Anila's Journey - Softcover

Mary Finn

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1406306592 ISBN 13: 9781406306590

Publisher: Walker Books Ltd, 2008

Synopsis

Rare book

About this title

About the Author:

Mary Finn worked for years as a magazine journalist with Radio Telefís Eireann, the Irish broadcasting service. She says ANILA'S JOURNEY, her first novel, was inspired by the story behind the eighteenth-century PORTRAIT OF AN INDIAN LADY painted by Thomas Hickey. Mary Finn lives in Dublin.

From Booklist:

Set in late eighteenth-century India, this layered, atmospheric debut follows a girl’s archetypal search for her own history. At 14, Anila finds herself alone in Calcutta. After her Indian mother’s death and her guardians’ move to Madras, Anila chooses to stay behind, hoping that her father, an Irishman who disappeared years earlier, will return. Searching for work, she finds a posting for a draftsman with a British river expedition. A talented artist fluent in both Bengali and English, she secures the job, and the subsequent journey parallels Anila’s startling discovery of her own family story. Chapters on the river intersperse with those detailing Anila’s previous life, creating a meandering, sometimes disjointed narrative that may slow some readers. Many, though, will be captivated by Finn’s cinematic descriptions of places, people, and the complexities of colonial rule. The characters’ appreciation for beauty and the well-told stories add lyricism to every page. Anila’s profound yearning for family, belonging, and a sense of self will resonate with many teens, particularly those who, like Anila, are caught between cultures. Grades 9-12. --Gillian Engberg

About this edition

• Publisher: Walker Books Ltd
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1406306592
• ISBN 13: 9781406306590
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304