A Golden Age - Tapa dura

'Anam achieves a delicacy and tenderness in conjuring the "threads of feeling" between people, a poetic precision of images: kites floating, huts sinking into the sea, "hungry, cracked earth". From the wreckage and destruction grows a voice of real eloquence' -- Anita Sethi, Independent 'Anam has created for Bangladesh what Romesh Gunesekera managed for Sri Lanka: a ballad for perserverance ... A Golden Age pays tribute, with sensitivity and restrained passion, to those who fought for one such arbour: a country to call home' -- Christian House, Independent on Sunday 'Anam has her own distinctive voice ... the authenticity shines through Anam's beautiful, simple prose' -- Martha Kearney, Harper's Bazaar 'A stunning novel lays bare a mother's ordeal in the gulf between the two Pakistans' -- Observer 'A Golden Age compellingly twists the personal and the historical, humming with handed down wisdom' -- Richard Godwin, Literary Review 'Vivid ... momentous change and heartbreaking dilemmas' -- Publishing News 'I'd put a few bob on Tahmima Anam -- the extract from her novel-in-progress ... is a vivid and intriguing slice of Bangladesh in 1959' (Written following the publication of Bedford Square, an anthology of new writing from Poet Laureate Andrew Motion's Creative Writing Programme at Royal Holloway, which included an extract from A Golden Age) -- The Times 20060201 'A Bengali Suite Francaise' -- Jonathan Freedland, Newsnight Review 20060201 'A steely tale of how one family deals with political unrest ! Moving and beautifully written' -- Woman 20060201 'Anam writes with a poetic lyricism that is both seductively romantic and explores troubling themes and violent truths with searing verisimilitude. An outstanding debut that glows with the golden hue of the title' -- Easy Living 20060201 'The book touches on love, devotion and hope' -- Hephizibah Anderson, Vogue 20060201 'A moving novel of deceptive simplicity and strength' -- Waterstone's Books Quarterly 20060201 'Anam deftly balances the story of a nation against that of a family' -- Kamila Shamsie, Guardian 20060201 'A Golden Age is an ambitious and powerful debut' -- Natasha Tripney, New Statesman 20060201 'Anam's novel flows easily, packing in a wealth of history as well as attention to detail that effortlessly make the image come alive ... An assured, moving read' -- Sarah Birke, The Times 20060201 'A real page-tuner, with a bravura, heart stopping ending' -- Sunday Telegraph/ Seven 20060201 'This book is by turn moving, sad, but always absorbing' -- Good Book Guide 20060201 'With A Golden Age, Anam is reminding Bangladeshis born, like her, after the war just what independence was all about and what the hopes and aspirations of their parents were before corruption ate them away' -- Tim Cribb, South China Morning Post 20060201 'Anam has done a service to her country ... No other writer has treated the subject with such clarity before, in English' -- TLS 20060201 'I had tears in my eyes' -- Woman's Own 20060201

As Rehana Haque awakes one March morning, she might be forgiven for feeling happy. Today she will throw a party for her son and daughter. In the garden of the house she has built, her roses are blooming; her children are almost grown-up; and beyond their doorstep, the city is buzzing with excitement after recent elections. Change is in the air. But none of the guests at Rehana's party can foresee what will happen in the days and months that follow. For this is East Pakistan in 1971, a country on the brink of war. And this family's life is about to change for ever. Set against the backdrop of the Bangladesh War of Independence, A Golden Age is a story of passion and revolution, of hope, faith and unexpected heroism. In the chaos of this era, everyone -- from student protesters to the country's leaders, from rickshaw-wallahs to the army's soldiers -- must make choices. And as she struggles to keep her family safe, Rehana will find herself faced with a heartbreaking dilemma.