Kingfishers Catch Fire - Softcover

Godden, Rumer

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9780330487832: Kingfishers Catch Fire

Synopsis

A powerful novel about idealism and its consequences set in the Himalayas. Set in Kashmir, this is the story of Sophie, a young and idealistic Englishwoman with two young daughters who decides to set up house in a remote Indian Village. She finds a tumbledown house nestled into the foothills of the Himalayas and there plans to live peacefully and frugally and at one with the villagers around her. However, she is blissfully ignorant of the turmoil that her arrival produces with the villagers soon in fierce competition for her patronage. Sophie's cook is finally prompted to take action and the consequences of his innocent plotting are catastrophic. This is a poignant story of the conflict between idealism and reality which has strong parallels with Rumer Godden's own life and experiences in the foothills of the Kashmiri Himalaya.

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About the Author

Rumer Godden was one of Britain's most distinguished authors with many justly famous and much-loved books for both adults and children to her credit, including Black Narcissus, The Greengage Summer and The Peacock Spring. She was awarded the OBE in 1993 and died in 1998.

From Library Journal

This 1953 volume displays the familiar Godden premise of Britishers in India. In this instance, Sophie Barrington-Ward and her daughter set up house in Kashmir to live among the noble savages, whom they discover are more savage than noble after the girl is nearly beaten to death by other children and the servant attempts to poison Sophie. With characters that are "well drawn" and "the dreamy Indian landscape lovely to read about" ( LJ 5/15/53), this is for all large fiction collections.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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