Product Description

As Rehana Haque awakes one March morning, she might be forgiven for feeling happy. Today she will throw a party for her son and daughter. In the garden of the house she has built, her roses are blooming; her children are almost grown-up; and beyond their doorstep, the city is buzzing with excitement after recent elections. Change is in the air. But none of the guests at Rehana’s party can foresee what will happen in the days and months that follow. For this is East Pakistan in 1971, a country on the brink of war. And this family’s life is about to change for ever.

Set against the backdrop of the Bangladesh War of Independence, A Golden Age is a story of passion and revolution, of hope, faith and unexpected heroism. In the chaos of this era, everyone – from student protesters to the country’s leaders, from rickshaw-wallahs to the army’s soldiers – must make choices. And as she struggles to keep her family safe, Rehana will find herself faced with a heartbreaking dilemma.

(20060201)

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #64987 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-08
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

Martha Kearney, Harper's Bazaar
'Anam has her own distinctive voice . . . the authenticity shines
through Anam's beautiful, simple prose'

Review

'Anam achieves a delicacy and tenderness in conjuring the "threads of feeling" between people, a poetic precision of images: kites floating, huts sinking into the sea, "hungry, cracked earth". From the wreckage and destruction grows a voice of real eloquence'

(Anita Sethi, Independent 20060201)

'Anam has created for Bangladesh what Romesh Gunesekera managed for Sri Lanka: a ballad for perserverance . . . A Golden Age pays tribute, with sensitivity and restrained passion, to those who fought for one such arbour: a country to call home'

(Christian House, Independent on Sunday 20060201)

'Anam has her own distinctive voice . . . the authenticity shines through Anam’s beautiful, simple prose'

(Martha Kearney, Harper’s Bazaar )

'A stunning novel lays bare a mother's ordeal in the gulf between the two Pakistans'

(Observer )

'A Golden Age compellingly twists the personal and the historical, humming with handed down wisdom'

(Richard Godwin, Literary Review )

‘Vivid . . . momentous change and heartbreaking dilemmas’

(Publishing News )

'I’d put a few bob on Tahmima Anam – the extract from her novel-in-progress . . . is a vivid and intriguing slice of Bangladesh in 1959' (Written following the publication of Bedford Square, an anthology of new writing from Poet Laureate Andrew Motion's Creative Writing Programme at Royal Holloway, which included an extract from A Golden Age) 

(The Times )

'A Bengali Suite Francaise' (Jonathan Freedland, Newsnight Review )

'A steely tale of how one family deals with political unrest … Moving and beautifully written'

(Woman )

'Anam writes with a poetic lyricism that is both seductively romantic and explores troubling themes and violent truths with searing verisimilitude. An outstanding debut that glows with the golden hue of the title'

(Easy Living )

'The book touches on love, devotion and hope'

(Hephizibah Anderson, Vogue )

'A moving novel of deceptive simplicity and strength'

(Waterstone's Books Quarterly )

'Anam deftly balances the story of a nation against that of a family'

(Kamila Shamsie, Guardian )

'A Golden Age is an ambitious and powerful debut'

(Natasha Tripney, New Statesman )

'Anam’s novel flows easily, packing in a wealth of history as well as attention to detail that effortlessly make the image come alive . . . An assured, moving read'

(Sarah Birke, The Times )

'A real page-tuner, with a bravura, heart stopping ending'

 

(Sunday Telegraph/ Seven )

'This book is by turn moving, sad, but always absorbing'

(Good Book Guide )

'With A Golden Age, Anam is reminding Bangladeshis born, like her, after the war just what independence was all about and what the hopes and aspirations of their parents were before corruption ate them away'

(Tim Cribb, South China Morning Post )

'Anam has done a service to her country . . . No other writer has treated the subject with such clarity before, in English'

(TLS )

'I had tears in my eyes'

(Woman's Own )

Christian House, Independent on Sunday
'Anam has created for Bangladesh what Romesh Gunesekera managed
for Sri Lanka: a ballad for perserverance . . . A Golden Age pays tribute,
with sensitivity and restrained passion, to those who fought for one such
arbour: a country to call home'

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Customer Reviews

A brilliant debut
A Golden Age is a beautifully written book. The writing is simple and straightforward and creates a vivid picture of life in Bangladesh. It is the story of Rehana, a widow, and how she seeks to protect her children during the Bangladeshi War of Independence in 1971. Her student children want to become active in the war and Rehana reluctantly adds her support. But soon she is pulled more and more into supporting her adopted land of Bangladesh. The war is brutal and is graphically described and the narrative is gripping. The relationships between Rehana and her children, the Major and her neighbours are all very well drawn and perceptive.

Rehana is forced to make some hard choices - but having once lost her children in a custody battle she is determined to do anything within her capability to keep her son and daughter safe.

In the west the Pakistan-Bangladesh conflict is hardly remembered so this novel is a timely reminder of the recent history of the region. A brilliant debut - I do hope she has some more books in the pipeline!

A True Gem
This beautifully written book captures so much of the time and events. The characters strong and deep, it tells so much of the rich culture of the countries involved. The story does not dwindle and keeps a striking pace in such rich narrative.

I enjoyed every word of it page by page, the tragedies and triumphs, this really is a rare book that conveys so much.

Powerful, liberating novel
From its dramatic opening line 'Dear Husband, I lost our children today.' to its startling conclusion, Tahmima Anam's first novel, A Golden Age, is the moving story of one woman's life during Bangladesh's War of Liberation, and the lengths to which one is willing to go for the people they love. I hesitated to read this at first, fearing I'd read too much of the same lately, but the comparisons to Ali and Smith are worth it only in terms of the quality of the writing. Anam has a voice all her own and one I look forward to hearing more from in the future.