In Leila, Bandula Chandraratna goes back to the closed desert kingdom where his tragic story of star-crossed lovers unfolded in Mirage. Despite Sayeed¿s desparate attempts to save her, his beautiful wife Latifa is dead. Sayeed is in debt, stricken with grief and guilt. The only star on his horizon now is the small child that Latifa left behind who, though not his own, Sayeed has come quickly to love. Leila has inherited her mother¿s beauty and something more - a burning anger at her mother¿s unjust fate and a desire to make her own way in the oppressive world she finds herself in.
Mirage emerged from 1999 Booker judging as the unexpected favourite of the chairman, Gerald Kaufman, just missing the final shortlist. It was a novel that could leave few readers unmoved. It also left a sense of an unfinished story. With the classic simplicity that made Mirage so unique, Bandula Chandraratna reignites a timeless tale of innocence and evil against a savage landscape.
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In stark and lucid prose, this tale dares to tackle huge moral themes in a compassionate and understated way. Arabic culture, so often misunderstood and misrepresented in the western media, is delineated in a style that is sensitive and honest, and often touchingly funny. Much comic mileage is gained from the characters' love of western car brands and their desire to own ever-more expensive and prestigious models. And yet, western and Islamic cultures are not seen as opposite poles on the spectrum; both are capable of harbouring good and evil, and violence and greed are inherent in both cultures. Sayeed's kingdom stands at a moral crossroads--trapped between the rampant avarice and moral disregard of capitalism and the implacable, unforgiving morality of Islamic fundamentalism. Faced with these two equally unholy extremes, Sayeed's final choice is all the more remarkable.
An Eye for an Eye's prequel, Mirage caught the attention of the 1999 Booker Prize judges for its ability to meditate on grand subjects such as love, loss and repression with an astonishing deftness of touch. This second novel shares this ability, and, although knowledge of the first novel is always an advantage, this simple tale of an ordinary man with a very extraordinary dilemma is compelling in its own right. --Jane Morris
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. First U.K. Edition. A Good Read ships from Toronto and Niagara Falls, NY - customers outside of North America please allow two to three weeks for delivery. ; 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Seller Inventory # 22998
Book Description Hard Cover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. First Edition. Hardcover with unclipped dust jacket, 181 pages; unread condition. Seller Inventory # 035906
Book Description Hardback. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. First Edition. Fine first printing in fine dustwrapper. An as-new, unread copy. As an enthusiastic collector myself I make every effort to provide a high level of service. Enquiries welcomed. Paypal accepted. Seller Inventory # 007871
Book Description Hardback. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. First Edition. Fine first printing in fine dustwrapper. An as-new, unread copy. As an enthusiastic collector myself I make every effort to provide a high level of service. Enquiries welcomed. Paypal accepted. Seller Inventory # 008070
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. uk1st.edition.1st.printing.vg hardback in vg dustwrapper.dustwrapper has some staining inside but does not show through.this copy is inscribed by the author on half title page "angela with all best wishes-bandula 30 march 2008". Inscribed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 37fggdxb
Book Description Hard Cover. Condition: As New. Dust Jacket Condition: As New. First Edition. 180 pages. Book and Jacket appear to have hardly been read and are both in As new condition throughout. Seller Inventory # 183929
Book Description HARDCOVER. Condition: VERY GOOD. 1st Edition. 2001-07-12. WandN. Hardcover. VERY GOOD SIGNED, First edition, DJ clean and intact, clear protective cover, internally and externally good, pages clean, binding tight, slight tanning to page edges, 8' x 5.5'. Seller Inventory # 2061232
Book Description Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. Chandraratna, Bandula. An eye for an eye. Uncorrected proof. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2001. A Phoenix House Book. Paperback, VG. Minor shelfwear to corners. Binding strong and square. 182pp. Contents clean and bright. "Bandula Chandraratna's An Eye for an Eye doubles up as an alternative guidebook to Saudi, here represented as a sinister mix of the primitive and the ultra-sophisticated" (The Guardian). RightWayUp Books aims to provide accurate and detailed descriptions. All images are of the actual book for sale - no stock images are ever used. Thank you for looking at this listing. Seller Inventory # ABE-1687810775918
Book Description hardcover. Condition: Acceptable. NOT an ex-library book. Clean copy in good condition. Quick dispatch from UK seller. Seller Inventory # mon0000432286