Cart
Free US shipping over $10
Proud to be B-Corp

Beautiful Thing Sonia Faleiro

Beautiful Thing By Sonia Faleiro

Beautiful Thing by Sonia Faleiro


$8.60
Condition - Very Good
Only 1 left

Summary

The Sunday Times Travel Book of the Year 2011

Faster Shipping

Get this product faster from our US warehouse

Beautiful Thing Summary

Beautiful Thing: Inside the Secret World of Bombay's Dance Bars by Sonia Faleiro

Meet Leela: nineteen, charismatic and fearlessly outspoken. With her sharp wit and stubborn optimism, she is the best paid bar dancer on Bombay's notorious Mira Road. Leela has a 'husband' (who is already married), a few lovers whose names she can't remember, an insufferable mother camping out in her flat and an adored best friend, Priya - the most beautiful woman she has ever seen.

But when the dance bars are banned, Leela's proud independence faces its greatest test. In a city where everyone is certain that someone, somewhere, is worse off than them, Leela fights to survive - and win.

Beautiful Thing Reviews

A harrowing and heart-breaking account . . . a tour de force of reportage, whose depth, insight and resonance make it the equal of the best fiction. [Faleiro] has portrayed the tragedy of this world without a shred of sentimentality. In this she has done justice to her characters for whom sentimentality - like romance, love and honesty - are luxuries they can rarely afford. * * Sunday Times * *
A riveting expose ... For a book that's so short, Faleiro manages to pack a lot in: pimps, gangsters, transvestites, cops and madams. But its most outstanding quality to my eye is the window it offers on the widespread sexual repression that exists in India today, and the murky middle-class morality that rules it ... The real triumph of Beautiful Thing is how Faleiro dismantles the grand tradition of marriage in India, exposing it for what it is - a form of slavery for a large percentage of women who are bound to their husbands for food and the roofs over their heads, but rarely ever for love. * * Observer * *
A gripping and intimate portrayal of the lives of the women who work in that industry. She manages to evoke shock, rage and laughter...this book is a moving testament to the girls like [Leela]. * * Literary Review * *
Useless to describe the pathos and singular power of this book. Beautiful Thing is, quite simply, one of the finest books on Bombay ever written. * * Spectator * *
In this tour de force of heartrending reportage, Sonia Faleiro shows the ugly brutality which has torn away the foundations of so many lives * * Independent * *
The rich, gaudy tapestry that Faleiro weaves is a reminder that some of the best recent books about India . . . give us the big picture by focusing on the microcosm. * * Financial Times * *
Beautiful Thing is a brilliant debut that catapults Sonia Faleiro straight to the top of the premier division of Indian writers of non-fiction . . . Beautiful Thing opens up a hidden world with startling insight and intimacy, and strangely is both a tragic monument to the abused bar girls of Bombay and a celebration of their amazing resilience and spirit. -- William Dalrymple, author of Nine Lives
Faleiro writes her way into the bloodstream with this mesmeric book, fashioned with heart and enviable acuity. A shocking, funny and memorable ride. -- Nikita Lalwani, author of Gifted
A rare glimpse into dismissed lives. Sonia Faleiro brings a novelist's eye for detail and a depth of empathy to her work. This is a magnificent book of reportage that is also endowed with all the terror and beauty of art. -- Kiran Desai, Booker prize-winning author of The Inheritance of Loss
. . . With her we hear, we see, we feel and finally know the world behind that door: a world that was unimaginable before Faleiro drew us there, but is unforgettable when the last page is turned, the last beaded curtain drawn to a close. -- Gregory David Roberts, author of Shantaram
Throws the doors open on Mumbai's sex trade. * * Independent * *
[Leela's] rich character is sparked to vivid life in a highly coloured work of brilliant literary reportage. * * Times * *
Saved from doominess by [Faleiro's] striking empathy, sensitivity, and sharp ear. * * Independent on Sunday * *
Beautiful Thing is a meticulous, moving account of the battle for social mobility and personal freedom in Bombay. * * Daily Telegraph * *
Beautiful Thing is not for the faint-hearted. The stories of the girls Faleiro meets are as brutal as anything fiction could conjure. * * The Scotsman * *
Remarkable ... the only hard thing about Beautiful Thing will be putting it down once you've started. ... Truly one of a kind * * Curious Book Fans * *

About Sonia Faleiro

Sonia Faleiro is an award-winning reporter and writer. She is the author of a book of fiction, The Girl, and a contributor to numerous anthologies including AIDS Sutra: Untold Stories from India. She has reported for publications including India Today and Tehelka, and is now a contributing editor with Vogue. Sonia was born in Goa, studied in Edinburgh and lives in San Francisco. She is working on her second book of non-fiction.

Additional information

CIN0857861700VG
9780857861702
0857861700
Beautiful Thing: Inside the Secret World of Bombay's Dance Bars by Sonia Faleiro
Used - Very Good
Paperback
Canongate Books Ltd
20120802
240
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - Beautiful Thing