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From Publishers Weekly
With Proustian precision, the narrator of Ghosh's second novel (after The Circle of Reason ) recalls the people and events that dominated his childhood in Calcutta in the '60s, and later in London, when those people, and the lasting influence of the events, come together in a circle of sorrow. The narrator focuses on two families known to each other since the time of the Raj: his own, in particular his cousin Ila and her young uncle Tridib, and the Prices, including the children May and Nick. Meticulously observant, he describes his school days, punctuated by visits with Tridib (whose conversation, especially about his visits with the Prices, the boy will remember almost word for word) or from Ila's family, who lived mostly abroad because her father was a diplomat. While the mystery at the tale's heart concerns Tridib's fate in the city of Dhaka during the summer of Bangladesh's Partition, in 1964, the effects of that crucial time--on the narrator, on May--do not unfold until nearly 20 years later. Such delayed understanding is the fuel that powers Ghosh's quiet, forceful writing, in which detail and memory are shown to shape our lives as effectively as events of global importance. Examining connectedness and separation, the author uses the fate of nations to offer observations about a profoundly human condition.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
In his splendid first novel, The Circle of Reason ( LJ 6/15/86), Ghosh touched on the themes of emigration, exile, and cultural displacement. Here, in language equally remarkable and even more refined, he weaves together the experiences of two families--one Bengali, the other English--to illustrate the hard reality and ultimate fragility of human boundaries. The narrator is an Indian boy whose identity is shaped by the stories he is told, and tells, about private lives and public events that span three generations. Moving back and forth through the 20th century by artful time shifts, the boy reaches beyond "the seductive clarity of ignorance" to "a final redemptive mystery." Unlike the author's first novel, this is not a work of magical realism, but the magic not in the tale abounds in the telling.
- L.M. Lewis, Eastern Kentucky Univ., Richmond
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- L.M. Lewis, Eastern Kentucky Univ., Richmond
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
unpretentious and very real,
By sanghamitra (delhi ,india) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Shadow Lines (Paperback)
having read shadow lines i know that it is definately a book i can recommend to others as a good read.the story of a bengali boy and his family told sometimes through a child's point of view and sometimes through an adults,this book tackles several issues without cluttering the original story.the characters are real and each with a quirk that makes us warm up to them.Ghosh sometimes tends to loose his way and you end up wishing that if only he would come to the point instead of blurring the lines further it would be a relief but the style of narration ,the substance and the subtlety with which he tackles the sensitive issues of partition make the novel a book you would want to read more than once.
5.0 out of 5 stars
truely inspirational,
By "speeedz3" (NY, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Shadow Lines (Paperback)
The Shadow Lines is a book so beautiful that it has the power of being life-altering. It examines and delves into national, familial and personal issues with equal delicacy and insight. "Shadow Lines" is a reference to the hazy lines of division between nations that are erected by human beings, the books talks about how easy it is to transcend them - this can cause confusion but also bring peace.The characters are people the readers can totally relate to, as are the circumstances and events in their lives. All of this is handled with the most expert writing skill and command over the English language. The book is thus, by far not only the most mature of Amitav Ghosh's writing, but also one of the greatest works of Indian fiction.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A journey into Calcutta that will make you think.,
By C. Clarke (TX) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Shadow Lines (Paperback)
The novel "The Shadow Lines" by Amitav Gosh paints a picture of symbolism and realism that covers both time and space. The title itself is an example of symbolism and realism. From the image conscious character of the grandmother to the riots that takes place in the streets, the author Gosh takes the reader on a fascinating journey of exploration. He takes apart the characters of the story while doing so to the human race. The title of the novel 'The Shadow Lines" is the best statement Gosh makes. To state that "The Shadow Lines," or the lines that not only define our human shape but our inner struggles to choose between dark and light, and plays a major part of all human existence. Gosh uses shadow lines as a way of telling us that the way we view ourselves is not always the way that others view us, and until we can get a deeper understanding of ourselves we will remain in the shadows of our enlightenment. The author Amitav Gosh was born in Calcutta in 1956. He grew up in Bangladesh then East Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Iran and India. "The Shadow Lines" is his second book published in 1988. This book opened up eyes to know how it must be like to live in India with your entire family under one roof and the joys and pain that can bring.
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