Journal Entry 1 by xoddam from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Monday, November 14, 2005

This is the story of the foundation of the colony of Hong Kong, told from the point of view of two sympathetic American merchants at Canton (Guangzhou) who leave their employ to set up on their own when the company reverses its long-held policy of abstaining from the lucrative trade in opium.

Portuguese monks, how to run a newspaper, disgraced imperial mandarins, mad British colonels, money, drugs, tea, paddle steamers, gunboat diplomacy, the birth of photography. You name it, it's here. This is a fine epic.

I bought this copy in a charity shop in Cambridge shortly before I returned to Australia in 2003.

Offered as a bookring, participants listed below.

tqd (Sydney)
Melanie2474 (Canberra)
kalasue (Perth)
dolphin-au (Coffs Harbour)
aleonblue (Brisbane)
Pixette (Sydney)
Feryl (Sydney)
tantan (Gympie)
xoddam (Sydney)
 

Journal Entry 2 by xoddam at Büchersendung in per Post, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Thursday, November 24, 2005

Released 6 yrs ago (11/24/2005 UTC) at Büchersendung in per Post, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

Sent to tqd. I was going to deliver it by hand when I had a rental car earlier in the week, then I was going to go out near tqd's place one evening, but neither of those happened so I gave up and posted it :-) 

Journal Entry 3 by tqd from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Thursday, November 24, 2005

Turned up in the mailbox today and spotted as I was waving goodbye to the little boy, heading off for his swimming lesson.

I must say, the book smells rather delicious from the tea bags that came with it. I suppose I'd better drink lots of tea, if I'm reading a book about Hong Kong, to get in the proper mood.

I'm reading one other book, but will start this next. Thanks for popping it in the post, xoddam! 

Journal Entry 4 by tqd from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Monday, December 05, 2005

Oooh, a new personal best! Sorry Xoddam, but I gave up at page 24 when I realised that I was enjoying staring out the bus window more than reading the book. (Granted, it was Oxford St, but really.)

One good thing though, I did spend a while at work trying to get a googlewhack (www.googlewhack.com) out of the most annoying words in the book (I swear the author was making them up as he went along). Strangely enough, "enisled" and "plenilunar" does not a googlewhack make. But it kept me amused for a while.

So, I am giving up, I shall be magnanimous in defeat and say "it's not you, it's me" and send it on to aeonblue post haste, and I hope that they have better luck with it than me!!

UPDATE 13-DEC-2005: popped in the post to Melanie2474. Still trying to drop "plenilunar" into a conversation. 

Journal Entry 5 by Melanie2474 from Narrabundah, Australian Capital Territory Australia on Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Another BookRing - they're starting to arrive !!! Better get reading then...

Edited 11 January 2006 for update: Well I'm about 60 pages in and OHMIGOSH! It's wordy, it jumps from narrative to conversation to editorial and back again, and frankly it's kind of dull... will persevere a little longer and see if things pick up. Given the size of this book (671 pages including The Appendix) I want to give it a bit of time but don't want to wade through so many pages being bored silly.

Edited 12 January 2006 for update: Well I tried but after 100 pages my mind is wandering and I can't get interested in this book. I'll mail it off to kalasue on Monday - hopefully she'll have more luck :) 

Journal Entry 6 by kalasue from Beijing, Beijing China on Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Arrived today as I am scrambling my way through an avalanche of bookrings. I have 3 in front but they are all relatively short so will do my best...
Thanks Melanie for the lovely presentation - I thought it was a late birthday gift! 

Journal Entry 7 by kalasue from Beijing, Beijing China on Saturday, January 28, 2006

Well I really wanted to read this but it was such hard work. I got to 60 pages and it was improving slightly but I could see it was going to take me for ever and other books on my tbr pile were calling...
I don't want to hold up the ring, but wouldn't mind another crack at it once everyone else has read it. 

Journal Entry 8 by xoddam from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Sunday, January 29, 2006

Aww, nobody loves my book!

I don't mind if it takes a while to get around -- if *one* person eventually
finishes it (and rates it above a 5/10) then I'll be very pleased indeed.

Otherwise I may just have to resign myself to having unusual taste.
 

Journal Entry 9 by dolphin-au from Lake Macquarie, New South Wales Australia on Monday, February 06, 2006

Wow, this looks like a challenge! Fortunately I like books that are considered to be hard (a few of my favourites are books others consider unreadable!) so I am looking forward to try this. Got nothing much else ahead of it so should get stuck into it soon. 

