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Set in London and on south India's Coromandel Coast, a moving story about art, religion, love, class, race, and greed is based on a real case ten years ago, when an international incident over the ownership of a priceless bronze statue resulted in the God Shiva becoming the plaintiff in a lawsuit.
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Rumer Godden is the author of many much-loved books for both children and adults. These include The Diddakoi (winner of the Whitbread award for children's books), A Kindle of Kittens, Four Dolls, and Great Grandfather's House. She lives in England.
"Cromartie versus the God Shiva. No, thank you," said Sir George.
"Walter, I really don't think I can take this case."
Sir George Fothergill, QC, was head of one of the most prestigious sets of chambers in London's Inns of Court. Walter Johnson was its head clerk.
The Chambers, though not in Lincoln's Inn, were nearby in Lincoln's Square. In the tall old house, Sir George and his deputy head of chambers, Miss Honor Wyatt, QC, had the two panelled first-floor rooms. The rest of the barristers in the set worked two or three together while Walter was in the spacious basement, which he liked because it opened on to the narrow terrace of garden. His "snug", as he called it, not only had his desk, filing cabinets and shelves of law books on every wall, but his armchair by the fireplace -- in winter the flickering gas fire was always lit -- with a fine Persian hearth rug and above, on the mantelshelf, his collection of toby jugs. Next door was a large office for the deputy clerk -- Walter's son, Johnny -- Johnny's own assistant, Jeffrey, and his accounts clerk, Elizabeth. Ginevra, the perky young receptionist, had her desk with its telephones above in the front hall.
"It's always the head clerks who really run chambers," Sir George would say. "Walter's family have been in the set longer than any of us."
"Yes," Walter agreed. "John Johnson my father, then me, Walter Johnson, and now Johnny, my son, who's only been here five years, and he's just had a baby son. Perhaps he ... I like continuity," said Walter.
Now Sir George was going on: "I don't want to oppose you, Walter -- when have I ever?" he asked. "But this is too fantastical -- a Hindu god going to law."
"Acting through the Government of India, sir, which seems solid enough to me."
"It can't be solid if it's a spirit, which I don't believe is active. No, I can't bring myself to do it. We should be a laughing stock."
"Ask Miss Wyatt what she thinks." Walter was a diplomat.
Copyright (c) 1997 by Rumer Godden.
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- PublisherWilliam Morrow & Co
- Publication date1997
- ISBN 10 0688155502
- ISBN 13 9780688155506
- BindingHardcover
- Edition number1
- Number of pages170
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Cromartie V. the God Shiva: Acting Through the Government of India
Published by
Brand: William Morrow n Co
(1997)
ISBN 10: 0688155502
ISBN 13: 9780688155506
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Hardcover
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. First Edition. From Kirkus Reviews About to celebrate her 90th birthday, Godden, author of over 60 books for adults and children, again writes with grace and a cheerfully lilting prose, evoking the mannered high-style of a cultivated English/Indian backwater. Based on an actual case involving the theft of a statue of the god Shiva (in which the god, Acting Through the Government of India, became the plaintiff), this is a tale of quiet sleuthing, romance, and grand tragedy, set in a present-day Indian coastal hotel of minimal comforts but top-notch cuisine, courtesies, and clientele. Junior barrister Michael Dean, of a prestigious London firm, was raised in India and is now chosen to track down the thief who has made off with a priceless, revered statue of the god Shiva (in his manifestation as Lord of the Dance). The statue, an object of veneration, had long been resident in Patna Hall, a grandly veranda-ed hotel for the cultivated traveler (or those determined to be so). The hotel, managed by the elderly Englishwoman Miss Sanni, is where a visiting professor discovers that an elegant copy has been substituted for the god's statue. Joined by Dutta, an Indian Chief Inspector, Michael not only turns up both clues and questions in the hotel and in the marketplace, but also finds heated romance with cool, fascinating Artemis Knox, who arrives with a ``cultural'' group. Could the thieves have been old servants who worried that the hotel was in financial trouble? Could-- certainly not!--Miss Sanni herself have sought such a solution? The truth, when revealed, will bring love and death in its wake. A delight for Godden's many followers, one encompassing the experience of the beauties and traditions of India, the richness of its religions, and Godden's own essential dash of gallantry and grand gestures. -- Copyright 1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. Product Description Set in London and on south India's Coromandel Coast, a moving story about art, religion, love, class, race, and greed is based on a real case ten years ago, when an international incident over the ownership of a priceless bronze statue resulted in the God Shiva becoming the plaintiff in a lawsuit. From Library Journal The author of more than 60 books (e.g., The River), Godden, now nearly 90, again weaves a complex tale, fraught with mystery and set in London and on the Coromandel coast of India. Based on a real case, the story revolves around an ancient bronze statue of the Hindu god Shiva. When barrister Michael Dean is sent to India to research the statue's verisimilitude, he must decide whether this national treasure is real or a forgery. Woven in with issues of morality is the developing love of Michael for Artemis, a woman with a surprising "agenda." Godden's descriptions are airy and open, almost like detail in an impressionistic painting. Is reality largely in the eye of the beholder? What is the role of the gods? Readers who enjoy far-away cultures will find this tale a treat.?Ellen R. Cohen, Rockville, Md.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. Seller Inventory # DADAX0688155502
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Cromartie V. the God Shiva Acting Through the Government of India
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Harper Collins Publishers
(1997)
ISBN 10: 0688155502
ISBN 13: 9780688155506
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Hardcover
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Book Description Condition: New. pp. 170. Seller Inventory # 92433835
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