Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautifully told story that could so easily have gone astray, 30 Aug 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
This novel tells the story of several generations of a family from the island now known as Sri Lanka, the problems faced during the political unrest in their home country and the effects of several family members fleeing to start a new life in England. Throughout, the writing is clear and lucid and makes good use of imagery in prose that is so beautiful at times that it verges on the poetic; both the natural beauty of Sri Lanka and the unnatural bloody violence of the civil war are portrayed with graphic clarity.
The novel is ambitious in scope in covering so many generations, characters, life-experiences and stories in such detail and with a less skilled author it could easily have degenerated into a complex muddle by the end of its 400 pages without something to hold it together. Three main central and all-pervasive themes are skilfully used to add cohesion and a stabilising influence to the novel. Firstly, there is the theme of the ability of love across the boundaries of caste, religion and race to conquer difficulties. Secondly there is the theme of music, which permeates the novel from the very start when the young Alicia wants to be a concert pianist, to the very end when her almost 'middle aged' niece, Anna-Meeka, is recognised as a self-taught but gifted and talented modern composer; music again brings people closer together, irrespective of caste, religion or race. And, thirdly, there is Jasper the mynah bird, a beautifully created character who adds touches of both realism and surrealism, who says things that would definitely not be 'PC' if said by any of the other characters, and whose death partway through the novel emphasises the mindless nature of the violence of the civil war in an emotional way that really tugs at the reader's heartstrings.
After 50 pages of the novel I wondered whether I might finish it, but after 350 pages I found it impossible to put down. Highly recommended.
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9 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bone China - Roma tearne, 5 Jun 2008
Compared with Tearne's first excellent book, Mosquito, Bone China is on a much broader canvas, following the lives of each member of the De Silva family and their close associates over a long period. The characters are beautifully drawn. Each psychological profile is consistent and believable. We are introduced to Thornton, for instance, as a drop-dead gorgeous youth, lost in dreams and poetry with no sense of responsibility whatsoever. In his maturity, as father to Meeka, displaced to London and forced by circumstances to do a boring job, he becomes reactionary. He is determined that Meeka should not follow her inclination and talent by studying music. Instead she must study to become a doctor. He chides her about her dress and her English ways. The evolution of this transformation is managed superbly so that it seems perfectly natural.
All the character profiles are consistent and their interrelationships are true and fascinating. Quite often in novels of this kind the stories of different characters are developed separately and, if the novel is successful, brought together towards the end. In Bone China all the characters and their life stories unfold together as a whole. A magnificent achievement of interweaving.
The themes of civil war, loss and displacement might have added up to a depressing novel. But Bone China has charm and humour. Jasper, the mynah bird, for instance, who is brought into the family in the opening pages, has an enviable sense of irony and timing in his interjections that had me laughing out loud on several occasions. But even he does not escape the senseless, arbitrary cruelty of the civil war. Cruelty, loss and humour are all bound together.
In Bone China (and Mosquito ) there is an interesting relationship between Asian superstition and events. For instance, Grace De Silva's lover, a craftsman from the town, begs her not to go out on the night of the lunar eclipse, fearing for her safety. On this night he goes, out of his sense of duty, to a political rally and is blown up. Is this coincidence, or is there some subconscious link between belief and events? The de Silvas are Catholics, nominally, and they pride themselves on being rational and free from native superstition. But these beliefs, deeply embedded over centuries, aren't so easy to shake off.
None of the three de Silva children who emigrate to escape the war find happiness in London. They never dispel the ache to return to their homeland. Only the third generation, Meeka manages to integrate, and her integration is not achieved easily.
As well as being a deep, searching and thought provoking, Bone China, like Mosquito is beautifully written with a lightness of touch. The prose is simple, direct, visual and poetic. It is a delight to read.
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7 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another "must" from this new author, 16 Jun 2008
I picked up Roma's first book, Mosquito, early in the morning, whilst sat beside a lake in Italy, last summer. I put it down, that evening, having being totally incapable of leaving it until finished. If you haven't read it, buy it, put aside a day, and get engrossed in the passion of this fabulous work!
So, I was very excited to attend the launch of Bone China and get my hands on Roma's second book. Bone China is longer than Mosquito, and much broader in its breadth, and I couldn't find a whole day to sit and read it. It is now finished and all I can ask is, "When is the third book being published?"
Strangely I had just read Brick Lane and found myself again faced with the plight of people leaving their own beautiful countries and emigrating to the UK. The contrast of lifestyle and quality of life for the characters is hard to understand for someone who has lived in the UK since birth. However, Roma graphically describes this traumatic situation, making us think hard about our "privileged" existence here in the UK.
Roma again treats us to great highs and tragic lows and paints vivid scenes of beauty and misery. Don't miss this book - and make sure you watch out for the third!
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