Kingfishers Catch Fire: A Virago Modern Classic - Softcover

Godden, Rumer

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0349017581 ISBN 13: 9780349017587

Publisher: Virago, 2026

Synopsis

BY THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF BLACK NARCISSUS AND THE RIVER

'A haunting tale . . . the whole book burns with the beauty and poetry' EVENING STANDARD

'Powerful adult themes underlie the novel's glimmering surface' ROSIE THOMAS, GUARDIAN

'One of our best and most captivating novelists' PHILIP HENSHER

Sophie Barrington Ward, without a husband, with two children and very little income, is faced with making a new life. She arrives in the Eden of Himalayan Kashmir to set up home in a tumbledown cottage surrounded by flowers and herbs. Settling down to live quietly, frugally and peacefully with her new neighbours, she is unaware of the turmoil her arrival provokes as the villagers compete fiercely for her patronage. Sophie is determined to live with the Indians and like it. Pundit Pramatha Kaul, her wise landlord, shakes his head. Profit David, her merchant friend, warns her. But when Sophie's cook makes a drastic bid to secure his position, the unwanted consequences are catastrophic . . .

Mesmerising and thoughtful, this Godden's lesser-known classic evokes India's uniquely beautiful landscape amidst a timeless tale of misunderstanding.

About this title

About the Author

Rumer Godden (1907-1998) was the acclaimed author of over sixty works of fiction and non-fiction for adults and children. Born in England, she and her siblings grew up in Narayanganj, India, and she later spent many years living in Kolkata and Kashmir. Several of her novels were made into films, including Black Narcissus, The Greengage Summer and The River, which was filmed by Jean Renoir. She was appointed OBE in 1993.

From the Back Cover

INTRODUCED BY TESSA HADLEY

He knew that Sophie was like a kingfisher herself, choosing some strange, unthought-of place for her nest, diving relentlessly for her private fish, then flashing out of sight.

Sophie Barrington Ward arrives in the Eden of Himalayan Kashmir with two children, no husband and very little income. Faced with making a new life, she sets up home in a tumbledown cottage, determined to live quietly, frugally and peacefully with her new neighbours. Shaking off the warnings of Pundit Pramatha Kaul, her wise landlord, and her merchant friend Profit David, Sophie is blithely unaware of the turmoil caused by her arrival, or the tensions that simmer beneath her new community. Then Sophie's cook makes a drastic bid to secure his position, and the unwanted consequences are catastrophic . . .


'The whole book burns with the beauty and poetry of a matchless landscape, but the human side of it is wry, delicate and true' DAILY TELEGRAPH
'A born storyteller . . . her books feel serious, complex, true' TESSA HADLEY
'This novel is perfectly poised. Each strand of the taut narrative is woven with precision' ROSIE THOMAS

Edition details

• Publisher: Virago
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0349017581
• ISBN 13: 9780349017587
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320