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Readers familiar with Anand from Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s acclaimed novel, The Conch Bearer, will know what choice he makes. In doing so, he embarks on a spectacular adventure that takes him not only across contemporary India but also several hundred years into the past, to Bengal in the time of the Muslim nawabs, where he encounters powerful sorcerers, a haughty and arrogant young prince, and a jinn capable of unspeakable evil. Joining him is his old friend Nisha, in this world transformed into a young lady of noble birth.
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni once again weaves a vibrant tapestry of action, suspense, and rare beauty. Fans of The Conch Bearer, as well as listeners new to her work, will be entranced.
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
September 27, 2005 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780739364673
- File size: 235468 KB
- Duration: 08:10:33
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- ATOS Level: 6.1
- Lexile® Measure: 900
- Interest Level: 4-8(MG)
- Text Difficulty: 4-5
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Reviews
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Starred review from October 24, 2005
Fans of The Conch Bearer
will be every bit as riveted to this sequel, which opens in the Silver Valley of the Himalayas, where Anand and Nisha have begun their studies to become a Master Healer like their friend and mentor, Abhaydatta. Just when Anand is feeling less skillful than the other apprentices, he has a vision: a woman tells him that the people from her village are disappearing into the forest "and when they come back, they are changed. Often they don't remember who they are." The council of healers dispatches Abhaydatta to look into the matter, but Anand has further visions that his friend is in trouble, and enlists Nisha and the conch to help him. During their transport, the three become separated, and Anand must find them as well as Abhaydatta, and get to the source of the evil described by the woman in his vision. Along with her characters, the author sends readers back in time to an era in India when shahzadas (Muslim princes) ruled; she details their breathtaking finery and endless courses of food, brought by servants in turbans. The mirror of the title holds the key link between past and present, but it also takes on another layer of meaning in Anand's gradual self-realization. Divakaruni here makes India's past as immediate as its present, with characters that readers will surely want to follow through to the next and final book in the trilogy. Ages 8-up.
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