, and, having disguised herself as an aged Indian widow, she boards the Ibis hoping to escaped undetected to Mauritius where her forebears had lived briefly.Zachary Reid is an American of mixed race, and clearly the most decent male character in the book. Having gone on board in baltimore as a basic crew member he works his way up to second mate, largely because of the mutual respect he shared with Serang Ali, leader of the lascars who make up the crew. He meets, and is immediately smitten by Paulette at the home of her guardians (before her decision to flee).Neel Rattan Halder is a rajah whose extensive estates have gradually become indebted to Burnham, who, suffering as a consequence of the reduced opium exports, now calls in the debt. Having refused to pay up, Halder finds himself in court being prosecuted on a casuistic charge of forgery. Having been convicted he is sentenced to transportation to Mauritius where he will have to undertake a period of hard labour. He is manacled and brought on to the Ibis...Ghosh manages all of the separate plotlines with great deftness, and his characters are carefully drawn.The story is vividly told, with great boisterousness, and i am very eager to read the next instalment (The River of Smoke).All in all a very jolly read!

It is an extraordinary book which transports you to Bengal and into the 'Black water' in the 19c .I was there's with all of it's mixture of cultures and languages.I don,t remember reading a book with so many strange words. It incorporates many words from the different languages of India and other dialects such as the language of seamen at the time.I think it would have slowed down reading the book if I had sat with a very big dictionary. So I tried to make sense of it with only guessing the meaning of these strange words.The dialect words did however contribute to the atmosphere and took me away from 2016 England to the context of events leading up to the Opium Wars.The 'good characters' of many different cultures are very likable and I wished them well against the evils that they face.I will go with eagerness to the second book of the trilogy,to find out their fate.

Great fun, and though it lags in places, overall its a worthy read. Covers the adventures of a group of Indians (and colonials) around the time of the Opium Wars in the early 19th century. Includes tall ships, lots of opium, and a fair smattering of sailor-talk using words that vaguely make sense until you look back and realise you have no idea what they mean: dolphin-striker; martingale; kippage.The book is really a story of two halves. The first following the travails of the main characters in colonial northern India, and the second an exciting (and claustrophobic) sea journey towards Mauritius.A great start to what will be a trilogy. Ghosh has a background in social anthropology, and the story is interwoven with interesting cultural sensitivities. Four stars only because the text is in places a little uneven, and its easy to get lost in the thickets of dialogue full of patois and contextual references.But, perhaps this is not necessarily a bad thing. Books where we have to work at understanding characters' experiences are maybe more representative of real life ;) At least we don't feel patronised by the author.

Indian writers writing in English is a whole new genre and this book has converted me to the complexities of this medium. Amitav Ghosh shows a staggering knowledge of all points of view from hard nosed colonialists to Bengali "get rich quick" merchants. Also it is a brilliant look at the Opium trade of the Nineteenth Century without censure: No black and white morality here. A wonderful read, enchanting writing. I would highly recommend this to any serious reader of Colonialism.

This story has a huge cast of characters and at first I felt frustrated as I seemed to be continually becoming engrossed in one set of people only to find them abandoned and a new set introduced. However it's definitely worth persevering to part 2 when all the characters start to come together. I was completely absorbed by the characters and involved in their fortunes. There are no villains and heroes; they have complicated emotions and motivations. The book succeeds in portraying a convincing picture of a complex, multi-layered society; the use of phrases in other languages adds to the atmosphere and you don't need to know exact meanings. It's a richly rounded story, with times of desperation, hope, anger as well as a vein of humour running through it all.My only reservation about this book is the fact that it ends so suddenly - mid-episode really. Fortunately I had heard this was the case and so didn't feel as vexed as I would have, had I not been prepared. I simply immediately bought the sequel!

The Ibis itself may be the protagonist, but the part-black Americans who brought her through the terrible seas gets my vote. Or, perhaps, the shy village widow who after losing her not-so-nice husband found a loving protector in the supposedly dim cart driver. Beautiful people living in tumultuous times.

I am a great fan of all Amitav Ghoshs' writings and have enjoyed this Sea of Poppies very much indeed.I do find however that some of the dialogue is very hard to follow and some of the terminology frustrating difficult to understand.Maybe something could be done to enable the reader to enjoy this book with more ease.The story of these very different and picturesque characters coming together on this ship is typical of Ghosh.Very discriptive,very colourful and very exciting.You can almost smell the horrors of some parts of this vessel yourself such is the clarity of his writing.I hope that this book is the first in a series as I can't wait to find out what happens to these people.I think to feel that you actually "care" what happens to one of these carefully dipicted passengers and crew is a huge achievement from any author,and I did,I really cared what was going to happen to Deeti,how Jodu would get through this horrendous voyage and so on.The Hungry Tide and The Glass Palace are both wonderful bits of literature and Sea of Poppies follows splendidly in their wake.Amitav Ghosh,like Vikram Seth and Rohinton Mistry have this extraordinary ability to transport you to India,to bring the colours and the chaos and the smells flooding in through carefully chosen words.A remarkable achievement.I would so recommend The Sea of Poppies.Read and enjoy every page!

I cannot say enough about the way I enjoyed this book. First of all an eye opener about the cheek and audacity of the opium trade. We're definitely not taught about this little episode in our history lessons, The characters, lovable become real as in any good book and you adventure with them across the seas in such precarious conditions, surviving or not. Casts and creeds shoved together and yet keeping separate and respectful of one another in order to endure and stay alive. The adventure is incredible and the way Ghosh delivers a factual piece of history, little spoken of. It is shocking to think I reached the age I am, I consider myself to be of an inquiring mind and yet I had no idea about this terrible greed and the cost of a whole nation practically hooked on opium!!! I then began to research, thinking maybe it was all fiction, but no, there it is....Wonderfully written, characters you love or hate, adventure, real factual stuff laid down to read and absorb and learn - what more can you ask for? This book is part of an adventure trilogy and I have read them all, Each one a gem on it's own.