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A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar [Hardcover]

Suzanne Joinson
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (81 customer reviews)

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Hardcover, 22 May 2012 --  
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Book Description

22 May 2012

It is 1923 and Evangeline English, keen lady cyclist, arrives with her sister Lizzie and their zealous leader Millicent at the ancient city of Kashgar to establish a mission. As they encounter resistance and calamity, Eva commences work on her Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar...

In present-day London, Frieda opens her door to find a man sleeping on the landing. Tayeb, a Yemeni refugee, has arrived in Frieda's life just as she learns that she is next-of-kin to a stranger, a woman whose abandoned flat contains many surprises. The two wanderers embark on a journey that is as great, and as unexpected, as Eva's.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.


Product details

  • Hardcover: 374 pages
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC; 1 edition (22 May 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1608198111
  • ISBN-13: 978-1608198115
  • Product Dimensions: 23.9 x 16.9 x 3.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 3,936,609 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Review

A sprightly, engaging and lovingly written book (Guardian )

An enthralling tale, packed with vivid impressions and full of surprises (Metro )

Bold and elegant ... An ambitious, accomplished debut (Daily Mail )

Thrilling and densely plotted ... an impressive debut, its prose as lucid and deep as a mountain lake (New York Times )

A haunting, original and beautifully written tale that conveys a sense of profound alienation, and of other realities (Paul Torday, bestselling author of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen )

An astonishing epic - colonial-era travel combined with a modern meditation on where we belong and how we connect in the world - I could not put it down (Helen Simonson )

Joinson possesses a touching, joyful quality that somehow suits the fragile, elusive nature of her characters (Independent on Sunday )

An impressive debut exploring themes of freedom in present-day London and 1920s China. From the far reaches of the colonial Silk Route to the streets of modern London, there's a brilliant sense of place in this original debut (Marie Claire )

I was blown away by this debut. It's amazing. Clever, exotic, compulsive, intensely moving (Sue Leonard Irish Examiner )

The title of Suzanne Joinson's first novel promises much and delivers ... Joinson's characterisation is finely drawn and brings Kashgar vividly to life - it's a debut novel of note (Sarah Crowden The Lady )

Brilliantly descriptive, this is a book to delight in and savour (Choice )

An ambitious debut ... With intriguing characters and exotic locations, A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar is a compelling and likeable tale ... not only a smartly paced adventure story but also a careful meditation on the myriad ways in which loving, and failing, our children are often tragically and inextricably linked (Beth Jones Sunday Telegraph )

Joinson balances these parallel stories with impressive skill. In an alternating-chapter narrative, there's always a temptation to skip through one story in favour of the other. Here, both are equally absorbing ... a strikingly original first novel, and a total page-turner. In fact, it has the look of a slow-burn, word-of-mouth favourite (Arminta Wallace Irish Times )

A delicate yet gutsy spirit of adventure pervades the pages of A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar. Suzanne Joinson writes of faraway places, across the globe and within ourselves, with a control and vivacity that fires our own dreams of flight (Emylia Hall, author of The Book of Summers ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Book Description

An extraordinary story of inheritance, belonging and the stories that bind us to our past, set in modern-day London and 1920s Kashgar --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A Stunning Debut 10 Aug 2012
By S. Zigmond TOP 1000 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
This novel follows the stories of two women, both seemingly totally disconnected. In the nineteen twenties, Eva (the lady cyclist of the title) accompanies her younger sister Lizzie and a woman called Millicent who is determined to convert the local inhabitants of Kashgar to Christianity. In present day London, Frieda finds she has inherited the possessions of a woman she has never heard of and also finds an illegal Yemeni immigrant on her doorstep.

As the two stories alternate we begin to see them form two parts of a continuing story of exile, culture-clashes, fleeing the law and also the deep sense of alienation. Readers know there must be some sort of connection but this is not revealed until much later.

What marks this debut novel out from many others is the sheer quality of the writing, the subtleties of characterization and the depth of insight into human nature. It is witty and sometimes comic but also reflects the tragedy of innocence and what can happen when we stop seeing people as they are but as we want them to be. I know the purpose of the owl is a metaphor for the themes in this novel, but I wish Frieda has let it go free!

