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Narrated by Cassandra Campbell
Sarita MandannaUnabridged — 19 hours, 36 minutes
Narrated by Cassandra Campbell
Sarita MandannaUnabridged — 19 hours, 36 minutes
A Suitable Boy meets Gone with the Wind in this sweeping, romantic debut novel set on a coffee plantation in southern India at the turn of the twentieth century.
As the first girl born to the Nachimanda family in over sixty years, the beautiful Devi is adored by her entire family. Strong-willed and confident, she befriends the shy Devanna, a young boy whose mother has died under tragic circumstances. The two quickly become inseparable, until Devi meets Machu the tiger killer, a hunter of great repute and a man of much honor and pride. Soon, they fall deeply in love, an attraction that drives a wedge between Devi and Devanna. It is this tangled relationship between the three that leads to a devastating tragedy-an event that changes their fates forever and has unforeseen and far-reaching consequences for generations to come.
…time and again, Mandanna steers her novel in surprising directions. More than a love story, Tiger Hills explores the hazardous side of passion and the shackling grip of memory once love has been thwarted. It also vividly evokes Coorg itself—the coffee plantations, the European settlers, the age-old clans—offering an illuminating portrait of place through six decades of social change.
—The New York Times
Set in southern India, Mandanna's epic if overly dramatic debut follows the fortunes of two intertwined families from the late 19th century to the eve of WWII. Devanna is a young boy when his mother commits suicide, and the one person he relates to is his best friend, the lovely and adored Devi: "They became a staple sight in the village, the pale-skinned firebrand and her scrawny worshipper; if Devi had fascinated him before, Devanna now clung to her like a bedraggled puppy." But when she's 10 years old, Devi meets Devanna's adult cousin, Machu, a hero for having killed a tiger, and from that day, decides that she will marry only Machu. This childish notion becomes the driving force in her life. Years pass before she is able to arrange a meeting with Machu, but to Devi's dismay, he seems immune to her beauty. Unaware of Devi's desire, Devanna begins his medical school studies and plans a future with her. At school, though, he endures cruel hazing and he returns home a different man, which changes the course of many lives. Mandanna's sweeping saga is ambitious, engaging, and relentlessly tragic. (Mar.)
"If this summer requires a must-read blockbuster, this debut should fill the beach-bag nicely. A leisurely family saga that unwinds from the 1870s to 1930s, it takes us to the Coorg highlands of southern India and a tortuous love triangle among the coffee growing clans. As it tangles like the jungle and rolls like the hills, Mandanna's cross-generational melodrama seasons its soapy pleasures with lavish evocations of the landscapes and the times." - The Independent
"With that kind of expectation and with all that money at stake, a lot is riding on this book but does it live up to the billing? Reader, it does... This book is a staggering achievement, especially as it's a first novel... Sarita is a major new talent." - Virginia Blackburn, Daily Express
"Sumptuously lyrical prose unfurls this utterly engrossing epic tale that'll seduce you from page one and hold you in its arms, breathless until the last word". - Easy Living
"If the summer requires a must-read blockbuster, this debut should fill the beach-bag nicely" - Boyd Tonkin, The Independent
"An epic and extraordinary debut from an astonishing new talent" - Caroline Jowett, Daily Express
"This book is a staggering achievement... Sarita is a major new talent" - Virginia Blackburn, Daily Express
"Tragic in parts but ultimately a beautifully written saga, this is the emergence of a major new talent" - Virginia Blackburn, Sunday Express
“Sensuous, dramatic and deeply moving.” - Rosemary Goring, Sunday Herald
"A sensitive and convincing tale of love and tragedy set against the background of life in India under the British Raj, this sweeping epic is a magnificent achievement" - The Good Book Guide
"Sumptuously lyrical prose unfurls this utterly engrossing epic tale that'll seduce you from page one and hold you in its arms, breathless until the last word" - Easy Living
"An exotic, beguiling page-turner" - Fanny Blake, Woman and Home
“An extraordinarily imaginative novel with prose that catches in the heart like poetry” - Leila Meacham, New York Times bestselling author of Roses
“Fast paced, yet detailed; the delineation of characters, even minor ones... is complete... Mandanna’s description of beautiful Coorg is a real winner.” - Shreya Roy Chowdhury, The Times of India
“Gripping... Mandanna has an easy style and a knack for making her characters come alive.” - Kushalrani Gulab, The Hindustan Times
“Mandanna is a gifted and evocative writer who can tell a story stirringly well.” - Shashi Baliga, The Hindu
“Not everyone can tell a story with feeling and clarity. Mandanna can… [Tiger Hills’] characters rise above being mere symbols, and exist as flesh and blood men and women.” - Partha Chatterjee, New Indian Express
“Mandanna’s skill in shaping her characters is amply evident... She has woven history and drama into a riveting story with the confidence of a natural.” - Adheesha Sarkar, The Telegraph
"Set in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Mandanna's Tiger Hills is lush with descriptions of Coorg in India. It's a novel that is sprawling, epic in scope and exquisitely crafted in details. An absorbing, thoroughly engaging read."
