Jahrelang glaubte die junge Zelda, dass ihre Mutter tot sei. Erst nach dem Tod ihres Vaters erfährt sie die bittere Wahrheit: Ellen, ihre Mutter, verließ vor vielen Jahren ihre Familie und ging nach Indien. Zelda lässt das Leben ihrer Mutter, die einst eine gefeierte Tänzerin war, keine Ruhe mehr. Was hat Ellen dazu gebracht, ihr Kind im Stich zu lassen und in der Ferne ein völlig neues Leben anzufangen? Zelda macht sich auf die Suche nach ihrer Mutter und stößt auf eine Wahrheit, mit der sie nicht gerechnet hatte ...
Katherine Scholes was born in Tanzania, East Africa, the daughter of a missionary doctor and an artist. She has fond memories of travelling with her parents and siblings on long safaris to remote areas where her father operated a clinic from his Land Rover. When she was ten, the family left Tanzania, going first to England and then settling in Tasmania. As an adult, Katherine moved to Melbourne with her film-maker husband. After working there for many years, writing books and making films, they returned with their two sons to live in Tasmania.
Katherine's internationally bestselling novels have been translated into numerous languages. She is especially popular in Germany and France, where she has sold over two million books.
In der Geschichte geht es mehr um die Mutter von Zelda: Ellen. Zum einen wie es dazu kam, dass sie Ehemann und 4jährige Tochter verlassen hat. Und zum anderen was danach geschehen ist: wie sie mit 2 Freundinnen nach Indien gekommen ist und dort fast zu einer Heiligen wurde. Es gibt sehr viele Zeitsprünge, die leider nicht immer gleich erkannt werden. Das macht es manchmal schwierig beim Lesen. Trotzdem ist es kurzweilig zu lesen. Interessant sind auch die geschilderten Verhältnisse in Indien.
I first read this book many years ago, in its early edition but have re-read it so many times since! It's a truly great read and even though it's Scholes' first adult fiction book - it's just as great as all her latter ones and has some really memorable scenes. Again, it has interstesing characters, and it's drama takes you into a range of settings each of which Scholes has skilfully crafted - from the environment of an isolated small-island township, to the world of ballet and, performance and the toll it can take, as well as the land of India and gurus, Mystics and ashrams. I loved the variety of themes explored including mother-daughter relationships and how our childhood journey with our mother can influence and shape our future....so much goes on in it! One of the best and most memorable scenes for me in the book, takes place at an airport in India...if the book was ever made into a film, this scene would have you chuckling for quite a while!! (You will have to read it to know what I am talking about! )
This is one of those books where the back cover getting close feels like a disaster because you simply do not want to get to the end. As a Tasmanian, the evocation of the rural community on Flinder's Island was almost tangible - I could hear those women talking. I think the capacity to evoke a setting so richly in very few words is one of Scholes' striking talents. The issue of body image is explored sensitively and the issue remains timely. A great holiday read.