Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens
WINNER OF THE MILES FRANKLIN LITERARY AWARD
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Pub Date 2 Mar 2023 | Archive Date 6 Aug 2023
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Description
'This is an engaging story that feels both urgent and necessary. It is also a terrific read.' – The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
Welcome to Cinnamon Gardens, a home for those who are lost and the stories they treasure.
Cinnamon Gardens Nursing Home is nestled in the quiet suburb of Westgrove, Sydney – populated with residents with colourful histories, each with their own secrets, triumphs and failings. This is their safe place, an oasis of familiar delights – a beautiful garden, a busy kitchen and a bountiful recreation schedule.
But this ordinary neighbourhood is not without its prejudices. The serenity of Cinnamon Gardens is threatened by malignant forces more interested in what makes this refuge different rather than embracing the calm companionship that makes this place home to so many. As those who challenge the residents’ existence make their stand against the nursing home with devastating consequences, our characters are forced to reckon with a country divided.
Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens is about family and memory, community and race, but is ultimately a love letter to storytelling and how our stories shape who we are.
Advance Praise
‘Wise and dignified.’
The Australian Women's Weekly
‘Chandran is an excellent storyteller.’
The Weekend Australian
‘this story burns with anger and sings with optimism, sprinkled through with moments of levity and humour.’
The Canberra Times
‘This is an engaging story that feels both urgent and necessary. It is also a terrific read.’
The Daily Telegraph
‘a powerful, compassionate novel about friendship, family, community-building, and the racism faced by members of diasporic communities in this country.’
The AU Review
‘Chandran’s novel has serious heft, spanning several timelines and tackling complex topics like race, trauma and the structural inequality engendered in so-called multicultural Australia.’
The Guardian
‘might at first appear to be a straightforward feel-good tale, but quickly reveals itself to be firmly grounded in the light and shade of real life.’
The West Australian
‘Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens is a lyrical, stirring, accomplished exploration of the trauma we carry, the secrets we keep, the histories we harbour, and the family we find. Chandran's characters are so vividly drawn you can sense them sitting across the table long after you've closed the covers. Deftly traversing time, culture and continent to weave a tale of both home and unbelonging, this is truly a novel not to be missed.’
Maxine Beneba Clarke, author of Foreign Soil and The Hate Race
‘An engrossing, urgent, warm, wise and utterly, utterly beautiful novel.’
Emily Maguire, author of An Isolated Incident and Love Objects
‘Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens filled this reviewer’s heart with both hope and rage at witnessing history repeat itself, while somehow preserving optimism about how communities can be rebuilt.’
Books + Publishing
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781761151569 |
| PRICE | £16.99 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 384 |
Links
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Featured Reviews
Bookseller 173414
This is a powerful and at times disturbing novel. It is very well written and not a difficult read, the characters are likeable and relatable and it has light feel good moments, however it tackles some serious subjects. Very graphic descriptions of the civil war in Sri Lanka and episodes of upsetting racism towards the refugees from the war. The stories are necessary and need telling. The book is on the whole a serious piece of literature, and I will read and recommend this author. My only concern is that the marketing of this book, which makes it look like a new "Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" will mean word of mouth will have to do a lot of heavy lifting. It is an enjoyable book with a serious heart.
Reviewer 675379
Surprising and well written book, touching many topics: the violence of the Sri Lankan civil war, racism, colonialism and old age. Memorable characters and a lesson on the power of social media in Australia today.
Viv R, Reviewer
Don’t be fooled by the title and cover of this novel. It is a raw examination of racism. Beautifully written it tells the story of various characters and their experiences with prejudice in both their home countries and the place they have emigrated to, in this case Australia.
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General Fiction (Adult), Multicultural Interest, Women's Fiction