Gun Island
Bundook Gun A common word, but one which turns Deen Datta s world upside down.A dealer of rare books, Deen is used to a quiet life spent indoors, but as his once solid beliefs begin to shift, he is forced to set out on an extraordinary journey one that takes him from India to Los Angeles and Venice via a tangled route through the memories and experiences of those he meets along the way There is Piya, a fellow Bengali American who sets his journey in motion Tipu, an entrepreneurial young man who opens Deen s eyes to the realities of growing up in today s world Rafi, with his desperate attempt to help someone in need and Cinta, an old friend who provides the missing link in the story they are all a part of It is a journey which will upend everything he thought he knew about himself, about the Bengali legends of his childhood and about the world around him. Gun Island is a beautifully realised novel which effortlessly spans space and time It is the story of a world on the brink, of increasing displacement and unstoppable transition But it is also a story of hope, of a man whose faith in the world and the future is restored by two remarkable women. Read Gun Island Author Amitav Ghosh – kino-fada.fr A beautifully written, richly descriptive novel from Amitav Ghosh, of history, of legends, magic and folklore, environmentalism and our place in a world consumed by turbulence, endangered by global climate change The contemporary world with its problems of migration, refugees, and Fortress Europe, and the personal search for identity, faced by so many, are encapsulated within the vibrant narrative and its colourful diversity of characters, and the life changing adventurous journey through a myr A beautifully written, richly descriptive novel from Amitav Ghosh, of history, of legends, magic and folklore, environmentalism and our place in a world consumed by turbulence, endangered by global climate change The contemporary world with its problems of migration, refugees, and Fortress Europe, and the personal search for identity, faced by so many, are encapsulated within the vibrant narrative and its colourful diversity of characters, and the life changing adventurous journey through a myriad of locations, of the middle aged protagonist, Deen Data Deen is a New York dealer of rare books, with a Bengali background, feeling a sense of dissonance, feeling he is neither at home where he lives nor as part of the Indian Bengali community His world and belief system is turned upside down as he is exposed to encounters with the likes of Piya, Tipu, and the Venetian Cinta, and opened to conn...Gun Island is a contemporary novel worth savouring rather than devouring, and as we travel seamlessly between times and continents we are treated to an epic adventure of immense breadth and depth Encompassing a range of themes including important and prevalent topical issues such as climate change, the refugee crisis and the influx of migrants flowing through Europe looking for a better, safer life, Ghosh holds a mirror up to ourselves for us to see the dire state we currently find ourselves in Gun Island is a contemporary novel worth savouring rather than devouring, and as we travel seamlessly between times and continents we are treated to an epic adventure of immense breadth and depth Encompassing a range of themes including important and prevalent topical issues such as climate change, the refugee crisis and the influx of migrants flowing through Europe looking for a better, safer life, Ghosh holds a mirror up to ourselves for us to see the dire state we currently find ourselves in It s an exquisitely written exploration of myth, legend, history, magic and folklore set against the struggle for identity and finding a place in the world you feel as though you belong, and Ghosh contrasts the characters personal struggles against those of the wider world.The cast of characters are so beautifully painted that each comes alive on the page, and we journey with main protagonist Bengali American Deen whilst he attempts ...A very weird story An attempt at mixing up many issues , creating a hodgepodge of events The issues touched upon in this book are culture and belief mysticism magic ability to converse with understand non human animals environmental issues and climate change slavery and trafficking illegal immigrants and their problems faced I may be missing an issue or two The story happens in the Sunderbans, Italy especially Venice and a small time frame in New York.Main characters includeDi A very weird story An attempt at mixing up many issues , creating a hodgepodge of events The issues touched upon in this book are culture and belief mysticism magic ability to converse with understand non human animals environmental issues and climate change slavery and trafficking illegal immigrants and their problems faced I may be missing an issue or two The story happens in the Sunderbans, Italy especially Venice and a small time frame in New York.Main characters includeDinu, an Indian antique book dealer settled in New YorkCinta, an Italian professor of Culture studies Old booksPiya, an Indian environmentalist and activist Rafi and Tipu, two low socio economic class Bengali youths whose lives are intermingled and mysterious things happen to them All sorts of animals and marine creatures and environmental phenomena play a suppor...This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers