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Loot
An epic tale of plundered treasure, savage empire, lasting love and a young man's dream to make his mark on the world.
Meet Abbas. Woodcarver, toy maker, dreamer. Abbas is seventeen when he is whisked away to Tipu Sultan's glorious palace in Mysore. Apprenticed to the legendary clockmaker Monsieur Du Leze, he is ordered to create an ingenious musical tiger to delight Tipu's sons.
In the eccentric Du Leze, Abbas finds an unexpected friend who encourages his skill and hunger for learning, and through whom 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 from a writer at the height of her powers.
Meet Abbas. Woodcarver, toy maker, dreamer. Abbas is seventeen when he is whisked away to Tipu Sultan's glorious palace in Mysore. Apprenticed to the legendary clockmaker Monsieur Du Leze, he is ordered to create an ingenious musical tiger to delight Tipu's sons.
In the eccentric Du Leze, Abbas finds an unexpected friend who encourages his skill and hunger for learning, and through whom 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 from a writer at the height of her powers.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published June 13, 2023
970 people are currently reading
30.2k people want to read
About the author
Tania James
12Ìýbooks269ÌýfollowersTania James is the author of three works of fiction, most recently the novel The Tusk That Did the Damage (Knopf). Tusk was named a Best Book of 2015 by The San Francisco Chronicle, The Guardian, and NPR, and shortlisted for the International Dylan Thomas Prize. Her short stories have appeared in One Story, The New Yorker, Granta, Freeman's Anthology, Oxford American, and other venues. James is an associate professor at George Mason University, and lives in Washington DC. Her forthcoming novel, Loot, will be published by Knopf in June 2023.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,052 reviews
June 15, 2023
I will admit to initially being drawn to Loot because of its beautiful cover. But overall, its interesting premise was what made me decide to actually read the book. In the 1790s, a young Indian woodcarver came to the attention of Tipu Sultan. He, along with a French clockmaker, created an automaton of a tiger eating an English soldier. A few years later, the English defeated the Sultan and took control of Mysore. An English colonel claimed the automaton as his prize and sent it home to his wife.
The tiger in the book truly exists and resides in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Its creators have been fashioned by James. I was amazed that this is James� first historical fiction because it is so smooth, so seamless. She weaves in the necessary details to allow the reader to envision each and every scene. I especially appreciated the part on the boat, bringing Abbas to Europe.
The two main characters, Abbas and Jehanne, are richly drawn. But even the secondary characters come though, especially Rum.
I adore historical fiction that teaches me something new and this totally fits the bill. While the story is made up, the history of the English vanquishing the Sultan is accurate, as is the French sending artisans to India. There’s plenty to keep all sorts of readers entertained - romance, war, inventions. A short book but it packs a big punch.
Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for an advance copy of this book.
The tiger in the book truly exists and resides in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Its creators have been fashioned by James. I was amazed that this is James� first historical fiction because it is so smooth, so seamless. She weaves in the necessary details to allow the reader to envision each and every scene. I especially appreciated the part on the boat, bringing Abbas to Europe.
The two main characters, Abbas and Jehanne, are richly drawn. But even the secondary characters come though, especially Rum.
I adore historical fiction that teaches me something new and this totally fits the bill. While the story is made up, the history of the English vanquishing the Sultan is accurate, as is the French sending artisans to India. There’s plenty to keep all sorts of readers entertained - romance, war, inventions. A short book but it packs a big punch.
Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for an advance copy of this book.
March 14, 2024
Loot does two things really well. First, the writing is lovely. It's evocative without being wordy, pared down but never dull. Second, the historical setting is rich and well-drawn. The novel is set (at least initially) in eighteenth-century India, and we begin with our protagonist being tasked with working alongside a woodcarver to craft a giant automaton of a tiger for the sultan. This particular plotline is based on real events--I highly recommend checking out what the automaton --and I personally just found it to be fascinating. That the narrative is primarily focused on this automaton allows the novel to explore themes that I don't often come across, namely craftsmanship and the labour and skill that go into it, the countless hours of work that a finely made object requires.
Once we move on from this initial plotline, though, the novel started to lose me. The first part of the novel works because it is limited in scope and focus: we are focusing primarily on two characters, and those two characters have a specific task that they're trying to accomplish. In that time, we learn about these characters and their dynamic, and so have reason to invest in them. All the sections that followed this first one were lacking in either focus or scope or both. They are set in different times and places (the entire novel spans about a decade), with the novel jumping around from one character to the next, all of them feeling marginal and insignificant because they are never developed enough within the bounds of their very short sections. A lot of the time it just felt like the author didn't know how to get from point A to point B, and so the plot feels contrived to fit the purposes of the larger narrative endpoint that we're trying to get to.
