The Hungry Tide

By: Amitav Ghosh

Narrated by: Firdous Bamji

Length: 15 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Internationally best-selling author Amitav Ghosh, winner of the Pushcart Prize and numerous other prestigious accolades, pens a sweeping novel full of romantic adventure. Favorably compared to the masterworks of Joseph Conrad and V.S. Naipaul, The Hungry Tide is an atmospheric tale set in a world of wondrous sights...and terrible danger.

Off the eastern coast of India lies an extraordinary cluster of islands known as the Sundarbans. It is a raw but beautiful area, a place of man-eating tigers, river dolphins, huge crocodiles, and devastating tides that sweep across the terrain without remorse. In this exotic land, marine biologist Piya, fisherman Fokir, and translator Kanai meet. As they travel deep into the remote archipelago, they experience a territory at risk not only from natural disaster, but also from human foolishness and volatile politics.

Hailed as "a novelist of dazzling ingenuity" by the San Francisco Chronicle, Ghosh delivers a rich and evocative story of profound truths staged against an unforgettable backdrop.

©2005 Amitav Ghosh (P)2005 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Another triumph of gorgeous writing, intelligent romance, and keen philosophical inquiries." (Booklist)
"One doesn't so much read Ghosh's masterful fifth novel as inhabit his characters and the alluring if treacherous Sundarban archipelago." (Publishers Weekly)

One of the Best Audio Books I've Read

With its "heart of darkness" tone and subject matter, this book is an intriguing mix of adventure tale, geopolitical treatise, and love story. The author writes beautifully, bringing the eerily dreamlike Sundarbans and their inhabitants fully to life. Some of the characters--and particularly the young female environmental scientist at the heart of the story--remain a bit underdeveloped. But the book's setting, tone, and language are so lush and the story so authentic that this is easily overlooked. "The Hungry Tide" is a highly satisfying audiobook that I hated to finish.

great story

I was surprised at how much I liked this it was beautiful and poetic. I had to read it for class and usually the books are somewhat dull. this one kept me engaged and it reminded me of Jack London.

Unique Setting, Complex Characters

This is another brilliant work by Ghosh. The geographical and historical detail and sensitivity with which he describes the remote ( unless you live there, of course) area of the Sunderbans is remarkable.
Although the narrator enlivens the reading with his convincing characterizations - no small accomplishment given the combination of accents and characters - the pace drags at times.

Ghosh just gets better and better

I enjoyed this book so much. What truly surprised me was Ghosh's ability to write such a sensitive and believable female character, and even fully imagine her reaction to the overbearing, patronizing male characters. As always, the extensive research and detailed settings pay off in a big way. The hours passed happily while listening to this book.

Mangroves in India, watercraft, mud swamps, dolph

dolphin research and characters not found at the mall, makes fascinated reading, I read it 3 times.

Engaging story, beautifully read.

I recommend this book to all who love complex story lines set in times and places remote and not well known.

Terrific reading. Such a masterful command of primarily five different accents in English.

This expert reading does justice to a complexly intertwined story filled with highly memorable characters who go through great change in the course of the tale.

well worth the listen

Beautifully read, this book draws you into a world so far from the reality most of us know. The storytelling is somewhat reminiscent of Anansi Boys, with elaborate interaction of gods, man, and nature, though the main story line is firmly set in "contemporary" India (the rural Bangladesh border area). The main female character is a field biologist, and the book offers insight into the lifestyle she has chosen. While the ending is not unexpected, the book is entertaining and enjoyable, and is suitable for sophisticated young adults as well.

Interesting story, wooden characters

I almost gave this 4 stars. Interesting well paced story that creates a vivid picture of a very exotic and little known area and its inhabitants in India. My problem with this book was the characters; they just really never come to life. If the backdrop is enough for you, then you'll enjoy this book. If you want engaging characters, this comes up short.

Richly Rewarding

I would actually give this book four and a half stars if possible. Interestingly the main character of the book is the least interesting. He is merely the body about which the absorbing characters orbit. Besides the characters of the dolphin scientist and her fisherman guide is the fascinating historical and cultural aspects of the region. My only nit-pick is that sometimes the the author went on a bit too long about some of the historical and mythalogical aspects and I found myself zoning out. All in all I feel enriched by having read this book and was sad to have it end.