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Buddha Da

Buddha Da

Donovan, Anne

In her hugely acclaimed debut Anne Donovan tells an endearing, humorous yet unsentimental story of a working-class Glaswegian man who discovers Buddhism, rejects old habits and seeks a life more meaningful, only to alienate his immediate family in the process. Moving seamlessly between three family members, Donovan's clear-eyed, richly expressive prose sings off the page. Each character's voice has its own subtle rhythm and the conclusion is a poignant mixture of hope and lingering reservations

eBook, Electronic resource, Book. English.
Published Edinburgh: Canongate Books, 2009
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Details

Statement of responsibility: Anne Donovan
ISBN: 1847675522, 9781847675521
Intended audience: Adult.
Note: Downloadable eBook.
Note: Fiction.
System: Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Subject: Families Fiction.

Author note

Anne Donovan is the author of the prize-winning novel Buddha Da, the short-story collection Hieroglyphics and Being Emily. Buddha Da was shortlisted for the Orange Prize, the Whitbread First Novel Award and the Scottish Book of the Year Award, and was nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. It received a Scottish Arts Council Award and won the Le Prince Maurice Award in Mauritius in 2004. She has also written for radio and the stage and has been working on the screenplay for the film of Buddha Da. She lives in Glasgow.

Reviews

An enchanting novel in which ordinary lives are illuminated with extraordinary charm.
Daily Telegraph||Buddha Da reads like a Scottish Roddy Doyle, dealing with potentially heavy issues with an addictive blend of pathos and humour.
Observer||A beauty...the book had me engrossed to the end.
Sunday Telegraph||Her deliciously corkscrewed tale flows with the sap of everyday life.
Sunday Times||Anne Donovan is outstanding.||Quirky and endearing. Don't wait until your next life too read it.
Sunday Herald||A delightfully deadpan look at what happens when one family member decides that he's unlocked the secrets of the universe.
Independent||An engaging account . . . Buddha Da recalls the early stories of Roddy Doyle . . . it has just enough humour to make the family compelling, and some delicate touches of insight - usually from Anne-Marie - that raise it above a suburban comedy.
Independent

Back cover copy

'A delightfully deadpan look at what happens when one family member decides that he's unlocked the secret of the universe.'

Independent

Buddha Da tells the endearing story of a working-class Glaswegian man who discovers Buddhism, rejects old habits

and seeks a life more meaningful, only to alienate his immediate family in the process.

Moving seamlessly between three family members, Donovan's clear-eyed, richly expressive prose sings off the page. Each character's voice has its own subtle rhythm and the conclusion is a poignant mixture of hope and lingering reservations. Buddha Da is a delight from one of Britain's most exciting writers.

'An enchanting novel in which ordinary lives are illuminated with extraordinary charm.'

Daily Telegraph

'Buddha Da reads like a Scottish Roddy Doyle, dealing with potentially heavy issues with an addictive blend of pathos and humour.'

Observer

'Her deliciously corkscrewed tale flows with the sap of everyday life.'

Sunday Times