Plot concerns aside, Loot was also a book that never moved me in any way. The writing is lovely, yes, but it also feels a bit...muted. It was like the novel's emotional scale was operating at a 5 at the story's most emotional moments, significant scenes glossed over rather than dwelt upon--the result being that I just never connected to the story or its characters. I enjoyed some parts of Loot, but at the end of the day it's not a book that's going to stick with me.
Once we move on from this initial plotline, though, the novel started to lose me. The first part of the novel works because it is limited in scope and focus: we are focusing primarily on two characters, and those two characters have a specific task that they're trying to accomplish. In that time, we learn about these characters and their dynamic, and so have reason to invest in them. All the sections that followed this first one were lacking in either focus or scope or both. They are set in different times and places (the entire novel spans about a decade), with the novel jumping around from one character to the next, all of them feeling marginal and insignificant because they are never developed enough within the bounds of their very short sections. A lot of the time it just felt like the author didn't know how to get from point A to point B, and so the plot feels contrived to fit the purposes of the larger narrative endpoint that we're trying to get to.
Plot concerns aside, Loot was also a book that never moved me in any way. The writing is lovely, yes, but it also feels a bit...muted. It was like the novel's emotional scale was operating at a 5 at the story's most emotional moments, significant scenes glossed over rather than dwelt upon--the result being that I just never connected to the story or its characters. I enjoyed some parts of Loot, but at the end of the day it's not a book that's going to stick with me.
June 24, 2023
I would highly recommend this to fans of as this seems to have a similar vibe even though the historical context is different: here an adventure set against the background of eighteenth century European colonial expansion in India.
The first section worked best for me as we see Abbas, a young and talented woodcarver, get swept up to the Sultan's court in Mysore where he helps to create the real (see it in the V&A) life-sized automaton of an Indian tiger ravaging an English soldier, complete with growls and an organ built into the body. The sultan's household, the luxurious palace, the presence of wives and eunuchs, the rituals of power all gives this opening great presence.
But as the story develops, the imagery of the automaton gets rather lost: Abbas travels to Rouen and then England in search of the looted piece, falls in love (of course!) and meets some quirky characters.
James' writing is very readable and straddles the politics of empire with something more humorous - but I think for me this is too much of a plot-filled book where what happens is what drives the momentum. My three-stars reflects the reader-book slight mismatch rather than being a comment on the quality of the writing or the story itself.
Thanks to Random House/Vintage for an ARC via NetGalley.
The first section worked best for me as we see Abbas, a young and talented woodcarver, get swept up to the Sultan's court in Mysore where he helps to create the real (see it in the V&A) life-sized automaton of an Indian tiger ravaging an English soldier, complete with growls and an organ built into the body. The sultan's household, the luxurious palace, the presence of wives and eunuchs, the rituals of power all gives this opening great presence.
But as the story develops, the imagery of the automaton gets rather lost: Abbas travels to Rouen and then England in search of the looted piece, falls in love (of course!) and meets some quirky characters.
James' writing is very readable and straddles the politics of empire with something more humorous - but I think for me this is too much of a plot-filled book where what happens is what drives the momentum. My three-stars reflects the reader-book slight mismatch rather than being a comment on the quality of the writing or the story itself.
Thanks to Random House/Vintage for an ARC via NetGalley.
June 6, 2023
At the center of Tania James’s new novel, “Loot,� a tiger crouches over an Englishman, chomping on his neck forever. It’s an arresting image, strangely comic and ghoulish � all the more so for being real. Or real-ish, at least.
In the 1790s, Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore in India, received an automaton that must have seemed as astonishing to his courtiers as ChatGPT does to us today. This almost life-size contraption consisted of a man wearing a red coat pinned on the ground under a giant cat. Turn a crank and the man groaned and waved one arm over his mouth while the animal growled. A keyboard and a set of bellows running alongside the tiger’s body made it so that the mauling could be accompanied by celebratory tunes. It gave a whole new meaning to organ music.
Tipu’s Tiger now resides in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, which is something of a spoiler, but that takes nothing away from the suspense of James’s magical tale. Like the craftsmen who once compressed that ingenious machinery inside the body of a wooden tiger, James has engineered a vast story of geopolitical conflict within the life of a simple peasant.
