Barbara Bleiman Books

Specially selected by Maura Healy, this series aims to offer an innovative and adventurous collection of texts that demonstrates the best of women's writing, both black and white. Complete texts reflecting a range of genres as well as different cultures and experiences are offered and the volumes contain study material and assignments at a range of levels to deepen pupils' enjoyment and understanding of literature. A reading log is also included with ideas for group and individual assignments to help pupils find their way around the texts. This book includes pre-reading activities, notes and coursework assignments. The stories from Ireland, China, Egypt, American and Asia tell the story of women's lives, from memories of childhood to meeting with death and tell about women's experiences in their homes, relationships, work and culture. The series is intended for 14-16 year olds sitting GCSE English and English Literature and adults taking English examinations and overseas students. It is suitable for those taking GCSE-LEAG, NEA, SEG and MEG examinations.

Set in India, HEAT AND DUST is the story of Olivia, a beautiful, spoiled, bored English colonial wife in the 1920s who is drawn inexorably into the spell of the Nawab, a minor Indian prince deeply involved in plots and intrigues. Olivia outrages the tiny, suffocating town where her husband is a civil servant by eloping with the captivating Nawab. It is also the story of Olivia's step-granddaughter who, fifty years later, is drawn to India by her fascination with the letters left behind by the now dead older woman, and by her obsession with solving the enigma of Olivia's scandal. A penetrating and compassionate love story, this brilliant novel immerses the reader in the heat, dust, and squalor of India, while providing a compelling mixture of the spiritual and the sensual.