Cinnamon Gardens: A Novel [Paperback]

Shyam Selvadurai (Author)

Book Description

Series: Harvest Book | Publication Date: May 15, 2000

Set among the upper classes in the gracious, repressive and complex world of 1920s Ceylon (Sri Lanka), this evocative novel tells the story of two people who must determine if it is possible to pursue personal happiness without compromising the happiness of others. A young teacher, Annalukshmi, whose splintered family attempts to arrange an appropriate marriage for her, must decide whether the independence she craves will doom her to a life without love and companionship. It is also the story of Balendran who, respectably married, must suppress-or confront-the secret desires for men that threaten to throw his life into chaos. With sensuous atmosphere and vivid prose, this masterfully plotted novel re-creates a world where a beautiful veneer of fragrant gardens and manners hides social, personal, and political issues still relevant today.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Business Information.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-Colombo, Ceylon, in 1927 is a fragrant, lush, and beautiful city. For the Kandiah family-a mother and three young daughters living in a simple bungalow within the exclusive Cinnamon Gardens suburb-it is also politically complex, socially restricting, and heading irreversibly into an unknowable future. The eldest daughter, Annalukshmi, wants to be a teacher-but according to the rules of her time and society, she must relinquish that work if she marries. Negotiating the often-illusory pathways of romantic hopefulness, she ultimately makes some surprisingly mature choices. In counterpoint to Annalukshmi's story is that of her uncle; he loves his wife and his son but continues to struggle with his homosexuality and is thrown into crisis when his old lover arrives in Colombo. Through these characters, and others, the many segments of this diverse colonial society come to life. Readers see how beliefs, values, and personality characteristics determine people's lives and actions-and how those values, though exercised with the best of intentions, can be completely at odds with those of others. In his compassion for his characters, in the telling details of dress and architecture, in the dialogue that captures in a few words the essence of universal issues, Selvadurai shows the genius of a Jane Austen. Yet, with equal adroitness, he portrays the national and international, religious, political, historical, and cultural controversies of a much larger stage. Thoughtful teens can lose themselves in the romanticism of Sri Lanka's past and possibly gain a new understanding of their own time and place.
Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (May 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156013282
• ISBN-13: 978-0156013284
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #226,418 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars too short, June 9, 2002

By 

"adrianx9" (planet earth) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cinnamon Gardens: A Novel (Paperback)

I became interested in Shyam Selvadurai's novels after he came to read at my high school a little while ago. He read from "Funny Boy", and I got so intrigued I went right to the library to pick it up. I had it read in three days. About a month and a half later, I picked up "Cinnamon Gardens"

Selvadurai's novels both deal with Sri Lanka (Ceylon during the 20s), politics, and the social constraints of Asian society. I've read a lot of books, but for some reason, Selvadurai's strike me as the most honest.

It's so refreshing to read a novel in which nobody is simply "Good" or "Bad". The people are real, rounded characters with dreams and fears, desires and regrets. The prose is written in the third person but there is none of the tiresome self-absorbed banter that often plagues novels about serious issues such as homosexuality, self-government, and women's rights. Reading Selvadurai's prose, you feel as though you are experiencing events, not being told that they are occurring.

I actually found "Cinnamon Gardens" more enjoyable than "Funny Boy" if only because it was a continuous novel, allowing for more character development than the six short stories in "Funny Boy". Somehow, with his plain style, Selvadurai made the characters real. I found myself sympathizing with them right from the very beginning.

It's too bad the book was double spaced and in large font, because I could have read a thousand pages of this novel and still felt like it was too short.

I can't wait until Mr. Selvadurai's next novel is finished. He told us it would be set in Toronto, which promises a very interesting perspective.

A real achievement.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a winner!, June 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Cinnamon Gardens: A Novel (Paperback)

I loved reading this book. The characters are likable - the setting is interesting - the tension is just perfect. I agree with The Advocate review: An old-fashioned page turner with a literary heart . . . . melodrama that does not ignore the mind." Thank you Mr. Shyam Selvadurai!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Grips You After The First Half, December 11, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Toronto,Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cinnamon Gardens (Hardcover)

After reading 'Funny Boy', I was eagerly awaiting Selvadurai's second offering. It is a very well written novel contrary to the reviews I had read. Selvadurai truly has the talent of a good writer. I picked up Funny Boy out of curiosity and events in my personal life and was hooked at his way of narrating a story. The characters of Annulakshmi and Balendran captivated me as much as that of Radha Aunty and Arjie in Funny Boy. I don't if it is just me, but I seemed to have noticed that Selvadurai has a way of emphasing the relationship between the main characters in an Aunt-Nephew role(Radha Aunty-Arjie) or Uncle-Niece role(Balendran-Annulaksmi). The first half of the book dealt with a little too much history, but I think that was necessary to establish the mood of the period. I really liked the way the book ended, however the romantic in me would have preferred a different ending for Annulakshmi's character. All in all, it is a must read. And here's hoping that Selvadurai continues to enthrall readers.