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Cromartie v. the God Shiva

A Virago Modern Classic
By Rumer Godden
Series: Virago Modern Classics
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Brief Description
BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR 'One of our best and most captivating novelists' PHILIP HENSHER '[Godden] writes with grace and a cheerfully lilting prose' KIRKUS REVIEWS 'Her craftsmanship is always sure' NEW YORK TIMES A revered effigy of the God, Shiva, is missing from... Read More
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Marking Rumer Godden's return to south India, this classic novel is a vivid evocation of love and class in the beloved country that inspired many of her bestselling works.

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BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR 'One of our best and most captivating novelists' PHILIP HENSHER '[Godden] writes with grace and a cheerfully lilting prose' KIRKUS REVIEWS 'Her craftsmanship is always sure' NEW YORK TIMES

A revered effigy of the God, Shiva, is missing from the Patna Hall Hotel on south India's exquisite Coromandel coast. Was it stolen, and to whom does it belong? Young lawyer Michael Dean, sent from London to argue the case for the defence, falls under the spell of Artemis, a graceful archaeologist who is staying at the hotel; but she proves as elusive as the mystery of the theft he is working on.

Her final novel, Cromartie v. the God Shiva is a magical, evocative exploration of art, love, class and greed set in Godden's beloved southern India.

Series: Virago Modern Classics

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780349017600

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 March 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Virago Press Ltd

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 18.0mm

Width: 124.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 160g

Pages: 192

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Hinduism Literary Fiction Rumer Godden Series: Virago Modern Classics

About the Author

Rumer Godden (1907-1998) was the acclaimed author of over sixty works of fiction and non-fiction for adults and children. Born in England, she and her siblings grew up in Narayanganj, India, and she later spent many years living in Kolkata and Kashmir. Several of her novels were made into films, including Black Narcissus, The Greengage Summer and The River, which was filmed by Jean Renoir. She was appointed OBE in 1993.

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