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11th out of 31 books
—
8 voters
Bone China
by
Roma Tearne
An epic novel of love, loss and a family uprooted, set in the contrasting landscapes of war-torn Sri Lanka and immigrant London. Grace de Silva, wife of the shiftless but charming Aloysius, has five children and a crumbling marriage. Her eldest son, Jacob, wants desperately to go to England. Thornton, the most beautiful of all the children and his mother's favourite, dream...more
Hardcover, 400 pages
Published
April 7th 2008
by Harper Press
(first published 2008)
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This family saga deals with displacement, set between the multicultural conflicts of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) and the (very different) multicultural conflicts of London.
Grace is the wife of typical rover Aloysius, her marriage is gradually disintegrating around her and her five kids.
Between a son who dreams of England, a would-be poet, a revolutionary, and a concert pianist, the family is full of its own conflicting drives, which pull it in a multitude of directions, echoing the conflicts i...more
Grace is the wife of typical rover Aloysius, her marriage is gradually disintegrating around her and her five kids.
Between a son who dreams of England, a would-be poet, a revolutionary, and a concert pianist, the family is full of its own conflicting drives, which pull it in a multitude of directions, echoing the conflicts i...more
Bone China follows the four generations of the de Silva family from Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) to London, England. One by one they realize that their homeland is much too dangerous and they must escape the lawlessness and corruption. First, a few of the sons move, then others follow. Settling down, fitting it and getting used to the cold is not as easy as they hoped. Assimilation and the tragedies they face slowly take their toll as the characters keep their secrets, commit their errors and t...more
I'm hesitant on what I should rate this book. At this point, I'd say that it's at a 2.5. It's not a bad book, it just isn't a great book
The book is centralized around the de Silva family, a family from Sri Lanka during the time of civil war. I think it would have helped had I known more about the civil war in Sri Lanka before I had read the book, because the book left me wanting at least a little more on the historical aspect. (I had learned a lot about India in school, but never much on Sri...more
The book is centralized around the de Silva family, a family from Sri Lanka during the time of civil war. I think it would have helped had I known more about the civil war in Sri Lanka before I had read the book, because the book left me wanting at least a little more on the historical aspect. (I had learned a lot about India in school, but never much on Sri...more
The decades long post-Empire politico-ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka provides the backdrop for this family saga. Having lost the family estate, Grace and Aloysius Da Silva move to Colombo to raise their five children in fading upper-class style. As life becomes more difficult for ethnic Tamils, some of the Da Silva children emigrate to Great Britain to start new lives. The many characters are all clearly and distinctly drawn as are their relationships. And though events often don't work out as fam...more
Set in the contrasting landscapes of Sri Lanka and London, Bone China tells the story of four generations of the de Silva family, as the sweep of history effects their lives. Like all Roma Tearne's books, it is extremely moving and affecting, and the characterisation and vivid descriptions ensure the reader connects with the novel on so many levels.
The breakdown of British colonial rule is echoed in the breakdown of the family as, in turn, three of the children emigrate to England.
The novel e...more
The breakdown of British colonial rule is echoed in the breakdown of the family as, in turn, three of the children emigrate to England.
The novel e...more
I really liked this. I even loved it at times. As Ann pointed out, it's interesting that the author is a visual artist--the descriptions of Sri Lanka and the family's house in particular are lovely and vivid, and sometimes scary. And I loved a lot of the characters (there were MANY). I don't want to label this a Family Saga, because I feel like that is weighting it down with unnecessary baggage, but it is what it is. It succeeds at being many thing at once: history, family, political, love story...more
A moderately enjoyable read, this was a diverting enough book but ultimately failed to leave much of an impression on me. Probably due to the exotic setting of Sri Lanka, I found the first half more engaging, and was less interested in the chapters detailing the lives of the latter generations of the de Silva family in London. There was also something very sad about watching the characters grow from vibrant, ambitious children into dull, jaded adults. I understand the point was to illustrate the...more
A beautifully written book that manages to explore a number of themes: civil war in Sri Lanka, immigrant life in the UK, and complex intra-family relationships. It reminded me a lot of the China-themed novels/memoirs I have enjoyed in the past like Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Chinese Cinderella, Wild Swans and numerous Amy Tans, and it was wonderful to learn more about a country I knew very little about previously.
