Rani Manicka's Books

The Rice Mother

By: Rani Manicka

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

At the age of fourteen, Lakshmi leaves behind her childhood among the mango trees of Ceylon for married life across the ocean in Malaysia, and soon finds herself struggling to raise a family in a country that is, by turns, unyielding and amazing, brutal and beautiful. Giving birth to a child every year until she is nineteen, Lakshmi becomes a formidable matriarch, determined to secure a better life for her daughters and sons. From the Japanese occupation during World War II to the torture of watching some of her children succumb to life’s most terrible temptations, she rises to face every new challenge with almost mythic strength. Dreamy and lyrical, told in the alternating voices of the men and women of this amazing family, The Rice Mother gorgeously evokes a world where small pleasures offset unimaginable horrors, where ghosts and gods walk hand in hand. It marks the triumphant debut of a writer whose wisdom and soaring prose will touch readers, especially women, the world over.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

430

Publisher

Penguin

Published Date

ISBN 10

1101117915

ISBN 13

9781101117910

The Japanese Lover

By: Rani Manicka

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Japanese Lover

By: Rani Manicka

A breathtaking and absorbing novel set in Malaysia propelled by the superb storytelling instinct of the author of THE RICE MOTHER. Parvathi leaves her native Ceylon for Malaya and an arranged marriage to a wealthy businessman. But her father has cheated, supplying a different girl's photograph, and Kasu Marimuthu, furious, threatens to send her home in disgrace. Gradually husband and wife reach an accommodation and the naïve young girl learns to assume the air of sophisticated mistress of a luxurious estate. She even adopts his love child and treats Rubini as her own daughter - a generous act which is rewarded by a long-wished-for son. But it is a life without passion and Parvathi dreams of loving - and being loved - with complete abandon. When the Japanese invade Malaya in WW2, they requisition the estate. Marimuthu dies and Parvathi is forced to accept the protection of the Japanese general who has robbed her of her home. For the first time she experiences sexual ecstasy. And gradually, her sworn enemy becomes the lover she has always yearned for . . .

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

1002

Publisher

Hodder & Stoughton

Published Date

ISBN 10

1848946112

ISBN 13

9781848946118

Touching Earth

By: Rani Manicka

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Touching Earth

By: Rani Manicka

THE BALINESE TWINS - Beautiful and exotic, they exchange an island paradise for the shabby squalor of London, and innocence for corruption. THE SICILIAN- Ricky Delgado strikes a devil's bargain with a blood goddess: 'Build my temple and bring me the souls of damaged people, and you will see what rewards I give.' THE COURTESAN - Elizabeth makes her living from men's desire. With a flick of the switch in her head, she feels nothing: no pain, no hate, no sorrow, no joy. THE ARTIST - Anis takes to painting as an outlet for his rage. His artist's eye knows his subjects before they know themselves, and he paints them all, a gallery of broken people. Can they escape the deadly web of decadence and sin?

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

432

Published Date

ISBN 10

0340823844

ISBN 13

9780340823842

Book's by Rani Manicka

The Rice Mother

The Rice Mother

The Japanese Lover

The Japanese Lover

Touching Earth

Touching Earth

Username

Password

Username

Password

Password again

Birthday

Email