December 2022: J. G. Farrell

And we are closing the year with J. G. Farrell, an English-born novelist of Irish descent, born in 1935.

His most recognizable work is the Empire Trilogy: Troubles, The Siege of Krishnapur and The Singapore Grip about the British Empire's colonial rule. Despite the name trilogy the 3 novels are not connected and even take place in different places of the empire: Ireland and the Irish War of Independence (1919–1921), India and the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and Singapore during the occupation by Japan in WII respectively.

I had been planning to read the trilogy for a long time so maybe that would be the time.

What are you reading in December? :)

I've had the trilogy on my shelves for ages and I really hope to read them all.

The Siege of Krishnapur is one of the best satiric novels I’ve ever read. It targets the inept (“clueless” a better word!) rule of the British in India, focused, as already said, on the 1857-58 uprising. It makes a wonderful contrast to M. M. Kaye’s Shadow of the Moon, a historical romance set during same uprising—which I had loved reading just before reading Siege.

I’m looking forward to the other two books in Farrell’s Trilogy in December.

I have Siege of Krishnapur so that will be my December read.

I decided to go for a chronological reading and started with The siege of Krishnapur. Interesting mix of characters, and I really loved how the Collector would go to his library and look up the information he needed whenever things turned critical. Which reminded me of Orhan in Sixteen ways to defend a walled city, this touching belief that all the knowledge you need can be found in books.

I must admit I have decided not to read The Siege of Krishnapur this month, it just didn't fit in with my other December reading plans.

>6 john257hopper: Planning is always such fun, but the actual reading usually takes a totally different direction.

Indeed! I have signed up to some other reading challenges on here for 2023 also.

>7 MissWatson: Yeah; I so wanted to read Troubles this month, but it's not happening.

Noone said you cannot read it next year - the thread is not going anywhere ;)

>10 AnnieMod: Indeed, and thanks for maintaining it, Annie :)

I joined the Reading through Time group the other day and some of their monthly challenges for 2023 look intriguing.

>11 john257hopper: Well, I hope one of them is the one in May (although I won't get upset if you do not particularly like my topic and decide to skip it) :)

>12 AnnieMod: The Big City, yes I have many options for that one, both fiction and non-fiction.

I have finally gotten round to Troubles which was a rather strange read. We meet this rather eccentric Anglo-Irish family, like something out of Nancy Mitford, and it descends into something bizarre. I don't quite get why the Major stuck around...