What cost this book a 5th star from me was the rushed and somewhat unnecessary...more
What cost this book a 5th star from me was the rushed and somewhat unnecessary...more
subtly written with excellently crafted characters who you want to root for as they move through their lives. i loved seeing how each one grew and changed, sometimes for the worst, sometimes for the better.
politics, love, marriage, tragedy, identity crisis and art entwine the tale of the de Silva clan across a span of 30+ years and two countries.
one special "extra" for me was that the characters are Ceylonese/Sri Lankan - i know very little about that country and enjoyed the insight from the nov...more
politics, love, marriage, tragedy, identity crisis and art entwine the tale of the de Silva clan across a span of 30+ years and two countries.
one special "extra" for me was that the characters are Ceylonese/Sri Lankan - i know very little about that country and enjoyed the insight from the nov...more
A brilliant book. A multigenerational family saga that starts in Ceylon and tracks what happens to the family and society as the British leave and the country becomes Sri Lanka, racked by civil war between the Tamils and the Sinhalese. Like books like White Teeth and The Inheritance of Loss, the novel also examines issues of identity and how it is transformed by its location in space and culture.
A story of an immigrant family fleeing Ceylon - Sri Lanka today. I thought it was going to be more about the genocide between the Tamils and the Sinhalese, however the intrusion of the war, which quietly entered the story from time to time did indeed have an impact on this elite Tamil family. Estranging and displacing family members, wreaking careers and separating family members by thousands of miles. Attempts to adapt to life in England were difficult and never really successful with the older...more
I felt like the middle of the book was not as strong as the beginning and or the end which were lovely. I felt that the middle got a little lost. At terms I wondered what the heck was going on, what were these characters doing, and was there any point. Although, the characters in the novel are also a little lost so maybe that was the way I was supposed to feel. Additionally, I know very little of the Sri Lanka history so the historical parts were interesting even though they were just quick view...more
All Roma Tearne's books have been a revelation finally first generation Sri Lankan Tamil literature telling our story, middle class tamils dealing with loss of status and country, and dealing with politics of country you're loosing touch with. Finding out the promised land is not promising.
This is one of my favorite novels EVER. It's a family saga that sweeps generations set in Sri Lanka; the scenery is beautiful, the characters are intriguing and the story will haunt you. The title is a fitting metaphor for the delicate nature of human life-- a must read!!
I enjoyed this book but not nearly as much as mosquito, which I read first. Maybe that was the only reason. And I would recommend this one too. Just read Mosquito for sure.
What I liked about this novel was the way it described so convincingly why the displaced Sri Langkan family continued to be so tied to their past, for two generations in England.
Excellent - one of the best books I've read for a long time.
Strangely enough, I tried to read The Swimmer but couldn't get into it for some reason.
Strangely enough, I tried to read The Swimmer but couldn't get into it for some reason.
Such a melancholic unputdownable family saga! Roma Tearne has done it simply superb, much better than her first work.
I loved the descriptive style of her writing. Very visual-inducing
Interesting story on the Sri Lankan Diaspora
srilanka saga
Feb 22, 2010
Lu
marked it as to-read
Sri Lankan before after independece tea famil
I enjoyed this book. I just wish it went into more depth as it was such interesting story.
The most interesting thing about this book was its setting - post colonial Sri Lanka. I'm not at all familiar with the place or the period, though it felt so close to India, especially South India where I'm from.
That said, the story dragged on quite a bit. The characters seemed lackadaisical and the plot struggled to carry me through. I only finished the book because I was determined to give a foreign author & setting a more-than-fair chance.
That said, the story dragged on quite a bit. The characters seemed lackadaisical and the plot struggled to carry me through. I only finished the book because I was determined to give a foreign author & setting a more-than-fair chance.
Jan 07, 2011
Juliet
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Everyone esp those interested in Sri Lanka
I fell in love with this novel and the family in it and I couldn't stop reading. Although the end was a bit rushed in that the author really wanted a happy ending, I thought it was such a beautiful story. Some novels with big families usually tend to just gloss over one or two particular family members or write a gargantuan novel just to fairly portray everyone but this novel captured every family member beautifully.
Although this book took a while to get me interested, I felt that it was fairly well written and I liked the storyline. I felt I could empathise with the feelings of each of the characters in different ways.
Wonderful book to add to everyone's list of Literature of Empire!
Jun 17, 2013
Janet
marked it as to-read
Jun 14, 2013
Jessie
marked it as to-read
Jun 12, 2013
Iman Jafar
marked it as to-read
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Roma Tearne is a Sri Lankan born artist living and working in Britain. She arrived, with her parents in this country at the age of ten. She trained as a painter, completing her MA at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, Oxford. For nearly twenty years her work as a painter, installation artist, and filmmaker has dealt with the traces of history and memory within public and private spaces.
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