A Backward Place

A Backward Place

$19.99 AUD $10.00 AUD

Availability: in stock at our Melbourne warehouse.

Author: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

Format: Paperback / softback

Number of Pages: 320


Six colourful, comic characters inhabit A Backward Place. All but one are Westerners who have come to Delhi to experience an alternative way of life. But, far from being hippies, their ability to adapt to this exotic culture often leaves something to be desired. Etta, an aristocratic, faded beauty maintains her Parisian chic while Clarissa talks enthusiastically about the simple life but stops short of ever roughing it herself. On the other hand Bal, the one Indian protagonist, holds quite Western aspirations to Hollywood glamour. A Backward Place humorously explores contradictions in attitudes and lifestyles and the interplay between culture and individuality. But it is also a Dickensian drama, charting the highs and lows of everyday life against the enchanting backdrop of a bustling Indian city.



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H
Hilary Ash
Screenwriter's novel

Ruth Jhabvala was a highly decorated screenwriter, including Oscars BAFTAs and more. Therefore it is no surprise that this novel has such a strong visual feel. It is as though she describes the vision and characters in her mind, and writes to lift them off the page. The novel is character rather than plot driven, set in an India labouring to free itself from the colonial British yoke. It goes without saying that the book is beautifully written, with interesting people, and yet it does not grip.

Description
Author: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

Format: Paperback / softback

Number of Pages: 320


Six colourful, comic characters inhabit A Backward Place. All but one are Westerners who have come to Delhi to experience an alternative way of life. But, far from being hippies, their ability to adapt to this exotic culture often leaves something to be desired. Etta, an aristocratic, faded beauty maintains her Parisian chic while Clarissa talks enthusiastically about the simple life but stops short of ever roughing it herself. On the other hand Bal, the one Indian protagonist, holds quite Western aspirations to Hollywood glamour. A Backward Place humorously explores contradictions in attitudes and lifestyles and the interplay between culture and individuality. But it is also a Dickensian drama, charting the highs and lows of everyday life against the enchanting backdrop of a bustling Indian city.