Other editions of book The Crow Eaters

Seeking capitalist ventures and fortune, Faredoon ‘Freddy’ Junglewalla moves his family - his pregnant wife, children and belligerent mother-in-law - from their ancestral village in rural India to the bustling metropolis of Lahore. Welcomed by the small but tight-knit Parsi community, Freddy establishes a booming business and his family soon become one of the most respected in Lahore. It seems that the only thing holding Freddy back is his sizeable and burdensome mother-in-law. As his family grows, and events - funny, tragic and life-changing - occur, Freddy’s reach permeates the wider country and an intricate portrait of colonial India is revealed. But when tragedy forces Freddy to rethink his legacy, intimations of historic change loom on the country’s horizon. Wickedly funny and searingly honest, The Crow Eaters is a vibrant portrait of a Parsi family taking its place in colonial India on the brink of the 20th Century, from one of Pakistan’s best-loved and finest novelists. ‘One of the great comic novels of the 20th Century.’ - Hanif Kureishi ‘A novel of immense charm and exuberance . . . Sidhwa consistently imparts the magic and colour of India even in its most down-to-earth aspects.’ - The Times ‘Bapsi Sidhwa’s voice - comic, serious, subtle, always sprightly - is an important one to hear. I’m delighted to see her terrific novels back in print.’ - Salman Rushide ‘The Crow Eaters is an excellent novel . . . The author is a born storyteller.’ - New Statesman ‘Sidhwa writes with an exuberance and geniality which make The Crow Eaters illuminating and memorable.’ - Jim Crace

At the dawn of the 20th century in Pakistan, Freddy Junglewalla moves his family — pregnant wife, baby daughter, and Jerbanoo, his rotund mother-in-law — from their ancestral forest home to cosmopolitan Lahore. He opens a store, and as his fortunes grow, so does the animosity between Freddy and his mother-in-law. While Freddy prospers under British rule, life with the domineering Jerbanoo is another matter entirely. This exuberant novel, full of rollicking humor, paints a vivid picture of life in the Parsee community.

Bapsi Sidhwa???s brilliant fourth novel chronicles the adventures of a young Pakistani girl in America with an enormously satisfying story and characters??? The extended family of Feroza Ginwalla, a lively and temperamental girl, agonizes over the decision to send her to America for a three-month holiday. This act of apparent audacity arises from concern over Feroza???s conservative attitudes, which stem from Pakistan???s rising tide of fundamentalism. Feroza???s chaperone in America, an uncle only six years her senior, is her guide, friend, and the bane of her existence. Her relationship and adventures shape her alternatively hilarious and terrifying perceptions of the US. Feroza???s family in Pakistan, meanwhile, is in delicious turmoil over the possibility that American ways will ruin her???

Faredoon (Freddie) Junglewalla is either the jewel of the Parsi community or a murdering scoundrel. Freddie???s mother-in-law, Jerbanoo, thinks he is planning to do away with her, but Freddie has always been a pragmatist: if the old woman were to die (be murdered?) the body would have to be placed on the open-roofed Towers of Silence, in keeping with custom, and that would never do. Insurance fraud and arson, however, are well within Freddie???s repertoire???in fact he thinks he has invented the idea, so advanced is it for India, in 1901. As his ???skills??? grow he becomes a man of consequence among the Parsis, with people travelling thousands of miles to see him in Lahore, especially if they wish to escape tight spots they have got themselves into. In this wickedly comic novel, the celebrated author of Ice-Candy Man takes us into the heart of the Parsi community, portraying its varied customs and traits with contagious humour.

Bapsi Sidhwa???s brilliant fourth novel chronicles the adventures of a young Pakistani girl in America with an enormously satisfying story and characters??? The extended family of Feroza Ginwalla, a lively and temperamental girl, agonizes over the decision to send her to America for a three-month holiday. This act of apparent audacity arises from concern over Feroza???s conservative attitudes, which stem from Pakistan???s rising tide of fundamentalism. Feroza???s chaperone in America, an uncle only six years her senior, is her guide, friend, and the bane of her existence. Her relationship and adventures shape her alternatively hilarious and terrifying perceptions of the US. Feroza???s family in Pakistan, meanwhile, is in delicious turmoil over the possibility that American ways will ruin her???