The River: A Virago Modern Classic - Softcover

Godden, Rumer

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1844088413 ISBN 13: 9781844088416

Publisher: Virago, 2015

Synopsis

By the bestselling author of Black Narcissus and The Battle of the Villa Fiorita

'The River will make you laugh, make you cry and, in its way, change you forever' JULIE MYERSON

'Her prose is pure, delicate, and gently witty' NEW YORK TIMES

'Bold, beautiful . . . everyone's appetites will be satisfied' ELLE

The River is Rumer Godden's beautiful tribute to India and childhood, made into a film by Jean Renoir. And in a preface for this novel she explains how the classic tale came to be written.

Harriet is caught between two worlds: her older sister is no longer a playmate, her brother is still a little boy. And the comforting rhythm of her Indian childhood - the sounds of the jute factory, the colourful festivals that accompany each season and the eternal ebb and flow of the river on its journey to the Bay of Bengal - is about to be shattered by a tragic event.

Intense, vivid, and with a dark undertow, The River is a poignant portrait of the loss of a young girl's innocence.

Available with Virago Modern Classics.

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

'A near perfect account of how childhood has to come to an end and the serpent must enter the garden . . . Godden evokes, in simple, flawless prose, a young girl's first encounters with jealousy, sex, guilt and death.' Anne Chisholm, Spectator

'The River will make you laugh, make you cry and, in its way, change you for ever' Julie Myerson


Harriet is caught between two worlds: her older sister is no longer a playmate, her brother is still a little boy. And the comforting rhythm of her Indian childhood - the sounds of the jute factory, the colourful festivals that accompany each season and the eternal ebb and flow of the river on its journey to the Bay of Bengal - is about to be shattered. Intense, vivid, and with a dark undertow, The River is a poignant portrait of the end of childhood.

Edition details

• Publisher: Virago
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1844088413
• ISBN 13: 9781844088416
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224