- Paperback: 160 pages
- Publisher: Puffin Books; Film & TV Tie-in ed edition (27 Aug 1992)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140361332
- ISBN-13: 978-0140361339
- Product Dimensions: 17.4 x 10.8 x 1.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,686,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
The story of Lila and Hari, the eldest children of a poor Indian village family, who must use all their courage to secure all their futures against appalling odds and increasing hardship. There is a six-part TV tie-in starring Saed Jaffery.
About the Author
Anita Desai was born and brought up in India and has written widely for both adults and children. She has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize and has won the Guardian Fiction Award.
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First Sentence
When Lila went out on the beach it was so early in the morning that there was no one else there. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
When Lila went out on the beach it was so early in the morning that there was no one else there. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Set against the backdrop of a seemingly timeless coastal Indian fishing village, Anita Desai's moving story demonstrates that even the most beautiful rural outpost cannot avoid the powerful thrust of modernisation. As the impending arrival of chemical factories threaten local livelihoods, teenager Hari is forced to leave his native village Thul in search of a fortune that he believes can only be found in the glamorous and enticing city of Bombay. With three dependant sisters, a sick mother and a drunken father to provide for, Hari is devastated to discover that the streets of Bombay are not paved with gold as he had anticipated.
Based on true events, Desai tells a story of human endeavour against the odds of grinding poverty, monsoon destruction and fatal illness. A forerunner to Arundhati Roy's 'The God of Small Things', 'The Village by the Sea' is also written through a childhood perspective, but unlike Roy, Desai does not underscore her narrative with adult judgements and cynicism. Childhood dreams and disillusionment are skilfully intertwined with a powerful sense of place and a breathtaking landscape which is on the brink of irreversible change. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning some of the truths about the diverse country of India.
Based on true events, Desai tells a story of human endeavour against the odds of grinding poverty, monsoon destruction and fatal illness. A forerunner to Arundhati Roy's 'The God of Small Things', 'The Village by the Sea' is also written through a childhood perspective, but unlike Roy, Desai does not underscore her narrative with adult judgements and cynicism. Childhood dreams and disillusionment are skilfully intertwined with a powerful sense of place and a breathtaking landscape which is on the brink of irreversible change. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning some of the truths about the diverse country of India.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Anita Desai's wonderful novel tells the story of a family living in the small fishing village of Thul, 14 kilometres from Bombay, India. It is more precisely the story of two young people, Hari, a boy of 14, and Lila, a girl of 13, with a will to survive. Their task is not easy. Lila has to look after their mother who is very ill with fever and requires constant care. She is also in charge of all the household chores and has to look after their two younger sisters, Bela and Kamal. Hari on the other hand has to work in the fields, selling whatever he can at the market to feed the family. Indeed, their father has long ceased to be a fisherman, his sole occupation being to get drunk on toddy every night along with his chums in the village.
Fortunately next to their hut is a large country house called Mon Repos which is owned by the de Silvas from Bombay and whenever they come on holiday to Thul, Lila and Hari can earn some extra money by helping with the household or doing work in the garden. But there is a rumour in the village saying that soon the rice fields and the coconut groves will be replaced by a large fertiliser factory. The location of Thul was chosen by the Government for its closeness to the port of Rewas. So new highways and railway lines are to be build and the villagers are worried about their future. Are they skilled enough to get a job at the factory? What will become of their traditional way of life? Will the air and the sea be polluted by chemicals? When a delegation is sent to Bombay to express their worries to the Minister Sahib, Hari decides to join the party. Before leaving, he decides that Bombay may offer him a better life opportunity than his frightened sisters, his sad house, his ill mother and his drunken father. And it is indeed in Bombay where this delicate boy, who "never did talk much and always preferred to think things out very slowly and carefully before he did", will learn to fight and become a man.
A wonderful and delicate novel, one of Anita Desai's great achievements.
Fortunately next to their hut is a large country house called Mon Repos which is owned by the de Silvas from Bombay and whenever they come on holiday to Thul, Lila and Hari can earn some extra money by helping with the household or doing work in the garden. But there is a rumour in the village saying that soon the rice fields and the coconut groves will be replaced by a large fertiliser factory. The location of Thul was chosen by the Government for its closeness to the port of Rewas. So new highways and railway lines are to be build and the villagers are worried about their future. Are they skilled enough to get a job at the factory? What will become of their traditional way of life? Will the air and the sea be polluted by chemicals? When a delegation is sent to Bombay to express their worries to the Minister Sahib, Hari decides to join the party. Before leaving, he decides that Bombay may offer him a better life opportunity than his frightened sisters, his sad house, his ill mother and his drunken father. And it is indeed in Bombay where this delicate boy, who "never did talk much and always preferred to think things out very slowly and carefully before he did", will learn to fight and become a man.
A wonderful and delicate novel, one of Anita Desai's great achievements.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is an excellent book about an asain family growing up in a village by the sea. Anita Desai has written extremely well, incorporating what life may have been like from a child's perspective. This is a book which is worth buying for your bookshelf.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
MOVING AND MOTIVATING
I found this book extremely captivating. I makes the reader eager to know what the outcome would be. Read more
Published 12 months ago by surajnaidu
Synopsis from back cover
Hari and his sister Lila are the eldest children of an Indian family. Their mother is ill and their father spends most of his time in a drunken stupor. Read more
Published on 17 Oct 2008 by Mary_10
simply touching
Anita Desai remains one of the world's most competent novelists. This book, written in the eighties on an India shrouded in socialist ideals, revolves round the lives of a... Read more
Published on 22 Feb 2006 by Prerna Desai Ingolfsson
downhill to uphill
I did not enjoy this book that much. The plot is good and the storyline is good but it doesnt quite flow together. Read more
Published on 21 Dec 2004 by Natasha Mokhtar
could of been, but wasn't
This story has a good storyline and a great plot. It could of been a great book if written by someone else. disappointed.
Published on 28 Jun 2004 by "vortex_199"
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