The River
by Rumer Godden
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Facing harsh adult realities, a young English girl in India must leave childhood behind, in this masterful tale from a New York Times-bestselling author. The Ganges River runs through young Harriet's world. The eleven-year-old daughter of the British owner of a successful jute concern, she loves her life in Bengal, India, on the river's edge, so far removed from the English boarding school she attended before the outbreak of hostilities in Europe. Often left alone by an overworked father show more and preoccupied mother, Harriet is enchanted by the local festivals, colors, and vibrant life surrounding her. Now, as she stands on the brink of adulthood-too old to play childish games with her reckless little brother, Bogey, yet too young to be touched by such grown-up concerns as the faraway Second World War-a stranger's unexpected arrival will rock her world. When Captain John, a handsome soldier returning wounded from the battlefield, becomes her family's new neighbor, Harriet is instantly entranced, beset by a rush of unfamiliar emotions: longing, jealousy, infatuation. But the inevitable change inherent in growing older may be too heavy a burden for a young girl to bear when it carries with it disappointment and heartbreaking loss. Inspired by the author's personal experiences as a child raised in India-and the basis for the acclaimed classic motion picture of the same name from French film director Jean Renoir-Rumer Godden's The River is a lovely, moving portrayal of childhood's end. Evocative, heartfelt, and bittersweet, it is a coming-of-age story without equal from a major twentieth-century novelist. This ebook features an illustrated biography of the author including rare images from the Rumer Godden Literary Estate. show lessTags
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(7.5) A quiet reflective coming of age story set in India. The author beautifully evokes the sights sounds and smells of the country. Bea, Harriet , Bogey and Victoria live an idyllic carefree life until disaster strikes but even then there is the realisation that the river still flows, the world spins and life goes on.
Beautifully told story of a European girl named Harriet coming of age in Colonial India. About Life, growing, death, birth, love, so many first experiences, poetry, beauty and presence of nature.
My grandfather knew Renoir and loves his films. We finally watched The River over Thanksgiving and I enjoyed the movie very much, despite its simplicity and datedness. I figured I should read the book, I've had my grandmother's old copy sitting on my bookshelf for years. So I read it in 3 days and the book is a thousand times better than Renoir's film -- which is lovely, but thought over all it missed the reality/beauty/meaning of the book.
I wish I had read this when I was 13, 14...I'm sure I will read it to a future daughter when she is show more growing up. Seriously recommended. show less
My grandfather knew Renoir and loves his films. We finally watched The River over Thanksgiving and I enjoyed the movie very much, despite its simplicity and datedness. I figured I should read the book, I've had my grandmother's old copy sitting on my bookshelf for years. So I read it in 3 days and the book is a thousand times better than Renoir's film -- which is lovely, but thought over all it missed the reality/beauty/meaning of the book.
I wish I had read this when I was 13, 14...I'm sure I will read it to a future daughter when she is show more growing up. Seriously recommended. show less
Lovely story about children growing up in India.
However, be warned, if you are reading this Virago edition, don't read the introduction (by the author herself no less) before you've read the story because it contains a massive spoiler.
However, be warned, if you are reading this Virago edition, don't read the introduction (by the author herself no less) before you've read the story because it contains a massive spoiler.
El pas de l'adolescència d'una nena anglesa que viu al costat del Ganges. Reflexions sobre la mort i la vida
Oct 6, 2016Catalan
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Underlying this delicate story about the children of an English family living in Bengal, are the moods and changes of the river that flows through their garden. Rich in mood and atmosphere, the author has undoubtedly succeeded in capturing the flavor of this river and of the people who lived beside it.
added by KMRoy
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Margaret Rumer Godden was born Dec. 10, 1907, in Sussex, England. She was nine months old when her family moved to India, where her father ran a shipping line. She returned to London at age 20 to learn how to teach dance to children, and opened a school back in India. Returning to England while she was pregnant, she wrote her first book, "Chinese show more Puzzle," published in 1936. Her marriage to a stockbroker, Laurence Sinclair Foster, ended in 1941, leaving her penniless. In an effort to pay off her former husband's debts, Godden moved her family into a mountain cottage where she ran a school, made herbal teas for sale, and wrote books. Another novel of India, "The River," published in 1949, was one of her most acclaimed books and was made into a film by Jean Renoir in 1951. She returned to England to stay in 1945. Rumer Godden was the author of more than 60 books, including novels, short story collections, poetry, plays and non-fiction. She published her 21st novel, "Cromartie vs. the God Shiva," in 1997. Rumer Godden died a year later on November 8, 1998, in Thornhill, Scotland, at the age of 90. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Virago Modern Classics (565)
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