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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.

Siege of Krishnapur
The Singapore Grip
Troubles
The Siege of Krishnapur, Troubles: Introduction by John Sutherland
The Singapore grip

Recommended Reading Order

  1. 1

    Troubles

    • 446 pages
    • 16 hours of reading
    3.7(460)Add rating

    Major Brendan Archer travels to Ireland - to the Majestic Hotel and to the fiancée he acquired on a rash afternoon's leave three years ago. Despite her many letters, the lady herself proves elusive, and the Major's engagement is short-lived. But he is unable to detach himself from the alluring discomforts of the crumbling hotel. Ensconced in the dim and shabby splendour of the Palm Court, surrounded by gently decaying old ladies and proliferating cats, the Major passes the summer. So hypnotic are the faded charms of the Majestic, the Major is almost unaware of the gathering storm. But this is Ireland in 1919 - and the struggle for independence is about to explode with brutal force.

    Troubles
  2. 2

    Siege of Krishnapur

    4.0(6150)Add rating

    Farrell introduces us gradually to a large cast of characters as he paints a vivid portrait of the Victorians' daily routines that are accompanied by heat, boredom, class-consciousness and the pursuit of genteel pastimes intended for cooler climates. Even the siege begins slowly, with disquieting news of massacres in cities far away. When Krishnapur itself is finally attacked, the Europeans withdraw inside the grounds of the Residency where very soon conditions begin to deteriorate: food and water run out, disease is rampant, people begin to go a little mad. Soon the very proper British are reduced to eating insects and consorting across class lines. Farrell's descriptions of life inside the Residency are simultaneously horrifying and blackly humorous.

    Siege of Krishnapur
  3. 3

    The Singapore grip

    • 704 pages
    • 25 hours of reading
    3.8(162)Add rating

    A classic novel by a Booker Prize-winning author. Singapore just before the Japanese invasion in the Second World War: the Blackett family's prosperous world of tennis parties, cocktails and deferential servants seems unchanging. But it is poised on the edge of the abyss: This is the eve of the Fall of Singapore and, as we know, of much else besides. Not only the Blacketts, their friends and enemies, but many individuals are caught up in the events. Singapore at this historical watershed has never been so faithfully and passionately recreated.

    The Singapore grip
  4. 3

  • 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.

    The Siege of Krishnapur, Troubles: Introduction by John Sutherland