1919: After surviving the Great War, Major Brendan Archer makes his way to Ireland, hoping to discover whether he is indeed betrothed to Angela Spencer, whose Anglo-Irish family owns the once-aptly-named Majestic Hotel in Kilnalough. But his fiancée is strangely altered and her family's fortunes have suffered a spectacular decline. The hotel's hundreds of rooms are disintegrating on a grand scale; its few remaining guests thrive on rumors and games of whist; herds of cats have taken over the Imperial Bar and the upper stories; bamboo shoots threaten the foundations; and piglets frolic in the squash court. Meanwhile, the Major is captivated by the beautiful and bitter Sarah Devlin. As housekeeping disasters force him from room to room, outside the order of the British Empire also totters: there is unrest in the East, and in Ireland itself the mounting violence of "the troubles." Troubles is a hilarious and heartbreaking work by a modern master of the historical novel.
Empire Trilogy Series
This series delves into the intricate relationships and political upheavals that shaped the early 20th century, particularly in Ireland. It follows characters navigating a period of profound societal change, where the old world gives way to the new. The narratives masterfully blend personal drama with historical context, presenting vivid characters and exploring themes of loss, identity, and resilience amidst turmoil. It's a compelling exploration of the human spirit during tumultuous times.
Recommended Reading Order
The Siege of Krishnapur
- 346 pages
- 13 hours of reading
The Siege of Krishnapur is a modern classic of narrative excitement that also digs deep to explore some fundamental questions of civilisation and life.
The Singapore grip
- 704 pages
- 25 hours of reading
Singapore, 1939: life on the eve of World War II just isn't what it used to be for Walter Blackett, head of British Singapore's oldest and most powerful firm. No matter how forcefully the police break one strike, the natives go on strike somewhere else. His daughter keeps entangling herself with the most unsuitable beaus, while her intended match, the son of Blackett's partner, is an idealistic sympathizer with the League of Nations and a vegetarian. Business may be booming—what with the war in Europe, the Allies are desperate for rubber and helpless to resist Blackett's price-fixing and market manipulation—but something is wrong. No one suspects that the world of the British Empire, of fixed boundaries between classes and nations, is about to come to a terrible end. A love story and a war story, a tragicomic tale of a city under siege and a dying way of life, The Singapore Grip completes the “Empire Trilogy” that began with Troubles and the Booker prize-winning Siege of Krishnapur.
The Singapore Grip
- 688 pages
- 25 hours of reading
A love story and a war story: a modern classic from Booker prize-winner J.G. Farrell
Related books
The Siege of Krishnapur, Troubles: Introduction by John Sutherland
- 728 pages
- 26 hours of reading
Set against the backdrop of the declining British Empire, one novel explores a British outpost during the 1857 Indian Mutiny, revealing the fragility of their perceived superiority amidst siege. The other follows a World War I veteran in 1919 Ireland, searching for his lost fiancée in her family's decaying seaside hotel, now overrun by animals and neglect. As he navigates the crumbling structure, he observes the Empire's fading influence and the brewing unrest of the Irish "Troubles," intertwining personal and historical narratives.