Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Good Bird


Jana Laird arrives in Hamara Nagar, India to claim her inheritance- a property known as the Jolly Grant House. The local bagpiper is only the first of the neighbors to offer assistance as they work to make the house inhabitable. Just as Jana, her ayah Mary, and her parrot are feeling comfortable in their new locale, they receive word the government may be building a dam that will flood the town. To prevent obliteration, the residents must prove their town's merit. Along with the newspaper editor, the antiques dealer, and tailor, Jana believes their future might just rest on fortune telling. 

Set in 1960, the novel Jana Bibi's Excellent Fortunes looks back through characters who lived with the corruption of local bureaucrats, the colonization and leave-taking of the British, and the Golden Age of Indian cinema.  From elevenses at the Why Not? Tea Shop to the gossip at Royal Tailors to palm reads in the parlor, Betsy Woodman has created a novel rich in scene and character.

1 comment:

Rachael said...

I believe you could make any book sound like an interesting read. That is a skill that could help you get paid missy!