Synopses & Reviews
It is 1923. Evangeline (Eva) English and her sister Lizzie are missionaries heading for the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar. Though Lizzie is on fire with her religious calling, Eva's motives are not quite as noble, but with her green bicycle and a commission from a publisher to write A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar, she is ready for adventure.In present day London, a young woman, Frieda, returns from a long trip abroad to find a man sleeping outside her front door. She gives him a blanket and a pillow, and in the morning finds the bedding neatly folded and an exquisite drawing of a bird with a long feathery tail, some delicate Arabic writing, and a boat made out of a flock of seagulls on her wall. Tayeb, in flight from his Yemeni homeland, befriends Frieda and, when she learns she has inherited the contents of an apartment belonging to a dead woman she has never heard of, they embark on an unexpected journey together.A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar explores the fault lines that appear when traditions from different parts of an increasingly globalized world crash into one other. Beautifully written, and peopled by a cast of unforgettable characters, the novel interweaves the stories of Frieda and Eva, gradually revealing the links between them and the ways in which they each challenge and negotiate the restrictions of their societies as they make their hard-won way toward home. A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar marks the debut of a wonderfully talented new writer.
Review
"An astonishing epic — colonial-era travel combined with a modern meditation on where we belong and how we connect in the world — I could not put it down." Helen Simonson, bestselling author of Major Pettigrews Last Stand
Review
"A haunting, original, and beautifully written tale that conveys a sense of profound alienation and of other realities." Paul Torday, bestselling author of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Review
"Beautifully written in language too taut, piercing, and smartly observed to be called lyrical, this atmospheric first novel immediately engages, nicely reminding us that odd twists of fate sometimes aren't that odd. Highly recommended." Library Journal, starred review
Review
"This complex and involving historical novel examines the idea of home, the consequences of exile, the connection between mother and daughter, and the power dynamics of sexual relationships." Booklist
Synopsis
Like Major Pettigrew's Last Stand or The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a wondrous, richly conceived, irresistible debut novel that sweeps the reader away to a different world.
Synopsis
It is 1923. Evangeline (Eva) English and her sister Lizzie are missionaries heading for the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar. Though Lizzie is on fire with her religious calling, Evas motives are not quite as noble, but with her green bicycle and a commission from a publisher to write
A Lady Cyclists Guide to Kashgar, she is ready for adventure.
In present day London, a young woman, Frieda, returns from a long trip abroad to find a man sleeping outside her front door. She gives him a blanket and a pillow, and in the morning finds the bedding neatly folded and an exquisite drawing of a bird with a long feathery tail, some delicate Arabic writing, and a boat made out of a flock of seagulls on her wall. Tayeb, in flight from his Yemeni homeland, befriends Frieda and, when she learns she has inherited the contents of an apartment belonging to a dead woman she has never heard of, they embark on an unexpected journey together.
A Lady Cyclists Guide to Kashgar explores the fault lines that appear when traditions from different parts of an increasingly globalized world crash into one other. Beautifully written, and peopled by a cast of unforgettable characters, the novel interweaves the stories of Frieda and Eva, gradually revealing the links between them and the ways in which they each challenge and negotiate the restrictions of their societies as they make their hard-won way toward home. A Lady Cyclists Guide to Kashgar marks the debut of a wonderfully talented new writer.
Synopsis
It is 1923. Evangeline (Eva) English and her sister Lizzie are missionaries heading for the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar. Though Lizzie is on fire with her religious calling, Evas motives are not quite as noble, but with her green bicycle and a commission from a publisher to write A Lady Cyclists Guide to Kashgar, she is ready for adventure.
In present day London, a young woman, Frieda, returns from a long trip abroad to find a man sleeping outside her front door. She gives him a blanket and a pillow, and in the morning finds the bedding neatly folded and an exquisite drawing of a bird with a long feathery tail, some delicate Arabic writing, and a boat made out of a flock of seagulls on her wall. Tayeb, in flight from his Yemeni homeland, befriends Frieda and, when she learns she has inherited the contents of an apartment belonging to a dead woman she has never heard of, they embark on an unexpected journey together.
A Lady Cyclists Guide to Kashgar explores the fault lines that appear when traditions from different parts of an increasingly globalized world crash into one other. Beautifully written, and peopled by a cast of unforgettable characters, the novel interweaves the stories of Frieda and Eva, gradually revealing the links between them and the ways in which they each challenge and negotiate the restrictions of their societies as they make their hard-won way toward home. A Lady Cyclists Guide to Kashgar marks the debut of a wonderfully talented new writer.
Synopsis
In 1923, missionaries Eva English and her sister, Lizzie, travel to the ancient city of Kashgar on the Silk Road. Lizzie is on fire with her religious calling, but Eva, with her green bicycle and a commission from a publisher to write
A Lady Cyclists Guide to Kashgar, is ready for adventure.
In present-day London, a young woman finds a man sleeping outside her front door. The next morning, the bedding she lent him is neatly folded and there is an exquisite drawing on her wall. Tayeb, in flight from his Yemeni homeland, befriends Frieda, and, when she learns she has inherited the contents of an apartment belonging to a dead woman she has never heard of, they embark on an unexpected journey together.
A Lady Cyclists Guide to Kashgar interweaves the unforgettable stories of Frieda and Eva—and the ways in which they challenge and negotiate the restrictions of their societies as they make their hard-won way towards home—and explores the fault lines that appear when traditions from different parts of an increasingly globalized world crash into each one another.
About the Author
Suzanne Joinson works in the literature department of the British Council, and travels widely across the Middle East, North Africa, China, and Europe. In 2007 she won the New Writing Ventures Award for Creative Non-Fiction for her story Laila Ahmed." She is studying for a PhD in creative writing at Goldsmiths, University of London, and lives by the sea in Sussex, England. Visit her Web site at www.suzannejoinson.com.
Exclusive Essay
Read an exclusive essay by Suzanne Joinson
Read an exclusive essay by Suzanne Joinson