To view it, click here Was there some kind of abacus somewhere that allowed one to determine whether an experience fell within the realm of chance No, of course not, because any number of inexplicable things could happen without disproving the possibility of their being connected by chance In this, chance was like God nothing that happened, no event or eventuality, could either prove or disprove it s immanence And at the same time, like God, chance provided reassurance, safety, cleanliness, purity Amitav Ghosh, Was there some kind of abacus somewhere that allowed one to determine whether an experience fell within the realm of chance No, of course not, because any number of inexplicable things could happen without disproving the possibility of their being connected by chance In this, chance was like God nothing that happened, no event or eventuality, could either prove or disprove it s immanence And at the same time, like God, chance provided reassurance, safety, cleanliness, purity Amitav Ghosh, Gun Island..____..PART I The positive Dinnanath Dutta is a dealer of rare books and Asian antiquities in Brooklyn On one of his annual visits to Kolkata where he was born and brought up De...This book was such a let down after the author s epic Ibis Trilogy Sea of Poppies,River of Smoke,Flood of Fire It is a humdrum sort to novel with rare flashes of brilliance The liberal use of Italian and Bengali phrases interrupts the flow of the narrative In this Dan Brownesque book the author tries unsuccessfully to address myriad issues climate change, refugees, human trafficking, animal extinction, environmental pollution, mysticism and fails spectacularly I had expected better f This book was such a let down after the author s epic Ibis Trilogy Sea of Poppies,River of Smoke,Flood of Fire It is a humdrum sort to novel with rare flashes of brilliance The liberal use of Italian and Bengali phrases interrupts the flow of the narrative In this Dan Brownesque book the author tries unsuccessfully to address myriad is...This one is a good book that I thoroughly enjoyed but did not turn out to be a literary masterpiece that Amitav Ghosh, its author, is known for churning out This is his second attempt at mixing science with magical realism the first one being The Calcutta Chromosome which was brilliant but falters at a few levels While the story is gripping and is relevant to our times, commenting strongly on the ill effects of climate crisis, it leaves many loose ends It may also be interpreted as author s This one is a good book that I thoroughly enjoyed but did not turn out to be a literary masterpiece that Amitav Ghosh, its author, is known for churning out This is his second attempt at mixing science with magical realism the first one being The Calcutta Chromosome which was brilliant but falters at a few levels While the story is gripping and is relevant to our times, commenting strongly on the ill effects of climate crisis, it leaves many loose ends It may also be interpreted as author s attempt to allow the readers to make the story their own basis their beliefs and knowledge, but it d...Sadly this turned out to be a bit of a disappointment The start was brilliant, I was seriously fascinated by the Gun Merchant legend and his attempt at retracing the old temple and its significance I loved all the details about the Sundarbans, such a magical place with all those rivers converging, and marshes and tigers still roaming, no wonder people created such fantastic stories around it I enjoyed the little stories about local people, about their struggles, about the why behind so many p Sadly this turned out to be a bit of a disappointment The start was brilliant, I was seriously fascinated by the Gun Merchant legend and his attempt at retracing the old temple and its significance I loved all the details about the Sundarbans, such a magical place with all those rivers converging, and marshes and tigers still roaming, no wonder people created such fantastic stories around it I enjoyed the little stories about local people, about their struggles, about the why behind so many people put themselves in danger just to emigrate I loved h... Thank you to NetGalley and John Murray for the ARCIn literature there are things like genre, style, themes, motives, etc, well Gun Island is one eclectic novel It went in all directions campus novel, historical fiction, thriller, magical realism, environmentalism, etymology, biology, migration, fairytal folklore, with a dash of snakes on a plane.Rare books dealer, new York based, Bengali Deen is drawn into the story of Bonduki Sadagar, or the Gun Merchant on a visit back to India and the Sun Thank you to NetGalley and John Murray for the ARCIn literature there are things like genre, style, themes, motives, etc, well Gun Island is one eclectic novel It went in all directions campus novel, historical fiction, thriller, magical realism, environmentalism, etymology, biology, migration, fairytal folklore, with a dash of snakes on a plane.Rare books dealer, new York based, Bengali Deen is drawn into the story of Bonduki Sadagar, or the Gun Merchant on a visit back to India and the Sundarbans He meets marine biologist Piya, troubled youth Tipu, and the almost feral shrine keeper Rafi His old friend Italian historian Cinta unlocks the lin...
- English
- 07 September 2017 Amitav Ghosh
- Kindle Edition
- 352 pages
- Amitav Ghosh
- Gun Island