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¶Ù°ù±ð·É’s comments from the Reading the Chunksters group.

Lorna wrote: "Kathleen I think this group already read War and Peace if not it can be nominated but if you are ready to start now you are welcome to do a post in buddy reads or side reads. It was one of my first..."

Kathleen, if you haven't gotten around to War and Peace by next fall, I'd be happy to do a buddy read with you. I'm taking a long train trip the second half of Sept. and W&P is one of the chunksters I plan to take along.

I loved The Quincunx and am surprised nobody else has mentioned it.

I loved Sea of Poppies when we read it last year and plan to read the next book in the trilogy before the end of the year.

Paula wrote: "I wanted to give a shout out to Ami and JG. We are reading Miss MacIntosh, My Darling and the discussion is so excellent! I mean, we are doing an amazing deep dive into that book. I'd..."

I've always been curious about this book. For years, it resided on a high shelf in a used bookstore near where I lived at the time. I'd pick it up, leaf through it, decide it was over my head, and put it back. It's probably still there if the bookstore still is.

Candace wrote: "I second The House of Government: A Saga of the Russian Revolution. I saw it in the book store and it looked wonderful. Plus Im on a ‘Russian� kick so it would fit in my schedule pe..."

I haven't been keeping up with this discussion because I won't be participating in the group reads for a bit but I'm glad I dropped in in time to see this. I hadn't heard of this book and think it might be a good Kindle book to take on my Trans-Siberian Railway adventure this summer. (I learned from Jerusalem that this weighty a tome is physically difficult to manage.)

I absolutely will read the other two books but not sure when as my TBR is out of control. (Not that anyone else here has that problem!). I just finished part III last night, thanks to an eight-hour wait at the airport. Luckily, the end was action packed because I am usually not still up at midnight much less still reading.

Well, it is Mon. but not the Mon. I intended to post these questions. Sorry! I included some that extend beyond part II.

1. How are women’s roles different from men’s in Sea of Poppies? What common ground do these women share?
2. What does the Ibis represent to Zachary at various points in the novel? How does his perception of the ship change as his perception of himself changes?
3. When Mr. Burnham gives religious instruction to Paulette, what does he reveal about his mindset in general? How does he balance his shame with his attitudes toward suffering, including his notion that slavery somehow yields freedom?
4. Discuss the power of love as it motivates the characters. Does obsession strengthen or weaken Baboo Nob Kissin? What kind of love is illustrated when Deeti gives up her child? What kinds of love does Neel experience in the presence of his loyal wife and his fickle mistress?
5. What gives Neel the ability to endure Alipore Jail and his subsequent voyage? Does he feel genuine compassion for his cell mate, or is he simply trying to make conditions more livable for himself? Ultimately, who is to blame for Neel’s conviction?
6. How did Paulette’s free-spirited upbringing serve her later in life? What advantages and disadvantages did she have?

I'm glad to know others are still reading. I will post some discussion questions Mon.

Good, glad to hear it! I'm excited to see all the characters coming together and interacting.

I am enjoying this book so much, I already bought the other two.

Welcome to the discussion of Part II of Sea of Poppies? Who's still reading along with us?

Dianne wrote: "I just finished this section. It honestly ended at a great point, although now my mind is swirling with the multitude of characters, places, loves, deaths, betrayals and moments of pure human kindn..."

I just finished this section too and I'm excited to see how all these characters come together. Terrific book so far!

For the next two weeks, we will be reading Part I of Sea of Poppies (165 pages) and sharing some of our initial thoughts.

