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#Colonialism
review
Lindy
Loot: A novel | Tania James
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Pickpick

Superb storytelling, farcical humour and a vivid sense of place carry this historical / high seas adventure / bildungsroman / romance / heist novel centred on a real 18th-century artifact created in southern India: an automaton in the shape of a tiger eating a man. Serious themes—colonialism, imperialism & racism—give this story of self-reinvention heft. Audiobook read by Shawn K Jain.

squirrelbrain Great review! This was one of the most heavily tipped books for the #womensprize, but obviously didn‘t make the list. It was 99p on Kindle recently so, clearly, I bought it! 2w
Lindy @squirrelbrain It may not have won the heart of the Women‘s Prize judges, but it made the National Book Award longlist and is currently longlisted for the Carol Shields Prize. 🏆 2w
35 likes2 comments
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kanchip28
Loot: A novel | Tania James
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A phenomenal book! I was totally captured by Tania James' storytelling. The book is about the adventures of a woodcarver/toymaker along with thoughtful characters like a French clockmaker, an Indian French lady, an Indian sepoy/agent and so on. The characters are so well thought that you can't help but empathize with them. #immigration #Taniajames #Loot #colonization #fiction

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BookishTrish
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Pickpick

The Witness Blanket has just arrived at our Library. I‘m somewhat overwhelmed by it and this book helps make sense of some of those feelings.

rockpools Wow. That‘s beautiful but 💔. I googled and just the website is pretty overwhelming. 2mo
ShelleyBooksie Wow. That is truly profound. How amazing that your library is has it! 2mo
49 likes1 stack add2 comments
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TracyReadsBooks
Loot: A novel | Tania James
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this story about a boy with a talent for woodcarving who soon draws the attention of the ruler of Mysore and along with a Frenchman, helps to carve an automaton tiger. The story is inspired by real events which James reimagines here as readers follow the boy from Mysore to France. I really liked the beginning after which much of the book, with shifting POVs, felt like it was just skimming the surface. Good but I wanted more depth.

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TracyReadsBooks
Loot: A novel | Tania James
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Time to start reading my irl book club book since we meet on Monday…

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Texreader
A Small Place | Jamaica Kincaid
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Pickpick

This author is very angry, and I felt chastised! First among various reasons for being a tourist! It should be required reading for anyone vacationing in the Caribbean, where the tourists have plenty and the locals do not. Take for instance, water. Tourists can swim in it, and then bathe in it, and drink as much as they like. But many islands have no water source so the locals have to conserve every last drop. From there, the author delves ⬇️

Texreader into how the residents of #Antigua came to live there—slave ships, and the dire faults in the English empire. It‘s a tongue-lashing for sure. #readingtheAmericas @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB 4mo
Teresereading Yes it was an intense read. I will be on a cruise ship next year, and felt guilty already. But also very interesting read. 4mo
TheBookHippie I‘ve always felt this way about Hawaii and we were there visiting military … 4mo
Librarybelle This was a very insightful read for me. So glad I read it! 4mo
Texreader @Teresereading @thebookhippie It made me think about the places I‘ve visited. When I was in Venice this summer we talked a lot to a waitress at a restaurant we went to a few times. The folks who work in Venice cannot afford to live in Venice, so they have a long commute to come to town and serve us. Far different than the experience in the book but I try to be considerate and thankful to the locals wherever we go 4mo
50 likes5 comments
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Texreader
A Small Place | Jamaica Kincaid
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Librarybelle I liked this one! 5mo
44 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Cathyloves2read
Loot: A novel | Tania James
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Pickpick

This was different than any book I‘ve ever read. I felt like I could see and feel what it felt like to be in India and in France in the early late 1700s/early 1800s. This book had a bit of a magical feel, with the automan tiger and all. The main character, Abbas, was well developed and likable. This was the November 2023 bookclub pick (#ReadWithSharon). I‘m not sure I would have read it otherwise, but am glad that I did.

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Hooked_on_books
Loot: A novel | Tania James
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Pickpick

Loot follows young, promising woodcarver Abbas as he is commanded to work with a French clockmaker to make a special automaton for the local sultan in 1793. The story then follows the fate of both Abbas and the automaton. I liked this better than I thought I would. I feel some aspects of the story could have been a bit stronger, but the writing is good and the story inventive.

NBA longlist, fiction

Catsandbooks Cute pup! 🖤 5mo
Balibee146 Lovely pup... What a gorgeous face 😍 5mo
dabbe Hello there, sweet pup! 🖤🐾🖤 5mo
54 likes1 stack add3 comments
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TracyReadsBooks
Loot: A novel | Tania James
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Today‘s #Bookhaul is my irl book club‘s next selection (tagged book) plus a book for my Mom because why not. (Shout out to my husband who found it and said, “Hey, I think your mom might like this.”).