Unfortunately, this book failed to ever grab my attention. The premise was right up my alley and I wanted to love it so much. However, I trudged through the story and at the halfway mark, I found myself asking: Is anything significant ever going to happen in this book?? Things did eventually pick up plot-wise, but at that point, I just didn’t care. I felt the author overloaded the novel with historical information instead of developing an engrossing storyline with rich characters we can invest in. There was so much potential here, but sadly, this one just wasn’t for me.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Knopf for an advance copy of this book.

I struggled. I tried several times to get into this book but I felt bored by it. I hate saying that because I know authors pour their hearts into their works. It just felt bland to me and I lacked the ability to connect to the characters. I also lost the point of the book. Is it about the relationship between boy/teacher? Project and magic? Boy and family? Boy and girl? It went in various directions and in no direction. Wasn’t the book for me.

I could not stop reading this book! It was so good and I read it in a day. I knew nothing about Tipu and this stretch of history, and James conjured it so well. Abbas was such an engaging character, and all of the sensory details really spoke to me.

This book set in 18th century India has an interesting premise - the story follows the collaboration between a French clockmaker and a young local woodworker to make a mechanical toy. There's a lot of history which was mostly interesting. I just never got fully immersed in the characters and the overall storyline once it left the initial time when the collaboration started.

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 I packs a big punch.
Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for an advance copy of this book.

“Loot,” by Tania James, Knopf, 304 pages, June 13, 2023.

It is 1794 in Mysore, India. Abbas Muhammad is 17. He is a talented woodcarver. One day, one of Tipu Sultan Fath Ali Kahn’s royal guards arrives. He summons Abbas to the Summer Palace.

Abbas made eight toys for Zubaida Begum, who is high ranking. The toys are carved animals that move by a crank. That is how the sultan found out about Abbas. When Abbas arrives at the palace, French clockmaker Lucien du Leze is also there.

Abbas is to work with du Leze to make a life-size tiger automaton for the sultan’s sons to commemorate their return from British captivity. The automaton is also to play music. The young boys were taken hostage after India’s defeat at Bangalore.

As they work, du Leze decides to teach Abbas French, so du Leze can leave him books after he returns to France. Abbas meets Jehanne Martine, the young daughter of Jacques Martine, a French expatriate, and makes a toy for her. But when du Leze is finally permitted to return home to Rouen, he invites Abbas to come along as his apprentice.

While Abbas travels to Europe, Tipu’s palace is looted by British forces, and the tiger automaton disappears. To prove himself to a master clockmaker, Abbas must retrieve the tiger from an estate in the English countryside, where it is displayed in a collection of plundered art.

The historical background is fascinating. The plot is a rich tapestry with compelling characters. It is very enjoyable. In the afterword, Tania James said the tiger automaton really exists. Photographs of the automaton can be found online.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Thank you Knopf and Net Galley for providing me with an advance readers’ copy of Tania James’ delightful new book, “Loot.” This fabulous historical novel transports the reader to an exotic land filled with unconventional characters but it is set against the bloody backdrop of British and French colonialism. In 18th century Mysore, India, a teenager, Abbas, is taken from his family at the direction of Tipu Sultan who recognizes Abbas’ woodworking talents because Abbas had carved toys for the one of Tipu’s high-ranking consorts. Abbas is to apprentice for Lucien Du Leze, a depressed French clockmaker, who had arrived in Mysore months before Paris fell and, as a result of the Alien Act which barred all non military immigrants, could not return to France or to his lover whose whereabouts were unknown. Du Leze and Abbas had been charged with creating an automaton of a tiger viciously attacking a British soldier (a repudiation of Tipu Sultan’s humiliating defeat at Bangalore two years earlier when he had to surrender his sons as collateral to Lord Cornwallis and an attempt to provoke awe and obedience among the masses). While working under du Leze’s direction, Abbas meets Jehanne Martine, the daughter of Tipu’s French armorer and Abbas’ “favorite Frenchman.” Du Leze, Jehanne, and her father sail to France in 1799, but Abbas stays behind to tend his ailing father and to serve in Tipu’s army. Tipu’s entreaties to other foreign powers for aid are rebuffed, and British forces soon topple Tipu’s regime. Tipu’s Tiger vanishes, having been awarded to the widow of a Colonel Horace Selwyn for his loyal service in the Anglo-Mysore Wars. Abbas then spends years as an indentured seaman on British warships, dreaming of being reunited with his mentor, perfecting his craft, and returning to the beguiling Jehanne. When Abbas and Jehanne finally reconnect, their shared mission of rescuing and restoring Tipu’s Tiger launches them on a captivating quest to reclaim the automaton. James writes in a breezy style which makes the meticulously imagined historical fiction compulsively readable. Despite the painful themes, there is a charm and wit to the tale which keeps the novel buoyant and playful.

