Critical Mick

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Reviews by the Clown that All Other Critics Want to Strangle with a Black Turtleneck

The Siege of Krishnapur
J. G. Farrell
Harcourt, 1974

Jane Austin Clone Saved By Cannibal Spaniel

That acclaimed novel was The Siege of Krishnapur, bringing home the gold in 1973. (Or maybe instead of a medal they give you a book, I don't know. I'll ask Roddy Doyle if I ever get the chance to thank him for Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha.) Farrell's father was from Liverpool, working extensively in India and other outposts of the British Empire. The decline of that empire and its effect on those locations became Jim's Farrell's biggest theme.

I am no admirer of the Victorians or their oddball social constructs, so the first third of The Siege of Krishnapur was a chore. In depth discourses on dance etiquette in mid-nineteenth Calcutta? My arse! "This is as tedious as Pride and Prejudice!" I thought. But, I'm an Irish fiction nerd, so, I popped a can of Beamish and read on.

To delight my capricious little heart, the novel improves dramatically with the addition of conflict. As soon as the Sepoy mutiny begins in earnest, the text takes on a tension. Characters begin to do interesting things, the plot takes its grip, and there's relevance to the airy philosophies that had been bandied about. The siege brings a wealth of accurate historical insight and information, and some of the imagery is striking. Best of all, it's done with humor. There's an absurdity to the whole thing that would make Matt Groening proud.

"Begorah!" I said to myself. "What started off as dreary as a Dublin January has become a first-rate historical novel full of quirky characters, laughs and action! Fair play to ya, Farrell." If he had included the Indian perspective, I'd have walked away with a well-rounded understanding of the whole shooting match. Maybe that's intentional, though: the book as it stands made me curious enough to read up on the events of 1857 from the Indian POV.

Fave scene: Lucy and the bugs. Great stuff!

Three and a half stars out of five.

Mick proudly presents a profile of J. G. Farrell on the DFA Guide to Dublin.

Colin Farrell? NO. J.G. Farrell is the dude that Mick admires.

Yo! This review and all content on the DFA Guide site are copyright 2005 Mick Halpin. All links to other sites and documents are copyright to whatever source wrote something cool enough for Mick to give it a referral. Try to claim them as your own work and bad karma will catch up with you, baby. Believe it.

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This Page Was Last Updated On 17 June, 2005.