The Shadow Lines: A Novel
 

The Shadow Lines: A Novel

by Amitav Ghosh

Opening in Calcutta in the 1960s, Amitav Ghosh's radiant second novel follows two families -- one English, one Bengali -- as their lives intertwine in tragic and comic ways. The narrator, Indian born and English educated, traces events back and forth in time, from the outbreak of World War II to the late twentieth century, through years of Bengali partition and violence, observing the ways in... (read more)

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rolymo
  • Rated 4 stars

i read this book many years ago and although i don't remember the story now, i still remember having savoured every page and not wanting to put it down. i plan to reread it soon.

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  • arpitabarua

    arpitabarua said:

    the book is really fascinating... the concept is beautifully woven and I specially like the way the book describes the vulnerability of relations ... the "shadow lines" that differentiates the authority and nexus of each relation... I also like the way tridib makes the narrator Imagine and travel - sitting at just one point... with a little world atlas... indeed the book is very thought provoking...

    posted Tuesday, September 18 2007
  • ritanayyar

    ritanayyar said:

    It is one of the best books i have read and would like to read again and again except that there's so much new stuff to read..
    I just love his way of telling a story,he connections he makes.:drawing a circle on the atlas map and how the riots in Calcutta have an effect on the other places,like Dacca on the map.
    I also love A Ghosh's penchant for describibg photographs in detail and they always are linked to the story and tell you a lot about the people and events.In fact he does the same thing with photographs in The Glass Palace.If i ever become a writer i would like to borrow this trait of his.

    posted Tuesday, September 11 2007
  • yashparker

    yashparker said:

    Definitely a great book! It captures the hypocrisy of the post partition era and the diminishing line between nationalism and patriotism. It also explores how political boundaries are limited to the physical world and does not impact the personal space in which an individual chooses to be. The frequent shift between Calcutta , London and at some places Bangladesh results in the union of a context emotions. The artistry of Amitabh Ghosh to diminish the geographical, cultural, social and poitical boundaries through the continous shift in the temporal space marks genius of this work.

    posted Monday, August 27 2007
  • cameoguy

    cameoguy said:

    A must read for all those who like the theme of partition and the concept of 'nation' and borders. Defying the linear progression of narration, the author tries to rope in three generations and two continents and show the vagueness of the borders that we have etched on the Earth. The novel deals with love that transgresses all the limits of history, frontiers and time.

    posted Tuesday, August 14 2007
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