In Krishnapur, the British residents, soldiers, and others build fortifications and take shelter. The Collector returns to Krishnapur, defeated, and shortly afterward, a violent rebellion in the nearby city of Kaptanganj decimates British forces. The Collector orders the building of ramparts in case of an attack, while he rushes to Calcutta to report the disturbing developments in Krishnapur. This, he thinks, is a sign of trouble on the horizon, though he can't be sure of the exact nature of the trouble in store. One day, the Collector starts seeing pieces of Indian chapati bread showing up around the soldiers' encampment outside of town. During these outings, George encounters a Lieutenant Stapleton, who also harbors his own affections for Louise. The group of high-society friends dines and picnics and socializes with military leaders. Hopkins, whose wife is in the process of moving back to England. The Fluerys also count among their friends the district magistrate-known as the Collector-named Mr. Just off the boat from England, George Fleury and his sister mingle with the wealthy Dunstaples, whose daughter, Louise, becomes the object of George's affections. Discord and dissent begin to stir through the town of Krishnapur.
Native Indians oppose their British rulers' recent decision to take up rifles, a move seen as a violation of the Indians' religious beliefs. The book opens in the days leading up to the rebellion.
This serves as a commentary on the class system in India at the time, illustrating what life may have been like had the roles reversed and the British not been the ones enforcing the barbaric rules and relegating fellow citizens to second- (and third- and forth-) class status. The events in the novel unfold from the colonists' perspective as their lives grow increasingly restricted by the new reality enforced by the Indian invaders. Set during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the book is a chronicle of a siege on the fictional community of Krishnapur, home to a large population of British colonists. Farrell, first published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in 1973. The Siege of Krishnapur is a historical novel by English author J.G.
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