The ventriloquist's tale /
On a visit to Guyana in South America a woman writer from Britain has an illicit romance with a Scottish-Indian cattle rancher. In the course of it she learns of an incestuous affair involving his ancestors. A tale within a tale
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
New York, N.Y. :
Bloomsbury,
c1997
New York : Bloomsbury Pub., 1999 New York, N.Y. : [1997] |
| Edition: | 1st U.S. ed |
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| Summary: | On a visit to Guyana in South America a woman writer from Britain has an illicit romance with a Scottish-Indian cattle rancher. In the course of it she learns of an incestuous affair involving his ancestors. A tale within a tale Winner of the Whitbread First Novel Award, "The Ventriloquist's Tale" embraces nearly a century, large in scope but intimate as a whisper, telling the story of a brother and sister who have a passionate affair at the time of the solar eclipse in 1919 "With relish and consummate skill, Pauline Melville conjures vivid pictures of savannah, forest and city life in South America where love is often trumped by disaster. Unforgettable characters illuminate theme and plot: Sonny, the strange, beautiful and isolate son of Beatrice and Danny, the brother and sister who have a passionate affair at the time of the solar eclipse in 1919; Father Napier, the sandy-haired evangelist whom the Indians perceive as a giant grasshopper; Chofy McKinnon the modern Indian, torn between savannah life and urban future." "This is a novel which embraces nearly a century, large in scope but intimate as a whisper, where laughter is never far from the scene of tragedy; a parable of miscegenation and racial exclusiveness, of nature defying culture and of the eternally rebellious nature of love."--BOOK JACKET |
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| Physical Description: | 357 p. ; 22 cm 357 pages ; 21 cm 357 pages ; 22 cm |
| ISBN: | 1582340099 : 1582340269 9781582340265 |