What readers think of The Hungry Tide, plus links to write your own review.

The narrative is a fine piece of prose with the beauty and elegance of a poem which is evocative in character. He concludes the piece with the quotes from "The Tenth Elegy of Rainer Maria Rilike". It is a elegy on the death of something precious and at the same time optimistic as the rain that falls on the dark earth to regenerate it.through the technique of interweaving history, geography, mythology, folk tale and scientific facts, the author is drawing our attention to the precarious nature of the world's unique forest 'the Sunderbans'

The book is fascinating and picturesque. It brought alive the island of Sundarbans and I enjoyed the travel, meeting the most idealistic lovers – Piya and Fokir. The language is awesome and refreshing. It enriches the readers with delightful experience that could be relished forever.The novel is a possession and worth reading.

I think this book is average , because of its style of narration, but the last part of the book is interesting, the storm scene is very good... the topic in this book is about the environment is interesting.....

This book is the slowest, most boring book I've ever read. I read it, painfully, for school. Then I had to re-read it. I (in my mind) divided the book into thirds, reached the end of the first third, skipped the whole middle third, started at the beginning of the last third, and realized that the novel had gone nowhere in over 120 pages. That's how bad it is. And she's out risking her life over a bunch of dolphins, and didn't even prepare enough for her trip to learn "dolphin" in Indian or whatever they speak? What's up with that? In conclusion, this book is like beating a baby seal, it's horrible to regard, and really just pointless in every aspect.

Amitav Ghosh's characters are someone that everyone can relate to; like an alter ego, every individual reader would identify him or herself with any of these simple yet hauntingly evoking people.

The narrative is tight and fluid. While the descriptions are vivid and colourful, they are concise and to the point. They are not dwelt on more than once and once the picture has been set, be it that of on individual, an animal, a place or thing, Amitav Ghosh does not see the need to revisit the description once more.

A well-researched book, it is indeed surprising that the author is well versed in the subjects of river dolphins and things technical such as GPS transponders!

The description of the Sunderbans is frightening and at the same time has the same effect that the ancient Greek sailors must have felt when hearing the songs of the Nymphs. Always alluring and captivating.

More than anything else, this is a homecoming novel. Home is where the heart is, no matter where one comes from.

Thank you, Amitav, for your refreshingly simple and delightful book!

I feel extremely privileged to be able to write a book review on your beautiful creation.......your book has served as a mirror for the many inhabitants of Sunderbans - The TIde Country as you would put it.....it has reflected every aspect of the tough life that people live through everyday....hoping that their enormous trust in the Bon Bibi will never fail....and they will face all the challenges that meet their way with a brave heart!

I'm also amazed to read how interestingly you have related to the reader the incomprehensible tangle of human emotions.....it is great to understand all this through the simplicity of your language that has got a huge and remarkable inner meaning.

I am at present looking forward to complete your collection.
Wishing you all my very best to continue writing other such inspiring books in future.
The future of many lies in your pen that can do wonders such as this!

With best regards,
Chitral.

Amitav Ghosh`s The Hungry Tide tells several stories ranging from the mythological and historical to fictional and natural across different time zones. People with varied ambitions and outlook reach there, settle and depart. Nirmal who dreamt revolution all his life at least had its foretaste during his dying hours in the uprising staged by the settlers in the tide country. Nilima his wife found the true meaning of her life in serving the deprived in Lusibari where all the central characters head to. For Priya Roy the cetologist from America the place is initially a research ground but later it provides an opportunity to get rid of her guilt feeling by extending generous support to Fokir`s widow and his son. Even the ever ambitious and self centered Kanai Dutt is likely to purge some of his undesirable elements during his proposed third visit to the place. But along with the flora and fauna it is the likes of Fokir who are the true inheritors of the simple glories of the mangrove lands in Sunderbans. It is no wonder that Fokir is the only one who knows the unique details of the Irrawady dolphins. Like the dolphin he is also mute before Piya and is more alive in water than on land. Piya`s research of the dolphin runs parallel to her attempt to understand Fokir..
The Hungry Tide despite its weary length in certain places and the sudden rounded of end where too many things happen in too short a time is a wonderful novel that explores the riches of fluctuations of human destiny.
Review by Amshan Kumar