Rumer Godden

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF BLACK NARCISSUS AND THE RIVEROne of our best and most captivating novelists PHILIP HENSHER [Godden has] a genius for storytellingEVENING STANDARD Her prose is pure, delicate, and gently wittyNEW YORK TIMESDescriptions of the Italian setting are gorgeous but the real strength is the childlike perspectiveDAILY MAILWhen their mother leaves the country to be with her lover, Hugh and Caddie Claverings seemingly perfect life falls apart. Devastated by the sudden, bitter dissolution of their parents marriage and desperate for her to come back, the children travel alone to the Villa Fiorita on Lake Garda, determined not to leave without her. On arrival, they can tell Fanny and Rob are deeply in love, and their mother is happier than theyve ever seen her, but the scheme lives on. Thankfully, Robs young daughter is only too glad to help destroy their parents relationship. Will Hugh and Caddie realise that their actions have consequences before it is too late?Told with wit and great empathy against a stunning evocation of the Italian countryside, Rumer Goddens The Battle of the Villa Fiorita marks another coming of age classic for the highly acclaimed author.

A beautiful hardback edition which was the basis for Powell & Pressburgers Academy Award-winning 1947, this haunting classic, published to coincide with a sumptuous new BBC adaptation.

"Harriet appartiene a una famiglia inglese alto-borghese che abita sulle rive del fiume Gange, in India. La sua vita scorre a cavallo tra due mondi: l''Occidente e l''Oriente, il Cristianesimo e l''Induismo, ma soprattutto, l''infanzia e l''adolescenza: sua sorella non e piu la sua compagna di giochi, suo fratello e ancora un bambino. Il ritmo confortevole della sua infanzia indiana - il rumore dei lavori con la iuta, i festival colorati che accompagnano l''arrivo di ogni nuova stagione e l''eterno scorrere del fiume nel suo viaggio verso il golfo del Bengala - sta per essere stravolto. Sara l''arrivo di un amico di famiglia - il giovane capitano John - a turbare per sempre il mondo di Harriet, facendole scoprire prima il conforto dell''amicizia, poi la bruciante delusione della gelosia. "

Los miembros de una familia inglesa viven y crecen en la India colonial, un mundo distinto y atrayente que aman y sienten como suyo. Un elemento del paisaje, el río, marca su ritmo vital: todo sucede sobre o junto a el. Un relato calido, evocador y sugerente.

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY BESTSELLING AUTHOR ROSIE THOMASBy the author of Black Narcissus and The RiverOne of our best and most captivating novelists Philip Hensher[Godden has] a genius for storytellingEvening StandardBreakfast with the Nikolides was always to be the last hour of her childhood For Emily Pool, India is a magical place where she has the freedom to escape her mothers suffocating influence. Her days are spent exploring the canals and gardens of East Bengal and observing her neighbours, the Nikolides. While her parents paper over the cracks in the family home - and their veneer of respectability - the Nikolides offer a glimpse of glamour and sophistication. Then a tragic crisis plunges Emily into a world of adult deceit, and reveals that nothing in the community is quite as it seems . . .

En la India del Imperio Británico, Harriet, una niña inglesa, vive una idílica infancia entre sus hermanos, la exuberancia de un jardín lleno de flores y el transcurrir de un río en su viaje hacia Bengal. Sin embargo, Harriet no podra evitar que el paso del tiempo convierta su precioso universo en algo distinto, menos amable y que ella no consigue comprender. Tal y como no podria evitar que el rio fluya, tampoco puede evitarse hacerse mayor y todo lo que ello conlleva. El rio es el precioso homenaje que la novelista britanica Rumer Godden hace a la India y a su propia infancia. El gran director Jean Renoir convirtio esta novela en unaexquisita pelicula de la que Martin Scorsese ha dicho que es una de las mas hermosas de la historia del cine.