Her hero, Abbas, is a curious 17-year-old whose poor family doesn’t see much value in his talent for carving mechanical toy animals. What’s worse, he inadvertently gets caught up in a eunuch’s plot against Tipu Sultan. Fortunately, a French clockmaker working in the sultan’s summer palace takes note of....
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
In the 1790s, Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore in India, received an automaton that must have seemed as astonishing to his courtiers as ChatGPT does to us today. This almost life-size contraption consisted of a man wearing a red coat pinned on the ground under a giant cat. Turn a crank and the man groaned and waved one arm over his mouth while the animal growled. A keyboard and a set of bellows running alongside the tiger’s body made it so that the mauling could be accompanied by celebratory tunes. It gave a whole new meaning to organ music.
Tipu’s Tiger now resides in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, which is something of a spoiler, but that takes nothing away from the suspense of James’s magical tale. Like the craftsmen who once compressed that ingenious machinery inside the body of a wooden tiger, James has engineered a vast story of geopolitical conflict within the life of a simple peasant.
Her hero, Abbas, is a curious 17-year-old whose poor family doesn’t see much value in his talent for carving mechanical toy animals. What’s worse, he inadvertently gets caught up in a eunuch’s plot against Tipu Sultan. Fortunately, a French clockmaker working in the sultan’s summer palace takes note of....
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
June 27, 2023
"Loot" is a historical fiction novel that has an original premise. Set in India during the late 1700's, a talented Indian woodcarver (Abbas) and a French master clock maker (Lucien Du Leze) team up to create an automated life-size tiger which is mauling an English man. This is a stunning achievement for the time period. Not only is the tiger artistically carved and painted, but it can mechanically seem to bite the man underneath, while uttering growling sounds. The tiger was commissioned by the imperious Tipu Sultan - ruler of that region. Tipu sees himself as a tiger. To him, the automation celebrates his victory over the English.
The novel traces the lives of Tipu Sultan, Lucien, Abbas, and a young woman named Jehanne, who later becomes Lucien's adopted daughter. The characters, due both to their desires and the necessity caused by war, travel first to France and then to England. The tiger ends up in England also.
This is a plot driven book. Despite the intriguing characters, there is little character development and minimal dialogue. As these are what interest me as a reader, I found the book to be slow-going.
Note: I was curious to see what Tipu's tiger looks like. It is a historical artifact housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum in England. Here is a video about it.
The novel traces the lives of Tipu Sultan, Lucien, Abbas, and a young woman named Jehanne, who later becomes Lucien's adopted daughter. The characters, due both to their desires and the necessity caused by war, travel first to France and then to England. The tiger ends up in England also.
This is a plot driven book. Despite the intriguing characters, there is little character development and minimal dialogue. As these are what interest me as a reader, I found the book to be slow-going.
Note: I was curious to see what Tipu's tiger looks like. It is a historical artifact housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum in England. Here is a video about it.
May 29, 2023
The best part of this book was the cover.
It’s an interesting enough story, but there’s so much historical and cultural context that is lost. If I’d have stopped to search every unfamiliar reference it would takes ages to get through. At a certain point, a reader grows tired of stopping and Googling. Overall, it feels like my fingers only skimmed the surface of a rather shallow story. Far too much time was spent with secondary characters and the plot just didn’t capture my attention. Slugged through this one.
It’s an interesting enough story, but there’s so much historical and cultural context that is lost. If I’d have stopped to search every unfamiliar reference it would takes ages to get through. At a certain point, a reader grows tired of stopping and Googling. Overall, it feels like my fingers only skimmed the surface of a rather shallow story. Far too much time was spent with secondary characters and the plot just didn’t capture my attention. Slugged through this one.
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June 9, 2023historical fiction is really the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off
July 4, 2023
A layered and sweeping novel about a young Indian boy with a skill for carpentry who is apprenticed to a French man and tasked with creating an automaton for the Sultan. This creation will follow him for the rest of his life as he seeks to make a mark on the world that will outlast him. Along the way we meet sailors, lords and ladies in a Dickensian novel of longing for home and forging your own future.
Loot is incredibly engaging and readable. From the first chapter I was intrigued by the setting (1790s Mysore, India) and the way the author renders real and imaginary figures from history. I was surprised by the pace of the story as well, moving quickly through time and space over the course of just under 300 pages.
Abbas, our main character, is only 17 years old when he is called by the Sultan to perform his duty of creating a wooden tiger statue. We follow Abbas over the years as he reckons with his circumstances and is opened to opportunities because of his skill and the connections it brings.
