The Singapore Grip is the last of Farrell’s acclaimed Empire Trilogy. This one focuses on Singapore, from 1939-45. It follows the Blackett family. A wealthy British family and how they dealt with the approaching war and it’s aftermath. The book is incredibly smart and ambitious. I learned a lot about this part of the world and the trials of colonialism. It is also a big novel and requires much time and effort. I think it was worth it. ( )

(12) This is the last of 'The Empire Trilogy,' three stand-alone books by this incredible British author about the end of the British empire in various far flung parts of the world. In India for 'The Siege of Krishnapur (my favorite, I think of the three,) Northern Ireland in 'Troubles,' and in Singapore in this one. This one seemed the longest and was probably my least favorite, but was still delightful and I felt sad to turn the last page as I have done with all of these fantastic novels. In this one the Brit, Walter Blackett, is a rubber baron in Singapore who has spent his whole life in SE Asia. His partner has just died and he is trying to keep Blackett-Webb industries afloat in the middle of turbulent times. His partner's son, Matthew, is our other protagonist - he turns out to be a peacenik-socialist, and Walter's own son - a pampered fool. All around him is labor unrest and the menacing Japanese. What is a colonizing capitalist to do?

I think I did not have as much empathy for Walter or Matthew Webb as I have had for some of the other characters from his previous novels. I also think I did not have a good understanding of the political situation in the Far East as it relates to colonialism. Burma, Indo-China, Malaya, Java, Sumatra. Not sure how all those places and players relate and so at times I was confused. But as always the sense of place and the sense of the absurd are sublime. The ancient Cavalier King Charles spaniel, 'The Human Condition,' the children's marble mistaken for the General's glass eye in a moment of panic and confusion, the random people that kept showing up at the Mayfair including the hopeful Chinese brides. While Singapore was not depicted very lovingly, I could appreciate the cultural diversity and the juxtaposition of commerce and barely contained jungle.

All in all, a bit chaotic and a more difficult narrative to follow than the others in the trilogy, but I am truly glad I discovered the books as a whole. I think one of the three (The Siege of K, I believe) won the Booker and much deserved. I was sad to hear about this author's untimely, tragic death. I am inspired now to learn more about Singapore - a place I realize I know virtually nothing about. ( )

This is a gripping novel set in the months before Singapore falls to the Japanese. It focuses mostly on members of the expat community but, unlike the typical expat novel, the expats are revealed to be pretty awful people and exploiters of the native rubber growers. ( )

I liked J.G. Farrell's novel "The Singapore Grip" for the most part. My interest really was in the family dynamics of the Blacketts and Matthew Webb, rather than the World War II events that were going on around them. As a result, some of the more historical parts kind of dragged on for me.

The novel focuses on Blackett and Webb, an English rubber company that has lived within Singapore for years. It is on the cusp of changes as one of the aging partners dies and the Japanese invasion of Singapore is just around the corner. Old Walter Blackett, the family's patriarch focuses on finding any means of at his disposal to keep his company rolling.

The personal interactions between all of the characters made this enjoyable for me. ( )

I liked this very much, though not as much as the second book in the trilogy, "The Siege of Krishnapur". Farrell tells the story of Singapore before Japan conquers it in World War II. He sets the scene, the atmosphere, amazingly well, and I learned a lot about pre-war Singapore. The characters are more than a little over the top, but some are piercingly observed and the humor is omnipresent (and very knowing, and very British). ( )