According to Wikipedia, “The story is set prior to the First Opium War, on the banks of the holy river Ganges and in Calcutta. The author compares the Ganges to the Nile, the lifeline of the Egyptian civilization, attributing the provenance and growth of these civilizations to these selfless, ever-flowing bodies. He portrays the characters as poppy seeds emanating in large numbers from the field to form a sea, where every single seed is uncertain about its future.�
Since I am only 75 pages in, I’m not sure exactly what is covered in Part I but here are some questions I think we can ponder throughout the book (from reading groupguides.com):
1. Discuss how the relationships between the various classes of people aboard the Ibis change throughout the novel. To what extent does the caste system affect these relationships? Which characters undergo the most significant changes?
2. Many of the lives Ghosh depicts are shaped by social and political forces beyond their control. What are some of these forces? Describe some of the individual acts of bravery, defiance, or deception that enable his characters to break free from what they see as their fate.
3. How do those involved in the opium trade, from British factory owners to frontline harvesters, justify their work in Sea of Poppies? How does their industry compare to modern-day drug trafficking versus the pharmaceutical industry?
4. Which historical aspects of the Opium Wars surprised you the most? What did you discover about colonial India by reading Sea of Poppies?
5. Sea of Poppies makes rich use of Asian-influenced English. Some of the words, such as bandanna, loot, and dinghy, are still used frequently, but many others, like bankshall, wanderoo, and chawbuck, are now rare, although they were once common and are included in The Oxford English Dictionary. Discuss the Ibis Chrestomathy, which appears at the end of the book. What do Neel’s observations suggest about language and culture? Why do you think some words disappear from usage, while others endure? Can a culture’s vitality be measured by how eagerly its language absorbs outside influences?
6. In an interview with TheBookseller.com, Ghosh stated that “oil is the opium of today.� Do you agree or disagree?
More to come. Happy reading!

Brian wrote: "Drew, its good to have your opinions of the translations. The problem with the Archer translation is allegedly the archaic language. Many critics say the Nunnally translation is actually closer to ..."

Finding out that the Archer was expurgated was what made me choose the other.

I have heard much about the controversy on whether Pevear and Volkhonsky translations of Russian novels are true to the original language. The consensus seems to be that they are not so that is another point for the older translation. Whether late middle ages Norwegians spoke that way or not, I can not begin to guess. It's more of a personal preference for me.

I am way behind the power curve (just finished this book) but wanted to comment on a couple things.

I read this trilogy when I was in college (early 80s) and could hardly put it down. Some of that attraction was that all the information about life in medieval Norway was new to me then but 30+ years of life experience made me a little more judgmental of Kristin.

I no longer had my copies of the books so I ordered the new translation. Then, in the middle of MoH, I lost my book! I was able to borrow a copy from the library but it was the older translation. That gave me an opportunity to compare the two translations. The newer one is easier to read and goes faster but I prefer the older one as seeming truer to the time period in which the book was set.

I am putting this aside for now but hope to read The Cross before the end of the year.

Biblio wrote: "Oh my gosh!!! This book won? I'm so shamefully weak when it comes to beautiful covers. And it touches on the Opium trade in China so it's interesting in my books!!!

Whoever designs this author's c..."

I'm a sucker for a beautiful book cover!

I don't have my copy of the book yet but Ami kindly suggested some options for our reading schedule. (Thank you, Ami!) I'm leaning toward breaking the book into three parts with 14 days to read each part like so:

November 1-14...Initial Thoughts and Part I (165p)
November 15-29...Part II (157p)
November 30-December 14...Part III & Final Thoughts (143p)

Would this work? This is still tentative and can be adjusted as necessary. It doesn't take the Thanksgiving holiday into consideration but we would be done before Christmas.

Dianne wrote: "Has anyone read anything by Ghosh? Is anyone who is planning to read sea of poppies thinking about reading the whole trilogy?"

I probably will read the entire trilogy unless I really hate SoP. I'm kind of obsessive that way.

I read this when it first came out so I won't be joining in. It is a real page turner though! Enjoy!

I had just started this section when I lost my copy. I have tracked down another but it is the older translation. I think that will make an interesting comparison.

Laurel wrote: "I had good intentions, but haven't started it yet."

Me neither but I will!