We also jump into other characters' perspectives from time to time, with each section of the novel focusing on either a different point-of-view or even trying out different writing styles (one section is in the form of a sailor's journal entries onboard a ship Abbas voyages upon).
I really liked how James crafted the world that felt at times real and also heightened, sort of like a children's adventure story. It was not whimsical exactly but it had a sort of cheekiness that gave everything a bit more life. The ideas and themes explored in this novel were well rendered, but I did feel due to its length and breadth, some of the character development suffered for that.
All in all, I enjoyed this story and would definitely recommend it to readers who like novels with a balance of plot and exploration of ideas. If you enjoyed by Esi Edugyan then you would probably enjoy the way this story is told as well.
Loot is incredibly engaging and readable. From the first chapter I was intrigued by the setting (1790s Mysore, India) and the way the author renders real and imaginary figures from history. I was surprised by the pace of the story as well, moving quickly through time and space over the course of just under 300 pages.
Abbas, our main character, is only 17 years old when he is called by the Sultan to perform his duty of creating a wooden tiger statue. We follow Abbas over the years as he reckons with his circumstances and is opened to opportunities because of his skill and the connections it brings.
We also jump into other characters' perspectives from time to time, with each section of the novel focusing on either a different point-of-view or even trying out different writing styles (one section is in the form of a sailor's journal entries onboard a ship Abbas voyages upon).
I really liked how James crafted the world that felt at times real and also heightened, sort of like a children's adventure story. It was not whimsical exactly but it had a sort of cheekiness that gave everything a bit more life. The ideas and themes explored in this novel were well rendered, but I did feel due to its length and breadth, some of the character development suffered for that.
All in all, I enjoyed this story and would definitely recommend it to readers who like novels with a balance of plot and exploration of ideas. If you enjoyed by Esi Edugyan then you would probably enjoy the way this story is told as well.
July 1, 2023
Fictionalized history of a real piece of art commissioned by Tipu Sultan, ruler of Mysore beginning in the 1790s. It is a sculpture of a giant wooden mechanical tiger attacking a man. The author envisions a young Mysorean woodworker and artisan named Abbas who wishes to leave a legacy. He teams up with a French engineer with the technical knowledge to turn it into a mechanical device, complete with growling sounds. The tiger is looted by the British when they conquer the Sultanate, and Abbas embarks on a quest to retrieve it. Over the course of his life, he travels to France and England. This book provides a combination of historical fiction, adventure, romance, and commentary on the plundering of art by conquerors. It was a brutal time in history, but most of the gruesomeness takes place off the page. There are also scenes of humor and compassion. I particularly enjoyed the elements of India’s history and the well-structured storytelling. It covers a lot of ground in less than 300 pages.
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September 21, 2023A thrilling, absorbing and immersive tale of artistry, adventure and romance. Thanks to the publisher for a proof. I really enjoyed this. The 1790s and woodcarver, Abbas works with a French artist to carve an automaton of a tiger eating a British soldier (which can really be seen in the V&A) for Mysore's leader, Tipu Sultan. When Mysore is looted, the automaton is taken, and eventually Abbas teams up with a young woman to try to get it back from an English lady. It's all great fun!
August 28, 2024
Highly recommended
Great read
Great read
March 13, 2023
It seems that nearly all the novels I've picked up lately are filled with dystopian angst about something--not that they're not good, but, boy, are they dire. Then comes the blessed relief of Tania James' "Loot," a beautifully realized historical novel about art, and hope, and science. It's a wonderful dive into a world that is not perfect, but one which people feel will get better, due to the power of new ideas,
It's 1794. Abbas is seventeen the finest woodcarver in his home town of Mysore, India. He is snatched up by the sultan to work with a master French watchmaker to create an unforgettable automaton to celebrate the return of the Sultan's sons from being held hostage by the English. Tipu's Tiger is a wonder, and Abbas is completely enamored with learning to create mechanisms and the opportunities for learning with the Frenchman Lucien Du Leze.
But history engulfs Abbas, Lucien, the Sultan, and the Tiger. Abbas will travel to England and to France, finding his way as a creator and artist. There are so many entrancing characters in "Loot" that the pages fly by, keeping you glued to every one of them.
Tania James is an assured and deft writer, and the good news is that she has several other books to explore. "Loot" is a delight and highly recommended.
Heartfelt thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for a digital review copy of this novel.
