"There can be no vaulting over time," thinks Urmi, the narrator of The Binding Vine. "We have to walk every step of the way, however difficult or painful it is; we can avoid nothing." After the death of her baby, Urmi's finds her own path difficult to endure. But through her grief, she is drawn into the lives of two unlikely women—a long-dead relative and a young girl in a coma. As the stories of these three women unravel so does a tale of quiet courage and unfaltering hope.
The first woman Urmi is drawn to is Mina, her long-dead mother-in-law, who exists only in the notebooks she has left behind, discovered by chance in a dusty storage trunk. Mina's journals and poetry reveal the trials of a vibrant young woman trapped in an unhappy arranged marriage, and of a gifted writer whose work, because she is a woman, must remain secret and unread. The second, a young woman named Kalpana, has also been silenced: the victim of a violent rape, she hovers between life and death in a hospital ward, watched over by her impoverished mother, with whom Urmi forms a bond of mutual comfort.
The miracle of The Binding Vine, and of Shashi Deshpande's deeply compassionate vision, is that out of this web of loss and despair emerge strands of life and hope—a binding vine of love and connection that spreads across chasms of time, distance, and even death. In moving and exquisitely understated prose, Deshpande renders visible the extraordinary endurance and grace concealed in women's everyday lives.
Shashi Deshpande is the author of seven novels, including A Matter of Time, as well as several volumes of short stories and a number of chidlren's books. She is winner of the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award.
Ritu Menon, a founder of Kali for Women, India's first feminist publisher, has co-edited three anthologies of writing by Indian women.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
FREE
Within U.S.A.
Book Description Condition: Very Good. 1st Femini. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # 9174497-6
Book Description Condition: Good. 1st Femini. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 2684039-6
Book Description Condition: Good. Good condition. Very Good dust jacket. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains. Bundled media such as CDs, DVDs, floppy disks or access codes may not be included. Seller Inventory # Q12A-01286
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Fair. No Jacket. Former library book; Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.9. Seller Inventory # G155861267XI5N10
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Seller Inventory # 20100819110413
Book Description Condition: Good. SHIPS FROM USA. Used books have different signs of use and do not include supplemental materials such as CDs, Dvds, Access Codes, charts or any other extra material. All used books might have various degrees of writing, highliting and wear and tear and possibly be an ex-library with the usual stickers and stamps. Dust Jackets are not guaranteed and when still present, they will have various degrees of tear and damage. All images are Stock Photos, not of the actual item. book. Seller Inventory # 27-155861267X-G
Book Description Condition: Good. SHIPS FROM USA. Used books have different signs of use and do not include supplemental materials such as CDs, Dvds, Access Codes, charts or any other extra material. All used books might have various degrees of writing, highliting and wear and tear and possibly be an ex-library with the usual stickers and stamps. Dust Jackets are not guaranteed and when still present, they will have various degrees of tear and damage. All images are Stock Photos, not of the actual item. book. Seller Inventory # 7-155861267X-G
Book Description Condition: Fine Condition. Advanced Reading Copy. Seller Inventory # 9013343
Book Description Paperback. Condition: good. Prompt shipment, with tracking. we ship in CLEAN SECURE BOXES NEW BOXES Psychological fiction; Good trade paperback with creasing, nicked, staining on back cover, sticker remanence front cover, and prompt shipping with tracking. Seller Inventory # bing797psd028