Tiger Hills

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As the first girl to be born into the Nachimanda family in over thirty-five years, the beautiful Devi is the object of adoration of her entire family. Spirited and strong-willed, she befriends the shy Devanna, a young boy whose mother has died in tragic circumstances. Together they grow up amidst the luscious jungles, rolling hills, and coffee plantations of Coorg in Southern India; cocooned by an extended family whose roots to this beautiful land can be traced for centuries. Their futures seem inevitably linked, but everything changes when, one night, they attend a "tiger wedding." It is there that Devi gets her first glimpse of Machu, the celebrated tiger killer and a hunter of great repute. Although she is still a child and Machu is a man, Devi vows to marry him one day. It is this love that will gradually drive a wedge between Devi and Devanna, sowing the seed of a devastating tragedy that will change the fate of all three --- an event that has unforeseen and far-reaching consequences for generations to come.Told in rich, lyrical prose and set against the background of a changing society, TIGER HILLS is a sweeping saga about one woman's determination to live life on her own terms --- and a riveting novel about the choices we make in the name of family, nation, and love..From BooklistStarred Review Set in Southern India at the end of the nineteenth century, Mandanna's magnificent debut follows the fortunes of two childhood friends throughout their lives. Precocious, sparkling Devi, adored by her parents, reaches out to Devanna, whose mother left his father and committed suicide, leaving the boy's place in his family uncertain. Devi and Devanna become the closest of friends, but as they grow older, Devanna develops feelings for Devi that she doesn't share. Devi has eyes for only one man, Machu, a cousin of Devanna's who is renowned for killing a tiger during a hunt. When Devi reaches her teens, she pursues the older Machu, vowing he's the only man she'll marry. Devanna studies science and herbal remedies with a German missionary, who thinks of him as a son and helps him gain entrance to a university in Bangalore to study medicine. A brutish fellow student makes Devanna's experience at the university miserable, and a final monstrous transgression sends Devanna running back home to commit an act that will change the course of his life and Devi's forever. Once the story gets going, it is impossible to stop reading Mandanna's spellbinding epic. --Kristine Huntley Review"Time and again, Mandanna steers her novel in surprising directions. "Tiger Hills" explores the hazardous side of passion and the shackling grip of memory... An illuminating portrait of place..." (Editor's Choice, New York Times) "Beautiful prose and delicate handling..." --Kirkus Reviews"Mandanna's sweeping saga is ambitious, engaging..." --Publishers WeeklySpanning years and multiple locations, the novel introduces a variety of well-developed characters, and plot twists keep the reader wondering. A great read... highly recommended." --Library JournalMagnificent. A powerful story both fresh and timeless.  A backdrop of evocative complexity... Mandanna describes its riches in language equally lush. Poignant and provocative.--Editor's Choice, BookBrowse"Set in Southern India at the end of the nineteenth century, Mandanna's magnificent debut follows the fortunes of two childhood friends throughout their lives...It is impossible to stop reading Mandanna's spellbinding epic." (Booklist (starred review) )"Ambitious...Engaging." (Publishers Weekly )"Beautiful prose." (Kirkus Reviews )"An extraordinarily imaginative novel with prose that catches in the heart like poetry" (Leila Meacham, author of ROSES )"With great skill, Sarita Mandanna inserts the reader into Southern India in the late 1800s and captivates us with her saga of a strong-willed girl making difficult choices that will change her life...I was hooked up to the very last page, and reluctant to have to leave this fascinating world." (Lalita Tademy, New York Times bestselling author of RED RIVER and CANE RIVER )"Set in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Mandanna's Tiger Hills is lush with descriptions of Coorg in India. It's a novel that is sprawling, epic in scope and exquisitely crafted in details. An absorbing, thoroughly engaging read." (Indu Sundaresan, author of The Twentieth Wife and Shadow Princess )