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The Singapore Grip

NOW A MAJOR ITV DRAMA
By J.G. Farrell
Series: W&N Essentials
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Singapore Grip by J.G. Farrell is a satirical novel set during World War II in Singapore. It follows the story of a British colonial family and their rubber business amidst political turmoil and the impending Japanese invasion. The narrative explores themes of empire, commerce, and societal change, all wrapped in dark humour and rich historical detail.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate historical fiction with a satirical edge, focusing on the complexities of colonialism and war. Set in Singapore during World War II, it offers a rich tapestry of characters and examines the effects of imperial expansion on both personal and societal levels with wit and irony. It's an excellent choice for those interested in exploring the dramatic and often tumultuous impacts of history through engaging storytelling.

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A love story and a war story: a modern classic from Booker prize-winner J.G. Farrell

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

'For a while he watched the butterflies which still swooped and fluttered in this little glade, impervious to the bombs that had fallen round about.'

1939: Walter Blackett, ruthless rubber merchant, is head of British Singapore's oldest and most powerful firm. And his family's prosperous world of tennis parties, cocktails, and deferential servants seems unchanging. No one suspects it - but this world is poised on the edge of the abyss. This is the eve of the Fall of Singapore.

A love story and a war story, a tragicomic tale of a city under siege and a dying way of life, The Singapore Grip is a modern classic from a Booker prize-winning author.

A brilliant, complex, richly absurd and melancholy monument to the follies and splendours of Empire' Observer

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Singapore Grip by J.G. Farrell has been praised for its brilliant style, placing the author alongside literary masters like Patrick White and Saul Bellow. It's described as a standout work by a leading novelist of his generation, offering a rich tapestry of humour and tragedy that invites the reader into a fully realised world.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781474613941

Publisher: Orion Publishing Co

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 August 2021

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 46.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 480g

Pages: 688

Collections

Fiction General Fiction J.G. Farrell Literary Fiction Series: W&N Essentials

About the Author

J.G. Farrell was born in Liverpool in 1935 and spent a good deal of his life abroad, including periods in France and North America, and then settled in London where he wrote most of his novels.

Among his novels, TROUBLES won the Faber Memorial Prize in 1970 and the Lost Man Booker prize in 2010 and THE SIEGE OF KRISHNAPUR won the Booker Prize in 1973.

In April 1979 he went to live in County Cork where only four months later he was drowned in a fishing accident.

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