Maria Federica Oddera Boeken

Taking us back to a time that is half history, half myth and wholly magical, bestselling author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni gives voice to Panchaali, the fire-born heroine of the Mahabharata, as she weaves a vibrant retelling of an ancient epic saga. Married to five royal husbands who have been cheated out of their father's kingdom, Panchaali aids their quest to reclaim their birthright, remaining at their side through years of exile and a terrible civil war. But she cannot deny her complicated friendship with the enigmatic Krishna—or her secret attraction to the mysterious man who is her husbands' most dangerous enemy—as she is caught up in the ever-manipulating hands of fate.

Lily groeit op in het China van de negentiende eeuw, een tijd waarin de vrouwen nog een geïsoleerd leven leidden en hun voeten ingebonden werden. Op een dag ontvangt Lily een waaier, waarop in de geheimtaal Nushu is geschreven. Hij is afkomstig van Snow Flower, met wie Lily vanaf haar zevende een laotong - een bijzondere verbintenis - heeft. Via de waaier schrijven zij elkaar en delen zij alles: verhalen over liefde, moederschap, eenzaamheid en geluk. Tot er een misverstand ontstaat en hun levenslange vriendschap ten einde dreigt te komen.

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni made an indelible impression on the literary world with her first novel, The Mistress of Spices , a magical tale of love and herbs. Sister of My Heart is less reliant on enchantment but no less enchanting as it tells the tale of two cousins born on the same day, their premature births brought on by a mysterious occurrence that claims the lives of both their fathers. Sudha is beautiful, Anju is not; yet the girls love each other as sisters, the bond between them so strong it seems nothing can break it. When both are pushed into arranged marriages, however, each discovers a devastating secret that changes their relationship forever. Sister of My Heart spans many years and zigzags between India and America as the cousins first grow apart and then eventually reunite. Divakaruni invests this domestic drama with poetry as she traces her heroines' lives from infancy to motherhood, but it is Sudha and Anju who give the story its backbone. Anju might speak for both when she says, "In spite of all my insecurities, in spite of the oceans that'll be between us soon and the men that are between us already, I can never stop loving Sudha. It's my habit, and it's my fate." Book lovers may well discover that reading Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is habit-forming as well. --Margaret Prior

In the summer of 1922, following a series of defeats by the Turks, the Greek army retreats from Asia Minor, leaving behind a lost brigade wandering the Anatolian desert, burdened by a seemingly inexpiable curse. As their leader succumbs to morphine-induced despair, hope fades, and morale among the officers deteriorates. Mysterious Communist leaflets appear daily, thefts go unresolved, and the soldiers' minds increasingly dwell on a single, unspeakable act committed in desperation. Their fortune seems to shift when they discover a Greek settlement untouched by war, where the mayor and schoolteacher vie for the local courtesan's attention, and a disillusioned journalist drowns his sorrows. However, the brigade's dark past follows them, bringing calamity to this seemingly idyllic town with dire consequences for both soldiers and citizens. The New York Times Book Review praises the author's "spry and playful, sly and macabre" writing, likening it to the early works of Eudora Welty and the magical realism of Gabriel García Márquez. This debut novel establishes the author as one of Britain's most remarkable young talents.

Two brothers bound by tragedy; a fiercely brilliant woman haunted by her past; a country torn by revolution. A powerful new novel--set in both India and America--that explores the price of idealism and a love that can last long past death. Growing up in Calcutta, born just fifteen months apart, Subhash and Udayan Mitra are inseparable brothers, one often mistaken for the other. But they are also opposites, with gravely different futures ahead of them. It is the 1960s, and Udayan--charismatic and impulsive--finds himself drawn to the Naxalite movement, a rebellion waged to eradicate inequity and poverty: he will give everything, risk all, for what he believes. Subhash, the dutiful son, does not share his brother's political passion; he leaves home to pursue a life of scientific research in a quiet, coastal corner of America. But when Subhash learns what happened to his brother in the lowland outside their family's home, he comes back to India, hoping to pick up the pieces of a shattered family, and to heal the wounds Udayan left behind--including those seared in the heart of his brother's wife. Suspenseful, sweeping, piercingly intimate, The Lowland expands the range of one of our most dazzling storytellers, seamlessly interweaving the historical and the personal across generations and geographies. This masterly novel of fate and will, exile and return, is a tour de force and an instant classic.

A humorous examination with serious overtones of the concepts of space, time, and dimension.

