Rating: 
Summary: Indescribable (see description below)
Review: A winner of the 1997 Arthur C. Clarke Award for best science fiction novel -- but is it really SF? Who knows? But whatever it is, this is a fascinating, head-spinning thriller that slowly reveals a secret history of India, malaria, and a hidden society seeking immortality. Made my top 20 "Best Right Angle, Odd, Sort-of-SF" list.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: After such classics as "In an Antique Land" and "The Shadowlines," Ghosh's latest book is rather a let down, much like "Circle of Reason." In "The Calcutta Chromosome," the characters are not well developed at all, and they all seems so contradictory, especially Dr. Murugan, who carries much of the burden of this book. Part science, part science fiction, part mystery, the story becomes less compelling when doused heavily with the technobabble of science and computers (the latter is very unrealistic, even for a futuristic fantasy.) Simply put, it detracts from a potentially interesting story. Even the concept of the Chromosome and it's omnipotent possiblities is not developed enough to make the title a compelling one.
Rating:
Summary: Wait--let me read that again. . .
Review: Amitav Ghosh is a bright man, a very bright man. A bright man with a good imagination and a sure touch with plot development. On first reading I , like many of the other reviewers, said "Huh?" when I reached the end. Unlike many of the readers, I went back and read it again. And again, and again. And I realized that I just hadn't kept up with him the first time 'round. Like the reader from Calcutta mentioned, every word, every story, has a purpose. What seem like disparate threads come together in Ghosh's hands to form a sure knot. There are few "mysteries" that one can take pleasure in reading once the answer is known, but this is an exception, because each time I find one more clue when I reread the novel. Who is this Antar character, anyhow, and why does this information come to him--on this day, in this way? The entire novel pivots on this question, but it is one the reader never asks. This is a novel worth reading twice.
Rating: 
Summary: A flawed gem
Review: Amitav Ghosh's prose is beautiful and engaging, and so are his descriptions of India, past and present. For the most part, the main characters feel fleshed-out and alive, and the underlying mystery is gripping, keeping the reader turning the pages until the end. On the down side, I found the Science Fiction aspect to be a bit underdeveloped (and therefore unconvincing, especially the idea of 19th century genetic engineering for transferring personality and memories with bits of DNA), though it was nothing that couldn't be kept at bay with a healthy dose of Suspension of Disbelief. On balance, I can recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read, especially to those who, like myself, are fond of writings on the border of SF and 'higher' literature.
Rating: 
Summary: Great story, but....what?
Review: As I lived in Calcutta for a couple of years, the book appealed to me. To see reference to Lower Circular Road, Chowrighee, Park Street, New Market, Sealdah Railway Station, even a hotel in which I spent my first two weeks in the city brought a smile to my face. And a key place in the story was a half block from where I used to get my hair cut! And the story kept me glued to it; oh, how many nights was it difficult to put it down. (No, it's not THAT long. I'm just not as fast a reader as I'd like). Some other critics commented on the bad science. That may or may not be. I don't think most sci fi is necessarily good science. The story still kept my attention. But when I reached the end of the book, I wasn't able to make ends meet. I may have to review the whole thing (though, as it was a novel, I wasn't compelled to use a highligher--one of the good habits from my undergraduate days--so I won't know what to review.) I guess I'd recommend it, but I think some people would resent it. I think, but I'm not sure. Maybe if I read it all more quickly, and put it all together in a short time...that might work.
Rating:
Summary: A Bit Disappointing...
Review: Chromosome is a fairly intriguing story revolving around the history of malaria research with a little bit of soul transmigration (of a sort) thrown in for good measure. It has a very complex narrative that draws you in, but in totality it wasn't as well executed as I'd have liked. The author's tendency to abruptly switch back and forth between flashbacks was a little confusing and the ending felt incomplete and left me more than a little disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: A racy one-night read
Review: Ghosh is clearly on a fun trip here. No big ideas, no grand locales, just a racy account of a man trying to find his past through a list of clues embedded all throughout the book, written in a style that makes you move mesmerisingly, and often exasperatingly, from one chapter to the next - and back! It is as if Ghosh wanted to write a whodunit, and instead of having the perfunctory sleuth, makes one out of the reader herself. It is intellectually stimulating, only if your idea of intellectual stimulation is an intense game of chess - or better still, "Scotland Yard"
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing, ultimately disappointing
Review: Ghosh's novel of a conspiracy/mystery surrounding malaria, mosquitoes, and spirit transfer is a quirky, different sort of book.But even in an offbeat novel, you need some questions answered, As one of the reviews below states, you feel like the story stops 25 pages before it should. Worth a look for some intriguing ideas, but not executed as well as it could be.
Rating:
Summary: Bizarre mix of science fiction and history
Review: Ghosh's psychedelic take on the discovery of the malaria parasite in Calcutta of the British Raj, combined with a strange combination of psychology, reincarnation and the future of the internet as the "global mind". If that sounds incoherent, it's just because it's Ghosh's wierdest and coolest venture yet. =)
Rating:
Summary: A Disappointment
Review: Having read his exquisitely crafted "In an Antique Land" and his almost lyrically beautiful "Glass Palace", which struck a special personal chord as I grew up in Burma and India, I couldn't wait to read "The Calcutta Chromosome". I found it disappointing, not sure if it was history, a medical who-done-it or what. Amitav Ghose is in my opinion one of the most talented writers alive, but this book which is written with his usual gift of language and expression, left me with an incomplete feeling.
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