The Village by the Sea

Sep 22, 2024 12:40 PM

Author:Anita Desai

Winner of the 1982 Guardian Award for children's fiction, The Village by the Sea is a survival story by the novelist Anita Desai.

Set in a small fishing villlage near Bombay, Lila and Hari, aged 13 and 12, struggle to keep the family, including two young sisters, going when their mother is ill and their father usually the worse for drink. When Hari goes to Bombay to find work, Lila seems to be responsible for everything. Although the book paints a picture of extreme poverty, it demonstrates the strength of the family even in the most extreme circumstances and offers a powerful picture of another culture.

Reviews

Fast paced with plenty of upbeat dialogue

—— The Irish Times

Entertaining

—— Learning Support

Enjoyable comedy of errors

—— Children's Books of Ireland Bookfest

An exuberant story . . . The ingenious split narrative, inventive page design and lots of incidental pictures make this book irresistible

—— Guardian

Jacqueline Wilson has a rare gift for writing lightly and amusingly about emotional issues Bookseller

—— Bookseller

Jacqueline Wilson has the knack of focusing on problems in a child's life with humour and sensitive intuition

—— Books for your Children

Another winner by Jacqueline Wilson with all the wit and verve that we now associate with this author. Impossible to put down, children will love it

—— The School Librarian

Jacqueline Wilson has a distinctive narrative style with her spunky and articulate young heroines . . . A funny, punchy and quite moving read

—— Bookseller

This is a brilliant book!

—— Scribbler

Expect drama, crises, gripping plot and realistic narrative

—— Birmingham Post

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