If I have any criticism at all, it's that cycling is irrelevant to the novel and revelations come a little too easily. But this does not detract from what is a richly rewarding novel. One to savour.
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29 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A wonderful debut novel by a young writer quickly mastering her craft; this book is a delight, reflecting her skills and I hope it reaches a large audience.
Following a surprise inheritence. Two different stories evolve and finaly converge. Told with different voices but the common themes of religious zeal, motherhood and infidelity. An echo of the past or in our making?
Underplayed humour and great observation; aided by a rich texture of thorough research, Suzanne Joinson demonstrates the true art of story-telling without ever trying to moralise or overlay her new found knowledge. Thus avoiding 150 more pages where authors demonstrate their grasp of historical fiction but lose the plot!

This novel comes alive and remains relevent throughout. There is real danger as we travel with Eva and by contrast the lack of excitement & direction in Frieda's modern life. Thankfully things change for her and her story is equally well drawn with comic twists and delightful prose.
Complex characters abound in this book; there is a complete lack of stereotype and cliche; the novel gently throbs with companionship and a sense of time and place.
There is no compulsion for the reader to rush to the end; the beauty and magic is in the story that unfolds in a relaxed pace slowly bringing the central players to a similar place, a shared belonging. This is interesting in itself but the most lasting themes as demonstrated in the two female leads whose stregth and resilence to overcome is quite inspiring in a quiet way. The desire to understand life in terms of place, occupation and family links. The need to belong and the power of words and drawings.

History can be as dry as bones but in this author's hands it lives and has a contaxt in our stories today.

This novel transports the reader to far away lands, illuminates some past times and sweeps one along in imagery and its choice of words.

It is a book worth reading and re-reading for it not only entertains but it leaves a big smile on your face.

If I hadn't felt obligue to review this book, having received an advance copy I would have missed this fine book altogether and my life would be poorer for that.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Muddled novel 11 Feb 2013
Format:Hardcover
On finishing this novel I wasn't sure if I'd liked/enjoyed it or not! It wasn't at all what I had expected, although it was highly emotive, descriptive and quirky. It sounds odd but there was almost too much in it for me to absorb. Every character was eccentric. The bike and cycling seemed superfluousness. I just got into the rhythm of 1890 Kashgar only to be dragged forward into present day London. Maybe there should've been at least two chapters in each era. I was relieved to discover the identity/relationships at the end but can't help thinking there was enough content for two good stories here. After saying all this, I did have to finish it, reading late into the night. Perhaps the novel should've been edited better (sorry Bloomsbury!)
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Very unusual story but eventually quite rewarding.
This is two stories, one in the early part of the 20th Century in Kashgar and the other in current times in England - which eventually do come together in a satisfactory... Read more
Published 9 hours ago by F. Graham
3.0 out of 5 stars Different!
It took a while to get into the story but it was necessary to know the background of the characters. I found this a different sort of story to most others but an interesting read.
Published 1 day ago by Pats
5.0 out of 5 stars great read
What an unusual story, such a refreshing and gripping story,very well written,,,loved it not too be missed if you like a cracking read..
Published 3 days ago by lidoire
4.0 out of 5 stars A guide to Kashgar, a guide to life
A Lady Cyclists Guide to Kashgar was a wonderful read. Magical story telling switching from the exotic and dangerous desert of the 1920s to modern day England. Read more
Published 5 days ago by wendy doyle
4.0 out of 5 stars A compelling dual narrative ...
It's 1923. Evangeline English is accompanying her sister Lizzie as part of a Christian mission to Kashgar, in Western China on the ancient Silk Road route. Read more
Published 7 days ago by Annabel Gaskell
3.0 out of 5 stars Misleading title - mismash of a plot
Although I wouldn't deter anyone from reading this book, I have to say that I found it unsatisfactory. Read more
Published 8 days ago by RiverCree
3.0 out of 5 stars OK
I felt I missed the point of this book, but had to read to the end to find out the connection between the two main characters
Published 9 days ago by Anne Howells
5.0 out of 5 stars what a fantastic book!
From the first page I was gripped by the story - very clever the way the past and
present are interwoven and richness of the descriptions of life in the east, and the... Read more
Published 10 days ago by Suzanne Duncanson
3.0 out of 5 stars I was fascinated by the title
I was fascinated by the title which was the reason I bought the book. It was an OK read but I am note sure I would read any more books by this author.
Published 11 days ago by twsmummy
4.0 out of 5 stars Different!
A good read, Ienjoyed it, it was rather unusual even if the ending was predictable. Two parts to the story, historical and present day, that gradually come together.
Published 12 days ago by Penny
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