The Conch Bearer, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
The Conch Bearer, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
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The Conch Bearer

Author: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Narrator: Alan Cumming

Unabridged: 6 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/09/2003


Synopsis

You are about to embark on a remarkable journey. It begins on the teeming streets of Kolkata, India, and will transport you across arid plains and turbulent rivers to a secret valley high in the Himalayas. Along the way you will encounter powerful spirits, both good and unspeakably evil; fantastical creatures; and a trio of intrepid travelers who will linger in your memory long after the end of this audiobook.

In a dingy shack in the less than desirable neighborhood that he calls home, 12-year-old Anand is entrusted with a conch shell that possesses mystical powers. His task is to return the shell to its rightful home many hundreds of miles away. Accompanying him are Nisha, the headstrong but resourceful child of the streets, and a mysterious man of indeterminate age and surprising resources named Abadhyatta.

This is a fantasy of the first order; an exotic and compelling adventure story that is almost impossible to stop listening to.

Author Bio

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is the bestselling author of the novel The Mistress of Spices; the story collections The Unknown Errors of Our Lives and Arranged Marriage, which received several awards, including the American Book Award; and four collections of prize-winning poetry. Her work has appeared in the New Yorker, the Atlantic Monthly, Ms., Good Housekeeping, The Best American Short stories 1999, the New York Times, and other publications. Born in India, she lives near Houston.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Maria

Well-written, but I couldn't help thinking something was missing. I never really started caring for the main characters, and the book never 'drew me in' properly - I never stopped being aware that it was a book. I can't put my finger on anything specific that Divakaruni did 'wrong', so I don't know......more

Goodreads review by Rachel

A children’s fantasy set in modern India. 12-year-old Anand’s Kolkata family was happily middle-class until his father disappeared, his sister went catatonic, and the family sank into poverty. Anand had to drop out of school and work for a mean tea-stall owner. But when he gives his last food to an ol......more

Goodreads review by Kana

Anand was only a 12 years old boy when Abhaydatta came to his little home to ask him to be the conch bearer. Anand was amazed with the beauty of the magical conch shell so that he dare to accept the offer. Anand's mother didn't allowed him at first. but after she found out Meera, Anand's little sist......more

Goodreads review by Rosanne

A literary children's fantasy set in India, based on mythology with beautiful writing. Lots to think about. I can understand Anand's choices though they may not be popular. But isn't life like that?......more

Goodreads review by Niko

This book is like Lord of the Rings meets Lost Horizon - with traces of Slumdog Millionaire and Harry Potter through a lens of eastern mysticism. While the exotic setting and descriptions were enough to win me, the narration and storytelling are outstanding as well. There is a good balance of charac......more