Publication Date: 25/01/2024 ISBN: 9781787304154 Category:

Loot

Tania James

Publisher: Vintage Publishing
Publication Date: 25/01/2024 ISBN: 9781787304154 Category:
Hardback

£18.99

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Mr B's review

Abbas is only 17 when he’s called to Tipu Sultan’s palace to work on a remarkable automaton – a life-sized tiger, sinking its teeth into the neck of a flailing, moaning British soldier.
In 1794, this isn’t just an extraordinary mechanical feat; it’s a political statement, sending a message to those attempting to control and conquer Mysore, Abbas’s homeland. But this tiger isn’t safe in Mysore’s summer palace, and when the land falls to the British, the automaton is taken by the victors.
This is a beautifully crafted novel, both sensuous and epic, and is one which raises a vital question about who writes history and who owns the objects history leaves behind. (Lottie)

Description

‘Loot held me spellbound from the first page…an expertly-plotted, deeply affecting novel ‘ Maggie O’Farrell

Young toy maker and dreamer Abbas is whisked away to Tipu Sultan’s glorious palace in Mysore and ordered to create a musical tiger to delight Tipu’s sons.

When he is apprenticed to eccentric clockmaker Monsieur Du Leze, Abbas finds an unexpected friend who encourages his skill and hunger for learning. Through Du Leze, he also meets the unforgettable Jehanne, who has questions and ambitions of her own.

But when British soldiers attack and loot Mysore, Abbas’s world is turned upside down and his prized tiger is shipped off to a country estate in England. In order to carve out his place in the world, he must follow.

A hero’s quest, a love story, an exuberant heist novel that traces the bloody legacy of colonialism across the world, Loot is a dazzling, wildly inventive and irresistible feat of storytelling.

‘A thrilling, absorbing and immersive tale of artistry, adventure and romance’ Claire Fuller

‘A cinematic novel of empire, colonialism and romance…Loot asks who gets written out of history and why’ Guardian

‘Immersive and beautifully written…a clever and absorbing novel about empire and belonging’ Sunday Times

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