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The Siege of Krishnapur

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The Siege of Krishnapur

By: J. G. Farrell
Narrated by: Peter Wickham
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About this listen

In the Spring of 1857, with India on the brink of a violent and bloody mutiny, Krishnapur is a remote town on the vast North Indian plain. For the British there, life is orderly and genteel. Then the sepoys at the nearest military cantonment rise in revolt, and the British community retreats with shock into the Residency. They prepare to fight for their lives with what weapons they can muster.

As food and ammunition grow short, the Residency, its defences battered by shot and shell and eroded by the rains, becomes ever more vulnerable. The Siege of Krishnapur is a modern classic of narrative excitement that also digs deep to explore some fundamental questions of civilisation and life.

1973, The Booker Prize, Winner

©1996 J. G. Farrell (P)2018 Orion Publishing Group Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Siege

Critic reviews

While I can't categorically state it's the best book ever, I find it hard to think of one that I prefer. One that does more as a work of fiction, or that says more about our flawed humanity . . . The Siege of Krishnapur is a superb portrayal of physical horrors and psychological fallout . . . [It] is wonderfully funny, written with devastating wit and rambunctious humanity. I can't praise it enough - and I can't push it enough (Sam Jordison)
Inspired, funny but ultimately tragic look at colonialism in India. It has an unusual exuberance (Mariella Frostrup)
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I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning of this book. I greatly enjoyed the ending of this book. However, by about two thirds of the way through I began to feel that *I* was under seige and that I might never reach the end.

I cannot decide if this was very skillful on the part of the author or very lax on the part of their editor.

Impressively exciting and dull at the same time.

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I only listened to this as the author was recommended to me by a recently deceased friend. The background of the story - the imperial, Victorian rule of India - reinforced all my dislike for the British obsession with superiority and empire. It's well written and described in great detail. The narration matches the atmosphere created by the storyline. The author must have done a lot of research as it sounds plausible throughout. Not really my type of book but it kept my interest as I repainted skirting boards and doorframes.

Colonial tale.

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Each description was poetry
Beautifully written but intensely boring
Sets the scene and has some merit but not an enjoyable read

Couldn’t wait for the end

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Vividly recreates the world of British colonial life with all its Victorian manners, absurdity and courage.

A gripping story told with wit

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Wonderful novel. This is everything you want in a story. You are taken into his confidence all the way through in a series of intimate reflections which accompany you along the journey so that when the novel ends, it feels sad, as if a treasured house guest suddenly left. The characters could be more sharply drawn, which they are in Troubles. I loved how the plot seeped along enveloping the demise of the British Empire using the Lucknow Siege (upon which the tale is based) as its crumbling foundation. Imagery like the parasitic ants creep into the mind of the reader from which there is, one gets the feeling, probably no escape. The asides are hilarious. All the way through, Farrell's irony is such good company. Books like these are the perfect antidote to a lonely summer spent convalescing from an illness.

beautifully written

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