'In 1883, the British government sent the accomplished linguist Sir George Grierson to look into alleged abuses in the recruitment of indentured servants from India (known as 'coolies') who ended up on ships bound for British plantations throughout the world. But it is the panorama of characters, whose diaspora encapsulates the vexed colonial history of the East itself, that makes Sea of Poppies so vibrant.

This historical adventure spans the lush poppy fields of the Ganges, the rolling high seas, the exotic backstreets of Canton. An unlikely dynasty is born, which will span continents, races, and generations. As their old family ties are washed away, they, like their historical counterparts, come to view themselves as jahaj-bhais, or ship-brothers. In a time of colonial upheaval, fate has thrown together a diverse cast of Indians and Westerners, from a bankrupt raja to a widowed tribeswoman, from a mulatto American freedman to a freespirited French orphan. The crew is a motley array of sailors and stowaways, coolies and convicts. Its destiny is a tumultuous voyage across the Indian Ocean to fight China's vicious nineteenth-century Opium Wars. Winner of the Blue Metropolis International Literary Grand PrixĪt the heart of this vibrant story is a vast ship, the Ibis. Longlisted for the International IMPAC Literary AwardĪ San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the YearĪ Christian Science Monitor Best Book of the YearĪ Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year Media Issues, Communication & Journalism.Computer Science & Information Technology.

Sea of poppies review