Stay On Target, Stay On Target!

'The Siege of Krishnapur' was much darker, and far more intense than I had anticipated. It was still full of comic moments but it is more a gallows humour than the light social wit that I was expecting. That having been said, I still really enjoyed this novel. I don't feel the need to own a copy, but I would read it again and I feel safe recommending it to other readers.

I am deeply impressed by how alive Farrell's characters were in this novel. The character arcs were fascinating, although I would have liked to have been returned to the view point of one of the ladies towards the end of the novel, as they were primarily observed during the closing chapters. I'm trying to avoid spoilers, but I was very impressed with how the three main ladies managed under the circumstances. Farrell had a very astute view of women, and his female characters all feel very True, which is fantastic. The jealousy, vanity and pettiness of a group of women is all there, but also the tenderness, insecurity and ultimate strength of women really shines through. I just would have liked to have spent some time 'with them' during the darkest moments of the story.

The debates over religion, philosophy, politics, science and medicine were also fascinating. We debate many of the same subjects now, although the exact questions and issues may have changed, and I found the arguments alluded to today's debates. I had to frequently remind myself that the novel was written nearly forty years ago, and the actual topics being debated were contentious over one hundred and fifty years ago - it's shocking how fresh they seem! For all our technology, I guess we haven't really advanced much at all.

I suppose the most chilling part of Farrell's writing is the fact that it is based, in large part, on fact. 'Troubles', with all it's distanced and imaginary violence, felt almost farcical but 'Siege of Krishnapur' was quite blunt and even horrific. I'm curious to read some of the factual documents cited in the afterword, but I'm concerned that they may be even more graphic. Perhaps the Victorian sensibilities of the authors kept them more palatable, but I rather doubt it.

Anyway, tomorrow I start a new book! Always a good day! I took another look at my calendar tonight and given my initial estimate of eight days per book, with today being Day 33, I'm only one day behind. I keep telling myself as long as I'm finished the last book by September 11th 2012 "it's a win!" but I still hope I can finish the next book a couple days early to get back on course!