Rakhi è una giovane artista e madre divorziata di Berkeley, California, la cui vita è in un equilibrio precario, minacciato da drammi imminenti. L'ex marito Sonny cerca di ottenere l'affetto esclusivo della figlia Jona, costringendo Rakhi nel ruolo del genitore severo, mentre lui la vizia. La sua attività ristorativa con l'amica Belle è a rischio a causa dell'apertura di un locale di una catena potente nella stessa strada. La pittura rappresenta un momento di libertà, ma Rakhi riesce a dedicarcisi solo nel tempo libero, affrontando grandi sacrifici. La madre di Rakhi, interprete dei sogni, è un punto di riferimento per molti, ma Rakhi si sente esclusa da questo dono e dal passato indiano della madre, dalle tradizioni mai vissute. Gli eventi dell'11 Settembre pongono Rakhi e la sua comunità multietnica di fronte a una domanda cruciale: sono americani? Un amico di Belle viene aggredito per il suo turbante, evidenziando le tensioni razziali. La ricerca di identità di Rakhi, anche attraverso i "Diari del sogno" della madre, diventa il seme di un riscatto e di una nuova vita, con la speranza di riconquistare armonia nella sua famiglia e nella comunità.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD WINNER OF THE BOOKS ARE MY BAG NOVEL AWARD 2018 SHORTLISTED FOR THE SPECSAVERS NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS 2018 A brilliantly original high concept murder mystery from a fantastic new talent: Gosford Park meets Inception, by way of Agatha Christie and Black Mirror One of Stylist Magazine's 20 Must-Read Books of 2018 One of Harper's Bazaar's 10 Must-Read Books of 2018 One of Marie Claire, Australia's 10 Books You Absolutely Have to Read in 2018 'Somebody's going to be murdered at the ball tonight. It won't appear to be a murder and so the murderer won't be caught. Rectify that injustice and I'll show you the way out.' It is meant to be a celebration but it ends in tragedy. As fireworks explode overhead, Evelyn Hardcastle, the young and beautiful daughter of the house, is killed. But Evelyn will not die just once. Until Aiden - one of the guests summoned to Blackheath for the party - can solve her murder, the day will repeat itself, over and over again. Every time ending with the fateful pistol shot. The only way to break this cycle is to identify the killer. But each time the day begins again, Aiden wakes in the body of a different guest. And someone is determined to prevent him ever escaping Blackheath...

A New York Times notable book and bestseller, this debut novel from Irish Times columnist Nuala O'Faolain takes on life and love with Dickensian flair and the striking intimacy that characterized her bestselling and acclaimed memoir, Are You Somebody? Set in Ireland and spanning a century and a half, My Dream of You unfolds the compelling stories of two women and their quests for passion, connection, and fulfillment. A globetrotting Irish travel writer, Kathleen de Burca is used to living—and loving—on the run. On the brink of fifty, she decides to leave her job and rethink her life. Intrigued by a divorce case dating back to the days of the Potato Famine, she tries hand at writing about it. The case, called "The Talbot Affair," detailed the clandestine liaison between the wife of a British landlord and an Irish servant in Ireland in the 1850s. After a bitter thirty-year absence, Kathleen returns to Ireland, the land of her troubled childhood and turbulent heritage, in search of answers to her questions about desire and lasting love.

Een Amerikaanse schrijfster werkt al vijfentwintig jaar aan het bureau dat ze heeft overgenomen van een jonge Chileense dichter. Op een dag wordt het opgeëist door een jonge vrouw die beweert zijn dochter te zijn. Vanaf dat moment raakt de schrijfster de greep op haar eigen leven kwijt. Rond dezelfde tijd doet een Engelsman een verbijsterende ontdekking over de vrouw met wie hij al tientallen jaren is getrouwd. Dit geheim ondergraaft al zijn zekerheden. In Jeruzalem werkt een antiekhandelaar intussen aan de reconstructie van zijn vaders studeerkamer in Boedapest, die tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog na een razzia is leeggeroofd. Wat deze mensen met elkaar verbindt, vormt het onderwerp van Het grote huis. Het is het intrigerende verhaal over de uitwerking van het verleden, waarin Krauss de lezer meeneemt op een reis waarvan de bestemming tot op het laatst een prikkelend raadsel blijft.

A classic work of magical realism, this bestselling novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni tells the story of Tilo, a young woman from another time who has a gift for the mystical art of spices. Now immortal, and living in the gnarled and arthritic body of an old woman, Tilo has set up shop in Oakland, California, where she administers curatives to her customers. But when she's surprised by an unexpected romance with a handsome stranger, she must choose between everlasting life and the vicissitudes of modern society. Spellbinding and hypnotizing, The Mistress of Spices is a tale of joy, sorrow, and one special woman's magical powers.

A New York Times Bestselling AuthorAt nineteen, May ran away from her home in Ireland to experience life in America, eventually ending up in Chicago. Compellingly attractive to men, she became a prostitute and eventually was hailed as "Queen of the Underworld." Falling in love with a big league criminal, May followed him to Paris where they successfully robbed the American Express. Apprehended, tried and spending time in prison, May returns to her life in America. O'Faolain brings a sympathetic scrutiny to this extraordinary life, reaching across decades for points of connection and understanding.