The Siege of Krishnapur

By: J. G. Farrell

Narrated by: Tim Pigott-Smith

India, 1857 - the year of the Great Mutiny, when Muslim soldiers turned in bloody rebellion on their British overlords. This time of convulsion is the subject of The Siege of Krishnapur, widely considered to the one of the finest British novels of the last 50 years. A witty and individual take on the many traditions and follies of Empire, it is also a gripping account of survival under siege, illuminating how extreme conditions can influence and affect people's behaviour and the human spirit.

©1974 The Estate of J.G. Farrell (P)2013 Canongate Books Ltd

Empire at its silliest...

This was a very fast listen and probably deemed a novella. Yet, it won the Booker in 1973 and deservedly so. Its writing and storyline are marvelous with lots of comedic situations interlaced with horrific death and mayhem. The sense of fair play, pompous attitudes, constrained lifestyles, witty interludes of conversation and utter idiotic and flamboyant behavior are all intertwined within a narrative of residents trapped by a mutiny. This all takes place in a faraway residence in India under the East India Company. Well where else would it be? There is nothing more sinister or comedic, based on your interpretation, than reading about the local residents camping out on a hill, viewing the battle between the sepoys and the residents play out amongst cannon fire and vultures bloated on corpses. Finally, the residents emerge, not quite victorious, but thin out of hunger, diseased and rather smelly. A metaphor for the British Raj I am sure. Great book!

So good you'll buy the book!

I've realised that when fiction incorporates cultural idiosyncrasies that are not in my experience (such as difficult-to-pronounce names, phrases, or accents), a talented audiobook narrator really comes into their own. I originally purchased the book and loved it but it was only when I heard Pigott-Smith, as the English-accented narrator, and his incredible ability to balance intonation with content, that we get to hear the fantastic results as evidenced herein. This is a perfect example of when audiobooks get it right, and Pigott-Smith very successfully brings out the humour and drama of J.G.Farrell's brilliant novel.

Yes, it's abridged, but do yourself a favour and have a quick listen to the sample of the other unabridged version on Audible - it's lacks the emotion and excitement of this version. Also note that Pigott-Smith speaks quickly in this abridged version, which makes this 5hr masterpiece feel like half that.

I, for one, will be petitioning Audible to get Pigott-Smith back for him to complete an unabridged version! But in the meantime, I'll keep entertained by listening to this edition for the umpteenth time, and re-reading the original in between.

Abridged don't buy

This book is abridged. Nowhere in the ad did it say that. The hard copy is excellent and nearly twice as long.

This is an Abridgement

This isn't an actual review. More a comment to warn potential buyers that this audiobook is mislabelled as being "unabridged" and is actually cut approximately by half. The book is just over 300 pages and the corresponding audiobook should therefore be over 10 hours. I didn't notice the length when I purchased it, just got excited because I love Tim Pigott-Smith as a narrator, and he does indeed deliver a great performance here. But do yourself a favour and get your hands on the complete work because J. G. Farrell is a fabulous writer and the details in his novels are worth poring over.