mayakittenreads's review
4.0
Sometimes the description was a bit overdone perhaps? But a creepy story of resistance and revenge upon colonialism centring an older woman.
foomple's review
4.0
This was a devastating read, and so worthwhile. This might well be classified as dark fantasy, but it could also be considered magical realism, because the most disturbing parts of the story are the ones that really happened. Many readers raised in the west may be unfamiliar with what is referred to as the "Bengal famine" rather than "holocaust" in the same disingenuous and dangerous way that the Tulsa Massacre of 1921 gets rebranded as a "race riot."
I would refer those interested in further reading to Madhusree Mukerjee's [b:Churchill's Secret War: The British Empire and the Ravaging of India During World War II|8890989|Churchill's Secret War The British Empire and the Ravaging of India During World War II|Madhusree Mukerjee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1282070397l/8890989._SX50_.jpg|13767110] (I've read excerpts but need to read the rest of it). For the curious who would like a taste without diving all-in (along with one of the stranger sides of Churchill and that entire era), I became interested in this subject listening to an episode of Malcolm Gladwell's podcast, Revisionist History. The episode is Season 2, Episode 5, called The Prime Minister and the Prof, and there is also a transcript of the episode available here.
Four and a half scarred stars for this beautiful, terrible story.
I would refer those interested in further reading to Madhusree Mukerjee's [b:Churchill's Secret War: The British Empire and the Ravaging of India During World War II|8890989|Churchill's Secret War The British Empire and the Ravaging of India During World War II|Madhusree Mukerjee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1282070397l/8890989._SX50_.jpg|13767110] (I've read excerpts but need to read the rest of it). For the curious who would like a taste without diving all-in (along with one of the stranger sides of Churchill and that entire era), I became interested in this subject listening to an episode of Malcolm Gladwell's podcast, Revisionist History. The episode is Season 2, Episode 5, called The Prime Minister and the Prof, and there is also a transcript of the episode available here.
Four and a half scarred stars for this beautiful, terrible story.
peanotsilent's review
4.0
This story encapsulates our rage perfectly-as well as our helplessness. Helpless enough to want the supernatural to come avenge the 3 million starved to death in Bengal.
alexvb's review
4.0
Read for the Hugos and I absolutely loved this. It felt very atmospheric and I love the emotions, the development of the story, the horror of the situation, and how good the ending was! It was chilling and I enjoyed every word of it!
jessticulates's review
3.0
To be honest I liked this story well enough, but despite its very serious subject matter (the story is set during the 1943 Bengal famine) it didn’t really make me feel anything. Which sounds awful, doesn’t it? I will say that I found the way Ramdas wrote about starvation to be very powerful, and it’s made me want to learn more about this event in history that I should have been taught in school, but the story itself is essentially a revenge fantasy that left me feeling a little cold and I don’t know why.
fshguy's review
4.0
A tragic insight into the things that were done to the Indian peoples in the name of war.
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