Maria Federica Oddera Books

Takes us back to a time that is half-history, half-myth, and wholly magical. Narrated by Panchaali, the wife of the five Pandava brothers, this book gives a woman's take on the timeless tale that is the Mahabharata.

Anju is the daughter of an upper-caste Calcutta family; her cousin Sudha is the daughter of the black sheep of the family. Sudha is as beautiful, tenderhearted, and serious as Anju is plain, whip-smart, and defiant. Yet since the day they were born, Sudha and Anju have been bonded in ways even their mothers cannot comprehend.The cousins' bond is shattered, however, when Sudha learns a dark family secret. Urged into arranged marriages, their lives take sudden, opposite turns: Sudha becomes the dutiful daughter-in-law of a rigid small-town household, while Anju goes to America with her new husband and learns to live her own life of secrets. Then tragedy strikes them both, and the women discover that, despite the distance that has grown between them, they have only each other to turn to. Set in the two worlds of India and America, this is an exceptionally moving novel of love, friendship, and compelling courage.

A humorous examination with serious overtones of the concepts of space, time, and dimension.

Rakhi è una giovane artista e madre divorziata di Berkeley, California, la cui vita è in un equilibrio precario, minacciato da drammi imminenti. L'ex marito Sonny cerca di ottenere l'affetto esclusivo della figlia Jona, costringendo Rakhi nel ruolo del genitore severo, mentre lui la vizia. La sua attività ristorativa con l'amica Belle è a rischio a causa dell'apertura di un locale di una catena potente nella stessa strada. La pittura rappresenta un momento di libertà, ma Rakhi riesce a dedicarcisi solo nel tempo libero, affrontando grandi sacrifici. La madre di Rakhi, interprete dei sogni, è un punto di riferimento per molti, ma Rakhi si sente esclusa da questo dono e dal passato indiano della madre, dalle tradizioni mai vissute. Gli eventi dell'11 Settembre pongono Rakhi e la sua comunità multietnica di fronte a una domanda cruciale: sono americani? Un amico di Belle viene aggredito per il suo turbante, evidenziando le tensioni razziali. La ricerca di identità di Rakhi, anche attraverso i "Diari del sogno" della madre, diventa il seme di un riscatto e di una nuova vita, con la speranza di riconquistare armonia nella sua famiglia e nella comunità.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD WINNER OF THE BOOKS ARE MY BAG NOVEL AWARD 2018 SHORTLISTED FOR THE SPECSAVERS NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS 2018 A brilliantly original high concept murder mystery from a fantastic new talent: Gosford Park meets Inception, by way of Agatha Christie and Black Mirror One of Stylist Magazine's 20 Must-Read Books of 2018 One of Harper's Bazaar's 10 Must-Read Books of 2018 One of Marie Claire, Australia's 10 Books You Absolutely Have to Read in 2018 'Somebody's going to be murdered at the ball tonight. It won't appear to be a murder and so the murderer won't be caught. Rectify that injustice and I'll show you the way out.' It is meant to be a celebration but it ends in tragedy. As fireworks explode overhead, Evelyn Hardcastle, the young and beautiful daughter of the house, is killed. But Evelyn will not die just once. Until Aiden - one of the guests summoned to Blackheath for the party - can solve her murder, the day will repeat itself, over and over again. Every time ending with the fateful pistol shot. The only way to break this cycle is to identify the killer. But each time the day begins again, Aiden wakes in the body of a different guest. And someone is determined to prevent him ever escaping Blackheath...

A classic work of magical realism, this bestselling novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni tells the story of Tilo, a young woman from another time who has a gift for the mystical art of spices. Now immortal, and living in the gnarled and arthritic body of an old woman, Tilo has set up shop in Oakland, California, where she administers curatives to her customers. But when she's surprised by an unexpected romance with a handsome stranger, she must choose between everlasting life and the vicissitudes of modern society. Spellbinding and hypnotizing, The Mistress of Spices is a tale of joy, sorrow, and one special woman's magical powers.