"WAITING ON WEDNESDAY"
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What are you waiting for?
I like learning about history through reading fiction, so
My pick for this week is . . .
I like learning about history through reading fiction, so
My pick for this week is . . .
by Jeanne M. Peterson
Thomas Dunne Books
3/30/2010
ISBN: 978-0-312-53392-2
ISBN10: 0-312-53392-6
5-1/2 x 8-1/4 inches
336 pages
Thomas Dunne Books
3/30/2010
ISBN: 978-0-312-53392-2
ISBN10: 0-312-53392-6
5-1/2 x 8-1/4 inches
336 pages
Description (from the publisher):
A stirring glimpse into the culture of Tibet . . . A moving account of religion and love . . . A powerful debut by a talented new writer
In 1954 Emma and Gerald Kittredge leave their secure Quaker community and travel to the small Tibetan town of Shigatse where they soon find companionship with their neighbors, Dorje and Rinchen, and their sons Dawa and Chumpa. But the arrival of Maoist soldiers into their quiet life shatters everything.
Gerald is captured by the soldiers, leaving a pregnant Emma at the mercy of her Tibetan neighbors; relying on them for survival and spiritual support. Dorje and Rinchen cope with their sons; one who chooses a path of violence, despite his monastic life, and the other who must grow up amid political struggle. Told in three distinct voices rich in their respective spiritual traditions, Falling to Heaven is ultimately a novel about faith: losing it and rediscovering it in places you’d never expect.
In a startlingly poignant voice, debut writer Peterson explores the duality of religion as both the Quakers and Buddhists reconcile their spiritual tenets. And through it all, the reader witnesses an overwhelming beauty—in the lush Himalayas of Tibet, considered the ceiling of the world, in a place believed to be the closest to heaven.
Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to visit the author's website.
About the author (from the publisher):
Jeanne M. Peterson is a clinical psychologist who worked for years with survivors of torture and communist reeducation from all over Asia. In her free time she facilitates an advanced writing group for San Diego Writers Ink, where she lives with her two sons.
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11 comments:
That sounds fantastic!
Great pick! It sounds good.
Nice pick, lovely cover. Makes me want to go on vacation! My WOW is at The Crowded Leaf.
I would pick this book up for the cover alone. I'm very partial to mountains. Sounds wonderful and goes on my wishlist. Thanks for the highlight!
This sounds great! It's going on my wish list.
This book sounds pretty amazing! I love the cover and the story sounds so interesting, I like the chance to learn about Tibet especially. Nice pick!
This sounds like a really great pick Gwen; thanks
This sounds like an enlightening read to get lost in!
Gwen,
I haven't read much about Tibet, but this book looks fascinating! Thanks for sharing it. I will be on the lookout for it when it comes out!
This area and the gentle people that inhabit it have suffered greatly under China's invasion. This sounds like a book which does a good job of exploring the impact that has had on the people.
I find Tibet and Quaker history and religion both fascinating. This sound like a very worthwhile book.
Harvee
Book Dilettante
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