I enjoyed this so much. It's historical fiction, set in India, France, and Great Britain in the eighteenth-century, beginning with Abbas, a young woodcarver in Mysore who comes to the attention of Tipu Sultan under unfortunate circumstances. Abbas is engaging and always a little distracted (he's more aware of wood and its potential than the complexities of humankind), and he makes an excellent entry into the story. James doesn't feel the need to draw our attention to the larger forces around Abbas; they just are, and as readers we get swept away when he does and learn along with him. Those larger forces are huge--Tipu Sultan being overthrown by the British, various waves of the French Revolution, not to mention colonialism, race, gender, and class--but we bob along with the characters. I didn't want to put this down, even to look for context (as I often find myself doing when reading historical fiction). It feels like as complete and surprising a world as the menacing carved tiger automaton Abbas helps make that the story revolves around--captivating and logical at the same time.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the free earc I received in return for my honest review. My opinions are all my own.

An epic historical fiction according to my heart: from India to France, poor carvers and king, action and adventure, history and fiction.
The author is an excellent storytelling and this is a book I strongly recommend.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is immersive, engaging, and surprising historical fiction. It's the 1790s and Abbas is a teenaged wood carver when he's plucked to assist Lucien, a Frenchman who is a horologist by trade, at the palace of Sultan Tipu in Mysore. His world changes overnight as the two of them embark on the creation of an automaton of a tiger eating a soldier. Not only does Lucien mentor him, he introduces him to so many things-including a young Jehanne, daughter of one of his friends. But then Lucien realizes he can return to France and while he offers to take Abbas with him, Abbas' father is dying. And then the British arrive. Abbas will eventually become a ship hand, described in an incredibly atmospheric diary written by one of his mates. Jehanne, meanwhile, finds herself struggling in Rouen, until Abbas appears. And then they meet Rum. I loved this for the twists, the sweetness layered throughout, and the huge heart. James has mad story telling skills- she pulled me in and made me feel the period, the characters, and the rhythm of her story. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Keep your eye on the tiger, which is critical to the story in so many ways. A must read!

Thanks to Knopf and Netgalley for the ebook. An epic tale set in the eighteenth century that takes a poor, young woodcarver from India, to an ocean adventure that passes along the Cape of Good Hope, to France and England and back to France. It’s a tale of kings and servants, sailors and privates, mentors gained and lost and the unpredictable love that can come from those you meet. Funny, bawdy at times and a great adventure.

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.

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knopf and NetGalley for an electronic ARC of this novel.

Abbas, a young Indian living in the 18th Century has a gift of woodcarving. Recruited by Tipu Sultan, he works with the Frenchman Lucien du Leze to create an automaton of a tiger attacking a British solider.

Loot, by Tania James, follows Abbas as he learns from Lucien and travels to France to continue his education. I didn't know that much about the story (the actual automaton is real, but the creators are unknown) and that period of time. It was well written and interesting. I enjoyed it for the most part, but I don't think the subject will be for everyone.

A poor woodworker is recruited to work with a skilled French clockmaker to make an automaton for the local Sultan and as a result gets a taste of a life he never imagined possible as well as a front seat to a brutal war.

