Kingfishers Catch Fire: A Virago Modern Classic

Rumer Godden

Feb 2013 · Hachette UK

Ebook

304

Pages

Eligible

About this ebook

BY THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF BLACK NARCISSUS AND THE RIVER

'A haunting tale . . . the whole book burns with the beauty and poetry' EVENING STANDARD

'Powerful adult themes underlie the novel's glimmering surface' ROSIE THOMAS, GUARDIAN

'One of our best and most captivating novelists' PHILIP HENSHER

Sophie Barrington Ward, without a husband, with two children and very little income, is faced with making a new life. She arrives in the Eden of Himalayan Kashmir to set up home in a tumbledown cottage surrounded by flowers and herbs. Settling down to live quietly, frugally and peacefully with her new neighbours, she is unaware of the turmoil her arrival provokes as the villagers compete fiercely for her patronage. Sophie is determined to live with the Indians and like it. Pundit Pramatha Kaul, her wise landlord, shakes his head. Profit David, her merchant friend, warns her. But when Sophie's cook makes a drastic bid to secure his position, the unwanted consequences are catastrophic . . .

Mesmerising and thoughtful, this Godden's lesser-known classic evokes India's uniquely beautiful landscape amidst a timeless tale of misunderstanding.

BY THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF BLACK NARCISSUS AND THE RIVER 'A haunting tale . . . the whole book burns with the beauty and poetry' EVENING STANDARD 'Powerful adult themes underlie the novel's glimmering surface' ROSIE THOMAS, GUARDIAN 'One of our best and most captivating novelists' PHILIP HENS...

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About the author

Rumer Godden (1907-1998) was the acclaimed author of over sixty works of fiction and non-fiction for adults and children. Born in England, she and her siblings grew up in Narayanganj, India, and she later spent many years living in Kolkata and Kashmir. Several of her novels were made into films, including Black Narcissus, The Greengage Summer and The River, which was filmed by Jean Renoir. She was appointed OBE in 1993.

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