The Glass Palace

by Amitav Ghosh
The Glass Palace cover
Good Books rating 4.0
Historical Fiction
Technical:
  • ID: 1558
  • Added: 2025-10-08
  • Updated: 2025-10-11
  • ISBN: 9780670082209
  • Publisher: Penguin Books India
  • Published: 2008-01-01
  • Formats: 4
  • Reviews: 3
Buy online
Waterstones
Paperback • £9.99–£10.99

The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh begins with the fall of the Kingdom of Burma in 1885, as British soldiers force the royal family out of their palace. Among the chaos, Rajkumar, a poor Indian boy, falls in love with Dolly, an attendant at the palace. Years later, Rajkumar's life takes a dramatic turn as he builds an empire in the Burmese teak forests, driven by his memories of Dolly and the political turmoil around him. /n/n Ghosh's novel is a powerful exploration of colonialism and capitalist exploitation, weaving a tale of love and war that spans generations. Through Rajkumar's journey, the story offers a ruthless appraisal of the horrors inflicted by colonial rule and the personal and political struggles that define an era.

Reviews
Joel Seath's WordPress Blog · Joel Seath · 2020-05-09
captivating 4.00

The writing is fluid and fast-paced, taking readers through various locations and historical events. The storytelling is inventive and captivating.

Joel Seath highlights the fluid and fast-paced writing style of the author, which seamlessly leads readers through diverse settings and historical events. They appreciate the inventive storytelling and the way the narrative captures the essence of different places and times. Seath finds the book to be captivating and praises the author's ability to create a rich and engaging reading experience.

Quick quotes

    For the most part, Ghosh's writing is fluid and fast-paced.

    He leads us through Mandalay, Rangoon, Ratnagiri, the Burmese jungle or the Malay...

    Ghosh is an inventive and magnificent storyteller.

The Torogi Chronicles · 2018-08-22
masterful 4.50

The novel is an extraordinary epic that masterfully weaves together themes of love, war, and family. The characters are memorable and the storytelling is captivating.

The reviewer praises the novel as an extraordinary epic, highlighting its masterful storytelling that intertwines themes of love, war, and family. They appreciate the memorable characters and the rich, captivating narrative that spans vast temporal and spatial dimensions. The reviewer finds the book to be a compelling read that leaves a lasting impression.

Quick quotes

    An extraordinary epic, THE GLASS PALACE is a masterful novel of love, war and family and presents us with a band of memorable characters.

    The novel is an extraordinary epic that masterfully weaves together themes of love, war, and family.

    The characters are memorable and the storytelling is captivating.

The Guardian · 2001-06-24
engaging 3.50

The book starts slowly but becomes more engaging after a couple of hundred pages. The narrative deepens and quickens its pace, making it worth persevering through the initial slow sections.

The reviewer notes that the book starts off a bit slow, but they encourage readers to stick with it. They highlight that the narrative begins to pick up and become more engaging after a couple of hundred pages. The depth and pace of the story improve, making the initial slow sections worth the effort. They appreciate the rich storytelling and the way the narrative unfolds, providing a rewarding reading experience for those who persist.

Quick quotes

    It is worth persevering and reaching the depths of the narrative; after a couple of hundred pages, the book begins to quicken its pace.

    The narrative deepens and quickens its pace, making it worth persevering through the initial slow sections.

    The book starts slowly but becomes more engaging after a couple of hundred pages.

Appears in Lists