Edit, September 15, 2009: first thing to say, I am missing a glossary! Too many words and expressions from India.
A most interesting story with finely intervowen stories and well painted characters. Compelling, a real page-turner. It gives a deep insight on how England and America built their wealth in the 19th Century by forcing drugs on China - opium! It's nearly unbelievable! And how by the way, England put India at its mercy! A must read!
I'm making an international bookray with this book. The following bookcrossers read along:

"Bjorg" from Reykjavík, Reykjavík (Höfuðborgar svæðið), Iceland (worldwide)
"dakini6" from Anchorage, Alaska, USA (worldwide)
"Kathmeista" from TaoYuan, Taoyuan County, Taiwan (worlwide)
"keeta1" from Howick, Auckland Province, New Zealand (NZ /AUS)
""Sherlockfan" from Upper Hutt, Wellington Province, New Zealand (worldwide)
"Dancesports" from Petcheys Bay, Tasmania, Australia (AUS)
"Tinina67" from Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia (worldwide)
"Oedde" from Jena, Thüringen, Germany (EU)
"mafarrimond" from hawarden, Wales, United Kingdom (EU)
"Jozebedee" from Nantwich, Cheshire, United Kingdom (EU)
"Pitak" from Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg (Europe)
"penelopewanders" from Hasliberg, Bern / Berne, Switzerland (Europe)
"Qantaqa" from Planegg, Bayern, Germany (Europe)
"MartinaViola" from Latina, Lazio, Italy (EU)
"dutch-book" from Abcoude, Utrecht, Netherlands (worldwide)
"Neuilly" from Brooklyn, New York, USA (US / CDN) only
"SeamonkeyofTVCH" from Fountain Valley, California, USA (US / CDN
"oliviapoolside" from Seattle, Washington, USA (worldwide)
"NICNIC2" from St Andrews, Fife, United Kingdom (UK)
"LESEHEST" from Trondheim, Sør-Trøndelag fylke, Norway (worldwide)
"helena100" from Athens, Attica, Greece (worldwide)
"ex2" from Tienmu, Taipei City, Taiwan (worldwide)
"daniellechonody" from Dallas, Texas, USA (worldwide)
"Nice-Find-Books" from Dickson, Australian Capital Territory, Australia (worldwide)
"bookmaniac70" from Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria (Europe)
"LittleDachshund" from Bulgaria (Europe)

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

The poppies are of to Iceland. Enjoy!

The Poppies have arrived:) will start on it as soon as I can, probably after a few days:)

Finally finished the book, sorry it took me so long. I really liked the story, very interesting and well written but for some reason I found it very difficult to concentrate on it. So I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with it, hehehe:) But am glad I did not give up and that I made it to the end:)
Have already sent dakini6 a message and am waiting for the address:)

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

The Poppies are now ready to travel to Alaska, hope you will enjoy it dakini6 :)

Received this today, and of course, another book from a ring i signed up for ages ago arrived yesterday. I will hopefully have that one finished by Monday (it's quite a bit shorter) and then i'll be diving straight into the poppies. Thanks!

I finished this book a couple of months ago, and then was called to go out of town for work, and unfortunately, this got lost in the fray. My apologies to all who are waiting. In any case, i did thoroughly enjoy the read, though it was a bit hard to get in to. However, in the long run, i found the characters well developed and the story well crafted. I thoroughly enjoyed this as a piece of historical fiction which shed some light on a time and place that i am happy to know more about. Thanks for posting this bjorg for including me book-man-8!

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Posted off to Kathmeista in Taiwan. Enjoy!

Just got in the mail today. Thanks for the info on hostels in the area, Dakini6 - there's actually a very good chance I'll end up using one of those :D

Mucho apologies for stalling this ring for longer than I should have. I've had a couple of crazy months which haven't left me with very much time to read anything. In the end I'm passing this book along having only read part of it as I don't want to hold everyone else up. WHat I read I loved and will look into this book once I have more reading time in my life again (darn you study and work!!!)

Have contacted Keeta1 in NZ for her contact details.

Kath

Sending this on to my home country New Zealand. Enjoy!

The book arrived today.
Thanks kathmeista for sending it on and book-man-8 for sharing it.
I have just today started another book, but will read this one straight after.

I have to confess that the language in the book was simply too much for me. After reading the first few chapters, I found myself skimming big bits, because I simply couldn't concentrate on it!
Hopefully sherlockfan will have better luck when it goes down south in August.

Posted to Sherlockfan.
I hope this will be waiting when you return from your trip abroad.
Enjoy.

Thanks Keeta1. I was actually just back home albeit slightly jaded after a midnight touch down when the book arrived. Good tming as I only have one other that arrived while I was away and it is a short one. I did acquire a number of books while I was away but thanks to luggae restrictions I had to post a box home and that will take a while to arrive so I should be able to start this one very soon.
It looks as if it will be covering an area that I know very little about so 'm expecting to learn a lot.

Well, that was simultaneously one of the most interesting and yet most frustrating books I have ever read. The story with such a wide range of characters and customs was quite educational but in many cases I just didn't understand what was actually being meant. I've seen a little of some customs of people with whose races I was not familiar but I do know a trifle so could sometimes picture ceremonial events But how much richer would have been the reading if there'd been a glossary.
All the adventures and ups and downs of life on the high seas would have been so much more comprehensible if familiar words were used for the different classes, positions and ranks of the sailors and passengers. Who was whom or what?
I wondered for whom the book was written. If mainly for the author's own aims then no doubt it could have reached its potential. If intended for a wider audience then either a glossary or simply a translation would have had a wider satisfaction rate for readers. Other commenters on this thread have obviously had similar feelings.
While there are hundreds if not thousands of examples I could use but this will suffice.
"He's a nabob in his own right - made a mountain of mohurs out of the China trade. Ever since he lost his wife every larkin in town's been trying to bundo him. I can tell you, dear, there's a palton of mems who'd give their last anna to be in your jooties." (p251)
Yes. one could make a wild guess what these non English words mean but guessing through 468 pages explains why it took me so long to finish this. Tiring beyond belief.
Such a shame because there was so much potential.
Thanks though to book-man-8 for starting this thread, and to keeta1 for posting to me. Despite the complaints I really enjoyed it. Perhaps sometime there will be a translation.
Waiting to hear from Dancesports so I can send it on its way.

Posted today to Dancesports who is next on the list for this book.
I'll be awaiting her comments with interest.

It's arrived!!! - thank you Sherlockfan and book-man-8. I'm very much looking forward to reading this as I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Glass Palace'. Not too many in front in my tbr pile. I'll try not to be too long - I see there are quite a few readers still awaiting this one.