It's 1794. Abbas is seventeen the finest woodcarver in his home town of Mysore, India. He is snatched up by the sultan to work with a master French watchmaker to create an unforgettable automaton to celebrate the return of the Sultan's sons from being held hostage by the English. Tipu's Tiger is a wonder, and Abbas is completely enamored with learning to create mechanisms and the opportunities for learning with the Frenchman Lucien Du Leze.
But history engulfs Abbas, Lucien, the Sultan, and the Tiger. Abbas will travel to England and to France, finding his way as a creator and artist. There are so many entrancing characters in "Loot" that the pages fly by, keeping you glued to every one of them.
Tania James is an assured and deft writer, and the good news is that she has several other books to explore. "Loot" is a delight and highly recommended.
Heartfelt thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for a digital review copy of this novel.
February 17, 2024
This book promised quality historical fiction at a less well known period of Indian history (to me at least!) I loved the atmosphere and the deeply evocative descriptions of society and this royal court. Tipu was an interesting ruler and I very much enjoyed his character. I actually found the main character Abbas less interesting and was disappointed the tiger did not have more prominence in the story. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
January 19, 2025
Loot charts the sprawling fictional journey of an actual historical artefact across two centuries (eighteenth and nineteenth), eight different narrative perspectives (from an Indian sultan to a British seaman), and four geographic backdrops (India, the open seas, France, and England). Unfortunately I think the immense scope is the reason why this story did not make more of an impact on me.
I think this would have been far more compelling if it had focused solely on the Indian segment, as the voices of Abbas and Lucien Du Leze felt the most authentic and the story the most distinctive. By attempting to weave together so many characters and narratives, the book sacrificed depth, making it difficult to truly connect with any of the players. While it’s undeniably a well-written piece of historical fiction, it ultimately falls short of delivering the kind of magic that leaves a lasting impression.
I think this would have been far more compelling if it had focused solely on the Indian segment, as the voices of Abbas and Lucien Du Leze felt the most authentic and the story the most distinctive. By attempting to weave together so many characters and narratives, the book sacrificed depth, making it difficult to truly connect with any of the players. While it’s undeniably a well-written piece of historical fiction, it ultimately falls short of delivering the kind of magic that leaves a lasting impression.
December 31, 2023
This spellbinding historical novel weaves a story around the automata Tipu’s Tiger, and some of the people whose lives it touched. I’ve seen Tipu’s Tiger at the V&A Museum in London, so it was fascinating to read a fictionalised account of it’s creation, and how it ended up in the collection of the East India Company (from where it was ultimately passed to the V&A).
The story revolves around a number of people who are displaced, away from home, or amongst strangers. The main character, Abbas, an apprentice carver who worked on the Tiger, is displaced for most of the story: taken from his home to work in Tipu’s Summer Palace; then an Indian amongst Europeans at a turbulent time in Indian history. His character is sensitively written, with a depth of emotion, ambition and uncertainty that I found really engaging.
The plot takes Abbas from India to Europe, as he follows his ambition of completing his training in order to create automata of the quality of those made by his mentor in India. I was carried along with his fate, and that of the ward of his mentor, Jehanne De Leze. I enjoyed following them through hardships and attempts to build a life for themselves.
Historical novels aren’t my usual genre, but I thoroughly enjoyed this.
Thank you #NetGalley and Random House UK Vintage for the free review copy of #Loot in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The story revolves around a number of people who are displaced, away from home, or amongst strangers. The main character, Abbas, an apprentice carver who worked on the Tiger, is displaced for most of the story: taken from his home to work in Tipu’s Summer Palace; then an Indian amongst Europeans at a turbulent time in Indian history. His character is sensitively written, with a depth of emotion, ambition and uncertainty that I found really engaging.
The plot takes Abbas from India to Europe, as he follows his ambition of completing his training in order to create automata of the quality of those made by his mentor in India. I was carried along with his fate, and that of the ward of his mentor, Jehanne De Leze. I enjoyed following them through hardships and attempts to build a life for themselves.
Historical novels aren’t my usual genre, but I thoroughly enjoyed this.
Thank you #NetGalley and Random House UK Vintage for the free review copy of #Loot in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
September 20, 2023
The strongest part of this novel for me was the characters - the author has a nice way of revealing their nuances and complexities gradually as their personal stories unfold. While there weren't any big surprises plot-wise, it still went in directions I didn't expect, and all along the way new characters appeared who added wonderful new dimensions to the whole. A lot happens in 300 pages, but it never felt overstuffed to me. I found the end a bit disappointing, but that might be because I finished it in a marathon sitting and may have been too tired to appreciate it. I burnt out, rather than the book.