L’any 2007 es commemora el centenari del naixement de Rumer Godden, una de grans autores angleses del segle XX, de la qual presentem la primera traducció al català.Aquesta novel·la va inspirar una de

A través de la brisa fresca de las montañas del Himalaya cerca de Darjeeling, el viejo palacio brilla como una joya antigua. Cuando era la sede oficial del harén del General, las damas podían ser vistas pasear por las terrazas envueltas en sus ricas vestiduras disfrutando del viento de la noche. Por la noche la música llegaba flotando a través de las aldeas y continuaba hasta altas horas de la madrugada. Ahora, sin embargo, el hijo del General ha cedido el palacio a las Hermanas de María. Ellas han comenzado a trabajar en el huerto y han abierto una escuela y un dispensario para la gente de las montañas. Sin embargo, las monjitas no pueden hacer salir adelante su proyecto sin la ayuda del señor Dean, un descreído, arrogante y particular inglés que conoce a todo el mundo en la región. «Todos los tópicos eran aplicables a él: ojos azules, rostro encantador; la piel tersa y bronceada y los labios rojos como los de los niños irladeses» nos dice Godden de este pesonaje que hará de catalizador de los más oscuros secretos de cada una de las hermanas. Clodagh, la superiora y su desamor cubierto de amargura; Ruth, desequilibrada e inquietante; Miel, que ama a los niños con la fuerza de una madre yerma... Unos deseos ocultos y potenciados por la imponente montaña que ejerce una fuerza que las reprimidas inglesas no consiguen comprender y contra la que tendrán que luchar.

By the author of Black Narcissus and The River [Goddens] distinctive, poised and unsentimental books have never lost a shred of their almost hypnotic appeal ROSIE THOMAS, GUARDIANOne of our best and most captivating novelists PHILIP HENSHER[Godden has] a genius for storytellingEVENING STANDARDAll horses can walk - some badly, some well, but to a few is given a gift of movement feline in its grace, a slouching, flowing continuous movement that is a joy to watch. Dark Invader strode in glorious rhythm, his great shoulders rolling, muscles rippling along his flanks under the satin skin.In 1930s Calcutta, a beautiful racehorse brings together a group of outsiders: John Quillan, a talented trainer ostracized for his marriage; Mr Leventine, the shrewd new owner of Dark Invader; Ted Mullins, his groom, whose career has been derailed by scandal; and Mother Morag, head of an order of nuns working with the citys poor. Sold in disgrace and shipped to India after a disappointing first season, the horse requires gentleness and careful handling - but soon becomes the firm favourite for the famous Viceroy Cup. Then, days before the race, Dark Invader disappears. When all seems lost, Mother Morags sharp wits and gentle wisdom may just be their salvation. . .

Blaise and Mary arrive at Patna Hall, a hotel on India's shimmering Coromandel coast, to spend part of their honeymoon. Patna Hall is as beautiful and timeless as India itself, ruled over firmly and wise by proprietor Auntie Sanni. For Mary, it feels strangely like home. In a week that will change the young couple's destiny, election fever grips the Southern Indian state and Mary falls under the spell of the people, the country - and Krishnan, godlike candidate for the Root and Flower party...'A sense of timelessness reminiscent of E.M. Forster...social comedy slowly spirals into personal tragedy' - "The Times". 'The prose is as simple and luminous as the fantasy it elaborates ...an interlude of exoticism and sensuous pleasure' - "Independent On Sunday". 'Sheer enjoyment' - "Guardian". 'The miracle of this book is Godden's genius for storytelling' - "Evening Standard".

By the author of Black Narcissus and The RiverA masterpiece of construction and utterly realistically convincing JACQUELINE WILSONGoddens rich understanding of human nature, her humor and her beautiful prose inevitably leave one aglow CHICAGO TRIBUNE Godden here tries her deft writing hand at landscaping a childs heartTIME***Someone has been digging up the private garden in the Square. Miss Angela Chesney of the Garden Committee is sure that a gang of local boys is to blame, but her sister, Olivia, isnt so sure. She wonders why the neighbourhood children - sparrows she calls them - have to be locked out: dont they have a right to enjoy the garden too?Nobody has any idea what sends Lovejoy Mason and her few friends in search of good garden earth. Still less do they imagine where their investigation will lead them - to a struggling restaurant, a bombed-out church, and, at the heart of it all, a hidden garden.Only Rumer Godden could make a simple tale of a forbidden garden pulse with suspense NEW YORK HERALD TRIBUNE BOOK REVIEW