Journal Entry 10 by dolphin-au from Lake Macquarie, New South Wales Australia on Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Like it says on the front cover: 'A massive, masterly work'
I can see why some of the other readers had problems with this book, but I quite enjoyed it. It is a very good book on a number of levels. I particularly liked the usage of 19th century English throughout the book. It is more than just the style, almost as important is the content, the ideas conveyed in that particular style. This book gets as close to 19th century thought patterns as is possible for a 20th century author.
In my university days I studied the philosophy of history, so I was fascinated with the ideas on history implicit, and sometimes made more explicit, in this book. The idea of history as a series of chaotic local events, with anecdotal evidence, which is only afterwards comnpiled into a great, coherent story by people at the best marginally involved in the action is demonstrated perfectly in this book.
You can also see this book as a commentary on the continuing entanglements of business and politics. The Opium Wars against China are similar to the Irak wars in surprisingly many ways.
Thanks xoddam for organising this bookring! 

Journal Entry 11 by aleonblue from Brisbane, Queensland Australia on Monday, March 06, 2006

Received the book in today's mail. Looks like a fairly lengthy read - but hopefully a good one! 

Journal Entry 12 by aleonblue from Brisbane, Queensland Australia on Thursday, April 06, 2006

I've reached the 1/2 way point in this book (about 350 pages) and realised that altough I found some of the story interesting, it would probably take me another couple of months of reading snippets in between other books to finish it... so I've decided to pass it on to the next reader on the list. Thanks anyway Xoddam. 

Journal Entry 13 by Pixette from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Monday, April 10, 2006

My lordy wordy me!

I'm very daunted by the journal entries. It was shortlisted for the booker though - there must appeal to some people.

I'm reading a tome about Dracula at the moment. Looks like I'll have to take a quick break (or should that be bite) out of Dracula over easter to see if "An Insular Possession" is for me. 

Journal Entry 14 by Pixette from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Monday, April 17, 2006

I had a quick look at this in an airport today and read the first chapter.

My opinion is reserved at the moment.

Although I have a couple of observations. The writing style is a bit pompous - which I'm unsure if I dislike just yet. It will be a slow read as I will have to read with a dictionary at my side. I encountered 5 new words in the first chapter - I thought my vocab was pretty good. However, I'm sure at least one of them was made up - but then the author is in some good company on that front.

More later. 

Journal Entry 15 by Pixette from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Saturday, June 03, 2006

Sorry Xoddam, I just can't get into this book. I only managed to get 40 pages in it's like reading a diplomatic treatise on opium in china.

Unfortunately its too wordy and not empassioned enough for me.

Thanks for sharing but I've met my match in this one.

I'll get on to Ferryl when I have her address. 

Journal Entry 16 by Feryl from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Sunday, August 13, 2006

miss-jo has finally passed this one on to me, having forgotten to bring it with her every time I've seen her since she picked it up from Pixette! I'm kind of glad I didn't receive this before I went to Hong Kong in June, it will be much more interesting reading it now that Ive been there. 

Journal Entry 17 by Feryl from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Thursday, November 16, 2006

I think I'm going to have to admit defeat with this one... :o( I started it and was quite enjoying it (pompous, indubitably, but that's all part of the fascinating insight into British colonialism), but I've been distracted and waylaid by other books which for various reasons seem to be higher priorities at the moment. I think I better let this one go on its way. Sorry xoddam, it does seem like a good book and I know you wanted me to read it ... I think I just read too SLOW for such a hefty tome these days!! :o\ 

Journal Entry 18 by xoddam from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Thursday, November 08, 2007

tantan has just asked to be skipped because she found a copy at Lifeline, so it's time for the book to come home -- if you're still with us, Feryl?

I'm now reading Mo's Renegade, or Halo², which is a weird and wonderful tale of an expatriate amerasian Phillipino superhero. 

Journal Entry 19 by Feryl from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Thursday, November 08, 2007

I'm so sorry! Bookcrossing has rather been put on the back burner since I've been studying full time, and I had totally forgotten I still had this one - I think it got packed in the wrong box when I moved, or something... But I suspect I know where it is. I'll search it out and get it back to you, xoddam! 

Journal Entry 20 by xoddam from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Thursday, November 29, 2007

This arrived home yesterday. For the second time actually, because it first arrived on Monday. It was posted from less than 1km away in an Australia-wide pre-paid postal satchel, and on arrival was placed next to a pile of identical satchels which I had meant to post on Monday morning (but because it was raining torrentially and I couldn't find my little boy's right boot, I ended up leaving the house in a muddle). When I got home I saw the pile of parcels and took them straight back out to the nearest postbox, only realising there was one extra after half had already gone in. Thus I ended up sending An Insular Possession back to myself. It took three days to arrive when posted from ten blocks away, and the same again to arrive when posted from one block away.

But now it's home, safe and sound. Many thanks to everyone who shared this beautiful book with me.

I've read a couple more Timothy Mo's in the meantime; I still think he's brilliant. Others may continue to disagree :-)