February 29, 2024
The narration of the audiobook by Shawn K.Jain is unbearable. Abandoned. I see that they have produced a new edition with a different narrator. Maybe he is better, but the library still has the old edition.
July 8, 2023
Set during the last days of the Indian Muslim ruler Tipu Sultan’s reign over the Kingdom of Mysore, this is an historical fiction. Tipu Sultan was a pioneer in many areas including warfare, governing, and arts and culture. He also introduced the Channapatna toys - wooden toys and dolls, still famous today in the state of Karnataka, India. France and Britain are competing to gain a foothold in the region and local rulers are also fighting for dominance. The story centers around Abbas, a young artist who becomes an apprentice to famous French clockmaker Lucien Du Leze in Tipu Sultan’s court. He meets Jehanne the daughter of a French expatriate. Lucien and Abbas design and build for Tipu Sultan a wooden tiger automaton, which will lead Abbas on a trail to England with a stop first in France. I loved the idea for the book - setting it during that time period and highlighting the fine art of wood crafting and toy automaton. I thought the storyline was a bit choppy and I would have liked more historical background and context. I enjoyed the setting and the concept for the book. Overall it was an okay read. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
June 6, 2023
What. A. Triumph. This book is near perfection, sure to be one of my best of 2023. It has everything - history, whimsy, humor, love, and a heist. What more could you want?!?!!
The story begins when Abbas, a teenage wood carver, is summoned to the palace of Tipu Sultan, to assist with a vanity project he has in mind, a gift for his very young sons. Once there, he is introduced to Lucien Du Leze, a Frenchman renowned for creating animatronic devices. Together, they set out to create Tipu Sultan's vision - a giant musical tiger that has pounced on a British soldier. Abbas stays on to apprentice with Du Leze, hoping to expand his skillset to creating animatronic toys and clockmaking. Through it all, the British are plotting and preparing to topple Tipu Sultan and claim Mysore.
Du Leze, desperate to return to France, invites Abbas to join him and continue his studies in Rouen. Eager to defend his home against the British, Abbas defers. Du Leze leaves, and along the way adopts Jehanne, a half French, half Indian daughter of another Frenchman.
Tipu Sultan and his Mysorean kingdom fall to the Brits (not a spoiler, just history) and Abbas belatedly makes his way to France. He is reunited with Jehanne, who he met only briefly when she was a child. Together, the two of them piece together a life, speaking Kannada all the while.
This book is special. The setting is ancient, foreign, yet the author's words and contemporary humor bring it to life beautifully. It's so much fun. I finished this book, an ARC for which I'm grateful to the publisher, at 3:00 AM while my household slept. I miss Abbas and Jehanne and all the rest of the characters because even the briefest, seemingly mundane appearances will capture your heart.
The story begins when Abbas, a teenage wood carver, is summoned to the palace of Tipu Sultan, to assist with a vanity project he has in mind, a gift for his very young sons. Once there, he is introduced to Lucien Du Leze, a Frenchman renowned for creating animatronic devices. Together, they set out to create Tipu Sultan's vision - a giant musical tiger that has pounced on a British soldier. Abbas stays on to apprentice with Du Leze, hoping to expand his skillset to creating animatronic toys and clockmaking. Through it all, the British are plotting and preparing to topple Tipu Sultan and claim Mysore.
Du Leze, desperate to return to France, invites Abbas to join him and continue his studies in Rouen. Eager to defend his home against the British, Abbas defers. Du Leze leaves, and along the way adopts Jehanne, a half French, half Indian daughter of another Frenchman.
Tipu Sultan and his Mysorean kingdom fall to the Brits (not a spoiler, just history) and Abbas belatedly makes his way to France. He is reunited with Jehanne, who he met only briefly when she was a child. Together, the two of them piece together a life, speaking Kannada all the while.
This book is special. The setting is ancient, foreign, yet the author's words and contemporary humor bring it to life beautifully. It's so much fun. I finished this book, an ARC for which I'm grateful to the publisher, at 3:00 AM while my household slept. I miss Abbas and Jehanne and all the rest of the characters because even the briefest, seemingly mundane appearances will capture your heart.