"With great skill, Sarita Mandanna inserts the reader into Southern India in the late 1800s and captivates us with her saga of a strong-willed girl making difficult choices that will change her life...I was hooked up to the very last page, and reluctant to have to leave this fascinating world."
"An extraordinarily imaginative novel with prose that catches in the heart like poetry"
"Set in Southern India at the end of the nineteenth century, Mandanna's magnificent debut follows the fortunes of two childhood friends throughout their lives...It is impossible to stop reading Mandanna's spellbinding epic."
Set in Southern India at the end of the nineteenth century, Mandanna's magnificent debut follows the fortunes of two childhood friends throughout their lives...It is impossible to stop reading Mandanna's spellbinding epic.
Set on a coffee plantation in India called Tiger Hills, this first novel tells the story of the spirited Devi Nachimada. The only girl in her family for many years, Devi is adored by almost everyone, especially the young boy Devanna, and she is her father's favored, much-doted-on child. Devi uses her special status to get whatever she wants—and the one thing she knows she wants from an early age is to marry the mesmerizing and celebrated tiger killer, Machu. Devi pursues Machu steadfastly, much to the sorrow of the devoted Devanna. While Devi's scheme does not go exactly as planned, she does become a powerful force on her plantation. Spanning years and multiple locations, the novel introduces a variety of well-developed characters, and plot twists keep the reader wondering how all the drama will play out. VERDICT A great read that will have many points of discussion for any book group; highly recommended.—Leann Restaino, Girard, OH
From the very first line, the listener knows this is a novel with a mystical aspect as the narrator begins by describing the impending birth of the protagonist. Cassandra Campbell brings this story to life with varied pace, tone, and diction to create the sense of mystery the author clearly intends. The production is a vivid example of how a skilled narrator can enhance the story on the page. Campbell manages to sustain interest in the lengthy descriptions of scenery that occur often between the main action. Soft, lulling, and alluring, this is a novel you’ll be looking forward to listening to as often as you can until it’s finished. M.R. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine
Star-crossed lovers in India at the turn of the 20th century, drawn from first-time novelist Mandanna's family history.
In the lush region of Coorg in southwestern India, three interrelated noble families, the Nachimandas, Kambeymadas and Palladas, dominate a bucolic mountain valley. A flight of herons marks the birth of Devi, whom her grandmother Tayi recognizes as a special child. Similarly, herons are present when young Machu, a scion of the Kambeymadas, admiresbaby Devi'slungpower. Devi grows up with her cousin Devanna, who is adopted by her father after his mother's suicide. The two are inseparable playmates, until Devanna's burgeoning interest in botany and scholarly mien attracts a mentor, Reverend Gundert, the founder of a nearby mission school. Devi, a beauty, has a long history with Machu. At ten, she attends a tiger wedding celebrating Machu's daring conquest of a tiger. From thence Machu will be known as the "tiger killer." For years, Devi, determined to wed Machu, refuses proposals from many other suitors. Devanna, meanwhile, excels at his studies, and Gundert secures his admission to Bangalore Medical College, where he is mercilessly hazed by upperclassmen who envy his genius. Although the attraction between Machu and Devi is palpable, he won't acknowledge it because he has, to honor a Hindu god, vowed to remain celibate for 12 years. However, Devi promises to wait for him, and in the meantime they meet in the jungle for chaste but impassioned encounters. Devanna, who has always loved Devi, is driven mad when his tormentors sodomize him and murder his beloved pet. Returning home blind drunk, he rapes Devi, and her family can find no other solution than to force a marriage between them. She gives birth to a son, Nanjappa. Sworn to secrecy by Tayi, Devi cannot reveal to the devastated Machu why she broke her promise. Tragic consequences ensue, which will alter the destinies of the three clans.
Beautiful prose and delicate handling prevent this melodrama from becoming maudlin.
| BN ID: | 2940169810417 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Blackstone Audio, Inc. |
| Publication date: | 03/09/2011 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
