Product Description
General FictionLarge Print EditionA delight . . . one encompassing the experience of the beauties and traditions of India, the richness of its religions, and Goddens own dash of gallantry and grand gestures.Kirkus ReviewsWhen Mr. Cromartie, a Canadian art dealer, takes his latest acquisition to a London appraiser, his treasurethe revered eleventh-century statue of the Hindu god Shivais impounded by the British police. Insisting that the statue is not stolen, Mr. Cromartie takes the case to court, beginning a wonderfully evocative story. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

reads like an unedited first draft
This is the very last thing that Godden published, and it is not a well-written book.

Instead of her delicate and deliberate prose, you will find repetitive and sketchy phrasing. Her wonderfully nuanced characters are missing the depth her readers expect; instead, she has left markers, as often as not, that seem to be quick notes for later revisions that never happened.

The painter John Currin once said that he learned more from studying the second-rate painters than he did the masters. This book might be interesting for that reason; Godden's fine polish was never applied, and another writer might discern the armature underneath the surface.

If you are reading purely for pleasure, this one won't bring the kind of joy that so very many of her works can bring. But for me, it was an illumination; even the finest of novels begin with a first draft.

Part art theft story, part love affair
Fans of Rumer Godden know that the writer has spend her childhood and early adult years living in India.She knows customs, language and people of India since they are part of who she is and even more importantly they are part of her fiction writing.The fiction book is based on the true story of the of the law suit between a wealthy art collector and philantropist who upon purchasing beautiful status of God Shiva, is sued by the Indian Governement for "stealing" valuable national artifact.The book explores how statue of God Shiva was stolen, removed from India and found its way to North America.It is almost as if anyone surrounded by blissful Shiva statue had a reason to steal it, sell it, copy it and dispose of it in some way.A young lawyer, sent from London to represent government of India and find out the true story about the antique statue finds his true love in the process of this discovery.But love in this story seems to be misplaced no matter if you are obeserving: people or art.This short read will keep you guessing, until the end, of who did it.It is a multifaceted mystery in which there are no real winners, but perhaps Shiva the God himself. Exotic storytelling.

Cromartie V. the god Shiva
A charming, easily read novel despite its akwardly long title.One of Godden's finest efforts.

The Maltese Falcon Redux?
This is one of the most engaging titles I've seen in years.I was looking forward to a clash of East v. West, of the legal v. the spiritual, all leavened by a large dash of humor.

Instead I found a entertaining, butultimately disappointing book.The plot is sort of an Indian "MalteseFalcon," only this time, "the stuff that dreams are made of"is a statuette of the Hindu god Shiva.Our hero, a London barrister(smart! good-looking!), is off to India (where he grew up) to dig up leads,and, eventually, romance.

The description of the Western guests andEastern hosts--all suspects!-- and the atmospheric hotel from which thestatuette was purportedly stolen is wonderful escapism. The guests parodyvarying attitudes towards the East (variously appalled, shocked,intoxicated, patrician):Enjoy these characters and their sense-satiatinghotel with a long cool summertime drink.

But the plot, and most of thecharacters, proceed without sufficient development or surprise to match thepromise of the earlier narrative.And when it all ends (in a PerryMason-like long confessional), one wishes that the book had taken adifferent, perhaps more whimsical direction.

Being ashort novel, it isprobably worth your time to read it, if only for an introduction to RumerGodden, and as an antidote to summer's gasoline-soaked barbeques andblaring baseball games.

(I look forward to reading other books by thisrenowned author.)

Try another Rumer Godden book
This book seems like an addendum--it leads nowhere. Although the parts describing Indian culture are interesting, and often her writing is very poetic, the ending feels contrived. Rumer Godden is not your typical risingaction-climax-falling action writer (thank God), and so she does have sometricks for keeping your interest: a couple of interesting main charactersand some absolutely beautiful meditations on religion. I am constantlyamazed and impressed with the live and let live attitude of Rumer Godden'sbest characters. But the book didn't stick with me afterward. By all means,check this one out of the library, but buy An Episode of Sparrows. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
Urban Local Government in India Historical Perspective: Evolution of Modern Local Government. Andhra Pradesh. Karnataka.Kerala. Tamil Nadu.Appendices.Index. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Product Description
Containing A Brief Relation Of The Negotiations With Government, From The Year 1767, To The Present Time, Respecting The Company's Acquisitions In India. Together With Some Considerations On The Principal Plans For Adjusting The Matters In Dispute, Which Have Been Discussed In The General Court Of Proprietors. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1847 edition by Nattali and Bond, London. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishings Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the worlds literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
John Clark Marshman (1794-1877) was an English missionary and civil servant who developed a fascination with the history of India after his long service in the country. Marshman emigrated with his missionary parents to India in 1799, settling at Serampore in West Bengal. With his father he founded the first Bengali magazine in 1818, and the first English magazine in India in 1821. After serving as a staff member at Serampore College and as the Official Bengali Translator for the Government, Marshman left India in 1855 and returned to England. This volume, first published in 1876, contains a condensed edition of Marshman's acclaimed History of India. He provides an overview of Indian history, providing details of the most powerful medieval kingdoms and the creation and administration of the East India Company. This volume also provides insights into contemporary theories concerning the prehistory and creation of various Indian states. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more