Böcker av Ramona Sen

Spanning over a century, The Lady on the Horse tells the story of five generations ofa family in Calcutta. Starting life as a khansama in an Englishman's house in 1900,Dipendra Nath Lahiri dreams of acquiring the wealth and status of a zamindar.His wife Pritilata's skills as a seamstress-much sought after by the memsahibs-become the means, and by 1919, their tailoring business, Lahiri & Sons, has madethem fabulously rich and they've bought a grand mansion, Lahiri Bari. Theirprogeny can live a life of leisure, at par with the white sahibs Dipendra Nath andPritilata had once served.But with time, Lahiri Bari also becomes the house of many secrets and contestedlegacies: of injustice, betrayal, love and pain. What was the unmentionable 'thing'that happened between Neelratan Lahiri's wife Ishwari and the black-as-a-crowKanailal-the revolutionary who wanted to burn down the Raj? Two generationslater, what is the mysterious connection between Pixie and the maid's daughter,Ayesha, who grow up like sisters? And what was the oldest secret of them all-what turned the demure Pritilata into a rebel who rode out of her mansion on amagnificent horse one day-never to return.Set against the backdrop of the freedom struggle, the Bengal Famine andPartition, this sprawling family saga explores the insidious implications of classand caste through the lives of people thrown together by blood ties and fate lines.At the heart of the story is the idea that everything which happens in the presenthas its roots in the past-every generation will be shaped by the legacy it hasbeen bequeathed.With a rich cast of characters and lyrical prose, Ramona Sen takes us on anexhilarating roller-coaster ride through the trials and tribulations of one family-and the passionate loves and bitter enmities that shaped their fortunes.

A quintessential Bengali anglophile, Aabir Mookerjee, is back from Oxford and can often be spotted basking in the comfort of colonial clubs or pottering around his restaurant, E&B, whose chocolate mousse has been garnering all the attention. Troubles begin when The Mad Hatter opens across town and its attractive young proprietress shows a knack for concocting sweetmeats. Meanwhile, Aabir''s mother and the family priest unite to find him a ''suitable'' bride. His monosyllabic sister won''t help and his incorrigible friend is too much the flagrant Lothario to be depended upon. Soon, the easily disoriented Aabir finds himself swamped by more ladies than he can handle. Perhaps the only person who can bring things to a head is his dead grandmother, who watches over the family with an eagle eye from her unearthly abode on the coconut tree. Hugely engaging, with bountiful laughter, read along to know how Aabir fares, even as he inches closer to the best dessert he can get his hands on and a romance he hadn''t bargained for. Psst: The reader runs the risk of unappeasable hunger pangs, which is not to be held against this lip-smackingly tasty book.