Maria Federica Oddera Books

Taking us back to a time that is half history, half myth and wholly magical, bestselling author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni gives voice to Panchaali, the fire-born heroine of the Mahabharata, as she weaves a vibrant retelling of an ancient epic saga. Married to five royal husbands who have been cheated out of their father's kingdom, Panchaali aids their quest to reclaim their birthright, remaining at their side through years of exile and a terrible civil war. But she cannot deny her complicated friendship with the enigmatic Krishna—or her secret attraction to the mysterious man who is her husbands' most dangerous enemy—as she is caught up in the ever-manipulating hands of fate.

Lily, a farmer's daughter in nineteenth-century China, learns that proper footbinding can enhance her marriage prospects and change her family's fortunes. As she endures the painful process, she befriends Snow Flower and learns nu shu, a secret women's writing. However, an unexpected twist threatens her new life.

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.

In the summer of 1922, following a series of defeats by the Turks, the Greek army retreats from Asia Minor, leaving behind a lost brigade wandering the Anatolian desert, burdened by a seemingly inexpiable curse. As their leader succumbs to morphine-induced despair, hope fades, and morale among the officers deteriorates. Mysterious Communist leaflets appear daily, thefts go unresolved, and the soldiers' minds increasingly dwell on a single, unspeakable act committed in desperation. Their fortune seems to shift when they discover a Greek settlement untouched by war, where the mayor and schoolteacher vie for the local courtesan's attention, and a disillusioned journalist drowns his sorrows. However, the brigade's dark past follows them, bringing calamity to this seemingly idyllic town with dire consequences for both soldiers and citizens. The New York Times Book Review praises the author's "spry and playful, sly and macabre" writing, likening it to the early works of Eudora Welty and the magical realism of Gabriel García Márquez. This debut novel establishes the author as one of Britain's most remarkable young talents.

Brothers Subhash and Udayan pursue different lives--Udayan in rebellion-torn Calcutta, Subhash in a quiet corner of America--until a shattering tragedy compels Subhash to return to India, where he tries to heal family wounds.

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

Rakhi, une jeune artiste et mère célibataire qui vit en Californie, est fascinée par le don que possède sa mère d'interpréter les rêves. Des coïncidences troublantes se tisse autour de la vie de Rakhi tandis que la découverte du journal intime de sa mère ouvre la porte de secrets longtemps enfouis. Saura-t-elle lire la vérité cachée dans les rêves et s'ouvrir à l'amour d'elle-même et des autres ?

"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..." -- Publishers website

From one of Ireland's most talented journalists, an extraordinary fiction debut, compelling, colourful and romantic. Kathleen is a 49-year-old travel writer, an Irishwoman based in London who has not been back to Ireland since she was twenty. Her home is her office, her family and friends a few close colleagues. She has not experienced passion since she was young. When, over the course of a few weeks, the props of her life fall away one after another, it is to passion that she turns - not in her own life, but in the fragmentary account of a scandalous affair in 19th century rural Ireland, between the wife of a big Anglo-Irish landlord, and her servant. And so Kathleen is drawn back to Ireland, to see whether she can find out more...

In New York a woman spends a night with a young Chilean poet before he departs, leaving her his desk. Later, he is arrested by Pinochet's secret police ... In north london, a man caring for his dying wife discovers a lock of hair that unravels a terrible secret ... In Jerusalem, an antiques dealer reassembles his father's study, plundered by the Nazis. One item remains missing ... Spanning continets and decades, weaving an intricate web of its characters' lives, Great House tells a soaring story of love, loss and survival against the odds.

m ZZ-UNEDITED-TWUK THE VINE OF DESIRE is the story of Anju and Sudha, two young women far from Calcutta, the city of their childhood, and who after a year of living separate lives are rekindling their friendship in America. The deep-seated love they feel for each other provides the support each of them needs. It gives Anju the strength to pick up the pieces of her life after a miscarriage, and Sudha the confidence to make a life for herself and her baby daughter, Dayita - without her husband. The unlikely relationships they form with men and women in the world outside the immigrant Indian community as well as their families in India profoundly transform them, forcing them to question the central assumptions of their lives, especially when they must confront the deeply passionate feelings that Anju's husband has for Sudha. THE VINE OF DESIRE is a novel of extraordinary depth and sensitivity. Through the eyes of people caught in the clash of cultures, Divakaruni reveals the rewards and the perils of breaking free from the past and the complicated, often contradictory emotions that shape the passage to independence.

Magical spices that cure woes and fulfill desires are at the heart of this story, featuring an immortal woman who travels through time to sell her wares. The narrative, penned by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, delves into the lives of Indian immigrants in the United States, showcasing various spices and their transformative powers. Tilo, the protagonist, opens a shop in Oakland, California, offering exotic spices that not only enhance flavor but also help customers overcome their troubles. Each spice carries a unique magic, capable of addressing a range of issues, from personal ailments to emotional struggles. The characters who seek Tilo's help represent a diverse tapestry of experiences, including an abused wife, a hopeful taxi driver, outspoken young women rebelling against tradition, and a victim of racism. Tilo provides them with her miraculous spices—turmeric for wrinkles, cinnamon for friendship, fenugreek for marital harmony, and chillies to ward off negativity. However, her world shifts when a handsome American man enters her shop, awakening desires she cannot remedy with her spices. As these feelings grow, they threaten her magical abilities. The story poses the question: will Tilo find a way to reconcile her desires, or will she succumb to them?

A portrait of the legendary woman outlaw describes her childhood in post-famine Ireland, work as a confidence trickster and grifter in America, love affair with a big-league criminal, successful robbery of Paris's American Express, imprisonment, and later years. By the author of Are You Somebody? 75,000 first printing.