December 8, 2023
An engaging historical fiction set in the late 18th and early 19th centuries that ranges between India, France and England, inspired by the real-life automaton that resides in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum depicting a tiger savaging a British soldier, complete with growls and screams from the bellows-driven organ hidden inside the piece. Nothing is known about the real creator(s) of the piece, but the author has created an entertaining fictional backstory. Our tale opens in 1790s Mysore, India, when 17-year-old Abbas, a gifted woodcarver, is summoned from his father’s workshop to the imperious Sultan Tipu’s palace and ordered to join with a transplanted Frenchman, a master clockmaker, to create the tiger-chomping-the-Englishman piece. This is driven by the Sultan’s desire to demonstrate how advanced his kingdom is and not a little by wishful thinking as the British East India Company threatens militarily. Abbas is soon swept up in battle as his world is turned upside down and everything he knows destroyed and scattered. He eventually follows his former master to France, hoping to reunite with him and complete his apprenticeship, then learning that their tiger piece had ended up in England as loot (er, spoils of war) and tracks it to the eccentric Englishwoman who considers it one of the pearls of her extensive collection of orientalia. A sweeping, colourful story that makes some points about colonialism.
June 8, 2023
4.5 - I really enjoyed this. LOOT is an action packed historical fiction novel with impossible layers of storytelling. A stunning combination of a coming of age tale, a hero’s journey and then a wild heist novel all at once, I was shocked how much James packed in to 289 pages. This is a great summer read, inspiring and fast paced, funny and tender.
July 1, 2024
18th century, Srirangapatna - Abbas is a young woodcarver who is summoned by the Tipu Sultan to
collaborate with a well-known French clockmaker Lucien du Leze. This is about the fate of their shared work, a tiger automaton, and how it will impact the many lives of people across India and Europe.
LOOT is a captivating historical fiction that has an equal balance between plot and character development. From India to France to England, the engrossing plot that revolves around stolen art and voyage reads effortlessly; and too often I was dazzled by James' lush prose. James crafts believable characters and through the characterization, she makes a subtle commentary on colonialism, imperialism and displacement in a rich historical background without feeling heavy-handed. One is eager to see what the future has for the characters while the focus on the creations feels all the more interesting.
Channeling a whimsical tone, the multiple POVs allow one to envision different perspectives of a broader scenario. Despite the intimate moments, I wished to linger on the characters for a deeper emotional impact. Regardless, LOOT is an immersive and unique tale that makes me excited to dive into James' other works.
[ I received a complimentary copy from the publisher - Vintage Books . All opinions are my own ]
collaborate with a well-known French clockmaker Lucien du Leze. This is about the fate of their shared work, a tiger automaton, and how it will impact the many lives of people across India and Europe.
LOOT is a captivating historical fiction that has an equal balance between plot and character development. From India to France to England, the engrossing plot that revolves around stolen art and voyage reads effortlessly; and too often I was dazzled by James' lush prose. James crafts believable characters and through the characterization, she makes a subtle commentary on colonialism, imperialism and displacement in a rich historical background without feeling heavy-handed. One is eager to see what the future has for the characters while the focus on the creations feels all the more interesting.
Channeling a whimsical tone, the multiple POVs allow one to envision different perspectives of a broader scenario. Despite the intimate moments, I wished to linger on the characters for a deeper emotional impact. Regardless, LOOT is an immersive and unique tale that makes me excited to dive into James' other works.
[ I received a complimentary copy from the publisher - Vintage Books . All opinions are my own ]
August 14, 2023
A short historical novel with the sweep of a longer one - from the last years of Tipu Sultan before the takeover of the East India Company, to a journey across the sea, to a cat and mouse game over loot of empire in the English countryside. The central figure, Abbas, is never a victim of the colonizers, always driven by his own ambition. As are Jehan, Lucien, Selwyn, and the rest. Captivating.
February 3, 2024
I loved this book. It has such rich characters and what the author did was very ambitious and extremely creative. She took a very real automaton that resides in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and fashioned a tale around its makers and journey from one side of the world to another. It took me a minute to nestle into the atmosphere, but by the end I didn’t want to turn the last page.
August 21, 2024
"If a Wes Anderson movie was a book" � Me, 2024.
A young man in Mysore with a talent for woodcarving gets selected to work on a masterpiece for Tipu Sultan, which leads him on a long journey to France around 1800? Sign me up. Sign me up immediately.
One of the best books I have read, ever, and you all know how cricital I like to be. There is no perfect book, but Loot gets spectacularly close. I fell head over heels for Tania James' writing style and her intricate characters. I will read another book by Tania James and you read Loot, deal? Deal.
A young man in Mysore with a talent for woodcarving gets selected to work on a masterpiece for Tipu Sultan, which leads him on a long journey to France around 1800? Sign me up. Sign me up immediately.
