Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry

Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry lands on the shelves of my shop.

Faber & Faber, 2002, Hardback in dust wrapper.

From the cover: Family Matters is Rohinton Mistrys eagerly anticipated third novel, following the success of his highly acclaimed A Fine Balance (1995), which won several major literary awards internationally.

This new novel takes us to Bombay in the mid-1990s. Nariman Vakeel is a 79-year-old Parsi widower and the patriarch of a small discordant family. Beset by Parkinsons disease and haunted by memories of the past, he lives in a once-elegant apartment with his two middle-aged stepchildren Coomy, bitter and domineering, and her brother, Jal, mild-mannered and acquiescent. When Narimans illness is compounded by a broken ankle, Coomy plots to turn his round-the-clock care over to Roxana, her sweet-tempered sister. She succeeds, but not without cost, and eventually Nariman takes up residence with Roxana, her husband, Yezad, and their two young sons. The effect of the new responsibility on Yezad, who is already besieged by financial worries, pushes him into a scheme of deception involving Vikram Kapur, his eccentric, often exasperating employer at Bombay Sporting Goods Emporium. This sets in motion a series of events a great unravelling and a revelation of the familys love-torn past that leads to the narratives final outcome.

In this wise and compassionate novel, Mistry has once again created a beautifully realized world. As his unforgettable characters confront situations over which they have no control, their tragedies and their triumphs ultimately become our own.

Family Matters has all the richness, the gentle humour, and the narrative sweep that have earned Rohinton Mistry the highest of accolades around the world. It is a stunning achievement from one of the finest writers of our time.

Very Good+ in Very Good+ Dust Wrapper.

Blue boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 487 pages. 9½” x 6¼”.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!

Rossini by Gaia Servadio

Rossini by Gaia Servadio lands on the shelves of my shop.

Constable, 2003, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Facsimiles;

From the cover: It is difficult to imagine today how popular Rossini was by the time he decided to stop composing he was just 32 and had written 39 operas. Today only a football star or a pop singer can command such enthusiastic reverence. But there is a mystery to his life why on a wave of such tremendous popularity did Rossini step aside?

Wagner, who had exchanged many ideas with Rossini, thought that he could be understood only in the context of his historical era. In the aftermath of the Napoleonic occupation the romantic movement swept across Europe. And opera was not only more popular than we can imagine, it was also powerfully political. Rossini was the link between the neoclassical movement and romanticism, between monarchies and revolutions, autocracy and liberalism.

After his triumphant years in Italy, where he was the most highly sought after composer of the age, he encountered the great voice of romanticism in the Paris salons, in meetings with Victor Hugo, Honoré de Balzac and Eugene Delacroix, among others. But at heart he was a depressive, and when Beethoven told him that he should stick to comedies, Rossini never forgot or forgave him. Having complained in silence all his life, in the end he resolved to complain to God, to whom he dedicated his final Petite Messe. That he should have composed again at the end of his life is not a contradiction he wanted this Mass to remain private, to be performed for friends and God alone. He had come to hate the public and himself.

Using new material and previously unpublished letters, Gaia Servadio sheds much light on the mystery of Rossinis life. She relates the story of his difficult childhood and impoverished family life, his women, the divas, his nervous illnesses, and sets all this against the sweep of European history. It is not only an account of one of the most intelligent minds of his time and certainly one of the greatest composers of all time, but also of the age in which he lived.

Very Good+ in Very Good+ Dust Wrapper.

Black boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. [XII] 244 pages. Index. 9½” x 6¼”.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!