Abbas is a young man in the 18th century. He becomes an apprentice woodcarver to Lucien du Leze under Tipu Sultan's rule during a time of war between India and Europe and British colonization. The goal is to build a wooden tiger which moves to honor Tipu Sultan's son.

As the story moves through time, Abbas finds himself needing to build his life again. The story depicts a time period I knew little about, and a war I had zero appreciation for until reading Loot. I loved the clock making and the technology advances that enabled woodcarvers to make living automatons way back 400 years ago!!!

The giant tiger reenters the story as an object Abbas must secure in order to prove his worth and be allowed to finish his learning as an apprentice. This takes him deep into the English countryside and a coming of age and understanding that is both realistic and eye opening.

I really enjoyed this book and the cultural education i received while being intrigued by the story line. Abbas story held me captive and gave me such a better understanding of British rule, and how oppressive this time period was, and has continued over hundreds of years to be. But in the midst of that, reading about every day life, and Abbas experiences, his curiosity, the heartbreak, and the perseverance in a tough time, touched my heart and has lingered with me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Knopf Books, and Tania James for the opportunity to read Loot. I would highly recommend this to others and appreciate the walk back in time to a strange land, where it isn't a fairy tale and the good guy doesn't always win!
Working alongside the legendary French clockmaker Lucien du Leze, Abbas hones his craft, learns French, and meets Jehanne, the daughter of a French expatriate. When Du Leze is finally permitted to return home to Rouen, he invites Abbas to come along as his apprentice. But by the time Abbas travels to Europe, Tipu’s palace has been looted by British forces, and the tiger automaton has disappeared. To prove himself, Abbas must retrieve the tiger from an estate in the English countryside, where it is displayed in a collection of plundered art.

I love getting lost in a book, and Loot by Tania James was the perfect novel for that. This immersive story featured seventeen-year-old Abbas, an exceptionally talented woodcarver within eighteenth century India. Tipu Sultan catches wind of the boy's talent and enlists him to create a massive tiger automaton for his sons to celebrate their return from British captivity.

That's the gist of what the plot summary detailed, and I was naturally struck by "massive tiger automaton". It sounded so random to me, but I loved learning more about this story and moment in history. The book moved in many different directions with handfuls of new characters and settings, and it was a treat to read the rich cultural elements.

A really interesting book about a time period and geography I don’t know much about. Since I don’t have that much background, it took me a while to get into the book. I think the first and third parts were the most interesting while the boat section could’ve been cut down. Love how the first and last sections were connected by the childhood relationships.

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.

I wrote about this novel for NPR in their 2023 Summer Books List.

https://www.npr.org/2023/05/26/1176823812/summer-books-list-2023

"The legendary Tipu Sultan, Tiger of Mysore, was killed by British armies in 1799. Among his many creations was a life-size wooden tiger automaton mauling a British soldier. Tania James' latest novel, Loot, gives us a spirited imagining of this tiger's origins and how the British besieged and looted Tipu's capital. With carefully engineered plotlines and epigrammatic flourishes, James molds the tiger's fascinating, fictional journey from India to London's Victoria & Albert Museum — and the singular lives of those who were connected with it. It's a historical novel I've been looking forward to because it subtly problematizes the very historicity of what has been enshrined in the grand halls of eternal record."

Set in Srirangaptna, India the novel is about Abbas, a Mysorean teenage woodcarver who is called to work for Tipu the sultan. He, along with Lucien Du Leze, a French clockmaker will create a musical automata tiger for the sultan. The novel will follow the life of this young woodcarver and his destiny.

This is a work of fiction, the real inventors of the tiger are unknown but based on the author’s research, she created this story about colonialism during Tipu’s kingdom and his end, and portrays how British troops confiscated assets and sold those Indian historical treasures.

I didn’t know about Tipu Sultan nor about Tipu’s tiger automaton so in order to understand the mechanism of this toy I searched online and I was so amazed by the carving work and sound of this piece of work.

I enjoyed the novel’s plot and structure and learning about this part of history was fascinating. I think historical fiction fans will enjoy this novel too.

Thank you Knopf and netgallley for the e-ARC.
Pub date: June 13th, 2023