BY THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF BLACK NARCISSUS AND THE RIVER One of our best and most captivating novelists PHILIP HENSHER Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy is about growth, choice, struggle, and the freedom of the soul JOAN CHITTISTER [Goddens] distinctive, poised and unsentimental books have never lost a shred of their almost hypnotic appeal ROSIE THOMAS, GUARDIAN The Sisters of Bethanie, a French order of Dominican nuns, dedicate themselves to caring for the outcasts of society - criminals, prostitutes and drug addicts. Lise, an English girl who after the liberation of Paris was employed in one of the citys smartest brothels and rose to become a successful madame, finds herself joining the sisters. An inspiring and entirely convincing conversion story that shows how the mercy of God extends to the darkest human places.Master storyteller, Rumer Godden, weaves a deeply moving tale of Lises prison sentence, her conversion and the agonising work among women whose traumatic experiences often outstrip even her own.

Rumer Goddens stunning classic novel of devotion, faith and madness You have to be very strong to live close to God or a mountain, or youll turn a little mad . . .High in the Himalayas, the mountaintop palace shines like a jewel. Built for the Generals harem, laughter and music once floated out over the gorge. Now it sits abandoned, windswept and haunting - until Sister Clodagh and her group of nuns arrive to turn the House of Women into the Convent of St Faith. Close to the heavens, the Sisters of Mary feel inspired, working fervently to establish their school and hospital. But the isolation and emptiness of the mountain begin to take a terrible toll, unleashing long-repressed passions with tragic consequences . . .Introduced by Amanda CoeA masterly novelist Tessa HadleyA remarkable and beautiful bookDAILY TELEGRAPHI envy anyone reading it for the first time AMANDA COEDistinctive, poised and entirely unsentimental ROSIE THOMAS

Her prose is pure, delicate, and gently wittyNEW YORK TIMES[Many] relish the delicacy of her writing for childrenIRISH TIMES A sensitive exploration of a boys triumph over the objections of his parents to his becoming a ballet dancerPUBLISHERS WEEKLY Doone Penny is a child with a gift - he was born to dance. But though others recognise his talent, there is little encouragement from his family. His mother preens over his pretty sister, Crystal, also a dancer, but fiercely competitive and vain. Doones father would never allow a son of his to have ballet lessons and his brothers think hes a sissy.But Doone has passion and ambition beyond his years. He knows he can succeed, if only he is given the chance. If he can make it into Queens Chase, Her Majestys Junior Ballet School, hell show them all . . .

By the bestselling author of Black Narcissus and The Battle of the Villa FioritaThis is an absolutely heart-warming read, which will make you laugh, cry and love itGUARDIAN Her craftsmanship is always sureNEW YORK TIMESGoddens expert narration, her beguiling setting and her heartening celebration of love and happy endingsPUBLISHERS WEEKLYNever forget, Charlotte, you were born to be a dancer . . . Never forget. Promise.Before her ballet teacher died, Lottie promised Madame Holbein to be the dancer her mother never lived to become. Orphaned at birth, Lottie has been brought up by her aunt, and though she is loved, she is lonely. Then she finds Prince, a spaniel puppy, and discovers a love and loyalty that is boundless. When Lottie passes the tough audition for Queens Chase, Her Majestys Junior Ballet School, everybody is thrilled - except, surprisingly, Lottie. She will have to board at school, and what will happen to her beloved dog? To choose between the two is breaking her heart.

This much-loved English novel from Rumer Godden is reminiscent of The Secret Garden, telling a fairy tale-esque story about neighborhood children and a mysterious garden in post-WWII London. An emergency meeting of the Mortimer Square Garden Committee has been convened to discuss a most alarming matter: someone has been digging in the garden and making off with buckets of dirt. Miss Angela Chesney is sure that a gang of boys from run-down Catford Street is to blame. But Angelas sister, Olivia, isnt so sure. Olivia has always wondered why the neighborhood childrenthe sparrows she sometimes watches from the window of her houseare kept out of the private garden. Dont they have a right to enjoy the place, too? But neither Angela nor Olivia has any idea what sent the neighborhood waif Lovejoy Mason and her few friends in search of good, rich earth. Still less do they imagine where their investigation of the incident will lead themto a struggling restaurant, a bombed-out church, and at the heart of it all, a hidden garden. [An] extraordinarily gifted writer who manages to infuse her novels with a special magic of their own.Boston Herald