This book was part of my birthday haul and I was able to tear into it with gusto - thank you airplanes and long commutes! All in all, this was a good read, set within the tapestry of the Sunderbans. Felt Premchand-esque in its juxtaposition of the Rural-Urban, Rich-Poor, State-Individual struggles that we know only too well.

What I liked: Something that really stayed with me: "Wasn't it better in a way, more honest, that they could not speak? .. speech was only a bag of tricks that fooled you into believing you could see through the eyes of another being."

This made me reflect on all the times I have found words being inadequate in situations with people I love, and this slow crumbling of a myth in my mind that conversations can resolve everything. I find that sometimes, words cannot cross a chasm that comes in between people and other times, words are not even needed to make the chasm melt away into nothingness.

What I didn't like: The book doesn't read like a normal book because it attempts to be an exposition of human nature, an informative documenary about the history, geology and politics of Sunderbans and a piece of poetry all at once. As a result, I kept feeling emotionally reeled in, and then left out to dry. And eventually, I could only absorb this read at a cerebral level.

Fabulously researched. Makes great reading, especially if you have been to Sundarbans. Amitav Ghosh makes it come alive to the last detail. Amazing realism. A book that can be a bit tiring to someone who cannot visualise the Sundarbans. In any case, the Sundarbans has to be seen to be believed. The book has incomparable documentary value and puts Amitav Gosh high up on the list of up thorough researcher-novelists of the world. It takes time to pick up pace, but when it does, it is absolutely stormy.

Want to know the real Sundarbans? More than just the Crocodiles and Tigers? Read The Hungry Tide with a little patience. Don't worry the Crocs and Tigers are there too. Just like they are at the Sundarbans... 'always present, but rarely seen'.

Mr. Ghosh proves once again that he is a master-craftsman of the art of the novel, weaving four simultaneous tales into a final crescendo without resorting to poetic escapes, as many other novelists do. It is atribute to his writing ability that in telling his story Mr.Ghosh manages to shun wordplay. He knows how to say in one line, what many would be tempted to say in a wordy paragraphs.

Is it as engrossing as The Sea of Poppies? Thats is what many seem to be asking. Don't compare it. Please. The Sea of Poppies is vast like the ocean. The Hungry Tide is focused and furrowed like the the delta itself. At places it runs deep. Real deep. It rises and falls like the tides of the Sundarbans. Float or get washed away. The choice is yours. But, dont miss the tide.

3.5 stars - I enjoyed it, I really did. I also wondered if it was ever going to end at times. I also found a lot of the characters unlikeable, which isn't necessaily a problem but I'm not sure if the author actually intended them to be that way.