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EAN: 9780385611695
Format: Hardback
Published: 2 Jul 2009
Other Editions:
Paperback, ebook
Synopsis
It's 1919 and Amritsar is a city on the brink of rebellion. Riots, violence and tension spill onto the streets . . .
Bissen Singh fought bravely for the British Empire during World War One. Now he waits patiently for news from England. Gurdial, a young orphan, is desperate to marry Sohni, the daughter of a rich and evil man. And Jeevan, Gurdial's oldest friend, is swept up in the revolution and changing beyond all recognition.
Bissen, Gurdial and Jeevan are looking to the future whilst trying to escape ghosts from the past. But as the fight for Amritsar reaches a terrifying climax, their lives will be changed for ever.
What the critics say
The parallel stories run along together in a rather resplendent patchwork of narrative. One moment, the tone is reminiscent of a grandly-told fairy tale. The next, we are in the bread-and-butter realism of how alienated boys are radicalised, and we're seeing history as it should be seen - utterly relevant to today. And then we're enjoying bittersweet first love affairs on a level that will be instantly recognisable to adolescent readers.
- Jill Murphy, www.thebookbag.co.uk
…an epic: part love story, part ghosts story, part tale of a country trying to break free from a past of colonial oppression and reach forward to independence. It is a timeless and absorbing story of love and war, of life and death, of alienation and rebellion
- Carousel
Complex, dramatic and full of Rai’s insight into Asian cultural conflict, City of Ghosts suffers from splitting its narrative viewpoints, but it is still a heart-rending tale from a talented author.
- Amanda Craig, The Times
Despite the horrors of war that this novel centred around, it wasn’t depressing at all. The love stories that were told and Heera’s magic lightened the mood and helped to balance out the backgrounds of World War I and revolutionary Amritsar to create a beautifully moving story.
I really enjoyed City of Ghosts and I’m definitely going to search out some more of Bali Rai’s books.
- http://solittletimeforbooks.blogspot.com
Bali Rai has deep understanding of the conflicting cultures he depicts, and is a skilful and beguiling storyteller. His novel works admirably on several levels. Although two of his three chosen lives are fated to end sadly, the story as a whole is impressive, enjoyable and enlightening.
- Books For Keeps
Editor's Comments
This wonderfully written, exciting and brilliant novel is very different from Bali's previous novels for Random House, but it has definitely been worth the wait. It's set in Amritsar, in India, at the time of their revolt against British rule. I didn't know very much about India at this time, or indeed the thousands of Indian soldiers who fought for the British during the First World War, but Bali makes the characters and setting jump off the page. It's fascinating and moving - and I'm sure you will love it as we do.