A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar: A Novel

by Suzanne Joinson Narrated by Susan Duerden

Overview

It is 1923. Evangeline (Eva) English and her sister Lizzie are missionaries heading for the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar. Though Lizzie is on fire with her religious calling, Eva's motives are not quite as noble, but with her green bicycle and a commission from a publisher to write A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar, she is ready for adventure.

In present day London, a young woman, Frieda, returns from a long trip abroad to find a man sleeping outside her front door. She gives him a blanket and a pillow, and in the morning finds the bedding neatly folded and an exquisite drawing of a bird with a long feathery tail, some delicate Arabic writing, and a boat made out of a flock of seagulls on her wall. Tayeb, in flight from his Yemeni homeland, befriends Frieda and, when she learns she has inherited the contents of an apartment belonging to a dead woman she has never heard of, they embark on an unexpected journey together.

A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar explores the fault lines that appear when traditions from different parts of an increasingly globalized world crash into one other. Beautifully written, and peopled by a cast of unforgettable characters, the novel interweaves the stories of Frieda and Eva, gradually revealing the links between them and the ways in which they each challenge and negotiate the restrictions of their societies as they make their hard-won way toward home. A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar marks the debut of a wonderfully talented new writer.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Joinson... controls her narrative with skill: this is an impressive debut, its prose as lucid and deep as a mountain lake.” —New York Times Book Review, "Editor's Choice"

“At its heart, this exquisite novel celebrates the gifts that travel into far-off cultures confers: the displacements that throw into resilient relief our transcendent human connections” —National Geographic Traveler, Book of the Month

“It takes less than a page for Suzanne Joinson to seize your attention.... there is so much here that is wonderful: the author's crisp, uncluttered story-telling, her graceful prose, and her ability to inhabit the character of a young woman in 1924 and a contemporary young woman with equal depth and ease. It is an impressive first novel.” —The Boston Globe

“Joinson tells Eva's and Frieda's stories in alternating chapters, her strong, clear prose adding depth to their disparate lives and exposing the parallels between them.” —USA Today

“Beautifully written in language too taut, piercing, and smartly observed to be called lyrical, this atmospheric first novel immediately engages, nicely reminding us that odd twists of fate sometimes aren't that odd. Highly recommended.” —Library Journal, starred review

“Suzanne Joinson beckons readers with lush, evocative prose, yet never lets her gift for poetry interfere with a good story-or, to be more precise, two good stories . . . Readers of A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar are certain to enjoy a literary journey that is not unlike the best bicycle ride-invigorating and challenging, with plenty of hills, vales and scenic views to keep one's blood pumping and spirits soaring.” —BookPage

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170485710
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	05/22/2012
Edition description:	Unabridged

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