One of the best books I have read, ever, and you all know how cricital I like to be. There is no perfect book, but Loot gets spectacularly close. I fell head over heels for Tania James' writing style and her intricate characters. I will read another book by Tania James and you read Loot, deal? Deal.
September 22, 2024
Compelling journey of a plot with wry moments, plus beautiful writing that leans more into simplicity to give it a folktale quality. I wish I had read this within a shorter period of time � it’s a tightly wound book with lots of moving parts (and very manageable length) but I took a few days� break which ended up forcing me to remember/reread certain side details that came up later. For me the omniscient narrator is deliberate and doesn’t feel overdone as it captures delicately balanced forces: the rich complexity of intersecting lives, but also the grandness of the world where these moments are mere blips. (Also, these flexes of omniscience reminded me a bit of Jennifer Egan’s “Safari.�) Damn tho I would not have made it in 1800
September 22, 2023
Historical fiction from the National Book Awards longlist. James� witty writing and smooth organization make this story of art and imperialism in India and Europe a fun read.
August 9, 2023
3.5/5
This is historical fiction that wears its heart on its sleeve, which in my case made for a most promising beginning and a rather desultory ending. Long story short, I am a creature that must be led to compassionate companionship by the scruff of my ungrateful neck more often than not, and so when I started this work and found myself in the midst of postcolonial treatment of pre-colonial times that handled both suicidal ideation and white overthrow of a non-white dominion with a candor that humanized without infantilization, I was more than a little charmed. Things continued to go well with various intercontinental travails and certain characters made their entrances and their exits, and the middle interlude involving a singular ship and a singular traitor was worth an entire novel unto itself. Then we reach the winding down from imperial besiegement to upstart tradesfolk, and I find that, all of a sudden, I have rather reached my limit for sympathetic portraits whose brevity somewhat interferes with their humanizing efforts, and would have gladly traded this excess of well intentioned fools seemingly separated from paradise only by the shackles of their put upon gender/race/class for some further complications and/or constructions of the narrative by the way of character development as worked by the skein of history tied to place. Excessively misanthropic, to be sure, but what with having read the likes of barely more than a month ago, I can't be blamed all that much for wanting a similar level of denseness coupled to my exercises in sympathetic integrity. In any case, if you want a lesson in history that peels back some of the nonsense without making you sacrifice every hope of an eventual happy ending, here's one that has a good chance of making your lips smile and your heart tremble every so often. I wouldn't call it literature with a capital L, but I think I'll be keeping an eye on James, just in case a future offering sharpens the promise of this into something truly special.
This is historical fiction that wears its heart on its sleeve, which in my case made for a most promising beginning and a rather desultory ending. Long story short, I am a creature that must be led to compassionate companionship by the scruff of my ungrateful neck more often than not, and so when I started this work and found myself in the midst of postcolonial treatment of pre-colonial times that handled both suicidal ideation and white overthrow of a non-white dominion with a candor that humanized without infantilization, I was more than a little charmed. Things continued to go well with various intercontinental travails and certain characters made their entrances and their exits, and the middle interlude involving a singular ship and a singular traitor was worth an entire novel unto itself. Then we reach the winding down from imperial besiegement to upstart tradesfolk, and I find that, all of a sudden, I have rather reached my limit for sympathetic portraits whose brevity somewhat interferes with their humanizing efforts, and would have gladly traded this excess of well intentioned fools seemingly separated from paradise only by the shackles of their put upon gender/race/class for some further complications and/or constructions of the narrative by the way of character development as worked by the skein of history tied to place. Excessively misanthropic, to be sure, but what with having read the likes of barely more than a month ago, I can't be blamed all that much for wanting a similar level of denseness coupled to my exercises in sympathetic integrity. In any case, if you want a lesson in history that peels back some of the nonsense without making you sacrifice every hope of an eventual happy ending, here's one that has a good chance of making your lips smile and your heart tremble every so often. I wouldn't call it literature with a capital L, but I think I'll be keeping an eye on James, just in case a future offering sharpens the promise of this into something truly special.
April 18, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed the depth and breadth of this novel. The account of the time Abbas spent in Tipu’s court and his travels to France and England demonstrated the extent of British imperialism and the backdrop of world events that swirled around it. The many versions of looting, racism and posturing by the East India company are, now, well known but this book examines many of the indirect impacts and imagines how they may have been dealt with.
While this does have what may be an unrealistic happy ending I appreciated the ending as a fictional experience of the time.
While this does have what may be an unrealistic happy ending I appreciated the ending as a fictional experience of the time.
August 21, 2023
A great read. I wrote about it in The Historical Novels Review.
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