About this title: Whole lives come into focus in this rich and diverse collection, as Desai trains her luminous spotlight on private universes from India to Canada and New England, from Cornwall to Mexico. Her protagonists set forth on journeys and find themselves suddenly beyond the pale, or surprisingly back where they started from. Caught up in the cycles of ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Chatto & Windus, London
Date Published: 2000
ISBN-13:9780701169008ISBN:0701169001
Description: New in New jacket. Hardcover with dustcover. Pages are clean, c risp and unmarked. Dustcover shows very minor shelfwear from storage. A collection of stories from India. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Chatto & Windus
Date Published: 2000
ISBN-13:9780701169008ISBN:0701169001
Description: Very Good. Size: 5.62 x 8.77 in; Originally hailing from Delhi and presently living in Cambridge, MA, Desai here demonstrates why she has been chosen as a Booker Prize finalist not once but three times. Desai continues her remarkable career with another short story collection. Whether living in a small town in Mexico or on a Delhi rooftop, her array of characters traverse cultural and class boundaries like seasoned veterans. Desai's greatest strength is her accurate depiction of the ... read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Chatto & Windus
Date Published: 2000
ISBN-13:9780701169008ISBN:0701169001
Description: Good. This is an EX-LIBRARY COPY. We only offer carefully selected, quality books, in this category. The normal stamps and labels may be present and the front flysheet has been tidily removed. The supplying library will benefit financially from your purchase. This book is in GOOD overall condition. It shows signs of having been read and has general light wear to the cover, spine and pages. read more
Description: Acceptable. Ships from the UK. Former Library book. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Your purchase also supports literacy charities. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Chatto & Windus
Date Published: 2000
ISBN-13:9780701169008ISBN:0701169001
Description: Good. This is an EX LIBRARY copy with all the usual stamps, marks etc. The inside flysheet has been tidily removed. This book is in GOOD overall condition. It shows signs of having been read and has general light wear to the cover, spine and pages. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: VINTAGE
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780099289647ISBN:0099289644
Description: Used-Like New. Size: 7.7 x 5 x 0.6 inches; Desai writes exquisitely, with wit and delicacy, charm and compassion about ordinary lives in a disconcerting world. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Chatto Windus [, London
Date Published: 2000]
ISBN-13:9780701169008ISBN:0701169001
Description: First Edition. Hardcover, good-only condition (deep bump to spine crown) in near new dust jacket (but with similar bump). ISBN 0701169001. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Chatto & Windus, London, United Kingdom
Date Published: 2000
ISBN-13:9780701169008ISBN:0701169001
Description: Very Good in Near Fine jacket. 8vo. A collection of short stories. A very good, clean copy in unclipped dustjacket. Appears unread. Slight tanning to page margins. 207 pages. Next post UK dispatch. read more
Edition: First Paperback Edition
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Random House of Canada, Limited, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780099289647ISBN:0099289644
Edition: First U.K. Edition.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Chatto and Windus., London
Date Published: 2000
ISBN-13:9780701169008ISBN:0701169001
Description: Fine in Fine jacket. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. Signed by Author Hard Cover. First U.K. Edition. Signed by Author. ISBN: 0-701-16900-1. As new. Unread. Signed by Desai. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover.
Publisher: Chatto & Windus, London
Date Published: 2000
ISBN-13:9780701169008ISBN:0701169001
Description: Very fine in like dj. Signed by Desai on the title page. Author of FASTING, FEASTING, JOURNEY TO ITHACA, and many others. 8vo boards. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Chatto & Windus, London
Date Published: 2000
ISBN-13:9780701169008ISBN:0701169001
Description: Signed by Author First edition, first prnt. Signed by Desai on the title page. Unread copy in Fine condition in a Fine dustjacket with a Durafold mylar cover. Actual image of the book; not a stock photo read more
Edition: Later Printing
Binding: Quality Paperback
Publisher: Random House of Canada, Limited, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780099289647ISBN:0099289644
"Lot of imagery, lyricism in the language, so Anita Desai isn't always the easiest authors to read - especially if you want to get straight to the point. I remember reading Cry The Peacock several years ago and not really grasping much of it - a very mystifying novel with lots of symbols and imagery.
So when I took up her book of short stories -Diamond Dust, I did it with some amount of hesitancy. The first story actually put me off awith its dialogues - which I thought didn't sound 'Indian' at all. When one writes about Indians and Indian setting in English, there is always a conflict wherein one wants to write elegant English and yet retain the local flavour. I think Desai just discounts this, whereby some of the dialogues just don't ring true.
But don't let that put you off. Because there's a great deal of artistry in the book, the themes are different....the language is exquisite at points (yet, some metaphors didn't quite work for me).
While some stories may not be that easy to get through, there are at least a couple of them which are very accessible and enjoyable. My favourites were The Rooftop Dwellers about a single girl's predicament in a big city like Delhi and Winterscape, a evocative tale of two sisters, their shifting fates that ultimately becomes one!"
"So far, this year's challenge (Iran to Bangladesh, by book) is a winner. And only two books in!
Anita Desai writes delicate short stories of frustration and love and families. She has the ability to draw me into a sense of place so swiftly and completely I felt elsewhere whenever I was reading. I particularly liked the first, second and last stories, Royalty, Underground and The Rooftop Dwellers.
Moyna, the protagonist in The Rooftop Dwellers, just made me happy, in the end."
On the whole, Anita Desai is an impressive writer. But I believe her short stories lacked cohesion; some stories just seemed pointless. Admittedly, each story was unique, but they lacked consistency.
However, the last one, The Rooftop Dwellers, was delightful and memorable. This story, I believe, saved the entire short story collection."
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